Helping nonprofit leaders do better at doing good

Upcoming Workshops

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Building for an Inclusive Nonprofit Board

12:00 - 3:00 pm
Calabasas Campus -- Pepperdine University

Most nonprofit Boards implicitly understand the value of a vibrant, inclusive Board in ensuring delivery of their mission and connection / responsiveness to the community. Despite this, many Boards continue to struggle with the change management necessary for embedding processes and a culture that promote greater diversity, equity and inclusion. This workshop will examine how to define diversity and inclusion in manner appropriate for nonprofit organizations, how to modify Board recruitment practices to foster better DEI governance, and finally how to leverage the learnings from an actual case example that explores establishing, taking action and managing for effective inclusion throughout your organization. This workshop is being offered through a collaboration by Center for Nonprofit Leadership, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (Santa Barbara/Ventura County Chapters), and Pepperdine University's Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative.

Your Team Communication Magic

9:00 - 12:00 pm
Cal Lutheran Oxnard Center

Understand your personal communication style. This interactive workshop will help you become a more effective communicator, problem-solver and trusted, focused leader.

Evaluating Impact: How to design and implement useful surveys

9:00 - 12:00 pm
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

Data gathered through an effective survey provides a unique opportunity for nonprofits to obtain detailed insights on their programs and audiences. Collecting information through surveys helps you better understand the needs of the people you’d like to support, improve the reach and impact of your programs, and uncover new ways in which your efforts can make a difference for the people you serve. But, when poorly designed and executed, surveys can generate misleading and biased results conclusions. In this interactive workshop, we will explore how to make decisions about survey logistics, write survey questions, analyze your data, and use it to guide decision-making and share successes.

You Got the Grant! Now What?

9:30 - 12:00 pm
Cal Lutheran Oxnard Center

Developing a genuine relationship between grantors and grantees is an essential aspect of grant-making. It enables the accomplishment of shared goals, allowing your organization’s ambitions to be transformed into concrete results that benefit a community. This workshop is designed to help nonprofits and social service organization successfully navigate life after receiving a grant. Through real-world examples, case studies and direct feedback from the funder community, we will explore best practices for understanding and stewarding grant relationships. And, we will give you practical guidance on how to manage and report on your grants, so you are set up to get the next ones!

Building an Impactful Major Gifts Program for Your Organization

9:00 - 12:00 pm
CLU - Oxnard Satellite Campus

Major gift fundraising has the power to elevate your organization. And yet, with everything on your plate - it’s hard to know where to start. Join us in this workshop to build a major gifts “recipe” that works for you and your team.

Nonprofit Accounting Bootcamp - Four (4) Part Series

Via Zoom | April 10, 11, 17 and 18 | 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

This four module seminar series will introduce participants to basic accounting concepts relevant to nonprofit organizations. Attendees will be exposed to foundational accounting principles and their practical applications.

Program Evaluation Through An Equity & Social Justice Lens

9:00 - 11:00 am
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

Major funders and grant makers have been putting increasing pressure on nonprofits to more accurately evaluate the impact their programs have on change in the communities they engage. This foundational workshop is for organizational leaders in the philanthropy space who wish to engage in program evaluation, but wish to do so in an intentional manner that honors and embraces inclusivity. This offering is co-convened by The California Lutheran University Center for Nonprofit Leadership, The Fund For Santa Barbara and The McCune Foundation.

Coffee & Connections: Meet the Funders

8:30 - 10:30 am
California Lutheran - Oxnard Campus

A bi-monthly, virtual networking event for Ventura County and Central Coast Nonprofit Professionals to connect, share mission, and discover opportunities for ongoing partnership. Topic: A panel of several local nonprofit funders (community foundation, corporate foundation and private foundation) will share their insights on funding priorities, do’s and don’ts of applying and other insights that demystify the funding process. Featured Funders: To be announced

12 Months of Fundraising: Creating an Annual Development Plan

9:00 - 12:00 pm
Cal Lutheran - Oxnard Center

Every fundraising activity requires time and resources. Balance out the yearly workload and cashflow with a thoughtful development plan that progresses from month to month. Engage donors with mission-driven fundraising that invites their philanthropic support. Workshop participants will create an annual plan that incorporates different types of fundraising and flows smoothly over the course of a year.

Getting Your Organization Ready For Strategic Planning

9:00 - 11:00 am
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

Developing a strategic plan for your nonprofit organization is not a decision to be taken lightly. Building an impactful strategic plan takes significant time, resources and research. In this workshop, we will explore the critical questions nonprofit leaders should ask BEFORE beginning the strategic planning process and highlight the key steps organization’s should take to prepare themselves to launch an effective strategic planning initiative.

The Power of Data: Qualifying and Shaping Your Fundraising Strategies

9:00 - 10:30 am
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

Access to publicly available data gathered through prospect research offers fundraisers a wealth of information about potential supporters. This session will offer participants an overview of how they can utilize prospect research to move donors into relationships through discovery and qualification outreach.

Cash Flow Projections 101

1:00 - 4:00 pm
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

In this class, nonprofit leaders will learn how develop a cash projection spreadsheet that can be updated regularly to look for potential landmines. Learning about cash projections is also a wonderful method to get familiar and comfortable with financials because cash projections tend to be a more intuitive way of looking at financial information.

Leading People & Organizations in Times of Change

8:30 - 12:30 pm
Cal Lutheran Oxnard Center

The last few years have been a time of unprecedented change for our world and for our organizations. When you think about all of the changes your organization has been through, is going through, or or is about to go through, what feelings come up? What thoughts? What questions? This interactive workshop is designed to answer those questions and help manage the feelings that are associated with change. Participants will be introduced to the work of William Bridges, who draws a distinction between the changes that people and organizations go through and the psychological and emotional impact of that change on individuals, groups, and organizations.

Developing A Successful Strategic Plan For Your Nonprofit

9:00 - 12:00 pm
Cal Lutheran Oxnard Center

This workshop explores the transformational value of formalizing a strategic plan. The course interweaves case examples and exercises to give participants a practical understanding of how to apply their learning to situations in their organizations.

Budgeting 101

9:00 - 12:00 pm
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

Join us to learn how to build a budget for sound fiscal management for your nonprofit organization, and use your budget to deal with multiple programs and multiple funding sources. Learn how to budget like a pro!

Giving USA 2024: A Virtual Lunch & Learn

12:00 - 1:30 pm
Virtual Workshop via Zoom

Join the Center for Nonprofit Leadership at California Lutheran University as we host a virtual forum with Cassie Carter, Vice President, Fundraising at Campbell & Company. She will share insights from the 2024 Giving USA Annual Report on Philanthropy in America. Learn about emerging philanthropic trends and their implications for fundraising strategies and approaches with your nonprofit organization.

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