Pass to Excellence

Nonprofit leaders are fiercely committed to their organization’s missions and the people they serve.  They have high expectations for their own personal performance and even higher expectations for their organizations’ ability to impact the important outcomes in their communities across the county.   Faced with many competing priorities, nonprofit professionals find themselves seeking ways to strengthen their organizations’ management, governance, and operations — without re-inventing the wheel.   It serves nonprofits well to not only know the best strategies and practices of nonprofit governance, but to also be able to apply them to their own organizations so that they can work toward greater effectiveness and sustainability. Nonprofit professionals can set their organizations apart by embracing and living by the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector.

This two-part interactive training program provides organizations with an opportunity to:

• Engage with a set of best practices for nonprofit management and governance as outlined in the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector, and learn about how embracing and living by them can improve effectiveness and sustainability.

• Assess themselves against the benchmarks of the Standards for Excellence code,

• Arm themselves with concrete ways to strengthen the management, governance, and operations of their organizations.

• Develop a work plan for improvement in the key areas of the Standards for Excellence code.

• Consider earning the Seal of Excellence through the Standards for Excellence accreditation program or the tiered approach for Standards for Excellence recognition

Part 1: Mission and Strategy

Program Evaluation

Leadership: Board, Staff and Volunteers

Part 2: Legal Compliance and Ethics

Finance and Operations

Resource Development

Public Awareness, Engagement and Advocacy

Who should attend this class: Maryland Nonprofits recommends that at least two people per organization who have the responsibility for implementing the organization’s practices and policies attend this class.

Interactive Virtual Class Format:

This is a two-part, interactive online class with live instruction.  Each segment includes 45 minutes of break-time. To fully participate, you will need to be able to view the presenter and their presentation from a computer, laptop, tablet or other device. Maryland Nonprofits also encourages everyone to participate by video webcam if you are able to.  If you have not used Zoom before, you can download the Zoom app from their Download Center. Otherwise, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click a join link. You can also join a test meeting to familiarize yourself with Zoom. This class will not be recorded.

Equity Scholarships

Maryland Nonprofits will award two equity scholarships to nonprofit leaders who would otherwise, be unable to attend this class.  Equity scholarship recipients agree to attend all sessions offered in the program for which they are applying.  One person in an organization may receive a scholarship, with priority given to first-time scholarship recipients. Scholarships are non-transferrable.

In alignment with Maryland Nonprofits mission’s focus on equity, individuals who identify as African American, Black, and People of Color; as well as individuals who serve small nonprofits or who work with vulnerable populations, will receive additional consideration in the awards process.  Apply for a Maryland Nonprofits Equity Scholarship.

Please contact Angineeki Jones, [email protected] with any questions.