Overview
- Time Frame: 2.5 or 3 hours. Longer time for more participants.
- Suggested number of participants: 6-18
- Materials needed: Blank thank you notecards [do I include worksheets here?]
- Room Setup: tables of 4-6
The non-profit sector is the source of quite a bit of environmental leadership. But what exactly is the non-profit sector? What does NGO actually stand for? What’s the difference between a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4), and what does that even mean? What is a board of directors supposed to do? This workshop will get you up to speed on non-profits, how they work, and some of the governance and legal structures involved. You’ll have a chance to think about the possibility of working for a non-profit or getting involved as a volunteer or board member. And you’ll gain insightful wisdom from a panel of superstars from the environmental non-profit world.
- What is the value of a community and network for leadership?
- Who is in your network? How are you connected to them? Why do you value these relationships?
- What skills/competencies/perspectives are you interested in developing, and who can help you do so?
- How do you keep connected and be of help to people in your community and network?
Facilitator Outcomes | Participants will be able to: |
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Describe why relationships matter for leadership, careers, and impact and express understanding that generosity in relationships is helpful in this work. |
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Visualize their own key relationships and networks and recognize important connections, missing links, and useful patterns. |
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Articulate skills/capacities they would like to develop and identify potential people who could be mentors for developing these skills/capacities. |
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Discuss ways to keep vibrant network connections and use the tool of writing a thank you note. |
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Recognize that they have many things to offer others in their networks and community and practice doing so. |
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Propose an action step or two to improve network relationships. |
Workshop Materials |
Sample Agenda
1:30 – 2:00 | Introductions & Icebreakers
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2:00 – 2:30 | Connecting the Dots of Your Cultural Background
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2:30– 2:40 | Break |
2:40-3:00 | Presentation |
3:00-3:50 | Case Study: Why Diversity Can Lead to Better Ideas |
4:10-4:30 | Reflection & Integration
Ask students to share what actions steps they will be taking. |
Pre-Workshop Email
We recommend sending out the pre-workshop email one-week before and a short follow-up two days before the workshop. This workshop does not require any pre-work before the workshop, but you could include a link to a TED Talk to help prime students for the workshop experience.
Here’s an example:
Dear Workshop Participants:
There is no pre-work required for this workshop. You will need a pen. If you do have 18 minutes to spare, we recommend watching this TED Talk, “The danger of a single story” before the workshop.
We look forward to meeting with you soon,
Post-workshop handout
Post-workshop email
We recommend sending out the post-workshop email within a day or two of the completion of the workshop, to remind participants of any actions they planned to take on going forward, and to get feedback while experience is still fresh.
Here’s an example:
Dear Workshop Participants:
If not, what did you hope to learn that you would like to see in a future workshop?
What were the most valuable take-aways?
Do you have a better understanding of non-profit structures and what it might entail to work within one or start one?
Please use this space to offer any other feedback you feel would be useful for the facilitators and for future workshops.
References
Benz, M. (2005). Not for the profit, but for the satisfaction?–Evidence on worker well‐being in non‐profit firms. Kyklos, 58(2), 155-176
Sawhill, J. C., & Williamson, D. (2001). Mission impossible?: Measuring success in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit management and leadership, 11(3), 371-386.
Light, P. C. (1998). Sustaining innovation: Creating nonprofit and government organizations that innovate naturally. Jossey-Bass.
Dees, J. G., & Anderson, B. B. (2003). Sector-bending: Blurring lines between nonprofit and for-profit. Society, 40(4), 16-27.
Videos
Non-Profit vs. For-Profit
Discover the different operations of a nonprofit vs for-profit organizations. Then, learn whether or not your business model should be moved forward as a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization..
Sustainability for Non-Profit Organizations
Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of The Global Fund for Women (GFW) talks about the importance of creating sustainable funding for mission-based non-profits.
Websites
NPQ – Non Profit Quarterly
Investigative journalism for non profit organizations on philanthropy, fundraising, governance and policy.
Minnesota Council of Non-Profits Job Board
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits’ Job Board is a tool that jobseekers can use to view hundreds of nonprofit jobs that match their qualifications and employers can post their latest nonprofit openings.