Effective Organizations Training
RDI helps community organizations and groups increase their impact and effectiveness with Effective Organizations, part of the larger Ford Institute Leadership Program.
How many of us have suffered endless hours spent in tedious, disorganized, unproductive organizational board meetings? Do any of you sit on boards where you’re really not sure of your responsibilities, or even question the direction the organization is headed? Are you guilty of leaving the room when the organization’s financial report is handed out in order to hide the fact that you don’t have a clue of what it’s all about?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you aren’t alone. But help is on the way!
The Focus of Effective Organizations:
- Strategic Planning: Learn how to focus your organization’s time and resources by clarifying your mission and establishing specific goals and strategies that will move you toward making your mission a reality.
- Organizational Leadership: Learn how to develop a board of directors that is focused on the organizational mission, establish clear roles and responsibilities, develop good board/staff relationships and increase board involvement.
- Resource Development & Fundraising: Did you know that respect for your staff is a key reason people contribute money and time to your organization? Learn how to use your staff effectively in resource development, and build strategies to secure and grow resources (human, financial, strategic partners, etc.) necessary to move your organization forward.
- Resource Management: Wise resource management earns the respect of potential funders, and ensures the organization has resources available to achieve its mission. Learn about processes and tools to manage programs, finances and human resources, and design practical strategies for managing your resources.
- Two Expert Panels: Effective Organizations includes two expert panels that field questions from the participants. The Fund Development Panel consists of funders from a variety of sources including foundations, banks, and organizations who offer grants and funding within the region in which the class is held. The Resource Management Panel consists of experts in resource management from a variety of backgrounds. Panelists have included CPAs, experts in QuickBooks, representatives from small business development centers, long-timers in the nonprofit world, human resource professionals and bankers.
Who Should Attend?
Effective Organizations is designed especially for staff and boards of community organizations, nonprofits, institutions, membership groups, and local government, but all organizational interests are welcome. Like all of the programs under the Ford Institute Leadership Program, the curriculum is filled with hands on activities and opportunities to network and is designed as a facilitated discussion. Experienced leaders are encouraged to mentor and coach those with less experience and to provide the history and stories that bring the curriculum and tools to life. Throughout the training, participants apply the tools RDI presents to their real life experience in organizations. They network with other organizational leaders, establishing ongoing support and communication with other leaders in their community.
RDI delivers Effective Organizations to rural communities every year as part of the Ford Institute Leadership Program. The program is approximately 24 hours held over two non-consecutive weekends. Participating organizations receive follow-up technical assistance sponsored by The Ford Family Foundation and provided by RDI. To learn more about Effective Organizations and The Ford Institute Leadership Program, download our project PDF, contact Donna Chickering at: dchickering@rdiinc.org, or visit the The Ford Family Foundation web site.
