Nonprofit Utopia Podcast

Not Your Shark Tank

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. The environment can be very competitive and cut throat. Shelby Parchman, a serial entrepreneur and business coach, works with business owners to guide their ideas from concept to implementation through training and relationship building.  Join Shelby Parchman, serial entrepreneur, and me to talk about how new entrepeneurs can navigate the business landscape and create economic opportunities in their communities.

Using Maps to Facilitate Community Engagement

In a December 2016 blogpost on the Tutor/Mentor.org website, Daniel Bassill, PhD, CEO of the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC, wrote "I am one of those people who fear what will happen to our democracy and freedom, and the planet's health, over the next few years.  In some of the posts I've read, writers say 'don't lose hope' and 'get involved locally with a cause you care about'". 
Those kind of articles inspired Dan to build upon his work in connecting youth with tutoring, mentoring and careers to increase civic engagement around issues that present the greatest barriers to community improvement.  In so doing, Dan has created maps and visualization tools to build youth service networks, as well as a planning tool to address issues such as community violence. 
Check out links to handouts in the comments section.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Using the Law to Build Small Business and Grow Economic Opportunity

The Community Law Project helps to build, strengthen, and support community-based organizations that are focused on economic development in Chicago’s low-income neighborhoods and that offer the delivery of social services to residents of these areas.  They bring hope to impoverished neighborhoods by supporting small businesses and home ownership. Working with volunteers from Chicago’s top law firms, the Community Law Project's expert legal staff provides nonprofit leaders and small businesses owners the knowledge to sustain the quality of their programs, improve outcomes, and spur economic development. 
Join us as Angie Hall, Staff Attorney with the Community Law Project, talks about the organizations small business and economic development programs.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.
 

Rebroadcast-13 Reasons the IRS Denies Applications for Tax Exemption

Please note, that we have postponed today's episode of Nonprofit "U". Instead of a live discussion on Veterans' issues, we will discuss reasons the IRS denies applications for tax-exemption. The show on Veterans will be postponed for a later time. I will keep you posted. 
Filing for tax exemption is tedious, time-consuming, and not for the faint of heart.   The process often requires applicants to “go back and forth” with the IRS for a number of reasons, including errors, clarification of statements and omission of key information. Clearly,  following instructions is critical. Tune in as Valerie F. Leonard talks about some of the most common reasons the IRS rejects applications for tax exemption.
Valerie is an expert in community and organizational development, with  a mission of strengthening the capacity of organizations to make a positive impact on the communities they serve through technical assistance, specialized workshops, resource and organizational development and project management. She also teaches online courses in nonprofit management with the UIC Certificate in Nonprofit Management Program. She has designed a number of intensive workshops to help nonprofits build capacity, including Capacity Building Blocks, the 30-Day Disclosure Challenge and the 30-Day Compliance Challenge.