Category: Past Nonprofit Training Session

Successful Fundraising —A skill you can learn
Emily McGay, Manager of McGay Consulting, LLC
Thursday, June 7, 6-7pm
UNM-LA, Bldg 6, Room 631, Lecture Hall

Emily is the Manager of McGay Consulting, LLC, a small local consulting firm that works with non-profit organizations on their operations, strategic planning, and board development. Emily also conducts studies such as community needs assessments and feasibility studies for capital development. Emily looks forward to bringing her decades of leadership experience to our nonprofit community to aid in your fundraising efforts.

Non-profits generally raise funds for three purposes, 1) annual support; 2) capital; and 3) endowment. Annual support is very important because you must prove you are a publicly supported organization to the IRS in order to maintain your 501(c)3 status. The current thinking is that one-third of your income should come from contributed dollars. This is a big responsibility. So how do you become successful at asking people for money?

Proven strategies can be learned and implemented that will ensure your success:

• Set up a campaign committee of staff and volunteers
• Develop a plan and document the need and the case to include a firm monetary goal
• Cultivate your potential donors. Visit with them face-to-face to show your enthusiasm for the cause
• Recruit, train and motivate your volunteers on how to be more successful with their asks
• Monitor your campaign with report meetings
• Evaluate your campaign for improvements that can be made the next time.

Nonprofit training sessions sponsored by Los Alamos Community Foundation are made possible with generous support from UNM-Los Alamos and the LANL Foundation.

Internal Controls for Nonprofits: Viable solutions that are easy to apply.
Chris Daniels, Finance Director, Los Alamos Family YMCA
Thursday, February 8, 5-6pm
UNM-LA, Bldg 2, Lecture Hall

Embezzlement and fraud within the nonprofit sector is probably more common and also more preventable than you would think.  The damage and effect of fraud can be extensive and community trust hard to regain.  By raising your awareness of how it happens and implementing a few simple methods your nonprofit can avoid such a calamity!

In this interactive presentation you will learn about:

• Common ways that embezzlement and or fraud can occur.
• The critical areas where controls are most needed.
• Effective ways to establish internal controls with a limited staff.
• Specific controls that can be applied immediately with minimal effort.
• Examples where controls could have prevented fraud or errors.

Slides from this presentation can be found below:

Internal Controls for Non Profits

Nonprofit training sessions sponsored by Los Alamos Community Foundation are made possible with generous support from UNM-Los Alamos and the LANL Foundation.

Attracting and Nurturing Volunteers: A Conversation
Diana Martinez, Los Alamos Family YMCA
and
Todd Nickols, Los Alamos Historical Society
Thursday, October 19, 5-6pm
UNM-LA, Lecture Hall (Bldg 2)

Please join us for this interactive panel discussion,  led by leaders of two local organizations with robust volunteer programs. We will discuss the joys (and pains) of engaging the community in our nonprofit efforts. Among the topics we may touch on are:

• How to recruit and retain volunteers for your organization
• Different ways to recognize the work of your volunteers
• Identify resources for developing or strengthening your own volunteer program
• How to engage youth volunteers
• Recruiting  volunteers to help with programming
• Preparing for group volunteer activities.

Diana and Todd will begin the discussion with their experiences and insights, but we hope to engage the audience with their questions and comments. Please bring your ideas and questions regarding this lifeblood of any nonprofit organization.

Jennifer Bennett, the Finance and Development Manager of the Los Alamos Historical Society, Social Media Class presenter for the next installment of LACF’s “Harnessing the Power of the Media” nonprofit training series:

Harnessing the Power of the Media – Part 2:
Social Media for Nonprofits
Thursday, August 24, 5pm
UNM-LA, Lecture Hall (Bldg 2)

Jennifer Bennett is a recent transplant to Los Alamos. She previously worked for Whole Foods Market in the Silicon Valley in California as a Marketing and Community Outreach Lead. Jennifer utilized Facebook and Instagram to highlight the store and community events for ten stores in the Silicon Valley. She is excited to share her knowledge so that we can all utilize social media to its fullest potential to support each other and highlight the great work of nonprofits.

