In partnership with the University of Michigan's Weiser Center for Europe & Eurasia and the William Davidson Institute, we are excited to launch another NGO Leadership Workshop, a distinctive NGO capacity-building program. This time, our focus is on supporting NGOs in Ukraine dedicated to providing humanitarian aid and relief.
Tailored for NGO leaders and activists, this workshop sharpens skills in leadership, teamwork, partnership, and marketing to enhance impact. Our dynamic four-day workshop combines live sessions and e-learning, fostering deep connections and collaboration opportunities among participants.
We look forward to hosting civil society activists and NGO leaders committed to making a difference through humanitarian efforts in Ukraine for this transformative journey, aimed at amplifying the impact of their invaluable work.
Learning outcomes
1
Master human-centric leadership to inspire, connect, and navigate NGO challenges.
2
Explore the keys to motivating yourself and your team for peak engagement and resilience.
3
Elevate teamwork to new heights with proven collaboration strategies for impactful outcomes.
4
Forge dynamic partnerships to expand your NGO's reach and amplify its mission effectively.
5
Leverage cutting-edge digital marketing and AI to revolutionize your NGO's visibility and funding.
Program outline
The 4-day workshop is a blend of in-person sessions complemented by self-paced e-learning modules to provide a comprehensive learning experience. Participants will engage in interactive sessions led by seasoned instructors, crafted to foster meaningful connections. Beyond skill building, the workshop is an opportunity to forge new partnerships and collaborations, offering a unique platform for NGO leaders to network and explore synergies.
Recognizing the importance of well-being in sustaining leadership effectiveness, the program includes moments for participants to relax and rejuvenate, ensuring they return to their organizations recharged and ready to implement their new insights and strategies.
Start of the program: Evening reception in Košice on Monday, June 17
Day 1
Effective Leadership
Trainer: Julie Felker, Faculty Affiliate at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, USA
Leadership skills are critical for the success and sustainability of NGOs. Often it is assumed that leaders are "born". That is not necessarily true. While there are "born leaders" with innate talents, leadership skills are also a set of learned competencies that can be developed and strengthened over time. These skills are essential for establishing strong relationships with stakeholders and partners. Good leaders set the tone for the organization's culture and influence its ability to achieve its mission by bringing out the best in others. Strong leadership allows an NGO to navigate complex challenges and maximize its impact. This workshop session will focus on human-centric leadership. It will offer practical tools and insights to empower NGO Leaders in fostering meaningful connections, driving satisfaction and engagement, and inspiring others.
Leadership training is important for NGOs to thrive in today's competitive landscape. It supports a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Training that emphasizes the people side of leadership offers numerous benefits to NGOs by expanding their capacity to fulfill their missions, respond effectively to challenges, and embrace opportunities. Attending the NGO Leadership Workshop requires a significant commitment. However, the training allows participants the time and space to learn, reflect and share ideas and experiences. It is an investment that is well worth the time and effort. The specific leadership topics discussed in the Workshop will be tailored to the needs and goals of the participants.
Day 2
How Do I Inspire Myself and Others?: Exploring Motivation From the Inside and Out.
Trainer: Linda Gasser, Faculty Affiliate at the William Davidson Institute
at the University of Michigan, USA
Motivating others who work alongside you is indispensable for fostering a positive and productive work environment. When team members feel motivated, they are more engaged, committed, and enthusiastic about their work. This, in turn, enhances overall team morale, cohesion, and performance. By acknowledging and appreciating contributions, providing constructive feedback, and offering opportunities for growth and development, leaders can inspire team members to perform at their best. Furthermore, motivating oneself is crucial for personal growth and success. It fosters resilience and perseverance, enabling individuals to bounce back from failures and setbacks with renewed vigor and helps them overcome challenges and achieve aspirations. In this session we will explore powerful motivating factors for self & others and work at planning strategies to help facilitate both.
Getting Teamwork To Work: Using Teams and Collaboration for Better Outcomes
Teamwork fosters a culture of collaboration, mutual support, and accountability that can create a cohesive and resilient workforce dedicated to collective responsibility and shared ownership for advancing the organization's mission. Whether it's coordinating fundraising efforts, implementing community programs, or advocating for social change, the synergy of teamwork within a nonprofit amplifies the organization's impact and strengthens its capacity to address the needs of those it serves. When diverse individuals with unique skills, perspectives, and experiences can pool their resources and talents to address the many complex challenges inherent in the work, then good teamwork ultimately brings about better camaraderie, care, joint efforts, greater job satisfaction, personal fulfillment, and even employee retention. So, what makes a team work better? What are the most critical factors in team building & teamwork? This session explores leadership techniques to build or enhance your team’s effectiveness.
