Many of you filled out evaluations at the conference, and we thank you for that. Now we’re hoping you will share with us the impact the conference sessions had on your role as a board member.

In addition, some of you who attended did not fill out an evaluation form, and we really would like to know what you thought of the conference.

Therefore, please take just a few minutes to complete an online, confidential survey. Once you do so, you will be given a code which you can use to be in a drawing for a free seminar from The Nonprofit Center.

The link to the survey is here. Thanks for your input.

Pathways to Nonprofit Excellence, by Paul C. Light

Pathways to Nonprofit Excellence “is the second major report of the Nonprofit Effectiveness Project, an endeavor of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Public Service.” It “offers substantive advice on both the characteristics of a well-tuned organization and where to begin the journey to improvement.”

The Nonprofit Center has a few copies of this book available at the special conference rate of $15 (a 20% discount) plus shipping (unless you want to pick it up).

This is a valuable resource for all board members. Call the Center at 253-272-5844 right away to get your copy.

Upcoming Governance Training and Resources

We are pleased to present a number of webinars produced by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. The first of the new year will be: House of Sand or Foundation of Stone: The Board of Directors/Trustees on Wednesday, January 6, from 11 a.m. to Noon. (Location TBA) Click here for registration.

The first webinar of 2010 will examine methods for evaluating and addressing governance risks. The program will examine a wide range of topics including the composition of the board and best practices for empowering the board to discharge its legal responsibilities.

Another excellent resource for governance training is our partner, United Way of King County. They have a number of board-related training sessions scheduled for next year. Here’s the first:

Getting Your Board to Raise Money Joyfully by Susan Howlett will be offered on February 12 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Seattle. The cost is $40 per person ($35 for 2 or more). Click here for more information and registration.

The Washington Nonprofit Handbook is published!!! This outstanding resource for all board members is a comprehensive compilation of the laws and regulations that apply to nonprofits in Washington. It is available online by clicking here (opens a PDF document). Very shortly we will have a couple of copies of the publication in our library if you want to stop by and look at it. This book is a service of Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations (WAACO)

He proposes choosing a future of Rejuvenation for the nonprofit sector, and he issued a challenge to each one of us to do things differently to claim that future.

Click here to read the whole post.

Unfortunately, we do not have the capability to post all the handouts on our website for a number of reasons. A few of the presenters were not aware of this and happened to mention it during their session. We apologize for this miscommunication.

If you would like to request handouts from one of the sessions, please email megan@npcenter.org Please note that this is just for the sessions mentioned above and we are not able to email every single handout for the conference (as there were quite a few.) Thank you for your understanding!

Are you about to evaluate your Executive Director? Plan to attend the session led by Pete Donor, HR Director for Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community. “It’s all about the process,” Pete says. Here’s your opportunity to gain insight into how to make the process effective for you.

Selecting your nonprofit’s auditor is one of the board’s responsibilities. But how do you make that selection appropriately? How much will it cost? And what will it tell you — and NOT tell you? Sharron O’Donnell, CPA, is a nonprofit auditor who can give you insight into how to make this a valuable experience for your board.

Everyone’s talking collaboration and merger. Should you be looking at a partnership strategy for your nonprofit? Melora Hiller, consultant to nonprofits will describe the range of possibilities as well as their value and their pitfalls.

These are just three of twenty different sessions – in addition to the keynote by Paul Light — to be presented at the conference. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to improve your board!

Conference Updates:

• Luncheon Speaker Just Announced
• Schedule of Breakout Sessions (subject to change)

We are delighted to announce that we will celebrate our Tenth Anniversary conference with Keynoter Paul Light. Paul is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service, New York University and a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

While the nonprofit sector knows Paul as a leading expert in nonprofit effectiveness, he is also actively involved in research and writing on government, especially related to government reform and the political appointment process. He is currently advising on the presidential transition, and his writings on this topic can be found in the Washington Post.

One of Paul’s publications is Pathways to Excellence, a report which focuses on the creation of effective nonprofit organizations. He is also the author of the annual report on public confidence in charities.

Pathways to Excellence shows that every nonprofit organization can improve – no matter how well or poorly it is currently performing – often by taking simple first steps up a development spiral to high performance.

This will be a landmark opportunity for nonprofit board education, and you don’t want to miss it.

The conference will feature sessions on:

• Succession Planning
• Governance Models
• Voice of the Next Generation
• Nonprofit Accountability Clubs
• Recruiting for Board Success
• Be a Positive Force in Conflict
• Audits – Who, Why and How Much
• Grassroots Boards – What to Do When You Have to Do It All
• Board/Staff Balance
• Foraker Sustainability Model
• Strategic Planning in Real Time
• How to Grow in Tough Economic Times
• Understanding Financial Statements
• Nonprofits in Washington & Washington Nonprofits
• Executive Director Evaluation
• The Board and HR – An Evolutionary Path
• Roundtable discussions will include Legal Issues, the Role of the Treasurer and the Role of the Chair

Register Online Now!

Interested in being a sponsor or exhibitor at the conference? Please call us at 253-272-5844 or email us.