May 2012

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org 2

We are proud to work with you to achieve

ACE’s mission and vision together:

Mission: Strengthen Arkansas Nonprofits

Vision: A strong, vibrant, united and effective

nonprofit sector that is well positioned to

meet the diverse needs of all Arkansans.

Our Core Values: Best Practices | Inclusive |

Unity in Diversity | Connecting & Equipping |

Statewide Vision | Regional Approach

Nominate a Buiness for Northeast Arkansas

Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation

now through June 15

Who’s doing good in your community? Each year Arkansas Community Foundation recognizes local businesses that are committed to good citizenship and worthy philanthropic endeavors. Our Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation of the Year awards are presented at the annual Arkansas Business of the Year ceremony hosted by Arkansas Business. This year, in partnership with Arkansas Business, we're also selecting a Northeast Arkansas regional winner for the Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation award, which will be presented at the second annual Northeast Arkansas Business of the Year ceremony on September 20 at the ASU Convocation Center in Jonesboro. Eligibility: Any for-profit business in the Northeast Arkansas region. (Nonprofit and governmental organizations are not eligible for this award.) We're looking for businesses that show a commitment to community service in Northeast Arkansas through corporate giving, community leadership and/or employee volunteerism. Eligible Counties Include: Craighead, Greene, Crittenden, Poinsett, Jackson, Independence, Mississippi, Cross, Randolph, Lawrence, Sharp, St. Francis or Clay

Nomination Process: Submit nominations now through June 15,

2012. Click here for the nomination form.

IN THIS EDITION

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10-11

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Greetings from ACE

Upcoming

Trainings and Events

Member

Spotlight

Federal and State

Policy Updates

Grants Corner

Resources & Other

Links

Contact Us

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence:

