Wisconsin nonprofit leaders, staff members, volunteers, and board members will be able to gather in a hybrid format next July to gain valuable information and resources for leading a nonprofit organization into its next best step. The Helen Bader Institute (HBI) for Nonprofit Management at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee presents the inaugural Wisconsin Nonprofit Summit – themed “Together,” which will feature national-level speakers and three learning tracks: Leadership, Financial Sustainability, and Marketing & Communication.
July 19, 2023
A virtual pre-conference forum offered free and open to the public. Statewide participants will engage in a series of virtual round-table discussions to network and define the current challenges of Wisconsin’s nonprofit sector in a post-COVID world.
July 27-28, 2023
An in-person two-day conference featuring virtual participation options. Sessions and keynote addresses will focus on fundraising, board governance, advocacy, marketing, information technology, and more.
Both in-person and virtual attendance options will allow participants all over Wisconsin to participate in the invaluable networking and connection with leaders from other organizations pursuing similar missions around the state, leading to collaboration and a more significant community impact.
In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Helen Bader Institute (HBI) for Nonprofit Management, UW-Milwaukee faculty and alumni discuss the value of graduate education in nonprofit management and the impact UWM and HBI have had on the nonprofit community of Milwaukee and beyond.
Thanks to the generous support of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin (UEDA), Nonprofit Lift is seeking a Communications & Website Support Associate!
An individual or firm is sought for this remote contracted opportunity passionate about helping nonprofits and enjoys utilizing technology to connect people and resources. The position’s primary role is to provide promotion and engagement, administrative management, and client support services for the Nonprofit Lift website and consultant directory.
An ongoing contract relationship (UEDA is the fiscal sponsor for the position and will administer the contract) with an individual or firm that can offer approximately 5-6 hours per week of remote project support is sought. The contracted individual or firm will provide their own access to a computer and internet connection. Compensation is $45/hour. Interested parties can find all details on this opportunity here.
Please help us spread the word about this important position for Nonprofit Lift’s work to build ongoing nonprofit capacity in the Greater Milwaukee Region!
UWM microcredentials offer specific skills in nonprofit management ‘a la carte’
August 19, 2022Bryce Lord
Beginning this fall, UWM will offer microcredentials in eight sought-after skill areas of nonprofit management. To earn this new graduate-level credential, students take a cluster of three courses focused on a specific topic, which they can complete in under a year and a half. Completion comes with a badge that nonprofit leaders can use on a resume or LinkedIn account as evidence of competency.
“This is a way for people to get training in a much more concentrated form without having to make a larger investment, in a longer time frame,” Lord said. “The microcredentials are creating an ‘a la carte’ system for learners.”
Besides fundraising, UWM will offer microcredentials in seven other nonprofit-specific skill areas: nonprofit governance, nonprofit advocacy, nonprofit financial management and accountability, nonprofit marketing, nonprofit innovation, nonprofit technology, and nonprofit administration.
It started with an idea. It gathered traction with an engaged university/community
partnership. It grew with an unwavering commitment to be the very best. And it flourished with hard work and diligence.
Today, the Helen Bader Institute (HBI) for Nonprofit Management at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) is proud to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Established in 2001, the mission of HBI was clear: to improve nonprofit organizations’ leadership and effectiveness through education, research, and community engagement.
With its 20th anniversary, HBI is pleased to present its HBI Impact Report 2022. This publication provides information on the accomplishments, educational programs, research initiatives, and nonprofit community support developed by HBI over the years.
In this two-day, fully-online, hands-on workshop, you will learn the main parts of a grant proposal. You will write several of those parts of the proposal during the class and get feedback on them from experts and peers. You’ll also learn how to find potential funders for your project, and you’ll learn what those funders look for in a proposal and what they don’t like to see.
Last May’s workshop filled up fast. Don’t miss out this time around!
What will you learn?
Understand how to write a grant proposal for your own project
Create a basic budget to use in your grant proposal
Find potential grant funders for your proposal using Foundation Directory
Learn what grant funders want in a proposal and the biggest red flags from their perspective.
Who should attend?
Board members
CEOs, executive directors, upper management
Fundraising & development staff
Grant writers
All levels of experience
Bonus materials
A 70-page workbook with worksheets and example
Downloadable templates for preparing your proposal
Upcoming Resource for Greater Milwaukee Nonprofits
We are excited to share an upcoming resource for nonprofits in the Greater Milwaukee Region, which we have been working on as part of Nonprofit Lift, a collaboration of local intermediary and philanthropic organizations (detailed below) that formed last year.
In response to feedback from local nonprofits, Nonprofit Lift will be launching a website later this spring where nonprofits in the Greater Milwaukee Region can easily find resources for capacity-building, including a directory of consultants.
Before Nonprofit Lift launches the website publicly to nonprofits, it invites consultants to nonprofits in the Greater Milwaukee Region to create a free listing for themself on the consultant directory.
Does your organization work with a nonprofit consultant? Please share this information so that they can follow up and be included in the directory!
