Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Nonprofit Learning Program

The Nonprofit Learning Program (NPLP) provides nonprofit managers and board members with intensive training in best practices in governance and fund development. The program will increase your organization’s productivity, strengthen its sustainability and help you better accomplish your mission.

The Northwest Corner Fund will fully underwrite the participation of up to three northwest Connecticut nonprofits in the 2013 NPLP’s Intensive Training Program. Since it was created in 2005, the program has trained nearly 200 board and staff leaders of 49 organizations. The value for one group to participate in the program is over $7,000.

Program Highlights:

• Five training sessions with Simone Joyaux, an internationally recognized consultant in nonprofit management and governance. Learn about Simone through her website.
• $2,000 grant at the program’s conclusion to help you implement lessons learned.
• Comprehensive resource manual with handouts, worksheets, sample policies, job descriptions, analysis tools and more.
• Opportunities to share experiences with and learn from peers.
• Telephone and e-mail access to Simone Joyaux throughout the program.
• 12 hours of private consultation with Simone Joyaux for your board after the group training is completed.

You Will Learn To:

• Define the roles of board members, executive directors and staff.
• Engage board members in fundraising and governance.
• Build lasting relationships with donors and constituents.
• Launch successful fund development and donor communications initiatives.

What You Need to Know to Apply:

Effective long-term change is only possible if your entire organization is committed to learning the necessary skills and tools. As a participant of the Nonprofit Learning Program’s Intensive Training, you must:

• Create a 4-person team to participate in all components of the program. The team must include your executive director, two key board members and your development officer, if you have one. If you don’t have a development officer, the fourth participant may be a staff person, board member or active volunteer. For non-staffed organizations, 4 board members in leadership positions must participate.
  Please note: participants in the training should remain with their organizations for at least two years after the program to implement the change process.
• Attend all five 3-½ hour training sessions throughout April and May. (See training session dates below.) Only organizations whose teams fully participate in all sessions will be considered for the $2,000 post-training grant.
• Convene at least one full board meeting for one of the consultations with Simone Joyaux. All board members must attend so that the board can discuss learnings and adopt changes.
• Read the assigned handouts between sessions to assess your progress.
• Actively share ideas during the training sessions.
• Regularly transmit “lessons learned” to your full board and staff.
• Sign a confidentiality agreement and hold in confidence specific information shared by other participants.
• Send a final report of how the grant money was used.

Dates for the Connecticut 2013 Program:

Wednesday, April 3: 4-7:30

Saturday, April 13: 9-12:30

Thursday, May 16: 4-7:30

Thursday, May 23: 4-7:30

Thursday, May 30: 4-7:30

Specific location TBD. Most likely in South Berkshire County.

Please note, full attendance by the entire four-person team is required for ALL training sessions.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Your organization must be incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization or operate under the auspices of a 501(c)(3) organization.
• Organization must have operated with active programming for at least three years.
• The organization must provide services to the residents of Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Kent, Lakeville, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon and Warren.
• Not be a public school, town or municipality.
• Not include in its constitution, by-laws or practice, discrimination against a person or group on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief.

Selection Criteria:

The advisory committee of the Northwest Corner Fund reviews each application and selects the participants of the Nonprofit Learning Program through a competitive process based on the following criteria:

• Potential impact of the program on the organization.
• Willingness of the organization’s board and executive director to be flexible, change and grow.
• Commitment to participate actively in each component of the program.
• Organization’s impact on the communities in the Northwest Corner.
• Priority will be given to nonprofits that have previously not been through the program.

APPLY ONLINE

For more information contact Emily Bronson by email at ebronson@berkshiretaconic.org or by phone 413.229.0370

Participant Testimonials

"I left the first class thinking the program was pie in the sky and the last class thinking, the sky’s the limit!" - Alice Bemand, Executive Director, TriArts Sharon Playhouse, Sharon, CT

"Really fabulous to have an amazing mentor break down into laymen's terms the world of our non-profits and give us a map with detailed instructions how to contribute & be successful in our own!" - SOAR

"The Nonprofit Learning Program provides a vital opportunity for the people who love and work hard for this area to get the most out of the time and effort that they put into our community." - Women's Support Services

Previous Participants in the Nonprofit Learning Program:

21st Century Fund for H.V.R.H.S.
Berkshire South Regional Community Center
Canaan Child Care
Chore Service
Columbia County Council on the Arts
Columbia-Greene Humane Society
Cornwall Child Center
Cornwall Free Library
Cornwall Housing Corporation
Crescendo, Inc.
David M. Hunt Library
Douglas Library
EMS Institute
EXTRAS
Falls Village Day Care Center
Friends of Main Street Winsted
Goshen Players
Greenwoods Counseling Referrals
Habitat for Humanity NW CT
Hawthorne Valley Association
Hotchkiss Library of Sharon
Housatonic Child Care Center
Housatonic Youth Service Bureau
Hudson Area Association Library
Kent Art Association
Kent Children’s Center
Kent Historical Society
Lebanon Valley Historical Society
Little Guild of St. Francis
Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties
Norfolk Land Trust
North East Community Center
Northwestern Connecticut AIDS Project
Northwest Connecticut Arts Council
Older Women’s League
Prime Time House
Railroad Street Youth Project
Salisbury Association
Salisbury Family Services
Salisbury Forum
Sharon Day Care
Sharon Historical Society
SOAR/SCS Enrichment Fund
Stageworks on the Hudson
Susan B. Anthony Project
TriArts Sharon Playhouse
Winsted Health Center Foundation
Women’s Support Services