The Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Missouri – Kansas City is pleased to announce a special Grantmaker Professional Education program:

Assessing Financial Health and Sustainability:

The Art of Financial Due Diligence

 June 1, 2006

8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Conference Center

Participation in this program is limited to foundation executives, program officers, and board members.

Most grantmakers are aware that they have obligations to engage in “financial due diligence.”  But what does this really mean?  What are the signs and symptoms, the warning signs and the green flags?   Program officers and other funding officials often tell us they wish they knew more about nonprofit organization finance and, in particular, how to assess the financial health, viability, and sustainability of their prospective nonprofit organization grantees. 

We invite you to join us for a special workshop that is designed to help you learn to do just this!  In this workshop, which is designed specifically for grantmakers, you will learn about:

Ø   The key concepts and principles that you need to know to understand basic nonprofit financial management (including how it compares to for-profit financial management);

Ø   The key indicators of a nonprofit agency’s financial health and viability, and how to use agency financial statements to begin to make this assessment; and

Ø   The essential elements of financial due diligence, the part of the grantmaking process in which a grantmaker must assess an agency’s financial status and ascertain whether it is appropriate to make a grant.

You will leave this workshop with the essential knowledge and a practical set of analytic tools that will enable you to analyze the financial health and viability of all of your prospective grantee agencies. 

This workshop is presented by a team of highly-experienced foundation and nonprofit leaders, each of whom brings their own special expertise to the subject.  The facilitators for this session include:

Ø   Eugene Wilson: Gene, a senior fellow with the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, brings a distinguished national career in grantmaking and philanthropy, including service as President of the ARCO Foundation and Senior Vice President of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. 

Ø   David Stallings: David, a senior fellow with the Midwest Center, provides consulting and educational services to nonprofit organizations.  He teaches nonprofit financial management and provides consulting and coaching support on nonprofit finance and accounting, including advising nonprofit boards and executives on effective financial leadership and management practices.  Before joining the Midwest Center, David was a practicing CPA, retiring as Managing Shareholder of Marks, Stallings and Campbell, CPAs, a large Kansas City-based CPA firm. 

Ø   David Renz: Dave is an experienced nonprofit consultant, educator, and researcher, and is the director of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at UMKC.  In addition to his teaching and writing on nonprofit leadership and effectiveness, Renz has served as an advisor and consultant to both Kansas City and national foundations, including the Pew Charitable Trusts and the McKnight Foundation.

Join us for this interesting and informative look at the financial side of the philanthropic work that you do every day.  Space at this unique workshop is limited.  For more information, or to reserve your place at this special program for Kansas City grantmaking professionals, contact the offices of the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership at UMKC.  The Center may be reached by calling 816-235-2305 or via e-mail at mcnl@umkc.edu.  We look forward to seeing you on June 1!

Session fee: $140 per participant.  Fee includes lunch, snacks, and an extensive set of resource materials.

Participation in this program is limited to foundation executives, program officers, and board members.