Senior Manager 
Nonprofit Leadership Institute 
Strengthening Individuals, Nonprofits and Communities

Application Deadline: Friday, January 25, 2008

MCN's Senior Manager Nonprofit Leadership Institute is for executive directors and senior managers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of organizational leadership and interorganization networking to strengthen organizations, the sector and communities.

Senior Managers Institute Information Format and 2008 Dates Application and Scholarship Information Faculty and Trainers FAQs Graduates and Comments

Institute Sessions and Format

Each month, your cohort of no more than 25 executive directors and senior managers from across the nonprofit sector will gather for a full day, covering topics ranging from setting leadership goals to gaining power and influence. Your experience will be draw on the expertise of the faculty and guest speakers and that of each other. Each session is a daylong session with two modules, with the exception of the 2½ day kickoff retreat for each Institute.

Participants will move through their institute with a cohort of peers. In addition, you will be paired with two other participants in a shared learning experience, and have the opportunity to form and complete your own service project to benefit your organization. 

I wish it never ended! Getting to know other nonprofit leaders over this 
period of time was priceless. The scope and depth of the topics covered was 
extremely valuable. Time away from the office to rejuvenate your soul with other
people working in the sector can't be beat.
Cindy Olson, director, Sons of Norway Foundation

2008 Dates and Topics

Kick off Retreat - March 26 - 28
Wednesday evening - March 26
Opening Reception and Welcome
The Institute will start with an opening reception and welcome. Participants should be prepared to introduce themselves and their organization. There will be large group activities followed with large group discussion, as well as individual reflection.

Thursday, March 27
Leadership Goals
Participants will start off by analyzing their learning objectives for the Senior Manager Leadership Institute. Participants will form their Action Inquiry Groups (consisting of 5 people).

Understanding Networks & Organizations
A new model of nonprofit organizational types will be introduced. Participants will be asked to identify and describe their organizational type and, based on this, how decisions are made in their organization. Faculty will introduce participants to organizational analysis and community engagement analysis concepts and tools.

Friday, March 28
Bolstering Self Awareness - Jean Hammink
Participants will assess their personal strengths and gaps, identify areas for development, and through current leadership challenges, explore new approaches and behaviors for increased personal, organizational, or sector-wide leadership effectiveness.

Friday, April 18
Money & Power
Participants will examine how revenue sources form and shape their organizational operation and will explore mapping methods that will help visualize the complex revenue streams within an organization. This will help participants to rethink organizational planning and management for their organization’s financial sustainability.

Different concepts and vocabulary of power will be explored. Participants will consider how their organization deals with organizational risk, risk taking and consequences. Various tools in helping analyze and working with power will be introduced.

Friday, May 16
Sustainability Strategies and Implementation
Participants will explore how organizations use financial information for decision making (i.e. benchmarking, tracking, forecasting, etc) as well as learn techniques of buffering, attending to mission and proactively shaping the revenue environment. Participants will probe industry norms about sustainability practices.

Community Engagement Strategies
Organizational permeability will be discussed and the unique roles of 501 (c) 3s in this regard. Also, the broad continuum of relationships and interactions that come under the heading of “community engagement” will be discussed.

Participants will discuss the multiple methods of engaging in public policy work and will understand the role of nonprofits and social change. A tool to help assess organizational assessment of public policy engagement will be implemented in this session.

Friday, June 20
Working with Governments
Participants will deepen their awarenes of the changing norms of public investments and management. Also, cultivate an understanding of public imperative and resulting "point of view" and to assess multiple ways goverment shapes nonprofit operations and identify leadership leverage points.

Thursday, July 17 (Joint sessions with Strategic Connectors)
Strategic Communications in the Context of New Information Technology
Participants will explore principles of strategic communication as well as assess and consider how to use communications more strategically in their organization. This session will be held at an off-site location that is to be determined.

Participants will learn about “new” information technology that will improve personal efficiency as well as organizational efficiency.

Thursday, August 14 (Joint morning session with Strategic Connectors)
Examining Boards
The basic theory, parameters, and different models of nonprofit governance will be explored in this session. Participants will be able to share techniques to nurture good governance behavior as well as explore the public responsibility of nonprofit board governance.

Later, participants will consider variations in executive/board relationships and share techniques for working with and developing board leadership. As well as explore the public responsibility of a nonprofit governance.

Thursday, September 18 (Joint morning session with Strategic Connectors)
Shaping Organizational Culture
Participants will increase their awareness of the role and form of culture within their organization. Participants will also learn techniques for aligning cultural factors to support mission and program and will examine organizations that are truly multicultural and bicultural in alignment with mission and vision.

Capitilizing on Talent
Participants will consider their leadership role in mentoring and caring for human resources, share experiences with managing teams as well as to explore what's "known".

Friday, October 17
Leadership for the Long Term
Participants will spend the day synthesizing the content of their entire Nonprofit Leadership Institute experience. Participants will also present their leadership projects.

To apply for the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, complete the application and return it to the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits - 2314 University Ave. W., Suite 20, St. Paul Minnesota, 55114; or fax it to 651-642-1517. 

For more information about MCN's Leadership Institute or other leadership programs, contact Bao Vang, MCN’s leadership program coordinator, at 651-757-3087
or bao@mncn.org. 

MCN's Nonprofit Leadership Institute
For Senior Managers
For Strategic Connectors
Application and Scholarship Information
Faculty and Trainers
FAQs