What’s in a number? JVA and DPS receive perfect score on GEAR UP grant

By Robert Jakubowski, JVA Consulting

JVA's Robert Jakubowski speaks with sixth and seventh graders from Denver Public Schools about college and career goals.

106. A perfect score. A testament to what can happen when a passionate and focused team is leveraged toward a common goal.

So what does it all mean? JVA and Denver Public Schools (DPS) recently got the news that they had received a perfect score (a 106 out of 106 possible points) on a U.S. Department of Education Grant JVA wrote on behalf of DPS. Although the number 106 did not have any special meaning prior to writing the grant for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergrad Programs (GEAR UP) funding, it now means a great deal to DPS youth, district leaders and the JVA team.

Ask Amber: LinkedIn—new tips and tricks from active job seekers

By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting

Back in November, I wrote an Ask Amber blog about LinkedIn, but as the saying goes, “you learn something new every day.” After lengthy discussions with several other young professionals recently, I have learned  a little more about LinkedIn and how useful it can be for making connections.

JVA’s Executive Director Academy provides new and learning executive directors with the skills they need to succeed

By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting

2011 EDA graduate Coby Gould (left) and Adam Brock of The GrowHaus.

As a new executive director in a new organization, Coby Gould found himself seeking answers and tools to prepare for his newfound leadership role at The GrowHaus, a North Denver nonprofit that focuses on food access and education and provides regular classes open to the community. For Gould, finding a training that gave background information on what it means to be an executive director, and was offered in a succinct format, was very important.

EDA—JVA’s crown jewel

By Ashley Kasprzak, JVA Consulting

I am about to start my 12^th year at JVA Consulting, and I have been a trainer for 10 of those years. During my tenure, JVA’s trainings have expanded and increased in both breadth and depth. We now offer over 60 training topics, all led by JVA experts in the nonprofit sector.

Three reasons to come to JVA’s 10th Executive Director Academy

By Katy Snyder, JVA Consulting

Expert input: Every JVA Executive Director Academy includes what we like to call the “Genius Bar,” a panel of nonprofit movers and shakers who share their expertise on what it is like to lead some of the area’s most dynamic nonprofits. Past Genius Bar panelists have included Grant Jones from the Center for African American Health, Alyssa Kopf from Community Shares of Colorado, Jim Garcia from Clínica Tepeyac, and Nita Gonzales from Escuela Tlatelolco.

How our EDA grantwriting session can help you

As our 10th Executive Director Academy draws near we ask our expert trainers how their sessions can benefit today’s busy nonprofit executive director. Here is what Lisa Cirincione, senior associate, grantwriting and resource development, had to say about our grantwriting session.

Ask Amber: Why public speaking is the most important professional skill you can have

By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting

There are many skills a young nonprofit professional should perfect, but one of those skills is the key to opening all other doors. Above all, a young professional should be well versed and comfortable speaking to anyone, anywhere, any time.

In the words of one young professional I interviewed: “Today, most communication revolves around emails, facebook, texts, etc. Thus, many young professionals forget about public speaking and practicing and improving on their public speaking skills. However, these skills are invaluable assets that must not be forgotten. Public speaking portrays the emotions of the speaker that electronic forms have difficulty portraying.”

There are many occasions where you will need to have the gift of gab, including but not limited to the following:

Google, Wikipedia shut down in protest of SOPA—what does it mean for nonprofits?

By Collin Lessing and Katy Snyder

Google, Wikipedia and hundreds of other websites have shut down today in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) legislation in the U.S. Senate, bills that aim to curb Internet piracy and copyright infringement by no longer allowing U.S. companies to sell ads to pirates or process payments for illegal online sales. Under this legislation, U.S.-based search-engines would be forced to remove suspected pirates from their search results. And according to a Huffington Post article, a website accused of copyright infringement could be shut down with “neither a trial nor a traditional court hearing.”

JVA’s 2011 nonprofit catchphrases

By Katy Snyder, JVA Consulting

At JVA, we recently came across a list of the top 2011 nonprofit buzzwords as determined by Lucy Bernholz in a 2173 blog. We thought they were great (particularly the fact that Bernholz named the hashtag as the top buzzword of the year!), but we wanted to add a few of our own (okay, and we are calling them “catchphrases” because we had a hard time confining ourselves to just one word!) and discuss why the issues they describe are creating a buzz.

Walk Denver Internship Announcement

Position Announcement

Walk Denver Program Development Intern

WalkDenver is an advocacy group focused on pedestrian safety and experience. Our Vision for Denver is to become a pedestrian-oriented community. We see our city as a network of well-connected neighborhoods that are people-focused, culturally vibrant, active, and economically thriving. For more information please visit www.walkdenver.org.