Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling to Vancouver with 3 of my Greenlights teammates for AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising. I’m happy to report that we all returned to Austin with some new ideas and perspectives, and it was wonderful to have my colleagues there to discuss what we were experiencing, each through our own particular lens. It was also really fun to simply spend time with Amy, Kate and Katy, and to get to know them better, but that’s another blog!

Most of our discussions after the keynotes and sessions were about the apparent “split” in fund development approaches proposed by young, entrepreneurial social change leaders, like Scott Harrison, Founder and President of charity: water as compared to the guidance shared by seasoned development professionals who have decades of fundraising experience, like renowned author and researcher, Penelope Burk.

Where Harrison implored us all to tackle the world’s problems head-on, directing 100% of donor contributions to programs where donors see concrete evidence of problems being solved quickly, seasoned experts like Burk, provided important insights into what it takes to engage donors in life-long relationships with organizations and their missions.

Harrison challenged the usefulness of the traditional development department, armed with countless stories of how nonprofit organizations dilute their impact and bore today’s results-oriented, fast-paced young leaders into apathy. Burk, on the other hand, encouraged more attention to nurturing those in the fundraising profession, spurred by her research on the small number of fundraisers who know how to secure planned gift commitments that can lead to long-term sustainability of their organizations.

I attended a great session that helped me understand these different takes on affecting change by Jon Duschinsky, Founder of Be The Change, a London-based group that encourages “movements” over “organizations”. Duschinsky defines a movement as “a group of people who come together because they have a common belief system and they want to change something.” That sounds a lot like nonprofit organizations to me, but there are definitely differences. Here’s how I have come to see it (and please forgive the generalizations and over-simplification of both approaches):

For a great example of a movement, we need to look no further than the Kony 2012 phenomenon. Here the movement used social media (a key reason that today’s movements are even possible) to engage a huge number of people in easy, meaningful and very direct ways.

I believe that higher education institutions are examples of nonprofit organizations that have many reasons to be the large organizations they are. Most universities would not be effective or credible as spontaneous, bottom up movements.

I am thrilled and grateful that the “movement” crowd is understandably sick of waiting around for organizations to solve the myriad problems in our world and that they are inspiring a huge segment of our population to get involved in ways that make sense for them. I am also concerned that these new leaders are underestimating the tremendous power of established nonprofit organizations, their development teams and the donors who love them. Their donors tend to be older individuals who value the stability of an organizational structure, but they are just as passionate about changing lives.

Overall, it seems that we all agree that it’s imperative that we treat our donors like the smart, approachable, emotional, results-oriented and busy investors that they are, and that demonstrating the real results we can and do achieve together is where our focus needs to be.

What is your take on these different approaches to driving change?

2011 Board Summit

I ran the title of this post by my dad, who has always told me nothing is free. Technically speaking, he’d be right in this case, too — when you join a nonprofit board, you give your time, energy, and yes, in many cases, a financial contribution. I’ve never been one for speaking technically, though. For me, nonprofit board service has not only provided “free” professional development, it has also served as one of the richest, most rewarding experiences of my life.

It’s not just me, either.

Just yesterday, Fast Company referred to nonprofit board service as the “single best way to develop leadership skills.” I’m inclined to agree. The article’s author, Alice Korngold, highlights the importance of experiential learning and development in our world, “You might learn a great deal in school, but it’s doubtful that you’ll actually develop as a leader by reading a book or taking a course.” Books can lay a great foundation, but there’s no substitute for hands-on learning.

Nonprofit board members are in a unique position to define the vision of an organization, thoughtfully plan for its future, and bring needed resources to ensure that the organization fulfills its mission. Nonprofit board service can be very fulfilling and at the same time, it is a tremendous responsibility and, according to Korngold, “the ultimate experience in ethics, accountability, leadership, group dynamics, and crisis management and communications.”

