Midwest Regional 411 Blog

What Nonprofits Should Know about Pinterest

2012-03-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

What is Pinterest? Its not just for posting fashion and cooking articles. Nonprofits such as Amnesty International are now using this as another form of social media. Check out the article below from the Chronicle of Philanthropy to learn more.

What Nonprofits Should Know about Pinterest

FREE Nonprofit Telesummit

2012-02-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for March 7,8 and 9 for the FREE Nonprofit Telesummit hosted by the Nonprofit Academy. Topics include:

How to get your board members over their fear of fundraising.
4 simple things that can bring quick (and big!) fundraising results.
How to get clear, focused, and moving in the right direction with your fundraising.
How to use and adapt stories to more deeply engage our donors
12 ways to liven up a board meeting.
Tips and strategies for doing it all in the one person shop
How to attract bidders for your silent auction who have more disposable income
A little-used best practice in auctions to trigger your guest’s generosity gene
Methods to engage and build long-term relationships with your donors
About low-cost ways to connect donors to your mission
How to use Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and YouTube for your cause
Why building your email list may be the most important part of your social media outreach

For more information and registration visit http://thenonprofitacademy.com/.

NEW! Model Case Review Webinar

2012-02-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

Struggling with Case Review? Interested in what a Model Case Review might look like? We have just launched our latest webinar - Model Case Review, Harford, MD. Check it out and share it with your team!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a target="_blank" title="Survey Software" href="http://www.qualtrics.com/survey-software/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Survey Software&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a target="_blank" title="Enterprise Feedback Management" href="http://www.qualtrics.com/solutions/enterprise-feedback-management/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Enterprise Feedback Management&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a target="_blank" href="https://childrensmn.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6RR54mgv9mOyPJO"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Please click on this link to take the survey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Sneak Preview of 2011 Annual Survey Results

2012-01-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 94% of CAC Forensic Interviewers participate in regular peer review? Learn more about current national trends in Forensic Interviewing and Medical Services by reading the preliminary findings from the 2011 Annual Survey. Stay tuned for the formal report coming out in late Spring! Read the Report

A special thanks to all of you who participated in the 2011 Annual Survey to make this information available to the field and for contributing to the advancement of services for children!

NEW Vstream Technology - New streaming Technology for NCA n.e.t.

2012-01-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

With the New Year we are rolling out a new technology for streaming NCA n.e.t. Education Calls. Flip through this brief tutorial to learn about the new technology and to prepare your self to register for the first Education Calls of 2012.

2012 Resolutions!

2012-01-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

A new year offers an opportunity to set new goals. In that spirit, The Chronicle of Philanthropy invited a diverse group of leaders and thinkers to share their 2012 resolutions for the nonprofit world.

See what they are saying...

Happy Holiday from all of us at MRCAC!

2011-12-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of you a Happy Holiday and a Happy New year filled with laughter, peace and happiness.

MRCAC - Carolyn, Jane, Kim & Kori

Strategies for Effective Grant Writing!

2011-12-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

The NCA RFP is out! Its time to start thinking about grant writing and how you can effectively communicate your mission, program objectives and goals. Below is the first of a series of 7 videos to give you a few simple grant writing tips.

CDC Summary Results from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)

2011-12-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States, based on a survey conducted in 2010. Over the course of a year, that equals more than 12 million women and men. Those numbers only tell part of the story—more than 1 million women are raped in a year and over 6 million women and men are victims of stalking in a year. These findings emphasize that sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence are important and widespread public health problems in the United States. More information about the Report...

NACHRI Publishes 2nd Edition of Defining Children's Hospital Role in Child Maltreatment

2011-12-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

Defining the Children’s Hospital Role in Child Maltreatment, Second Edition communicates the collective intent on the part of children’s hospitals to counter child maltreatment, empower community partners in this regard, and help more children grow up without the threat of abuse or the pain of neglect. These guidelines do not describe clinical parameters, provide assistance in medical decision-making or provide criteria for accreditation. They outline what a child protection team at a children’s hospital should offer in way of infrastructure, staffing, functions and systems to be considered a basic program, advanced program or center of excellence. Read the Report

Congress Members in YOUR pocket

2011-12-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Need help tracking down your Congressman? Want to stay up to date on legislation? Download the Congress app on your phone or ipad to stay up to date. More information...

