The Duke Nonprofit Capacity Building Training Series is designed to give those working with nonprofits skills and expertise needed to succeed in the sector - whether paid staff, volunteers, philanthropists, board of directors, faith-based communities, or individuals transitioning from the private sector. 

Eight classes are offered and students who complete all eight classes on this schedule will complete the requirement for the Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

All classes will be Virtual. There is no cost to attend.

Danville Regional Foundation sponsors the 2023 Duke Nonprofit Capacity Building Training Series. Up to 25 students are accepted into each class. Training is available to nonprofits in Danville, also in Pittsylvania County (VA) and Caswell County (NC). 

For additional information, or to register, contact Joshua Hearne, Senior Program Officer, Danville Regional Foundation, jhearne@drfonline.org, 434-483-4272.

Check the box for each class you would like to attend.

Instructor: Jeanne Allen, Ed.S.

To be successful, nonprofit organizations require strong leadership from their Board of Directors. The board responsibility is to manage the corporation which includes, but is not limited to, overseeing the senior management’s effectiveness, organizational policies and procedures, and the execution of its strategies.  

Learn the roles and responsibilities of the board, including its paramount duties, and why board accountability requires a fully engaged and active board of directors who manage the organization.  Discuss how you may increase board members’ commitment to the mission and purpose of your organization, and how boards must fulfill their legal and governance duties.  This course addresses the following topics: the board’s role and responsibilities, the board and the executive director’s relationship, financial and legal responsibilities of the board, and how to recruit and select good board members. 

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand the board’s roles and responsibilities.
• Discuss how board accountability prompted by a nonprofit’s internal and external stakeholders requires a fully engaged and active board who manages the organization.

Bio: Jeanne Allen’s expertise is Strategy, Innovation, and Leadership in the nonprofit sector. As a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer, she is an expert in board development and governance and leadership.  Jeanne also custom designs and facilitates engaging board and staff retreats, both online and in person, for nonprofits of various missions. Additionally, as an Instructor in the Duke University Nonprofit Management Certificate Program, she teaches several courses: Board Development and Governance, Strategic Planning, Succession Planning, Effective Meetings and Leadership in Nonprofits. Previously, Jeanne was Assistant Dean, Multicultural Programs at Westchester Community College, NY as well as internal consultant with Girl Scouts USA in NYC. Ms. Allen earned an Ed.S. in Instructional Systems Technology, and MS in Adult Education from Indiana University, and a BA from UNC-CH.

Instructor: Ruth Peebles, MPA

Changes in the economic environment require that nonprofit boards and staff approach their work differently in order to build capacity and ensure sustainability. This interactive course will provide participants with the most effective "best practices" that ensure greater fundraising success and sustainability. Key solicitation strategies to reach specific audiences and techniques to increase board participation in fundraising will be shared. Participants may apply creative fundraising principles and strategies based on current trends relevant to their own organizations.

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand the fundamentals of donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship.
• Understand the donor pyramid, and how fundraising strategies are adapted to appeal to donors in each part of a donor pyramid. 
• Integrate new trends in giving/philanthropy in the fundraising efforts.
• Explain the board’s role in fundraising and how to increase board engagement.
• Implement innovative fundraising strategies for securing funds.

Bio: Ruth Peebles, MPA, President of The INS Group offers over 30 years of hands‐on experience in nonprofit management, project management, fundraising and organizational development. The INS Group was founded in 1999 with the mission of helping federal, state, and local government agencies, nonprofits, and faith-based institutions use innovative solutions to build their capacity and sustain their programs and services.

Ms. Peebles is an instructor for the Duke University Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management and served as an adjunct instructor for the School of Public and International Affairs Master of Public Administration Program at North Carolina State University. Ms. Peebles currently serves on Wake County Affiliate Board of the North Carolina Community Foundation and Student U Board of Directors. She is a founding member of the Next Generation of African American Philanthropists giving circle.

Instructor: Melissa M. LeRoy

This course provides an understanding of financial management for nonprofits and focuses on topics integral to nonprofit fiscal management. Learn finance terms as they relate to the effective operation of a nonprofit organization. Discuss how to track income and expenses to specific programs to fulfill expectations of funders, donors and the IRS. The role of the board, staff, and committees are covered. Become familiar with the standards of excellence for nonprofit organizations and gain an understanding of financial statements, budgeting, and surviving an audit.

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand how to read and interpret financial reports and records.
• Gain knowledge on how to obtain the complete bottom line on programs.
• Use tools and skills to give foundations the results they ask for.
• Understand the year-end audit and 990.
   

