Please check the United Way of King County training calendar for dates and locations.

Effective Volunteer Program Management 101: A Course for Volunteer Management Professionals
2 Day Training-Apr 6 & Apr 20 $170 

This 14.5-hour series is offered to meet the special needs of Volunteer Program Managers with less than two years experience. More experienced coordinators seeking "refresher" training are also welcome. The seminar provides an overview of the components of successful volunteer programs, identifies resources for future development and provides great networking opportunities. The session is offered as two full-day sessions. Topics will include:

• Roles of the Volunteer Program Manager
• Job Descriptions
• Recruitment and marketing your program
• Strategies for matching jobs and volunteers
• Volunteer orientation and training
• Supervisory skills
• Recognition
• Evaluation techniques
• Network with other coordinators

Getting Your Board Members to Raise Money Joyfully*

Non-profit board members have good intentions, but get paralyzed when put to the test. This class will offer practical, easy, no-cost steps that will help your board members engage in successful fundraising in ways that fit within their skillset, style, time and comfort zone.  By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Understand who your hottest prospects are
• Articulate several cultivation tactics for warming up prospects
• Name involvement opportunities for potential donors
• Know how to initiate a conversation or solicitation with a donor

Trainer:  Susan Howlett has been raising money for non-profits for 25 years, as board, staff, volunteer and consultant.  She teaches in UW's Fundraising Certificate Program and Bellevue Community College's Non Profit Management Program, and speaks, trains and consults nationally.  Her trainings incorporate humor, use-today practical tips and helpful examples from hundreds of successful clients.

Strengthening the Board / Executive Partnership*

This workshop will focus on building a strong, trusting relationship between the board of directors and the executive director.  While we will review the basics of ED supervision and managing ED transition, the majority of our time will be spend wrestling with case studies that focus on some of the things that can go wrong and sour with this key relationship.  We will also generate strategies to build a powerful and mutually respectful relationship, discussing the areas of appropriate roles for the ED, the board chair and the full board, as well as how to achieve strong alignment of board and staff.

Trainer: Laura Pierce founded Laura Pierce Consulting in 1998.  She assists nonprofit clients with strategic planning, board development and capacity building.  In addition, she has served as Interim Executive Director for seven area nonprofits.  Over the past ten years, LPC has providing consulting services for more than 100 nonprofits, including social justice, human service, advocacy and arts organizations.  Laura also teaches nonprofit management at the UW Evans School and is the lead instructor for the UW Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management.  She earned her Masters in Public Administration from University of Washington in 1996. 

Thriving in Tough Times: A Framework for Nonprofit Business Model Analysis - for Boards and EDs*

This workshop will provide nonprofit managers and leaders with grounding in concepts of business model assessment, as well as a methodology for identifying potential strategies for financial restructuring in a challenging economic climate. The session will be discussion-focused, including hands-on group analysis of a case study.  By the end of the session participants will: 

• Have a deeper understanding of their organization's business model;
• Understand a process for assessing strengths and weaknesses of their organization’s business model;
• Have explored potential financial strategies with peer-to-peer input.

Trainer:  Scott Schaffer, Seattle-based Senior Associate with La Piana Consulting, is a veteran nonprofit leader with over twenty years in the sector.   He has served as executive director of organizations in the fields of food and nutrition, education, and nonprofit capacity-building.  He also brings a background in applied economics, and recently co-authored an article prescribing a method for financial restructuring  of nonprofits in response to economic stress. 

Beyond Strategic Planning: Being a Strategic Thinking Board*

Strategic planning is often seen as a discrete process, ending with a written document.  What if your board engaged in strategic thinking at every meeting, not just once a year?  Learn how to transform your board meetings to include forward-looking discussions about critical topics of supreme importance to your organization.  Board members can be empowered to do their best work on the board, and to add value in their deliberations.   

Trainer: Sharon Lucas is an independent management consultant and trainer, specializing in nonprofit strategic planning, human resources and management projects.  She has served as an interim Executive Director for many nonprofit agencies and has also served on numerous nonprofit boards.

How Smart Boards Review Financial Statements
Learn to Read the Story that Your Financial Statements are Telling*

Board Roles and Responsibilities*

Are you considering board service, or desiring to be more effective in your current role as a board member? This workshop will help new and prospective board members gain an appreciation for the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards, individual board members, board officers, and board committees. Other topics will include: legal issues for nonprofit boards, organizational life cycles, leadership transitions, and effective meeting tactics.

The workshop will be engaging and interactive, and will include opportunities for participants to apply the concepts and models to their own organizations.

Trainer:  Cory Sbarbaro is founder and principal of Turnpoint Consulting, an independent firm dedicated to guiding nonprofit organizations through change and transition.  His areas of expertise include interim leadership, organizational assessment, planning and strategy formation, executive coaching, and board development. Cory holds an MPA from the Evans School of Public Affairs.  He has served on several nonprofit boards, and is currently Board President of Solid Ground.

It's Your Turn:  The Role of the Board Chair*

Participants will learn about the role and responsibility of the board chair in strengthening and improving the leadership work of the board as a whole. This session is particularly designed for executive directors and new chairs or chair-elects. If you have a lot of experience as a Chair, this may not be for you.  Please note: We have designed this session to focus specifically on the role of the Board Chair. This session will not cover overall board roles and responsibilities, board development, recruiting, orientation, and other board-related issues. 

This session will provide participants with the information they need to:

• Understand their role as board chair
• Run effective meetings
• Manage conflict and group process

Trainer: Amanda Madorno, owner of Roam Consulting LLC, coaches and consults with executives and boards of directors, boosting organizational and leadership performance throughout the country.  Amanda speaks nationally and guest lectures at Leadership Institutes around the country and serves as lead faculty for the University of Washington’s Advanced Fundraising Management Certificate Program.  She is a preferred consulting provider to the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.  In 2007, she received the 2007 Volunteer of the Year award from United Way King County in recognition for her popular and well-received trainings and workshops.  In a former life, Amanda sang professionally.