A1
Transforming Human Services to Older Adults
The Alliance for Children and Families has been awarded a $2.6 million grant by Atlantic Philanthropies to improve the readiness of the nation’s nonprofit human and social services workforce to successfully address the dramatic increase in the number of older adults as the baby boom generation ages. During the 2006 planning process that prepared the Alliance for this grant, researchers uncovered surprising information about the human service workers and agencies who relate to aging adults and, more specifically, about Alliance membership. This workshop details these discoveries and reviews the changing future of aging, critical workforce issues, and a revised continuum of care. It also familiarizes participants with the goals and benefits of the New Age of Aging initiative, training and education implications, future dynamics of aging services, new models of care, and the possibilities for radical change in the field of aging.

Presenter: Jonette Arms, project director, Alliance for Children and Families; and Edward jj Olson, president, E jj Olson and Associates.

New Age of Aging project overview
Societal Transformations handout
Transforming Human Services handout
View from the Ground Up presentation

A2
Building a Pyramid of Hope: Establishing Your Development Office
Resource Development Services - COP
It is well known that in the next twenty years more wealth will pass from one generation to the next than any time in the history of man. If you are prepared, this provides the opportunity to tap into the philanthropic potential of donors. Those agencies that have an established and well-managed development office will reap the greatest benefits. This workshop will talk about the difficulties an agency can go through as they establish their development efforts and will give practical ideas regarding the organization of a development office. Materials will be used that have been proven effective and discussion will include ideas on fundraising events and systems to make your development office one that can capture the philanthropic donor.

Presenter: James D. Clark, president and CEO, Daniel Memorial, Inc.

A3
Research: Don’t Fear the Word, Just Incorporate Good Ethical Practice
Funding shortages, changing practices, devolution of responsibility to lower levels of government, and privatization of services have increased emphasis on evidence-based practices in social work settings and the use of research and evaluation to measure outcomes. Universities and hospitals reach out to social service agencies (and sometimes visa versa) for research studies, creating partnerships that can be beneficial but can also create additional work without financial remuneration. How can social service agencies manage this balance? More importantly, how can they ensure the protection of their clients? This workshop examines ethical issues including the
need for protection, confidentiality, and informed consent with vulnerable populations; how research can impact productivity; and how research can influence agency practice.

Presenters: Rick Greenberg, director, Martha K. Selig Institute, Jewish Family and Children’s Services; Thomas E. Lengyel, director of research and evaluation services, Alliance for Children and Families; Michele Solloway, director, Center for Applied Research and Evaluation, Trillium Family Services, Inc.; and Thomas Wasser, dean,
KidsPeace Lee Salk Center for Research.

A4
Putting Your Data to Work: An Open Forum on the Trips and Traps of Data
Mining
Efficient data tracking increases a nonprofit agency’s management effectiveness,
accountability, and transparency in providing high-quality services to the community. Doing this without overburdening the staff and busting the budget can be challenging. Family Services of Greater Houston has pushed through the transitional phases of data collection and is now making the data work for their agency.  This workshop will share lessons learned.

Presenters: Keith Rea, vice president of operations, Joshua Reynolds, manager of program development, and Elizabeth Shaver, coordinator of grants development, Family Services of Greater Houston.
Putting Your Data to Work presentation

A5
Investing Retirement and Endowment Funds
Managing investments or supervising the investment management function is a daunting responsibility. As the challenge of balancing budgets grows, agency executives and board members must maximize investment returns and income from endowment funds. The same is true for investments within retirement plans. Complicating these factors, investment expertise is often scarce within the agency’s leadership team. How can an agency ensure that its investments are prudent, that investment risks are fully understood and appropriately balanced or that overly conservative investing is not preventing greater return? Participants will hear from an agency executive who administers an investment program of over $90 million in endowment and retirement plan assets, and an
investment consultant.