At Greenlights, we work with nonprofit boards every day, and we see firsthand the value and benefits that nonprofit board members receive, simply by virtue of serving. If you’ve been waiting to find the board that’s the right fit for you, now’s your chance! Greenlights’ annual Board Summit is coming up on June 7, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet and talk with leaders from over 50 nonprofits looking for board members just like you.

We hope to see you there!

Each year, Greenlights’ 501 Council awards capacity-building grants to Greenlights members for consulting services in the areas of fundraising/resource development, board excellence, and strategy and planning. Receiving a record 72 applications for support this year, the council had its work cut out for them!  After multiple rounds of reviews by the council’s stellar grant review team, two finalists in each grant category were invited to make their case for support before an all-council vote.

It is our pleasure to congratulate the following 2012 grantees!

Fundraising/Resource Development Category
Recipient:  Colorado River Foundation

Board Excellence Category
Recipient:  The Christi Center

Strategy & Planning Category
Recipient:  Austin Clubhouse

So how does it work?
Greenlights’ 501 Council consists of business professionals and community-minded individuals who want to support Central Texas nonprofits through collaborative giving and decision-making. Each year, members contribute $250 into a pooled capacity fund that is distributed through grants once a year, enabling qualified Greenlights member organizations to benefit from our consulting services. This year, under the leadership of Clayton Bullock of Moreland Properties, the 501 Council members contributed nearly $12,000 collectively, all in the name of strengthening Central Texas nonprofits!

Get involved!
The 501 Council welcomes new members year-round. Council membership provides an opportunity to learn more about the nonprofit sector while supporting it – and it’s a great way to meet like-minded individuals who come together from a variety of sectors. Whether you’re new to nonprofit service, looking to gain experience before stepping onto a nonprofit board, or you’d just like to try your hand at philanthropy-in-action, this is a sure fit! And as a thank you, council members receive a complementary individual membership with Greenlights and gain access to a variety of benefits like discounts on professional development opportunities. Learn more about the 501 Council and join us!

Apply for a grant!
The next grant cycle will kick off in October 2012 with grants awarded in early 2013. Nonprofits in need of capacity-building in the areas of fundraising/resource development, board excellence and strategy and planning are encouraged to apply. The 501 Council is most concerned with an organization’s readiness (i.e. What steps has the organizations taken to address the challenge previously? Why is now the right time for a consulting engagement?) and impact (i.e. What are the foreseeable outcomes of a consulting engagement? How will the organization define and measure success? ). Learn more about the grants offered, the process and former grantees.

Congratulations to the Colorado River Foundation, The Christi Center and Austin Clubhouse! Thank you to our generous 501 Council members for their commitment to Central Texas nonprofits and to Greenlights’ work to strengthen nonprofits for extraordinary performance and impact!

The 2011 Board Summit

As you may know, we’re gearing up for another Board Summit and are currently accepting applications for nonprofits to be featured. Our team is passionate about this event for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it’s an opportunity to help fill some of the estimated 7,000+ empty board seats in town!

If you represent a nonprofit that wants great new board members (and there are few out there that don’t), I encourage you to really think about applying to be featured at the event. And before you say “Board Summit isn’t for us. We want to be strategic about who we invite to join our board”, think again!

The truth about the event is that it is an amazing opportunity to meet a diverse crowd of about 350 professionals from the corporate, academic, government, and even nonprofit, sectors all of whom are actively looking for a nonprofit family to join. They learned about the event through their involvement with Leadership Austin, LBJ Future Forum, FuturoFund, the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce or any number of amazing groups that help encourage the community leaders they know to attend. Each year, many of Austin’s leading companies like Raymond James, DLA Piper, Applied Materials, Dell, Maxwell Locke & Ritter, National Instruments, and others are Catalyst Sponsors of the event, providing their employees with registrations to attend.