ACF Report - Synthesis of Research and Resources to Support At-Risk Youth

2011-11-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced the release of a new report, Synthesis of Research and Resources to Support At-Risk Youth, which provides the latest research on at-risk youth and their needs, describes how ACF and community programs have served them, and considers issues for enhancing programs to better meet the future needs of at-risk youth. Read the Report

Something to be thankful for...

2011-11-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving MRCAC would like to say THANK YOU to all of the wonderful CACs and Chapters in the Midwest and across the nation that continue to do important work protecting our children!

Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center Highlight

2011-11-23T07:05:00.001-08:00

Reframing Child Abuse and Neglect

2011-11-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

How do you explain the impact of Child Abuse and Neglect on your community, your state, the nation? Many of us might start out by saying something like this;

"According to Child Maltreatment 2007, the most recent report of data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), an estimated 753,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in calendar year 2007. Of this number, 59 percent suffered neglect, 10.8 percent were physically abused, 7.6 percent were sexually abused, 4.2 percent were emotionally or psychologically maltreated, and less than 1 percent were medically neglected."

The FrameworksInstitute has gathered research that demonstrates this is a very ineffective way of communicating the detrimental effects and complexity of child abuse and neglect. The FrameworksInstitute's mission is to "advance the nonprofit sector's communications capacity by identifying, translating and modeling relevant scholarly research for framing the public discourse about social problems."

In 2009, they partnered with Prevent Child Abuse America to research how American's think about child development and how this might impact public support for policies and programs around child abuse and neglect. Visit the FrameWork's Talking Child Abuse Prevention website to read the research and see how they suggest reframing the issue through communications to gather more public support.

CACs of Illinois Speaks up about Mandated Reporting

2011-11-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

In the wake of Penn State, the Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois renews its call for mandated reporter education. Watch the News Interview with CACI.

Visit CACI's Website for more information.

Parent Education Reduces AHT 75%

2011-11-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

A recent study published in Pediatrics marked a 75% reduction in abusive head trauma cases during the first year of a child's life among parents who participated in an educational program explaining "shaken baby syndrome" and how to prevent it. The study also identified that while 85% of the mothers watched the 8 minute video included in the education program, only 40.4% of fathers participated in the viewing of the video.

Read the Full Article...

Chris Kirchner on Penn State

2011-11-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

Chris Kirchner, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Children's Alliance and the Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center, posted an op-ed on the recent Penn State cases.

"Once again, child sexual-abuse allegations have people everywhere shaking their heads in disbelief. Anger and frustration fill the airwaves, news columns, and blogs with questions like "How did this happen?" and "How did it go unreported for so long?"" Read more...

10 Secrets of Successful Leaders

2011-11-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

Entrepreneur | By Kara Ohngren

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” But, becoming a great leader isn’t easy. Successfully maneuvering a team through the ups and downs of starting a new business can be one of the greatest challenges a small-business owner faces.

Read the Article...

New Wellness iApp

2011-11-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

Trauma Stewardship - Need some comic relief?

2011-11-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Laura Lipsky, the author of Trauma Stewardship, presented at NCA Leadership this past year about the effects of secondary traumatization and the importance of tuning in to yourself from time to time. The clip below is a little reminder, and a little comic relief, about the effects of secondary traumatization and warning signs that may be telling you to take a break. For more information about Laura Lipsky and her book visit http://www.traumastewardship.com.

The Impact of Sexualized Media

2011-11-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year Dr. Sharon Cooper touched on the impact of sexualized media on the perception of sex trafficking and adolescent victimization. This new documentary sheds light on the misrepresentation of women in the media and its impact on society as a whole.

For more information on Dr. Sharon Cooper's presentation on Adolescent Victimization go to or website, or request a DVD.

More information about Missrepresentation can be found at missrepresentation.org

Six Common Misperceptions about Teamwork - J. Richard Hackman - Harvard Business Review

2011-11-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

Team work is at the crux of the CAC movement. Without the Multidisciplinary team children would not receive the holistic, quality intervention that every CAC promises. Do you and/or your team members share some of these mesperceptions?

Misperception #1: Harmony helps, Misperception #2: It's good to mix it up, Misperception #3: Bigger is better, Misperception #4: Face-to-face interaction is passé, Misperception #5: It all depends on the leader, Misperception #6: Teamwork is magical.

See what the Harvard Business Review has to say about these misperceptions.

Should you be Evaluating your Social Media Efforts?

2011-11-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

A recent study suggests that 85% of nonprofits are using social media, but only 11% are actually evaluating its impact. The following presentation is from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofit's 2011 Nonprofit Communicator Series.