Helping Nonprofits Help Arkansas

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org 3

GREETINGS FROM ACE

You’re Invited…

~~~ Arkansas Coalition for Excellence is excited to

welcome our new executive director,

Stephanie Meincke

Please join us for a reception in honor of Stephanie

and enjoy refreshments and networking

with your nonprofit friends and colleagues.

June 7, 2012

4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ACE Office

Located in the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation offices

200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100

Little Rock, AR 72201

Please R.S.V.P. to rzimmermann@acenonprofit.org or call 501.375.1225.

To learn more about ACE’s new executive director,

click here to read Stephanie’s full resume.

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

UPCOMING TRAININGS, EVENTS &

PROGRAMS

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Arkansas Coalition for Excellence

Summer Tech Series

Member Benefits—Tech Edition

In this webinar learn more about ACE online benefits that will help strengthen your organiza-

tion’s funding sources, data management, online conferencing, websites, risk management

policies, and tech knowledge. Hear from the following representatives - ReadyTalk, Grant-

Station, Firespring, Nonprofit Risk

Management Center, and Idealware.

Tuesday June 19

12:00p.m.-1:00p.m.

Webinar– online and by phone

FREE

Register Here

Life in the Clouds

Nonprofits are increasingly looking to cloud computing (an internet server) as a way to

save, edit, and manage files online. But what exactly is a cloud? Is it safe to use? What are

the benefits and drawbacks of clouds? Find out in this workshop lead by Whitney

Montague.

Ms. Montague has twenty-five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including

nonprofit management, environmental resource management, and web-based marketing

and management. A civil engineer by training, Ms. Montague authored many articles on

environmental protection, watershed management, and sustainable development. With a

specialty in mathematical modeling of natural systems, she has spoken around the country

on the use of technology in non-traditional settings. Through her consulting firm,

Quiddity, Inc. Ms. Montague currently lectures and consults provided a variety

of web-based support services to small nonprofits, including online membership

management, conference registration support, and website development.

Monday, June 25

12:00-1:00

Webinar– online and by phone

Free

Register Here

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

UPCOMING TRAININGS, EVENTS &

PROGRAMS

5

Quickbooks Basic and Intermediate

Quickbooks most likely plays a central role in your organization’s financial tracking, but

unfortunately it can be difficult to navigate. This great workshop will be taught at both basic and

intermediate level to help you understand the ins and outs of Quickbooks. The workshops will cover the

following topics:

Getting Started| Setting Up QuickBooks | Working with Lists | Working with Bank Accounts|

Using Other Accounts in QuickBooks | Entering Sales Information | Receiving Payments and Making

Deposits | Entering and Paying Bills| Analyzing Financial Data | Customizing Forms and Writing

QuickBooks Letter

Conducted by. Paul A. Bax

Paul brings experience, skill and expertise in financial management of

small businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Holding positions such as

chief accountant, accounting manager, auditor and controller in various

companies, Paul gained basic understanding from both the operational

and management perspective. He has been in the accounting field for

over twenty (25) years. Currently, Paul provides accounting and income

tax services to individuals and small businesses. He also offers QuickBooks

training and facilitates seminars and workshops in the area of financial

management. His practice has provided services to over 300 small

businesses and not-for-profit organizations and has prepared over 1,000

tax returns, both individual and corporate.

Basic Quickbooks Intermediate Quickbooks

Tuesday July 3 Tuesday July 17

1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Little Rock Little Rock

Cost: $60 for ACE Members $85 nonmembers Cost: $60 for ACE Members $85 nonmembers

Register Here Register Here

Online Communications Strategy 101

Still haven’t quite mastered social media, e-mail blasts, and e-newsletters? Have trouble integrating new

trends in technology to your overall communications strategy? In this workshop learn important tools and

goals to utilize online communications. And learn how to create an online community of volunteers, do-

nors, staff, and even clients that will help to form a solid base of support for your organization.

Conducted by. Rebecca Zimmermann–

ACE Membership and Communications

Coordinator– AmeriCorps VISTA

Thursday, August 2

12:00p.m.-1:00p.m.

Webinar– online and by phone

FREE

Register Here

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

Webinars

Now is the Time– Mobilize Your Board to Raise Funds: Part 1

Board members today no longer have the option of saying "I don't fundraise." In this webinar, Judi Margolin

provides tools to incentivize board members and help them become more comfortable with the

fundraising process. Participants will learn who should and should not be on your board, what policies and

structures need to be in place to facilitate fundraising by board members, and how your organization can

best achieve a state of grantseeking readiness to ensure board member success at this critical

undertaking. Nonprofit development staff and volunteers should consider attending with a member of

their board. This webinar will be held on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Part II of this series will be held on Thursday,

July 26, 2012. (These webinars may be taken individually.)

Judith Margolin is an independent consultant and workshop leader on foundations and grants. She

served as Vice President for Planning and Evaluation at the Foundation Center for a number of years. She

is the author of several books, including The Individual’s Guide to Grants and Financing a College

