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Please route to the appropriate persons ... TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS FOR OHIO NONPROFITS |
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SEPTEMBER 2007 |
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330-315-1335 |
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Technology Management Series: Strategy & Proposal Writing Foundation Center News: Proposal Writing Basics & Spotlight on Human Services Giving Are you getting the best deals for your technology dollar? How can Project Connect help you?
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Grantseeking
Strategy
& Proposal Writing for Technology
October
25, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Click here to register: http://www.infolineinc.org/connect/registerevent.htm
Free Proposal Writing Basics Course from the Foundation Center
Are you confused about the abc’s of proposal writing? Join us to learn the basic components of writing a proposal to win a grant from a private foundation. Presented by a staff member of the Foundation Center-Cleveland, class will also include the fundamentals of creating the budget necessary to accompany your proposal. To register, email hhdiv@akronlibrary.org or call 330-643-9040.
Spotlight on Human Services Grantmaking in Ohio (2005)
GrantStation Newsletter Announces Grant Opportunities
Simulcast training
... select the venue that will work best for you:
classroom or online!!
Introduction to
Computers
Microsoft Word
2003/2007
Microsoft Excel
2003/2007
QuickBooks
FrontPage 2003
Microsoft
PowerPoint
Microsoft
Publisher
Quickies:
SurveyMonkey, Improved Productivity, & Advanced Outlook
Classes are held simultaneously in our Training
Lab at 703 South Main Street #211, Akron
OH and online at
http://projectconnect.webex.com
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Introduction to
Computers 1: The
Basics
Learn important
details like how
to shut your
computer off
properly, mouse
techniques,
basic software
procedures, and
basic
troubleshooting.
Microsoft
Explorer and
file management
will also be
discussed. The
skills in this
course are
critical to the
successful
completion of
other courses.
If you are
unsure about
your skill
level, consider
this course as a
refresher. We
promise that
you'll learn at
least 3 new
things!
Introduction to
Computers 2:
Increasing Your
Efficiency
If you find
yourself lost
when looking for
files you know
are there—or if
you need to know
how to copy
files from your
hard drive to a
floppy disk—this
course is a
must! We will go
into more detail
about Microsoft
Explorer, which
manages all your
files. We will
also discuss how
to customize
your computer
using Windows'
control panel
settings and
ways to increase
your efficiency
with the
computer.
Prerequisite:
Skills covered
in Introduction
to Computers 1:
The Basics
Click here to register for Training Lab classes Microsoft Word 1: Document & Formatting Basics Learn how to set your options, use toolbars, format your text, change your page set-up, set tabs, use headers and footers, and more. After this course, you will be able to enter, format, and print letters, reports, proposals, etc., using tabs and page set-up. Prerequisite: Skills covered in Introduction to Computers 1 & 2. Microsoft Word 2: Tables, Merges & Macros This course is designed for those who feel they aren't using Microsoft Word to its full potential. Learn how to insert, format, and manipulate tables, as well as complete a mail merge. We'll also cover recording and using macros. Prerequisite: Skills covered in Microsoft Word 1. Microsoft Word 3: Forms & Advanced Tools Learn how to design forms which you can send to staff, clients, volunteers, etc., to complete and return to you for tabulation. We will also cover advanced finds/replaces, special characters, and headers/footers. Prerequisite: Skills covered in Microsoft Word 1 & 2. Microsoft Word 4: Graphics & Brochures There's no need to buy an expensive desktop publishing package if you have Microsoft Word. Learn how to insert and manipulate graphics, use columns, and other cool tools. After this course, you will be able to develop professional-looking flyers and brochures. Prerequisite: Skills covered in Microsoft Word 1, 2, and 3. Microsoft Word 5: Newsletters A nonprofit's communication strategy should always include ongoing communications with its clients, client families, volunteers, donors, funders, etc. The most professional way is through newsletters. This course will focus on what you need to know to develop newsletters that get read. Prerequisite: skills covered in Word 1, 2, 3, 4. Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Microsoft Excel 1: Spreadsheet & Chart
Basics
Learn how to set your
options, use toolbars, navigate
through a spreadsheet, fill down and
across, AutoSum, and more. After
this course, you will be able to
create a basic spreadsheet from
scratch, write basic sum and average
formulas, and create simple charts
from your data. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Introduction to Computers
1 & 2.
Microsoft Excel 2:
Formulas
Learn how to enter
and edit formulas-such as right and
left, date and time, lookup, and IF
statements. Also covers essential
spreadsheet tools: grouping, naming,
freeze/unfreeze panes, and
references to other worksheets.
Prerequisite: Skills covered in
Microsoft Excel 1.
Microsoft Excel 3: Advanced Tools
Learn essential
spreadsheet tools: grouping, naming,
freeze/unfreeze panes, and
references to other worksheets.
Prerequisite: Skills covered in
Microsoft Excel 2.
For those of you who
are ready to go the next step:
subtotals and pivot tables! These
tools consolidate your data and
point out critical relationships.
