Issue 14
May 15, 2003

NEWSNOTES is a monthly email newsletter published by Nonprofit Enterprise at Work. It includes items of interest to the nonprofit community in Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas, as well as resources available at NEW. Encourage your friends and colleagues to join over 240 other NEWSNOTES subscribers!

NEW would like to recognize the generous support of its partners:

IN THIS ISSUE

LEAD STORY

Announcing the Recipients of the 8th Annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards

On May 7, five nonprofit organizations and one collaboration were honored at Nonprofit Enterprise at Work's 8th Annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards at Washtenaw Community College. The Nonprofit Excellence Awards celebrate the central role of Washtenaw County nonprofits in strengthening the community by honoring management excellence, inter-agency collaboration, innovative technology use and community education.

The Excellence in Management Awards recipients were the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County ($3,500 award) and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra ($1,500 Award), with a newly created Excellence in Management Award for New Organizations going to The Women's Center of America ($2,000 award).

The Kathleen Power Collaboration Award of $3,500 went to the Ann Arbor Reads collaboration, consisting of the following partner organizations: Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, the Ann Arbor News, Ann Arbor Public Schools, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Shaman Drum Bookshop, and the University of Michigan Life Sciences, Values and Society Program.

The Internet Technology Innovation Awards were presented to The Women's Center of America ($3,500) and the Michigan Eye-Bank ($1,500). The Award for Outstanding Contribution to Community Education, a $1,000 Washtenaw Community College scholarship, was awarded to the Wild Swan Theater.

The 8th Annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards event was made possible thanks to underwriters CapTrust Financial Advisors, Dobson-McOmber Agency, Dykema Gossett PLLC, and KeyBank. Awards are sponsored by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the Washtenaw United Way, SBC, and Washtenaw Community College.

Congratulations to the organizations awarded this year. More information on the Excellence Awards can be found on NEW's Web site.

Make sure your own organization is up to speed with best practices. To get you started, check out these resources, arranged by some of the Excellence Award categories:

Management Best Practices

• See a bibliography of resources available in NEW's library.
• Best Practices for Nonprofits from Whatcom Council of Nonprofits identifies nine areas in which an organization's competence is critical for success, and gives suggestions for achieving best practices in those areas.
• Center for Excellence in Nonprofits provides background on process management also known as total quality management. Further resources on best practices are highlighted.
• The Center for What Works aims to share information among nonprofits, academics and investors. See their benchmarking primer.
• The Leader to Leader Institute has a mission to lead social sector organizations toward excellence in performance. Hone your leadership skills with their online course. This is the source for leadership, collaboration and self-assessment tools.

Collaboration Best Practices

• See a bibliography of resources available in NEW's library.
  
• The Leader to Leader Institute's Web site contains resources on structuring a successful collaboration, from academic texts to practical advice on different types of organization partnerships.
  
• An article entitled "Collaboration Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations" illuminates the critical questions for nonprofit collaborations.
  
• Learn more about best practices in collaboration from Connect Richmond, a clearinghouse for nonprofit resources.
  
• Whatcom Council of Nonprofits shares suggestions for implementing best practices in collaboration.

Technology Best Practices

• See a bibliography of resources available in NEW's library.
  
• Nonprofit Enterprise at Work's Nonprofit WebConnect provides Web site development assistance to nonprofits for a minimal fee.
  
• Npower Michigan aims to help non-profits achieve their missions by integrating the appropriate use of technology into their day-to-day work and direct service delivery.
  
• Network for Good offers a helpful "Working with Technology" section, and discusses how "technology can improve your organization's capacity and extend your reach to new donors and volunteers."
  
• The Leader to Leader Institute's Innovation Discovery Site shares successful practices in new discoveries for nonprofits (search under "technology").
  

FEATURED ITEMS

Executive Directors Unite Online!

NEW is pleased to announce the launch of the new Leadership²Go Online Discussion Forum! In response to surveys of local executives, the forum was created especially for area leaders. It allows executive directors to meet online and learn from one another, supplementing their interactions through Leadership²Go events and other local groups.

The password-protected forum is easy to use. Current topics include fundraising, collaboration, financial management and human resources. The forum can also be used to post questions, announcements, and resources you'd like to share with others. Find support and encouragement from your fellow nonprofit leaders.

Executive directors, register today to start your online discussion experience. The bigger the party, the better it will be!