Education and has served as editor of multiple editions of the Foundation Center’s how-to books.

Thursday, July 12

1:00p.m.-2:30p.m.

Location: ACE Offices

Cost: $20 for ACE Members/ $35 for non-members

Register Here.

Now is the Time– Mobilize Your Board to Raise Funds: Part 2

This webinar, presented by Judi Margolin (see description above), addresses in a highly specific and

proactive way the reluctance of board members to fundraise. There are many roles that board members

can play in helping to secure financial resources for your organization, beyond simply asking for money.

The webinar identifies and fully explores each of these roles, with the goal of making your board members

far more proficient at fundraising. Practical advice is provided on developing an action plan to establish

and maintain a fully engaged fundraising board. Nonprofit development staff and volunteers should

consider attending with a member of their board. This webinar will be held on Thursday, July 26, 2012. (

Thursday, July 26

1:00p.m.-2:30p.m.

Location: ACE Offices

Cost: $20 for ACE Members/ $35 for non-members

Register Here.

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AFP Arkansas Chapter

Spinning Like a Top: 8 Secrets to Well-Oiled Fundraising Operations Webinar

ACE Members Pay AFP Member rate of $15!

To register and for more information click here.

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

MEMBERSHIP

ACE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CampFire USA

El Dorado Chapter

Thank you to all of our

new and renewing

members!

Hand Up Housing, North

Little Rock | Arkansas

Association of Correctional

Employees Trust, Cabot |

Brenda Long Mauldin Grant

Writing and Development

Consulting, LLC, Sherwood |

El Dorado Connections, El

Dorado | Compassion’s

Foundation Inc., Magonolia

| Beverly Thomas, North

Little Rock | Arkansas

Hunger Relief Alliance, Little

Rock | Malvern Brickfest,

Malvern | 13th Judicial

District CASA North, Fordyce

| Bread of Life Ministries,

Russellville | THEA

Foundation, North Little

Rock |Arkansas Women in

Agriculture, Texarkana |

Dr. Tom Bruce, Little Rock |

Arkansas Society of

Association Executives, Little

Rock |Arkansas Community

Bankers Association, Hot

Springs |Help for the

Homeless, Inc., Greenwood

|The Haven of N.E.

Arkansas, Inc., Blytheville |

Main Street West Memphis,

West Memphis | York W.

Williams, Jr. Child

Development Center Inc. |

Argenta Community

Theatre, North Little Rock |

Hot Springs Jazz Society, Hot

Springs|Our House, Inc., Lit-

tle Rock

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Camp Fire USA is a co-ed youth

development organization with

independent councils nationwide. The

El Dorado Council operates two facilities

in South Arkansas: the Camp Fire Office

which houses office space and meeting

areas, and Camp Wotapi, our 42-acre

recreational facility consisting of

campsites, a lodge, bunk house and

hiking trail. Camp Fire USA is an El

Dorado tradition which gives children and youth the opportunity to learn how to

become caring, self-reliant individuals who are responsible to themselves and the

community. El Dorado’s council received its initial charter in 1961 and has

continued to provide quality programs to area youth in numerous ways. Through

club settings, camp adventures and self-reliance courses, kids in our community

have learned about everything from how to build a campfire, how to shoot a

bow and arrow, party planning, cooking and sewing, and self-defense classes.

Most importantly, they learn how to give back to their communities through

service projects, field trips and special programs. Above all, they learn how to

make responsible choices and positive decisions. Camp Fire is committed to help

mold today’s children into tomorrow’s leaders. Our council has over 400

registered members and over 100 volunteers. We also reach an additional 200

kids through various outreach programs.

GiftWorks Donor Database is a fundraising software tool that any

organization can use to manage their financial development. ACE

members receive a 20% discount on GiftWorks software.

MEMBER BENEFIT OF THE MONTH

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY House Votes to Increase Defense Spending, Forcing More Domestic Cuts

On May 18, the House passed a bill to increase defense spending by

more than the amount requested for the Department of Defense and $8

billion more than the House agreed to last August as part of the deficit

reduction agreement. According to the Washington Post, “House

Republicans argued that they had identified non-defense [domestic]

spending to offset the increases.” A week earlier, the House passed

the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, a bill declaring that

previously agreed to automatic spending cuts to defense programs “shall

have no force or effect,” thereby shifting cuts to domestic programs

Reuters reports that the largest cuts will hit “food stamps, Medicaid

healthcare for the poor, social services block grants that fund various

programs including Meals on Wheels for the elderly.” Neither bill is

expected to pass in the Senate.

Leaders Stake Positions on Debt Limit, Spending

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) recently reiterated the

position that Republicans will not agree to increase federal

borrowing authority, known as the “debt limit,” without

spending cuts of a greater value. President Obama

responded by calling on Congress to pass a “clean”

debt-limit increase and asserting that no new deficit

reduction agreement will be reached without higher taxes

for upper-income taxpayers. Both leaders spoke last

week,presumably while looking ahead to the November

elections and the post-election traffic jam of legislation. In

addition to the debt limit, which will be reached in early 2013,

Congress is facing the 2012 expiration of the Bush-era tax

cuts, estate tax rates, the alternative minimum tax, many other tax

provisions, and the automatic across-the-board spending cuts enacted

as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Ways and Means Subcommittee Hearing

The Oversight Subcommittee of the U.S. House Ways and Means

