Membership Knowledge Hub

With the summer winding down, organizations are ramping up for Fall. And there are lots of free webinars offering information and advice to help in our round-up for September. We’ve found 23+ webinars on topics such as:  tech tools for business partnerships; fundraising planning, segmentation and grant writing; creating effective volunteer handbooks;  online surveys; how to write for the web and engage constituents on your website and much more!  So take a look through the list to see what might interest you or others in your organization.

While we’ve done our best to capture all of the free non-profit webinars out there, be sure to check the comments below from time to time to see if late-coming webinar notices have been added. As always, if you're aware of a free non-profit webinar that missed our list, please provide the details in a comment.

Wild Apricot Webinars:

Wild Apricot Software Overview

Wednesday, 14 September 2011
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Eastern)

This free webinar is an introduction to Wild Apricot Software for associations, non-profits and other member-driven organizations. Led by one of our friendly and knowledgeable Apricots, you'll learn about the many features including: member applications and renewals; self-service portal; online member directory; communications features; event registration and management and more. You will also have an opportunity to ask questions and see first-hand how Wild Apricot can help you manage the "boring stuff" and get on with the real work of your organization.

Here are the rest of the free non-profit webinars for September in chronological order:

Writing for the Web: Today’s Best Practices

Wednesday, 7 September 2011
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (Eastern)

Of course, your organization absolutely must have a nice-looking website. But it also must contain content that your users really want to engage with AND can easily find! Your website is a key part of your organization’s outreach/marketing effort and needs to speak to your readers THEIR way. This NonprofitWebinars.com webinar will offer you plenty of tips and techniques to make sure your content is web reader-friendly, while it stresses your community impact. Takeaways include:

• Stay “need to know”
• KISSS (keep it short, simple, and scannable)
• Use links strategically
• Write for Search Engine Optimization
  

Maximize Your Employee Relationships in Five Easy Steps

Wednesday, 7 September 2011
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM (Eastern)

Despite the best of intentions, managers and their employees sometimes fall into relationship patterns that erode trust, create conflicts or hinder productivity. In this NonprofitWebinars.com webinar, we’ll learn how to build the foundation for successful relationships, good communication and better results at work. Participants will learn the five steps for creating more positive, productive relationships with their employees. If an employee relationship has become less effective, we’ll discuss how and when to positively intervene. Finally, we’ll learn some easy ways to begin putting the five steps into action immediately. Takeaways include:

• Participants will assess how and when their relationships with their employees tend to become less effective.
• Participants will discover the five steps to creating positive, productive employee relationships.
• Participants will learn simple ways to begin putting the five steps into action immediately

How to Captivate and Engage Your Constituents with your Website

Wednesday, 7 September 2011
10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON (Eastern)

In this Firespring webinar, you will learn from more than 10 years of focus group research with nonprofit constituents and donors how to captivate and engage your audience. Key takeaways will include: 5 required elements of engaging website; the 3 biggest mistakes nonprofits make with their website; 5 proven methods for promoting your organization online; the #1 thing nonprofits should consider regarding Search Engine Optimization; and real-world examples of nonprofit organizations that have mastered their online presence.

An Introduction to Using WordPress to Build Your Nonprofit Website

Thursday, 8 September 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

Is your website old and out of date? Do you find yourself always waiting on your webmaster to make simple updates? Is it expensive for you to run and support your nonprofit website? Do you wish you could make changes to your website yourself? Do you wish you had cool functionality such as social media plug-ins and more? If you answered yes to a few of these questions then this CharityHowTo.com webinar (presented by John Haydon) is a great starting point.  More and more non-profits are using WordPress as a website. It is a “social platform: that can increase awareness about your cause and enhance your online fundraising, with less money and resources.

Nonprofit Newsletters That Engage

Thursday, 8 September 2011
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM (Eastern)

Engaging email newsletters raise awareness, strengthen your relationships, and help achieve your mission. Are yours doing that? In this Constant Contact webinar you'll:

• Discover the keys to an engaging newsletter and why online is essential.
• Understand what kind of content you should be sending supporters and explore resources for fresh content.
• Gain the top design tips that drive response.
• Find out what you can do to get your newsletter into the inbox and opened.
• See what other nonprofits are doing with their newsletters and the results they are getting including examples and statistics.
  
  

Playing By The Rules: Creating an Effective Volunteer Handbook

Thursday, 8 September 2011
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern)

When was the last time you reviewed your Volunteer Handbook or Policies and Procedures Manual? It’s probably been too long. Learn how to create a living document that can help both paid and volunteer staff be better informed and know what is expected of them. A good Volunteer Handbook can also help you better identify and deal with challenging volunteers. Whether you’re just starting to create a Handbook or if you’re looking for best practices on information to include, this VolunteerMatch webinar will evaluate the Handbook you have and help you create a stronger framework for your volunteer engagement program.

