Save the date! How can you recruit and retain a top-notch Board of Directors that reflects the community you serve? More details forthcoming. Presented in partnership with the Addison County Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Addison County
Past
What is Your Story & How Do You Tell It? | September 10, 2020 | 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. | Zoom
Stories are powerful for nonprofits. Stories inspire and motivate community members to do more for our missions and those we serve. Stories engage our board members and support them in being great advocates and ambassadors. Stories convey our gratitude to our donors and show them the impact of their giving. And stories can even help us, the nonprofit leaders, when we are nose-deep in balance sheets and annual planning, to remember why the work we do is so important to our community.
In this online lab, you will learn how to develop and share your story: your organization's story, as well as the stories of the people who make up your organization. It will help you understand the core concepts and structure of story, how to create a culture of storytelling within your organization, ways to share your story, and things to consider with regard to confidentiality and privacy. We will also practice sharing our stories and discuss how to use your story to create change.
Presenter Becky Holt, Vermont Story Lab & COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter) - As a former journalist, Becky has spent most of her professional career telling stories in a variety of formats and styles. Now as the Development & Communications Director at COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter) in Burlington, she continues storytelling, helping our community more fully understand homelessness. For Becky, story is about relationship, the powerful connection between one human being and another that can spur us to feel, to inspire, to act.
Vermont Story Lab Summer Series | Various Dates/Times | Zoom
The Vermont Story Lab partners are hearing from many of you, our nonprofit colleagues, that you want to tell your stories, both as individuals and organizations, but how do you do that mindfully, respectfully and with purpose in a time of upheaval and trauma? We want to help. Please join us at one, two or all of our three free summer online labs, designed to be collaborative, to encourage deep listening and sharing, to help your organization pivot with its pitch and message, and to offer at-a-distance storytelling strategies and tools to tell stories in this time of social distancing.
All of these labs are FREE, but you must register by clicking the links below. Space is limited.
Nonprofit leaders have always worked to meet the challenges of our day, to ensure that our community is safe, stable, and beautiful for all. They did this before the pandemic, and they continue to do it now under the most extraordinary of circumstances. They have shown great flexibility, creativity, and resilience. As the world begins to reopen and the need for services continues to increase, nonprofits are turning their attention to the future. Join us in thinking and planning for the road ahead. We'll have an interactive conversation with a panel of local nonprofit leaders as we consider:
How can you think and plan strategically for a future that feels more uncertain than usual?
How can you adapt your services and programs for the social distancing long-haul?
How can you engage your donors when the economy is hurting?
What resources do you need to support your planning and continued success?
What’s top of your mind? We invite you to bring along your questions and ideas, too!
Recruit, Engage, Retain, Reflect: The Four-Leaf Clover of Individual Giving | March 10, 2020 | 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury
“You’re always after me lucky charms!” chuckles the pint-sized man in a green top hat as you chase him over the rainbow. His pot of gold is just within reach. You’ll never have to write another grant application again if you can get your hands on it. Just then, a faint beeping sound in the distance gets louder and louder. It’s your alarm clock, and you’ve been having fundraising dreams–again! But you’re still in luck: our nonprofit seminar will show you how to engage individual donors from your own community, no leprechauns required. You will learn how to find new donors, retain the ones you already have, keep your donors engaged all year long, and bring lapsed donors back into the fold. You will leave with the tools to begin building a goal-driven fundraising plan for your own organization. Presented by Sarah Audet (Nonprofit Consultant), Hannah Manley (Homeward Bound), Amy Mason (WomenSafe), and Helena Van Voorst (United Way of Addison County) in partnership with the Addison County Chamber of Commerce.
Working with Boards | September 10, 2019 | 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. | EastView, Middlebury
Working with a board of directors offers unique opportunities and challenges. With that in mind, Rob Carter of the Addison County Chamber, Helena Van Voorst of the United Way of Addison County, and Sarah Audet have teamed up to offer a seminar on Working with Boards. This seminar will also be part mixer, to provide the opportunity for nonprofit executives to meet and talk about their respective organizations and the challenges they face.
Goals for the Seminars/Mixer:
Share success stories and lessons learned
Provide the opportunity to ask questions
Share resources
Determine participants’ other training needs/interests
Encourage peer exchange/support among participants
Topics to be Covered:
Board roles vs Director roles
Board member recruitment (age, diversity, etc.)
How to deal with challenging Board members
Board engagement (in fundraising and other things)