VNR Workshops and Conferences
On April 1, VNR will offer a workshop, Hitting the Social Media Trifecta: Integrating Facebook, Twitter and YouTube/Vimeo. To learn more, click on In the News.
Forecasting Your Financial Future II - Resources for Affordable Housing Nonprofits will be held Thursday, March 18 from 11 am - 3 pm in North Hollywood. Like its very successful predecessor in October 2009, this workshop will help affordable housing nonprofits, especially those with annual budgets of more than $500,000, expand their financial planning skills. This time the emphasis will be on local resources affordable housing nonprofits can identify and use to obtain working capital and financial consulting services (e.g., to help with financial strategic planning). The main speakers will be David Greco and Karla Salazar of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, which recently opened a Los Angeles office and launched a major foundation-supported program to assist local nonprofits. Joining them will be local leaders in the affordable housing community, including Robin Conerly of the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, who will offer practical strategies for success and case examples. Co-sponsored by Valley Nonprofit Resources and Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing, it is recommended that participating nonprofits send both their executive director and chief financial officer. Cost of the workshop is $20, which includes lunch. For more information and to register, contact Diana Medina Wiley, VNR Project Coordinator, at 818/990-0176 or dianahiri@aol.com
Public Relations for Nonprofits will be held Thursday, March 25 from 4:00 - 6:00pm in Sherman Oaks. This free workshop will present basic public relations concepts for nonprofit organizations interested in finding low-cost ways to expand or create a public relations strategy. Topics will include: 1) benefits of public relations, 2) message development, 3) types of media exposure, and 4) how to contact media representatives. The event will feature Valley-based PR consultants Joe Macias and Evelyn Aleman of Media Image Public Relations. For more information and to register contact Diana Medina Wiley, VNR Project Coordinator at 818/990-0176 or dianahiri@aol.com
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Community Workshops and Conferences
VNR also provides information about workshops held by other community organizations in the San Fernando Valley, as well as more major programs or conferences in nearby locations. To search for events by date, go to Calendar.
Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management The Society for Nonprofit Organizations and Michigan State University's Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies jointly award a Certificate for students completing eight online courses from SNPO's Learning Institute. The Learning Institute courses are self-paced, and focus on core competencies of nonprofit leadership and management. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for each course are also available from Michigan State University. To find out more and to enroll go to: www.nonprofitcourses.org/li/index.php?ref=1001GSI.
Gems for Grassroots is a workshop sponsored by the Flintridge Operating Foundation (VNR's new partner for Glendale-based nonprofits), and will be held on March 13, 2010 at the Flintridge Retreat in Pasadena. It will provide executive directors of small nonprofit organizations with the tools and techniques needed to develop an organization that is sustainable, with impactful programs. Organizations will be introduced to principles necessary to operate a nonprofit organization; proven tools to effectively operate the organization; and techniques to provide quality services under financial restraints. For more information go to: https://www.flintridge.org/rsvp/view-event-details.php?event_id=17
Grantseeking Basics is a free workshop presented by Flintridge Operating Foundation (VNR's new partner for Glendale-based nonprofits). Beneficial for beginning grantseekers, this session provides key information and definitions from the world of philanthropy, elements that should be in place before grantseeking, what funders are looking for, and how to identify organizations that are likely to provide funding. There will also be an introduction to what resources are available in the Flintridge Philanthropy Resource Library, to help with grantseeking and other nonprofit needs. The workshop will be held in Pasadena on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 from 10 to 11 am, and again on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 9 to 10 am. To register, go to: https://www.flintridge.org/rsvp/view-events.php
Grantsmanship Workshops The Grantsmanship Center's Grantsmanship Training Program is designed for both the novice and the experienced grantseeker. The intensive five-day workshop combines expert instruction with practical exercises through all the stages of planning programs, locating funding sources, and writing grant proposals. The next five-day workshop will be held on April 19-23 at The Grantsmanship Center's downtown Los Angeles location. For more information and/or registration contact the registrar at 213/482-9860 or registrar@tgci.com
Project Grantsmanship 2009 is a partnership of the Annenberg Foundation, the California Community Foundation, and The Grantsmanship Center. The Project Grantsmanship training program provides comprehensive, hands-on training that covers all aspects of the grant development process. It also provides participants with post-workshop proposal reviews and support. To be eligible to attend, participants must be a paid staff or board member of a 501(c)(3) organization based in Los Angeles County (only 2 registrants per organization may enroll). The cost of the training is $200 or $300 per person depending on the size of the organization's budget. Trainings will take place in downtown Los Angeles March 29 - April 2, 2010 and June 7 - 11, 2010 at The Grantsmanship Center. To download the application and register, go to: www.tgci.com/project-grantsmanship/ProjectGrantsmanship2009.pdf
Tseng College of Extended Learning MPA and Certificate Programs at California State University Northridge offers many courses on nonprofit management subjects, such as basic nonprofit management, strategic planning, fundraising and human resources. Those interested in taking one of these classes without being enrolled in the MPA or certificate programs must have a bachelor's degree, and obtain a special permission number from the MPA program office. For more information, please contact the MPA office at 818/677-5635.
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Funder Events
Several "Meet the Funder" events are being planned and will be announced when they are scheduled.
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Peer Networking
Research on capacity building shows that peer-to-peer sharing of information and problem-solving strategies is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to strengthen nonprofit organizations. Thus one of VNR's main objectives is to provide easy, geographically-focused platforms for nonprofit leaders to talk with each other, share their challenges and successes, and offer help to their peers. The first VNR peer network is a small group of mental health professionals who are working to implement a program for involving families in mental health services in San Fernando Valley mental health agencies.
Information on other peer networks will be offered in this part of the VNR website—stay tuned!
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Valley Young Nonprofit Professionals Network
As VNR grows, another peer networking activity will involve setting up a platform for networking and career development to professional and support staff of Valley nonprofits who are under the age of 30. The Valley Young Nonprofit Professionals Network will be aimed at helping people under the age of 30 move into leadership positions in the nonprofit sector—a critical need given all the baby boomer leaders who will be retiring in the next 5-10 years. It will also be aimed at providing them with a personal network for both professional and social uses, focused on the geography of the Valley where they work, and where many of them also live.
Information about the Valley Young Nonprofit Professionals Network will be available in this part of the VNR website. For information on other peer networking activities for young nonprofit workers:
- Valley Junior Chamber of Commerce www.sfvjaycees.org. The Valley Jaycees has regular meetings and sponsors an annual nonprofit fair at a Valley shopping mall.
- Young Nonprofit Professionals Network www.ynpn.org.
A Los Angeles Chapter of this organization is planned,
but not yet underway. Information on the Southern
California region can be obtained via e-mail.
- CAN Emerging Nonprofit Professionals has been recently created, but has not yet developed its own website. Information can be obtained by e-mail or by checking the CAN website at www.canonprofits.org
