Nonprofit Spark Renee Mcgivern

Why is it that volunteer involvement and management is rarely given the same amount of attention that non-profit leaders give to fundraising and programs? Let’s be honest. What most leaders do is give a kindly pat-on-the-head to volunteers and the staff who manage them. But what if we considered volunteers as the brains of the […] The post Nonprofit Spark – The case for strategic volunteerism in your non-profit – 01/23/12 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

You know how you’re having a problem with your board? Consider that at the root of it is weak and possibly, worthless board orientation. All those complaints you have about how board members meddle or misbehave or don’t “get” the organization could disappear with thoughtful, ongoing board learning about what good governance is, how big […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Quit complaining: best practices for non-profit board learning – 01/16/12 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On this week’s show, I speak with John P. Langan CPA, managing partner of CliftonLarsonAllen, a top 20 national accounting firm with 225 professionals serving more than 5,000 not-for-profit organizations in 18 states. John has served the non-profit sector for more than 25 years and worked with all sizes and types of non-profits and trade […] The post Nonprofit Spark – What accountants wish non-profit leaders knew about non-profit finances – 01/09/12 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

A primary responsibility of a non-profit board is to create policies that support the use of best practices in the organization. What are basic policies every non-profit board should approve? How are these different from policies that staff create? My guest this week is Paula J. MacLean, author of the Canadian best-seller, Great Boards Plain […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Common sense non-profit board policies – 01/02/12 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On this show, I speak with Nancy Engelken, executive director of Housing Colorado! who describes how she considers the strategic plan and fundraising plan in the budgeting process. I also speak with Jason Spessard of LarsonAllen accounting form who describes the benefits of outsourcing non-profit bookkeeping and non-profit accounting functions. There’s something here for large […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Nonprofit Budgets and Financial Outsourcing – 12/26/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Many non-profits are great about consistently educating constituents about why their organization’s work matters. They often fall short on their advocacy work, however. Meeting with legislators and testifying about a bill is often done at the last minute. Little time is taken in the months prior to speak with and get in the world of […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Non-profit advocacy made simple – 12/19/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

It’s easy to get into legal hot water as inexperienced and overburdened staff people add copyrighted text, images and graphics from other sources to your organization’s website. The people who created that content in the first place call it theft. On this show, I speak with Clinton Forry, a nationally-recognized content strategist in the financial […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Non-profit website content governance and user testing – 12/05/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Non-profit marketing and communications goes well beyond writing web content and sending e-newsletters. You also need to explore online marketing tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more: non-profit social media. And don’t forget search engine optimization (SEO) to help potential non-profit volunteers, donors and advocates find you on the Web. How about turning to a […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Free non-profit help on Google Grants, SEO and social media advice – 11/28/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, that unique American holiday, so Host Renee McGivern is replaying an episode from August 1, 2011. It’s packed with ideas and solutions that get more practical as the show progresses. Volunteering on a dysfunctional non-profit board drives you crazy and makes you wonder, “Why do I put myself through this?” […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Overcoming Nonprofit Board Dysfunction – 11/21/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Because nonprofits can create materials using desktop publishing software, we assume that printing that material is a breeze. But ask printers and they’ll say many non-profits have no idea what they’re doing. My guest this week is Dee Conklin, the owner of Palliser Printing in Invermere, British Columbia. She describes common problems that printing customers […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Helpful hints on working with a printer 111411 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

The most effective non-profit leaders and fundraisers are masters of communication. They use words that all types of people understand; they save jargon for conversations with experts in their field. On this show, I interview Tony Proscio, a communications consultant and contributor to the useful online tool, The Jargon Finder. We discuss how you’ll know […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Tips for Clear Nonprofit Communication – 11/07/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Contributions from foundations, individuals and government sources can ebb and flow with the economy. It makes considerable sense, then, to create a social enterprise in your nonprofit that helps sustain the organization in good times and bad. According to Rolfe Larson of Rolfe Larson Associates, the strongest non-profits in the 21st century will have a […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Exploring a moneymaking venture, or social enterprise, for your organization – 10/31/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Handheld bidding devices add a cool factor to silent and live auctions but are they worth the expense? How do you make sure they help you net more money than last year’s event? On this show, I speak with Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions, an auctioneer and certified meeting planner who discusses when it […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Handheld bidding devices for nonprofit auctions – 10/24/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

As many as 75% of non-profit executive directors will be retiring in the next five years. Are you ready for a search process? On this week’s show, I speak with Phyllis Hockett, board president of the Utah Nonprofit Association, about the search process that board has undertaken to replace the retired executive director. The process […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Succession planning and risk management 101 – 10/17/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

It’s a common complaint: Why doesn’t the media feature my nonprofit or cover the issues we care about? On this week’s show, we explore how you should connect to reporters, share your stories and engage the community in caring about your issues. My guests and I take the mystery out of working with the media […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Earning Media Coverage for Your Organization – 10/10/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On this week’s show, I focus on two Minnesota-based organizations to explore examples of nonprofit innovation and community engagement. They demonstrate nonprofits’ amazing ability to be nimble and creative in response to the constituents they serve. They’re passionate, common sense leaders and you’ll get some great ideas from them. My first guest, Angie Miller of […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Nonprofit Innovation and Community Engagement – 10/03/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On this show, I speak with the Brook McDonald, the president and CEO of The Conservation Foundation, a highly effective nonprofit that is a superb example of what it means to be “stakeholder-driven.” The dictionary defines stakeholder as a type of organization in which all the members or participants are seen as having an interest […] The post Nonprofit Spark – The Conservation Foundation: A Stakeholder-Driven Nonprofit – 09/26/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

This week, I focus on planned giving and endowments. While the area of planned giving can get complicated fairly quickly, we hone in on the types of planned gifts that just about every nonprofit should encourage, especially once you have a stable annual giving program. My first guest is Phil Schumacher of Gundersen Lutheran Medical […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Planned gifts and endowment primer 09/19/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

On this week’s show, I speak with nonprofit sector innovator and author Dan Pallotta who is challenging Americans’ long-held beliefs about charities that he says constrain nonprofits from solving the problems of the world. Pallotta invented the multi-day AIDSRides and Breast Cancer 3-Days Walks, fundraisers that have gone on for so long now that we […] The post Nonprofit Spark – In depth with Nonprofit Sector Innovator Dan Pallotta – 09/05/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

What’s happening when everything feels like a struggle? Consider your organization could be naturally progressing from one stage of development to another. On this week’s show, I speak to Judy Sharken Simon of MAP for Nonprofits about her book, The Five Life Stages of Nonprofit Organizations: Where You Are, Where You’re Going, and What to […] The post Nonprofit Spark – Five Stages of Nonprofits and Capacity-Building Internships – 08/29/11 appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.