ROAD TO RESILIENCE
Lead with abundance
Linda Tam
Finance Committee Member, NEW
Historically, the nonprofit sector has existed in a starvation cycle. We’ve competed for funds, operated on shoestring budgets, and become used to an atmosphere of crisis and scarcity.
What if we reimagine leading with financial abundance and resilience?
Welcome to Road to Resilience, a space where you can gain the financial acumen to lead with confidence. It’s been designed especially for “accidental financial leaders,” those who have deep mission knowledge, but less margin expertise. Together, we’ll explore finance fundamentals, developing a budget process, and relaying financial data to different audiences. All rooted in equity and abundance.
Applications for the 2024-25 Road to Resilience cohort are no longer open. Click the link below to join our newsletter and stay updated on the next cohort opportunity!
Why ROAD TO RESILIENCE and why NEW?
Stronger systems and processes enable leaders to advance their missions. Yet, economic upheaval keeps revealing that our nonprofits’ are financially vulnerable. Road to Resilience offers financial leaders the acumen and abundant mindset nonprofits to thrive.
“I greatly enjoyed going through the Road to Resilience program. I gained many practical tools as well as a better sense of my own relationship with money. The Road to Resilience program was also an excellent way to network with other professionals in similar roles as mine, who continue to be helpful resources when questions arise.”
Tracy Kapusanski, HATW ( Hands Across the Water)
Megan Featherstone
Program Manager for Financial Services, NEW
THE ROAD TO RESILIENCE EXPERIENCE
Road to Resilience is a collaborative cohort learning experience. Over the course of eight (8) biweekly sessions, you’ll learn alongside other nonprofit financial leaders. You’ll share experiences and nonprofit financial practices with each other. Each session offers a balance of dialogue, engaging content, and real life application. To stay relevant to your cohort’s needs, we’ll solicit feedback and adapt the program as we go.
Through this program, you’ll:
- Learn to recognize your own expertise while advancing your knowledge of nonprofit finance fundamentals
- Gain strategies for relaying financial information in accessible and transparent ways
- Build and strengthen connections with others navigating their roles as “accidental financial leaders”
SESSIONS
Orientation & Ways of Being
Thursday, January 16th (01/16/25), 11am – 1pm
*In-person at The NEW Center*
In this in person kickoff to Road to Resilience, you’ll meet and get to know the rest of your cohort. Together, you’ll solidify your aspirations, review the overall roadmap for the experience, and discuss how we want to be in relationship with each other.
Your Financial On-Ramp
Thursday, January 30th (01/30/25), 10:30am – 12pm
In the program launch, you’ll meet your cohort and share your goals for the program. We’ll discuss the lessons we were taught about money, and how those inherited feelings influence nonprofits. You’ll reflect on your organization’s current practices, and begin to move towards an abundance mindset.
Writing & Reading Financial Statements
Thursday, February 13th (02/13/25), 10:30am – 12pm
Get comfortable assembling and interpreting balance sheets, statements of activity, and cash flow. We’ll review where this information comes from and explore which statements and formats are best for different settings.
Budgeting Basics
Thursday, February 27th (02/27/25), 10:30am – 12pm
Writing a budget can be a stressful time. Let’s reframe budget planning as an imaginative, values-driven process of realistic dreaming. We’ll explore different budget planning processes and talk through how to create a supportive, effective, and participatory planning timeline. Your next budget season will be less stressful, more focused, and more fun for your whole team!
Best Practices
Thursday, March 13th (03/13/25), 10:30am – 12pm
How do you drive safely on the wide-open road? In this session, we’ll review basic finance best practices. You’ll also learn from your peers’ real experience using these practices. Expect to gain strategies for internal accounting controls, fiscal stewardship, managing restricted funds, and more.
Telling Your Financial Story
Thursday, April 3rd (04/03/25), 10:30am – 12pm
You’re a master of numbers, but how do you communicate the facts when the staff or board members start to glaze over? We’ll explore strategies to tell your financial story, so everyone understands the big picture and their role in it. Invite a board member to this session to help you bring the learning back to your nonprofit.
Common Financial Pitfalls
Thursday, April 24th (04/24/25), 10:30am – 12pm
We’ll talk about financial management strategies for avoiding potholes and roadblocks along the way to your vision. Cash flow management, restricted funding, in-kind donations, and managing AP and AR terms will be up for discussion. Feel free to bring case studies or questions and tap into the collective wisdom of the group.
