Free workshop will help faith-based organizations manage change

The popular Compassion Kansas workshop series returns this month with a new session designed specifically for faith-based organizations.

“The Missional Faith-Based Organization” will be presented from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 20 by the Wichita State University Center for Community Support & Research (CCSR). There is no charge for the workshop, but reservations are required and space is limited.

This workshop applies lessons from The Missional Leader, a widely used book about the missional movement in American churches, to faith-based community work and outreach. It is intended to help people who are serving their communities better understand and respond to the changes in those communities – not to mention the changes that may be underway in their own organizations.

CCSR staff members Teresa Strausz and Seth Bate will be the workshop presenters. Both speakers have worked with a variety of community and nonprofit organizations around the state. Strausz is a licensed master social worker and the facilitator of CCSR’s trauma-informed care team. Bate has recently been working with congregations as part of the Leadership and Faith: Transforming Communities project, and this summer he was on a guest faculty team at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City.

According to Strausz, part of the session will examine the relationship among faith-based service organizations, congregations and denominations. The workshop will also challenge attendees to consider the impact of spiritual practices that support the work of their organizations.

Bate said that CCSR has a long history of assisting faith-based organizations, but the focus of this workshop still makes it distinct.

“We’re excited to offer something specifically targeted to the situations of people engaged in community ministry through nonprofit and grassroots organizations,” Bate said. “We have some ideas we want to share, and we think we have a lot to learn from the people out there who are committed to this work.”

Call  316.978.3843 or (in Kansas) 800.445.0116 with questions or to make reservations.

Future free Compassion Kansas workshops are set for Oct. 8 and Nov. 9 (PDF flier).

How well adapted are we? By Teresa Strausz

So what in the world does this video have to do with organizations or organization development? As we work with and in organizations, asking the question “How will the chicks fare here?” as the narrator does in this video, can help us open up to what ways we might adapt to an ever-changing organizational landscape. How are our organizational dynamics and resources faring in the face of new landscapes? Are we adapting our structures or are we hanging onto our old way of nest-building as the tried and true way of surviving?

The need for adaptation in our organizational and leadership lives is in direct relationship to the degree we are or are not “matched to a new set of circumstances.” How are you currently matched to your circumstances? How are your chicks faring?

Executive Director Evaluation | By Heather Perkins

The phone rings.

Photo courtesy of kthypryn

The executive director of a local non-profit organization answers and discovers that the call is from a client who was recently assisted by the organization. The client has called to express his gratitude for the services he received and the hope that he has for the future as a result. Although short, the call is upbeat and encouraging.

An hour later, a staff member comes into the director’s office with a letter of resignation. Although she has enjoyed her position and has performed her job well, she has been offered more money and better benefits at a for-profit business. Her loss to the organization will be significant. 

Over lunch, the director meets with a member of his board who is very unhappy with the state of organization and is causing significant dissention within the board.   

How does the director process and assimilate these various interactions?  Is he being an effective leader?  How does he know?

Providing constructive feedback to the executive director is one of the most significant roles of a board of directors, but also one of the most uncomfortable.  As a result, the task is frequently avoided and the director is left to try to assess his performance based upon often conflicting feedback coming from numerous different sources.  In addition, any weaknesses in performance are left unaddressed and continue to impact the organization. 

Regardless of the context, performance reviews are a challenging undertaking.  However, the personal and organizational growth that can occur as the result of healthy review processes should not be underestimated.  Performance reviews are a gift that every nonprofit board should give to their executive director. 

A free online resource for conducting nonprofit director performance reviews that may be helpful is the Evaluating Your Executive Director (pdf) workbook from The Enterprise Foundation in Maryland. And BoardSource has several resources available (at different price points) for nonprofits evaluating their executive.

Dynamic performance review processes provide the focus and support so desperately needed by many nonprofit leaders. In addition, they facilitate the process of engaging in healthy, growth-oriented conversations. And finally, they allow the director to answer with even more confidence the next time the phone rings.

Spotlight on an Initiative: Compassion Kansas

What is Compassion Kansas?

CCSR is in the last year of its Compassion Kansas initiative, a 3-year, federally funded project designed to enhance Faith-based and Community-based Organizations through grants, workshops and one-on-one capacity building assistance.