Presenters: Deborah DiLeonardi, client executive, Russell Investment Group; and
Christopher L. Smith, senior vice president and CFO, Starr Commonwealth.
Investing Retirement & Endowment presentation

A6
A New Paradigm for Changing Entitlement Thinking
This presentation follows up on last year’s workshop introducing a curriculum that
combines evidence-based strategies to help families most at-risk (welfare, recent prison release, school failures) learn essential thinking patterns to establish a successful plan for achieving economic independence. Presenters will share details of the curriculum and trainers program, how the curriculum integrates with existing services to enhance their effectiveness, and how the program has expanded service
markers for family-serving organizations, as well as providing examples of how the curriculum has been used in family service organizations.

Presenter: Mary Viventi, lead author and trainer, Better Life Initiative of Goodwill.
Once and For All participant comments
Changing Entitlement Thinking - The Better Life Initiative presentation

A7
Getting the Right People on Your Board Bus
Having the right people on your board of directors is essential for an agency’s survival and long-term growth. But achieving that goal is easier said than done. How do you find dynamic board members in this competitive world? And better yet, once you find these dynamic people for your board, how do you engage them so they are truly
committed to your agency? During this interactive session, you will learn about successful strategies and practices from an Alliance CEO and board member that have helped them to attract, engage, and retain the right people on their board bus.

Presenters: Paul Castro, executive director/CEO, and Monique Mass Gibbons, vice president of the board, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.
Your Board Bus presentation

A8
Planning a Strategy for Growth and Success
Communications and Marketing - COP
The strategic plan is an integral tool for any organization that wishes to grow and prosper. If the plan has been created with the due consideration it deserves, it will provide the pathway to success. Some organizations base a strategic plan on intuition and wishful thinking with little regard to the facts that affect the organization and its service area, resulting in obstacles, sharp turns, and a bumpy road. A strategic plan is a marketing function and, as such, its creation must follow research of the current and projected marketplace. This session reviews questions that must be asked and other tools needed to develop a plan that smoothes the path to growth and eases navigation toward the future. The workshop will be informal and helpful for agencies of all sizes.

Presenter: Ronald L. McDaniel, vice president of marketing, DePelchin Children’s Center.
Planning a Strategy presentation

A9
Energize Your Civic Engagement and Advocacy Efforts
Public Policy/Advocacy - COP
Increasingly, nonprofit human service groups are being encouraged to become more involved in public policy. Why is this important? What is your role in this process? How can you help your constituents and stakeholders address community, state, and national issues? This workshop focuses on successful civic engagement and advocacy strategies used by human service organizations, sharing stories from a variety of community efforts, displaying what has been done to activate the civic process in exciting and effective ways. The presentation also features the Alliance’s National Family Week campaign, highlighting how the annual observance can help bolster
agencies’ advocacy/public policy initiatives. A panel discussion will offer comments from two Alliance member CEOs on how their involvement in National Family Week and the Alliance’s civic engagement initiatives (New Voices at the Civic Table and Building Community Voices) have positively affected their work.

Presenters: Linda Nguyen, director, civic engagement, and Paula Purcell, director, special projects, Alliance for Children and Families.

A10
Mergers: How to Dance the Dance
Mergers and acquisitions are becoming more prevalent in the nonprofit arena. This workshop outlines the typical organizational framework that can generate a successful merger or acquisition outcome. Whether you are an acquirer or a group being acquired, there are important considerations to be addressed on both sides. Many
organizations lack an established process for mergers and acquisitions, although such a framework is vital if the agency is to successfully evaluate and execute such deals. This workshop can help you be prepared for a positive outcome if the time comes.

Presenter: Robert F. Toole, Jr., CFO, Kona HR Consulting Group, LLC.
Mergers: How to Dance the Dance presentation
 

B1
Workers Compensation: Controlling Cost through a Member-Owned Captive Program and Applied Risk Management Protocols
Human Resources - COP
The goal of this workshop is to explore alternatives to current funding and operations initiatives for worker compensation exposures. The insurance industry estimates that for every dollar directly paid, three additional dollars are spent on overtime, administration of the program, accommodation, and related costs. A progress report will be provided on the joint Alliance and Brown & Brown project to create a worker compensation captive insurance program for Alliance members. The benefits of such a program, reinsurance, risk management protocols, member’s liability, and eligibility requirements will be addressed.

