2016-2017 board leadership training series
TRANSCRIPT
a highly successful, comprehensive workshop series designed to build a
stronger and more effective Board of directors for your organization
The Dodge Foundation has teamed up with The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University’s School of Business to present this
FREE training series that offers workshops, “Just in Time” consulting, a matching grant opportunity, and peer-to-peer
Learning Circles for executive directors and board members of Dodge grantee organizations.
woRkshop attendance and ReGistRation RequiRements:
• This series requires a substantial commitment from both staff and board. To be eligible for the matching grant for
follow up work with a consultant, your organization must attend THREE Foundational workshops, and a minimum of
THREE of the five Drilling Down workshops. See requirements for Graduate Learning Opportunities on page 6.
• You must attend each workshop as a team of top management staff and up to three board members.
• Please register your organization’s team at least three weeks prior to the workshop date. All workshops are limited
to 25 participants and will fill up quickly. Preference will be given to Dodge grantees committing to the full series,
and, space permitting, previous Board Leadership Series graduates.
how to ReGisteR:• Use this brochure! For those viewing this online, all workshop dates are linked to registration
• Visit us online! Visit grdodge.org/board-leadership/workshop-registration
questions? • Contact us! Elaine Rastocky: [email protected] | Wendy Liscow: [email protected]
2016-2017
Board leadership training series
FoundationaLwoRkshops
Attend three mandatory
Foundational workshops
dRiLLinG down
Attend a minimum of three
Drilling Down workshops
institutionaLiZe the LeaRninG
Apply for a matching grant • Receive JUST IN TIME Consulting • Participate in peer-to-peer discussions
GRaduate oppoRtunities
Refresh your learning +
Attend graduate-level courses
FoundationaL woRkshops
Getting started: Lifecycles, assessment, and Building a culture for effective changeFacilitated by david Grant
the Board Bootcamp
Facilitated by Laura otten
Your team must attend the following three workshops in order for your organization to qualify for a matching grant.
Who should attend? Your core team of up to four must include the executive director and board president and may
include others who will likely attend other sessions, such as the board vice president, treasurer, and chairs of the
governance, fundraising, personnel, and strategic planning committees. The team should plan to attend each of
these foundational workshops together.
This full-day workshop, led by Dodge’s former President and CEO, sets the stage for the entire Board Leadership
Series by exploring essential questions of organizational development and culture. Using Susan Kenny Steven’s
award-winning book Nonprofit Lifecycles, we will explore the predictable challenges that nonprofit staff and board
members face as they grow and evolve. We also will rethink assessment practices, learn how to plan backwards from
a vision of success, and examine ways to “measure what matters” most to your organization. We will learn how to
think about change as something we design, rather than something that happens to us, and establish a learning
culture that will help your organization prepare for the transformative impact of the workshops to follow.
The Board Bootcamp provides a definitive foundation of best practices for effective and satisfying nonprofit Board
participation. This full-day, interactive experience will deliver a comprehensive overview to help new and seasoned
board members increase their capacity to be purposeful and fulfilled leaders. Content will include an overview of
board roles and responsibilities, legal liability, fundraising, financial management, board development, strategic
planning, and the board’s relationship with the executive director. This workshop touches on every area of
governance your board needs to excel, and will help your team target areas to focus on for the rest of the series.
thuRsdaY, octoBeR 13, 2016
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
satuRdaY, octoBeR 15
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
OR tuesdaY, octoBeR 18
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
OR
satuRdaY, novemBeR 12, 2016
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
tuesdaY, novemBeR 15
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
OR thuRsdaY, novemBeR 17
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
OR
2
the following thRee workshops are mandatory:
dRiLLinG down
select at least thRee of the following Five workshops:
optimizing and Building a sustainable Board/executive director Relationship
Facilitated by Laura otten
Understanding and appreciating the dynamics of the important relationship between the executive director and the
board is central to the long-term success of any nonprofit. Ensuring smooth transitions of that relationship is equally
important. Yet, too often nonprofits overlook the importance of ensuring that this is a balanced, trusting, and
respectful relationship. This session investigates the fundamentals of a strong, positive relationship between a non-
profit’s paid and volunteer leaders by identifying the differences between governance and management
responsibilities; assessing the particular dynamic of this relationship at your own organization and learning tactics
for maximizing this critical partnership and ensuring its long-term health and success; and learning the steps to
positive succession, whether it be planned or unplanned. Even if you have a strong board/staff relationship, this
workshop can help leaders take the organization to a new level of effectiveness.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to attend with the board president and executive committee
members.