Bio:  Melissa Metcalf LeRoy graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Entrepreneurship with minor in Business Law from Western Carolina University. She also earned a Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Management and a Duke Advanced Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership. She teaches non-profit management classes throughout North Carolina, South Carolina & Virginia. Melissa is a past board member of the NC Center for Non-Profits, and is designated as a nonprofit mentor for the western region of NC. She also contributed a TEDx talk, A Love Affair: The Art of Not Asking! and offers her services as a consultant through her firm, On Fire Non-Profit Consulting.

Instructor: Melissa M. LeRoy

Are you befuddled by financial reports? This course explores financial statements and other reports for nonprofit organizations. Develop skills in preparing reports that tell users what really matters as well as important ratios for monitoring the organization's financial health and fiscal stability. Reporting requirements of the IRS (Form 990) will also be discussed.

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand how to create and interpret the following reports and records.
  • Balance Sheet
  • Income Statement
  • Statement of Cash Flows
  • Statement of Functional Expenses
• Understand the 990.

Instructor: Chiquana Dancy, MA

What does it mean to be a leader in the nonprofit sector? The class will explore adaptive and shared leadership models. Discuss what it means to lead change, inspire a shared vision, build credibility, lead others, and build movement. 

Key Learning Objectives

• Identify and discuss key leadership skills, traits, and styles appropriate for nonprofits.
• Discuss how to apply leadership strategies, skills, and principles in a nonprofit setting.
• Reflect on student’s personal leadership philosophy & how this aligns with leading in a nonprofit organization.

Bio: Chiquana Dancy is a visionary change agent with 17+ years of leadership experience, able to engage and influence diverse stakeholders, steward strong client relationships, and optimize resources to market programs and services to broad audiences. Recognized as an ambassador for inclusivity and equity driving innovation and change, with a unique skillset in implementing programs and aligning policies to the mission and vision of the organization.

Instructor: Sarah Heinemeier, Ph,D.

As federal, state, and local dollars become more competitive, telling your board, staff, and funders about your good work takes more than story telling.  While the concept of measuring performance is not new, the development of practical ways to implement actual measures is.  This session will provide a conceptual framework of performance measurement and participants will learn how to design performance measures through data collection and analysis.

Key Learning Objectives

• Gain knowledge on the significance of performance measurement for program evaluation.
• Identify who, when, why, and how of program evaluation.
• Discuss the theory of change for designing and measuring program performance.
• Learn strategies on how to design performance measures through data collection and analysis. 

Bio: Sarah Heinemeier Ph.D. is a founding partner of Compass Evaluation and Research, Inc. Sarah became interested and started working in evaluation as a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a practitioner of collaborative and participatory evaluation, she loves interacting with groups and building capacity to use data as part of an ongoing commitment to improving conditions and outcomes for children, families, and communities. Ms. Heinemeier has a Master’s degree in Anthropology and a Doctorate in Social Foundations for Education from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Instructor: Sarah Heinemeier, Ph.D. 

Increasingly, nonprofit agencies are being asked to collect information about their activities and results as well as those of projects and agencies they fund.  This course will introduce you to the basics of developing data collection instruments that provide measurable evidence of intended outcomes. This course will cover the following topics: types of data, types of data collection instruments, question development, instrument development, sampling, analysis, and reporting.

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand basics of developing data collection instruments
• Learn strategies for tracking impact 

 

Instructor: Kelly Joyner Lee 

People support nonprofits and the causes they champion because of an emotional connection. Hope, compassion, guilt, fear, and other emotions drive people to tackle the world's problems - or support others who are working on the front lines. That's where stories come in. Facts and figures can be mind-numbing, but a story opens ears, eyes, minds and hearts. In this interactive course, you will learn how to find compelling stories about people your nonprofit is helping; tell great stories; create a story bank to pull in stories from clients and volunteers; use your stories for maximum effect. Learn tools to build stories that will not only spearhead your fundraising and advocacy efforts, but also strengthen your organization's culture and reinforce its values.

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand how to tell a compelling nonprofit story
• Learn tools to build effective story bank for your organization
   

Bio: Kelly Joyner Lee works as a Program Officer for the North Carolina Community Foundation, serving eighteen counties in Central NC. She has extensive experience in board and fund development, grant writing, small group facilitation, marketing, and nonprofit engagement in communities. Ms. Lee is the co-creator of the ‘Leading for Tomorrow Nonprofit Capacity Building Summit” and a founding member of the Women Givers of Nash-Rocky Mount.  She holds a BA in Leadership in the Public Sector from North Carolina State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and an MS in Management and Leadership from WGU North Carolina.  Lee has earned certifications in small group facilitation, nonprofit marketing, special event planning, and most recently completed training with the Disney Institute, earning a certificate in Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence.  Lee earned her Certified Fundraising Credential (CFRE) in 2019.