The Importance of Policies & Procedures in Peer-Run Organizations

While all organizations can benefit from having well-constructed policies and procedures in place, peer-run organizations often encounter unique issues that need special attention. With that in mind, we will discuss the first steps in creating solid policies & procedures that address both general and unique issues for the newly formed peer-run organization. And, for the more-established organization, we will also discuss how to take a critical eye to what you already have in place and to build upon that.

Building Partnerships to Enhance the Peer Workforce

By: Kyneta Lee, Tim Saubers, and Todd Noack

In this webinar, you will have an opportunity to learn about the benefits of building partnerships between organizations. In efforts of enhancing and strengthening the peer workforce; it is a crucial time for collaborative partnerships to form and for organizations to have the skills to maintain sustainable, mutual and complementary community partnerships. This webinar will highlight the voices of peer organizations that are already putting these concepts into practice and will explore some simple steps for building partnerships that have successful outcomes for the growth of a peer workforce. 

Learning Objectives; 

• Participants will gain insight into why it is beneficial to maintain and create organizational partnerships. 

• Participants will learn practical steps for building organizational partnerships.

• Participants will hear success stories from organizational leaders and how partnerships have elevated programs, policies, and organizational structures of the peer workforce.

Handing Over the Keys: Leadership Succession Planning in Non-Profit Organizations

By: Elise Padilla and Maxine Henry

Succession planning is a strategic move to prepare an organization for a change in leadership, both planned and unplanned, to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible for the organization. This webinar will discuss the need for succession planning as part of the strategic plan, developing new leaders, and tips for preparing for transition in Non-Profit organizations with real-life examples and insight from a leader of a peer-run organization in Albuquerque, NM.

Learning Objectives:

• Define “succession planning”

• Understand the need for succession planning as part of the strategic plan

• Learn how to develop new leaders as part of a succession plan

• Review tips for preparing for transition in Non-Profit organization

• Getting the Board on-board

How to Embed Strategic Planning into the Culture of Your Organization

By: Oryx Cohen

So you’ve developed a strategic plan...now what? Many organizations work hard to develop a strategic plan and vision for their future, but it, unfortunately, goes unused and remains on the shelf. In this webinar, participants will not only learn the basic tools and techniques of developing a strategic plan for their peer-run organization, but they will also discover how to incorporate their strategic plan into their organization’s culture and day-to-day operations. The presenters will offer tips, practices, and exercises that organizational leaders can utilize to ensure that their strategic plan is not just a document to be referenced but a practical vision that unites and guides staff, board members, and stakeholders under shared aspirations.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the basics of strategic planning

• Learn how to incorporate strategic planning into day to day operations

• Learn how to incorporate strategic planning as board members

• Learn how to use strategic planning to unite your organization

Fundraising and Sustainability: Building your Organization by Telling the Right Story to the Right Audience

This webinar, the third in the Peer-Run Organization Learning Collaborative Series, will explore the topic of fundraising and sustainability through the lens of effective storytelling. Every organization requires financial resources to maintain their efforts, but how can peer leaders go about telling a story that explains why potential partners should invest in their organization’s mission? Join us to learn about sources of funding that peer organizations commonly pursue and the key elements of sustainability. This includes techniques that you can use to enliven your message, attract funding partners, and develop strong, mutually beneficial, ongoing relationships with them.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify key elements that make an organization sustainable.

• Understand the concept of an “investment-worthy” organization.

• Develop a storyboard that effectively illustrates why an organization is worth supporting.

Developing a Board of Directors for Mental Health Organizations

By: Amey Dettmer and Matthew Federici

This webinar highlights strategies to develop a skilled and diverse Board of Directors to oversee emerging peer-run and other mental health organizations. These strategies are geared towards organizations that are moving toward incorporation as a nonprofit agency, but will also highlight approaches that existing organizations can use to strengthen an already existing board of directors. A strong Board of Director's guidance, commitment, and oversight are vital to a non-profit organization’s success. This webinar will explore steps to developing and sustaining a Board of Directors rooted in supporting an organization’s mission, vision, and values.

By the end of this Webinar, participants will be able to:

• Examine the value and tasks of an Interim Organizing Committee

• Evaluate a process for selecting and recruiting Board Members

• Identify common Board Member roles and responsibilities 

Conflict Management in Peer-Run Organizations: Tools for Effective Conversations

Peer and Family-run Non-Profit organizations are unique in so many ways, and as active or upcoming leaders, we are tasked with ensuring safe and open environments not only for the communities we serve but for our staff and volunteers as well. This webinar will allow us the opportunity to review some strategies for handling conflict that happens in peer-run organizations while staying focused on advancing our agency mission and overcoming roadblocks. We will look at steps on how to have a productive conversation while keeping a growth mindset and staying focused on the best interest of the organization and the peers we serve, as well as how to use healthy conversations to advance our work and relationships.

Learning Objectives:

• Define conflict and conflict resolution

• Understand the implications of conflict

• Identify styles of managing conflict in an organization

• Explore skills for handling conflict in a peer-run organization (staff, volunteers, board members, outside agencies, etc.)

• Identify resources to further support managing conflict