Also, advanced chart techniques will
be covered. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Microsoft Excel 1, 2, &
3.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
QuickBooks 1: Setting Up Your System
According to our surveys, QuickBooks
is used by more non-profits than any
other accounting package. This class
will cover setting up the QuickBooks
system … including preferences,
customers, accounts, etc. Even if
you currently use QuickBooks, this
class might be helpful in
understanding your system.
QuickBooks 2: Statements & Reports
This
class will focus on entering and
processing invoices, payments,
deposits, etc. This will also cover
printing simple financial reports
which you can share with your board
and funders.
QuickBooks 3: Donors & Grants
After you've got the
basics down, it's time to customize it
for your organization's needs. This
course is good for people who have been
using QB for some time, or those who
have completed courses 1 and 2 and are
ready for more. We will also look at
donor management and advanced grant
tracking.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Microsoft PowerPoint 1: Slideshow Basics
Learn how to set your
options, use toolbars, use the
different view options, use
templates, set up a master slide,
individualize slides, insert
graphics, and more! After this
course, you will be able to create a
basic yet professional presentation
with graphics. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Introduction to Computers
1 & 2.
Microsoft
PowerPoint 2: Animation & Graphics
Learn the more
complex tools of PowerPoint,
including the impressive animation
settings. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in PowerPoint 1.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Microsoft
Publisher 1: The Basics
Publisher is a
terrific program for people who want
to create professional-looking
publications without having to know
design: it has lots of templates
which are easy to use. This course
will cover the basics of Publisher
so that you can do flyers and
brochures. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Microsoft Word 1.
Microsoft Publisher 2:
Newsletters
The focus of this
course will be developing
professional-looking newsletters for
your organization. The focus is on
understanding how to use frames to
control your text flow. Forms will
also be discussed. Prerequisite:
Skills covered in Publisher 1.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Website
Development & Management: A Hands-On
Planning Course
Great websites just
don't happen: they take a lot of
planning and knowledge of theory. We
will explore the options of website
development, paying special
attention to the differences between
designing for paper vs. designing
for the web. When you complete this
course, you will have a good plan
for your new or updated website.
Then you can create it yourself or
give your plan to your computer
specialist.
Adobe PhotoShop: Graphics for the Web
Learn how to use
PhotoShop's powerful tools to
correct color balances in your
scanned photos, crop and resize your
images, and prepare them for the
web. This includes special
techniques for reducing the size of
your images to reduce download time.
Prerequisite: Skills covered in
Introduction to Computers 1 & 2
Microsoft FrontPage 1: Themes & Shared
Borders
We will cover the
basics of FrontPage, the most
popular website authoring software
in the world! The focus will be on
understanding how FrontPage works,
designing themes, and using shared
borders. After this course, you will
be able to develop a simple but
useful format for your
organization's website.
Prerequisite: Skills covered in
Introduction to Computers 1 & 2.
Microsoft FrontPage 2: Formatting Your
Web Pages
This is the
nitty-gritty of developing a
website: the pages themselves. We
will cover importing and formatting
text, using graphics, hyperlinks,
bookmarks, and tables. With the
skills in this course, you will be
able to create different types of
pages using the format developed in
Microsoft FrontPage 1. Prerequisite:
Skills covered in Microsoft
FrontPage 1.
Microsoft FrontPage 3: Cool Tools
Now we explore the
cool tools of FrontPage: forms,
marquees, hover buttons, searches,
etc. We will also discuss ways to
make each attendee's website better
and easier to use. Prerequisite:
Skills covered in Microsoft
FrontPage 1 & 2.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Introduction to
Microsoft Access: Data Entry & Other
Basics
Reduce your
frustration and increase your
efficiency by learning the
underlying logic behind this
database program. This will also
include data entry techniques and
writing and using simple queries and
reports. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Introduction to Computers
1 & 2.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
The Database
Developers Series
ONLINE ONLY
Non-profits thrive on
databases ... funding and services depend on
the staff'' ability to obtain information
about clients, donors, volunteers, etc.
Microsoft Access is relatively easy to learn
compared to other database applications, but
it does take a lot of time and commitment.
After this set of courses,
you will be able to set up and use practical
databases for your organization.
Because each course is based
upon the information presented in the
previous session, we ask that you take all
five in the series. Cost is $300 for the
entire series.
Microsoft
Access 1: Database Planning & Set-Up
This first session
will focus on identifying what needs
to be included in a
nonprofit-related database and how
to structure it so that the database
will be easy to use and easy to
retrieve useful information.
Attendees will plan the database
they need for their own
organization. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Microsoft Excel 2.
Microsoft Access 2: Database Tables &
Relationships
In the second
session, we will actually set up the
database planned in the previous
session. Tables will be closely
examined, especially field
properties. We will also do quick
searches, filters, and sorts.
Relationships between tables will be
a major focus. Prerequisite: Skills
covered in Microsoft Access 1 and
completion of homework.
