Here are some tips to help you weather our current economic reality:

Collaborate

Collaboration can help your organization reduce expenses, expand reach, and increase resources.

Find other organizations that serve a similar population as your organization and partner with them on things such as: marketing, grant-writing, fundraising, services, etc. Partnering will help dramatically reduce costs, and increase resources through collaboration.

Innovate

Now is the time to put on the thinking hats and start brainstorming. Entertain any and all ideas, and encourage new paradigms. Start from scratch by looking at your organization from a completely fresh perspective. Doing so just might lead to discoveries like, no longer receiving funding from one source, opens up other sources that you didn’t qualify for before.

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Palkin Zed is the president of JD ROW Inc, a marketing and business development company, and the Executive Director of Project Solution, a nonprofit for Homeless and Low Income Youth in Reno. Palkin is also Vice President of Grants for NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Learn from two local experts:

1. Session 1: New Year’s Financial Tune-Up With Brent Forbush
2. Session 2: Grant & Fundraising Online Readiness With Phil Johncock

Great opportunity to network with for-profit and not-for-profit leaders! Doors open at 8 am. Enjoy a free continental breakfast while networking.

Feb 10, 2012 – 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

1301 Cordone Ave, Reno, NV 89502

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Don’t forget to BRING A BOARD MEMBER! Bring a Board member and be entered into a drawing for a free Google Grant application (value = $297) or a Google Maps/Places make over (value = $397).

During 2012, NCET will be holding the 8^th annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition. But that’s not the news. The news is that Nevada’s college and university students can now enter FIVE additional college business plan competitions, each offering prizes, experience, business skills and the chance to actually launch their businesses.

When I started at NCET in 2006, the Governor’s Cup competition was the only college business plan competition in town. Just six years later, Nevada’s college and university students can enter business plan competitions at Truckee Meadows Community College, Sierra Nevada College, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and new for 2012, the Sontag Entrepreneurship Award Competition at the University of Nevada, Reno. In addition, the US Department of Energy is conducting the “FLoW” competition for energy-related business plans. Collectively, these competitions offer over $400,000 in cash prizes.

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Topics Include:
 Copyright
 Trademark
 Trade Secret
 Patent
……and more!

“Ask The Lawyers”: After the seminar, participants will have an opportunity for a brief one-on-one consultation with an attorney for specific issues regarding intellectual property (patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret) FREE OF CHARGE.

Monday February 27, 2012 – 6:00 pm—9:00 pm
Location: Nevada Minority Supplier Development Council
1785 E. Sahara Avenue, Suite 360
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Sign-up NOW—Call (702) 895-4270 or register at http://business.unlv.edu/?p=11298

Feb. 11: MATHCOUNTS competition. NV Energy, 6100 Neil Rd., Reno. Local 6^th to 8^th grade Mathletes and future engineers work against the clock to show off their mental arithmetic skills. Sponsored in part by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Open to the public at approximately 11:00 a.m. FREE. Learn more at www.mathcounts.org or contact Tim Holst, tholst62@gmail.com, 775-232-4533.

Feb. 19-25: Engineer visits, hands-on activities and EWeek posters. Glenn Duncan Elementary School, 1200 Montello St., Reno. Sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, Sierra Nevada Section. Contact Seena Drapala, sdrapala@charter.net or 775-781-5491.

Feb. 21-23: UNR student club activities and BBQ. Hilliard Plaza, University of Nevada, Reno. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by the College of Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno. Contact Sam DiMuzio, 775-784-6925.

Feb. 22: Highway design field trip. The Nevada Department of Transportation will provide a tour of their

Carson City office for 5th and 6th graders from Washoe County School District. NDOT has prepared special demonstrations created to get students interested in engineering. The students will tour the engineering department and the materials testing lab to see what goes into building a road and how materials are tested to ensure quality road construction. Sponsored by the American Public Works Association, Northern Branch. Contact Deanna Gray, DGray@bowlingmamola.com.

Feb. 23: EWeek reception. Tamarack Junction (Sully’s), 13101 S. Virginia St., Reno. Meet local engineers and learn what local engineering societies are all about. Sponsored by the Northern Nevada Joint Engineering Societies. 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Cost: $25, which includes a $5 donation to the UNR student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Contact Davis Flaten, davis.flaten@swgas.com, 775-887-2855.

Feb. 24: Engineer’s Brawl. Joe Crowley Student Union, University of Nevada, Reno. 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. A dance, not a fight, the Brawl is an old UNR tradition. There will be a maze, Rube Goldberg machines, music and food. Sponsored by the College of Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno. Contact Sam DiMuzio, 775-784-6925.

Feb. 25: Robotics competition. FIRST Tech Challenge, a competition for 9^th to 12^th graders, Carson High School, 1111 Saliman, Carson City. Judging assisted by the Society of Women Engineers, Sierra Nevada Section. Open to the public at 11:30 a.m. and will run continuously throughout the afternoon. Awards are planned for 5:30 p.m. FREE. Learn more at www.usfirst.org and www.firstnv.org or contact Seena Drapala, sdrapala@charter.net or 775-781-5491.

About Engineers Week
The National Engineers Week Foundation works year-round to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession critical to public health, safety, and welfare.  The Foundation supports engineering outreach, education, and celebration through a network of thousands of volunteers in its partner coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies. Together we meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experiences, and making science and math relevant. The Foundation and coalition are actively putting the E in STEM. For more information, visit www.eweek.org.

The program’s micro loans average $8,500 and are aimed at expanding small-business entrepreneurship among low- and moderate-income Nevadans.

The governor’s office said Nevada Microenterprise Initiative funding provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Economic Development, is supporting economic growth.

"Small businesses account for most of the businesses in Nevada and will help lead job growth moving forward," Sandoval said in a statement. "This initiative will provide essential support to help local entrepreneurs obtain the training, assistance and access to loans they need to enhance their economic stability."

For information on the Nevada Microenterprise Initiative, visit www.4microbiz.org or call (702) 734-3555 in Las Vegas or (775) 324-1812 in Reno.

Truckee Meadows Community College is pleased to announce an opportunity for local businesses and organizations to participate in a scholarship intern program.   Qualified student interns will be eligible to apply for a $3,500 scholarship award. Students must maintain satisfactory site supervisor evaluations, achieve learning outcomes and complete 225 hours of interning by June 1, 2012, to receive the scholarship award.

How You Can Participate – To supervise a TMCC scholarship intern at your business, agency or organization, please contact Deb O’Gorman at TMCC Workforce Development and Continuing Education.

Email or call Deb: dogorman@tmcc.edu or call 775.824.3811

Thank you for your interest in helping TMCC students gain valuable experience.

In 2011 over 1,000 Projects and Inventions were exhibited at the fair (12 Nevada Counties, over 100 different public, private, charter and parochial elementary, middle and high schools) representing students from Ely to Zephyr Cove, and Gerlach to Minden. When we trace the impact of our regional fair, we find that over 20,000 students participated in local, school, & county fairs to reach our regional fair. The Science Fair is an exciting experience for both the students and teachers who participate. We continually provide ongoing classes the teachers to help teachers improve the level of science displayed at the fair.  We believe this event is an inspiration to the next generation of scientist, engineers and state leaders of tomorrow.

Nevada Science Fair, Inc. is a nonprofit educational association (Nevada Corporation) of persons and organizations for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes with its main function to organize, promote, and administer the Western Nevada Regional Science & Engineering Fair and Lemelson Young Inventors Challenge competitions.

More information here