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Strategic Communication and Resource Development

Strategic Communication and
Resource Development

NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE CERTIFICATE

Communication, Marketing and Methodologies of Fundraising

Nonprofits must communicate with a variety of groups, such as donors, trustees, regulators, the media, and the general public—and good communication is crucial to obtaining and keeping new donors. This program will focus on the groups and market segments a nonprofit must attend to, and will explore in depth how a nonprofit’s communication and brand strategies involve fundraising and long-term resource development needed to safeguard the organization’s future.

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Choice #1: Mornings of May 14, 15, 21 and 22, 2024 | Virtual format over Zoom
Choice #2: Mornings of December 3, 4, 10, 11, 2024 | Virtual format over Zoom
$650
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Cost assistance opportunities are available. Email emre@unl.edu for more information.

Key Benefits

Like strategic and financial planning, a nonprofit’s communication, marketing and fundraising efforts must be designed to fit the unique nature of that organization. This program will help you sharpen your relevant skills as we explore proven principles and methodologies.

Who Should Attend?

Nonprofit executives responsible for fundraising, marketing and communications, human resources and volunteer management, and operations.

Nonprofit leaders (executive directors), board members and community leaders.

Program Content and Objectives

This interactive program includes discussion, case studies, and practical application of real-world problems in order to explore how nonprofit organizations can use marketing principles such as market segmentation, marketing mix, and brand management to lay the foundation for a strategic communication plan. Other topics that will be explored include public relations, storytelling, use of social media, effective event planning, and working with the governing board.

The program will also discuss several principles and practices of successful fundraising and donor development. Careful planning and a well-developed fundraising strategy are essential to approaching activities such as annual, major, and planned giving. Developing a case for support, corporate and foundation giving, and the continued importance of direct response fundraising, will be included among the topics addressed in this program.

Participants are encouraged to bring questions and challenges confronted in their own nonprofit experience to share with colleagues during the lab portion of this program.

Program Schedule
Day 1
8:30 - 9 a.m. Introduction to the program. This will include participant introductions.
9 - 10:30 a.m. Communicating with Our Various Constituencies
• Identifying the nonprofit’s constituencies
• Developing communication strategies
10:30 - 10:40 a.m. Break
10:40 a.m. - 12 p.m. The Strength of the Organization’s Brand
• The benefits of branding
• The elements of your brand
• Establishing your brand positioning
12. - 12:15 p.m. Applied Learning from the Day’s Activities
Day 2
8:30 - 8:40 a.m. Introduction to Day 2
8:40 - 10:30 a.m. Is Marketing Useful for Nonprofit Organizations?
• Building awareness
• Engaging others in the nonprofit’s mission
• Fundraising
• Recruiting volunteers
10:30 - 10:40 a.m. Break
10:40 a.m. - 12 p.m. Fundraising Planning
• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to be?
• How do we get there?
12 - 12:15 p.m. Applied Learning from the Day’s Activities
Day 3
8:30 - 8:40 a.m. Introduction to Day 3
8:40 - 9:45 a.m. Case for Support
• A marketing tool
• A training and motivation tool
• An aid in fundraising planning
• A resource document for future proposals
9:45 - 10:30 a.m. Individual Giving
• Who gives?
• What motivates individuals to give?
• Donor retention
10:30 - 10:40 a.m. Break
10:40 a.m. - 12 p.m. Direct Response Fundraising
• Media selection
• Digital technology
• Social media
12 - 12:15 p.m. Applied Learning from the Day’s Activities
Day 4
8:30 - 8:40 a.m. Introduction to Day 4
8:40 - 10:30 a.m. Major Gift Fundraising
• From individuals
• Planned giving
• Corporations
• Grants
10:30 - 10:40 a.m. Break
10:40 - 11:45 a.m. Nonprofit Management Lab: Participants are encouraged to bring their communication and fundraising concerns/issues to share with program facilitators and colleagues.
11:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. Applied Learning from the Nonprofit Financial Management Program
12 - 12:15 p.m. Wrap-up Discussion
Speakers

Jeri Bingham, EdS
Matthew W. Charlton, Ph.D.
Jim Croft, Ph.D.
Katy Scrogin, Ph.D.
Patti Tuomey, EdD
Greg Petersen

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Facilitators
Jim Croft
Jim Croft, Ph.D.

