Upcoming Events
Events List Navigation
Advanced Nonprofit Board Certification
This workshop serves as the continuation of the Johnson Center’s staple workshop: Nonprofit Board Certification Program. Going beyond the basics, participants will engage in a higher level of conversation about how the role of boards and board members advance their organizations’ missions. The program’s approach is to engage participants in strategic conversations about trends and issues facing nonprofit organizations with discussion of the board’s role in each topic. The program will cover the following topics: Ten Elements of Advancement Seven…
Find out more »2015 Community Research Summit
At the 2015 Community Research Summit, nonprofit and community leaders will be given an exclusive look at results from the 2014 VoiceGR Community Survey, which captured the voices of over 3,000 greater Grand Rapids residents.The Summit is designed to provide an overview of the VoiceGR survey resultsand achance to: share stories about the people and social conditions of West Michigan hear the story of the data and its effects on our community discuss data driven decision-making have conversations about using VoiceGR…
Find out more »Basic Grantwriting
Learn the basics of grantwriting from the experts. Join other grant seekers in a three-hour workshop designed to give you an introduction to proposal development and tips on grantwriting language and writing styles. Participants are encouraged to bring an idea for a grant proposal so that this workshop can serve as an opportunity to get a jump start. Trainer This workshop will be facilitated by Matthew Downey. Matthew has worked with nonprofits as a consultant, program manager and development officer…
Find out more »Brown Bag Lunch & Learn: Serving Newcomers to West Michigan and Strengthening Our Community
Brown Bag Lunch & Learn: Serving Newcomers to West Michigan and Strengthening Our Community The Grand Rapids metro area of West Michigan, like most U.S. urban areas, is becoming a more diverse place due to globalization and trends driven by the economy, technology, employment and education. Panelists who represent nonprofit organizations that serve immigrants, refugees and other newcomers to the area will discuss their challenges, successes and how their efforts contribute to strengthening the West Michigan community. Attendees will be…
Find out more »Strategic Leadership Series: Your Role in Driving Organizational Culture
Join Gloria Johnson-Cusack as she offers participants an unique 30,000 foot view of the entire field shaped by her work with CEOs from the largest nonprofits in the country. She will discuss how nonprofit professionals can uniquely prepare and position their organizations to succeed well into the future by being aware of their own selves and personal impact on the organization’s culture. Gloria Johnson-Cusack serves as Executive Director of Leadership 18, an alliance of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) responsible for leading some of the country’s largest and most well…
Find out more »Succession Planning
You’ve heard that you need a succession plan for your executive director, right? How do you go about creating one? This presentation will describe the two types of succession plans needed for the CEO/executive director position and who should be involved in creating those plans. We will also review the importance of planning for the succession of board leadership, how nonprofit lifecycles impact succession planning, and options for the executive transitions process. If you haven’t known how to broach…
Find out more »Working with Your Board
Effectively working with your board is more art than science. Understanding governance structures is only one piece of the puzzle. Perhaps more important is how Executive Directors manage relationships with board members. This workshop is intended to help Executive Directors and leadership staff members develop strategies for tackling these issues head on. Topics that will be discussed include: Challenges and opportunities of managing a board, Governance structures, Effective board member engagement, and Board member involvement in fundraising. …
Find out more »Advanced Proposal Analysis – Grand Rapids, Mich.
Advanced Proposal Analysis intentionally focuses on the essential skills of proposal review, recommendations, project management, and other core competency areas. We strongly believe that mastering this work is the key to excellence in grantmaking. Key concepts include: Assessing proposals more efficiently, Spotting financial red flags, Finding and closing any gaps in your due diligence process, Using specialty grants within your organization’s mission, Assuring transparent and ethical behavior, Grantee relationship management, and Capturing the knowledge from grantmaking. The Advanced Proposal…
Find out more »Skills Based Volunteer
Do you want to increase your organization’s manpower in a cost effective way? Do you want to increase your organizations abilities by bringing in professionals who offer a certain knowledge and experience that can bolster the impact of your organization? Using skills based volunteers is not just a trend! Skills based volunteers can offer your organization a way to increase capacities throughout your organization. This training will serve organizations just starting volunteer programs as well as a time of…
Find out more »Strategy Development in Grantmaking – Des Moines, Iowa
Strategy Development in Grantmaking is an intensive two-day learning experience designed to help individual grantmakers and their foundations develop or refine a strategic lens to grantmaking and leverage improved program results for deeper impact. By defining strategic philanthropy and reviewing models and tools for strategy development and implementation, resources will be provided to guide and inform your foundation strategy. You and your colleagues will move through a series of individual and group activities and discussions, allowing for both interactive and…
Find out more »