Issue No. #5

Hi , 

We’re kicking off the new season 🍂 with an exciting 3-part workshop series (more details below) designed to help you think about two sides of growing your community impact: finding the funding you need and understanding how to manage it as your work grows.

Following our Funding Ideas for Your Community Project edition, we’re swinging the pendulum in this feature: On one side, we’re taking a deep dive into a pathway community initiatives can consider as they grow their efforts. On the other, we’re exploring what it takes to manage funding and build a stronger financial foundation for continued impact. Explore these and our other resources as you continue on the path to impact. 

Happy reading!

You may have already started a nonprofit (or aspire to) and feel overwhelmed by the financial management side. Understanding financial reports, nonprofit accounting, and the numbers behind your organization can be jarring when you’re not familiar with this side of the work, and may feel like a barrier to moving your efforts forward. In her article, 5 Financial Red Flags Every New Nonprofit Leader Should Know (and How to Fix Them), our guest writer, Bee Nance, licensed CPA and founder of Your CFO Friend, shares some potential pitfalls to watch out for and practical solutions to help you gain clarity and peace of mind.

Is your community effort expanding, and are you now seeking ways to sustain your work that requires funding and additional services? While some people may choose to start a nonprofit, others may want to explore other options to see what best fits their needs and capacity. Fiscal sponsorship is one avenue you can explore to access additional funding while building a mutually aligned partnership that can support your work as it grows. In this article, we take a closer look at what fiscal sponsorship means, the process for becoming sponsored, and the potential benefits and considerations to weigh.

Join us for our 3-part workshop series, From Funding to Financial Confidence. Whether you’re looking for funding for your community project, preparing (or aspiring to) launch a nonprofit, or just trying to make sense of your organization’s finances, this series is for you. You’re free to join one, two, or all three workshops—whatever works best for you!

Funding Strategies For Your Community Project

In collaboration with IBM SkillsBuild

Thursday, September 24 | 11:00 am

Click here to learn more and RSVP to attend the workshop 

Financial Basics for New Nonprofit Leaders

Featuring guest facilitator Bee Nance, Licensed CPA and founder of Your CFO Friend

Thursday, October 1 | 11:00 am

Click here to learn more and RSVP to attend the workshop

Reading Your Financials with Confidence

Featuring guest facilitator Bee Nance, Licensed CPA and founder of Your CFO Friend

Thursday, October 8 | 11:00 am

Click here to learn more and RSVP to attend the workshop

We look forward to seeing you there!

Idealist and IBM SkillsBuild have teamed up to offer our Idealist community access to 1,000+ free online courses to help you build real, usable skills.

Learn project management, AI, data, and entrepreneurial design thinking, and more—while earning certifications you can add to your resume and LinkedIn. Courses are available in multiple languages. 

✔ Free
✔ Self-paced
✔ Built for career + community impact 

NYC Youth: Join Idealist’s Programs for Teens

Idealist is launching a set of new programs for teens to get involved in community action: the Teen Advisory Board for Idealists (TABI) and Leadership Lab. Open to all NYC youth ages 14+. Applications are open now through October 2.

If you’d like to share your story and progress with your idea, drop me a line (or more) at cjones.walton@idealist.org. 

Onward in change,

Carol

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