Happy New Year! Below we have provided a list of workshops we’re offering this month at the Nonprofit Learning Lab! To register and find out more about each workshop, click the workshop titles of your choice to head to the workshop page.
Our memberships provide discounts to all our paid trainings - along with many other benefits. Learn more about our memberships here.
Make Direct Mail Fundraising More Effective by Coordinating with All Your Marketing Channels - January 3
Dave Lewis | SnailWorks, LLC
Direct mail remains an indispensable fundraising channel, but it is much more effective when coordinated with other marketing channels. At very little additional expense, fundraisers can reinforce their direct mail message and provide additional opportunities to give. In this session, we will look at methods for timing and coordinating multiple marketing channels around direct mail. You will be able to target your donors with messages immediately before and after they get the mail piece. We will delve into the how-to of putting coordinating tools to use.
FREE: The Art and Science of Major Gift Fundraising - January 3
William Myatt | Major Gift Solutions, LLC
Major gift fundraising is vital for the success of your nonprofit. Landing a major gift can propel your organization into the future. But to do so successfully, you must engage both the "art" and the "science" of major gift fundraising. This workshop presents strategies for both, strategies that have been used successfully to close major gifts at multiple organizations and that can help your organization take the next step of growth.
Essential HR Practices for Mission Driven Leaders: Aligning Nonprofit HR Policies for 2024 - January 8 & 11
Greg Wilken | Endunamo Consulting
Nonprofit human resources is essential for recruiting talent, a positive organizational culture and retaining staff. This series training covers strategies from recruitment to termination, onboarding, leaves of absence and employee agreements. This workshop will help you better understand what to include in an employee handbook and how to navigate evolving employment laws to maintain compliance. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of identifying potential areas of risk and learn strategies for improving workplace culture and employee engagement. The training is designed to address the distinctive challenges faced by nonprofit leaders managing HR with an emphasis on fostering a healthy and positive organizational culture by ensuring that your organization has effective HR policies.
Austin Hattox | Pixel Lighthouse
Nonprofit websites are complicated: they have to speak to several audiences (program participants, donors, the general public, partners, and many others) while still representing your work well. Just having a website is easy, but having a website that resonates is something else entirely. After all, you want your nonprofit's website to encourage meaningful action. With so many competing requirements, it's surprisingly difficult to know if things are actually "working." In this workshop, we'll cover how to determine if your nonprofit's website is effective (and if it's not, what you can do to fix it). By knowing what to look for, you can identify areas for improvement and ensure your online presence supports your mission and grows your community.
How to Make Your Monthly Giving Program Roar! - January 9
Erica Waasdorp | A Direct Solution
So many people worry about how to generate major gifts. They may forget about those small donors in their database – and you have many more small donors than large ones, right? Monthly giving programs are especially effective to engage smaller donors and improve donor retention multi-fold. Best of all Monthly Donors give more money than one-time donors and it typically is unrestricted revenue. Learn the steps involved to start and organize a monthly donor program for your organization, using the tools you already have in place. If the pandemic has proven anything, it’s that the need for sustainable revenue is greater than ever. Monthly giving provides organizations funds they can count on, no matter what happens.
FREE: Setting a Strategic Foundation for Your Website - January 9
Maura Fitzpatrick | Push10
Join Maura Fitzpatrick, strategist at Push10, as she shares the steps web design agencies take to make strategic improvements and/or completely reimagine nonprofit websites. This webinar will explore what kind of research to conduct before drafting a site architecture, how to create a website content plan for multiple audiences, and how to test your sitemap before designing a single page. The team at Push10 has decades of experience partnering with mission-driven organizations to provide strategic branding and website design and development services. When you apply the lessons learned from this workshop, you'll be able to more clearly communicate important information, attract the attention of multiple audiences, and drive more users to action.
Robin Cabral | Development Consulting Solutions
This workshop will give attendees valuable insights and practical knowledge on harnessing AI to enhance fundraising efforts. Participants will leave the workshop equipped with the tools and understanding to implement AI-driven strategies. This will enable them to build stronger relationships with donors, optimize fundraising campaigns, and significantly impact your organization's missions. By integrating AI responsibly and ethically into fundraising practices, organizations can unlock new opportunities, make data-driven decisions, and engage donors more personally. Stay at the forefront of innovation and maximize your organization's philanthropic impact!
FREE: Best Practices for Gender Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace - January 18
Rex Wilde | Rex Wilde Consulting
The landscape for gender inclusion is changing every day. We’re seeing this cultural shift in our offices, personal lives, and in the media. Our news feeds are filled with stories about transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive individuals. The most current research shows that 56% of Gen Z know someone who uses gender neutral pronouns like they/them. Yet, most people have confusion around using they/them pronouns for a singular person. So, how do we keep up with the ever-changing shifts that are taking place in order to be inclusive of TGX+ (transgender and gender expansive) individuals?
Use Your Data for Impact: Tell a Story, Engage Donors, Influence Stakeholders and Drive Decision Making - January 22 & 29
Libby Magliolo | The Slide Master
In the 2-session "Data-Driven Presentations" workshop, participants will learn how to transform raw numbers into captivating stories and visuals that not only resonate with their audience, but drive action as well. The workshop will review the foundational elements of data visualizations, so that attendees gain a comprehensive understanding of charts and graphs that facilitate clear and effective data communication. The workshop will also delve into the realm of advanced data visualizations, as well as learn how to craft customized infographics, understanding when and how to employ these visual wonders to enhance the narrative of their data presentations. Attendees will learn the strategies to breathe life into their data, contextualizing it in ways that make it both memorable and powerful. By incorporating storytelling techniques into their presentations, they will leave a lasting impression on their audience, engaging them on a deeper level and driving actionable insights.
Alexson Calahan | Small Adventures Communications LLC
In this dynamic session, participants will gain valuable insights into the power a little prep work brings to an earned media strategy. Discover how to craft a strategic messaging plan that directly aligns with organizational goals, ensuring your organization can shine in any story it is a part of. Learn practical tips for proactively pitching media and responding to inbound requests. We will also discuss how to select the right spokesperson for any given moment and how to media and message train them for the highest impact. Take advantage of this chance to elevate your organization's media presence and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.
FREE: Centering Humans in AI - January 24
Meena Das | Namaste Data
We have AI-driven products around us. We are heading towards a future where embracing this technology will be the normal. How do we ensure that it centers community in the core? In this session, we will discuss those not-so-subtle points we must know and remember for the human-centric AI our nonprofit industry deserves. We will also hold space to brainstorm common questions when we start with AI. Learning outcomes include understanding what the collective challenge with AI is and understanding what can be done when we intend to center the community at the core of the design. Promise of the session: You will work through an exercise to explore how you can design your AI values.
Sarah & Michelle | Impact Aligned
Your fundraising success hinges on the effective use of technology. This workshop is tailored for Executive Directors, Directors of Development, and Directors of Advancement empowering you to learn how to leverage technology operations to elevate your major gifts strategy. Learn how to be more effective and efficient with which donors you are cultivating and closing by letting your CRM and technology operations guide you on the operational and administrative side. Gain practical insights into the power of dynamic prioritization, creating data flow automation within your CRM, and the must-haves in your donor management system to ensure you can streamline your workflow, enhance donor relationships, and ultimately boost your close rate. Embrace the transformative impact of technology operations and take a significant step toward your organization's sustainability and growth.
Continuing Education Units Available: We offer continuing education units for our trainings through CFRE, ASAE, and SHRM.
Not seeing a topic you'd be interested in learning more about? Let us know via email at info@nonprofitlearninglab.org.