An Introduction to Using Twitter for Your Non-profit

Tuesday, 13 September 2011
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Eastern)

For nonprofits, the power of Twitter offers an opportunity to reach more people, engage influential advocates, and increase online donations. Organizations, large and small, like The National Wildlife Federation, Big Love Little Hearts, and Kids Are Heroes are successfully using Twitter as part of their online strategy. During this CharityHowTo.com webinar,  presenter John Haydon will explain the benefits of using Twitter. And we won’t be showing PowerPoint only - we’ll be doing real-time tweeting, and retweeting. Webinar outline includes:

• What is Twitter?
• Why should my non-profit use Twitter?
• How can Twitter influence my online fundraising strategy?
• What is tweeting and retweeting (real-time examples)?
• What are the three things I should always be doing on Twitter?
• How can I get started with Twitter?

Cause Marketing 101: 5 Tactics for Raising Money from Businesses

Tuesday, 13 September 2011
1:00 PM  (Eastern)

Cause marketing just isn't for big organizations like Komen. Nonprofits of all sizes can work successfully with businesses. The key is to know how. This informative and actionable webinar gives you five proven tactics to get you started. In this Network for Good webinar, led by Joe Waters (co-author of Cause Marketing for Dummies and the blogger behind Selfishgiving.com),  you'll learn:

• The truth about where the money is in corporate fundraising
• The best tactic for raising money from businesses (it's also the cheapest)
• How giving your programs away for free will raise you more money
• The digital strategy that can finally raise you money with social media
  
  

Grantseeking Basics

Tuesday, 13 September 2011
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Eastern)

Conversation Channels Insight Into Action

Wednesday, 14 September 2011
1:00 – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

To lead operations — let alone innovate — amid frequent restructurings, program changes, and retirements, nonprofit leaders know they must quickly capitalize on hidden know-how. That is, know-how that lives inside the teams, processes and people that comprise their organizations and networks. However, too often managers ignore knowledge gaps, or they focus only on “capturing” and “managing” knowledge, and fail to put it to work. By reducing knowledge transfer to pages, emails, and tweets, they lose valuable context and leave constituencies floating in a sea of information. Knowledge Jam, the subject Sharing Hidden Know-How (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2011) puts conversation into the center of knowledge-transfer. In this facilitated process, knowledge-seekers and knowledge-originators draw out context and reasoning so that they can apply that knowledge quickly. Learn how and when to plan and lead a Knowledge Jam to capitalize on your organization’s fleeting knowledge in this NonprofitWebinars.com webinar.

Your Board and Fundraising

Wednesday, 14 September 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

Learn how to engage your board in fundraising. This FoundationCenter.org webinar will help you think through the process of getting your board involved with fundraising. It will cover:

• The role of your board
• Why board members may be reluctant to fundraise and how to overcome these concerns
• Ways the board can participate in fundraising activities
• Tips for strengthening your fundraising board
  
  

Where Do I Go From Here? Evolving Your Volunteer Program for More Involvement

Thursday, 15 September 2011
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern)

How long do volunteers usually stay with your program? Do you struggle with keeping them interested, involved and engaged? This VolunteerMatch webinar will help you think about new strategies and help you evolve your program to include new roles and responsibilities for volunteers, pathways for more involvement and leadership positions in your program, how recognition plays a role in retention, and the importance of including continuing education and professional development to keep your volunteers engaged. Tools to help you evaluate your program implement new ideas will be provided.

Proposal Writing Basics

Thursday, 15 September 2011
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Eastern)

In this FoundationCenter.org webinar, those new to proposal writing will find answers to common questions, such as: how the proposal fits into the overall grantseeking process; what to include in a standard proposal to a foundation; what funders expect to see in your proposal and attachments. You'll also learn tips for communicating with funders during the grant process and additional resources on proposal writing, including sample proposals.

Proposal Budgeting Basics

Monday, 19 September 2011
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Eastern)

Learn how to prepare and present a budget in a grant proposal. This FoundationCenter.org webinar, for the novice grantseeker, will answer budgeting questions, such as: what kinds of expenses are covered under "personnel?" What level of detail do you need to include for non-personnel expenses? What types of expenses can be included in the "overhead" category? What other documents will funders want to see? Foundation Center strongly recommends taking their Proposal Writing Basics webinar prior to this one.

Introduction to Fundraising Planning

Tuesday, 20 September 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

Learn a basic planning process for diversifying your organization’s support. A successful nonprofit organization has diversified funding streams. If your organization has never developed a fundraising plan or calendar, this FoundationCenter.org webinar is for you. It provides an overview of the process of strategically thinking through the components of a fundraising plan. You'll learn how to:

• Conduct an assets inventory
• Develop a case statement
• Identify funding partners
• Prepare a fundraising plan and calendar

Nonprofit Newsletters That Engage

Tuesday, 20 September 2011
4:00 PM  (Eastern)

Engaging email newsletters raise awareness, strengthen your relationships, and help achieve your mission. Are yours doing that? In this Constant Contact webinar you'll:

• Discover the keys to an engaging newsletter and why online is essential.
• Understand what kind of content you should be sending supporters and explore resources for fresh content.
• Gain the top design tips that drive response.
• Find out what you can do to get your newsletter into the inbox and opened.
• See what other nonprofits are doing with their newsletters and the results they are getting including examples and statistics.
• Finish with some lessons you can learn inside of your reports to continually improve your newsletter.
  
