Monday, August 29, 2005: Volume #2, Issue #87
The VERB Weekly Email Digest
Edited by Sophy Pich, VERB Project Associate

Note: Documents on this page or in this section may be in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. In order to read them, you require Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is downloadable free from Adobe.

In This Week's Issue

1. Announcements
• SEARAC Gala
• Nonprofit Boot Camp
• Campagne Associates
• California Association of Nonprofits
2. Promising Practices
• The Job of the Transition Committee
3. News
• Pope Seeks to Inspire Young
• UW-Extension Program Reaches Out to Hmong Refugees
• Overseas Vietnamese Asked to Develop It Development
• We Have a Voice
• Photo Exhibit Depicts Hmong Journey to Wisconsin
• Hmong, Lao Veterans to Train Honor Guards
• Thanks to 3 Teens, Hmong Refugee Students Have Backpacks
• Respect Our Dead, and Living
• Asian Festival Profits to Go Toward Hmong Families
• the Real China Is Touristy, But Worth the Trip
• For Pioneer Office-Holder, a Campaign in a Campaign
• Old Traditions, New Year: Hmong Honor Customs
4. Funding Opportunities
• RadioShack
• National Gardening Association and Home Depot
• Disney Teacher Awards
5. Resources
• FirstGov

I. Announcements

Less Than Three Weeks Until SEARAC Gala!

Beyond Refugees: From Flight to Setting Roots

September 17, 2005

In 2004, SEARAC celebrated its 25th year advancing the issues of Americans with heritage in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. This year marks the 30th year of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement to the US and the 25th Anniversary of the Refugee Act. In this time, SEARAC has come a long way, hitting many milestones. On Saturday, September 17, 2005, SEARAC will stage a benefit dinner in Washington, DC - Beyond Refugees: From Flight to Setting Roots - to commemorate these milestones.

Across the country, Southeast Asian Americans now number over two million. They are artists, professors, meat-packers, shrimp farmers, state senators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. While the community still faces many challenges, they face them with the knowledge that SEARAC is there to develop emerging leaders, advocate for important issues on the Hill, and lead the way in groundbreaking academic and community-based research - ensuring that Southeast Asian American voices are heard loud and clear. After thirty years of resettling to the US, they are taking the refugee experience beyond the legacy of war, genocide, and instability. They are setting roots in the US - their new homeland.

Join SEARAC as we honor individuals and organizations that have supported the Southeast Asian American communities and SEARAC over the years. Plus, enjoy a night of entertainment by Southeast Asian American performers.

September 17, 2005 from 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Tony Cheng's Restaurant, 619 H Street, NW, Washington, DC

To receive more information regarding sponsorship, placing an advertisement in the gala program, or purchasing a ticket, please contact Tong Lee at (202) 667-4690 or tong@searac.org

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Craigslist Foundation Nonprofit Boot Camp

Saturday 8 October, San Francisco

Join over 1,300 emerging nonprofit leaders at Craigslist Foundation's 2nd annual Nonprofit Boot Camp. Get educated in all aspects of successfully starting and running a nonprofit, find inspiration and get connected with peers and valuable resources.

Registration is only $50 and includes the conference and evening Networking Reception, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Register online at www.acteva.com/go/craigslist.

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Raise Twice as Much Money as Your Peers

Sound impossible? It isn't. Just ask a Campagne Associates client. In a recent study, nonprofits using Campagne's GiftMaker Pro donor management software reported raising twice as much money as their peers. We're making it easy to find out the secret to their success. Simply sign up for Breaking the Barriers to Your Fundraising Success with GiftMaker Pro, a free online seminar offered exclusively by Campagne. You'll learn how GiftMaker Pro and Campagne Associates have helped thousands of development professionals raise billions of dollars. Register today!

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California Association of Nonprofits (CAN)

1. Show Me the Money, CAN's 4th Annual Nonprofit Finance Conference on Sept 14 in the East Bay. Scroll down for more details.
2. Risk Management and Finance Summit for Nonprofits, presented in partnership with the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. Sept 26-28 in San Francisco. Scroll down for more details.
3. Beyond Survival, the 14th Annual CAN Conference. Oct 27-28 in Los Angeles and Nov 3-4 in San Francisco. Scroll down for more details on GIANT SAVINGS FOR CAN MEMBERS who register early!

