PD Festival: Summer 2013 Seminar Series

This summer, Young Associates will be leading a series of seminars for participants to develop their skills in a variety of areas including: Microsoft Excel, budgets and cashflows, getting started in Sumac relational database software, effective data management practices, and core financial management concepts. The seminars are limited enrolment, to allow us to focus on hands on, practical teaching with individual coaching. These seminars area appropriate for junior staff, entry level employees and interns, as well as senior managers and board members looking to refresh their skills. All sessions will be delivered in the Young Associates office, located at:

675 King St. W. Suite 211. Toronto, ON.

Single session seminars: $75
2 part seminars: $120

Registrants will receive $10 off the price of each seminar, if they purchase 3 or more. (The 3 or more seminars can be distributed among different individuals at the same organization).

Visit the online store to register.

Excel Basics PC (June 25 & 26, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Whether you’re new to Excel or feel like you aren’t using it to its full potential, this seminar is for you! Learn your way around Excel during this introductory course split into two sessions. The seminar will cover the essentials of navigation, and working on-screen with text, numbers and formulas. Increase your flexibility by learning both keyboard and mouse shortcuts for essential tasks. An examination of basic arithmetic operations and the SUM function will prepare you for working with a take-away budget worksheet. This course is geared towards PC users, and will include a mix of instructional information, opportunity for questions & answers, and a chance to work through guided exercises.

Register.

Excel Basics MAC (July 2-3, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Whether you’re new to Excel or feel like you aren’t using it to its full potential, this seminar is for you! Learn your way around Excel in this introductory course split into two sessions. The seminar will cover the essentials of navigation, and working on-screen with text, numbers and formulas. Increase your flexibility by learning both keyboard and mouse shortcuts for essential tasks. An examination of basic arithmetic operations and the SUM function prepares you for working with a take-away budget worksheet. This course is geared towards MAC users, and will include a mix of instructional information, opportunity for questions & answers, and a chance to work through guided exercises.

Register.

Excel: Managing Documents and Creating Templates I & II (July 9 & 10, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Take your Excel skills to the next level with this 2-part workshop on managing documents. In the first part of the workshop, learn invaluable techniques for managing data inside cells; simultaneously formatting non-adjacent cells; opening multiple workspaces in a single Excel file; creating series’ with numbers, formulas and dates; adding, hiding, revealing and printing comments; controlling the appearance of printed documents, and more. In the second part of the 2-part workshop, learn how to build templates and design in Excel to meet your visual needs. Create stunning reports to share with your staff, board and funders. Format, link and merge information easily into your template and save time and stress when updating your reports. This session will include a guided exercise that will allow you to walk away with the tools you need! A legend will be provided for both PC and Mac shortcuts.

Register.

Sumac Basics: Getting Started (July 17, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Populating your database with good, clean data can be the key to reaching your fundraising and marketing goals, but is often the part of the process we put off doing or give to the interns. Stop putting it off today and learn how to efficiently and effectively populate your database, manually and through data uploads, and get your new and existing data out of spreadsheets and into your database management software. After an instructional section and guided exercises, you’ll leave feeling more confident in your Sumac abilities and able to get your data working for you. Bring your laptop with the sample Sumac database ready to go.

Register.

Budget Bootcamp (July 23 & 24, 2013 from 4-6pm)

This 2-part workshop, focused on hands-on work supported by individual coaching, begins with a presentation on planning and reporting principles and a review of simple and complex budgeting templates, leading to the creation of a detailed budget document incorporating: Excel formatting techniques, multiple periods of data, formulas and functions (financial ratios, SUM, ROUND and more), and linked worksheets (reasonability calculations, detail and summary presentations). Participants can use this opportunity (and our coaching resources) to develop their company’s budget, or they can work with our sample data. Bring your laptop and expect to sink your teeth into spreadsheet creation! Participants should be comfortable with Excel basics and the functions mentioned in this description.

Register.

Organizational Cashflow (July 31, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Hands-on work supported by individual coaching is at the heart of this 2-hour workshop. We will begin with a presentation on cashflow principles and techniques, including: the financial contents; timing issues involved in working with last year, this year and next year items; essential control and reconciliation features; and a discussion of how much detail is desirable. We will walk through a paper example, and then participants will take it away to build their own cashflow based on the model, incorporating various formatting ideas, formulas and functions (including SUM, IF, and ROUND). Participants can use this opportunity (and our coaching resources) to develop their company’s budget, or they can work with our sample data. Bring your laptop and roll up your sleeves! Participants should be comfortable with Excel basics and the functions mentioned in this description.

