Welcome to the Nonprofit Partnership E-News

In this Issue

	January, 2009
	Gary Ravetto Joins The Nonprofit Partnership
	Round Two of the Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative Launches on January 23
	Upcoming NPP Workshops
	Partnerships Extend Nonprofit Education and Marketing Opportunities in 2009
	More Mass Media Marketing Methods
	The Quick Fix for Broken Meetings
	More Donated Computers

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Robert Wooler,
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January, 2009

This edition of The Nonprofit Partnership e-news is sponsored by Malin, Bergquist & Co.

Gary Ravetto Joins The Nonprofit Partnership

The Nonprofit Partnership is pleased to announce that Gary M. Ravetto will join the Partnership staff as Associate Director on January 20. Mr. Ravetto brings three decades of distinguished service in the nonprofit sector to the work with Erie nonprofits. For the past nine years, he has been the Executive Partner of the Ravetto Group, LLC, a management consulting firm for nonprofits, based in Montgomery, Alabama. Previous positions include Executive Director of the Day Foundation, in Memphis, Chief Executive Officer of the Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center, Executive Director of the River City Festivals Foundation in Baton Rouge, LA, and staff to the Mayor of Memphis. Tennessee. Originally from western Pennsylvania, Gary earned his BA at Slippery Rock University and his Masters at the University of Illinois.

Gary will co-direct all education, training, and technical assistance initiatives being undertaken by The Nonprofit Partnership with member nonprofits throughout northwest PA and the region.
 

Round Two of the Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative Launches on January 23

The second year of education and technical assistance for emerging nonprofits and organizations who are ready to take a significant step on their growth curve will begin with an informational meeting at 10:00 am at the Hirt Auditorium in the Blasco Library on Friday, January 23. The services will be offered by the Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative, a partnership involving GECAC, The Nonprofit Partnership, and Erie Weed and Seed. Over an eight month period beginning in April and extending through November, 2009, participating organizations will attend educational workshops and work with consultants to achieve critical management objectives. The Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative is funded by a federal grant from the Compassion Capital Fund.

Upcoming NPP Workshops

Please mark your calendars now for these upcoming educational opportunities sponsored by The Nonprofit Partnership:

The New Neighborhood Assistance Program
Thursday, January 22 from 9 to 11 am at the Ambassador Conference Center, 7792 Peach St., Erie, PA

Alison Schmidt from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development will offer a detailed look at the new Neighborhood Assistance Program – more targeted and neighborhood specific for 2009. As always, this program is funded by corporate tax credits matched by the Commonwealth and remains a high-interest source of nonprofit funding for community improvement. Come find out how to submit your most competitive application.

Using Video to Power Your Organization’s Message
Wednesday, February 4 from 9 to 11 am at the Erie Maritime Museum’s Orientation Theater, 150 East Front St., Erie, PA

The Nonprofit Partnership has just launched a partnership with ErieAlity TV and founder Greg Schleuter to make low-cost video resources available to Erie area nonprofits to tell your stories in a compelling way. Join us for this energizing look at how video clips on website, YouTube, DVD, and the like are revolutionizing the way nonprofits are communicating their great stories. Find out how to leverage this digital tool for your organization’s benefit.

Information Technology on a Shoestring Budget
Tuesday, February 24 from 9 to 11 am at the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies, 40 Holland Street, Erie, PA

Join us for this eye-opening forum on helping you capture all the low-hanging fruit that exists these days in the technology realm. Web-based software, Tech Soup and other sources of support and product, plus creative low-cost strategies on networking, security, maintenance, and so much more. Beth Burnside of CMIT Solutions will tell you all you want to know and more.

RSVP to 454-8800 or tnp@thenonprofitpartnership.org

Partnerships Extend Nonprofit Education and Marketing Opportunities in 2009

To offer members as many of the critical education and marketing opportunities as we can in 2009 to build the skills needed to continue to make progress in spite of the economic climate, The Nonprofit Partnership has teamed with several strategic partners to offer the following:

• The e-marketing SIG  at the Center for e-Business and Advanced IT has developed a lively calendar of e-marketing trainings that are open to the membership of The Nonprofit Partnership.

Scheduled sessions include:

Factors that Impact Deliverability
January 29, 2009, 1:00PM – 2:30PM

This fast-moving, interactive webinar gives attendees an in-depth look at the five major factors that impact email deliverability – reputation, authentication, accreditation, content and email sending technology.

Fundamental Guide to Developing a Paid Search Marketing Strategy
February 5, 2009 & May 7, 2009, 8:30AM – 2:30PM

Our newest course provides detailed explanation about why you should implement paid search advertising and how to implement an effective paid search campaign, including direction on strategic planning, ad copywriting, budgeting, keyword selection, metrics, performance tracking and testing and landing page development.

Getting Personal with PURL: Blending Online and Offline Direct Marketing
February 19, 2009 (Hosted by eM-SIG)

This seminar is designed to demonstrate how and why eMarketers should add a PURL (Personalized URL) component to their direct marketing efforts. Participants will learn the components of designing and developing an effective PURL strategy, as well as how to use PURLs as part of a blended direct marketing strategy.