The 2003 Leadership2Go Executive Director Series and the online discussion forum are made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Sarns Ann Arbor Fund and the Bill and Molly Dobson Fund of the Ann Arbor AreaCommunity Foundation, and Pfizer (thanks to Peter B. Corr).

Education and Training: Upcoming Workshops

Many thanks to the numerous professional presenters who volunteer their time and share their expertise with nonprofit organizations in southeastern Michigan. They cover the whole range of skills needed to run a successful organization. Take advantage of their knowledge to learn how to run a capital campaign, design surveys, help your board and staff improve relations, or evaluate your programs. See a listing of workshop offerings for May and June.

Nonprofit Reference Library: Grant research

The library subscribes to FC Search, the Foundation Center's database on CD-ROM. This file of grantmakers and their recent grants is the most comprehensive resource available on private funding sources. It includes information on all known active foundations in the United States and for numerous corporate giving programs. Make an appointment to learn how to use the database in the library by contacting Ann Gladwin (734-998-0160). Full text results of your search can be saved to a disk, and you can save notes on individual records.

Save yourself time and effort and let Ann do the searching for you. For a charge of $30 an hour, she can find potential funders for you based on a combination of several criteria, including field of interest, geographic focus, and type of support sought.

Print resources on the shelves are available to help you craft that persuasive grant proposal. The library is open to all, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Pfizer Community Grants: Deadline June 30

Pfizer makes charitable donations to eligible nonprofit organizations to support programs that fall within three focused areas of giving: Arts and Culture, Healthcare, and Science Education. Pfizer focuses on supporting the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti communities, but some funding is also provided for surrounding communities in which Pfizer colleagues live.

Most grants are small, targeted grants (ranging from $100 to $2,500). A limited number of larger community grants are given (up to $25,000). And occasionally, Pfizer provides major support.

Grants awarded in the June 30 round will cover programs that will occur from September 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004. There will be another grant review process in January.

Michigan Nonprofit Compensation and Benefit Survey

The Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) and Grand Valley State University
are in the process of designing the 2nd Michigan Nonprofit Compensation and
Benefit Survey. The results will provide an accurate picture of salary
information for over 40 nonprofit job titles, a comparative analysis of
nonprofit benefit packages, and a current look at executive compensation.
This survey is intended for 501(c)(3) organizations with paid full and/or
part-time employees. Your participation and support is extremely valued and
you may be assured of complete confidentiality.

Please be on the lookout for a preliminary letter coming from MNA and Grand
Valley State University asking for your participation. They request that
you return the letter by May 30 or register online.

Survey questionnaires will be mailed in mid-August. The final report will be
available in April 2004. In exchange for sharing current fiscal year data
about your organization’s wages, salaries, and benefits, you will receive a
free comprehensive report on trends in Michigan and in your area of the
state in digital PDF format.

Copies of the first Michigan Nonprofit Compensation and Benefit Survey (2002) are
available at NEW’s Web site.

Need Insurance Coverage?

The Michigan League for Human Services has a subsidiary called The Michigan League Insurance Project to help nonprofits obtain the coverage they need. The Insurance Project can answer your questions about group healthcare plans through Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and dental, vision, disability and life insurance coverage for employees. The Insurance Project can help find the appropriate property/liability insurance for your organization, including Directors & Officers coverage. They will be happy to discuss with you the difference between types of insurance, the essentials needed for nonprofits, and help you evaluate your current coverage. Contact Lary Wells (800-837-5436).

Reminders

Indiana University Fund Raising School: Class Offered, registration deadline May 20.

Funding Available for Arts Programs: MCACA Minigrant, deadline July 1, 2003.

Washtenaw Talent Exchange Network Established

The Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living would like to announce the formation of the Washtenaw Talent Exchange Network (W-TEN). The Washtenaw Talent Exchange Network is a process for encouraging people to exchange the skills they have, for the skills they need. For example, you can contribute an hour of your time to help a W-TEN member shop for groceries. You can then use this credit hour to get assistance with yard work, transportation, light housekeeping, home repairs, or many other services. So by exchanging an hour of your time to improve the quality of life for someone else in our community, you can then 'buy' an hour of a particular service that you need later on.

Call Sue Probert or Ed Wollmann at the AACIL 734-971-0277 for more information. They have scheduled informative and friendly meetings for the following Tuesdays at 6 p.m.: June 3, June 17, July 1, July 15. Meetings will be held at 2568 Packard Rd in the Georgetown Mall between Stadium and Eisenhower Parkway.

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