Essex County Institute for Trustees

Essex County Institute for Trustees

A full day conference for members of boards of directors, boards of trustees and executive directors of nonprofit organizations. Full boards are welcome. Executive directors may attend only if accompanied by at least one of their board members. The Institute is held annually on the last Saturday of March.

Third Annual Essex County

Institute for Trustees

will be held on
March 24, 2012
at
Pingree School
South Hamilton, MA

Registration now open!

Fees: $65.00 per person for registrations before March 15. $85.00 per person after March 15. Includes breakfast, lunch, reception and the IFT Resource Guide.

Registration: Online registration only. Please be ready to select your first and second choice workshop sessions or in lieu of a workshop session sign up for a 'Doctor Is In' consultation. Registration closes March 20th. Please register early as space is limited.

Workshop Tracks: The 2012 Institute features 101 and 201 level workshops. 101 workshops will be directed at small and emerging organizations with budgets less than $250,000 and freshman board members. 201 workshops are designed for larger, more seasoned organizations and more experienced board members. All other workshops are appropriate for all attendees.

Note: In the event of snow, the Institute will be rescheduled for Sunday March 25.

2012 Agenda

8:00 - 9:00	Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 9:20	Welcome: Dr. Timothy Johnson, Head of School, Pingree; David Welbourn, President & CEO, ECCF; Joe Grimaldi, Chair, ECCF Board of Trustees
9:20 - 10:15	Keynote Speaker: Karen Ansara, Co-Founder, The Haiti Fund Karen Ansara is a local philanthropist on an international stage. She and her husband Jim, residents of Essex, co-founded the Haiti Fund with The Boston Foundation and have gathered a strong coalition of donors and volunteers to work on the devastated nation’s deep and daunting needs. Karen has turned that feeling we all share, “I should help,” into contagious inspiration and results - Haiti’s first modern hospital will open in June. Her topic at the Institute addresses every Trustee’s mission: how can I be a catalyst, improve the human condition, and get good people to join our cause.
10:45 - 12:15	Morning Workshop Sessions:
1A Strategic Planning 101: It Wasn’t Raining When Noah Built the Ark: The Importance of Practical Planning Jay Vogt, Principal, Peoplesworth. For small or emerging nonprofits, here is a primer on the importance of strategic planning and how to engage your board in the activity. Learn how to think about the process and discover various options to help you design the process to fit your organization’s needs.
2A Fundraising 201: Boards Govern, Staff Manages Roger Broome, President, Broome & Lawson, Inc. A discussion about the board’s role in fundraising in organizations with professional fundraising staff. Topics include strategic plan review and advocacy, capital campaigns, role of the board development committee, and moves management with major gift prospects.
3A Finances 101: Financial Management Fundamentals Leigh Tucker, Managing Director of the Nonprofit Practice, Accounting Management Solutions. All nonprofit leaders and board members need to have a basic understanding of financial management. This seminar will help executive directors and board members learn the basic financial concepts they need in order to make strategic decisions and fulfill their responsibilities.
4A Board Development 201: Good to Great: New Strategies for Strengthening an Established Board Dave Welbourn, President, ECCF. Developing the board of your dreams and accelerating your progress can be a challenge for an established organization. How good do you want to be? Learn how to create a new climate to identify and recruit excellent board members and engage them effectively and enjoyably.
5A Leadership: Best Practices in Board Chair/CEO Relationships Jay Caporale, Executive Vice President and Director of Philanthropy, ECCF. This panel will feature several successful “first couples” telling why their relationship works and how their organizations benefit. We will look at what happens when a relationship isn’t working and strategies for resolving differences.
6A What Every Board Member Needs to Know About Their Legal and Fiduciary Responsibilities Mary Beckman, Division Chief, Non-profit Organizations/Public Charities, Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts. A must for new board members or those who need a refresher. Review the fiduciary responsibilities and legal issues that every board member must understand. Learn how the Attorney General’s office supports and examines nonprofits.