Register.

Managing Your Data: Making it Work for You and Your Organization (August 7, 2013 from 4-6pm)

What is a database? What do I want to get out of it? What data is relevant? How can I create consistency? This 2 hour seminar from Young Associates is designed to provide an overview of good database management practices for the arts and cultural sector. The seminar will cover goal setting, policies and procedures, and tips and tricks, and is geared to those working in both a spreadsheet or relational database environment.

Register.

Integrate Database Management Into Your Workflow (August 14, 2013 from 4-6pm)

There are only so many hours in the day, and for most small to mid-sized organizations with limited staffing, working in the database often gets pushed to the bottom of the list until the crunch is on. In this session we’ll explore tips and tricks for doing preliminary work that will make quick work of populating your database, and discuss ways to keep database management in the mix of your regular tasks, seamlessly integrating it into your workflow. Keep your data up-to-date so you always have access to the information you need to more your organization forward. This is an instructional seminar that will include case studies and a take away tipsheet.

Register.

Accounting Is Not Math: Knowledge For Your GM and Board Members (August 21, 2013 from 4-6pm)

This two hour seminar is geared toward existing and aspiring General Managers / Executive Directors and Board Members to help ground them in the technical skills required to support financial responsibilities. It will include an introduction to the two essential financial statements: the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement. It will also introduce participants to the concept and mechanics of double entry bookkeeping, the process that yields the financial statements required for sound decision making. Participants will work with the session leaders on developing a case study, walking through the start up year of a small not-for-profit, examining transactions and the need for statements and reports. Along the way we will consider matters such as: revenue generation from earned, fundraised, and government sources, dealing with expenses (cash vs. credit and the contracts/leases that govern multiple transactions); the importance of documentation; and the role of authorization (e.g. who signs cheques and contracts). The goal of the seminar is to assist participants in building on common sense and practical not-for-profit experience as the grounds for discussing technical aspects of accounting and thereby integrating the ‘hard skills’ into daily practice and financial management.

Register.

Winter 2013 Excel Seminar Series

This winter, Young Associates will be leading a series of seminars for participants to develop their skills in Microsoft Excel. Limited enrollment will allow us to focus on hands on, practical teaching with individual coaching. Participants should bring a laptop loaded with Microsoft Excel and be ready to test out new techniques.  These 2-hour seminars will be held on Wednesdays in January-April from 4-6pm in the Young Associates office, located at:

675 King St. W. Suite 211

These seminars are offered for $60 each, or $50 if each if you book 3 or more seminars. (The 3 or more seminars can be distributed among multiple individuals at the same organization).

For more information, please email [email protected]

Visit the online store to register.

Excel Skills

The Excel Skills seminars are built around lecture/demonstrations complemented by individual practice, supported by one-on-one coaching. Any Excel user seeking to build their skills will benefit, including:

• Artistic directors of start-up organizations
• Managers who wish to refresh and extend their Excel skills
• Students building their resumes

Excel Basics (January 30, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Excel newbies, this is for you! Learn your way around Excel in this 2-hour introductory session, covering the essentials of navigation, and working on-screen with text, numbers and formulas. Gain flexibility by learning both keyboard and mouse shortcuts for essential tasks. An examination of basic arithmetic operations and the SUM function leads up to the development of a take-away budget worksheet. 

Managing Documents in Excel (February 6, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Take your Excel skills to the next level with this 2-hour workshop on managing documents. Learn invaluable techniques for managing data inside cells; simultaneously formatting non-adjacent cells; opening multiple workspaces in a single Excel file; creating series’ with numbers, formulas and dates; adding, hiding, revealing and printing comments; controlling the appearance of printed documents and more.

Managing Multiple Worksheets & Linked Documents in Excel & Word (February 13, 2013 from 4-6pm)

This 2-hour workshop addresses more complex uses for Excel, particularly developing files with multiple worksheets and linking files (using both Word and Excel) – essential to using the software for more evolved planning and reporting tasks. We will build formulas with 3D and remote references, explore the uses of pasting and paste-linking data to create dynamic reports, and discover how to use Excel’s graphing tool to turn tables of data into high-impact images. An introduction to absolute and relative cell references at the top of the session prepares you to use these techniques with confidence.

