Feature Articles • By Susan Sanow • July 11, 2014
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Summertime is a great time to kick back and get some deals. We’re bringing you the Blue Avocado with sizzle. In this issue you can sign up for free phone calls with Blue Avocado writers Kim Klein and Vu Le, webinars with Jan Masaoka and Steve Zimmerman, not to mention a couple of cool free accounting products, and discounts on Charity Channel books and Nonprofit Quarterly. Wow!
The rules: sign up for any of these deals within these 4 days or they're gone: Tuesday, July 15-Friday, July 18, 2014. All deals/registrations close at 8 pm Eastern/5 pm Pacific on Friday, July 18.
Our next regular issue (#99) will come to you in September with What Board Members Need to Know About Overhead, an accounting/compliance guide to nonprofit auctions, nonprofit humor, and more. And we're ramping up for our 100th issue celebration in October! --Susan Sanow, Blue Avocado Project Manager and Jan Masaoka, Blue Avocado Publisher
What is Kim Klein Thinking About Now?
Monday, August 4, 2014 12 noon pacific/3 pm eastern
Free! Where else would you get to sit in with legendary speaker, writer and advocate Kim Klein, interviewed by Jan Masaoka and you can ask your questions, too? In this live 60-minute interview we'll hear the backstory to some of Kim's most provocative Blue Avocado articles (such as Coming Out as a Christian and Nonprofit Tax Quiz). And we'll hear what most delights and outrages Kim these days. Don't forget: free, but you must click here to register by July 18.
What's So Funny, Vu?
Monday, August 18, 2014 10 am pacific/1 pm eastern
Free! You already love reading Vu Le, Blue Avocado humor columnist and Seattle nonprofit leader. Join a free conversation with Vu and Jan Masaoka to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on how Vu manages to be so bitingly funny yet still searching for unicorns.
While listening, you can practice his Nonprofit Yoga poses, too. What questions do you want to ask Vu -- besides where he gets his great haircut? Suggestions for future column topics? Sign up free by July 18.
Board Recruitment Time? Use the Blue Ribbon Nominating Committee Technique
Monday, August 11, 2014 10 am pacific/1 pm eastern
Free! Speaker: Jan Masaoka, Founder and Editor, Blue Avocado and CEO of CalNonprofits
Board recruitment discussions often start with the tired question, "Who do we know?" Instead, let's start with "What board members do we need to accomplish our most pressing tasks this year?" Tested successfully with hundreds of nonprofits, we'll also tackle some difficult questions such as whether and how to recruit people of different races or educational backgrounds and whether to have fundraising or donation requirements. Click here to register free . . . only through July 18 of course.
What are Nonprofit CFOs Like and What Do They Want?
Free webinar Monday, August 25, 2014 12 noon pacific/3 eastern
Steve Zimmerman,CPA,MBA, Spectrum Nonprofit Services
In this exclusive-to-Blue-Avocado webinar, co-researcher Steve Zimmerman will recap the findings of the national Nonprofit CFO Study where more than 900 folks weighed in. He'll reveal some surprises about this crucial but often overlooked staff including educational backgrounds, workload, what they think of how their boards understand finance and whether they think their CEOs make fair salaries. And answer all of your questions about it, too. Register here by July 18!
Nonprofit Quarterly discounts
Thank goodness for Rick Cohen and Nonprofit Quarterly; if they weren't covering issues, who would? Rick's articles probing foundation fiscal misadventures and government-nonprofit fiascos, the status of African American museums and more should be required reading. Just for Blue Avocado readers, NPQ is offering a $15 discount on a one-year subscription to its print magazine. In addition to the discount, you will receive the NPQ compendium, How to Create Great Nonprofit Management Teams, from Boards to Leadership -- available for download after checkout. To redeem click here by July 18!
It's a Blue Avocado Happy Hour Meet-Up!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014, 5:30 pm in San Francisco
Pull up a seat at the bar, but there's room for just 35 of our readers! E-mail me (Susan) the title of a favorite Blue Avocado article to blueavocado@hotmail.com by Friday, July 18, 2014 at 9 am pacific/12 noon eastern. If you are among the first 35 responders, you will be sent the secret location to join Jan Masaoka and friends at a San Francisco site Sept 9, 2014, 5:30 pm – 8 pm for no-host fun (light appetizers provided). If you live, work or just happen to be in the area, this will be fun.
Jitasa Offers Free Finance Dashboard Presentation for Your Board
Tired of dull eyes around the table as you walk through the same financial statements and reports yet again? Let Jitasa create dynamic financials dashboards and board presentations from your financials so you can articulate the story behind your numbers -- to the board, the staff, and even yourself.
Jitasa is pleased to offer a free one time service for Blue Avocado readers. Your Jitasa Financial Analyst will:
Set up your Executive Financial Dashboard with financials from your QuickBooks system*
Create a dynamic PowerPoint presentation of financials for your board meeting
Offer limited to the first 100 respondents who sign up before July 18 at 5 pm pacific/8 pm eastern. Questions? Email Ron Kwak, Director of Marketing at ron.kwak at jitasa.is. Where to sign up? Here.
CharityChannel books: sizzling book discounts
Why read a mystery on the beach when you could be reading a nonprofit management book at a 15% discount? CharityChannel Press offers their entire collection to Blue Avocado readers for 15% off . . . books, manuals, in any quantity, but just for the four-day bonus issue period (July 15 – July 18). You can order as many times as you want over the four-day period.
Start by shopping here, and when you're ready to order, use the code blue and you’ll receive the 15% discount. This offer can be used as many times as you want over the four-day period, but the offer may not be combined with any other offer except for additional discounts for bulk purchases.
Need More Sizzle This Summer?
Here are some upcoming summertime Bacon Festivals:
7/18 – 7/20 – Bacon & Barrels – Los Olivos, CA
8/2/14 – Baconfest VA – Roanoke, VA
8/2/14 – Omaha Beer & Bacon Fest – Omaha, NE
8/2/14 – Big Bite Bacon Fest – Long Beach, CA
8/16/14 – Central City Bacon Tour – Central City, CO
8/16/14 – Indiana Bacon Festival – Delphi, IN
8/23/14 – Bacon-Fest – Kansas City, MO
8/23/14 – Bacon, Sports & Beer Celebration 2.0 – Chicago, IL
8/30/14 – Hormel Black Label Bacon Fest – San Diego, CA
9/1/14 – Bacon Labor Day – Simpsonville, SC
Check out www.bacontoday.com for Bacon Festival details.
And finally . . .
If you enjoy Blue Avocado and/or appreciate these special offers, please make a donation to our sponsor American Nonprofits (you can specify it is for Blue Avocado). We're like public tv: free for everyone -- including our 64,000 subscribers -- but we realy on donations from folks like you. And don't forget to pass along Blue Avocado to your friends, co-workers, co-board members and others. Thanks! -- Susan and Jan