On Friday, November 13th, we hosted the Virtual Catapult Institute Workshop: Social Entrepreneurship 101- How Nonprofit Organizations Use Entrepreneurial Thinking to Solve Social Problems.
The workshop was led by Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, Academic Director, Rutgers Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development. Dr Robinson is an award winning business school professor, international speaker and entrepreneur.
For access to all workshop resources, please click here: Social Entrepreneurship 101 Resources
The workshop started with an explanation of social entrepreneurship. We learned how non-profit and social-purpose organizations can use an entrepreneurial mindset when approaching the complexities of social issues.
Participants were assigned pre-work including watching videos of six different social enterprises which were then discussed in breakout rooms, with observations reported to and discussed with the full group.
We explored the benefits and applications of entrepreneurial thinking for nonprofit leaders to create innovative social enterprises and social ventures that make sustainable social impact.
We also discussed entrepreneurial approaches to addressing social issues, the pillars and principles of social entrepreneurship, and the considerations and questions to ask before pursuing entrepreneurial strategies.
While we were originally scheduled to have Vu Le for a workshop on Friday, September 25, unfortunately the pandemic had other plans. We are working to have Vu in the flesh in 2021; however, in the meantime we didn’t want our partners to miss out on hearing from him. So, we switched gears and brought Vu to our nonprofit and grantmaking partners virtually!
This was an hour-long conversation with Vu and our very own, Jeremy Grunin. They delved into a lot of important topics in regards to fundraising, funding practices, social justice and more.
This was a precursor to when we can have Vu on the East Coast sometime next year.
Click to watch the conversation: Vu Le and Jeremy Grunin Webinar Recording
Fundraising is challenging on a good day. Fundraising during a global pandemic introduces a whole new set of obstacles like cancelled events, working with less resources and trying to connect while staying socially distant (just to name a few).
One thing to remember is you are not alone in your fundraising efforts. We put a list together of tasks your board members can tackle to help enhance your fundraising through each step of the development cycle:
- Identification
- Cultivation
- Solicitation
- Acknowledgment & recognition
- Ongoing communication
Check out this list for tips on how you can get everyone on board to help make your fundraising as effective as possible!
Collaboration is one of the guiding values of the Grunin Foundation. We have always believed in working with a myriad of partners towards shared goals. And now more than ever, we have seen how collaboration has positively impacted our community. A great example of collaboration is right within a nonprofit board. You have a diverse group of people working together to provide governance to an organization. Board members also work with staff, volunteers, and the community to help those who need it most. You may think that a board is automatically ready to effectively collaborate since they are all there to support the same mission, but it takes work to understand how to move to action as a group. Creating a collaborative culture in the boardroom can take your board to the next level.
Our first Catapult workshop of 2019 was “The High Impact Board.” Check out this great handout from that session, Governing As a Team, created by our friends at BoardSource. You will learn:
- How to develop a board mission statement;
- Determine your goal;
- Maintain a sense of urgency and focus;
- Get the right people on the team; and,
- Assess performance.
Stay tuned for more resources on our Capacity Building blog!
Serving on a non-profit board is a very rewarding opportunity but it doesn’t come without responsibilities and commitment.
Check out Ten Basic Board Responsibilities from our friends at BoardSource and Support Center for Nonprofits. This was one of the handouts from our first Catapult Your Capacity workshops (now the Catapult Institute) of 2019!
You will get a good feel of what it’s like to serve on a nonprofit board. This is also a good tool to use as a self-check if you currently are a board member.
Our very first Catapult Institute Session was in 2019 (called Catapult Your Capacity back then!) and we are pulling some of our favorite resources to share with you.
The workshop was on “The High Impact Board” and was an interactive session to help enhance understanding of:
• A nonprofit board’s core roles and responsibilities
• Ways to increase board effectiveness
• Dynamic, strategic and “generative” board meetings
• Building the real “satisfaction” in governance
• How to take your board to the next level
Click here for one of the handouts from the session, with 33 principles for good governance and ethical practice. These come from Independent Sector and you can read more about each principle by visiting their website.
Click here for The High Impact Board workbook from the session.
We will continue to add resources so check back soon!
Today we hosted Part Two of the Catapult Institute Webinar: Branding & Strategic Narrative. In this session, led by Tomas Alvarez, Managing Partner and Strategy Lead at Idea2Form, participants were introduced to numerous frameworks that will help them construct a bold brand and strategic narrative. This was an interactive virtual session with breakout rooms and a chance for nonprofit leaders to discuss questions, learn from one another and report out to the entire group.
If you saw it and want to re-watch or if you missed it, not to worry! You can access the recording and presentation by clicking the links below.
Webinar Recording: Branding & Strategic Narrative for Nonprofits, Part 2
Presentation Slides: Branding & Strategic Narrative for Nonprofits, Part 2
You will also find the worksheets that were used in the presentation. Click below to open and print so you can continue working on your branding strategy!
Branding Assessment Questions Worksheet
Manifesto Template
Strategic Narrative Assessment Questions Worksheet
On June 19, we hosted part 1 of a dual-session Catapult Workshop, Branding & Strategic Narrative. Led by Tomás Alvarez, Managing Partner and Impact Strategist of Idea2Form, participants learned frameworks and tactics for nonprofits to develop strategic communications that increase visibility and public support for their causes.
If you saw it and want to re-watch or if you missed it, not to worry! You can access the recording and presentation below.
Presentation Slides: Branding & Strategic Narrative for Nonprofits, Part 1
Webinar Recording: Branding & Strategic Narrative for Nonprofits, Part 1
We look forward to part 2 next Friday and will be sharing more resources soon!
On April 21, we hosted our first VIRTUAL Catapult Institute Workshop: Keeping Your Team Engaged: How leaders can keep their teams engaged in difficult times. Led by our partner and Senior Follow of the Support Center, Don Crocker, we explored research on what leaders can do to nurture employee engagement and create “psychologically safe” teams.
Don has some great resources and he is sharing them with you! Click on each link below to download:
- Don’s powerpoint presentation from the webinar
- How to stop thinking about work at 3AM
- Leading in Unchartered Waters
- New Designs for Changing Times (Organizational Redesign)
- Resources for Leaders
Stay tuned for more resources and webinars from the Catapult Institute! Visit gruninfoundation.org/capacity-building for more info!