ORsatuRdaY, decemBeR 10, 2016
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
tuesdaY, decemBeR 13
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
wheRe do we Go FRom heRe: tuRninG LeaRninG into action
Facilitated by david Grant
This closing workshop synthesizes the learning from the previous workshops and provides practical steps for
incorporating those learnings into the governance and day-to-day lives of our organizations. We close the series with
a bias toward action, bolstered by a sense of the complementary roles of leadership, management and governance
in driving and maintaining organizational excellence. We look at three examples from the burgeoning literature on
how change happens — and why it often doesn’t happen — and decide what principles and tools will be most useful
to our individual organizations. And we leave with a clear vision with what success will look like for each of us in the
years ahead and the ways we can support each other in achieving it.
tuesdaY, maY 9, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
thuRsdaY, maY 11
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
OR
FoundationaL woRkshops
3
(continued)
a strategic approach to strategic planning
Facilitated by allison trimarco
Every nonprofit needs a good strategic plan to serve as a road map for change. This workshop will teach you how to
create a living, constituent-driven strategic plan that is a critical management tool for your board and executive
leadership. The workshop combines lecture, peer exchange and activities to get you started on the path to a good
planning process. How-to topics include: gathering stakeholder data, hiring a consultant, developing a shared vision,
prioritizing strategic goals and objectives, integrating your plan into daily operations, and evaluation. If you have a
current strategic plan, please bring a copy. This full-day workshop will be a priority for organizations thinking about or
preparing to launch a planning process.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring two executive committee members and the strategic
planning committee chair.
thuRsdaY, januaRY 5, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
satuRdaY, januaRY 7
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
OR
Financial management: telling Your story through numbers
Facilitated by hilda polanco
No matter your size or sector, every nonprofit’s financials tell a story of how they operate, what they are worth and
how they make strategic decisions about their future. Today more than ever before, a nonprofit’s finances must be
able to withstand intense scrutiny, as the responsibility for financial well-being and oversight rests on the knowledge
and competence of executive and finance staff and board members. This full-day program on the board’s role in
managing the organization’s money and understanding the nuances of nonprofit finance includes: best practices in
financial management; understanding ratios, tips and trends; and preparing participants to be more fully engaged
informing financial strategy. Participants will be provided with tools to develop long-term sustainability and limit risk
by developing budgets that cover their full cost of program delivery, understanding budget monitoring, and
forecasting principles, cash flow, and by creating effective board policies and procedures. Organizations will use their
own financial statements to heighten the hands-on practical experience as well as gain access to turn key tools for
immediate implementation. Some pre-reading will be required.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring the chief financial officer, development commitee
chair, board treasurer and executive and finance committee members.
satuRdaY, FeBRuaRY 11, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
tuesdaY, FeBRuaRY 14
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
OR
dRiLLinG down (continued)
4
dRiLLinG down (continued)
the Board’s Role in Fundraising
Facilitated by allison trimarco
To be successful at fundraising, you need to know all your options and pull together a diversified strategy that is right
for your organization. This full-day program focuses on the board’s role in fund development and fundraising,
including how to inspire reluctant fundraisers, ask for gifts (large and small), and determine trends in philanthropy
and giving. You will leave with an understanding of all that is involved in fundraising so that you can decide where to
spend your time and energy to achieve the best results. Additionally, you will have an opportunity to learn and
practice making an effective “ask.”
