Nonprofit Academy

Class Descriptions

Listed in order by date classes are offered

Effective Nonprofit Management (5/8)

Developing approaches that both employees and volunteers in nonprofit organizations can use to deal effectively with the issues facing their organizations is a vital element to nonprofit success.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Effective Nonprofit Management class explores principles and practices of management as they are adapted to board governance, motivating volunteers, human resource management, accountability, financial planning, organizing for and managing growth and change, analyzing an organization's market and organizational strategic planning. 

Recommended classes to take along with Effective Nonprofit Management are: Annual Fund Management, Nonprofit Ethics, and the Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

Managing Funder Relationships (5/15)

Most nonprofit organizations perform fundraising and write grants as a part of their campaign, however many have not taken the opportunity to learn the skill and art of managing those relationships.  When your organization engages in prospect research you are looking for those who have a capacity, willingness and interest to give.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Managing Funder Relationships class is an exploration and fun approach to fundraising that will strategically help your organization in the future. 

Recommended classes to take along with Prospect Funders are: Annual Fund Management, Grant Writing I &II, Client (Constituent Services) and Nonprofit Accounting.

*Quickbooks (5/22)

Utilizing QuickBooks 2004,  this class will teach students how to set up a QuickBooks company; enter account opening balances; create and customize company lists; set up inventory; invoice for services; process customer payments; work with bank accounts, enter and pay bills, and use the system to maximize its potential for nonprofit organizations. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Quickbooks are: Nonprofit Accounting, Excel I & II, and Access I and II.

Media Relations (6/12)

Nonprofit organizations are always trying to increase their awareness within the community.  This class will provide helpful information and sample plans for your marketing/media needs.  The learning objectives in the Nonprofit Academy's Media Relations class will be to demonstrate incorporating communication into your organizational strategic plan, how to write effective messages to your target audience, techniques for creating a media campaign, and how to create a media list and strategies for maintaining relationships with those media contacts. Helpful tools and templates will be shared with the class.  Make sure to bring your ideas and questions.

Recommended classes to take along with Marketing are: Capacity Building, Special Events Planning, Budgeting, and Effective Nonprofit Management.

Nonprofit 101 (6/19)

(Panel presentation: Betsy Covington, Chattahoochee Valley Community Foundation; Linda Hyles, United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley); Alan Rothschild, ; Robinson Grimes CPA.

Nonprofit organizations are being formed everyday yet many new leaders of developing agencies have questions about legal obligations, fundraising issues, board development and much more.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Nonprofit 101 is for all newly formed organizations or for leaders looking to form a new nonprofit.  This class will have a panel of presenters to talk with you about your legal and tax requirements, setting yourself up for success, fundraising tips and guidance, staffing needs and much more.  The information will be presented fast and furious but should give you a good starting point.  If you are still interested in forming a nonprofit organization after taking this class, we would recommend you then take the full Nonprofit Management Excellence Series to give you lengthy training in several nonprofit management topics. 

Annual Fund (6/26)

(Betsy Covington, Chattahoochee Valley Community Foundation)

Create an annual fund program that will bring you funds year after year.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Annual Fund class will help participants learn how to use the fundraising strategies that most appeal to their potential donors. Attend to find out how you can create a broad base of supporters who will take your nonprofit to its annual funding goal. This is an excllent class for development officers, annual fund campaign staff, board members, volunteers, prospect researchers, program officers, department heads and financial officers. Resources and strategies will be shared to help participants determine which strategies to use and when to use them, make a convincing case for support, create gift range charts, and get volunteers involved with fundraising.  Other topics of discussion and demonstration will be how to use worksheets in putting together your annual fund as well as how to assess the organizations’ return on investment.

 Recommended classes to take along with Annual Fund Management are: Resource Development, Grant Writing I &II, Prospect Funders, and Nonprofit Accounting.

Resource Development (7/10)

(Betsy Covington, Chattahoochee Valley Community Foundation)

More often than not nonprofit organizations view funds as the single most important resource to their organization.  This class will learn techniques to broaden your base for support, to examine strategies for renewing donor support and to learn methods for upgrading donor support.  Many strategies and working tools will be given during the class for the participant to take back and use within their own organizational development.   The Nonprofit Academy’s Resource Development class will also examine the breakdown of responsibilities within an organization that can contribute to enhanced resource development.

 Recommended classes to take along with Resource Development are: Annual Fund Management, Government Funding, Prospect Funders, and Nonprofit Accounting.

Human Resource Development (7/17)

TBA

More and more, nonprofit organizations are finding themselves growing and expanding their functions and capacities. To keep up with these changes, organizations need to develop strong and stable human resources that enable them to maximize their staff potential and fulfill their mission objectives. The Nonprofit Academy’s Human Resource Development class focuses on how individuals and groups learn and interact with organizations including motivation, group dynamics, organizational culture, and change.

