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Workshop for Board Members on Nonprofit Finances

What Every Board Member Should Know About Nonprofit Finances ... and Probably Doesn't

Join authors Andy Robinson and Nancy Wasserman for a lively workshop and conversation.

With the possible exception of “How do I avoid fundraising?,” a board member’s most commonly unasked question is, “What do all these numbers mean – and what am I supposed to do with them?” 

Financial planning and budgeting combine all the money taboos with that common disorder, math phobia. Put a spreadsheet in from of many nonprofit leaders, and they’ll run screaming from the room.

With their new book, The Board Member’s Easier Than You Think Guide to Nonprofit Finances, authors Andy Robinson and Nancy Wasserman help trustees (and their staff colleagues) confront and address this fear – with wisdom, clarity, humor, and humility.

Time: Thursday, April 19, 2012 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (ET)

Location: Memorial Hall in the Montpelier City Hall, Montpelier, VT

This event is hosted by our Program in Nonprofit Management.

Grad School, Vermont Foodbank, New England Grassroots Environment

Marlboro College Graduate School has formed outreach partnerships with two of New England’s leading nonprofit organizations, the Vermont Foodbank and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF). Bothpartnerships were launched  by awarding scholarships to local nonprofit leaders to earn Certificates in Nonprofit Management from the Graduate School. Marlboro will also continue to work with both organizations to provide additional community services in the future.

The Vermont Foodbank awarded two scholarships of $500, matched by $500 from Marlboro Graduate School, to Kimberley Lashua of Just Basics, Inc. and Stephanie Gibson of the Springfield Family Center. NEGEF made four scholarship awards of $500, each matched by $500 from Marlboro. Recipients of the NEGEF awards included Josh Arnold of Global Awareness Local Action (G.A.L.A.), Theresa Snow of Salvation Farms, Paul Cameron of Brattleboro Climate Protection, and Simon Renault of Transition Putney. Each of the recipients was selected from among a network of organizations affiliated with the partnering organizations.

"The goal of Marlboro's Certificate program is to build the capacity of the nonprofit sector. It is exciting to be working with two of this region's most vibrant hub organizations to fulfill our common mission. These partnerships will help us better serve smaller and newer organizations, including community food shelves and grassroots environmental organizations," said Kate Jellema, Program Director, Nonprofit Management, Marlboro College Graduate School.

In order to serve the whole region, the certificate course is offered in two different towns each semester. This year the 2012 certificate program meets in Brattleboro at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, and in Montpelier at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Grad School Alum Gaining Wide Recognition

Grad School Alum Gaining Wide Recognition

The success of Grad School alum Debbie Patrick’s, RN-C, nurse mentoring program at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is gathering interest well-beyond Vermont.   The nurse manager for the BMH Birthing Center has been invited to give a presentation on the program at the Enova Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia this April.

Debbie developed the nurse mentoring program for her Capstone Project as part of her MS in Management – Health Care Administration here at the Graduate School. The program achieved measurable improvements in recruiting and retention rates for the nursing staff at BMH and earned Debbie Employee of the Year honors in 2010.

Last year, Fair Oaks received the Magnet™ designation for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credential Center (ANCC), an honor bestowed on just 5 percent of all U.S. hospitals.

Debbie says Fair Oaks contacted her after reading an article she wrote about the nurse mentoring program for Advance for Nurses magazine in March 2010. Since then, she has regularly received phone calls and emails from peers around the country with questions about starting or maintaining their own program.  This, however, is the first time she has been asked to make a formal presentation.

“I’m extremely excited and honored to be invited to share our model of success at BMH with another healthcare provider, especially one that is the caliber of Fair Oaks,” says Debbie.

From all of us at the Grad School: “congratulations.”  Your success is well-deserved.

Talk by Dr. William Hsiao

Dr. Hsiao spoke about his work for the Vermont legislature to develop a model for a single-payer healthcare system for the state and the link between improvements in the healthcare system and the potential for just and sustainable economic development. Dr. Hsiao's talk can be seen on our YouTube channel. 

Capstone Fair on Saturday, July 9

The summer 2011 Capstone Fair takes place from 12noon to 3:30pm on Saturday, July 9. Visitors are encouraged to talk with the students about their Capstone Projects and to critique them, providing the future graduates with objective, supportive feedback that will lead to further refinements.

Capstone Sponsor organizations this year include Camp Waubanong, Central Maine Healthcare Corp., Green Mountain Rehab, the Union League of Philadelphia, Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative and the South Burlington School District.

NPM students support local nonprofits

When students in Marlboro College Graduate School's Certificate in Nonprofit Management course were asked what should be done with surplus program funds, they responded with an answer appropriate to their vocation: donate it to a worthy cause.

After a nomination and voting process, students in the Burlington-based cohort of the program selected the Vermont Foodbank Gleaning Program as the recipient of their support, while the the Brattleboro students elected to support Morningside Shelter.

A representative from each organization was invited to give a presentation to the class during a lunchtime ceremony, where the checks were presented. In the above photo, Gleaning Program director Theresa Snow accepts the donation from nominating student, Dan Noyes. On the right, Morningside Shelter's executive director Paul Capcara shakes hands with nominating student, Courney Kansler.

EdTech Director Builds "Green" house

Sustainable practices are not exclusive to our MBA program. Teaching with Technology program director Caleb Clark plans to join the "tiny house" movement with the construction of a 320 square foot, superinsulated, passive-solar dwelling where his two-car garage currently resides. The Brattleboro Commons reports on Caleb's plans and the movement in housing toward more efficient use of space.