Alliance for Nonprofit Management › Annual Conference › C04 Full-Day and Half-Day Workshops

C04 Full-Day and Half-Day Workshops

Friday, August 13, Full-Day Workshop

Organizational Assessment

Presenter: Ruth McCambridge, Third Sector New England

Research on nonprofit capacity building stresses the importance of performing assessments as a first step in effective interventions. Done well, assessments aid in:

the accurate tailoring of capacity building activities to each particular organization (also cited in research as being an essential characteristic of effective capacity building),
the development of a powerful unified energy and motivation for change at multiple levels within the organization, and
establishing a baseline (current state) and a collective vision for change (desired future state).

This full-day workshop will focus on imparting a basic methodology that can be efficiently performed and still include nonprofit stakeholders in expertly guided self-diagnoses. It will review basic principles and provide models and tips for practice in a number of different settings. This very grounded session uses real cases and stories from the field, mixed with materials and ideas drawn from the work of Lippet, Schein, Beer, Greiner, Senge, Block and others. It is suggested but not required that participants have a strong track record in nonprofit management and/or consulting.

Friday, August 13, Half-Day Workshops

Building the Capacity of Management Support Organizations: Implications of TCC Group Research

Presenters: Peter York and Anne Sherman, TCC Group

At the 2003 Alliance for Nonprofit Management conference, TCC Group (formerly The Conservation Company) presented findings from their national study of Management Support Organizations. This study was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and can be downloaded at http://www.tccgrp.com/know_reports.html. Since the release of the report, there has been a lot of interest generated among capacity builders to dialogue with one another around how Management Support Organizations do business. For example, there has been an interest in more closely examining the roles of leadership and adaptive capacity in organizational effectiveness, and specifically how capacity builders can affect more change in these critically important core capacities. As another example, Management Support Organizations are interested in more closely examining their own organizational effectiveness, including the strength of their leadership, adaptive, management and technical capacities and how these core functions affect the quality and impact of what they do. During this year's Alliance conference, TCC Group will further the rich discussions that began in 2003 by facilitating a group dialogue on the implications of the report findings for Management Support Organizations, specifically, and the field of capacity building, generally.

Leadership: Building Powerful Relationships with Appreciative Inquiry

Presenters: Susan Post, New World Coaching Associates; Roselyn Kay, New Heights Group

Leadership influences many relationships in an elaborate system that may include board members, staff, donors, volunteers, members and peers. As leaders of this system, we have enormous opportunity to facilitate powerful relationships that elevate the potential of the organization. In this session participants will experience Appreciative Inquiry and explore the power of relationship in capacity building. Participants will also learn how to broaden their capacity for inquiry and communication.

Evaluation of Capacity Building: Getting Started

Presenters: Deborah Linnell, Third Sector New England; Ann Larsen, MAP of Tampa Bay; Sheri Brown, Community Foundation of Broward

Deborah Linnell, author of the research study, Evaluation of Capacity Building: Lessons from the Field, will lead this half-day workshop for those getting started with evaluating capacity building. The workshop will be interactive and practical, and bring in the leaders of case studies that were featured in the research study. It is recommended that participants read the research study prior to the workshop - click here to purchase a copy of the study.

Saturday, August 14, Half-Day Workshops

Organizational Assessment Advanced Practitioners Dialogue

Presenter: Ruth McCambridge, Third Sector New England

Again and again, evidence points to the quality of the organizational assessment as a critical factor in creating sustainable organizational health. The assessment process, done well, can be one of the more fruitful moments in organization development work but it is also one of the more challenging for consultants. Experienced consultants who have already attended training in organizational assessment or who have extensive experience in the field are invited to this lively dialogue about the complexities and challenges of effective organizational assessment. Come prepared to share your experiences and pose questions with a group of your peers who are ready to dig deep into this core competency in capacity building.

Quality Improvement: A Whole Systems Approach

Presenters: David Menefee, Vivienne Lorijn and Amy Frumolt, Service Effectiveness Research Group

This presentation covers the necessary steps and tools for designing and implementing a useful performance improvement system in nonprofit organizations. Participants will learn how to apply a whole systems approach that defines, measures, and manages inputs, work processes, and outcomes. Interrelationships among these system components represent the information from which more effective management decisions are made.

Evaluation of Capacity Building: Advanced Practitioners Dialogue

Presenters: Kennard Wing, Kennard T. Wing & Co.; Valyrie Laedlein, Community Resource Exchange; Margo Bailey, American University

This dialogue session will delve into some of the more complex issues faced by MSOs, funders and others who are active in evaluating capacity-building work. Leaders of two MSOs with extensive experience in evaluation will discuss their experiences and lessons learned, and invite questions and input for discussion among participants. This workshop is for consultants, MSO leaders, funders and others who are experienced in evaluation of capacity building. It is recommended that participants read the research study prior to the workshop - click here to purchase a copy of the study.

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