Calendar of Events

Drive Your Strategy with Finance

Dig deep into your organization’s finances and learn how to use financial data in your strategic decision making. 


PROGRAM DETAILS

DATES February – July, 2023 
LENGTH 6 months, 6-8 hours per month
OPEN TO CO-based 501c3 organizations
FORMAT Cohort – a group of 3 nonprofits
INCLUDED
  • Regular 1:1 coaching 
  • Monthly group learning sessions
  • Custom finance and operations plan 
PRICING Free
DEADLINE Apply by Friday, January 20th

Have questions? Interested in other dates? Let us know!

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

What you’ll learn

Get expert advice and peer support from other Colorado-based impact leaders to enhance your organization’s finance strategy and operations. 

Get expert coaching and peer support as you work to improve the way your organization tracks and uses financial data to inform your strategic direction. You’ll work 1:1 with a coach to develop and implement a custom plan for your organization. 

Please note that this is a pilot program – we’ve put together a thoughtful structure and content, though we do expect to make some changes in response to learning that happens along the way. 

WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?

>   Executive Directors 

>   Board Members

>  501c3 organizations only

>  minimum of 2 years operations

>  <$1M in annual revenue

MEET THE FACILITATOR

Nonprofit finance experts

Dawn Marshall

SVP Denver Partner, Former CFO @ Solidyn Solutions

30 years experience in both the public and private accounting sectors, Dawn has used her expertise to support many nonprofits as an accountant, a Board Member, Treasurer and SVP Denver Partner.  In collaboration with co-facilitators Reggie Vegliante and Patricia Dwyerboth with over thirty years experience in the finance and accounting fields – she’s excited to help Denver-area nonprofits get more use (and joy) out of their financial data. 

OUTCOMES & BENEFITS

Why join the Drive your Strategy with Finance cohort?

WHAT YOU’LL WALK AWAY WITH 

By the end of this program you will have:

    • A better understanding of your financial statements and key financial concepts (Such as: Cash flow, Revenue deep dives, multi year projections, full program costing
    • Information that can be readily used within your organization to inform strategy and operations (Potential outcomes: Updated/new financial dashboard, list of key performance metrics)

LONG-TERM IMPACTS

Participation should create the following impacts:

    • Your organization has a clearer sense of its path to financial sustainability. 
    • The Board and ED understanding their financial responsibilities and actively use data for strategic decision making. 

EXPERT SUPPORT 

Each organization will get paired with a local professional that bring substantial nonprofit finance experience who will provide support throughout the program. They will:

  • Lead monthly group training: to discuss plans/progress and explore key concepts in financial strategy
  • Schedule regular 1:1 coaching calls: to develop a custom plan for your organization and make progress on specific deliverables together

    PEER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

    As part of this program, you’ll also connect with fellow participants from CO-based impact organizations:

    • Live on Zoom: Six live sessions for people to check in and share learnings. 
    • Individual connections: You’ll be welcome to follow up with other participating teams to connect.
    PROGRAM DETAILS

    More about this training cohort

    Schedule

    The group will meet monthly to cover specific topics and discuss progress/challenges. You’ll also set up regular coaching calls and spend time working with your team. 

     

    • Session 1 (March) – Digging Deep into your Financial Statements
    • Session 2 (April) – Open Group Session – Discuss Progress/Challenges
    • Session 3 (May) – Using Financial Data to be Strategic & Mission Relevant
    • Session 4 (June) – Open Group Session – Discuss Progress/Challenges
    • Session 5 (July) – Integrating Finance into your Board Decision-Making
    • Session 6 (August) – Open Group Session – Celebrate Progress/Next Steps

    YOUR COMMITMENT

    To get the most out of the program, we suggest you set aside 6–8 hours per month:

      • 1-2 hours – to join live group working sessions. Please check the session dates to make sure you are able to attend them all!
      • 2 hours – to meet individually with your coach.
      • 3-4 hours – to work with your team on your organization’s finance and operations plan.

