Academy for Nonprofit Excellence
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Two-Day Classes | One-Day Classes
Two-Day Classes
Tuition for two-day courses is $85. Networking with refreshments begins at 8:30 and class meets from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Classes are located at the TCC Regional Workforce Development Center, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435.
- January 9th & 10th, Stands & Accountability
- February 13th & 14th, Executive Director Survival Strategies
- March 13th & 14th, Strategic Planning
- April 10th & 11th, Leadership Thru Influence
- May 8th & 9th, Grant Proposal Development: An Introduction
- June 12 & 13th, Standards and Accountability Part II
One-Day Classes
Tuition for one-day courses is $60. Networking with refreshments begins at 8:30 and class meets from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Classes are located at the TCC Regional Workforce Development Center, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435.
- January 29th, The Role of the Board in Fundraising
- February 26th, Creating Newsletters Your Donors Can't Wait to Read
- March 26th, How to Talk Online: One Voice, One Vision with all Your Online Communications
- April 23rd, Nonprofit Hiring Practices: From Job Description to Making the Offer
- May 21st, Understanding Team Effectiveness: Finding the Flow
- June 25, Nonprofit Financial Management: The Basics
Course Descriptions
Two-Day Full Class Descriptions
JAN 8 & 10
STANDARDS & ACCOUNTABILITY
Nonprofits must comply with applicable local state and federal laws. This course will provide tools and resources to evaluate and improve business practices to bring them in line with commonly accepted accountability standards. Standardization of practices creates an environment of transparency, accountability and integrity, qualities required to hold the public trust. Guidelines and suggestions will be provided for nonprofits looking to improve their processes.
Standards and Accountability will be offered as a two part series. These classes are independent and part I is not a prerequisite for part II, although participation in both parts is encouraged. Part I will cover policies and procedures, financial management, fundraising, information technology and human resources. This course is suitable for staff, executive directors and board members. Part II will be offered in June.
Core Topic Area: Organization Planning, Management, and Evaluation
Instructor: Naomi Takeuchi, President of 1000 Cranes, Durham, NC
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5065
CEUs: 1.0
FEB 13 & 14
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SURVIVAL STRATEGIES
The job of the executive director is one of the most rewarding yet challenging careers in the nonprofit world. This course offers strategies and skills designed to help executive directors survive and thrive. Developed with the relatively new (one to three years experience) executive director in mind, the class is suitable for anyone looking to refresh these skills or looking to move into an ED position. Topics to be covered include the nonprofit culture, specific roles of the Executive Director, board and staff, sound financial management, and leadership development.
Core Topic Area: Board and Executive Director Development and Governance
Instructor: Jane Stein, JPS Consulting, Norfolk, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5122
CEUs: 1.0
MAR 13 & 14
STRATEGIC PLANNING
From analysis to decision making to implementation, strategic planning is a process oriented activity that can systematically move your organization forward.
Strategic Planning is about accountability, commitment and leadership. Topics include:
• Strategic Planning Theory and Technique
• Understanding and Creating Performance Objectives
• Techniques That Advance Positive Organizational Change
• Ensuring Follow Through
• Evaluating Outcomes
• Quality Improvement
Core Topic Area: Organization Planning, Management, and Evaluation
Instructor: Belinda Willis, President, Focusing on Solutions, Yorktown, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5146
CEUs: 1.0
APR 10 & 11
LEADERSHIP THRU INFLUENCE
As nonprofits face new challenges to optimize limited resources, they often do not take full advantage of the untapped potential that exists within their human resources, for creating new ideas and then getting the needed buy-in from others responsible for making these ideas successful. After this course, participants will understand how leveraging differences in the way people think can foster greater innovations.
Core Topic Area: Organization Planning, Management, and Evaluation
Instructor: Robert Kenney, PhD, President, Partners through Training, Lynchburg, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5362
CEUs: 1.0
MAY 8 & 9
GRANT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTRODUCTION
Winning a grant takes more than a well written proposal. The proposal is part of a process of planning, research, outreach, and cultivation. In this two-day course, participants will learn the components of a well-crafted proposal, effective research methods, and the cultivation of funders.
Core Topic Area: Fund Development and Communications (FDC)
Instructor: Amy Nisenson, Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, Richmond
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
CEUs: 1.0
JUNE 12 & 13
STANDARDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY PART II
In part II, participants will continue to explore tools and resources to evaluate and improve business practices to bring them in line with commonly accepted accountability standards. Standardization of practices creates an environment of transparency, accountability and integrity, qualities required to hold the public trust. Guidelines and suggestions will be provided for nonprofits looking to improve their processes. Part II will cover planning, governance, public policy and advocacy, strategic alliances, evaluation, transparency & accounting. Attendance at part I is not a prerequisite for part II.