Committee held a hearing last week to look into the operations and

oversight of tax-exempt nonprofits. Nonprofit witnesses addressed current

IRS compliance initiatives related to universities, recently enacted

reporting requirements for tax-exempt hospitals, efforts by tax-exempt

organizations to design and implement good governance standards, and

concerns about the redesigned the Form 990. The National Council of

Nonprofits submitted written testimony noting the diversity of the nonprofit

sector and recommending that Congress not impose a single set of "best

practices" on all nonprofits. This hearing was the first in a series regarding

nonprofits that the Subcommittee plans to hold.

8

Their Addiction~ Our

Recovery, Bella Vista |

Loaves & Fishes Food

Bank of the Ozarks, Inc.,

Berryville |CASA of

Crawford County, Inc.,

Van Buren |Treatment

Homes, Little Rock |

United Way of Northeast

Arkansas, Jonesboro |

HOPE Landing, Inc., El

Dorado | Quantum

Solutions, Inc., Illinois |

Fort Smith Public Library

Endowment, Fort Smith |

Arkansas Nonprofit

Services, Little Rock |

Hamiltion House Child

and Family Safety

Center, Fort Smith |

Arkansas Public

Administration

Consortium, Little Rock |

United Way of Garland

County, Hot Springs |

Arkansas County

Partners in Health,

Stuttgart |United Way of

Union County, El Dorado

| CASA of the 20th

Judicial District, Conway

|Arkansas Festival and

Events, Little Rock |

Arkansas Economic

Acceleration

Foundation, Little Rock |

Independent Living Ser-

vices, Inc., Conway |

White County Aging

Program, Searcy|

Bentonville Public School

Foundation, Bentonville|

Phase I Research and Development Grants Available

National Science Foundation The Small Business Innovation Research Program provides support to stimulate

technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small

business concerns in meeting federal research and development needs, increasing

the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering

and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and

women-owned small businesses. Proposed investigations should conform to the

interests of the high-technology investment sector and address one or more of the

following topics: biological and chemical technologies; education applications;

information and communication technologies; and nanotechnology, advanced

materials, and manufacturing. A proposal checklist and other guidance materials

are available here. Applications are accepted from May 19 to June 19, 2012.

Support for Groups Addressing Poverty Issues

Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People

The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) participates

in the empowerment of economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people

who are seeking to change the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and

injustice. SDOP currently supports groups in the United States who are oppressed by

poverty and social systems, want to take charge of their own lives, are organizing to

do something about their own conditions, and have decided that what they are

going to do will produce long-term changes in their lives or communities. Supported

projects must be presented, owned, and controlled by the groups of people who

will directly benefit from them and must address long-term corrections of the

conditions that keep people bound by poverty and oppression. Grants of up to

$20,000 are provided. Applications may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the

SDOP website to review the grant criteria.

Innovative Healthcare Initiatives Funded

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and

healthcare of all Americans. The Foundation works with a diverse group of

dedicated people and organizations to address problems at their roots and to help

make a difference on the widest scale, particularly for the most vulnerable among

us. Grants are awarded for projects in the United States and U.S. territories through

Calls for Proposals that target specific health issues. In addition, support is provided

in response to unsolicited proposals that address the Foundation's Pioneer program

area, which supports innovative ideas that push beyond conventional thinking to

explore solutions at the cutting edge of health and healthcare. Unsolicited propos-

als are reviewed throughout the year; Calls for Proposals have specific deadlines.

Visit the Foundation’s website for a list of current Calls for Proposals and detailed

information on submitting unsolicited proposals.

GRANTS CORNER

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org 9

University of Central

Arkansas Foundation,

Conway |The Oxford

American, Little Rock |

Boys & Girls Club of El

Dorado, Inc., El Dorado |

Arkansas State CASA

Association, Little Rock |

CampFire USA El Dorado

Council, El Dorado |

St. Bernard’s

Development Founda-

tion. Jonesboro |

Arkansas Repertory

Theatre, Little Rock |

Habitat for Humanity of

Saline County, Benton |

Food Bank of Northeast

Arkansas, Jonesboro|

Project Compassion, Fort

Smith| SCORE, Little Rock

| Dr. Tom Bruce, Little

Rock | Southwest Artists,

Inc., Mena | FIA-

Counting on Each Other,

Inc., Maumelle|

Interested in becoming

an ACE Member? Call or

e-mail us at 501-375-

1224 or rzimmermann

@acenonprofit.org to find

out how ACE can help

strengthen your

organization.

Find more great grants on GrantStation.com.

Get a free subscription with your ACE membership.

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

RESOURCES AND OTHER LINKS

TIP OF THE MONTH

6 Pitfalls to Avoid in Risk Management By Melanie Lockwood Herman

Is your road to a great risk management program paved with only the best of intentions? Even skilled

and experienced nonprofit leaders sometimes find their risk management efforts falling victim to internal

and external booby traps. Consider the following tips to avoid common planning pitfalls:

1. Communicate freely and visibly. An essential part of any risk management framework is

communication but, unfortunately, “communicate” is too often an afterthought. When you wait until

your risk management strategies have been fully outlined to communicate them to stakeholders, you

