Outcomes Toolbox comes to Martinsburg
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Outcomes Toolbox Workshop scheduled in Martinsburg on October 15th with Dr. Robert Penna is being postponed until January/February 2015 because of other conferences running concurrently, as well as an opportunity for Dr.Penna to travel abroad to Australia.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but look forward to a productive program next year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact WVNPA Executive Director Laura Lee Haddad.
On October 15, nonprofit and foundation leaders from the Eastern Panhandle will convene at WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center for an in-depth workshop with an international expert on gauging nonprofit effectiveness.
The workshop is sponsored by the West Virginia Nonprofit Association (WVNPA) in partnership with the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle. It marks the third presentation of The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox, with Dr. Robert H. Penna, in West Virginia since April.
“Nonprofit leadership and volunteerism are critically important in identifying and turning around the many challenging issues faced by our communities and citizens,” says Pete Mulford, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle. “Dr. Penna’s Toolkit is a ‘must have’ for helping to focus our boards on creating our opportunities for change.”
“Every organization strives to deliver quality programs and services,” adds WVNPA Executive Director Laura Lee Haddad. “Outcomes and outcomes measurement help nonprofits understand whether they actually do, and it is this information that stakeholders look for before deciding to invest in a community or donate to a cause.”
Participants in the first workshop, in Sistersville this April, said they gained new insights into program planning and measuring the performance of their organizations.
“I gained tools to set a course and guide all of our staff in planning and focusing on outcomes,” said Patti Phillips, of Catholic Charities, West Virginia.
Workshop attendees in Flatwoods this May also left with praise for the one-day, intensive training.
“I have attended numerous workshops of this type before,” said Lisa DeLilly, of the New River Community and Technical College Foundation. “However, this by far has been the most interesting, engaging and useful workshop I have ever attended.”
“This changed my whole outlook on outcomes and how I need to approach projects,” added Webster County Family Resource Network’s Todd Farlow.
During the day-long workshop, Dr. Penna helps nonprofit participants gain access to the basic information they need to be able to compete in the evolving, results-based grants marketplace. Workshop participants will learn how an outcomes approach differs from more traditional, comfortable, and familiar approaches the nonprofit sector has employed in the past and gain hands-on practice developing outcome statements and outcome indicators for their programs.
Dr. Penna serves on the advisory board of Charity Navigator and works with the organization as a consultant on grants and performance measures, as its International Coordinator responsible for the development of Charity Navigator’s activities beyond the borders of the United States. He is also the outcomes consultant for the Geneva-based World Scout Bureau.
Dr. Penna’s previous work includes consulting with The Rensselaerville Institute, facilitating seminars at the Institute’s The Center for Outcomes and leading training sessions at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as well as working on such projects as the Ohio Outcome Funding Community Development effort, projects for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Geographic Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
The October 15 workshop takes place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in Martinsburg.
The workshop is open to WVNPA member organizations and non-members alike.
WVNPA member registration is $75. Non-member registration is $125. All participants will receive a copy of Dr. Penna’s book, The Nonprofit Outcomes Toolbox, a retail value of $70.00.
The workshop is also approved for six hours in the West Virginia University Continuing Education Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Workshop registration information is available on the Program Calendar at wvnpa.org or by calling WVNPA Executive Director Laura Lee Haddad at 304-667-2248.
Membership in the WVNPA is open to all 501(c)3 West Virginia nonprofit organizations.
The WVNPA is an Emerging Member of the National Council of Nonprofits and serves as a clearinghouse for a wide range of benefits, services, best practices and planning that strengthen individual organizations and, in turn, serves as a platform for agencies and other service providers to reach nonprofits. The association also works to build awareness and public support for the importance and work of nonprofits in the Mountain State.