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring executive committee members, development com-
mittee chair and members, board treasurer, or anyone interested in fundraising. Staff members who assist the board
with fundraising efforts may also attend.
satuRdaY, maRch 11, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
tuesdaY, maRch 14
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
OR
Recruiting and Retaining effective Board members
Facilitated by Laura otten
It’s an ongoing challenge to find qualified Board members who bring the appropriate skills, temperament,
expectations, and passion to the organization they serve. Once you have strong board members, how do you keep
them motivated and content? This popular, full-day workshop will provide practical tools to help design a culture of
board assessment and development that fuels healthy organizations. Participants will learn how to monitor and build
their boards’ profiles in terms of skill, experience, expertise, and demographics; explore strategies to recruit new
board candidates; develop effective board member orientation; manage officer and committee chair succession and
board performance appraisals; and run productive meetings.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring the board president and committee chairs.
thuRsdaY, apRiL 6, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
wednesdaY, apRiL 12
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
NJPSA/FEA
12 Centre Drive
Monroe Township, NJ
OR
5
6
GRaduate oppoRtunities
Executive directors and board members who have attended the Board Leadership series Strategic Planning, Financial
Management, and Fundraising workshops are encouraged to register for any or all of our graduate-level courses.
Please note: the graduate workshops do not count toward the matching grant requirement.
For those familiar with “traditional” methods of strategic planning for nonprofits, this workshop will offer new ideas
for bringing strategic thinking into your organization on an ongoing basis. How can you make it more likely that your
everyday decision-making is in line with your strategic goals? Tools for planning that take you beyond vision, goals,
objectives and strategies, and help you to tackle the complicated situations commonly found in today’s nonprofit
environment will be explored. Topics will include: using scenario planning when key planning factors are unclear,
assessing your business model, and new methods of “adaptive” strategic planning designed to promote innovation.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring the strategic planning committee chair and board
executive committee members.
wednesdaY, FeBRuaRY 8, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
(check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
staying “strategic” even when You’re not “planning”
Facilitated by allison trimarco
once you have completed the Board Leadership training series workshops,
you’re invited to participate in the following graduate opportunities:
• Bring a new or seasoned board member who missed last year’s series to the Foundational or Drilling
Down workshops and get them up to speed on board best practices while getting a refresher course
yourself. The new participant(s) must attend with the executive director.
• attend Graduate courses, which are open to both current and past series participants who have
attended the introductory versions of these workshops.
GRaduate couRses
7
GRaduate couRses
To ensure long-term sustainability in today’s challenging environment, it is critical that leaders set the strategic finan-
cial direction for their organizations. Board members and executive directors need to understand their organizations’
business models — including key revenue drivers as well as what it really costs to run a program — and use that
information to inform long-term programmatic and financial plans. External risks require mitigation through the
maintenance of adequate operating reserves, which may take years of thoughtful planning and monitoring to
accumulate. Topics will include: the full cost of program delivery, multi-year financial planning, and the principles and
mechanics of reserve funds.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring executive committee members, the development
chair, board treasurer, finance committee members and chief financial officer.
thuRsdaY, maRch 16, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm (check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
charting a course toward Long-term Financial sustainability
Facilitated by hilda polanco
Individual giving is all about building and sustaining relationships and the Board’s role is heightened when it comes
to major donors. Major donors are essential to an organization’s financial well-being and are a natural fit for a board
member who is in the best position to convey his/her sense of commitment and ownership of an organization’s
mission. Topics will include: why people give, the art of major donor solicitation, honing skills and techniques to
enable you to understand the donor’s relationship to your organization, and coordinating cultivation, solicitation and
stewardship activities that lead to successful campaigns.
who should attend? We encourage executive directors to bring executive committee members, the development
chair and committee members, and the board treasurer.
thuRsdaY, apRiL 20, 2017
10:00 am - 4:00 pm (check-in is 9:30 am)
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
14 Maple Avenue, 3rd Floor
Morristown, NJ
the art of major donor Fundraising
Facilitated by Richard przywara
(continued)
The Geraldine R. Dodge’s Technical Assistance Workshops are recorded for archival, broadcast, non-broadcast and internet
distribution. As a member of the workshop audience, you grant the Dodge Foundation and its licensees permission to use
your voice and image on audiotapes, videotapes and photographs, and in educational publications and all media.
