E-Learning+ by RSVP of Montgomery County: Free Online Workshops and Seminars for Busy Nonprofit Professionals

Nonprofit professionals that need to brush up on their skills but don’t have the time or money to spend on an in-person workshop can now tap into the local knowledge of RSVP of Montgomery County right from their computer.

The new online resource, titled E-Learning+, launched earlier this month and was designed with busy nonprofit board members and executive directors in mind — all seminars are free and kept to a 15-minute time limit.

“These slideshows are 15 minutes long, which is short enough for busy professionals,” said Michele Spencer, the Executive Director of RSVP Montgomery County. “It makes resource sharing more convenient because people can always go back to it when they need to.”

To determine which topics would be most appropriate to cover, RSVP invited a target group to experiment with the system and provide feedback. The first round of courses include: Board Basics (1 and 2), Strategic Planning, and one titled: ”Why Initiatives Fail.”

Through the workshops, nonprofit organizations are able to interact with over 90 RSVP volunteer facilitators, who will instruct on issues such as fundraising, strategic business planning, board development, proposal writing, financing, and staff skill improvements.

“We have individuals from various backgrounds working as volunteers and we often make them work in a team of 3 to 4 people,” said Spencer.

Specialities of the RSVP volunteers include experiences in law, public relations, and strategic planning.

The hope is that the program can work as a tool for nonprofit organizations to share resources with staff during meetings and serve as materials for board training.

After using the E Learning+ program, users can schedule workshops with RSVP for further training. In the future, RSVP intends to broaden the usage of E-Learning+ to include other aspects of their mission, especially job counseling and mentor training.

“We plan to let the program remain free for nonprofit organizations and serve as educational materials to the nonprofit community,” said Tina Weaver, the Public Relations Coordinator at RSVP.

To register for E-Learning+ and find out more information, click here.