For the shortest month of the year, February is shaping up with a pretty good selection of free online training opportunities for folks working in nonprofits and associations!  More dates are usually added to these monthly lists of ourss, as last-minute events are scheduled or Wild Apricot readers find webinars we've missed — so do bookmark this page and keep your eye on the comments thread for updates.

Free Webinars for Nonprofits: February 2010

Behind the Scenes: Scheduling in Performing Arts
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
11:00 a.m. (Mountain)
This free webinar from Dean Evans & Associates is intended to inform Performing Arts and Ballet facilities on what to look for when trying to find a scheduling solution to help with maximizing Public Facility Efficiencies. Topics include reporting, capacity control, charging for space and resource scheduling. 60 minutes.

What is Wild Apricot?
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free webinar, led by Giuliano Valentino, introduces the Wild Apricot software for associations, nonprofits and other member-driven organizations, demonstrating its major features: membership management, web editing, event management, and fundraising. 60 minutes.

Raising More Money Online with Independent Fundraising Events
Wednesday, 3 February 2010 
2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
What are the common denominators of a successful programmatic approach to independent fundraising? Attend Blackbaud’s free webinar to learn more about this approach to fundraising and to hear from the Canadian Cancer Society about their successful independent fundraising event program.

Integrating Social Media into Your Website
Thursday, 4 February 2010 
11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
This free webinar from TechSoup.org will focus on best practices for integrating social media into organizational websites, including basic nuts-and-bolts changes to web page templates and enhancements to contact, staff, and email sign-up pages. Hosted by Kami Griffiths; presented by Allen Gunn, Executive Director of Aspiration. 60 minutes.

The Simple Success Fundraising Plan
Thursday, 4 February 2010 
3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Got your fundraising plans in place for 2010? In this free call, nonprofit fundraising coach Sandy Rees (Get Fully Funded) will tell you how to create her “Simple Success” Fundraising Plan and share her “proven tool to keep you on track each month.”

Ensuring Your E-Newsletters are Read - Not Dead - On Arrival This Year
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Kivi Leroux Miller of NonprofitMarketingGuide.com provides practical advice for putting together a winning email strategy and plan for 2010 in this free Nonprofit 911® teleconference from Network for Good. Can’t make it on the 9th? Register to receive a free MP3 audio and text transcript.

What is a brand (and why does it matter to nonprofit organizations)?
Wednesday, 10 February 10
2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Wednesday Webinars, from Synthesis Partnership, is a series of free educational offerings by experts in nonprofit management. This “brand 101” session, presented by Michele Levy, is designed to help nonprofit leadership and board members understand the basic concepts around developing and maintaining a strong brand. 60 minutes.

Getting to Great Leadership and Influence
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
If you want to advance your career, work more effectively with your teams, and better serve your clients, you need to develop the ability to truly lead and influence — not just manage and direct. Presented by the Public Relations Society of America and led by David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA. 60 minutes.

Introduction to Fundraising Planning
Thursday, 11 February 2010
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
If your organization has never developed a fundraising plan or calendar, this free session from the Foundation Center is for you. You’ll learn how to conduct an assets inventory, develop a case statement, identify potential funding partners, and prepare a fundraising plan and calendar. 60 minutes.

Single Days of Service: Make It Work
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
More and more volunteers are looking to get involved and make a difference in a single day of service: how do your create meaningful work that can be done in such a short time by a diverse group volunteers?  This free webinar from VolunteerMatch.org will walk you through the first steps to incorporating single days of service into your programs and help you begin to think more creatively about volunteer engagement. 60 minutes.

Nonprofit Boards and Effective Governance
Wednesday, 17 February 10
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free webinar will offer a range of concepts and tools for effective recruitment, orientation, stewardship, guidance and leadership development. Presented by Sam Frank, Principal, Synthesis Partnership as part of the  Wednesday Webinars series by experts in nonprofit management. 60 minutes.

