Events & Community
Why teach and research about the social economy if you're not a part of it?
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Below is a selection of some of the resources I've created or curated to boost nonprofit capacity, spread knowledge, or just have some fun. I will be building these out in the coming weeks, so please feel free to reach out if what you're interested in does not have detail yet.
Service-Learning Projects
Service-learning means that students give back to the community while they learn new skills. In almost all of my classes, student teams work with community organizations that are interested in what the course has to offer: a strategic plan, a organization-wide shift or assessment, or a financial issue. If you are a nonprofit in the north Texas area that is interested in working with a student team on an issue, please feel free to reach out.
Training & Capacity Building
Whether it's an hour-long seminar or a multi-day workshop, sometimes you need a little focused time to pick up a skill. Most of my speaking engagements and workshops have a financial element, but I have also trained audiences on program evaluation, data handling, ethics, and broader management skills.
Reports & Industry Papers
Academic papers are great, but they are written for a specific audience and often hidden behind a paywall. I and many coauthors also write articles for newspapers, nonprofit industry groups, and other venues. Same great ideas, but less statistics!
* Young, S., Searing, E., and Wiley, K. (2020). “Voices from the Field: Tangible, Timely Tactics for Nonprofits during Crises.” Online version of Nonprofit Quarterly daily newswire. April 6, 2020. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/voices-from-the-field-tangible-timely-tactics-for-nonprofits-during-crises/
* Hager, M., and Searing, E. (2015). “The Top Ten Ways to Kill Your Nonprofit.” Online version for Nonprofit Quarterly daily newswire. January 6, 2015. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/10-ways-to-kill-your-nonprofit/
Media & Recordings
Though most of my work finds its way to a written page, I also provide media interviews in a variety of formats. An eclectic collection can be found here:
* “Fundraising During Challenging Times.” Podcast episode for Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy Fund Raising School's First Day Podcast. Recording in December of 2022. Available at: https://on.soundcloud.com/EvtZu
* “Managing for Resilience.” Podcast episode for Heart, Soul and Data. Recorded in January of 2022. Available at https://heart-soul-data.castos.com/episodes/24-measuring-money-and-more-with-dr-elizabeth-searing
* “The Promise and Perils of Comparing Nonprofit Data Across Borders.” Invited presenter for the Nonprofit Data Seminar Series hosted by Think Data, a project of the Scottish Civil Society Data Partnership. Presentation in May of 2019. Webinar available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9ezrjlo1Xk
The Social Economy of Texas
Feel free to come along for the ride as I get to know the social economy of the state where I was raised. It took me almost 20 years to get back, but I'm happy to be home!
Other Resources
I find a lot of interesting resources in the course of my work, and it doesn't make sense to keep them to myself. Here is a list of some of the resources I've found to be particularly useful in my quest to assist the nonprofit and social enterprise community.