Every individual that comes to meet the 50+ nonprofits genuinely wants to get involved in a leadership capacity. Many have served on boards before and are looking for a new nonprofit “home”. If they haven’t been on a board before, they can attend a special training that evening to learn about the roles and responsibilities of board members and find out what questions to ask before joining to be sure it’s a good fit for them and for the nonprofit.

Of course you want to be strategic about who you invite on your board! Every nonprofit board should discuss and agree upon the skills and connections they want and need in new board members before they go looking for them (the Board Recruitment Matrix in our Resource Library is a great tool for that, by the way.)

But once you have your wish list ready, the Board Summit is designed to introduce you to some truly amazing candidates that you might not otherwise meet. Most featured nonprofits leave the event with a long list of individuals who visited with them because they care about their mission and want to be considered for board service. The decision to bring someone onto the board should not be taken lightly and definitely requires more interaction than is possible at the Summit. So each featured nonprofit gets ideas and guidance for taking those next steps, too!

So, if you need more smart, accessible, connected, passionate and trained community leaders on your board…give the Board Summit a try. The short and easy-to-complete application is due by March 15!

Continuing our member interview series as part of February’s membership drive, I spoke with April Thomas Rose, Executive Director of TreeFolks about the organization and their Greenlights’ membership:

Tara Kirkland, Greenlights: Thanks for talking with me, April!  Can you tell our readers a little about TreeFolks, your mission and what services you provide here in Central Texas?

April Thomas Rose, TreeFolks: TreeFolks grows the urban forest of Central Texas. Through community partnerships, we plant more than 12,000 trees annually to increase the tree canopy. We also provide education to teach the value of the urban forest ecosystem and how to steward this precious resource.

Annually, we distribute 3,600 street trees to 2,000 Austin homeowners through the NeighborWoods program. This is enough trees to line ten miles of street with shade trees that provide not only aesthetic and property value benefits, but tangible benefits for air quality and storm-water management.

Tara: I know TreeFolks has been very active in the wake of the catastrophic fires that hit Central Texas this past fall. Can you tell me more about that?

April: TreeFolks has provided 1,600 free trees to about 530 households in Bastrop County since November 2011. We have two distribution events planned for Oak Hill and Spicewood in March to distribute another 400 trees. We plan to continue this effort in the coming years, since rebuilding a forest requires a sustained planting effort for several years.

Tara: April, in what ways would you say that TreeFolks has benefited from its Greenlights membership?

April: Well, first of all, we have attended many Greenlights events and trainings, such as the Grantsmanship workshop series, and the Bookkeeping series, which both myself and another staffer attended, at the discounted member rate.  Several of our board members have also attended the Board Essentials workshop.

TreeFolks also participated in the Board Summit last year, and recruited a great board member there!  We hope to be able to attend again in 2012 to recruit more new board members.

I am new to nonprofit work, and have had so many things to learn about effectively managing this organization (fundraising, board and staff relationships/development). Greenlights training and information was timely and effective, helping me and our board improve our organization through our executive director transition.

TreeFolks has a successful 23 year legacy of serving the Austin-area but we have much more to do. Development pressure, record heat, drought, insects and disease all threaten our tree canopy. The urban forest needs effective advocacy to remain resilient in the face of so many challenges. Greenlights has given me and our entire organization a better understanding of how to successfully execute our mission and succeed.

Tara: Sounds like you’ve gotten a lot out of your membership!  Would you recommend Greenlights membership to other nonprofits?

April: Yes!  Greenlights builds your professional network. It teaches and exemplifies the best practices of nonprofit management.

Tara: Lastly, do  you have any advice for other nonprofits who might be facing challenges similar to TreeFolks?

April: Identify and promote the strengths and accomplishments of your organization. Look for relationships with government, nonprofits, or businesses where you can work together for mutually beneficial results.

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To learn more about TreeFolks and upcoming volunteer opportunities, visit www.treefolks.org.

Learn more about Greenlights member benefits and join our community today! Join or renew your membership during this month’s membership drive (by February 29) to be entered for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!