Jim Croft is a principal with JW Croft Consulting Group (JWCCG) in Chicago. JWCCG brings leadership and financial management experience to the nonprofit community and is positioned to help organizations meet strategic objectives and achieve their mission.

In addition to his work at JWCCG, Croft is a member of the MBA faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he teaches nonprofit management, nonprofit financial management and fundraising. He also teaches nonprofit financial management at the Kellogg School of Management Center for Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University.

From 1984 to 2015, he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Field Museum in Chicago. In addition to leading the institution’s financial operations, he was responsible for facilities management and several other operating units. For several years he served concurrently as the museum’s chief development officer, managing the annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, and corporate and foundation giving programs. He was also responsible for a major capital campaign that successfully concluded in 2008.

Croft also held several positions in The Salvation Army where he served as a community center executive director, finance officer and chief business officer. He has also served on several nonprofit governing boards.

In 2016, he received a four-year appointment to the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) Nonprofit Advisory Committee (NAC). NAC members serve as advisors to FASB staff as they consider accounting standards that are used by U.S. nonprofit organizations.

He received a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where his doctoral work was in higher education leadership with research focused on nonprofit financial management. He also studied business administration and management at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Roosevelt University and National Louis University.

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Matthew W. Charlton
Matthew W. Charlton, Ph.D.

Matthew Charlton is an experienced nonprofit leader and fundraiser with an interest in creating and supporting vibrant organizations oriented around trust and excellence.

Charlton teaches at Belmont University in Nashville, and works as a regional philanthropy officer for the American Red Cross. Previously, he served as a major gift officer for a capital campaign, and has consulted with many organizations on administrative issues, strategy and priority setting, and organizational storytelling to reach donors and supporters.

He is an ordained clergyperson in the United Methodist Church, serving both in local churches and as an executive supporting higher education-related programs around the world. This work has resulted in leading the Oxford Institute Foundation, a new global fund supporting the work of emerging scholars.

Charlton holds a Ph.D. in theological studies from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ilinois, and master’s degrees in both divinity and arts in religion from Vanderbilt University. Currently completing a master’s degree in strategic communication and leadership at Belmont University, he is a research fellow at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and was previously appointed as a research associate at Wesley House in Cambridge.

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Katy Scrogin
Katy Scrogin, Ph.D.

Katy Scrogin is a nonprofit practitioner and educator dedicated to the importance of financial literacy. Having taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, she also conducts prospect research and works with development teams to craft fundraising appeals and communications.

Before moving into independent consulting, Dr. Scrogin served as the vice president for programming at the Chicago Sunday Evening Club (CSEC). In addition to producing and contributing to daily and weekly podcasts at CSEC, she planned, constructed and monitored the organization’s operating budget, and also prepared financial reports for management and the board of directors.

Dr. Scrogin holds a Ph.D. in religion from Claremont Graduate University, a master of theological studies from Vanderbilt University, and a BA in German and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin. She also serves as a writer, editor and translator, and holds an editing certificate from the Graham School at the University of Chicago.

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Patti Tuomey
Patti Tuomey, EdD

Dr. Patti Tuomey currently serves as both advisor to and past president and CEO of Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart in Chicago. Prior to joining Josephinum Academy, she served as president and CEO of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

With more than 25 years of management experience in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, she is skilled in strategic planning, program management, financial planning, marketing, and fundraising. She has held leadership positions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and the Field Museum. She has also spent several years teaching management and marketing courses at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Northwestern University.

Dr. Tuomey is a graduate of Marquette University, where she received a BA in political science and education. She also holds an MA in arts administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an EdD in higher education administration and organizational change from Benedictine University.

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Guest Speakers

Guest speakers will be announced soon.

Contact

Center for Executive and Professional Development
HLH 201
execed@unl.edu
402-472-2353