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II. Promising Practices

When the Executive Director Leaves: The Job of the Transition Committee From Board Café

The departure of an agency executive demands intensive leadership and activity by the board of directors. The obvious primary task is the search for a new chief executive. But regardless of the circumstances under which the ED is departing, a healthy transition usually entails many more tasks as well:

• Arranging a proper send-off for the departing executive, and establishing a consistent message about the departure and transition;
• Determining what work the organization needs to do to prepare for the hire (perhaps time to work through a sense of loss, mid-level planning, major board and structural changes, resolution of a long-standing ambiguity about mission);
• The selection, if needed, of an interim executive, who can act in roles ranging from "caretaker" to "change agent;"
• Deciding how to conduct the search and screening and with what outside help;
• An "organizational audit" to determine the key challenges for the next CEO; and
• Planning a structured entry for the newly hired executive that sets him or her up for success--welcoming rituals, community introductions, performance goals, an evaluation protocol.

To coordinate all these facets of an executive turnover, some boards find it helpful to create an ad hoc Transition Committee. This committee should include one or two key board officers, or the officers as a group may choose to serve as the Transition Committee. An important member and resource to the committee is a staff administrator, who will be a crucial communications link with the entire staff group and provide logistical support (and who is not a candidate for the job).

Read on...

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III. News

Pope Seeks to Inspire Young
ktla 5
August 22, 2005

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UW-Extension Program Reaches Out to Hmong Refugees
Duluth News Tribune
August 22, 2005

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Overseas Vietnamese Asked to Develop It Development
Viet Nam News
August 22, 2005

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We Have a Voice
Minnesota Women's Press
August 23, 2005

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Photo Exhibit Depicts Hmong Journey to Wisconsin
Green Bay Press Gazette
August 24, 2005

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Hmong, Lao Veterans to Train Honor Guards
Wausau Daily Herald
August 25, 2005

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Thanks to 3 Teens, Hmong Refugee Students Have Backpacks
Sheboygan Press
August 26, 2005

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Respect Our Dead, and Living
Asian Week
August 26, 2005

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Asian Festival Profits to Go Toward Hmong Families
WISC
August 27, 2005

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The Real China Is Touristy, But Worth the Trip
The Ledger
August 28, 2005

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For Pioneer Office-Holder, a Campaign in a Campaign
San Jose Mercury News
August 28, 2005

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Old Traditions, New Year: Hmong Honor Customs
Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
August 28, 2005

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IV. Grants

1. (National)
   RadioShack

   The RadioShack Corporation's StreetSentz Community Grant program currently focuses on two areas: prevention of family violence/abuse and/or child abduction.

   To be considered for a StreetSentz Community Grant, an organization must be a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit (municipalities, including local police departments, also qualify for consideration); offer solutions to help prevent family violence/abuse and/or child abduction; directly impact or benefit, through programs and/or services, a RadioShack community; and limit grant requests to $500 or less in value.

   An organization may receive only one StreetSentz Community Grant per calendar year, regardless of the number of eligible programs the organization may administer.

   Deadline: September 15 and December 15, 2005

2. (National)
   National Gardening Association and Home Depot

   The National Gardening Association and the Home Depot will award Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs.

   In evaluating grant applications, priority will be given to programs that emphasize one or more of these elements: educational focus and/or curricular ties (if applicant is a formal education program); nutrition or plant-to-food connections; environmental awareness/education; entrepreneurship; and social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning.

   In 2006, 150 programs will receive Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of gardening materials and supplies particular to the needs of their program, and an activity package from NGA. Fifty first-place winners will receive $500 gift cards; 100 second-place winners will receive $250 gift cards.

   Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States are eligible to apply. Applicants must plan to garden in 2006 with at least fifteen children between the ages of three and 18 years.

   Youth Garden Grants will be awarded to: 1) start-up programs that are just beginning or have yet to break ground; and 2) established programs that have completed one or more outdoor garden seasons.

   Deadline: November 30, 2005

3. (National)
   Disney Teacher Awards

   Since 1989, Disney Teacher Awards have been presented to teachers in the United States who construct learning environments where students and teachers alike explore, imagine, and engage in a variety of stimulating ideas and experiences. Specifically, the program honors those teachers whose approaches exemplify creativity in teaching and who inspire a joy of learning in their students. The Disney Teacher Awards program is part of DisneyHand, worldwide outreach for the Walt Disney Company.

   Only nominated teachers who complete the application are eligible for selection as a DisneyHand Teacher Awards Honoree. The national selection committee chooses three applicants in each of ten categories to be honorees. The honorees will be celebrated at an awards gala in July. During the gala, four honorees will be selected as Outstanding Teachers and one will be named the 2006 Disney Teacher of the Year. In addition, the honorees each receive $10,000, a $5,000 grant for their school, and a six-day professional development institute with their principal at the Walt Disney World Resort.

   Only full-time teachers are eligible for the awards program. Applicants must be available for all events and activities.

   Deadline: October 15, 2005

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V. Resources

FirstGov is the US government website containing information and resources for nonprofit and charitable organizations.

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If you wish to contribute to the VERB Weekly e-Digest, please send all materials to sophy@searac.org