Capaci-what now?

Community nonprofits, groups, and coalitions can typically be very effective in targeting the specific needs of their local communities. But these smaller organizations frequently lack the organization needed to thrive.

These organizations are far more successful when they operate with adequate funds, thoughtful planning, a well-trained staff, effective boards, and the ability to respond to challenges.

That’s essentially what capacity-building is – giving organizations the tools to do what they do, better.

Okay, so what capacity-building services does Compassion Kansas offer?

In addition to the financial awards, Compassion Kansas provides:
•    Assistance in developing stronger grant applications
•    Strategic Planning
•    Plans for diversifying funding sources
•    Board development and leadership
•    Staff and volunteer management
•    Networking opportunities
•    Statewide attention to the work of these organizations

These services are provided through workshops, and one-on-one mentoring with a CCSR staff member.

What’s in store for the future of Compassion Kansas?

Compassion is undergoing some changes, but the Center for Community Support & Research is committed to continuing capacity-building efforts across Kansas.

So, dear Kansans in community coalitions, alliances, fledgling nonprofits – what would you like to see in the future as far as capacity building efforts go?

Foundation giving down 8.4% in 2009, Foundation Center reports

 “Challenged by a prolonged economic downturn, the nation's grant-making foundations cut their giving by an estimated 8.4 percent in 2009, a new report from the Foundation Center finds. The decline is the steepest since the center began tracking the data in 1975.”

According to the Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates report released by the Foundation Center on April 16, 2010, foundation giving was down approximately 8.4% in 2009. This represents a record decline since the Center began tracking information in 1975, yet it is a significantly lower decrease than one would expect, given the estimated 17% loss in foundation assets in 2009.

Facilitators at CCSR often hear from people who want to start nonprofits that they will “get grants” to fund their operations. While grants certainly can be a part of an organization’s revenue, CCSR often reminds enthusiastic founders that grants should only make up about 20% of their nonprofit’s revenue. The rest should come from members’ support and donations, corporate giving, events and fundraisers, and revenue generated from activities that support the organization’s charitable purpose.

It is also helpful to understand how grant-making organizations work. So here are two pieces of information that will help you understand a little bit more about foundation giving. Let’s call it “Intro to Foundation Funding.”

1. Foundations follow a formula to figure out how much they have available to give. The formula can vary by foundation and is the responsibility of the organization’s board to determine. The formula is usually a percent of an average of a foundation’s revenue over a three- to five-year span. For example, the funds available for grant-making in 2010 could be [x] percent of the average of a fund’s average market value for 2007, 2008, and 2009, which will vary based on earnings in that time. A foundation might have several funds. The [x] is usually a small enough number to ensure that the fund will endure perpetually, such as 5%.This is called asset-averaging. What does that mean? Gains or losses in the value of a foundation’s funds are mitigated by the averaging process. But the 17% loss in assets from 2009 will lower the amount of money foundations are able to give for two to four more years.

2. Most foundations cannot give grants from a fund if the value of that fund has dropped below its historic gift value. Say Betty the Community Supporter gave $100,000 to her Local Community Foundation in 1997. Over time, through wise investing, the Local Community Foundation was able to grow the amount in that fund. But in 2009, the value of this fund dropped to $90,000. Most foundations have rules in place that prevent them from using that $90,000 to give grants. They must wait till the value of the fund returns to $100,000. This will affect the Local Community Foundation’s ability to make grants in 2010.

The Foundation Center reports that several factors lessened the decrease in giving: many grantmakers cut their operating expenses, a few key big grantmakers committed to giving more, and community supporters like Betty continued giving to foundations. This is good. But nonprofits should be aware that foundations may have fewer dollars available in 2010 and over the next couple of years. Communities should be aware that their arts promotion, social service, and youth-supporting nonprofits—among others—may be struggling to secure grants for even 20% of their budget, which may impact their ability to provide services.

With that in mind, individual donors should think about giving a little more to their favorite charitable organization this year, if they can.


Authors:  Amy Delamaide, Sarah Jolley, and Seth Bate

 Photo courtesy of Chet Thomas