Core Topic Area: Organization Planning, Management, and Evaluation (OPME)
Instructor: Naomi Takeuchi, 1000 Cranes Consulting, Durham, NC and Canada
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
CEUs: 1.0
ONE-DAY CLASSES
JAN 29
THE ROLE OF THE BOARD IN FUNDRAISING
Today more than ever nonprofit boards are expected to raise significant amounts of money. This class will outline the key elements necessary to building an effective fundraising board, including the board’s role in major gift fundraising. The Curtis Group’s extensive work with nonprofits has provided them the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of nonprofit boards of different sizes and levels of experience. This class will bring that experience to the table and help participants better understand how successful nonprofit boards operate.
Participants will leave with a greater understanding of why board leadership is essential to successful fundraising. They will learn how to go about building a successful fundraising board, traits to look for in potential board members and how to orient the board and prepare them for their role in fundraising.
Core Topic Area: Board and Executive Director Development and Governance
Instructors: Keith Curtis, President, and Wendy McGrady, The Curtis Group, Virginia Beach, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5419
CEUs: 0.5
FEB 26
CREATING NEWSLETTERS YOUR DONORS CAN'T WAIT TO READ
Learn tips and techniques to make your organization’s newsletter a must-read publication you actually look forward to creating. This class will help you discover great stories your nonprofit can start telling right away. You will explore effective ways to share news and other stories with key audiences. Your one-day class will help you understand how story selection, writing, photography, graphic design and distribution work in tandem to create powerful newsletters that elevate your organization’s work. This one-day class will focus on both print and electronic newsletters. It will help you find creative ways to share stories across multiple platforms. Class participants are encouraged to bring samples of current newsletters for evaluation.
Core Topic Area: Fund Development and Communications
Instructor: Sally Hartman, Vice President, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Norfolk, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5420
CEUs: 0.5
MAR 26
HOW TO TALK ONLINE: ONE VOICE, ONE VISION WITH ALL YOUR ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS
Are you communicating effectively online? Is your organization speaking with the right voice on your web site, in blogs, email blasts, on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest? How do you decide what the right message is, and where to “talk” online? Learn how to develop an effective online message strategy, what is acceptable, how to track online messages and how to handle negative online comments. This course is a practical guide to learning how to approach online communications, with an emphasis on social media, message consistency, and developing and implementing an online communications strategy that fits with overall marketing efforts.
Core Topic Area: Fund Development and Communications
Instructor: Tom Noffsinger, Vice President, The Primm Company, Norfolk, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5311
CEUs: 0.5
APR 23
NONPROFIT HIRING PRACTICES: FROM JOB DESCRIPTION TO MAKING THE OFFER
For a nonprofit to succeed, it must be able to find and hire the skilled, capable and dedicated employees it needs. Join us for this one-day course on the hiring process from defining needs and the search process to finalizing the selection and making an offer of employment. Learn to avoid common hiring and process problems that are inevitable when choosing people.
Core Topic Area: Human Resources
Instructor: Okema Bowers, Training Manager, TCC, Norfolk, VA
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
Course Number: BUSC 5421
CEUs: 0.5
MAY 21
UNDERSTANDING TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: FINDING THE FLOW
In this session participants will learn how to build relationships among workers, and remind team members about the importance of planning and communicating ideas while they clarify roles of the team members and the process for determining roles in a group situation. Participants increase their appreciation for team diversity, and identify and correct behaviors in a dysfunctional team. When participants complete this program they should be able to describe the stages of team effectiveness; express the importance of foundational team elements - mission, vision, and goals; name various models for team decision making; identify communication styles of self and team members; and explain team dysfunctions that prevent effectiveness.
Core Topic Area: Human Resources (HR)
Instructor: Annette Kane-Shine, Chesapeake
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
CEUs: 0.5
JUNE 25
NONPROFIT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: THE BASICS
Financial management is a key part of a healthy and sustainable nonprofit, so it's important for everyone at an organization to at least know the basics. This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of nonprofit financial management. Topics include key terms; budgeting; policies; and internal controls.
Core Topic Area: Financial Management (FM)
Instructor: Nathaniel Pierce, Esq., The Keel Group, Virginia Beach
Location: TCC RWDC, 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA 23435
CEUs: 0.5