ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University will offer professional development and a certificate program in nonprofit management this spring.
The eight noncredit courses focus on building management and analytical skills and are designed for professionals working in or entering the nonprofit sector as well as individuals involved in a nonprofit’s board of directors or committee work. Topics include strategic planning, volunteer recruitment, grant research, and strategies for reducing rural poverty.
“The nonprofit sector one of the fastest-growing segments of the American economy in terms of job creation and overall spending,” said Larry Sorokes, associate vice president and executive director of Grants Administration and Lifelong Learning at St. Bonaventure. “In our region, we have hundreds of large and small nonprofits. This series of noncredit courses will offer an excellent overview for people interested in expanding their knowledge of nonprofit management, and the courses are being taught by local professionals with extensive field experience.”
The classes include:
• Strategic Planning for Nonprofits: Feb. 26
This four-hour course presents the fundamentals of creating an organizational mission, vision and strategic plan, and how to ensure that these documents become integral to the planning, budgeting and institutional assessment functions of your nonprofit.
• Board Member/Volunteer Recruitment and Development: March 5
An effective board and engaged volunteers are the lifeblood of nonprofit organizations. This four-hour session presents strategies for the successful recruitment, training, engagement and retention of these vital partners in your organization’s mission.
• Fundraising Strategies and Donor Relations: March 12
Every nonprofit must establish a fundraising plan that is appropriate to its mission, strategic goals and organizational capacity. Learn about the spectrum of giving programs — from annual giving to capital campaigns to planned giving — as well as the steps of the development process. This four-hour session also will cover retaining donors through various stewardship methods.
• Building Your Brand through the Web and Social Media: March 19
A powerful website and targeted social media efforts will allow your organization to tell its story, communicate with prospects and donors, and customize your message to multiple audiences. You will leave this four-hour course with the tools to get started today.
• Finding and Winning Grants for Your Organization: March 26 and April 9
The grant-seeking process can be complicated and confusing, yet it is vital to most nonprofits. This eight-hour course will cover the basics of grants — research tools, various grant types and writing tips, as well as commonly found terms, budgetary issues and reporting requirements. Participants will work on actual grant applications as part of the course.
• Assessing Organizational Effectiveness: April 16
Every nonprofit organization faces the challenge of how to measure its success, adjust its plan in a changing environment, report its outcomes, and be accountable to its stakeholders. This four-hour session will review ways in which your organization can begin to address effectiveness measures.
• Nonprofit Accounting and Financial Essentials: April 23 and 30
Nonprofit leaders must have a solid grasp of accounting and financial aspects of their organizations in order to effectively measure organizational health and communicate with donors, grant-makers, board members, volunteers and other constituents. This eight-hour course will present an overview of nonprofit accounting, financial statements, investments and fiduciary responsibilities of nonprofit leaders.
• Strategies and Solutions for Reducing Rural Poverty: May 7
Generational poverty affects all of us. Whether in rural or urban populations, the reasons for it are complicated, and the solutions to it are equally complex. This four-hour session will explore the roots and causes of poverty and will look at ways in which communities can provide meaningful ways to move families out of poverty and into sustainable lifestyles.
All classes run from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will be held on the St. Bonaventure campus. The cost is $85 per four-hour course, $165 per eight-hour course, and $800 for the full 40-hour program (may be shared by multiple people in the same organization). Individuals completing all eight courses will receive a certificate in nonprofit management.
For more information or to register, contact Larry Sorokes in the Office of Lifelong Learning at (716) 375-2304 or lsorokes@sbu.edu.
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About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Catholic Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them.