August 22, 2024

We are excited to encourage everyone to attend the Interact for Health's “Our Health, Our Opportunity” launch.  This free event will be held on September 12 from 4p-6p at The Grand in Covington, KY.  Interact for Health will launch the report with the author of The Sum of Us, Heather McGhee. Join this important discussion on the role we can play in improving our community's health. Register here.

In partnership with local nonprofits and our sponsors, GC Nonprofit News strives to create a more informed, open and connected community by sharing nonprofit news, job openings, and resources. 

We hope everyone is having a great summer! Stay connected and informed by reading GC Nonprofit News every week. Jane😊



Jane Page-Steiner, Owner & Publisher – jane@gcnonprofitnews.com

Kelli Tarantino, Editor - kelli@gcnonprofitnews.com

*Reminder: Please submit your news by 2pm on Tuesday and jobs by 10am on Wednesday for Thursday's issue of GC Nonprofit News. Jobs submitted after 10am on Wednesday will appear in the following week's eNews.



How to Successfully Execute Your Strategic Plan

by Ricky Chilcott

“Strategic plan execution” might sound like a big, scary monster, but it doesn't have to be. Think of it as the fun bridge that connects your vision to real-world results. Sure, there are a few moving parts, and you might have hit some roadblocks before — like overly complex plans, limited resources, uncertainty, communication hiccups and plain old resistance to change.

But guess what? You can totally simplify this process! In doing so, you’re less likely to put it on a shelf and then end up ghosting your strategic plan.

Here are four easy (and fun) tips to streamline your strategic plan execution and empower your team to smash those goals with confidence and clarity.

1. Calendar Magic: Your New Best Friend

Keeping track of meetings is a cornerstone of executing your strategic plan. Regular meetings help maintain momentum, foster communication and ensure everyone is on the same page. Here’s how.

• Set regular meetings. Schedule recurring strategic planning meetings to review progress, tackle challenges and celebrate wins. We suggest planning out a year’s worth of meetings in advance. Here’s a handy template for suggested meetings throughout the year. Remember, you can adjust as needed, but setting placeholders in everyone’s calendars ahead of time ensures the team stays connected to your strategic plan.
• Agenda and minutes. Always distribute an agenda before each meeting and document minutes to track decisions and action items. Share these with your team afterward to keep everyone in the loop.
• Track and discuss progress. Keep the agenda focused on sharing successes (i.e., “what’s working”), challenges (i.e., “what’s not working”) and pivots (i.e., “what you’re going to do differently going forward”). 
• Celebrate success. Make sure you celebrate success as a team, stay positive and celebrate the accomplishments.

2. Bite-Sized Tasks: Make Projects Manageable

Big projects can feel like climbing a mountain, but breaking them down into smaller, manageable tasks makes everything easier and way less stressful. 

Here are some tips:

• Break-up tasks. Split projects into clear, actionable tasks with specific goals and deadlines.
• Assign task owners. Each task should have a designated owner responsible for its completion. Include start and due dates so everyone knows what's expected from the start.
• Track progress. Use task management tools to monitor progress and tweak plans as necessary to stay on track.

3. Tech to the Rescue: Monitor, Evaluate and Communicate

Technology is helpful for monitoring and evaluating the progress of your strategic plan. It provides real-time insights and helps with informed decision-making.

If you don’t know where to start, here are my recommendations.

• Strategy execution software. Use a tool like Causey to host your plan, monitor project timelines, measure metrics and track task/goal completion.
• Try artificial intelligence (AI). AI can help build your plan (or suggest changes) by assessing your organization and benchmarking common goals. It can track progress, analyze data and provide insights on resource allocation. Just remember to verify the information AI provides.
• Make it pretty. Occasionally, communicate your plan’s progress externally — to your funders, key constituents and partners — using tools like Zeck or Canva.

4. Automate the Boring Stuff: Focus on What Matters

Automation frees up valuable time and resources, letting your team focus on high-impact strategic initiatives. Start by identifying repetitive but essential tasks — these are the processes that could benefit from being sped up through automation. Once you’ve pinpointed these tasks, consider implementing automation tools for activities such as email marketing, data entry and report generation. 

Using automation tools, you can redirect the time and resources saved toward more strategic activities, ultimately driving greater impact and efficiency for your organization.

By following these four tips, your organization can turn strategic plan execution from a daunting task into an achievable, fun process. Calendars for meetings, manageable tasks, tech for monitoring and evaluation, and automation for repetitive tasks will keep your team focused, efficient, and on track to achieve your mission.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Andy Swallow, President and CEO, Bethesda Foundation, is assuming the same role with the Good Samaritan Foundation. Swallow plans to continue his position with Bethesda Foundation.

The Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit News is accepting 2024 Sponsorships. Learn more here and contact us to schedule a discovery call.

We're thrilled to announce that this year's Ohio River Paddlefest weekend raised $135,000 for Adventure Crew. Thanks to all of you who came out to support us by attending the Outdoors for All Expo, paddling in Paddlefest, or volunteering to make the weekend a success. We love that we not only get to put on such a fun community event, but once it's over, all of those funds support Adventure Crew's mission of connecting city teens with nature and each other through outdoor adventures.