Here are the notes from the session.

Social Media Class

Social Media Resources

Thursday, March 23, 2017: Press Releases and Community News Reporting – Carol A. Clark, Publisher of the Los Alamos Daily Post, and Bonnie Gordon, Lifestyles Editor and Artistic Director of the LA Daily Post

Handout:  Press Release Tips

Getting the word out is a critical task for the success of any nonprofit. Los Alamos Community Foundation is excited to announce a series of training sessions designed to help nonprofit organizations make better use of a variety of media resources.

Harnessing the Power of the Media – Part 1:
Press Releases and Community News Reporting
Thursday, Mar 23rd, 5:00 p.m.
Bldg. 2 Lecture Hall, UNM-LA

When your press release is done right the first time, it has the greatest chance of being published in a timely fashion. Carol A. Clark, the publisher and editor of the Los Alamos Daily Post, will teach you how to put together a proper press release containing all the essential elements. And although there are more events taking place in this vibrant community than there are reporters to cover those events, Bonnie Gordon, the lifestyles editor and artistic director of the LA Daily Post, will talk about steps you can take to bring greater recognition to your nonprofit activities.

This training session is an excellent opportunity for anyone associated with a nonprofit organization to learn key skills that boost efficiency and save time. Executive directors, staff, board members and volunteers are all welcome and encouraged to attend.

<!– Your RSVP to Laura.Crotzer@losalamoscf.org will ensure we have enough handouts for attendees. Thank you! –>

Note:  Part 2 of this series will take place later in the summer and will focus on social media. Stay tuned for details in future newsletters and updates!

Nonprofit training sessions sponsored by Los Alamos Community Foundation are made possible with generous support from UNM-Los Alamos and the LANL Foundation.

February 16, 2017: Strategic Planning for the Time-Challenged – Felicia Orth, Attorney at Law

Handouts:
Powerpoint presentation
PEEC Dashboard View
PEEC Strategic Plan

The ability to look to the future with vision and use strategic planning to achieve desired goals is a skill that is useful for everyone.  Los Alamos Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Felicia Orth will be sharing her strategic planning insights and tips at the next LACF nonprofit training session.

Strategic Planning for the Time-Challenged
Thursday, Feb 16th, 5:00 p.m.
Bldg. 2 Lecture Hall, UNM-LA

Have you avoided leading your board into strategic planning for fear that the process would be endless?  Or worse, pointless?  What’s so ‘strategic’ about strategic planning anyway?  Felicia will speak about the importance of organizational strategy, provide sample strategic plans, and share tools to help you efficiently develop a plan for your own organization.  This training session is appropriate for executive directors, board members, and volunteers alike.

“The future doesn’t just happen — it’s shaped by decisions.”  — NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue

Felicia Orth is a semi-retired Administrative Law Judge who has served on a number of nonprofit boards over the last thirty years, providing primarily legal assistance, administrative and policy development, fundraising, and hospitality.  During her time as PEEC’s board president, Felicia facilitated the development of PEEC’s strategic plan.  She and her family have lived in Los Alamos for twenty years, and she has been proud and happy to see the recent transformations in the community brought about by nonprofits and public-private partnerships.

January 12, 2017:  Overview of Accounting & Taxation for Nonprofits – Dennis Kennedy, CPA

Handout:  Records Retention Guidelines

In this interactive session, CPA Dennis Kennedy will discuss accounting and taxation issues related to nonprofits for 2016, impacting 2017, including, taxation for nonprofits , year-end reporting requirements, revenue recognition and classification, including allowable and non-allowable expenses, audit requirements, reconciling fund balances, and financial budgeting.

This nonprofit training session sponsored by Los Alamos Community Foundation and projectY is made possible with generous support from the LANL Foundation.