Trainings

Below is a list of past and upcoming trainings made possible by the Workforce Development Initiative. (Click on the links to go to a specific training, or scroll down to view descriptions of all the trainings.)

SEMINAR 1

Redefining Our Influence, Revitalizing Our Work

October 11, 2007

Facilitated by Jane VanBuren and Barbara Wagner

23 participants

Seminar Description

What does it mean to work in a nonprofit organization? Most people see themselves within a system or organizational structure over which they have little or no influence. How can we understand and define our influence and scope within organizations?  This training is designed for employees of Lamoille County nonprofit organizations who desire an enhanced workplace experience. This half-day introductory session will focus on your work in Lamoille County and provide you with some tools for increased organizational effectiveness.

Jane Van Buren and Barbara Wagner lead an exploration and analysis of the external and internal systems we work in every day.

About the Facilitators

Jane A. Van Buren applies over 20 years of professional nonprofit management experience in her consulting work with international and national nonprofit organizations.  Her areas of expertise include nonprofit organizational development, leadership and board development, executive transition management, research and program design.  Dr. Van Buren teaches graduate level courses in nonprofit management and leadership at the University of Vermont and St. Michael’s College. She received a Doctorate of Management from Case Western Reserve Weatherhead School in 2005 and a Masters of Public Administration from Northeastern University in 1982. 

Barbara Wagner is Vice President of Operations for the Vermont Land Trust.  Her duties include financial management, capital investments, information technology, organizational and employee development, board governance and strategic planning.  In addition to her work at the Land Trust, Barbara consults to Vermont non-profits in the area of staff and board development, work design and strategic planning.  She has a MBA from the Yale School of Management, where she concentrated on non-profit management.

SEMINAR 2

Living Your Mission; Values in the Workplace

Friday, November 9, 2007

Facilitated by Laurie Berryman, Ed.D.

21 participants

Seminar Description

Values—what are they? How do you communicate your values?

How much time do we spend in the workplace and how much energy do you spend on certain values? How do you bring more joy to your work?

Speaking your mission, “living” your mission — how you embrace what you do and why you do it — so others may understand and “buy in” as well.

What are my interests and passion? What are my skills? How do I keep my values in check- and not “push” my values onto others- while keeping the organization’s mission on the forefront.

Participants walk away with values clarity; they better understand why they love (hopefully) what they do and how to share that joy and get others to embrace their mission. They walk away with talking points to bring back to their organization to continue the discussion and to find ways to implement a “values check-in” so that those who cannot attend this session can still share in the information. Participants will understand how their values guide daily and long term decision making- and how values can help an organization plan for the future.

SEMINAR 3

Nonprofit Marketing on a Tight Budget (2 dates)

Facilitated by Andy Robinson

Part 1: Getting the Message Right  — Fri., January 25, 2008

Part 2: Delivering Your Message — Thurs., February 28, 2008

Want more attention for your work?  Ignored by the news media?  These two workshops are designed to help organizations improve marketing success without spending a lot of money.

Topics include:

  • Crafting a compelling message
  • Who's your audience?  Market segmentation
  • Preparing a marketing plan
  • Creating effective materials

Thinking like a journalist: How to work with the news media

Note: these seminars can stand alone, yet they will build upon each other. Plan to attend both if you can! Recommended, but not required.

Part 1: Getting the message right (1/25/08)

Setting the context

Marketing: more than promotion

  • Competition: 3000 messages per day
  • Repetition: the rule of 27
  • Multiple strategies = big results
  • What’s your message?

Part 2: Delivering your message (2/28/08)

Preparing a marketing/publicity plan

External uses

  • Internal uses
  • Low-cost/no-cost marketing options for nonprofits
  • How to encourage word-of-mouth

Working with the news media

Thinking like a journalist

  • What’s your hook?
  • Implementing what you’ve learned

For more on Andy Robinson, please visit: http://www.andyrobinsononline.com/

SEMINAR 4

Results Based Accountability

Friday, February 8, 2008

Trainers: Scott Johnson, Deputy Commissioner, VT Agency of Human Services; David Murphey, VT Agency of Human Services, Senior Policy Analyst; Diana Wahle, Coordinator, Alliance for Building Community, Brattleboro Regional Partnership

Results Accountability framework can be used to improve the quality of life in communities, cities, counties, states and nations, including everything from the well-being of children to the creation of a sustainable environment. It can help government and private sector agencies improve the performance of their programs and make them more customer-friendly and effective.

Why bother with Results Accountability?

Because trying hard is not good enough. We need to be able to show results to taxpayers and voters. Results are conditions of well-being stated in plain language, that taxpayers and voters can understand and recognize as important. They include things like "a prosperous economy," "a clean environment," "a safe community," "healthy children and adults," "children ready for and succeeding in school."

Indicators are measures which quantify the achievement of results. So for example, the unemployment rate helps quantify economic prosperity, the percentage of troubled streams helps quantify a clean environment, the percentage of children reading at grade level helps quantify children succeeding in school, the teen pregnancy rate helps quantify children “staying out of trouble.” Indicators can be used to create a report card on well-being for a geographic area (state, county, city, school district, community) like the Vermont Community Profiles.

Get more information on Results Based Accountability

Schedule for Results Based Accountability Seminar

8:30 - 9 a.m. Registration
9 a.m.- noon Seminar
Noon - 1 p.m. Please join us for lunch (no cost)
1- 3 p.m. Action Planning Session  (for community members working on   creating the 2008 Community Report Card)

SEMINAR 5

Facilitating Effective Meetings

Trainer: Fran Weinbaum

Date: Friday, April 25, 2008

Location: JSC's Library & Learning Center

Seminar Description

Effective meetings do not just happen by chance. They are well planned, intentional conversations that lead to decisions and action. In this training, you will learn the basics of facilitation as you work on a meeting plan that you bring to the workshop. Participants will also have the opportunity to practice skills related to different elements of facilitating meetings including encouraging group ownership of the work, keeping a group on task, "herding cats" and reflective group decision making.

Facilitator Bio

Fran Weinbaum has consulted with groups, schools, communities and organizations in Vermont for the past twenty years developing peer learning networks, supporting strategic planning, and inspiring collaborative leadership. She is currently the Coordinator of People in Partnership, the Agency of Human Services regional partnership in Lamoille Valley.


Schedule

10- 10:30 a.m. Registration
10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Training Seminar (with lunch provided by Apple Cheek Farm)

 

Seminar 6

Strategic Planning

Trainer: Andy Robinson

Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Location: JSC Library & Learning Center, Ellsworth Trust Room

Schedule

8:30- 9 a.m. Registration
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Training Seminar (with lunch provided by Just Delicious Catering)

Topics include:

  • Setting benchmarks
  • Using planning to clarify and strengthen your impact

   - Mission: Why do you exist?
   - Goals: What do you hope to accomplish?
   - Objectives: How will you realize the goals and measure   

     your progress toward them?
   - Methods: What strategies will you use?
   - Funding: How much will it cost? What's the best funding mix?
   - Staffing: Who will do the work?
   - Evaluation: How will you hold yourselves accountable?

  • Creating and managing the planning process
  • Why you need a planning committee
  • Seeking stakeholder input
  • Facilitating the process
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