 Recommended classes to take along with Human Resource Development are: Role of a Director, Annual Fund Management, Nonprofit Ethics, and the Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

Nonprofit Ethics (7/24)

TBA

Nationally, as well as in Georgia, employers identify the area of work ethics as increasingly important for worker success*.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Nonprofit Ethics class will focus on the nonprofit leader and identified essential work ethics that should be taught and practiced in order to develop a viable and effective organization.  The work ethics traits that participants will discuss are: donor management, character, teamwork, appearance, attitude, productivity, organizational skills, communication, cooperation and respect.  Participants will find that information and resources from this class will help organizations acquire employees with desirable work habits.

 Recommended classes to take along with Workplace Ethics are: Effective Nonprofit Management, Servant Leadership, and Nonprofit Ethics.

Grant Writing I (8/14) and II (8/21)**

(Jack Smith, The Smith Group)

Learn how to write a successful grant from start to finish as we examine the crucial components of a compelling proposal.  This workshop presents an in-depth explanation of the grant process by outlining in details the most important components of a proposal. Participants will learn how to review a Request for Proposals (RFP), write a Problem Statement, Program Description/Narrative, Budget and the importance of a thorough and comprehensive evaluation.

 Recommended classes to take along with Grant Writing I &II  are: Annual Fund Management, Managing Funder Relationships, and Nonprofit Accounting.

Client (Constituent) Service Mgt. (8/28)

TBA

Client (Constituent) service management is a common area of needed support within the nonprofit community.  This Nonprofit Academy class will help to identify processes and supporting technologies that can be used.  Your “Constituents” refer to ALL people with some relationship to the organization - donors, funders, volunteers, clients and all other people who help an organization to achieve its mission or are benefactors of the mission. By enhancing your relationships you may be able to increase donation amounts and frequency, volunteering, event attendance, client and supporter satisfaction, or other activities that further the impact of an organization’s mission.

Recommended classes to take along with Client Service Management are: Annual Fund Management, Grant Writing I &II, Managing Funder Relationships and Nonprofit Accounting.

Access I (9/11) and II (9/16)

(Pete Sanders Nesbitt, Columbus Technical College)

Learn the basic concepts of Access 2002 in module one and learn the more advanced features in module two.  The module one workshop introduces you to Access features and the steps required to use the features correctly.  All participants in module one will create template based databases, create a blank database and create tables in design view.  Participants will also learn how to sort records by multiple fields, find records, and filter by selection.  All participants in module two will learn to create table relationships and lookup fields, how to use subdatasheets and subforms.  The module two class will also teach you to create advanced filters in queries, data access pages in design view and how to export data.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Access classes provide hands-on practice, skills necessary to quickly become proficient and help participants to increase productivity in the workplace.

 Recommended classes to take along with Access I & II are: Excel I & II, and Power Point.

Capacity Building (9/25)

(Candyss Bryant, ROCA Resources)

What does it mean when people refer to capacity building? Participants in the Nonprofit Academy’s Capacity Building class will explore strategies in diversifying  funding sources and in developing a sustainable fundraising plan for their organizations, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of their organization’s staff and board of directors, developing opportunities for networking and building collaborations among community resources and establishment. The topics of discussion include fiscal operations, strategic planning and board development.

 Recommended classes to take along with Capacity Building are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

*Strategic Planning (10/9)

(Candyss Bryant, ROCA Resources)

Strategic planning can help an organization understand its present situation, examine how current and future trends may affect it, and decide how to best manage anticipated challenges.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Strategic Planning class will aid organizations to better understand the importance of strategic planning for its long term success.  This class will introduce the strategic planning concept as well as offer resources and templates that can be used within different organizational structures.  Benefits to taking this class include: A better understanding of how to move from crisis-driven to anticipatory decision making, developing a framework to link budget allocations to priority issues, improving communication between service providers and constituencies, improving organizational performance, and emphasizing measurable objectives which promote greater accountability.

 Recommended classes to take along with Strategic Planning are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

Servant Leadership (10/16)

(Kelvin Redd, Pastoral Institute)

Leadership strategies and trends have been making positive changes over the past decade.  Learning to lead without formal authority or positional power is a key element in improving organizational effectiveness in the 21st century. This class is designed to provide managers, supervisors and team leaders with the most advanced leadership models, philosophies and tools to increase their individual performance, and thereby improve their organization's outcomes to better serve the public.

 Recommended classes to take along with Mission-Based Management are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series and Nonprofit Ethics.