Celebration
Friday, April 25th (04/25/25), 4pm – 6pm
We’ve been through the good times and the hard times, so let’s celebrate our time! Join us for a final in-person* lunch at NEW’s offices overlooking the Huron River. Come meet your cohort in person, connect with Road to Resilience alum, and celebrate our growth together!
*Note, we’ll be monitoring and adhering to Washtenaw County and CDC guidelines as we plan in-person gatherings. Stay tuned for more info.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I know if Road to Resilience is right for me and my nonprofit?
Road to Resilience is for accidental financial leaders ready to take their nonprofits down the road to financial resilience.
You’re an “accidental financial leader” if:
1. You’re responsible for one or more elements of your organization’s finances, and
2. You received little to no formal training in nonprofit finance. This may include writing budgets, tracking transactions, presenting financial reports, or sharing how funds are used.
We believe the qualities of a leader live in each of us, in small and big ways through our sphere of influence. We honor the expanse of leadership and its many forms. Your title might not fall within a traditional financial stewardship role
If you’re ready to gain confidence, insight, and peer support on your journey, this is for you!
How much does Road to Resilience cost?
Road to Resilience has a tiered participation fee structure because we recognize that everyone has unique financial circumstances. We strive to honor your financial circumstances and will do our best to make it work. Your ability to pay will in no way affect your application to the program.
The actual cost of Road to Resilience is one thousand seven hundred dollars ($1,700) per person, which NEW further subsidizes through contributions. These contributions give you the flexibility to pay a participation fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000), five hundred dollars ($500), two hundred fifty dollars ($250), or another amount that closely aligns with your financial capacities.
We appreciate any payment you are able to provide for your participation in Road to Resilience. Your payment goes directly towards the program’s expenses such as facilitator time, session supplies, and delicious meals for our in person gatherings. Contributions from those with the ability to pay allows us to provide the highest quality experience while keeping Road to Resilience accessible for all.
We encourage prospective applicants to seek sponsorship from their employer, as you’ll gain skills to help foster a more financially resilient organization. If you are being sponsored or supported by your organization, please share the participation fee that best aligns with your organization’s expectations and ability to pay.
For individuals paying for themselves, please review and reflect upon the ‘Green Bottle Framework’
Which “bottle” best describes your financial situation? After reflecting, select a participation fee that you feel aligns with your circumstances.
How are participants selected?
Applications for the next cohort of Road to Resilience will open on Friday, November 1st (11/01/24) at 9:00am until Monday, December 2nd (12/2/2024) at 9:00am. We can only accept one (1) person per organization.
To join Road to Resilience, your organization must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The most important element of your application is your commitment to transform your organization’s approach to finance. Otherwise, you must:
- Live or work in Southeast Michigan (regardless of citizenship).
- Be available to attend program sessions and complete session pre-work.
- Demonstrate openness to learning, readiness to engage, and the will to be vulnerable. You must be ready to grow, on your own and as a collective.
- Be committed to deepening relationships in our community.
In all of our Learning Communities, NEW strives to bring together diverse cohorts of people with a wide range of lived experiences. This fosters more learning, creativity, and innovation. As we pursue a just and thriving society, we also center our work on the people and communities that have been historically underrepresented or marginalized.
This means taking intentional action to include people who have been excluded, denied access, or limited in their influence based on: race or ethnicity, age, ability status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and other markers of identity. As we’re building our cohort, we’ll consider all of the identities you share with us, with a promise not to tokenize or penalize you based on “what boxes you check”.
Interested in joining the Road to Resilience community? Click the button below to sign up for updates
What's the schedule for 2025?
The Road to Resilience Orientation and Celebration will happen in person in Washtenaw County. Core sessions will take place virtually on Zoom biweekly on Thursdays from 10:30am – 12pm from January to April 2025.
|
Orientation & Ways of Being |
Thursday, January 16th (01/16/25) 11am – 1pm |
|
Your Financial On-Ramp |
Thursday, January 30th (01/30/25) 10:30am – 12pm |
|
Writing & Reading Financial Statements |
Thursday, February 13th (02/13/25) 10:30am – 12pm |
|
Budgeting Basics |
Thursday, February 27th (02/27/25) 10:30am – 12pm |
|
Best Practices |
Thursday, March 13th (03/13/25) 10:30am – 12pm |
|
Telling Your Financial Story |
Thursday, April 3rd (04/03/25) 10:30am – 12pm |
|
Common Financial Pitfalls |
Thursday, April 24th (04/24/25) 10:30am – 12pm |
|
Celebration |
Friday, April 25th (04/25/25) 4pm – 6pm |