Queer Kentucky received two grants to scale their programming as they continue to expand into NKY. The group received $50,000 from SHIFT to expand access to harm reduction resources as well as create a series of stories to educate members of the community and erase stigma. Queer Kentucky also received $20,000 from The Charles and Jack Fund to connect more LGBTQ+ youth (18-24) with their storytelling programming.

Africa Fire Mission is delighted to announce that the LION Foundation has provided a grant that will provide initial funding for us to employ an additional full-time Fire Safety Advocate in Africa.

Price Hill Will’s 20th Birthday Party and Fundraiser was such a special event. 150 guests came out to show their love for Price Hill. Including Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney and Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, who recognized August 1st, 2024, as Price Hill Will Day in Cincinnati. Over $80,000 was raised. These funds will help us continue our mission to improve the quality of life for all residents of Price Hill.

The 7th Annual Festival of Faiths will be held Sunday, August 25, noon to 5:00pm at the Cintas Center at Xavier University. Learn more here.

Learning Grove’s early learning center at RiverCenter has again been recognized as an accredited center through the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC). By achieving accreditation, Learning Grove at RiverCenter provides a high-quality program for children, professional development opportunities for staff, and an environment for children that is conducive to their individual growth and development that exceeds state licensing requirements.

People Working Cooperatively (PWC) has announced that it is the recipient of 14 grants, five of which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Farmer Family Foundation, to help continue its mission.

Best Point Education and Behavioral Health hosted a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Western & Southern Childhood and Wellness Center on Tuesday, August 13th. The new, state-of-the-art, two-story building will not only enhance the ability to provide critical therapeutic wellness services but will also house early childhood education programs, expanding early childhood and therapeutic programs to serve more than 200 children and families.

PIE (Partnership for Innovation in Education) recently received $250,000 from Ohio Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation Industry Sector Partner Fund, with a matching $125,000 in community matching funds ($375,000) for our work preparing Cincinnati's underserved youth for Advanced Manufacturing, Electric Vehicles and Aerospace Jobs.

PIE recently received $20,000 from The City of Cincinnati, Interact for Health and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation for our workforce and education program preparing Cincinnati's underserved youth for Advanced Manufacturing, Electric Vehicles and Aerospace Jobs.

The Warren County Foundation and ArtsWave will be co-hosting the first Warren County Arts Summit on September 13, 11:30am-1:00pm at the Manor House. This event will be focused on sharing opportunities for funding support for Warren County arts from ArtsWave and the Warren County Foundation. Find additional information and registration here.

The HealthPath Foundation of Ohio (HealthPath) is now accepting letters of intent (LOI) for multi-year grant investment projects related to our three result areas: Oral Health, Healthy Ohioans, and Age-Friendly Communities. From these letters of intent, HealthPath will invite selected organizations to submit full proposals. In the past, grant awards have ranged from around $10,000 to $87,000 annually over a three-year periodcontingent on year-end reporting. HealthPath’s shift to multi-year funding is a direct result of hearing feedback from grantees over the past several years and supports HealthPath’s commitment to Trust-Based Philanthropy. Contact abby.haynes@healthparthohio.org with questions. LOIs are accepted until noon on August 30 through our online application portal.

GiveCamp is a weekend-long event (October 11-13) where software developers, designers, database administrators, project managers and creative professionals donate their time to create software and web-based applications for non-profit organizations. The first step is to apply here. 

Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) has many ways of investing in the community, some of these ways are proactive, while some are responsive. Request for Proposals (RFP) are now being accepted in support of organizations that drive the inclusion and accessibility of people living with physical and developmental disabilities. We invite your organization to partner with us to drive equitable change in our community by applying today. 



Council on Aging presents The Impact of Opioid Misuse on Older Adults, Wednesday, September 4, 2024, 8:30am-12:15pm. This half-day conference features two workshops led by nationally respected experts who will provide practical knowledge and understanding of the complexity of opioid use in the older adult population and discuss the relationship between chronic pain and addiction. Click here to learn more about the workshops and speakers and register to attend.

We envision a future where all people are healthy and thriving, no matter who they are or where they live. Yet across our region, we tolerate lower levels of health, well-being, and longevity in our communities. Please join us September 12 from 4p-6p at The Grand in Covington, KY for Interact for Health's “Our Health, Our Opportunity” report launch & free event with the author of The Sum of Us, Heather McGhee. Register here.

Crayons to Computers welcomes volunteers to help in their warehouse organizing and restocking items. Individuals as well as groups greatly contribute to the success of their mission to level the playing field in the classroom. Find more information and sign up today. 

I'm a deadhead and a nonprofit leader: the two have a lot in common The Grateful Dead offers nonprofits lessons on how to adapt to change while staying true to their original vision.

How to flip the script on nonprofit reporting Movement leaders around the world have been calling for foundations to do more during a moment of multiple crises, particularly when it comes to being accountable to communities.

Our sponsor and partner marketplace serves to further connect our readers with our advertisers who are focused on serving nonprofits. To learn more about a sponsor's nonprofit services, click on their ad. Contact Kelli Tarantino, editor, at kelli@gcnonprofitnews.com to discover how your business or organization can become a sponsor/advertiser of the Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit News.

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