Workshop in June: Strengthening & Learning from your Organizational Impact

Good afternoon SMARTies, 

There's a great workshop coming up in June! Are you struggling with knowing how to evaluate your programs in a way that is both meaningful and manageable for your organization? This workshop will provide you with key terms, concepts and insights into how to think about and use evaluation to improve programs and better communication about your impact. 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Donors Forum Large Conference Room

Register for this event

Fees: $250

Key topics include how to design or improve your evaluation process, how to collect data with measurable indicators, and key elements of process evaluation and outcome evaluation. The instructors for this workshop will be Susan Quern Pratt and Jenny Ellis Richards.  

You're Invited to Donors Forum Open House

YOU'RE INVITED to Donors Forum Open House to celebrate the re-opening of The Donors Forum Library. 

The Donors Forum Library

208 S. LaSalle St., Suite 1535

Chicago, IL 60604

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Noon - 5 p.m

The official unveiling of the newly improved space has been redesigned to include comfortable seating, improved wireless access to the database for laptop and tablet users, and additional space for conversations and meetings. During the open house, an array of treats and prizes will be offered, and as always, The Donors Forum Library staff will be available to answer questions and assist you with your research.

The Donors Forum Library is the largest collection of philanthropic and nonprofit publication and other resources in the Midwest and the second largest in the U.S. The free reference collection (you cannot check materials out) includes materials of interest to both funders and nonprofits on topics such as grant-making  grantwriting, and the leadership, management, and governance of nonprofits and funding organizations, including foundations. Learn more about Donors Forum and the array of services they provide and learn how to become a member. 

Webinars and more webinars

SMARTies, we hope you're enjoying the Fall season! There are many great upcoming webinars and workshops.

Donor's Forum is hosting a FREE workshop where you'll receive a tutorial on using prospecting databases, which you can access free in the library. You'll also receive an overview of the free reference collection of books and resources on grantwriting, individual fundraising, and nonprofit management, leadership and governance. 

When: Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Time: 12:00 am - 1:15 pm

Where: Donors Forum Library, 208 S. LaSalle, Suite 1540

Fees: Register here

Other Events of Interest

Axelson Center Fall Workshop and Webinar Series

Remember: Nonprofits with an operating budget of $1 million or less receive a 20% discount on Full-Day ($150) Half-Day ($75) workshops, and webinars ($50).

Click here to see a full list of upcoming webinars and workshops

Suggested Webinar:

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 from 12pm-1pm

Making the Ask: The Basic of Major Gift Solicitations

Mary Morten, President, Morten Group

Click here to learn more and to register. 

This webinar will provide participants with an overview of how to make a successful major gift solicitation, including structuring the meeting (who should attend, what on the agenda, flow, etc); building rapport; turning the conversation around (how to overcome objections) and making the ask

Workshop: Working with Donors to Cultivate Major Gifts

Polish the skills you need to take your individual fundraising strategies to the next level and secure major donors - Thursday, October 4, 2012.


Register now for Individual Giving 201, an advanced - level Donors Forum workshop that will help you refine your individual fundraising strategies and secure major donors. 

A major gift is a big gift - how big depends on your organization and the state of your fundraising efforts. In this half-day, advanced - level course, you'll polish the skills required to take your individual fundraising strategies to the next level. We'll help you define what a major gift means to your organization and cover the strategies you need to secure them.

Individual Giving 201: A Major Necessity - Working with Donors to Cultivate Major Gifts
Thursday, October 4, 2012
9:00am - 12:00pm
Donors Forum Large Conference Room
208 S. LaSalle, Suite 1535

$90 for organizations that belong to Donors Forum
$150 standard fee

Register Now!