Got those old non-profit blues?

Non-profit. Nonprofit. Not-for-profit.

No matter your preferred term -- working at a non-profit organization can be challenging.

I work with them every day. I'm also on the board of a big social service non-profit, UPLIFT, and I'm a member and/or supporter of others.

Always need funding, they do. Yet often people running non-profits first got involved because they had a passion for the cause. Actors audition for a local play and the next thing they know, they're the development director for the community theatre group. I'm a board member of UPLIFT because the organization was the only one in the state addressing the needs of children with ADHD and other behavioral problems. I came in seeking advice and the next thing I know, I'm duly sworn in as a board member. That was twelve years ago and I'm now board president, term ending in October.

Volunteers and interns become employees and then specialists and maybe directors and are always learning on the run, never having time to stop and ask, "What's this all about?" They also ask this question: "How do I tell people what we do?"

The 2010 Snowy Range Nonprofit Institute may be just the right thing for you.

Here's some info from a University of Wyoming press release:

Communicating nonprofits' ultimate community value clearly, cohesively, consistently and compellingly is the focus of the 2010 Snowy Range Nonprofit Institute (SRNI) keynote, "Crafting Messages of Value."

Denver-based consultant Richard Male leads the session Monday, Aug. 2. SRNI, now in its ninth year, is scheduled for Aug. 1-3 at the University of Wyoming Conference Center/Hilton Garden Inn in Laramie. Male is a recognized leader in the fields of leadership development, fundraising, community organizing and public policy -- conducting training sessions, consulting, facilitating and speaking on each topic.

Male has served as executive director of nonprofits in Colorado, Missouri and Utah. One of those organizations, the Community Resource Center (CRC), has provided training, consulting and leadership services to more than 3,000 organizations in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. While at CRC, he received a Kellogg Foundation grant to organize a public policy institute and a statewide organization devoted to grassroots leadership at the local and state levels.

Following his talk, Male will lead a hands-on workshop extending upon the themes of his talk. That session, titled "Connecting with the Community," will provide participants with opportunities to apply what they learn to their individual organizations.

This year's institute theme is "Nonprofit Management: Moving from Surviving to Thriving." Tracks are "Living Your Values" (internal processes) and "Walking the Talk" (external interactions).

For more information on this year's Snowy Range Nonprofit Institute, including the curriculum, an electronic copy of the brochure and access to the online registration system, visit the SRNI Web site: http://www.uwyo.edu/srni.

The Parkman Family Foundation has provided a limited number of full-registration sponsorships for first-time attendees. Sponsorships (scholarships) covering the $175 registration fee are on a first-come, first-served basis, available through the online registration process.