PCCF announces 2022 nonprofit learning series workshops

The Putnam County Community Foundation recently announced the 2022 Nonprofit Learning Series, Creating a Governing Legacy, which kicks off on March 15.

This year’s series is focused on board governance and will be presented by Susan Decker in five sessions. 

A senior governance consultant for BoardSource, Susan Decker will explore how the most successful nonprofit boards have a collaborative team culture, working in partnership with the executive and the leadership team. The starting point for building this culture involves a shared understanding of the work and the line between management and governance. Creating a shared understanding of the roles for which board members have a responsibility and how they can add the greatest strategic value to the organization are key goals of this series. 

Critical Components of Governance: March 15 – Crawfordsville Country Club

It sounds basic, but one of the fundamental challenges that far too many board members and boards have is that they don’t have a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Since it’s impossible to do a job well if you don’t know what the job is, all boards must take the time to ensure that every board member fully understands what’s expected and needed of them, and then hold all members accountable when they get off track. This session will focus on the principles of board membership and how we can measure the success of the board’s work.

Avoid Board Meeting Boredom: April 12 – Crawfordsville Country Club 

This session will focus on tools to better engage board members during meetings and outline methods to encourage strategic thinking. Form follows function, or at least it should when it comes to boards. Without a strong structure, boards can fall prey to a whole host of dysfunctions, not the least of which is wasted time, dull or unfocused meetings and lack of strategic engagement. From determining what you want to accomplish to choosing the facilitation skill to help get you there, you’ll leave this session better prepared to lead and engage in meetings.

Serving as a Fiduciary for Your Organization: Sept. 13 – The Inn at DePauw

A board has a fundamental legal responsibility to provide oversight and accountability for the organization. Referred to as the board’s “fiduciary” responsibility, the board must ensure that the organization is appropriately stewarding the resources entrusted to it and following all legal and ethical standards. Therefore, knowing what questions to ask regarding financials, even if you don’t consider yourself to have a solid financial understanding, is essential. This session will help familiarize you with the kinds of questions to ask and the information to look for in the answers.

Building a Culture of Philanthropy: Oct. 11 – The Inn at DePauw

A culture of philanthropy refers to your organization’s attitude toward philanthropy and fund development (fundraising). An essential part of your organizational culture must include philanthropy as a charitable organization. First, focus on culture, not strategy. Why is a culture of philanthropy so important? Because philanthropy is not just about raising money. This session will focus on building this culture and helping even the most reluctant individuals to find their space in helping the organization raise funds.

Harnessing the Power of Your Board: Nov. 8 – Crawfordsville Country Club

Great board leadership takes intentionality and effort. Some of the most important work for a board includes assessment of the executive, succession planning and working through challenging situations. This session will include board chairs, future board leaders and executives in collaboratively building some of the intentional practices that will allow the board to work seamlessly and with a purpose.

The workshops build on one another as the series progresses. However, if full attendance is not possible, each workshop has value individually.

This series is excellent for both staff and board members and will be beneficial when both parties can attend. In addition, those individuals who attend all five workshops will be entered in a drawing for a $1,000 grant to benefit their nonprofit organization.

Interested community members, nonprofit employees, and board members can visit pcfoundation.org/npls to register for these informative workshops.

The Putnam-Montgomery Nonprofit Learning Series is presented by the Putnam County Community Foundation and the Montgomery County Community Foundation, with special thanks to local sponsors.