Corporate Relations from Cultivation to Partnerships
Wednesday, 17 February 2010 
2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Talisman Associates is pleased to partner with National Safe Place to present free webcasts that empower nonprofit staff, donors and volunteers. In this session, Barbara Talisman will discuss how to research, cultivate and solicit support from corporate donors. Emphasis will be on creating a partnership with corporate donors, not just asking them for money. 60 minutes.

Proposal Budgeting Basics
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free webinar from the Foundation Center is geared towards the novice grantseeker and will answer your budgeting questions. It is recommended that participants take the Proposal Writing Basics webinar before this one. 60 minutes.

Grantseeking Basics
Thursday, 18 February 2010
2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free introductory course from the Foundation Center provides an overview of the funding research process for those seeking grants from foundations, corporations, and grantmaking public charities. Also available in Spanish. 60 minutes.

Managing Difficult Volunteer Transitions
Thursday, 18 February 2010
11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
What do you do when it’s time to ask a volunteer to leave your organization? This free webinar from VolunteerMatch.org will give you the tools to address challenges around difficult volunteers, volunteers aging in place, and suggestions to minimize these situations in the future. 60 minutes.

Making a Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our organizations, in our communities, and in our own lives? As part of Network for Good’s free Nonprofit 911® teleconference series, Dan Heath, Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE Center, will discuss findings from his new book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, which shed new light on how we can effect transformative change.

How are Nonprofits Responding to Scrutiny of Executive Compensation by the IRS, Public and Media? Part II Strategies and Responses
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free webinar is another in Synthesis Partnership’s Wednesday Webinars series by experts in nonprofit management. Through case studies and discussion, gain a solid understanding of the IRS regulations on nonprofit executive compensation and learn how to assure compliance while fulfilling ongoing good governance responsibilities. Presenters are Lindalee A. Lawrence and Richard M. Lucash of Lawrence Associates. 60 minutes.

Developing Alumni and Supporters Into Donors
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 
2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
From new prospect identification to cultivation and solicitation activities, you’ll learn the basics of prospect development strategies for turning your alumni and supporters into donors in this free webinar from Blackbaud. Presented by Lawrence Henze, managing director of Target Analytics. 60 minutes.

Community Special Events
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 
2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Special events can be a point of entry for many individual donors and corporate partners. In this free webcast presented by Talisman Associates in partnership with National Safe Place, Barbara Talisman will present the key elements to creating and implementing a special event, and how you can “turn diners into donors.” 60 minutes.

Proposal Writing Basics
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 
3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
In this free webinar from the Foundation Center, an introductory overview of the process for new proposal writers, you will learn the basics of writing a proposal for your nonprofit organization. This course is also offered in Spanish. 60 minutes.

11 Myths of Fundraising Registration: Correcting Mis-Information Concerning State Registration Requirements for Nonprofit Fundraising Solicitation
Thursday, 25 February, 2010  
1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free live Affinity seminar is led by Gary Curtis Cannon, Attorney; and Marc Lee, CFRE. Every registrant receives free access to download the PowerPoint handout and MP3 recording of the seminar. Approximately 45 minutes, including Q & A session.

Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class
Thursday, 25 February 2010
3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
The purpose of this free webinar from the Foundation Center is to help you think systematically through the process of getting your board actively involved with your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. 60 minutes

Improving Facility Rentals within Non-Profit Organizations
Thursday, 25 February 2010
2:00 p.m. (Mountain)
Non-Profit organizations under pressure to improve their bottom line revenue are taking another look at the idea of renting out their facility. This free webinar from Dean Evans & Associates Inc. will discuss how renting out your facility will help address those never ending revenue challenges. 30 minutes.

The New Volunteer Manager’s Toolkit
Thursday, 25 February 2010
11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
New to volunteer management? Looking for a refresher on the basics? This  free webinar from VolunteerMatch.org will walk you through the three primary Rs - recruitment, retention and recognition. Alll attendees will receive a sample packet with examples and program assessment checklists to help you evaluate your existing program. 60 minutes.

 If you’'ve got a (free) webinar, teleconference, or other web-based professional development event of interest to nonprofit folks that's happening in February 2010, and it didn’t make our list… please leave a comment below and share your details!