Next Meeting: "The Leaders Challenge: A Heart for Mission & A Head for Business"

Please join us…

October 16th, 2009
8:30am to 10:30am

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Hospitality Center
385 Watervliet-Shaker Road Latham
Cost: Please bring $5 (for light breakfast)

"The Leaders Challenge: A Heart for Mission & A Head for Business"
How Nonprofits Can Balance Bottom Line & Community Need

Running a nonprofit is serious business. And just like any business your organization can indeed make money, run efficiently, measure outcomes and determine a return on investment for your donors. But unlike other businesses, nonprofits have a “double bottom line.” A community based nonprofit (whether a human service group or a cultural institution) is also a business that measures their impact in “doing good” for the community.

Exactly how do you measure that? How do you maximize community "good" as well as profit?

Our panel of experienced executives and business leaders will give us insight on how to balance the “heart for mission and head for business” question that nonprofit execs struggle with every day.

Topics that will be discussed include:

• How we want our nonprofit community to be viewed. How do we feel about the word “business” when referring to nonprofits?


• The importance of new thinking when it comes to running a nonprofit business. How do we move away from “we’ve always done it that way.”


• Compensating quality staff in a competitive environment. What can we offer as a total package and how do we communicate that?


• What are some tools different nonprofits are using to manage more effectively?
  

Join us for this exciting opportunity to learn and share with your Executive Director peers from around the region.

Moderator:
Chris Burke, Executive Director, Unity House, Inc.

Panelists:
Beth Coco, Founder, MicroKnowledge
Kevin Connally, Executive Director, Hope House, Inc.
Ann DiSaro, Former Executive Director, Albany Senior Services &
Owner, Ann DiSarro Consulting

June 19th Meeting Update...

The first meeting of the Executive Director Peer Group of the Capital Region was held on June 19th. Over 45 executives gathered to discuss their role in the community, as leaders, as a voice for economic impact and in helping to shape the public's perception of the vital role nonprofits play in making our communities a better place to live.

Various ideas centered on correcting the misonceptions about nonprofits. The group talked about the possibility of connecting to local media outlets and providing them with a "go to" source for the nonprofit perspective. Another idea was to provide local newspapers with an ongoing "nonprofit" column, written by various members of the Peer Group.

Future discussions and meetings will be needed to determine the group's direction and message and to come up with clear action steps to achieve our goals.

We are pleased to report that 16 executives have signed up to be a part of the leadership team that will plan our meeting dates and topics for the rest of 2009.

The Peer Group leaders will schedule meetings that work for your schedules (based on the recent survey) and will plan on topics of interest based on that survey.

If you would like to give us your feedback, please click here to take the survey.

The group also briefly reviewed the Executive Directory Skills Inventory. Each executive is encouraged to complete this inventory so that we begin to compile a list of individuals with certain skill sets. In the future this may help us connect you with a "mentor" or coach in the areas you would like to improve upon.

If you would like to complete the skills inventory online, please click here.

Remember...You can continue the conversations from our meetings online by starting a discussion on our IZOCA page. This group is only open to executive directors in the Capital Region. Join now by clicking here.

First Meeting Announced! Getting it Together! The Nonprofit Community & Our Vital Role in Shaping Leaders, Building Businesses, & Changing Lives

You Are Invited...

June 19th, 2009
Location TBA, Latham NY
Cost $5 (for light breakfast)
8:30am - 10:00am

Getting it Together! The Nonprofit Community &
Our Vital Role in Shaping Leaders, Building Businesses, & Changing Lives
Click here to register!

The first official gathering of the "ED Peer Group" will provide an update on the state of the nonprofit sector on both on the local and national level. Doug Sauer, CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits and Board President of the National Council of Nonprofits will share his insight on the role of nonprofits in the revitalization of our communities, including the role the new administration will play in connecting to and working in collaboration with our organizations.

We all know that strong nonprofit leadership will be critical to our success in getting federal, state and local funding for our region, getting increased involvement by donors, volunteers and board members, and changing many of the public misconceptions regarding the nonprofit sector and the impact we have on our communities.

To begin building a strong, supportive and informed network of executives, the ED Peer Group Steering Committee will share feedback from recent county meetings and results of an online survey to determine what types of programming, resources and access to expertise you might need in your important job of leading a nonprofit organization during these challenging and changing times. The group will also be taking part in a skill assessment and begin discussions about a "mentoring" program pairing executive directors together for one-on-one peer support.

To RSVP for the meeting please click here.

To join the ED Peer Group online, please click here to become a member of our group on Izoca, a social networking site based out the Capital Region!