Putting Principles into Practice: Effective Nonprofit Management 

Center for Nonprofit Excellence cohort programs support the growth and development of local nonprofits.

January-May 2025
Delivered in partnership with Morten Group

Running a nonprofit organization requires all the skills of running a business—and then some! You need the core qualities of good governance, sound financial management and human resources, smart strategic planning, and high-visibility communications—plus raising funds, effecting social change, and delivering on your nonprofit’s mission! In this cohort, teams of up to three people from 15 nonprofit organizations will participate in five sessions over a five-month period. You will learn the content, be supported in your work to implement the learnings, and build a network of supportive peers.

Application Process Dates - 2024/25

• Registration open: Wednesday, 11/13

• Registration closes: Wednesday, 12/4

• Applications notified: Wednesday, 12/20

Session Dates - 2025

• Virtual Kickoff: Wednesday, 1/8 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Cohort Session 1: Wednesday, 1/22 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Cohort Session 2: Wednesday, 2/26 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Cohort Session 3: Wednesday, 3/26 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Cohort Session 4: Wednesday, 4/23 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Graduation Event: Wednesday, 5/14

Coaching office hours on Thursdays after each cohort session (1/23, 2/27, 3/27, and 4/24). Organizations will need to schedule these meetings and provide their desired topic at least one week in advance.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must represent a nonprofit organization from the Quad Cities, or a surrounding county, or a county served by a QCCF affiliate (Community Foundation of Cedar County, Community Foundation of Van Buren County, Fulton Association for Community Enrichment, Geneseo for Tomorrow, Morrison Area Community Foundation, & Mount Carroll Community Foundation).

• Application must be authorized by the organization's executive, or senior leader, or other key decision-maker within the organization.

• Commitment to attend all sessions. This program requires participation in four interactive sessions. Attendance at each is essential for program completion.

• To ensure this program on effective nonprofit management benefits all levels of your organization, we require that each organization commit to selecting 2-3 staff who will participate in all 4 sessions of the cohort program. This could include staff members, board members, or volunteers. Ideally, these participants should hold responsibilities that align with the topics covered (e.g., finance, fundraising, management, etc.).

Cohort program registration requires at least two participants, and a maximum of three, from your organization.

To maximize the program's impact, we recommend sending a CEO or Executive Director, a Director-level staff member, direct services staff, and/or a Board member. For organizations with smaller staff, we recommend sending the Executive Director, one additional staff member (if applicable), and/or 1-2 Board members.

There is no individual participation fee for cohort programs, only organizational registration which is determined on a sliding scale. Applicants can choose to round out their registration to help sponsor the cost of a peer organization registration. This possibility was designed by the Center Advisory Committee after listening to feedback from local nonprofit partners. For example, if the sliding scale fee is $4,500, the organization can select to round it to $5,000. If your nonprofits choose this option, you will be listed as a sponsor of the cohort.

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HAVE QUESTIONS?

To learn more about cohort programs and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, contact Center director, Daisy Moran.

Daisy Moran / email

Call (563) 326-2840