NCDA Roundtable Topics
11/7/13
We divided the following topics into four categories:
1. Being a small part of a larger organization…
2. Revenue building opportunities
3.Training for Managers-What skills do you need; what skills/training do you wish you had before being promoted? How can NAI help provide needed training for current and future leaders?
4. Involving volunteers/getting cooperation between multiple agencies and partners
- Staff issues-not playing nicely, keeping them motivated, lessen turnover
- How to serve nature centers (research, get funding, give help) Rob Bixler’s consulting offer
- Creative Ways to raise revenue- Kohl’s Dept. Store-Go Green Events, Nancy Bernard
- Problems with Partnerships-making partnerships work
- Volunteers-getting out accurate information, how they can help connect community & site, staffing for right times-Heather Stapleton [email protected]
- Exhibits-how to make hands-on but not have vandalism occur
- Ideas for existing facilities and new facilities Heather Stapleton [email protected]
- Marketing-visitation, outreach, getting under-served groups
- Communicating your part to a larger organization, getting recognition
- Interpretive Planning Help-no time to research different strategies
- Evaluation with no time and no money
1. Being a small part of a larger organization…
2. Budget and Revenue issues
3. Training for Managers
4. Involving volunteers/getting cooperation between multiple agencies and partners
Threads & concerns:
Items asked for:
- Outdoor Rec department is trying to convey info-but not done well or correctly.
- Suggestions
- Cross train employees
- Help leadership look at the kids and make sure to meet all their learning needs
- Look for nature centers in your area who you could partner with to help you train
- Make sure the managers (if they do support your programs) come to the training to say they support, send letter to staff, give certificates to highlight it
- Help them use gorilla interpretation for example: if someone asks where the bathroom is, answer “It’s over there next to the 300 year old Douglas Fir”-sneaky, but it helps get info out there
- Connect with a local official who can write recommendations to help you
- Get in front of other department heads to tell them what you do
- Get in front of different staff trainings with your mission
- Do some case studies and write it up so it becomes part of your organization’s literature
2. Budget and Revenue issues
- Kohls Community-Go Green Events-send Kohls help and give money
- 25 parties at affluent homes: This involves less staff time, but more coordination. A ticket fee is charged for each of the events.
- Hold Golf tournaments
- Create special evening events-something that happens outside the normal park hours
- Create special winter activities-lit up the mangrove trail and people could canoe through the path
- Contact the Title 1 coordinators in school districts to see if there is money
- Get item donations to then sell. One site had rain Barrels donated to the Foundation/Friends group and were selling those. Paid extra to get the local high school to paint them.
- Hold holiday themed, fee based events such as Pumpkin carving and a jack-o-lantern trail
- A group was starting a nature center with interpretation in inner city Annapolis: A Foundation started it and ½ of all their funds went into the account and couldn’t be spent. Built in phases so could afford it.
- Begin with programming that uses few materials and maximizes your time.
3. Training for Managers
- Develop partnerships with Harvard business Review folks
- Seek training grants to offer members
- Hand out resource guide of blogs, list serves that send out weekly leadership tips (Example…HBR, Jon Gordon, Mark Sanborn, Great Leadership Carnival, Employee from Hell)
- Use Epply Institute Resources
- Define what resources are already out there (ANCA, Duke Non Profit Management Module, community college models)
- Topics such as: HR training, how to develop boards, friends groups, budgeting, performance issues, marketing, budgeting, how to negotiate, risk management, how to price programs, mediation, how to write a business plan.
- Management Book Club
- Find Peer Mentors for check ins
4. Involving volunteers/getting cooperation between multiple agencies and partners
Threads & concerns:
- communication between agencies and volunteers (sometimes competing for resources)
- diminishing availability of volunteers when needed (ex. mornings with school groups)
- reliance on “volunteer” volunteer coordination vs. FT/paid positions to manage volunteers
- retention of volunteers and support of volunteer resources
- interagency coordination of goals & objectives (can often be different and not on same page)
Items asked for:
- place to post successful agency/volunteer experiences and outcomes
- resource list for volunteer/agency standards or best practices