Nonprofit Portal Digest
June 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS and publications
Urban Institute Issues Report on Governance in Midsize Nonprofits
“Nonprofit boards are receiving increased attention from policymakers, media, researchers and the public. Yet most research, policy proposals, and best practice guidelines have been oriented toward large organizations. This brief, ‘Boards of Midsize Nonprofits: Their Needs and Challenges,’ helps fill a major gap in our understanding by focusing on governance among midsize nonprofits, identifying certain problem areas, and suggesting strategies that those engaged with midsize nonprofits may find helpful in strengthening their boards. The discussion uses data on the subset of 1,862 midsize organizations in the Urban Institute National Survey of Nonprofit Governance, the first national representative study of nonprofit governance.”—Urban Institute
Tax Exemptions of Charities Face New Challenges
Stephanie Strom of the New York Times provides a look at recent challenges to property and sales tax exemptions for some Minnesota nonprofits along with an analysis of national trends around tax exemption and the definitions of “charity.”
OPPORTUNITIES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Summer Volunteer Opportunities for Youth and Families
The Volunteer Center of Milwaukee’s summer newsletter is filled with opportunities for youth—whether for volunteering just one time or all summer long. Pass this valuable resource along to a young person you know—or, if you represent a youth-serving organization, call (414) 273-7887 to pick up extra printed copies to share. Volunteering can help youth meet new people, discover career paths, make a difference in their communities, or just have fun.
June 21 Deadline: The Collaboration Prize
The Lodestar Foundation and the A-I-M Alliance announce a $250,000 prize to recognize collaborations among two or more nonprofit organizations that would otherwise provide the same or similar programs or services and compete for clients, financial resources and staff. The Prize also seeks to build an information base of effective practice models that can be studied and used by academics, nonprofit leaders and grantmakers to inspire and advance their work.
August 24 Deadline: Fred Lindner Prize for Social Innovation in Wisconsin
Nominations are being accepted for The Fred Lindner Prize for Social Innovation in Wisconsin. The prize will include a $5,000 investment in an exceptional Wisconsin resident 60 years of age or older who is defying expectations by channeling his or her creativity and talent to address critical social problems at the local, regional, or national level. The winner will also be able to choose the organization of his or her choice to receive an additional $5,000.
Small Business Times Launches New Charity Golf Event Guide
Nonprofit organizations in southeastern Wisconsin can post the information about their charity golf events in the Small Business Times Golf Event Guide for free. SBT is partnering with a national organization that provides resources for nonprofit golf outings. The website has resources to help nonprofits organize and executive more effective charity golf outings.
SAVE THE DATE
June 10: Wisconsin Nonprofits Association Summit: “Common Ground for Common Good”
Keynote speakers at the summit in Madison, WI, include Paul Light, renowned expert on public service and nonprofit management, and Pat Read, Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs at Independent Sector. Check the WNA website for more information.
June 17: Arts, Culture and the Community: Building a Greater Milwaukee Together
This one-day conference, organized by the UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, will cultivate conversations about how arts and culture organizations' programs support community vitality and development. An opening keynote will be delivered by Arnold Aprill, the Founding and Creative Director of the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE). Breakout sessions will follow.
June 25: 7th Annual Community Development Summit
Sponsored by the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin (UEDA), this summit will focus on the critical need for regional cooperation and collaboration on some of the large-impact issues facing Southeast Wisconsin. Attendees will all participate in a discussion on how to make southeast Wisconsin a healthy and wealthy region--this is your chance to be part of the solution!
July 15-16: Two-Day Grant Writing Workshop
The workshop, hosted by UW-Parkside Nonprofit Development Program, will be conducted by George Zocklein of Zocklein & Associates. Participants will learn the essential components of organizing, structuring and presenting a project for successful grant funding and program execution, and will engage in actual grantwriting and peer review.
September 30: 2008 Nonprofit Board Development Conference
The Nonprofit Development Program at UW-Parkside’s Center for Community Partnerships will host the third anual Nonprofit Board Development on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 from 4-8:30 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Susan Kenny Stevens, Ph.D., who will speak about “Lifecycles of Nonprofits.” Please share this information at your June board meetings!
UPCOMING TRAINING AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
BoardStar
Sign up with BoardStar, an initiative of the Nonprofit Management Fund, to get notification of free weekly podcasts about matters of interest to nonprofit board directors.
Recent podcasts include:
Leadership Coaching
Measuring Mission
Calendar of Nonprofit Training and Learning Events
Visit the Portal Calendar to learn about upcoming workshops, conferences and other training and learning events. Some upcoming highlights:
Board Governance
6/5—Organizational Dashboards (BoardStar)
6/19—Opening the Door to the Board Room: Choosing to Serve ( Volunteer Center of Milwaukee)
6/23—Strategic Planning for the Board (BoardStar)
Nonprofit Management
6/4—External Relations for Today’s Nonprofit Professional (UWM School of Continuing Education)
6/17—Preparing for the Annual Audit (Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee)
6/18—Meet the Future of Volunteerism ( Volunteer Center of Milwaukee)
6/18—Creative Nonprofit Leadership ( UWM School of Continuing Education)
6/26—Creating and Implementing a Philanthropy Plan (Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee)
Learn about these offerings and more on the Nonprofit Portal Calendar.
JOBS THAT SERVE Jobs that Serve is an online job listing service for nonprofits only, managed by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee.
Posting a job is easy, fast and affordable.
There is no charge for job seekers.
Recent postings include:
LPN (Child Development Center of St. Joseph)
Development Systems Manager (Milwaukee Art Museum)
Family Self Sufficiency Case Manager (La Casa de Esperanza)
Nonprofit Apprentice/Public Ally (Public Allies Milwaukee)
Computer Lab Specialist (COA Youth and Family Centers)
Find more information about these and other positions at Jobs That Serve.
Job Posting Alert!
For the month of June, Idealist.org is offering free job postings to nonprofits. And make a note: internships and volunteer opportunities are always free. Consider supplementing your listing on Jobs that Serve with one on Idealist.org that will reach a national audience.
SPREAD THE NEWS!
Forward this newsletter to a colleague! Share the news about the many resources available to nonprofit executives, staff and boards in the greater Milwaukee area.
SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS
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THE NONPROFIT PORTAL OF GREATER MILWAUKEE
The mission of the Nonprofit Portal is to strengthen the knowledge and skills of nonprofit organizations in the greater Milwaukee community through the collaborative development and use of on-line technologies.
The Portal is a project of the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in collaboration with a group of community organizations dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector in the greater Milwaukee area.
For more information, contact:
Barbara Duffy, Director
Nonprofit Portal
c/o Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
(414) 229-2924
bduffy@uwm.edu
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