    YOUR PARTICIPANTS & ROLES

    Each participating nonprofit will need to have leadership committed to the program. You should plan to have:

    Executive Director / CEO: This person will be the internal facilitator of their organization’s finance & operations process and is expected to participate in all aspects of the program and coaching. They should have 5 – 8 hours per month to commit over the duration of the cohort.

    Board Member / Advisor: We strongly recommend (and will prioritize) that organizations have a Board Member, preferably a Treasurer, participate and support the ED / CEO. They should aim to join monthly group sessions and have regular check ins throughout the 6 month program. 

    What other SVP Denver cohort participants say

    “I think the [theory of change] cohort probably saved us a year in terms of understanding what we do and why and for whom.”

    Mike Rosol
    Free Range Beehives

    “You have given us the tools needed and a good foundation for crafting and presenting a winning pitch to investors, customers and partners. Each and every one of you have been instrumental with preparing our group to create and deliver a (tailored) pitch with passion.”

    Lori Collier
    Program Manager, African Leadership Group

    “We gained a tremendous amount from this cohort—having external unaltered feedback from various people with key components to keep in mind has strengthened our approach greatly!”

    Brigid McRaith
    Executive Director, Mile High Youth Corps

    “Our team had many fruitful conversations that helped us to examine the how, and more importantly, the what and the why of our work. These conversations not only help us communicate with stakeholders more effectively, but in guiding our own strategic planning efforts.”

    -Tracy Flowers, Access Opportunity

    “[We gained] a clear deliverable to use in messaging our work, clarity on our core theory of change and more ability to communicate concisely about it to outsiders”

    Roger Low, Colorado Equitable Mobility Initiative

     

     

     

    94%

    of past participants would recommend

    Frequently asked questions

    Your Title Goes Here

    Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

    What organizations can participate in this program?

    This pilot program is specifically for organizations that meet these criteria:

    • 501(c)3
    • Based in the Greater Denver area
    • Annual revenues under $1,000,000
    • Existence for minimum of 2 years
    • ED has been with the organization for at least one year
    • Open to Change
    • Buy-in from Board of Directors

    In the future, we hope to expand access to a larger set of organizations but we believe that working with a group of organization with a similar size / strucutre will allow us to make the most impact. 

      How flexible is the program? I’m not sure I can make all the sessions.

      Somewhat flexible! At least one leader from your organization should be available to join all of the live sessions since you will also have time to work with designated mentors and your team during this time. The coaching sessions will be scheduled at mutually agreed upon times that match your schedule. 

      You should be prepared to commit regular hours to this program throughout the 6 month duration. If you believe that you’ll be gone or unavailable for any extended period of time from February to August 2023, please note that in your application. 

       

      Why is this training free for my organization?

      SVP Denver is a nonprofit that connects nonprofits and social enterprises with the expertise and support they need to grow their impact. We are primarily funded through grants and individual donations that allow us to offer our high value training for free (or at highly subsidized rates). We are committed to making our programs accessible to all organizations – especially those with inequitable access to resources. 

      How many individuals from my organization can participate?

      A maximum of 4 individuals from your organization can participate in this training cohort. We strongly suggest that your Executive Director / CEO participate, as well as a Board Member (preferably your Treasurer). If you have any other individuals on your team that actively manage your financials, then they should also participate. 

       

      Apply for Drive your Strategy with Finance now.

      Have questions? Interested in other dates? Let us know!

      MORE OPPORTUNITIES FROM SVP DENVER

      You may also be interested in…

      Training Cohorts

      Learn from an expert facilitator, a dedicated coach and a group of impact organizations in a free 6-10 week training program.

      View our cohorts.

      Mastermind Sessions

      Need quick answers to a pressing challenge? We’ll handpick a diverse group of experts for a 90-minute solution session.

      Learn more about masterminds.

      Strategic Consulting

      Need expert support on a multi-month strategic project, but can’t afford a consultant? SVP Denver Partners want to help, for free.

      See how strategic consulting works.