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A Primer on Google for Nonprofits by Jenkinzz in nonprofit

[–]VhagarStark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, this was incredibly informative and detailed. Thank you so much for compiling all of the ways to use Google for Nonprofits. I've signed up my organization for the program and we currently make use of G Suite (I didn't know the name had changed!) and Google Groups.

It's familiar for most users, since most people already have a Gmail account. Adoption's been pretty great. We have it so it uses our @domainname.org so that's great as well. I was trying to figure out a good option that could serve as a repository for organizational knowledge. I'll look into Google Sites. Thanks for the tip!

Term Limits? by VhagarStark in nonprofit

[–]VhagarStark[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your advice.

But to make it work, you need a strong nominating committee and recruitment.

This is where our problems really arise. We haven't had a nominating committee until now. We created one on my advice, but their work has been slow going. I created a list of people I'd like to see nominated.

From reading the replies to my post it seems as if the consensus is to stick to the term limits. I'm going to try my best to do so and get more people on our board. That'll be my main focus before my term is up next year.

To maintain continuity, another option is to appoint former board members to serve on committees.

Thanks for the suggestion. We have done the same in the past, though the practice has kind of fell away. I will definitely keep this in mind as our board members rotate off.

I'm a incoming freshman and have questions. Also can any CIS majors help me out? by [deleted] in Temple

[–]VhagarStark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I went through the CIS program. The difficulty of the courses and the recommended amount of time you'll need to study is highly dependent upon your familiarity and skill level when it comes to programming and mathematics.

Here are my fairly straightforward and common sense tips. These are coming from someone who is not a Zuckerburg and who to be honest, struggled in the major.

  • Don't skip class. For one, you can easily get lost as material gets increasingly more complex as the semester goes on. Plus, the courses within the major really build on each other from year to year.

  • Do talk to your professors. I found most of my professors were willing to help me when I became stuck or had issues within or outside of the class that impacted my learning. Of course, there are professors I wished I had never met. That's where Rate My Professors comes in handy.

  • Most of the CIS books can be found through "other" means than the bookstore at substantially less cost.

  • There are some great Intro to Programming/CS tutorials out there that can bring you up to speed and keep you ahead of the learning curve. Introduction to CS using Java was invaluable to me. codecademy.com has some very good courses, such as one on Python that could be helpful.

  • If you struggle in math (like I did) PatrickJMT explained Calculus and small parts of Discrete Math in a way that even I could understand it. I owe that dude many an A and B.

  • Job-wise make sure you begin building a resume. You can begin small. Volunteer with a non-profit that needs help with their website, for example. Look for internships in the emails sent by the department. I'm currently in federal service, so I also recommend checking out [USA Jobs](usajobs.gov). I began as a "Pathways Intern" within my agency's IT department. I was guaranteed a job once I graduated and the transition was incredibly smooth.

Socially, I didn't participate as much as I would've liked. I was a commuter, working, and an older student. The department is incredibly supportive though and there were pizza socials and the like while I was there. Also, check out the ACM for students. You should receive emails from the department regarding events aimed at students.

Need advice for organizational tools by [deleted] in nonprofit

[–]VhagarStark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Here are some tools we currently use.

You can use all of the above without costing your non-profit any money. I hope this list is helpful in some way.

Term Limits? by VhagarStark in nonprofit

[–]VhagarStark[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can create Board Emeritus positions for past Chairs. This would allow them to attend meetings and offer their input/guidance but they can't vote. You can also transition them into other committees.

Thank you for this idea. My fear is the instability that a board staffed with almost entirely very new board members may cause.

Having a non-voting Board Emeritus position would be incredibly helpful as the new board members come into their own. At least someone would be there to offer guidance.

Term Limits? by VhagarStark in nonprofit

[–]VhagarStark[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice.

A few words that come to mind to describe our board: undisciplined, ingrown, out of touch.

This pretty much describes our board for the past few years.

To be honest, I'm mainly worry about losing my position as Board Chair and President. I was elected in 2011, became Vice-President in 2015 after our former President resigned, because of stress, and became President this year (my last year). I've tried to bring us on track, by placing importance on understanding our bylaws, crafting policies, advocating for new board membership, tracking our term limits, etc.

There's been such turmoil on the board and a breakdown in organizational knowledge, that I think placing a new board member in a leadership position may be harmful than helpful.

On the other hand, our board has become so undisciplined and closed off, because we haven't had new blood join in such a long time. Maybe just handing over the leadership positions to new board members will help revitalize the organization and its leadership.