PowerPoint (10/30)

(Pete Sanders Nesbitt, Columbus Technical College)

Learn the basic concepts of PowerPoint 2002.  The module one workshop introduces you to Powerpoint features and the steps required to use the features correctly.  All participants in the workshop will learn to create, modify, build and run PowerPoint slide shows, as well as use WordArt, AutoShapes, ClipArt and graphic objects.  You will learn about the PowerPoint toolbars, use Clipboard task pane and create tables using tabs.  Participants will also learn how to use the slide transition task pane.  The Nonprofit Academy’s PowerPoint class provides participants with an overview of PowerPoint 2002 features and provides a hands-on experience using PowerPoint 2002.

 Recommended classes to take along with PowerPoint are: Access I & II, Publisher and Excel I & II.

*Board Development (11/6)

(Donna Rex, PAWS Columbus)

The ability to recruit and assess a nonprofit board of directors is often times a task that is overlooked within the nonprofit community.  The truth is that a well thought and strategic board of directors is vital and a critical elements to the organization’s foundation.  In this class you will learn how to assess your board composition, strategize ways to build a diverse board and how to recruit them, and learn creative approaches to board orientation and to building a commitment to your mission. The Nonprofit Academy’s Board Governance class will provide the participant organizations with assessment tools and template letters for use with your own board of directors. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Board Governance are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

Outcome Measure I (11/13) & II (11/20)

(Linda Hyles, United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley)

Is your agency fulfilling its mission?  Are you achieving the benefits needed by program participants? A program logic model is a description of how the program theoretically works to achieve benefits for its participants.  This class will help you walk through the inputs, activities, and outputs of your program and will help you determine and examine the outcomes your program can expect to accomplish with its participants.  The Logic Model class will help you determine several things:  (1) what type of resources are required to run your program to address the needs of your target population, (2) what activities need to happen that will prove to make a difference in the life of the participants, (3) what are the expected outcomes for each participant and how will you measure those outcomes, and (4) what activities (classes, sessions, etc.) does your program need to include in order to accomplish the expected outcomes for each participant.  Class participants will be divided into small work groups and will go through the process of constructing a logic model on a mock agency program. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Logic Model are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

Preparing for an Audit (12/4)

TBA

Be ready for the unexpected. Do you ever wonder "Why me?" when you find out that your organization's grants are being audited? Understand what types of audits may come your way and how you can prepare for them. We will present the tools available to you for surviving a Federal audit. This class is your opportunity to ask why these audits happen and what you can do to make them less painful.

 Recommended classes to take along with Preparing for an Audit are: Role of a Director, Nonprofit Accounting, Nonprofit Ethics.

Excel I (12/11) and II (12/18)

(Pete Sanders Nesbitt, Columbus Technical College)

Learn the basic concepts of Excel 2002 in module one and learn the more advanced features in module two.  The module one workshop introduces you to Excel features and the steps required to use the features correctly.  All participants will create, modify, print and format worksheets, work with basic formulas and functions, use multiple worksheets, enhance worksheets, use template, styles and AutoFormats.  All participants in module two will learn to create 3-dimensional formulas, display multiple workbooks, filter lists, and import data.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Excel classes provide hands-on practice, skills necessary to quickly become proficient and help participants to increase productivity in the workplace.

 Recommended classes to take along with Excel I & II are: Access I & II, Publisher, Quickbooks and Power Point.

Volunteer Management (1/15)

(Terri Parodi, Hands On Columbus)

Often we embrace the myth that volunteers are free. This is not true. Volunteers are unpaid staff who need a competent individual to lead and manage them.  Whether you are brand new to volunteer management or an old pro, The Volunteer Management course will help sharpen your skills.  You will learn how to write strategic position descriptions and how to match the right people with the right jobs.  You will also be provided with an in-depth look at the importance of orientation, identifying training needs and designing training events, effectively delivering training sessions, and ways to assess and refine training strategies.  You will also learn how to guide and support your volunteers; learn ways to keep your volunteer program fresh, rewarding and effective in order to keep your volunteers coming back.  Evaluations and procedures for dismissing volunteers will also be addressed.

 Recommended classes to take along with Volunteer Management are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series. 

*Special Events Management (1/22)

(Candyss Bryant, ROCA Resources)

Many nonprofit organizations use special events to help tell the organization’s mission story and to raise money.  This class will help you learn how to enhance your ability to plan special events, conferences and/or meetings. The Nonprofit Academy’s Special Events Planning class will provide many tools and strategies to help you plan for your special audience.  Topics will include: event format, promotion and marketing, site selection, negotiation, event budgets, protocol and much more. This course is geared toward those who would  like to reduce the stress of preparing for and conducting organizational special events. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Special Events Planning are: Nonprofit Accounting, Resource Development, Volunteer Management, and Media Relations.   

Nonprofit Accounting (1/29)

TBA

The ability to analyze financial information is a common challenge nonprofit organizations face.  This course is rewarding for both financial and non-financial managers. Some of the learning objectives of this class are to understand and interpret financial statements, pinpoint financial benchmarks, and identify internal controls.  Sample P&L statements will be used, but participants are encouraged to bring their own for independent review.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Financial Management class will help an organization determine whether they are effective in providing accurate financial information. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Financial Management are: Resource Development, Annual Fund Management, and Effective Nonprofit Management.

