How to Win Friends & Influence Fundraising
August 31, 20223 | 11:00am - 12:00pm PST
Presented by, By Valerie Lord, Managing Director, Envision Consulting
A culture of philanthropy, community-centric fundraising, flexible giving options, longtermism - are you familiar with these fundraising terms and how you could be maximizing these strategies for increased giving? In this month's CauseCoaching webinar, we will delve into the art of recruiting people (staff and volunteers!) to join you in your fundraising efforts and retaining their focus and talent. Learn when and how to tailor your fundraising efforts to resonate with your supporters, while also harnessing the collective strength of your community!
This fundraising webinar is part of our CauseCoaching content series.
What is CauseCoaching? A subscription-based board recruiting & development tool for organizations looking to grow.Limited-time access: Catch a sneak peek of our full webinar series within CauseCoaching.
Crafting an Intentional Organizational Culture
July 27,2023 | 11:00am - 12:00pm PST
Presented by, By Michelle Mapp, Vice President, Envision Consulting
Organizational culture impacts employee retention, productivity, services, and virtually every aspect of an organization. But how often do we intentionally and thoughtfully examine and then craft the culture? In this session we will look at the components of organizational culture, the importance of creating a culture that reflects your organization, and some practical steps and action plans for moving toward a positive, intentional culture.
This webinar is part of our CauseCoaching content series. What is CauseCoaching? A subscription-based board recruiting & development tool for organizations looking to grow.
Limited-time access: Catch a sneak peek of our full webinar series within CauseCoaching.
Successful Strategic Planning
February 09, 2023 | 11:00am - 12:00pm PST
Presented by Jennifer Lobenhofer, Director of Strategy Services, Envision Consulting
Jennifer specializes in strategic planning and performance evaluation, helping mission-driven organizations to envision and achieve impact and sustainability.
She has more than twenty years of experience and engagement in education, capacity building, and applied research projects in the public and nonprofit sectors.
What topics to expect? * Ensuring an inclusive and transparent process * Assessing program impact and sustainability * Setting clear, measurable goals * Identifying realistic and appropriate strategies * Designing the plan for implementation and accountability, including realistic budget projections
"What I learned in two decades as a nonprofit CEO"
January 19, 2023 | 10:30am - 12:00pm PST
Presented by Mitch Dorger, Senior Consultant, Envision Consulting
Mitch has over 40 years of professional experience, including 20 years as the CEO of organizations with operating budgets of up to $100 million and staff of 1,800. His work experience encompasses a wide range of functional areas, including aviation, international relations, program planning and budgeting, facility and installation management, crisis management, government relations, event management, and sports management.
Mitch has special expertise in the world of nonprofit organizations; and he is well versed in corporate governance, strategic planning, change management — including first-hand experience in managing executive transitions — and leadership development, volunteer management, financial planning and management, government relations, and event management.
In addition to his executive experience, Mitch has served on boards in the sports and entertainment industries. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Sports Business Institute at the USC Marshall School of Business.
So You Think You Can Governance: The Fundamentals of Nonprofit Board Governance
September 14, 2022 - 11:00am - 12:15pm PT
Presented by Mitch Dorger, Senior Consultant, Envision Consulting
Within nonprofits, the responsibility for ensuring the organization is carrying out its mission is shared by the board of directors and the operational management staff. The functions of the board are referred to as “governance” while the work of the staff is operational management.
Staff managers are usually selected based on their expertise in functional areas that will help the organization thrive. Board members, however, are most often selected for reasons not directly related to their knowledge of what it takes to properly set the strategic direction of the organization and oversee its success.
In our experience and in the minds of staff leaders across the nation is that the board of directors often fall short in carrying out their part of the partnership. Part of the problem is that organizations frequently do not have an effective “onboarding” process for new directors. These new directors come to board meetings and try to help, but in many cases, they don’t know what specifically the board is supposed to be doing or how.
This webinar is designed for current and future board members, as well as senior staff members. We'll discuss:
- What the board is
- What its responsibilities are
- What is the differences between governance and management
- And how many boards make mistakes that can impact the success and even the continued existence of the organization
Participants in this webinar will come away with a better idea of nonprofit governance and how the board and staff management should interact in their various roles.
Becoming the CEO of Your Career
Here’s the truth, friends: Much of what we’ve been taught about managing our careers, ourselves, and others is wrong.
Join Asia Bribiesca-Hedin of Bridgewell Professional Services and Matt Kamin of Envision Consulting for a lively discussion about how to take control of your career, whether you’re looking for a new job or trying to navigate where you are now.
Asia will share her 3 myths that keep people from becoming the CEOs of their careers – and break down what to do instead. Matt will add his recruiter perspective about how self-awareness is the key to landing your dream job and excelling once you get there.
Asia Bribiesca-Hedin, Bridgewell Professional Services
Matt Kamin, Envision Consulting
Envision recently conducted a survey of nonprofits to better understand what organizations have been dealing with in 2020 - and how they're thinking about and planning for the months ahead.
We spoke with Mary Donnelly-Crocker (Executive Director, Young & Healthy), Molly Snow (Executive Director, Girls on the Run of Los Angeles County) and Ana Rose O'Halloran (Executive Director, Antaeus Theatre Company) about their experiences in 2020 and perspectives on shaping the future.
