Please check the United Way of King County training calendar for dates and locations.

How to Recruit Volunteers On-line

Learn how to use United Way's online tool "Volunteer Solutions" to more effectively recruit volunteers.  In addition to saving recruitment time, this tool can help you track volunteer hours, track referral information, link to corporate internal websites, and more.   Come and learn more about how you can be more effective in your use of Volunteer Solutions

Effective Volunteer Program Management 101: A Course for Volunteer Management Professionals

This 14.5-hour series is offered to meet the special needs of Volunteer Program Managers with less than two years experience. More experienced coordinators seeking "refresher" training are also welcome. The seminar provides an overview of the components of successful volunteer programs, identifies resources for future development and provides great networking opportunities. The session is offered as two full-day sessions. Topics will include:

• Roles of the Volunteer Program Manager
• Job Descriptions
• Recruitment and marketing your program
• Strategies for matching jobs and volunteers
• Volunteer orientation and training
• Supervisory skills
• Recognition
• Evaluation techniques
• Network with other coordinators

Getting Your Board Members to Raise Money Joyfully*

Non-profit board members have good intentions, but get paralyzed when put to the test. This class will offer practical, easy, no-cost steps that will help your board members engage in successful fundraising in ways that fit within their skillset, style, time and comfort zone.  By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Understand who your hottest prospects are
• Articulate several cultivation tactics for warming up prospects
• Name involvement opportunities for potential donors
• Know how to initiate a conversation or solicitation with a donor

Trainer:  Susan Howlett has been raising money for non-profits for 25 years, as board, staff, volunteer and consultant.  She teaches in UW's Fundraising Certificate Program and Bellevue Community College's Non Profit Management Program, and speaks, trains and consults nationally.  Her trainings incorporate humor, use-today practical tips and helpful examples from hundreds of successful clients.

Board Retreats that Effect Lasting Change*

Trainer:  Susan Howlett has been raising money for non-profits for 25 years, as board, staff, volunteer and consultant.  She teaches in UW's Fundraising Certificate Program and Bellevue Community College's Non Profit Management Program, and speaks, trains and consults nationally.  Her trainings incorporate humor, use-today practical tips and helpful examples from hundreds of successful clients.

Board-Centered Leadership for EDs:  How to Have the Board You Want 

Many executives share universal frustrations about board productivity and performance.  Yet, few executives fully understand their role and importance in developing an effective, high performing board.  This workshop examines common leadership mistakes and attitudes of executives that are detrimental to boards and impact their ability to lead.  Participants will explore the principles of board-centered leadership and executive accountability that support, enhance and encourage boards to be at their best.  The training focuses on the following topics:

• The five principles of board centered leadership and how they influence board behavior,
• How to strategically focus your board on issues of substance rather than day-to-day concerns,
• The components of executive accountability critical to a board's success,
• Specific ways to improve and strengthen the board-executive partnership.

The seminar is based in case study and will offer much interaction and application to your specific situations. This seminar is open to Executive Directors only.

Trainer:  Amanda Madorno, Principal of Roam Consulting, specializes in developing nonprofit leaders at the board and executive level.  As an executive coach, she works with executives and senior-level staff to develop their leadership potential and achieve optimal performance.  Sought after by agencies in transition, Amanda also serves regularly as an interim executive.  In this role she works with boards to master the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by a leadership change.  

It's Your Turn:  The Role of the Board Chair*

Participants will learn about the role and responsibility of the board chair in strengthening and improving the leadership work of the board as a whole. This session is particularly designed for executive directors and new chairs or chair-elects. If you have a lot of experience as a Chair, this may not be for you.  Please note: We have designed this session to focus specifically on the role of the Board Chair. This session will not cover overall board roles and responsibilities, board development, recruiting, orientation, and other board-related issues. 

This session will provide participants with the information they need to:

• Understand their role as board chair
• Run effective meetings
• Manage conflict and group process

Trainer:  Amanda Madorno, Principal of Roam Consulting, specializes in developing nonprofit leaders at the board and executive level.  As an executive coach, she works with executives and senior-level staff to develop their leadership potential and achieve optimal performance.  Sought after by agencies in transition, Amanda also serves regularly as an interim executive.  In this role she works with boards to master the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by a leadership change. 