Fundamentals of Successful Search Engine Optimization
March 5, 2009 & June 4, 2009, 8:30AM – 2:30PM

In this class, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), learn the strategy involved in SEO and how to effectively implement an SEO strategy that will increase search engine visibility and traffic to their Web site. Learn More

Comprehensive Guide to Successful Email Marketing
March 5, 2009 & June 4, 2009, 8:30AM – 4:00PM

Participants in this course will gain a comprehensive understanding of email marketing as an industry, best practice guidelines and how to implement these as part of a marketing strategy in order to communicate, interact and build relationships with their customers. Learn More

Executive Guide to the Online Marketing Channel
April 15, 2009, 8:30AM – 4:00PM

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the online marketing channel as a whole. Participants will gain an understanding of how best practices and online marketing strategies, including website, email, search engine marketing and many more, can be used to attract, convert and retain customers.

The Nonprofit Partnership will contribute $50 toward the cost of participation for staff of member organizations.  To learn more about these e-marketing learning opportunities and how to register, please visit the e-marketing SIG pages by clicking here.

• Human Resource Management Workshops with J.L. Nick’s HR First Resource

A natural extension of our HR First Resource telephone line, an immediate source of support for your critical HR decisions and problems, the J.L. Nick Associates staff will be offering a series of workshops in high-interest topics that are particularly relevant for managers through the economic downturn:

Communication and Conflict in the Workplace: Resolving Differences - Friday, February 20, 2009

How to Remain Union Free - Friday, March 20, 2009

Your Employee Handbook - An Asset or Liability to Organizational Effectiveness? - Friday, April 24, 2009

Reasonable Suspicion Drug Testing - Friday, May 22, 2009

All sessions will be held at the Admiral Room in the Blasco Library from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm on the days scheduled. The cost per participant is $25, payable to The Nonprofit Partnership. Registration forms are downloadable at the NPP website, or simply call the office at 454-8800 to register and pay at the door.

 • Your Video Organizational Story with ErieAlity TV

Over the past two years, The Nonprofit Partnership has popularized the use of story and organizational narrative as a marketing technique for nonprofits that expresses the emotional essence of your message in a very human way. This year, we are pleased to be able to take the next step with organizational story by introducing a high quality, affordable resource for video as a way to capture and communicate your story.

Greg Schleuter’s ErieAlity TV is now a Nonprofit Partnership partner and will be available as a production and marketing resource for organizations who are ready to tell the story in the video medium and use it in the media, on your websites, or at your agencies to move your stakeholders to new levels of commitment and giving. A creative video presentation of your agency's story can be produced with a combination of NPP matching mini-grants, donor contributions, and agency investments.  For more information, attend the video workshop led by Greg on February 4, or contact the NPP office at 454-8800.

More Mass Media Marketing Methods

For 2009, The Nonprofit Partnership is extending its radio awareness package for nonprofits with Connoisseur Media. The package includes daily on-the-air salutes to local nonprofits on the Wolf (93.9 FM), drop-in spots on all six Connoisseur stations, prominent display on the stations’ ErieAtHome.com website, and a capacity for all member nonprofits to post descriptions, news, and event details on the community pages of ErieAtHome.

The Connoisseur stations capture two-thirds of the local radio market and drive large numbers of listeners to the website, increasing public awareness about your organizations and, in tturn, driving additional traffic to your website.

The same integrated media linkage applies to our partnership with YourErie.com where we feature an issue-oriented news piece that changes monthly on the “Give Help/GetHelp” page with linkages that drive viewers to nonprofit sites for education and ection.

If you are interested in using these partnerships and websites to promote your organization’s services and activities, please contact The Nonprofit Partnership office at 454-8800.

The Quick Fix for Broken Meetings

In his latest communication, Andy Goodman reminds us that the Annenberg School of Communications has conducted a study that highlights six reasons most meetings fail.  They are:

1. Lack of sufficient notice. 
2. Not the right people at the table.  People who do not need to be there are still required to attend.
3. Lack of control.  By the attendees, the meeting leader, or both.
4. People cannot  or do not speak candidly.
5. Hidden agendas

And the most important reason - the absence of a well-prepared agenda.  An agenda is much more than just a list of topics that will be covered.  Properly constructed, it will help set attendees' expectations for what will be accomplished, provide a reliable road map from start to finish, and ensure that all participants understand the roles they are to play along the way.  For more information about higher quality meetings and the Goodman Center's two-hour online class to boost meeting planning skills, visit www.thegoodmancenter.com.

More Donated Computers

Finally, with the arrival of 2009, The Nonprofit Partnership has more donated computers, Pentium 3 with scrubbed hard drives, available to nonprofits who may need them.  If you are interested, please contact the office at 454-8800 or e-mail rwooler@thenonprofitpartnership.org.