Public Speaking
When you need a presentation for groups large or small, either as a break-out session or key-note, we can accommodate your needs. PowerPoint presentations are provided along with handouts.
We can speak on a range of Nonprofit issues, including:
Board Membership Made Easy
A great introduction for new trustees and an even better reminder for more experienced Board members. What are the legal requirements the Board must fulfill? What are the roles every Board member is expected to perform? In this talk we examine Fundraising, giving and/or getting and how to do both, Advocacy or how to be an ambassador for your organization and Governance, what it means to oversee a nonprofit. The goal of this talk is to energize Board members into doing things that are helpful and supportive of the organization rather than indulge in those things that waste time and drain energy.
Predatory Nonprofit Management
A tongue-in-cheek assault on the do-gooder mentality prevalent in nonprofit management. We bring all the cold calculating business brutality of Wall Street to the nonprofit arena. Sections include "Meeting the New Staff, or who to fire first," "The importance of Strategic Planning, as a method of making your Board disappear for a year." Underlying this over-the-top talk is the reality that nonprofit managers are running businesses and every now and then it's good to be reminded of that fact.
Nonprofit Compliance
Why the rules matter and what you can do about it. Looking at the world of Self-Regulated Organizations, such as the brokerage industry, the future for nonprofits isn't hard to determine. What will it mean to create a Compliance manual, develop a system to implement it, and prove that you have done so when Elliot Spitzer (or your local equivalent) comes knocking at your door. Based on David Gray's work as a compliance officer in the brokerage industry, this talk examines the future for Boards and Managers as Compliance needs grow. Turn the Compliance process into a source of trust and confidence with your constituents.
Understanding Cash Flow and Budgeting
Voting for a balanced budget doesn't ensure fiscal health and well-being. It is not only important to know how much money is coming in and going out but also when that is going to happen. This is often the missing detail that leads even well-run nonprofits into crisis. Being a Certified Financial Planner, David Gray brings his detailed understanding of personal finance to the challenge of explaining cash flow, as it relates to people and the nonprofits they work for. By comparing nonprofit organizational finances to personal finances, such as the arrival of your paycheck and credit card bills, most everyone grasps the concepts.