Each quarterly session will take place from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. at the Hannah Grimes Center in Keene, NH, and will include two parts:

First, a presentation or facilitated discussion by an experienced moderator, and then the peer-to-peer support group session, which may expand on the discussion around the topic just presented, or may be more of the ad hoc sharing that has been the hallmark of this popular series. Ideally, participants will sign up for all four sessions.

March 12, Working With Boards: Facilitated by Maryann LaCroix Lindberg, CFRE, President, Philanthropy Resource Group

This session will help Executive Directors to identify and understand the perspectives of your board members in order to enable them to best support you and your organization’s mission. This will include strategies you can use in managing their expectations, helping them to overcome their fears and building a positive team to meet challenges with which you or they may struggle. Touching briefly on board basics, it will primarily be a practical discussion of some of the key issues that crop up when working with boards, such as fear of fundraising, limited time, lack of board experience, micromanaging or bringing corporate approaches to non-profit work.

June 11, Building to Sustainability – Considering Various Non-Profit Financial Models: Facilitated by Mary Ann Kristiansen, Executive Director, Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship

No money; no mission. Do you have strong financial systems and processes? They are the starting point to building an efficient, sustainable organization and critical in the consideration of various models and approaches to funding. Bring your existing financial statements - budget projections, P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow as well as your current funding model. Don't worry if you have gaps or if it is all one big gap, that's what this session is about! This will be a hands-on discussion of current conditions of the participating organizations as well as some guidance in developing strong financial systems and processes that will ground the work of your organization. It will also include a discussion of various models and approaches to funding that are based on what is and isn’t working in this region today.

September 10, Fundraising in a Competitive Environment: Facilitated by Laura Gingras, CPA, CFRE, Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Relations, Monadnock Community Hospital

In every community, there is a tremendous amount of competition for philanthropic support. This session will help participants to identify different approaches to building and expanding gift support, including discussion on engaging those who might be interested in giving but never get asked, creative ways to tell your story, and getting more people involved so they want to invest in your mission.

November 12, Dealing with Difficult Employees: Facilitated by Hélène Mogridge, CEO, Keene Family YMCA

Every organization is made up of people with varying personalities and different expectations of, and approaches to, their work. Not everyone is equally willing or able to successfully navigate the politics, personalities and power differences inherent in a workplace. This can result in conflict, poor performance and many other less-than-ideal situations. This session will focus on a practical set of strategies to help your teams be the best they can be and to create an environment where natural conflicts can be resolved in a healthy and productive way.