The Greater Des Moines Community Foundation is launching a new program next month to help non-profit organizations build “strong legs to stand on.”

The community philanthropic group’s BoardLaunch program is designed to enhance the management and leadership skills of board members of local charitable groups.

“You can give funding to organizations all you want, but by building strong foundations for the non-profits, you’re really ahead of the game,” said Kristi Knous, the Community Foundation’s director of donor relations and programs.

BoardLaunch consists of a series of three four-hour workshops, which will offer technical and leadership instruction in the areas of fund raising, finance and governance. These topics were selected through discussions with community leaders, United Way of Central Iowa representatives and large companies in Greater Des Moines whose charitable foundations provide financial support for local groups.

Knous said BoardLaunch is a product of the Community Foundation’s technical assistance program, which was launched about three years ago to provide resources and services to non-profit organizations.

“We’ve done a lot with coaching and teaching non-profits skills such as how to make grants, and the next step was to address their governmental boards,” Knous said.

United Way of Central Iowa helped design BoardLaunch, and has already offered its version of the workshops for participants in its Emerging Leaders series, according to Shannon Cofield, the president of the social services organization.

“When you join a board, whether it’s because of a position that you hold or a certain level of expertise that you possess that brings value to that board, there is an assumption on the part of the board that you already know what you need to know because you are a smart business person,” Cofield said. “I think we need to be careful not to make those assumptions, and to support them with resources so that they can feel empowered and feel effective to lead the organization.”

Leisha Barcus, owner of Priority Projects consulting company, will be the facilitator for these sessions on behalf of the Community Foundation. Barcus, a former executive director of the Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation, said a program such as BoardLaunch is long overdue.

“We’ve had experiences in this community where a non-profit has ended up in bankruptcy court and the board is there having to take responsibility for things that have gone awry,” Barcus said. “If they had asked the right questions and understood how to assess the group’s financial health, the situation wouldn’t have reached that point.”

Barcus said she hopes board members consider the BoardLaunch workshops as a way to explore the different facets of running a non-profit organization, and not feel self-conscious if they aren’t experts in a particular subject. She said she even learned a great deal about board governance while compiling course content for the workshops.

“If you’ve never had an opportunity to see your own company’s finances, there’s really no way you can be expected to read and analyze the finances of the non-profit that you’re serving on,” Barcus said. “There’s nothing wrong with getting some training to allow you to make some good policy decisions and be able to see the big picture of the organization better to help guide it.”

The workshops will be offered from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 4, Oct. 25 and Nov. 15. People can register for one or all three of the sessions based on their interests. Knous said the early response to BoardLaunch has been so strong that the Community Foundation is considering expanding the schedule to repeat some of the workshops.

“Our goal is to do something like this at least in the spring and the fall,” Knous said. “There are so many different topics we could cover to maximize the ability of the non-profits to perform with good board members.”

Upcoming workshops

1. “Eliminate the Fear Factor: Successful Fundraising Strategies for Board Members.”

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Content: Build understanding of the necessary components of a successful fund-raising program and clarify a board member’s role in fund raising.

2. “The Rules Have Changed: Your Guide to Governance & Legal Obligations.”

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Content: Explore the legally defined standards of board member conduct, regulatory requirements and liability, and necessary steps to becoming a successful board member.

3. “Beyond the Numbers: What You Need to Know to Understand Non-profit Financials.” Date: Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Content: Learn to appraise and evaluate financial statements to provide framework for financial oversight and sound decision making. Each participant receives a book, “Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements,” by Steven Berger.

All workshops will be held from 4-8 p.m. at the Arthur Davis Conference Center in the Greater Des Moines Partnership Building, 700 Locust St.

Registration forms are available online at www.desmoinesfoundation.org.