Success in community development is the culmination of staff development, community outreach, coaching, policy initiatives, relationship building, resource development and much more. To achieve success, you as a leader must make the most of limited resources — financial resources as well as your time and your staff's time. Through the Management and Leadership courses, you will learn to plan for the future strategically and competitively; to better communicate and work with your staff and board; to evaluate the success of your programs and your organization as a whole; to develop the resources necessary for maintaining and improving your products and services; to better understand your organization’s finances and to use the information from financial statements as decision-making tools.

ML120vc Strategic Thinking and Planning

This 4-week, faculty-led course focuses on why strategic thinking and effective planning are vital to organizational survival and success. Participants will learn about the skills used in strategic thinking and practice applying these skills through discussions, case studies, and other assignments. This course covers the steps involved in organizational strategic planning and provides tools and examples to take away as resources. Emphasis will be on the integration of strategic thinking and planning practices at all levels of the organization to adapt to rapidly shifting trends and forces in real time.

Ideal attendees include executive and senior management staff members, board members, and staff members of nonprofit organizations responsible for facilitating a strategic planning process.

ML173vc Grant Proposal Writing

Financial resources from diverse sources are critical to the growth and development of an organization. Grant funding is typically one of the most common sources of money sought by nonprofits. In order to secure a grant from a public or private funder, an organization must develop and submit a proposal. A proposal serves as a critical tool in capturing the organization’s story, establishing credibility to address a specific problem or opportunity and outlines realistic goals and objectives to be accomplished through a sound plan of action. This course will guide participants through the 4-R proposal development process; highlighting the different roles a grant writer, strategies for writing each section of a winning proposal, sources for seeking grant opportunities and the various relationships essential to winning grants.