During our first webinar about strategic restructuring, we covered the basics. In this session, we'll hear from leaders who have walked this path and can share lessons learned, tips for success, and pitfalls to avoid.
We’ll speak with Sara Straubel (Program Officer, The Ahmanson Foundation), Wendy Carpenter (CEO, Penny Lane Centers) and Lori Gangemi (CEO, AbilityFirst) about their experiences with and perspectives on strategic restructuring.
Learn more about the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative
Have you already read our latest blog? Good! Then that means you should feel less terrified of strategic restructuring (yes, including mergers)! On this webinar we took a deep dive on this topic, including when to consider strategic restructuring, how to assess your organization's readiness, and the first steps for getting started.
We also spoke with Carrie Harlow, project manager for the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative in Los Angeles, which supports strategic restructuring exploration and implementation.
Guest Speaker: Carrie Harlow
Carrie Harlow is founder and principal consultant for Harlow Consulting. She serves as the project manager for the Nonprofit Sustainability Initiative (NSI) - an LA County based pooled fund held at the California Community Foundation. Through this role, Carrie facilitates governance for the NSI with a committee of four managing funders, stewards relationships with 19 participating foundations and cultivates prospective new funders, manages local grantmaking activities for the NSI, and represents Los Angeles on a national steering committee for the Sustained Collaborative Network.
The COVID-19 crisis is heightening the need for skilled and committed nonprofit board members. Summer is also the time when many board terms expire. Together, these factors mean that board recruiting is a critical priority for many organizations.
But how do you identify and vet new board members when typical “get-to-know-you” meetings are impossible and both board and staff are stretched thin? The good news is the economic and health crisis is motivating more people to seek meaningful opportunities to serve their communities, so promising board members are out there!
Join us for practical strategies and tools to connect your organization’s needs with the people willing to give their time, talent and treasure to your mission. We’ll also tackle today’s unique challenges of remote interviews, orientation without “seeing” programs, and realistic expectations for engagement.
You still have a job – YAY! Only, it’s not as fun as it used to be. You’re sick of zoom, you’re annoyed at your team’s miscommunication, you have nothing positive to add and you’re overwhelmed by the fact that you’re one of the lucky ones.
Employee morale is at an all-time low! The best part about working for a nonprofit was believing that you can make a difference. Let us help you find that purpose again!
Join us for another town hall featuring experts giving you tips on:
- Enhancing your organizational culture
- The power of internal communications
- Leadership support and staff management
- What employers can do to support employee mental health.
So you were laid off, furloughed, or your hours have been reduced to something unsustainable... put down the whisky, delete the twitter rant, and start thinking about the next step in your career.
The nonprofit sector still needs you. Human resources are the lifeblood of our industry and the key to our strength and resilience.
Hear from our recruiting team about:
- Resume Do's & Don'ts
- How to get noticed by recruiters on LinkedIn
- Techniques to answer interview questions effectively
- Insights from an Interviewer
- The best places to look for jobs
Fundraising Power Hour with fellow Development Professionals
Whatever you do, don't stop fundraising! Maybe your programs are on hold, your staff is overwhelmed, your board is tired and your donors are distracted, but that doesn't mean that you should stop. Join us for a development professional roundtable to talk through the challenges and brainstorm strategies related to Making the Ask, Special Events, Donor Relations and #GivingTuesday coming up on May 5th.
Featuring Dana Bean from Union Station, Niki Richardson from TOARTS, and Katherine DeFoyd of Good for Growth, each bringing their own ideas and examples to inspire you!
Board Governance in Uncertain Times
The COVID-19 crisis is having a significant programmatic and financial impact on all nonprofit organizations. Some are stretched to the breaking point to meet increased demand for their services; some are working to reshape their program model and delivery in response to new challenges; and some are simply paused in a “wait and see” mode – or maybe some combination of all three.
Now is when nonprofit organizations need the talent, wisdom, and leadership of their boards the most to navigate this unprecedented time.
In this webinar, we dive into the most important discussions and decisions for your board, the questions you should be asking, and provide examples of innovative strategies that could ensure your organization's resiliency and sustainability.
This webinar's experts cover how you can make working from home more productive and resources available to keep children and youth educated and entertained.
- Team collaboration and how to communicate effectively while working remotely - Clark Soeurs, Expert Effect
- Tips and coping strategies for working effectively and how to regain a sense of normalcy - Eden Garcia-Balis, Airport Marina Counseling Service
- Activities and resources to keep children and youth busy and engaged - Lisa Cavelier, Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena
Things are changing quickly as organizations are responding to the impact of COVID-19. Building on our first virtual townhall, we're bringing together experts in the field to provide nonprofits with additional insights and resources.
In this webinar, we covered:
12 of Los Angeles' leading nonprofits joined us on a live chat to discuss how they're being impacted by COVID-19, their immediate needs, and what you can do to help from home.
Download the resource list here which includes notes from our chat and specific volunteer opportunities of each nonprofit.
You can also watch the live chat on our channel!
We hosted an emergency planning webinar for nonprofits responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19). During the webinar, we addressed:
- EMPLOYEES: Safety & well-being, remote work, workforce reductions and unemployment benefits
- INCOME: Event cancellations, fee-for-service government contracts, how to continue fundraising
- PROGRAMS: Managing increased need, scaling back or changing delivery of services