Alchemy is a free leadership development and nonprofit capacity building program serving Los Angeles County based nonprofit organizations with operating budgets of up to $2 million. Among the central issues addressed are fundraising, board effectiveness,public involvement and accountability. In addition to a robust curriculum and intensive learning sessions, participants are connected to a network of local practitioners and given implementation tools, mentorship, and an ongoing opportunity to share best practices and innovative strategies. 

Annenberg’s Alchemy includes two phases: Leadership Seminar, Alchemy’s gateway training, and Alchemy +, the higher level course for graduates of Leadership Seminar, who want to take their learning further.

Both programs are built around the belief that staff and board leaders aligned in common purpose can transform nonprofit organizations. Therefore, for all of the Alchemy trainings the Executive Director and Board Chair must attend all sessions together.

Three-day intensive training sessions with implementation support

• Program runs from January - May 2011
• Day One and Day Two of Leadership Seminar are sequential, full day workshops.
• There is a 75 to 90 day implementation period – providing organizations with an opportunity to work towards critical goals.
• Day Three, Anthology Review Day, occurs approximately 75-90 days later to share successes.
• Community Champions and Foundation staff provide implementation support to all participants.
  

Participation requirements

• Completion of an Organization Assessment at the beginning of the course, and at the end of the course
• Submission of completed Anthology Reflections by the executive director and board chair by the end of the course
• Qualified 501(c)(3) public charity that has been in operation for at least 3 years, a functioning board of directors, and 2 years of tenure for the Executive Director

Four half-day experiential sessions and additional resources

• Program runs over 7 months, from September 2010 - March 2011, and again in September 2011 - March 2012
• Four half-day sessions are held
  every other month
• Continued use of the Anthology Toolkit
  by the executive director and board chair
• Capacity building grants of up to $10,000
• Access to a vetted pool of technical resources

Participation requirements

• Attendance by the executive director and the board chair at all four sessions, in their entirety
• The organization must reflect overall readiness to increase board effectiveness and fundraising capacity.
• Continued use of Anthology Toolkit, an implementation guide to track progress towards goals, and reflection on organizational change