Building Partnerships for Expanded Impacts
In this session, we will discuss the value of nonprofits building partnerships and explore how to do this well. We will use your own situations as fieldwork examples for seeing intersections and opportunities, identifying stakeholders, and developing potent strategies and interventions to expand your organization’s partnership options, networks, and impact. Partnerships enable nonprofits to access additional funding sources, broaden their service reach, extend capacity, encourage more knowledge-sharing, become more innovative, create more influence, and promote greater collective action towards common goals.
As such, partnership collaborations can play a pivotal role in amplifying an organization's outcomes and achieving its mission. By forging strategic alliances with other stakeholders of all sorts, nonprofits can leverage shared resources, expertise, and networks to better address their complex challenges more efficiently and effectively and catalyze more meaningful change. Let’s explore ways you can do this!
Day 3
Preventing Burnout by Building Resilience
Trainer: Julie Felker, Faculty Affiliate at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, USA
In the dynamic world of NGOs, where passion often drives the work, leaders are particularly susceptible to burnout. This workshop session is custom-tailored for NGO leaders who are navigating the unique challenges of the NGO sector. Through interactive sessions and practical exercises, participants will explore the specific stressors inherent in NGO work, learn to recognize the early warning signs of burnout, and develop resilience building strategies to safeguard their well being, and the well-being of organizational members.
Day 4
Digital is Awesome
Trainer: Peter Šebo, Digital marketer and marketing enthusiast
Today, digital marketing is changing fast, and it's a powerful tool for all kinds of businesses, including non-profit organizations (NGOs). These groups often have small budgets and big goals, and digital marketing can help them a lot.
In this session, we will share simple yet powerful digital marketing strategies that have really helped. We'll focus on non-profits and how they can use digital tools to spread their messages, support their causes, and get the funding they need. We'll look at examples of how social media, online stories, and smart ads can attract more people and make a real difference.
This session is for anyone interested in using digital marketing to help NGOs do more good. Whether you're new to digital marketing or looking for new ideas for your non-profit, you'll find helpful tips and inspiring stories here. Join us to learn how digital marketing can be a big advantage for NGOs.
AI in Marketing
Is AI (Artificial Intelligence) just a trendy term or is it really changing the game today? In this session, we dive into the world of AI in marketing. We'll explore how AI is used in real marketing projects and we'll break down the ways AI can support marketing efforts, from automating tasks to creating personalized customer experiences.
But, we'll also be honest about what AI can't do yet. This presentation is designed for everyone curious about the blend of AI and marketing also in hands of NGOs.
Join us to get a clear picture of AI's role in marketing today and how it might evolve. This session aims to make the complex world of AI simple and understandable for everyone.
Our instructors
Linda Gasser
Faculty Affiliate at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan & Lecturer, Cornell University, USA
Linda Gasser currently teaches in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and serves as an advisor to Fellows and coordinator for friendship partners for the international Humphrey Fellowship Program scholars at Cornell. She has participated in the NGO Leadership Programs since 2015. She has extensive experience in executive education, career development, and coaching and providing seminars, workshops, and courses in non-profit and for-profit organizations on many topics including leadership, management, organizational development, career development, organizational behavior, human resource management, project management, change management, diversity and cross-cultural awareness, emotions in the workplace, coaching, interpersonal dynamics, international work, and strategic planning along with a myriad of other management topics. For 15 years, she served as a senior organizational development consultant and Assistant Director of Organizational Development at Cornell responsible for all staff training and career development services. She previously managed the Central Europe Human Resource Education Initiative, a 6-year academic training program in US & Slovakia developing university curricula for HRM. She has traveled around the USA and to 67 countries and all 7 continents & enjoys spending time consulting, traveling, and enjoying life with family and friends.
Julie Felker
Faculty Affiliate at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan & Professor of Human Resource Management at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management.
Julie Felker is a Faculty Affiliate at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. She develops and delivers management education and provides organizational development capacity-building expertise in transition and emerging economies to strengthen educational and economic infrastructures and promote positive social change. She has worked on a variety of projects around the world, including in Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Philippines, Algeria and Bahrain. Dr. Felker also serves as the Academic Director of the Master in Management Program at the Luxembourg School of Business where she is responsible for strategic and administrative leadership in developing and maintaining educational programs of exceptional quality. She recently received coaching certification from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Peter Šebo
Digital marketer and marketing enthusiast
Peter is a founder and Chief Digital Officer of PS: Digital, and the largest conference on digital marketing in Slovakia, Digital RULEZZ. Before, he had worked in the field of marketing even before finishing his studies at the University of Economics. He started as a marketing manager in several non-profit organizations, worked as an editor for digital marketing topics for Ecopress. In 2014, he founded his own company, which quickly became one of the best digital agencies in Slovakia and has been behind several successful campaigns in terms of creativity, efficiency, and digital PR. In addition to agency duties, he also engages in lecturing at conferences and several universities. The marketing conference he founded has become one of the most significant of its kind in the region.
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