The workshop also addresses practical and effective ways to control the cost of your worker compensation program. Take-away information will be provided for executives, managers, and safety and risk management personnel.

Facilitator: Rick Losasso, chief executive officer, George Junior Republic. Presenters: Brian Block, director of risk management, and David E. Lewis, vice president, Brown & Brown Insurance.
Workers Compensation presentation

B2
Utilization Management: Integrating Care and Oversight
Family Service of Rhode Island applies utilization management at the core of its
client-centered philosophy of care. But what is utilization management? It is a regular,
interdisciplinary group review of all open cases, designed to ensure that our services are—and remain—consistent with client needs. By continually evaluating care from many different angles, we ensure our clients receive appropriate treatment and that our goals continue to evolve with changes in clients’ circumstances. Professional accreditation for an agency like ours requires regular peer review of cases, and UM
goes far above the standards, integrating case and documentation review, risk management, and data gathering. In addition, it fosters teamwork, enhances training and education measures by allowing senior-level staff to offer guidance to workers in the field, and provides opportunities for multi-disciplinary cross-fertilization. This workshop reviews the process and discusses benefits.

Presenter: Karen Cunningham, senior vice president of clinical services, Diane Shemtov, vice president of systems and service standards, Family Service of Rhode Island.
Utilization Management presentation

B3
Overview of the Workforce Resource Program: The Value of Engaging Corporations to Deliver Work Supports to Employees
Alliance affiliate FEI Behavioral Health and Alliance member Seedco recently received a grant from the Ford Foundation for a pilot program working with employers to provide their workers with access to FEI’s “high-touch” EAP and work-life services along with Seedco’s online financial tools. The program will provide financial counseling and support and employee counseling and work-life support (childcare, legal, eldercare,
etc.), aiming to improve low-wage employees’ ability to focus on their work and develop as valued and productive workers. For companies, the benefit of reduced employee turnover and lower absenteeism can result in substantial savings. This presentation illustrates the benefit of partnerships between FEI and Alliance members to help corporate America address the needs of today’s workforce. Participants will
review best practices and lessons learned through the employer engagement process,
employee marketing and outreach strategies, and employee and employer assessment methods.

Presenter: Drew von Glahn, president & CEO, FEI Behavioral Health.

B4
The Balanced Scorecard: Leveling the Playing Field for Strategic Success
Public Policy/Advocacy - COP
In the old days, we would lock ourselves away for days in “SWOT Land” and create grand 20- year strategic plans that were then tossed in a drawer and forgotten… until it was time for the next cycle. In today’s world, we are fortunate if we can effectively strategize about the next 20 minutes, let alone 20 years. Still, as leaders we must continually demonstrate strategic thinking and strategic management skills; we must thrive in complex strategic environments as our world changes at a breakneck pace. Leaders must continue to develop new and broader thinking skills that can take us beyond plans to results. This workshop explores the evolution of strategic planning and offers insight into its future direction and application. Participants will learn hands-on tools that will help them more effectively position their agency for the future.

Presenters: Todd Gordon, regional director, and Richard W. Rodman, associate director, The Village Network.
Balanced Scorecard presentation

B5
Making a Difference, the Safe Alternative to Out-of-School Suspension (SATOSS) Program
SATOSS began with one school in 1998 and, to date, has grown to four middle schools in our network area. Through this program, Jewish Family & Children’s Services, along with our middle school partners, provide at-risk middle school youth, whose behavior may lead to suspension, or youth who are suspended, with a place on-campus where they can receive a combination of mental health, substance abuse
prevention education, community resource linking, and academic support services through our mentor program. Through this program, mentors and students develop a special relationship which improves self-esteem and promotes student well-being. In this workshop we will share the benefits of this program and the successes achieved by students and their parents throughout their journey with SATOSS.

Presenters: Rose Chapman, chief executive officer, and Phil Gorelick, vice president of
programs, Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Sarasota-Manatee, Inc.

