Nonprofit Management Certificate


Nonprofit Management Certificate begins March 7 th!

Starting in early March, Woodbury College and Marlboro College Graduate Center will be offering a series of trainings in Montpelier and Brattleboro, Vermont, which will lead to a Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

The workshops will be held on ten Fridays between early March and mid-June. Each workshop has two face-to-face sessions and will be supported between sessions with an online component. Face-to-face sessions will meet from 9 am to 4 pm.

These trainings are funded by a grant from the Workforce Education and Training Fund (WETF) through the Vermont Department of Labor. The WETF is one of three workforce development programs for which the 2007 Legislature appropriated funding. Additional grants have been given by the Henderson Foundation and the TD Banknorth Foundation allowing us to reduce tuition costs for the program to just $500 per applicant for members of Vermont non-profit organizations.

The Green Mountain United Way is pleased to offer 8 scholarships of $250. To be eligible applicants must be working within one of the following counties: Orange, Washington, Essex, Caledonia, and Orleans. All applicants are required to write a letter of intent, stating their interest in the certificate, how the certificate will enhance their professional skills, and describe any affiliation with the Green Mountain United Way. For further information, contact jessiel@woodbury-college.edu.


Workshop schedule for the Montpelier cohort:

Class 1 – 1.a. Understanding boards and nonprofit organizations
Instructor Jim LeFevre www.lefevreassociates.com/BoardDevelopment.html
Meeting date: March 7

  • Topics include : Understanding the role of boards
  • Board recruitment, training and rotation
  • Understanding the mission-driven organization
  • Basic nonprofit legal principles

Class 1 - 1.b. Effective Leadership
Instructor Shirley Sagawa www.sagawajospin.com/shirley_sagawa.htm
Meeting date: March 14

  • Topics include : The role of the leader as an agent for social change and social justice in the public policy process.
  • Effective management strategies
  • How do you use your time and delegate tasks to others?
  • How do you adapt individuals to the organization?

Class 2 – Financial Management
Instructor Churchill Hindes (President & CEO of Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden & Grand Isle Counties)
www.vermontguides.com/2004/03-mar/vna.html
Meeting dates: March 28 + April 11

  • Topics include : Understanding budgeting, reporting, audits
  • Reading financial statements
  • Communicating to boards, funders and constituents about your organization's financial status.
  • Managing an audit

Class 3 - Working with People:
HR Management, communication and conflict resolution and managing volunteers
Instructor Karen Saudek (Karen Saudek has served as VP of Human Resources for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont and Cabot Farmers Cooperative Creamery and is currently providing Human Resources consulting services. She is also experienced in the world of non-profits management having spent two seasons managing The Vermont Mozart Fesival.)
Conflict Training Instructor Alice Estey www.masteringmediation.net
Meeting dates: April 18 + May 2

  • Topics include : What you need to know about human resources; recruitment, interviewing, hiring, job descriptions, salary structure, professional development, firing, retention, employee recognition and evaluation. 
  • What are the legalities that you must be aware of?  State and federal laws.
  • Conflict resolution and effective communication skills with employees and constituents.
  • Managing volunteers. 

Class 4 – Strategic Planning and Evaluation
Instructor Jim LeFevre www.lefevreassociates.com
Meeting dates: May 9 + May 23

  • Topics include : The basics of strategic planning: defining the mission, analyzing the environment in which you work (the SWOT analysis), charting goals and objectives
  • Involving constituents and the board
  • Using your plan as a management tool
  • Using the plan to support grant-writing
  • Assessment and evaluation; assessment from the beginning, not just at the end.

Class 5 – Fundraising and Marketing
Instructor Christine Graham www.cpgfundraising.com
Meeting dates: May 30 + June 13

  • Topics include: Understanding philanthropy and motivation
  • Creating a fundraising plan
  • Using your board
  • Getting your message out
  • What kind of marketing to use for what purpose
  • Electronic communications & harnessing the Internet

For more information about the project, please visit: www.gradcenter.marlboro.edu/woodbury

The Spring 2008 session is now full; names are being accepted to a wait-list and will be added to an e-mail list to receive information about future offerings. Please contact the Project Coordinator at the Montpelier Cohort Jessie Lynn at jessiel@woodbury-college.edu .