RecoRdinG discLaimeR:
institutionaLiZe the LeaRninG
just in time consulting
Are you grappling with questions like these:
What is the first step we should take to get our Board ready for strategic planning?
How do we know if we're ready to start a capital campaign?
How do we deal with a disruptive Board member?
What is the best structure for a search committee?
We know it is difficult to figure out where to turn for answers to finite questions that don't require a consulting
project, but nevertheless do need objective expert input. JUST IN TIME consulting is designed to provide FREE timely
guidance about a specific question or issue that can be reasonably addressed in a one to two hour consulting
conversation with a Dodge Board Leaderships Series faculty member.
To request assistance, please email a brief outline of your question, time frame and contact information to the
faculty member you are interested in talking with using the email address on the workshop handouts.
matchinG GRant: hire a consultant to work with Your Board
After completing the Board Leadership Series, we expect you will want to implement some larger change efforts like
the creation of a strategic or development plan. Or perhaps you will want to outline a strategy to recruit new board
members. In these situations and others, an outside consultant may be needed.
Board Leadership Series graduates may apply for up to $5,000 in matching grants to hire a consultant to work with
the entire board on an issue that has been identified during the workshop series. Raising the money for the match
will be one of the first activities of the newly-inspired board!
Participating Dodge grantee organizations that meet eligibility requirements (attendance at each Foundational work-
shop and three Drilling Down workshops) will receive a Matching Grant application and requirements via email in
June 2017. The consultancy must occur by March 31, 2019, and a report will be due upon completion of the work.
The application deadline for organizations completing the 2016-17 Board Leadership Series is Oct. 1, 2017.
8
After your organization’s team has completed the Board Leadership
Series workshops, you are eligible for the following support resources:
in Good companY Learning circles
Facilitated by Laura otten
The IN GOOD COMPANY Learning Circles provide additional support via monthly calls for executive directors and
board presidents who participated in the 2016-17 Board Leadership program. there are separate sessions for
executive directors and board presidents.
You have the tools in your toolkit; now the challenge is to apply them to your day-to-day practices. These
professionally-facilitated learning circles offer nonprofit executive directors and board presidents additional in-depth
practical training, combined with invaluable peer support, problem-solving strategies and coaching. They also
provide new insights in a supportive and confidential environment that enable the participants to benefit from each
other and share experiences that they would unlikely raise with co-workers or fellow board members. In the first
three-hour gathering, the participants meet each other and begin the team building process. The remaining seven
sessions are held by phone, for convenient participation from home or office.
David Grant was President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation from 1998 to 2010. He now lives
in Vermont and consults with mission-based organizations around the world. A career educator, David co-founded and
directed from 1983 to 1994 The Mountain School of Milton Academy, a semester-long, residential environmental
studies program in Vermont for high school juniors. At Dodge, he instituted a highly successful Assessment training
program for Dodge grantees, which has evolved into the current series of workshops. His new book Social Profit: Defining
and Achieving Success in the Civic Sector was published by Chelsea Green Publishing Company in March 2015. David
holds a BA in English from Princeton University and an MA in American Studies from the University of Michigan. In
2008, he received an honorary Doctorate in the Humanities from Drew University.
Laura Otten has been the director of The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University’s School of Business since
2001 and is also the first director of La Salle’s new MS in Nonprofit Leadership. She began her affiliation with The
Nonprofit Center shortly after it was formed in the early 1980s, working as a consultant and trainer, primarily in the
areas of Board development, strategic planning and program evaluation. Laura continues to play these roles in addition
to providing direction and leadership to The Nonprofit Center's educational, consulting, and leadership development
programs. She is an Associate Professor in La Salle’s Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice and
former director of the Criminal Justice and Women’s Studies Programs. Laura, a national expert in numerous aspects
of nonprofit management and governance, earned her MA and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA
from Sarah Lawrence College.