are setting a potentially disastrous trap for your program. When people feel uninformed or “out of the

loop,” they generally resist new ideas, programs and policies, however great they may be.

2. Shift your focus. Instead putting most of your energy into “preventing losses," shift your focus to

spend as much if not greater effort on the efficacy of response strategies and your nonprofit’s

“bounce back” ability after a major loss or crisis. Over time, every nonprofit will face their share of

losses and even crisis events. To quote former Center board member Felix Kloman, “Resilience… is the

essence of effective risk management.”

3. Start small and experiment. Consider testing new risk management activities, policies or processes

on a small group instead of unleashing an unproven approach on your entire workforce or clientele

all at once. Better yet, involve hard-to-please constituents in the design of any new risk management

activity. Those involved in early versions of your approach will likely be your most effective

ambassadors once the plan is rolled out.

4. Keep it simple. When you aim for simplicity in your risk management policies you do yourself and

those who must comply with those policies an invaluable favor. As you review draft policies, identify

words, phrases and sections that are unnecessary and therefore can be deleted, rather than asking,

“what’s missing?” or “what else could we include?”

5. Embrace redundancy. A risk management program aimed at protecting a nonprofit’s mission,

financial assets and vulnerable program participants should include overlapping strategies to avoid

any single point of failure. Like a car with anti-lock brakes, a camera on the rear bumper, always-on

headlights, and side-impact airbags, a “safe” program has built-in redundancies. Never rely on a

single policy, staff person or piece of equipment to keep your mission, people and facilities safe.

6. Strive for feedback, not perfection. The delay in rolling out many risk management strategies is often

due to the desire to create the “perfect” solution that will be widely embraced. Instead of

over-thinking your approach, build easy-to-access feedback mechanisms into your programs which

encourage others to make suggestions… or to submit complaints.

Following these six tips will help you make your risk management policies “stick” and also help you

avoid common pitfalls inherent in the design, launch and implementation of a risk management

program.

Melanie Lockwood Herman is Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. She wel-

comes your ideas about any risk management topic, feedback on this article and questions about the

Center’s resources atMelanie@nonprofitrisk.org or (202) 785-3891. The Center provides risk management

tools and resources at www.nonprofitrisk.org and offers consulting assistance to organizations unwilling

to leave their missions to chance.

10

Arkansas Coalition for Excellence | 200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100 | Little Rock, AR 72201 | 501.375.1223 | www.acenonprofit.org

TIP OF THE MONTH

JOBS CENTER

Executive Director– Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund

Communications Intern– Arkansas Coalition for Excellence

Director of Programs– Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation

Project Coordinator– East Arkansas Planning and Development District

Major Gifts Officer– American Red Cross

Major Gifts Associate– American Red Cross

Executive Assistant– American Bankers Association

Grants Coordinator– Arkansas Department of Human Services

VISTA Volunteer– Argenta Community Development Corporation

Create a JOBTARGET account on our site to post your organization’s open positions.

ACE members post for free!

11

Help Your E-mail Reach Its Destination

Some email will simply never reach its destination—it might go to a bad address, get caught in a spam

filter, or routed to a “junk” folder where it’s deleted or overlooked. This can be frustrating for nonprofits

who work hard to nurture a list of email addresses. How can you help ensure people receive the emails

you send them?

Mail server administrators subscribe to blacklists run by organizations that create a database of com-

puters and domains known to send spam. Every time a mail server sends an email, these lists catalog the

domains and IP addresses—the numeric code that designates a particular computer—and recommend

which should be denied. Mail servers basically check incoming emails against these databases and re-

ject those from a “bad” source. Getting off one of these lists is relatively difficult, and can take some

time.

You can get on this list pretty quickly, however, if lots of people flag your email as spam. You can also

get on it through guilt by association—if you’re using a broadcast email tool, you’re sharing an email

server with other organizations and businesses whose bad behavior has the potential to negatively influ-

ence your email deliverability. The content and layout of your individual emails can also have an impact

on deliverability.

Email can be flagged as spam either automatically, as by an automated scanner installed on the recipi-

ents’ mail servers or at one of the routing points along the messages’ journey, or manually when recipi-

ents mark it as spam using their email software. Preventing these from happening is one of the most criti-

cal ways to ensure your messages get through. Equally important is that if a lot of people flag your emails

as spam, your entire email domain is tagged as a “spammer.” It can be very difficult to change that,

which will affect all your email to all recipients, not just broadcast messages to the person who marked

them as spam.

Read more.

Thank you for reading this month’s edition of our

newsletter. Questions or Comments? Contact us.

Emily Ingram,

Interim Director

eingram@acenonprofit.org

Rebecca Zimmermann

Membership & Communications

Coordinator, AmeriCorps VISTA

rzimmermann@acenonprofit.org

Located within the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation Offices

200 River Market Avenue, Suite 100

Little Rock, AR 72201

(501) 375-1223

www.acenonprofit.org

Helping Nonprofits Help Arkansas