7A Can We Be Better Together? Collaborations and Strategic Alliances Thomas A. McLaughlin, Principal, McLaughlin & Associates. What are the benefits of collaboration? How should an organization decide whether – and how – to collaborate with another organization? Learn to choose partners for leverage and economies of scale, and design an alliance that works.
8A Nonprofit Board Diversification and Effectiveness Tammy Dowley-Blackman, Principal, tdb Group. To diversify and strengthen organizations and boards of directors, this practical session is based on research funded by The Boston Foundation and State Street Corporation, and piloted through The Partnership, Inc. This workshop will provide strategies for identifying, training and retaining highly skilled board members from your community.
10:45 - 12:15	The Doctor Is In: Half hour sessions in lieu of a workshop session with senior consultants: Kim Comart, Principal, Comart & Associates; Kathe Shaw-Bassett, Senior Vice President & East Division Manager, The Alford Group; Alphonso Perillo, CPA, Partner, Edelstein & Co. LLP.
12:30 – 2:00	Lunch with Peer Groups
1:15 – 2:00	Lunch Presentation: The Bank of America High Net-Worth Philanthropy Study. Donald J. Greene, National Strategy & Product Executive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Philanthropic Services Group. A presentation and discussion on the most comprehensive survey to date of the philanthropic behavior of wealthy Americans, conducted by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University for Bank of America.
2:15 – 3:45	Afternoon Workshop Sessions:
1B Strategic Planning 201: Designing High Engagement Planning Jay Vogt, Principal, Peoplesworth. How can advanced organizations continue to engage their stakeholders in the strategic planning effort? Learn the most effective strategies for renewing commitment and enthusiasm and "recharging your team".
2B Fundraising 101: Boards That Work, Work Roger Broome, President, Broome & Lawson, Inc. This workshop will focus on the board’s role in fundraising in a small or all-volunteer organization. Topics include development of fundraising projects and priorities, networking, and prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
3B Finances 201: Peeling Back the Covers of Your Finance Department Leigh Tucker, Managing Director of the Nonprofit Practice, Accounting Management Solutions. Financial and operational reviews deliver insight. They help organizations look beyond budgets and expenses summaries into staffing, policies, and processes. Learn how to determine the financial viability and effectiveness of your programs and help link money with mission.
4B Board Development 101 Jay Caporale, Executive Vice President and Director of Philanthropy, ECCF. Learn about the basics of finding, recruiting, engaging and retaining leadership for your cause, including the development of a board matrix and a discussion of the challenges and opportunities involved in building a board.
5B Leadership Transition: Turning the Challenge into an Opportunity Kim Comart, Principal, Comart & Associates. Far too often, leadership transition is perceived as a time of crisis in an organization. In fact, it can be your organization’s best opportunity to refresh, reset and renew. Participate in a lively discussion about how to plan and implement a successful transition.
6B Owning Property: A Blessing or a Curse? David Salomon, Principal, Constructive Advisors. Many nonprofits come with property ownership, others struggle with the decision of whether or not to buy. This workshop will look at the board’s role in the management of existing properties and the process needed to make sound decisions on future ownership.
7B Rookie Board Members 101: Mastery and Comfort in Your New Role Michael Gallagher, Risk Management Director, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Bank. This workshop will provide a primer on basic responsibilities of board membership for first-time board members. Learn about your role as a board member, how to prepare for meetings, appropriate meeting procedures, what information about the organization you will need and more.
2:15 – 3:45	The Doctor Is In: Half hour sessions in lieu of a workshop session with senior consultants: Kathe Shaw-Bassett, Senior Vice President & East Division Manager, The Alford Group; Alphonso Perillo, CPA, Partner, Edelstein & Company LLP.
4:00 – 5:00	A Toast to Trustees: Reception for all IFT participants. Please join us for wine & cheese, networking, friendship and appreciation for your leadership.
5:00	Adjourn