Hilda Polanco CPA, CCSA, CGMA is the Founder and CEO of Fiscal Management Associates, LLC (FMA), the
go-to advisor foundation and nonprofit leaders seek when addressing nonprofit financial management capacity. Hilda
provides capacity building, training and coaching services to foundations and nonprofits throughout the country. Prior
to founding FMA in 1999, Hilda worked with Citigroup and previously with the firm of Ernst & Young, serving Fortune
100 companies in various industries. Hilda graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Accounting. She holds
the Certification in Control Self-Assessment from the Institute of Internal Auditors, in addition to holding the Chartered
Global Management Accountant (CGMA) awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Richard Przywara CFRE is the Executive Director for the West Chester University Foundation, responsible
for a $50 million capital campaign and $6 million in annual fundraising and leading a $300 million revitalization project
of the student residence halls. Prior to serving in this role, Rich was the general manager of the Department of Special
Service for New Castle County, Delaware where he supervised a staff of over 450 and managed an annual operating
and capital budget exceeding $100 million. He has also served as the Associate Dean for Alumni and Development at
Widener University School of Law in Wilmington. He is a former YMCA Executive Director and Director of Development
for YMCAs in MD and DE. He received his B.A. in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Public Administration from the Uni-
versity of Delaware.
Allison Trimarco is the founder of Creative Capacity, LLC, which helps nonprofit organizations increase their
management capacity and mission effectiveness. Her practice focuses on fundraising, communications, strategic
planning, and Board development projects. Prior to beginning her consulting practice, she held leadership positions at
nonprofit theatres, public libraries, and public television. Allison serves as an instructor and consultant at The Nonprofit
Center, and is also an adjunct faculty member at both Drexel University and La Salle University. She earned her MA in
Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University and her BA in Theatre at Smith College.
FacuLtY
9
whY is dodGe’s technicaL assistance woRth YouR time?
Nonprofits typically know when they need capacity building work, be it board development, marketing support,
fundraising or strategic planning. However, they often launch into major planning efforts without the needed
resources and readiness to properly develop or implement the changes they want to realize.
At the Dodge Foundation, we believe organizations need to spend time meaningfully reflecting, assessing and
learning before jumping into a planning phase. The eight-month Dodge Board Leadership Training series is designed
to ensure that boards and staffs carve out invaluable focused time and gain new tools to help develop effective,
strategic and mission-driven boards.
Dodge provides a series of sequential workshops that require an organization’s decision makers (executive director
and board members) to attend together. The series begins with two mandatory workshops that lay the foundation for
the rest of the program, including an introduction to nonprofit lifecycles and an accessible approach to assessment,
as well as an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a board member. These introductory workshops are
followed by a series of offerings that allow participants to delve more deeply into the topics they feel are most
essential to achieving their goals. We end the series by synthesizing the learning and providing practical steps to
manage the challenges of incorporating new governance and day-to-day business practices.
We also offer consulting services, a regular blog series, and a resource page on Dodge’s website throughout the
process, and once you graduate from the series, you can participate in monthly small-group “learning circle”
discussions to share knowledge, lessons learned, and support on a continuing basis.
Grantee organizations that successfully complete the requirements of the program are eligible to apply for a
matching grant to initiate a board capacity-building effort identified during the series, such as a strategic or board
fundraising plan. Additionally, this year, in response to feedback from previous series’ attendees, we have added
three advanced courses.
We look forward to learning together!
moRe ResouRces onLine!
The Dodge Blog tackles a new Technical Assistance
topic on the first and third Tuesday of each month:
blog.grdodge.org
The Dodge Resource Library offers sample
governance policies, evaluation tools and more:
www.grdodge.org/resource-library
Get sociaL!
Share what you’re learning on social media using
#dodgeta
Join our new Facebook Group to share ideas, ask
questions and talk about board issues:
facebook.com/groups/dodgeboardleadership