Microsoft
Access 3: Database Queries & Basic Forms
Queries are used to
analyze data, combine data from
different tables, and retrieve data
from one or more tables using
criteria you specify. Forms can be
created to "pretty up" your data,
make data entry easier, and combine
data from different tables and
queries. We will also integrate the
data into Microsoft Word and Excel
for file exchange and publication.
Prerequisite: Skills covered in
Microsoft Access 2 and completion of
homework.
Microsoft
Access 4: Database Forms & Reports
More extensive work
on the forms will be covered. We
will also cover creating and editing
reports, which present your data in
meaningful ways. Sub-forms and
sub-reports will be discussed.
Skills covered in Microsoft Access 3
and completion of homework.
Microsoft
Access 5: Troubleshooting the Database
This class will focus
on troubleshooting the database and
other useful tools. Also covers the
important compact-and-repair tool.
Prerequisite: Skills covered in
Microsoft Access 4 and completion of
homework.
Click here to
register for Online classes
We're bringing back an old
favorite:
Quickies!! Unlike the regular
half-day sessions, these one-to two-hour
Quickies are down-and-dirty,
learn-the-ropes-then-get-out-of-here-and-do-it-yourself
courses.
Collecting Data
the Easy Way: Taming the Survey Monkey!
Get important
feedback from your clients, funders,
community members, etc. Survey
Monkey helps you gather and evaluate
information about your programs,
services, website, whatever!
Top
Ten Tools to Improve Productivity
Shortcuts, shortcuts,
shortcuts!!! Two hours of your time
will save you days of tedious labor!
Advanced
Techniques for Managing Yourself & Your
Staff Using Outlook
This session focuses
on keeping all those e-mail messages
organized, staying on top of
meetings and appointments with
Calendar, and advanced Task
management.
Click here to register for Training Lab classes
Guest PC Tip:
Making the Internet Easier to Use (and See!) For over ten years, Mike Moats has helped adapt computers for people who have disabilities. While helping those who have more obvious and distinct disabilities, he noticed that he can make it easier for those who have only modest problems while using the computer. These people do not define themselves as having a disability, but the Universal Access principles can experience more productive and satisfying. Please forward this information to any staff or clients who might benefit. Universal Access Principles Microsoft, along with other companies, has been striving to use Universal Access principles while designing their products. Universal Access is a philosophy that allows people with varying preferences and abilities to share the same experience. The new releases of Microsoft Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 7 have each incorporated features that allow for greater flexibility for the computer user.
For the “Mouse-Haters” Club – Keyboard shortcuts are extremely helpful for people who are experiencing “mouse fatigue” particularly with the wrist. Keyboard shortcuts are also quicker to complete than taking your hand away from the keyboard to move and click the mouse. If your hands are already on the keyboard, then hitting CTRL +P and Enter is quicker than moving your hand to the mouse and clicking the Print icon then clicking OK. Some of the most useful Internet Explorer shortcuts include:
Organizing Open Webpages – One of the features new to IE7 is the use of window tabs. If you are a person who quickly gets ten internet windows open, then using internet tabs appropriately will help you better manage information. Imagine a person starting at a headline news website and there are four stories to read and compare. Instead or opening them as separate windows, you can right click the hyperlink and open the story in a new tab. Now within a single browser page, I have the original and then the four companion stories. If I additionally wanted to have a financial site along with pages to track four particular stocks, I can maintain those five sites within a single browser window. My end result is having ten webpages open in only two windows.
You and your staff have more important things to do than fight
with your technology! Instead of spending hours of frustration
trying to do it yourself, let us help you!
Project Connect offers Live Help for staff of all Ohio
nonprofits! If you are having problems with a Microsoft Office
or Adobe product, simply go to
www.pclivehelp.org and complete
the form. Follow the directions, and then we'll be able to see
your computer from our office. We can then walk you through the
problem.
Cost is $15 per increment of 10 minutes.
Don't buy anything technology-related until you've visited these
three websites first!! They offer significant discounts for
nonprofits with Microsoft, Dell, CDW, Adobe, and more!
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Project
Connect's Technology Management Series continues
with "Grantseeking Strategy & Proposal Writing
for Technology." It will be presented by Marc
Osten the afternoon of October 25th and all day
October 26th. 
Thursday,
September 13, 10:00 am – 12 noon
GrantStation publishes a weekly electronic newsletter, The
GrantStation Insider, that provides the latest
information on new funding programs, upcoming grant
deadlines, conferences, trainings, and relevant information
for grantseekers. It's a quick and easy way to learn of
national opportunities. If you would like to receive this at
no cost courtesy of the GAR Foundation, send an email to
Font and
Pictures are Too Small – IE7 has an integrated zoom
feature that is easily found at the bottom right corner of the
webpage. Moving the magnification from the standard 100% to
125%, 150%, or anything higher, will enlarge the font size and
the pictures within the webpage regardless of its original
formatting. You can also independently alter the text size by
going to Page-Text Size (or View-Text Size) and then choosing Large or
Largest. This way you can enlarge the text while
maintaining the original width of the webpage. (Note: This does
not always work; certain websites are designed to display in one
size only). 
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