Nonprofit Lift is a collaboration of the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at UW-Milwaukee, Jobs That Help, Project Pivot, the Nonprofit Academy of Wisconsin, Nonprofit Management Fund, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin, and Create Wisconsin (formerly Arts Wisconsin).
Reassessing Nonprofit Capacities and Leadership During the COVID-19 Crisis
Many nonprofits have expressed concerns that an extended period of revenue uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and a significant change in operations required to sustain services during the pandemic jeopardizes nonprofits’ ability to promptly address vital human needs and make progress toward the mission. Nonprofit scholars and practitioners demonstrate that nonprofit responses to a fiscal shock involve a complex set of managerial decisions meant to balance actions for obtaining resources required to fill revenue gaps and maintain the delivery of services and programs at their total capacity. The HBI Summer Colloquium Series presents four academic studies focused on nonprofit responses to the initial impact of the revenue crisis caused by the pandemic (April – August 2021). Although each study looks at nonprofit performance and decision-making from a different analytical perspective, all studies shed light on how the nonprofit organizations from Wisconsin responded to the crisis and what organizational and contextual factors influenced the decision outcomes.
Erica Ceka, Asst. Professor, Department of Public & Nonprofit Administration
Douglas Ihrke, Executive Director, Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management
Summary: This study assesses factors that influence nonprofit decisions to reduce staff to cope with revenue uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The results confirm earlier findings on the importance of fiscal conditions on nonprofit capacity to sustain its workforce after the initial revenue shock. The findings also reveal that despite revenue uncertainties, nonprofits will be less likely to reduce staff when there is an increased demand for services offered to marginalized groups. However, the results indicate that the involvement of board members in planning will increase the probability of a layoff decision.
Erica Ceka, Asst. Professor, Department of Public & Nonprofit Administration
Lora Warner, Assoc. Professor, UW-Green Bay, Public & Environmental Affairs Department
Summary: This study investigates whether access to the Paycheck Protection Program increases the capacity of nonprofit organizations to resume services after the initial impact of COVID-19 and sustain their operations and workforce for at least 12 weeks. The results reveal that the loan recipient nonprofits report significantly greater capacity to fund payroll and continue service delivery than the non-recipients. However, the study does not confirm a significant effect of the Paycheck Protection Program loans on the capacity of Wisconsin nonprofits to resume services after the initial fiscal impact.
Erica Ceka, Asst. Professor, Department of Public & Nonprofit Administration
Douglas Ihrke, Executive Director, Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management
Bryce Lord, Associate Director, Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management
Summary: This study analyzes conditions that facilitate nonprofit decisions to collaborate with local governments and nonprofits during the COVID-19 crisis. The study results demonstrate that nonprofits are more likely to collaborate with other nonprofits when they can fund the payroll, are highly concerned about the inability to reach vulnerable groups, and when demands for services offered to vulnerable groups are increasing. The findings also show that decisions to initiate collaborations with local governments are more likely to be implemented when nonprofits report higher demands for their services and are more concerned about their inability to pay rent or mortgage. Further, the findings reveal that the involvement of board members has a significant effect on nonprofit decisions to initiate collaborations with nonprofits and local governments.
Erica Ceka, Asst. Professor, Department of Public & Nonprofit Administration
Douglas Ihrke, Executive Director, Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management
Alexis Nehmer, MS Candidate, Urban Studies, Department of Public & Nonprofit Administration
Summary: This study analyzes the connection between nonprofit capacity to adapt during uncertain times and significant performance concerns experienced by the nonprofits at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings show that nonprofits’ concerns about their performance at the mission level are subjective to their technical capabilities to transition their services to the virtual space, employees’ competencies, and characteristics of nonprofit beneficiaries. In addition, the results report that nonprofits’ concerns related to their fiscal performance are conditioned by nonprofits ’capacities to generate new revenue streams or services. The findings suggest that even if innovative tactics and competent human resources are critical for nonprofit performance, the development of adaptive capacity begins with visionary and strategic leadership.
In this two-day, fully-online, hands-on workshop, you will learn the main parts of a grant proposal. You will write several of those parts of the proposal during the class and get feedback on them from experts and peers. You’ll also learn how to find potential funders for your project, and you’ll learn what those funders look for in a proposal and what they don’t like to see.
What will you learn?
Understand how to write a grant proposal for your own project
Create a basic budget to use in your grant proposal
Find potential grant funders for your proposal using Foundation Directory
Learn what grant funders want in a proposal and the biggest red flags from their perspective.
Who should attend?
Board members
CEOs, executive directors, upper management
Fundraising & development staff
Grant writers
All levels of experience
Bonus materials
A 70-page workbook with worksheets and example
Downloadable templates for preparing your proposal
Please tell us what you need to increase your organization’s impact. Your insights will help us identify and increase the capacity supports available to nonprofit leaders around the state. The survey should take about 15-20 minutes to complete, and all survey participants can enter a raffle to win $100 gift cards!