Managing Alliances (2/12)

TBA

In these complex times, when no organization can succeed alone, nonprofits and businesses are embracing collaboration for mutual benefits. Nonprofits are partnering with businesses to further their missions, develop resources, strengthen programs, and thrive in the competitive world. Companies are also discovering that alliances with nonprofits generate significant rewards: increased customer preference, improved employee morale, greater brand identity, stronger corporate culture, and higher innovation. In the Nonprofit Academy’s Managing Alliances class define strategic alliances, brainstorm hidden potential and learn how to manage the partnering relationship effectively.

 Recommended classes to take along with Managing Alliances are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

Maintaining Relationships (2/19)

(Donna Rex, PAWS Columbus)

Good relationships lead to better grant opportunities.  Often nonprofit organizations understand how to form the first relationship with a grantmaker, but are not given tips on how to maintain that relationship for future support.  Adequately maintained relationships create an environment where nonprofits feel comfortable approaching the foundation with problems, successes and continued support.  Building and maintaining relationships requires an investment over time. The Nonprofit Academy’s Maintaining Relationships class will provide all attendees with strategies that may be immediately implemented within individual organizations. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Maintaining Relationships are:  Effective Nonprofit Management, Resource Development, Annual Fund Management and Nonprofit Ethics.

 Collaboration (2/26)

TBA

Throughout history, progress has depended on collaboration. When conditions and competition have made life more difficult or resources scarce, great civilizations and movements have been developed by people uniting together for a common purpose.  Greatness and progress have often accompanied a unified effort through adversity.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Collaboration class contains information and discussion that supports: how and why to build community collaboration, who to include in community collaboration, how and why to build consensus, and finally how to keep it going.

 Recommended classes to take along with Collaboration are: Effective Nonprofit Management, Managing Alliances, Capacity Building, and Strategic Planning.

Writing an Annual Report (3/11)

TBA

What does your annual report say about your organization? If you aren't sure where to begin or what your annual report should emphasize, sign up for the Nonprofit Academy’s Writing an Annual Report class and we will answer your annual report questions.  You will learn the ins and outs of creating an annual report, including what to emphasize and what to downplay. The class covers organization and themes, presenting financial information, writing a strong executive message, cost-saving production tips, and more.

 Recommended classes to take along with Writing an Annual Report are: Media Relations, Managing Funder Relationships, Role of a Director.

Minding the Store (3/18)

TBA

Thinking about starting a thrift store or retail operation?  Already have and established store front and would like some time and cost saving tips for your entrepreneurship activities? The nonprofit Academy’s Minding the Store class will be a great opportunity to network with other providers, share personal experiences, gain some new tools and learn from cost and time saving tips.

 Recommended classes to take along with Minding the Store are: Media Relations, Role of a Director, Nonprofit Ethics.

Role of a Director (3/25)

TBA

What is the role of an Executive Director through the different developmental stages of a growing nonprofit organization?  The Nonprofit Academy’s Role of an Executive Director class will guide the class through various developmental stages of organizations and match the best roles for a director to take on at the various stages. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Role of a Director are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

 

Internet Strategies (4/8)

TBA

Improve the way you use the internet to communicate, fundraise and mange donors.   The Nonprofit Academy’s Internet Strategies will teach you the fundamentals of online fundraising and email communications.  Some topics of discussion include online fundraising, creating an effective website, online donation processing, email communications and creating and successful internet strategy.

 Recommended classes to take along with Internet Strategies are: Media Relations, and Managing Funder Relationships.

Publisher (4/15)

(Pete Sanders Nesbitt, Columbus Technical College)

This course, Publisher 2002/2003, will build on basic word processing skills and concentrate on desktop publishing concepts as they relate to developing basic publication documents, such as flyers and newsletters. 

 Recommended classes to take along with Publisher are: Access I & II, Excel I & II. Quickbooks and Power Point.

 Mission-Based Management (4/22)

(Candyss Bryant, ROCA Resources)

Is mission-based management important? What does it mean to use mission-based management?  These are questions commonly asked amongst service provider nonprofit organizations.  The Nonprofit Academy’s Mission-Based Management class will explore using sound, proven business techniques to do more mission.  Class discussion will include using good cash management procedures, effective marketing approaches, and sound human resource practices.  Participants will learn to improve their ability to “manage for mission.”

 Recommended classes to take along with Mission-Based Management are: The Nonprofit Management Excellence Series, Managing Alliances.

-          Classes in italics are a part of the Nonprofit Management Excellence Series.

-          Classes with an * have a work session that follows the class.