SVP held its second Forum: Numbers Tell the Story last week. Partners gathered both in-person and virtually to level up their skills in supporting nonprofits in Finance & Budget Planning. Using simulated organizations and related scenarios, the presentation team shared a series of carefully curated examples and tools for Partners to use in their work with nonprofit leaders. The training focused on four areas of common need among nonprofits: 1) financial reporting 2) strategic alignment and spending 3) the role of the Board in financial oversight 4) using the budget to communicate funding priorities.
This Forum was made possible by the commitment of a small, dedicated Design Forum team. The team which included Jennifer Barnes, Yona Capobianco, Andy Kaiser, Rob Martens, and Alan Sorkin, met for months leading up to the training to pool their collective wisdom, expertise, and resources. The result? A treasure chest of practical tools ready made for SVP Partners to put into action to help nonprofits address challenges related to finance and budget planning.
While the Design Forum might have been a lot of work, the process was also a lot of fun! “This was one of the most fun groups of people…it was a godsend from a COVID perspective to meet up with these brilliant folks once in a while [and talk about our work with nonprofits]” said Partner Rob Martens.
Several Partners who attended the Numbers Tell the Story Forum are currently on, or leading Spark Teams or Investee Teams. When asked if they plan to implement what they learned during the training with their nonprofit engagement, a number of hands shot up. It’s exciting to see Partners continue to improve their skills and pour into nonprofits most in need of this support. Improved Partner skills facilitate the work of SVP engagements, leading to deeper relationships with nonprofit leaders, and thereby more effective leadership in the community. “The executive directors that SVP has worked with stick around their organizations for another 5-10 years because we give them the space to breath and space to think big thoughts for the future of their organization” shared Martens.
We know the future is bright when nonprofit leaders are empowered to know and tell their story with numbers!