Creating Your Own Nonprofit
Do
you dream of starting and running your very own nonprofit? This highly
interactive, hands-on course is ideal for anyone who is interested in forming a
new nonprofit, converting an informal group to tax-exempt status, or
reorganizing an existing organization. It provides practical how-to information
about incorporation, organization, and other issues pertinent to anyone involved
with a nonprofit start-up.
No matter what level of experience you have, you're sure to find this unique
course to be a valuable source of useful strategies and industry-specific advice
that you can put to immediate use. This clear and enjoyable course, taught by an
industry veteran, will answer your every question, providing detailed
instructions describing every step you'll need to take to establish and operate
a successful nonprofit.
You'll learn how to incorporate, select a board of directors, write bylaws,
craft a mission statement, obtain tax-exempt status, develop a budget, create a
marketing plan, explore fundraising options, and more.
The course is also supplemented with useful checklists, worksheets, reading
lists, and field trips to a wide variety of online resources. By the time you
graduate, you will be well-prepared to meet the challenge of starting and
operating a successful nonprofit.
To enroll in this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, and Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do
not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each
lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space
the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
| Are you a person whose passion lies in creating an
organization that helps in an emergency? Or, are you someone who longs
to engage and encourage the human spirit? Wait! I bet you’re the one who
wants to educate while shaping values and goals! Then again, maybe your
special talent lies in promoting places, people, and things? Whatever
brings you to creating your own nonprofit; I'm here to guide your way.
In this first lesson, we’ll go over some basic nonprofit terminology.
We’ll also look at why you want to start a nonprofit and finish with
some ways to obtain your goals. In no time at all, you’ll be able to
speak exactly and professionally in the language of your peers. This is
an important first step to your full understanding of the path you seek
to follow. |
| Friday - Lesson 02 |
| What, exactly, is a mission statement and how do you
get one? That is one very astute question, and the very one we'll be
discussing in today’s lesson. We’re going to discover what a mission
statement is, how you can create one, and how you get your members to
buy in. |
| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
| The purpose of this lesson is to help you understand
how to set up a nonprofit board of directors. Boards aren't perfect, and
group dynamics can be tough. We don’t live in a perfect world; you
aren't going to get perfect results. So, it’s important for you to
understand the importance of the work that a board is called to do and
the role you'll play in helping those board members be greater than they
thought they could possibly be. By the end of this lesson, you'll
understand how to maximize your efforts into something meaningful and
productive. |
| Friday - Lesson 04 |
| The governing documents of a nonprofit are its tools
of control. Every nonprofit must use two main documents: Articles of
Incorporation and bylaws. These documents set the ground rules by which
your members and the board of directors must operate. If your
organization is ever taken to court for IRS violations, these are the
standards that the courts will judge you on. Today, you’ll create your
very own bylaws and articles. |
| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
| A variety of legal matters apply to getting your
nonprofit started. Today, we’re going to look at filing reports and
securing licenses, and delve into a few final tax issues. Some of these
concerns are governed by federal law; others by state law. You’ll also
learn how to operate your first board meeting so you can ratify your new
bylaws. |
| Friday - Lesson 06 |
| The purpose of this lesson is to help you organize
for success. Organizational planning requires effort, but there's no
cause for concern. In this lesson, you'll find out how to research,
brainstorm, discuss goals and objectives, and tactically prepare your
organization to reach its goals. We’ll cover planning in all its
glorious forms, from operating plans to strategic plans. |
| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
| The smooth functioning of a nonprofit is due to the
dedicated work of both employees and volunteers. In today’s lesson,
we’ll look at both paid and unpaid staff. To be effective, you must
become adept at recruiting and motivating your volunteers and employees.
Today's lesson will provide you with the strategies you’ll need to
succeed. |
| Friday - Lesson 08 |
| Nonprofits are expected to spend carefully, honoring
the trust others have placed in them. As a result, you need to be
especially brilliant when it comes to budgeting and living within your
means. Developing budgets that work is a critical part of your upcoming
responsibility, and you’ll explore exactly how to do that in today’s
lesson. |
| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
| Writing grant proposals, soliciting contributions,
and organizing special events are just a few of the fundraising options
new nonprofits need to investigate. Today you’ll explore why you need a
fundraising strategy, how to get one, and why the board of directors,
the executive director, members, and volunteers all have a place in the
fundraising program. |
| Friday - Lesson 10 |
| Today’s lesson is a student favorite! We'll cover the
concepts of nonprofit marketing and media relations. You'll understand
the basics of community outreach, and you’ll discover a variety of
highly effective techniques you can use to promote your nonprofit. |
| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
| The Internet is the single most popular and
cost-effective communication tool available to nonprofits. Its influence
is so great that your nonprofit will never reach its maximum potential
unless and until you incorporate the Internet into your strategy plan.
This lesson will help you understand how you can use the Internet to
reach out and tell the world who you are and what you do. |
| Friday - Lesson 12 |
| This fast-paced and important lesson will help you
understand the rules governing advocacy. Nonprofits engage in advocacy
whenever they work to change public policy. Activities such as lobbying,
protesting, or participating in partisan political activities are
clearly advocacy efforts, but you could also be accused of engaging in
advocacy if you attempt to organize people in your community, work with
the media, or educate voters, among other things. Not all nonprofits can
participate in these types of activities. Some face legal restrictions
on the kind or amount of advocacy that they can do. Today's lesson will
help you understand what you can and, perhaps more importantly, what you
cannot do. To enroll in this course, click the Enroll Now button below: |