Advanced Volunteer Management: Keeping Volunteers

Volunteer programs depend on the motivation of the people who volunteer.  When the volunteer work experience fulfills the motivational needs of the individuals, volunteers will feel good about their work experience, will do their best to make the organization effective and will keep coming back.  This seminar equips managers with skills in diagnosing and nurturing an organizational climate that promotes enthusiastic performance.  Sub-topics include, enhancing volunteer self-esteem, empowering volunteers, creating teamwork, tapping volunteer motivation, and the role of the organization’s systems in promoting or blocking a positive atmosphere.

Trainer:  Rick Lynch

The Leadership of Letting Go: How to Strengthen Your Organization and Depart with Grace

We all hear the nonprofit trend reports that executive transitions will be an increasingly common aspect of organizational life in the next several years.  The nonprofit sector has only just begun to anticipate the generational shift of leadership in its directors, boards, and staff members. For executives and boards that don't plan ahead, this can be a rocky - even perilous time - for a nonprofit.  

In this session you'll learn how to prepare for executive transitions as a regular part of organizational planning, and how to be intentional about your organization's leadership needs. This session will give board members and seasoned executive directors useful tips and guidelines for emergency and long-term succession planning, growing leadership from within, and how to lead today as if you were leaving tomorrow.

Trainer:  Amanda Madorno, Principal of Roam Consulting, specializes in developing nonprofit leaders at the board and executive level.  As an executive coach, she works with executives and senior-level staff to develop their leadership potential and achieve optimal performance.  Sought after by agencies in transition, Amanda also serves regularly as an interim executive.  In this role she works with boards to master the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by a leadership change. 

Avoiding Decision Traps:  How to Set Up Effective Decision-Making Processes*

Explore decision making approaches and decision traps - ways our brains work that complicate decision-making. An example is the "recency effect:" We remember what happened last week better than what happened last year. Another is "confirmation bias," the tendency to look for evidence which supports pre-existing beliefs, and to discount evidence which does not.  This workshop will explore ways to help boards and leaders avoid these traps when making critical decisions and set up processes that support effective decision making.  

Trainers: Nancy Long & Jim Pullen
Nancy Long is executive director of Executive Service Corps. Nancy has expertise in strategic planning, organizational development, public policy, marketing to underserved populations, and process design for effective decision-making. She was the Vice-president of Strategy and Organizational Development at Group Health Cooperative and the Director of Quality for the Washington State Hospital Association and Washington Health Foundation. Her experience with nonprofit organizations includes being the Director of Planning, Marketing, and Community Services for Pac-Med, a founder of the Cross-Cultural Health Care Program, and various roles with community health clinics. She has a Masters degree from the Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Washington. She has led nonprofit boards and organized coalitions of community organizations and was chair of the Seattle Planning Commission.

Jim Pullen has served as Vice-President at Frank Russell Company, the world's largest pension consulting company, led acquisitions for a private cable company and later held senior positions in Internet start-ups in areas as various as freight optimization, patent processing, mortgage banking and supply chain management.  For a few years he owned an import business specializing in art goods from Mexico. As a former corporate executive, independent business owner, and franchisee, Jim has a unique perspective on realizing possibilities.  Further, he believes that people can accomplish a great deal more than they often allow themselves to hope if they take Lincoln's advice to heart: Always bear in mind, that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing.

Decreasing and Managing Conflict in the Board Room
 

Board Recruitment and Development*

One of the most important responsibilities of nonprofit boards is board development:  renewing and strengthening the board through skills development and recruitment of talented new members. In this workshop, participants will learn:

• The three life stages of nonprofit boards and what type of board members are needed at each stage of development

• A six step process for board recruitment

• How to identify board members with the skills and experience your organization needs

• Strategies to engage and keep good board members

Trainer: Laura Pierce founded Laura Pierce Consulting in 1998.  She assists nonprofit clients with strategic planning, board development and capacity building.  In addition, she has served as Interim Executive Director for seven area nonprofits.  Over the past ten years, LPC has providing consulting services for more than 100 nonprofits, including social justice, human service, advocacy and arts organizations.  Laura also teaches nonprofit management at the UW Evans School and is the lead instructor for the UW Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management.  She earned her Masters in Public Administration from University of Washington in 1996.