What comes after click, like, follow? Some ideas to get you thinking about aligning your social media efforts with your organizational goals.

What comes after click, like, follow?

Next Generation Organizations - 9 Key Traits

2011-11-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Compass Point Nonprofit Services has pulled together a report that identifies and describes the 9 key traits for Next Generation Organizations.

"We have heard much about next generation leaders but little about the way their leadership styles are embodied inside organizational walls. What exactly does next generation leadership entail, how are their organizations structured, what practices are in place, what do their boards look like, and how are operations adapted? In this paper, CompassPoint has identified a set of 9 characteristics that we think demonstrate how next generation leaders are transforming their organizations to operate in a fundamentally different way to raise the bar on mission impact." Read the Report

YouTube Nonprofit Program

2011-11-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

Do you have a powerful video campaign, or are you looking to develop one? Check out the YouTube Nonprofit Program below. Here are some of the program's benefits:

Premium branding capabilities and increased uploading capacity
The option to drive fundraising through a Google Checkout "Donate" button
Listing on the Nonprofit channels and the Nonprofit videos pages
Ability to add a Call-to-action overlay on your videos to drive campaigns

Blue Avocado on Evaluating the Executive Director

2011-10-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

Are you sighing just from having read the title of this article? Why does this topic make us all feel so tired?

Virtually everyone agrees that boards should conduct performance reviews of executive directors (EDs or CEOs). Even so, the predominant practice is neglect, and the predominant feeling is resentment. The neglect comes from the board: only 45% of nonprofit CEOs have reviews, reported CompassPoint's recent Daring to Lead 2011 study. Resentment comes from the executives, who are too often either resentful of the review process or even more likely and paradoxically, disgusted with the board for not conducting one.
Read More...

MRCAC Now on Facebook

2011-10-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Check out our page, like us and share us with your friends!

Stressed? Scientists Develop the Most Relaxing Tune Ever

2011-10-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

Weightless works by using specific rhythms, tones, frequencies and intervals to relax the listener. A continuous rhythm of 60 BPM causes the brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm: a process known as ‘entrainment’. Low underlying bass tones relax the listener and a low whooshing sound with a trance-like quality takes the listener into an even deeper state of calm. Read More...

Children's Advocacy Centers in the News

2011-10-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Kansas City Children's Advocacy Center
Today Show, October 28,2011

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dr. Mark Hudson, Midwest Children's Resource Center, on Abusive Head Trauma
5 Eyewitness News, October 27,2011

Doctor Mark Hudson is a child abuse pediatrician at Children's Hospital in St. Paul. He treats kids who have been injured like Isaiah. "Many times, milestones are delayed or never reached," Dr. Hudson explained. "Certainly there are many children, however, who it's apparent early on that their life is not going to be anywhere near the same." Read more...

Evaluating Advocacy Efforts

2011-10-26T08:39:00.001-07:00

“True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information”

(Winston Churchill)

Evaluating advocacy efforts and legislative work is not easy to do. How do you know the outreach you have done and meetings you have attended have truly attributed to change in the legislature or political environment?

I attended a wonderful conference this past week hosted by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and wanted to share some of the information that was presented on this topic. If you are interested in this topic you can download the presentation for your reference. One of the tools that I thought might be particularly interesting to you all was the Advocacy Progress Planner, an online tool to assess your advocacy/legislative plan. This plan helps you chart your legislative objectives and develop measures by which to evaluate these goals. For more information on how this tool works click here.

There was a plethora of information presented at this conference that I think is incredibly pertinent to the work that all of you do. They have a DOWNLOAD CENTER, where you can access any and all of the material that was presented at the conference including topics such as marketing/communications, leadership, advocacy and governance.

I hope you all find these resources to be helpful tools!

Breaking the Silence on Child Abuse in America, Teresa Huizar

2011-10-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

In response to the recently aired investigative news report on child abuse fatalities in the United States by the BBC, I want to call attention to the importance of child advocacy in the U.S. This issue deserves our attention now more than ever before. Read more...

America's Child Death Shame, BBC News

2011-10-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Children's Bureau Funding Forecast

2011-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

2012 is just around the corner and its time to start thinking about 2012FY Grant and Funding opportunities. The Children's Bureau has announced its 2012 forecasting and there are many grants available for CAC work. You can peruse the forecasted opportunities on the Children's Bureau Website.