B6
Unleashing the Potential of  Youth Leadership: Youth-Adult Partnerships and Innovations from the Kellogg Leadership Community Change Initiative
This presentation presents the benefits of engaging youth-adult partnerships as a
community leadership and youth development strategy, reviews innovations emerging from the Kellogg Leadership for Community Change initiative that foster inclusive intergenerational leadership and action, and illustrates practical activities that can integrate youth-adult partnerships into programs and initiatives that broaden leadership opportunities for young people. The session describes best practices and lessons learned from the ongoing Kellogg Leadership for Community Change program, the Kellogg Foundation’s flagship leadership development program designed to empower diverse youth and adults from marginalized communities to take leadership roles in their programs and communities.

Presenter: Wendy Wheeler, president, Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development.
Youth Leadership presentation

B7
What the Heck is Search Engine Optimization? And All the Other Questions Asked Along the Way
Communications and Marketing - COP
Marketing your nonprofit on the internet - Web site development and online promotion can be expensive, seemingly endless, and overwhelming. One nonprofit’s website traffic increased by 70% in just a few months after implementing some small changes. In this workshop, the presenter will discuss how this was achieved, resources used, and lessons learned through some
wrong turns along the way to SEO. Topics include: When do we stop and ask for directions? Where are we going? What kind of vehicle do we really need? What’s under the hood? How much will it cost to fix it? Are we there yet?

Presenter: Kristine Austin, director of communications, EMQ Children and Family Services.
Search Engine Optimization presentation

B8
Recruitment and Retention of Direct Youth Care Staff
Human Resources - COP
In 2005, the senior management staff at Girls and Boys Town commissioned a task force to analyze the recruitment and retention of family teaching couples, youth care workers, assistant family teachers, and youth care supervisory personnel. The team analyzed current processes and, based on the results, made recommendations for improving the recruitment and retention of direct youth care staff. This workshop describes the decision to open the process, how it proceeded, and lessons learned.

Presenter: Linda Kinney, corporate human resources employment manager, and Barb Vollmer, director of program audit, Girls and Boys Town.
Recruitment and Retention of Direct Care Staff presentation

B9
Harvesting Stories from the Vineyard for Philanthropic Gain
Resource Development Services - COP
This presentation focuses on how a partnership between program staff and communication/development staff can make the agency mission and its impact
real and compelling, increasing community awareness, donor participation, and fundraising efficacy. Presented from the unique perspective of a seasoned clinical services executive, the interactive presentation addresses how to move toward an integrated culture of philanthropy wherein service and support staff appreciate one other’s roles, coordinate, and cooperate. The workshop provides examples from a
number of agencies on how to get started, what worked, what helped, resistance and challenges, and how success evolved from these efforts.

Presenter: Vicki Cederburg, vice president of family support services and quality assurance, The Family Conservancy.
Harvesting Stories from the Vineyard presentation

B10
Mergers and Acquisitions: Legal Issues with a Focus on Human Resources
Human Resources - COP
Much like the financial and insurance industries, nonprofit organizations are increasingly experiencing mergers, affiliations, and consolidations. In potential
merger or affiliation scenarios, due diligence in human resources is vitally important. This workshop highlights the critical components of HR due diligence, examines these elements with real-life examples, illustrates the impact of HR issues on merger/affiliation evaluation and negotiation, and reviews legal and regulatory concerns in the nonprofit sector. Components of executive compensation and the board’s role in compliance and due diligence will also be discussed.

Presenter: Robert F. Toole, Jr., CFO, Kona HR Consulting Group, LLC.
Clinical Due Diligence checklist
Mergers & Acquisitions presentation
 

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building: Award-Winning Colleagues Share Family Strengthening Techniques
In this interactive program designed to fuel planning for family strengthening, participants can network with other affiliates about family-strengthening efforts, share ideas and encouragement, and learn about specific resources that can help them enhance current efforts and move forward in planning future family strengthening modules. Past award winners, selection committee members, and UNCA staff will guide interested affiliates in ideas for strengthening program design and will provide tips for future award applications and insight for leveraging the award.


Family Strengthening as a Matter of Mission: Pioneering in the Field
This workshop will provide motivation as well as tangible tools to guide participants in infusing family strengthening into their organizations’ missions, strategies, and programs.