I WILL Retire Someday - Preparing Yourself & Your Organization

Through May, Charitable Advisors has already supported five board search committees this year in seeking new Executive Directors or CEOs. Leadership transition is a critical time for any nonprofit organization, but especially for founders and long-term leaders. Whether you are 10 months or 10 years from retirement, you are probably thinking about the next phase of your life. Most nonprofit executives have worked many years for modest pay and even those who have made a good living wonder how their combination of savings, social security, and pension/retirement income will translate to life after full-time paid work.

In this free two-hour workshop, we will use an informal case study format to create interaction among leaders in their 50s, 60s, and 70s who are thinking about the next steps in three important areas:

- Ideas for the next phase of work/life – what has research shown that nonprofit leaders are doing after they “retire”.
- Preparing yourself financially – how do you determine where you are now and what it will take to reach your income and lifestyle goals?
- Preparing your organization – few nonprofits groom internal successors but you can increase the likelihood that your organization’s impact will continue in the future.

WHEN? – Thursday, June 6, 2013 from 8:30am-10:30am

WHO? - In order to create the most productive dynamics for group discussion, attendance is limited to the first 15 current Executive Directors and CEOs of central Indiana nonprofits to register. There is no charge. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

WHERE? - Fishers Office Suites, 11650 N Lantern Road, Fishers 46038. That is one block west of the McDonald's/Target at Exit 205 at I-69 and 116th Street

Presenters: 

John Wheeler, MBA,CPA,CFP/FPS with Castle Wealth Advisors. John’s father retired in 2011 after a 16 year career as the Executive Director/CEO of Abilities First, a mid-sized nonprofit in southwest Ohio. John has worked with executives of large organizations, owners of businesses, and executives of non-profit organizations. John grew up with a foot in the nonprofit sector and has experience with the challenges that executives of nonprofit organizations face both personally and professionally.

Bryan Orander is President of Charitable Advisors and Publisher of the Not-for-Profit News. Charitable Advisors supports successful Leadership Transitions through a variety of services including: organizational assessment and preparation, search committee startup, and search support. www.CharitableAdvisors.com.

FMI or to register go here http://iwillretiresomeday.eventbrite.com

Board Members as Loyal Opposition?

(Note: Many of us are always looking for another angle or analogy in thinking about the important role that the nonprofit board plays. Here is a take from Canadian governance that might be of interest. Note that the "loyal opposition" should not be considered the same as devil's advocate which seems a common role for some "helpful" board members. - Bryan)

When it comes to governance, boards of directors tread a very fine line. Those who seek to lead the organization run the risk of usurping the role of the CEO. Those who follow the CEO's lead run the risk of abdicating their responsibility and joining the ranks of management. In fact, the true value of governance lies neither in leadership nor in followership, but in the unique role of "loyal opposition."

For many years, boards of directors of Canadian corporations and public institutions were criticized as being "parsley on the fish" (decorative but not useful) or an old boys' club, where protection of fellow members and mutual back-scratching ranked ahead of any other obligation. Largely ignored by organizational theorists until ten or fifteen years ago, boards are now intuitively understood to be important, but their function is still not fully conceptualized. This lack of clarity is problematic for individual directors striving to exercise due diligence and fiduciary responsibility and for regulators and quasi-regulators seeking to establish guidance on good practice.

Read the full article here.

Change Leader or Victim of Change?

Last Chance - Don't Miss the Board Chair Summit – This Thurs, May 9, 7:30 a.m.- noon. The fourth annual Central Indiana Board Chair Summit, hosted by Lacy Leadership Association will again take place at the Arthur M. Glick JCC, 6701 Hoover Rd. This year's Summit will focus on "Leading Change". Change happens whether we like it or not – here’s a great opportunity for board chairs and ED/CEOs to grasp some tips and tools for addressing change in your organization. Participants will be completing a short “change readiness” assessment that they can take back to replicate with their full board. The Summit begins with a half hour for networking from 7:30 - 8 a.m. and then wraps up before noon. Cost is $140 for executive director/board chair pairs or $79 for an individual registration. Everyone with an interest is welcome. Register here.

Two Great Development Opportunities

For Aging Services Professionals – May 8

Helping Professionals Help Older Adults Embrace a New Purpose: Spirituality & Social Engagement - The University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community will host a workshop for aging services professionals -- "Helping Professionals Help Older Adults Embrace a New Purpose: Spirituality & Social Engagement" on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 from 9:00am - 3:30pm at the UIndy campus. For information and registration, visit here. 

For Board and Staff Leaders – May 9

2013 Board Chair Summit - The fourth annual Central Indiana Board Chair Summit, hosted by Lacy Leadership Association will take place on Thursday morning, May 9, at the Arthur M. Glick JCC. This year's focus is on "Leading Change" and assessing your organization's readiness for change with Thresette Briggs, president of Performance3. Ms. Briggs brings more than 20 years strategic and hands-on experience in organizational development and empowering leaders to create teams which support successful organizations. More

Developing Your Case for Long-term Support

On Thursday, May 2, the Planned Giving Group of Indiana(PGGI) welcomes nationally known speaker Caleb B. Rick J.D. to the Riverwalk Banquet Center from 8:30-11:30AM. Please join us!

While many organizations use a case statement for a capital campaign, few have developed a case for long-term support. A Case for Legacy Giving is a fundamental tool for engaging staff, board members, volunteers and donors in grasping the importance of this area of philanthropy. Participants will be invited to answer a series of questions as you begin to draft your own “Case for Legacy Giving” and “Roadmap for Marketing Legacy Giving”. This process will include a review of communication goals, identify sample tools, and describe how to build a communications inventory.

Caleb is an adjunct professor of nonprofit management at Vermont Law School and a nationally known proponent of donor-centered, outcomes-based planned giving. He has counseled hundreds of charity leaders on legacy giving, endowments, resource development and non-profit management, and spoken at dozens of conferences.

Event details and registration.

‘Brackets for Good’ Scores for 16 Nonprofits

Every March, Brackets For Good hosts a single-elimination, bracket-style fundraising tournament for sixteen, pre-selected local nonprofit organizations. The incentive... a chance to win $5,000, in addition to donations they generate themselves.

Brackets for Good wrapped up its 2013 competition in late March with Shepherd Community surpassing Fountains of Hope in a win/win final that raised over $20,000, overall, for each finalist and a total of more than $80,000 for all participating organizations. See how the 2013 competition played out. http://indianapolis.bracketsforgood.org.

Register to be considered for 2014 - Any nonprofit with 501(c)3 status is welcome to register. Once the organization status is approved, an evaluation form will be sent to the nonprofit in January 2014. After the evaluation form is completed and submitted, the Brackets for Good team will perform their own “bracketology” to determine which organizations are selected. For more information about the selection process visit here.

How Do You Track Grants? The Hard Way or the Easy Way?

(Beth Huffman, Foster Results)

So you’ve received a new grant award? Congratulations! Now, you sit back and relax. Right? Not so! I’m sure you’re aware the hard work has actually just begun.

When your nonprofit has received a grant, it’s your responsibility to the funder to be compliant with their requirements and report to them correctly. Effective systems and processes to manage the grant should to be set up from the beginning.

Grants management does not have to be hard, painful or complex, but a challenge that many nonprofits encounter is related to growth. Perhaps a nonprofit began with receiving just one or two grants; those weren’t so hard to manage. As the organization grows to have many grants, however, management of the grants becomes overwhelming if a system was never set up to track information and report effectively.
Good grants management systems are not created nor maintained in isolation. A good system requires a team effort...

Read the full article.