Executive Director Forums are a low-effort, low-cost, and high-impact way to gather with your executive director peers and learn from each other. Each forum gives you the chance to participate in three roundtable discussions led by an experienced executive director. Participants share problems and solutions and trade tips and resources. Both sessions will occur in Pacific Tower in accordance to current "social distancing" requirements.

For more than a decade, ED Forum participants consistently report that they left with actionable information and an extra bounce in their step from networking with others in our sector. Email nancy@501commons.org if you are interested in being a discussion leader.

Upcoming ED Forums

Our King County Board Training Series runs from September to May, offering over a dozen well-reviewed sessions about governance and board development for staff and board members.  

Sessions are always held at Pacific Tower in Seattle but attendees from other counties are welcome! Cost is $45 per person and $40 for organizations that are 501 Commons members. Organizations with budgets under $1 million receive a $20 discount. Direct questions to Kendra Demuth at kendra@501commons.org.

Upcoming Board Training:

• Governance Matters: A More Powerful Board Through Policy Governance – Aug. 12, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
• Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully – Sept. 15, 9:00 a.m. to noon
• Up Your Understanding of Nonprofit Financial Statements – Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. to noon

Technology is a crucial component for the success of nonprofits to serve their missions. 501 Talks Tech is a series of FREE monthly sessions that provide information on free and low-cost technology tools that are readily available to organizations of all sizes.

Held periodically at Pacific Tower or online as a webinar, topics discussed at 501 Talks Tech include website maintenance, Google AdWords, social media, databases, search engine optimization, project management / collaboration tools, security & privacy, mobile, e-mail, and more.

Upcoming workshops:

Check back for future workshops, please.

Affordable in-depth classes designed to build up your professional skills and leadership capabilities are available through the 501 Commons Staff Development Coalition. These workshops improve how staff and executive directors work with each other and the communities they serve.

Sessions are 3-6 hours long and cover topics such as staff retention, diversity and inclusion, cultivating empathy and emotional intelligence, building leadership skills, improving communication, and handling difficult conversations. All sessions are at Pacific Tower.

Upcoming workshop:

Check back for future workshops, please.

Don’t feel like you have to wade through these tumultuous waters on your own! Watch these informative webinars presented by 501 Commons staff to help your team adjust to COVID-19, support remote workers, and collaborate across geographic distances.

• Preparing for Remote Work
• Managing and Supporting Remote Workers
• Transition to QuickBooks Online
• Remote Collaboration with Teams and SharePoint

So you made it through the process of securing a PPP loan. Whew!

Now you need to be sure you are set up to account for these funds so that you can maximize the amount of the loan that you may be able to have forgiven.

Specific rules for the process of applying for loan forgiveness are still emerging from lawmakers, so it is important to proceed with caution and stay informed as new guidance is released. In the meantime, learn from the 501 Commons Financial Services team (and other guest presenters) how to track your use of PPP loan funds so that you can maximize the amount that is forgiven by watching this 90-minute presentation on your own time.

For a busy nonprofit professional, effectively managing volunteers can seem daunting – even challenging – but with a little time and intention, you can go from being solely reactive to highly effective at engaging volunteers. This series of sessions will guide you through the critical components of setting a volunteer program up for success and provide resources for future development.

You'll have an opportunity to explore the life cycle of effective volunteer management broken into three separate sessions. Attend one session for a mini boost or all three for maximum impact.

Life Cycle of Effective Volunteer Management – Aug. 4, 11, & 18, 9:00 a.m. to noon