  

Making Volunteer Engagement Everyone’s Job

Tuesday, 20 September 2011
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern)

Too often engaging volunteers falls to the volunteer program manager, and it's not uncommon to hear the phrase "your volunteers" used in organizations. How do you make volunteer engagement everyone's job? This VolunteerMatch webinar will provide you with the tools to become an advocate for volunteer engagement. Learn how to create a step by step communication plan to reinforce the importance of volunteer engagement to important stakeholders within your organization.

Effective Segmentation

Wednesday, 21 September 2011
3:00 – 4:00 PM (Eastern)

Whatever fundraising software you’re organization is using, you need the capability to effectively segment your database to more effectively appeal to your donors. Segmentation has come a long way since we started dividing our data by current donors, lapsed donors and non-donors! This NonprofitWebinars.com webinar will cover the three most important factors in segmentation; discuss how data should be structured to get you the results you want; and we’ll share stories about segmentation successes and near-misses. Takeaways include:

• 3 most important factors in segmentation
• Learn how data should be structured to get you the results you want
• Learn how (and when) to improve the quality of your data
  
  

Top Tech Tools for Nonprofit and Business Partnerships

Wednesday, 21 September 2011
12:00 – 1:00 PM (Eastern)

What tools are best for nonprofits that want to raise money and build awareness in partnership with businesses? In this informative and actionable webinar, Joe Waters suggests lays out the tech tools that make nonprofit and business collaborations easier and more successful. As defined by Joe, cause marketing is a "mutually beneficial business and nonprofit partnership in which a company puts the power of its brand and marketing muscle behind a cause to generate profits for both." No business is too small to partner with a nonprofit, to the advantage of both. During this Ventureneer webinar we’ll address what cause marketing is, how it can help your organization, and how technology can give you a powerful, unique edge.

Online Survey Tools and Techniques

Thursday, 22 September 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

It's never been easier to conduct surveys, with a plethora of solid and useful tools that help you create online survey instruments. This Idealware webinar will talk through the lower cost and a few of the more robust online survey tools that are available, and look at a few in action. We'll wind up with best practices on designing a solid and reputable online survey, recruiting participants, and analyzing the data. By the end of the session, you will understand:

• What types of features are typically available in online survey tools
• What you can achieve with more expensive tools that you can't with low-cost options
• Basics of how you set up and conduct a survey in a few tools
• A summary of techniques for designing an effective survey
• How to effectively recruit participants
• Some tools and techniques for analyzing data
  
  

Introduction to Corporate Giving

Monday, 26 September 2011
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Eastern)

Seeking to target companies that might fund your organization? Finding it hard to get information? Join us for an introduction to the world of corporate support for nonprofits and funding research tools to help you identify corporate prospects. This FoundationCenter.org webinar will answer questions such as:

• What are the motivations behind corporate giving?
• What is the difference between a direct corporate giving program and a company-sponsored foundation and how does it affect my approach to research?
• What are the different pathways to partnership with a company?
• How can I match my organization's needs with the interests of a corporation?
• How can I use the Foundation Center’s resources to locate corporate funders?
  

This webinar will include a case study illustrating a corporate-nonprofit partnership. Please note: prior attendance at Grantseeking Basics is strongly recommended.

Finding Common Ground: Using Evaluation Frameworks to Communicate with Funders and Other Key Stakeholders

Wednesday, 28 September 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Eastern)

The most effective organizations -- and those that will weather a stormy economic climate -- embrace the tools of evaluation for communication, fundraising, and ongoing learning. Evaluation tools and frameworks hold great potential for helping organizations understand their impact while at the same time improving planning, fundraising, and overall effectiveness. In this session, participants will gain knowledge of the latest thinking in evaluation and will receive tools and frameworks that can be used to initiate internal evaluation efforts. With access to tools and examples, this FoundationCenter.org webinar aims to increase confidence and inspire action among participants to build their organization’s evaluation capacity. Topics to be covered:

• Why it is important to initiate evaluation efforts internally
• How to develop theory of change and logic model frameworks for communication and fundraising
• Low-cost and sustainable approaches to ongoing internal evaluation
  
  

You Got the Grant! Now What?

Thursday, 29 September 2011
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern)

Learn best practices in reporting and communicating to deepen relationships with foundations. This FoundationCenter.org webinar is designed to help you successfully manage life after the grant. You will learn about the best practices in managing the reports and the communication required to build long term partnerships with foundations, ultimately leading to more opportunities for support. Topics covered include:

• Understanding the grant relationship
• Managing the grant process
• Tips for engaging the funder during the life of the grant
• Reporting on the grant, and preparing for the next one

Same time, next month?

This round-up of free non-profit webinars is a regular monthly feature compiled by the Wild Apricot Blog. Subscribe by RSS or get updates by email and be sure to catch next month’s webinars, as well as other great resources for associations and non-profits.

Do you have a webinar for the upcoming October Round-up?
If your organization offers a free webinar that would be of interest to non-profit, membership or volunteer-based organizations and you want to include it in next month's post, please email an overview (like those above) to lori@wildapricot.com no later than September 15th.