Overview:

How can you make the difference in your organization? A firm grasp of business fundamentals, an ability to think and act strategically, and a capacity to make tough yet humane decisions. The Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership at Boston University provides you with an unparalleled opportunity to develop the precise leadership and management skills you need to make your organization thrive.

Here you will combine your distinctive purpose, voice, and ambition with the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of experienced practitioners, seasoned faculty, and accomplished social entrepreneurs. Prepare yourself for heightened effectiveness through individual performance and orchestrated teamwork. Our hands-on curriculum brings together core management skills and self-knowledge with an understanding of the powerful organizational and community systems within which your leadership is exercised.

For more information, please click here or contact Barry Dym, Ph.D., Executive Director at 617-899-6550 or bdym@bu.edu.

Proteus Fund is pleased to announce that applications for the 2012-2013 Diversity Fellowship are now being accepted. The Diversity Fellowship is designed to increase the number of people of color in positions of leadership within philanthropy who are skilled grant makers using a lens of equity and inclusion, and to support grant making to communities of color that is more representative and effective.

The Diversity Fellowship is an innovative model with a successful track record of identifying and cultivating talented professionals of color interested in entering the philanthropic sector. The Fellowship began in 2011 with the placement of five Fellows in foundations to work on major projects in the areas of community needs, education, affordable housing, global issues, the environment and youth development. Fellows spend four days per week working in their assigned foundation and on Fridays spend time collaborating in a Learning Community. Fellows benefit from executive coaching, training, mentoring, travel to conferences and professional development. Before coming to the Proteus Fund, the Fellowship was successfully founded and managed by Associated Grant Makers.

The Proteus Fund Diversity Fellowship seeks to increase diversity in philanthropy, meet the interest of emerging practitioners, help prepare them, and open doors for Black and African Americans, Latino/a and Hispanics, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans. The Fellowship was founded and formerly housed by Associated Grant Makers. Proteus Fund needs your help to identify and encourage potential candidates to apply for the 2011-2012 program year. The application and a guide to frequently asked questions can be found on the Proteus Fund website. Further questions should be directed to program Director Tammy Dowley-Blackman at tdowley-blackman@proteusfund.org.

For more more information, please click here.

The Commonwealth Seminar is now accepting applications for the Spring 2012 class! The Commonwealth Seminar is an intensive training program focused on teaching diverse leaders how the Massachusetts Legislature really works. Top state legislators, legislative staff, media members, and administration policymakers will introduce student leaders to the Legislature and state government generally. By giving an insiders’ view of the process, our goal is to encourage diverse leaders to become effective advocates and to pursue careers in public service.

The Spring Seminar will take place over five consecutive weeks beginning Thursday, April 5th. There will be an optional State House event on the morning of March 29th. The seminar will be held on the following dates and times:

Optional Date:

• Thursday, March 29, 9:00 a.m. – meet at State House Café.

Core Dates:

• Thursday, April 5th (5:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) at MAPC
• Friday, April 13th (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) State House Room 437
• Friday, April 20th (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) State House Room 437
• Thursday, April 26th (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) State House Room 437
• Friday, May 4th (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) State House Room 222 – Seminar and graduation 

Optional Date: Participants are encouraged to come to a briefing and press conference on youth violence to get hands-on experience understanding advocacy around the budget.

You should be able to participate in at least 4 core sessions to make it worthwhile to apply. In addition, on your own time, you will be expected to meet with your legislators or their staff members.

Who Should Apply?

The Commonwealth Seminar is a privately funded program with a mission of opening the doors of the State House. Our target audience is leaders from communities of color, immigrant communities, and others working to directly benefit those communities. You should be prepared to make a compelling argument in the application about how you fit into the target audience.

We are looking for leaders who meet those criteria and who have a proven track record of leadership in their communities. We place a high value on creating a seminar class that is diverse racially, ethnically, and geographically. Successful candidates for the Commonwealth Seminar will have a basic understanding of state government and a clear desire to use the skills learned through the seminar to make positive change.

Acceptance to the seminar is on a competitive basis, and Commonwealth Seminar staff and advisers will make all final decisions about the makeup of the seminar. We hope to make those decisions within one week after the deadline to apply.

For more information, please click here.

This book describes and analyzes innovative efforts in communities across the United States to reduce crime in and improve the economic vitality of blighted neighborhoods. By working together, local police, nonprofit community developers, elected and appointed officials, financial strategists, and community leaders can do more with less, converting crime hot spots into safety-generating community assets. Case studies, photographs, charts, and lessons learned demonstrate the power these partnerships have for transforming troubled neighborhoods in cost-effective ways into stable, healthy, and sustainable communities.

For additional information and to purchase, please click here.

This seminar is part of the Boston Private Bank & Trust Company Community Investment Series. The training will feature discussion by panelists:

• Marc Dohan, Esq., Twin Cities CDC 
• Deborah Favreau, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation
• Kurt James, Esq., Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster
• Stephen Nolan, Esq., Nolan Sheehan Patten LLP

A buffet of pastries, fruit, juices, coffee and tea will be available. Please note that registration is required for security clearance.  

To RSVP, call 617-912-3919 or click here (Subject Line: NMTC seminar).  Registration deadline March 2. No Fee.

The CFP is a two-year program:

Year 1: The first year will follow a format much like that of the Core INML program: Skill-development seminar; case-based small seminars; mentoring.  The difference is in the content: the leadership skills will combine organizational, community, and political themes—as will the cases presented in the Practice Seminar.  And each year there will be 12 (instead of 5) hours of mentoring, focused both on individual development and ushering the cohort into the larger community of activists.  Students will learn the nitty-gritty skills of effective leadership, such as how to “work” a room.  Even more importantly, they will be connected to people of power and influence, helping to empower their future careers.

Year 2: During the second year, the mentoring and networking building continues but with a new mentor, and each student will be required to create and lead a neighborhood-based social justice project.  Second year students will be asked to include first year students in the projects, thus beginning to knit the two groups together.

Full Scholarships.  We will provide full scholarships to the Community Fellows, but require them to mentor and connect subsequent cohorts of Fellows, recruit new fellows, and, eventually, take the lead on city-wide social justice projects.

CFP will begin accepting applications in February.

Please click here for more information.

In an effort to share our research with our constituents, PolicyLink continues to report—often in conjunction with partners—around equitable strategies that can help all Americans prosper. By “Lifting Up What Works” and spreading the stories of effective change on the ground, we highlight proven efforts to improve communities and support the work needed to replicate those efforts.

The foreclosure crisis, which began in 2006 and is ongoing, has left few communities untouched and has been particularly devastating for low-income communities and communities of color. By the time the crisis abates, 10 million homeowners will have lost their homes to foreclosure. Many of them will lose their standing in the middle class and suffer tremendous economic and personal losses.

To read full report, please click here.