Excel Functions I – functions with 0 – 2 arguments (March 6, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Functions are pre-set formulas or instructions that allow you to complete tasks rapidly. During this 2-hour introductory workshop, we will look at simple functions that perform core calculations and manage data effectively including SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT and ROUND. Practice exercises will generate an array of sample situations where you can put these skills to work in financial reporting and list management. Besides learning how to use these functions on their own, you will build them into formulas and learn to nest functions inside other functions.

Excel Functions II – conditional functions (March 13, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Conditional functions in Excel evaluate the data you select and perform a calculation or return a result based on the criteria you specify. Using the CADAC operating grant reporting form and a selection of reporting and data management scenarios, this 2-hour workshop explores the logic and various applications for IF, SUMIF and COUNTIF, including the use of nested arguments. Participants should have completed Excel Functions I, or be comfortable with the use of functions with one and two arguments.

Excel Spreadsheet Applications

The Spreadsheet Applications seminars are built around individual practice supported by coaching. They include presentations on management techniques as well as Excel skills, and so will be of special interest to arts workers who are:

• stewarding companies moving from project status to year-round operating
• reviewing and renovating their company’s financial infrastructure
• applying for positions involving financial leadership
• interested in refreshing and extending their Excel skills

Budgeting in Excel (February 20, 2013 from 4-6pm)

This 2-hour workshop, focused on hands-on work supported by individual coaching, begins with a presentation on planning and reporting principles and a review of budgeting templates from simple to complex, leading to the creation of a detailed budget document incorporating Excel formatting techniques, multiple periods of data, formulas and functions (financial ratios, SUM, ROUND and more) and linked worksheets (reasonability calculations, detail and summary presentations). Alternative: participants can use coaching resources to develop their company’s budget. Bring your laptop and expect to sink your teeth into spreadsheet creation! Participants should have completed the Excel Skills seminars up to Functions I, or be comfortable with the use of these features.

Cashflow in Excel (*April 10, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Hands-on work supported by individual coaching is at the heart of this 2-hour workshop. We will begin with a presentation on cashflow principles and techniques, including the financial contents, timing issues involved in working with last year, this year and next year items, essential control and reconciliation features and a discussion of how much detail is desirable. We will walk through a paper example, and then participants will take it away to build their own cashflow based on the model, incorporating various formatting ideas, formulas and functions (including SUM, IF, ROUND). Alternative: participants can use coaching resources to develop their company’s cashflow. Bring your laptop and roll up your sleeves! Participants should have completed the Excel Skills seminars, or be comfortable with the use of these features. Register.
*Re-scheduled from February 29, 2013.

Reporting in Excel (March 20, 2013 from 4-6pm)

This 2-hour workshop will give you plenty of hands-on practice supported by individual coaching as you develop skills in preparing detailed Excel reports. We will begin with a discussion on internal (e.g. board) and external (e.g. funders) reporting needs; delivery methods (numbers, graphs, text, verbal), frequency and level of detail. Participants will then work on creating reports based on two paper models: 1) a monthly board report automatically created from exported accounting data using SUMIF (the same principles can be used for grant reports), and incorporating automatically generated graphs, and 2) a monthly donations report incorporating historical analysis as a basis for evaluation and forecasting. Alternative: participants can use coaching resources to develop their company’s reports. Fire up your laptop and prepare to work! Participants should have completed the Excel Skills seminars, or be comfortable with the use of these features.

Data Smart in Excel

The data smart seminar is ideal for individuals and organizations who track data about contacts and their interactions (donations, sales, communications, etc.) in a spreadsheet environment like Excel. This is a great option for those who aren’t planning on purchasing a relational database software package (e.g. Sumac, Filemaker, Bento, Raiser’s Edge) but who want to consolidate and organize their various data sets into one cohesive database.

Managing Data : Policies and Procedures for Populating Your Database (March 27, 2013 from 4-6pm)

Is your organization not big enough to warrant purchasing a fundraising database? Are you using spreadsheets to track your audience? No problem! Who should be tracked in your spreadsheet? What is enough information about a contact to warrant a spot in your database? Is an email address enough? Are you sure that your patrons’ information is safe in your spreadsheet? During this 2-hour introductory seminar we will explore the basics of tracking contacts and donations within spreadsheets, and keeping consistent records when more than one person is working in the file. Bring your laptop and be ready to test out techniques and functions and take away a template and tipsheet to get started with keeping your own data ‘smart’.

The ABCs of Indie Finances*: Artists Balancing their Cash (April 23-24, 2013 from 4-6pm)

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