The pandemic continues to throw new challenges at us every day. These can be personal, like working from home and maintaining our mental health, and they can be organizational, throwing even the best-run nonprofits into chaos. Leaders are left scrambling to deal with challenges never experienced, like how to manage a remote workforce effectively and still meet service delivery goals.
Sustainability is always a hot topic in any nonprofit as the pressures of providing service often outstretch the resources available to support the work. This constant tension puts pressure on the top line – the magnitude and security of the various sources of funding – and the expenses. Nonprofit leaders are constantly looking for ways to make their operations more efficient while not compromising the quality of the services. The pandemic has not made this task any easier!
At The Osborne Group, we’re consultants but we’ve all been practitioners too. When we started to put this webinar series together, we wanted to hear from people actually working as front-line leaders. That’s why back in December 2020, we reached out to several of our clients and contacts to ask them, as leaders in a variety of nonprofit organizations, what are your five most significant challenges right now?
The results? Strategy, revenue generation, operations, virtual performance, and governance topped the list. Our free webinar series is built around these topics. Our team consists of experienced executives that understand the challenges that a nonprofit faces. Leveraging our expertise, we’ll share with you some of the fundamental strategies and solutions that are working for our clients. No commitment, no catch: we’re here to share insight and engage with all participants.
The series will consist of 5 sessions, each 45-minutes in length. We will cover all five of the topics mentioned above with a dedicated team of experts for each. At the end of each session, we’ll open up the floor for questions directed to our experts. No questions will go unanswered, and we will do a free follow-up on any that we can’t cover in our allotted time or need a more complicated response.
For a preview of each session’s content and links to register, refer to the content below. Please join us on the dates shown for some in-depth discussion of these critical themes.
Session 1 – Strategy
April 14th, 2021 at 12PM EST
Speakers: Lucy White, Michael Dick, Jane Farris
In times of great change and uncertainty, it’s tempting to put strategy on the shelf as pressing operational concerns take over. But, “hope is not a strategy.” Our Webinar will address why strategy is still fundamental and what nonprofit leaders need to know now to sustain their organizations through the pandemic.
#2 – Re-Thinking Revenue
April 28th, 2021 at 12PM EST
Speakers: Neil Cooper, Joel Peters, Ellis Katsof
As we head into recovery from the pandemic, new or enhanced revenue generation approaches will be critical in maintaining or extending services. Potential changes in traditional funding sources and the inability to deliver traditional fundraising events are just two examples of issues that may confront nonprofit leaders. In this session, we will discuss the overall state of the nonprofit world and the challenges that are hitting each of the traditional funding areas. We will also touch on changes in brand management and communications strategies, concluding with the need to Plan Now as we head towards a Pivot Point with the vaccine rollout.
#3 – Operations Management
May 12th, 2021 at 12PM EST
Speakers: Margaret Bawden
Effective resource management has become critical as the medium- and long-term effects of the pandemic are becoming clear. Nonprofit organizations that are dependent on government funding or charitable donations may have to re-imagine their business model with substantially fewer operating dollars. In this webinar, we will explore the importance of putting a strategic focus on your Nonprofit operations where the goal is to get the maximum benefit from the resources at your disposal.
#4 – Virtual Performance
June 2nd, 2021 at 12PM EST
Speakers: Michael Dick, Jane Farris
Are you and your team more productive working remotely? In this session, we will provide you with insights into working well, discuss some of the challenges of working remotely, and outline what our remote employees require to be productive in virtual settings.
#5 – Governance
June 16th, 2021 at 12PM EST
Speakers: Richard Onley
Good Governance and leadership excellence go hand in hand. Successful organizations have boards that effectively direct and protect the organization, ensuring that what should get done does indeed get done. Have you wondered what your fiduciary responsibility means and how to meet the standard? Join us while we examine how the actions of one particular board could have avoided an apparent bankruptcy.
