Board Resource Update & New Trainings 

As the Training Director at Propel, I am responsible for developing adaptable programming and resources for nonprofit leaders, board members, and community partners. Over the past two years, we have introduced 14 new trainings that engaged more than 2,300 participants and hosted a conference with record-breaking attendance. 

We aim to maintain this level of responsiveness, and I am fortunate to work with a team dedicated to providing timely and relevant information to nonprofit leaders. To achieve this, we made the decision to sunset Board Connector–a free service that connects potential volunteers with nonprofits seeking board members. We feel confident that the organizations listed below can support the sector’s need for board placement connections and are grateful for their enthusiasm in doing the work in this space. 

We are proud of the impact we were able to make with Board Connector, want to make you aware of the many ways we plan to connect with you–nonprofit leaders, board members–soon. 

Sunsetting Board Connector 

As of March 31, 2025, Propel will no longer offer our free Board Connector service. If your organization has a current listing or if you submitted an application to be on a board, our team will be in touch with you soon if you haven’t heard from us already.  

Through Board Connector we have made more than 450 connections between volunteers and nonprofits. Thank you to the organizations and individuals that trusted us to find the right fits for their nonprofit boards and nonprofit board service, respectively.  

We hope you will consider using the organizations below as you continue to search for board members and volunteer opportunities. 

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is the largest statewide association of nonprofits in the country. With over 2,200 member nonprofit organizations and 225 businesses as members throughout Minnesota, it is the premier place for nonprofit managers, volunteers, and businesses serving nonprofits to come together under the umbrella of a statewide association of nonprofits.  

You can visit their Board Member Opportunities directly on the job board.

HandsOn Twin Cities 

HandsOn Twin Cities is one of the central sources for volunteerism in the Twin Cities, as the oldest surviving – and thriving – volunteer center in the country. 

If an organization would like to leverage the volunteer opportunities database to post board member openings or other volunteer opportunities, they can register their organization by clicking here.  

For questions about posting opportunities, contact Katie Walsh; her contact information is listed here.   

Volunteers can search the volunteer opportunities database to find board positions and many other types of volunteer opportunities by clicking here.  

The link here will take you to a filtered search for board and committee service. 

Compass Pro Bono:  

Compass Pro Bono forges lasting ties between local nonprofits and local business professionals to empower thriving, equitable, resilient communities. 

Organizations seeking board members can visit the page linked here. 

Volunteers and individuals seeking to join a board can visit the page linked here. 

Looking Ahead  

Below you’ll find more information about what we’ve been working on: new trainings, opportunities for board contract trainings, hosting financial leadership cohorts, and more.  

New Trainings 

New Webinar offered this April: Strategy, Planning, and Outcomes: Bridging your strategy work with ground level impact

This new webinar presented by Propel’s Senior Strategic Services Consultant Sindiswa Georgiades, will be exploring the connections between organizational strategy and service impact. The content is specifically geared towards individuals and organizations new to the nonprofit sector. 

New Workshop in Development: Project Budgeting

This new workshop is geared towards smaller organizations or program staff developing project budgets inside a larger organization. Budgets are foundational to nonprofit finance and are vital to an organization’s planning and management. In this training, we’re excited to provide the learnings on how to use budgeting as a tool to tell the story of your organization’s plans, priorities, and aspirations. Watch for this new offering coming fall 2025 to our public training offerings.  

Contract Trainings for Boards 

We are excited to be included in your board’s development plans in 2025!  Propel offers public and contract trainings on nonprofit governance and finance topics that both new and experienced board members find helpful.  

Contract trainings are available for boards who want a a training that’s just for their group. If your board is interested in a contract training, now is the time to book! We are currently booking these engagements for May 2025 and beyond. We do our best to accommodate as many requests as possible; it is best to reach out to us well in advance to reserve your time! You can book a training by reaching out to Elizabeth Appel, Propel’s Senior Training Manager.

Financial Leadership Cohorts 

Applications for our popular financial leadership training will be open later this spring.  Due to high demand, we are excited to offer four cohort groups over the next 12 months. 

If you are interested in applying, make sure you sign up for our newsletter. We will make an announcement there that applications are open.  

Stay in Touch  

The training team at Propel can be reached at our shared email: training@propelnonprofits.org