workshop offerings spring 2021
ECF workshops offer learning and networking opportunities for Evanston nonprofits/organizations’ staff and boards. The focus of all workshops in 2021 will be Resilience.
The 2021 workshops will be held online via Zoom from 12:00-1:30pm. 
workshop calendar
all workshops are from 12pm - 1:30 on Zoom, registration required.
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Nonprofit Financial Statements: The Intersection of Finance & Mission Advancement |
 Thursday, April 8Yes You Can and Yes You Should: Advocacy for A Year of Change |
workshop descriptions
Resilient Reimagining and Adaption for Nonprofits (February 4)
Nonprofits across all mission areas and budget sizes have been forced to respond to the pandemic rapidly while holding to their values. With the future still uncertain the question remains: How do we adapt to this new world? Some will view this crisis as an opportunity to reimagine their nonprofit organizations and to make the necessary — yet often times difficult — decisions to strengthen long-term sustainability while learning from implementation. Along the way, these leaders need to promote the inclusion and engagement of constituents, staff, and board, ensuring that all voices are heard through the recovery.
Reimagining your nonprofit organization involves three core aspects — impact, people, and finances — all interconnected and influenced by a fourth: the needs and resources of the community. We will leave you with a framework to answer questions around reimagining your business model and determining the action steps needed to take towards a new model.
Facilitator: Steve Strang
Nonprofit Financial Statements: The Intersection of Finance & Mission Advancement (March 17)
You do not have to be an expert in finance or accounting to ask good questions about financial statements and operating budgets. Learn strategies for understanding financial statements and ask relevant and important financial questions. Gain insights how to communicate organization’s mission through your financial statements.
Facilitator: Marian Powers
Yes You Can and Yes You Should: Advocacy for A Year of Change (April 8)
2021 promises to be a most significant year for nonprofits to advocate for change at all levels of government. Please join us for a workshop that will help prepare your organization to use advocacy to take advantage of the new opportunities that will be coming to benefit your mission, your budget, and your community.
But organizations can only take advantage of that change if they have buy-in from their Boards and staff and if they know their agenda, their audiences and their case. Please join us for a workshop that will help prepare your organization to use advocacy to take advantage of the new opportunities that will be coming to benefit your mission, your budget, and your community.
Workshop participants will also receive an advocacy toolkit that can be adapted to your organization’s goals.
Facilitators: Roberta Rakove and Suzanne Strassberger
about the facilitators
Marian Powers (Nonprofit Financial Statements: The Intersection of Finance & Mission Advancement, March 17)
Marian Powers has been an adjunct professor of accounting in the Kellogg School's Executive Education program, specializing in teaching financial reporting and analysis to executives.
She is a co-author of several college accounting textbooks and in-depth cases on financial analysis. The Text and Academic Authors Association chose Financial Accounting as recipient of the 1998 Textbook Excellence Award. Her research has been published in The Accounting Review, The International Journal of Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, The Journal of Accountancy, The Journal of Business, Finance and Accounting, and Financial Management among others.
Steve Strang (Resilient Reimagining and Adaption for Nonprofits, February 4)
Steve Strang, MPA is a Senior Consultant, Practice Director at Spectrum Nonprofit Services where he provides consulting and training in sustainability strategies for community-based organizations and oversees business development operations for Spectrum. Steve works with organizations to understand and measure their impact, define the market in which they work, and shape their business models to accomplish strategic goals. Prior to joining Spectrum, he was the Nonprofit Programs Manager with Forefront, the state association of nonprofits in Illinois, where he oversaw membership, conferences, and training programs. Steve also has experience as a federal grants trainer with the University of Chicago, and at the American Red Cross of Chicago and Denver. He earned his BS in Public and Nonprofit Administration from Grand Valley State University and MPA from Roosevelt University with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management.
Roberta Rakove and Suzanne Strassberger (Yes You Can and Yes You Should: Advocacy for A Year of Change, April 8)
Roberta Rakove has over 30 years of successful advocacy experience with local, state and federal government. She was the Senior Vice President for External Affairs for Sinai Health System, the largest safety net health care provider in Illinois where she directed Sinai’s advocacy on Medicaid, Medicare, immigration, gun violence intervention, and community development. She served as the chair of the advocacy committee for the National Association of Public Hospitals and as a member of numerous policy and advocacy committees.
Suzanne Strassberger began her advocacy career here in Evanston while interning with the Evanston Commission on Aging’s Long Term Care Committee. Since then, she has spent more than 30 years as a lobbyist, coalition builder, public spokesperson, and policy advocate working on issues such as utility assistance, predatory lending, human service funding, and reform of the child support enforcement system