Events

Thursday October 25, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

Volunteers donate millions of dollars worth of labour to the non-profit sector every year. Many organizations although fully staffed, retain volunteers to help govern and implement programs, as well as perform many roles to help achieve the organization's mission. This workshop is interactive and fun and you will learn about the effective management of volunteers and come away with new ideas and strategies to recruit and retain volunteers.

Participants Will Learn:

Friday October 26, 2007
Start: 12:00 pm
End: 2:00 pm

As leaders in the non-profit sector we are always scanning our funding environment to find new sources of funding. Do you sometimes wonder why funding opportunities seem to follow the flavour of the month?
Do you wonder why application forms are so detailed and onerous? Do you wonder why funding rules are evolving the way they have?

If so, come to this session with Marilyn Struthers a Program Manager with Ontario Trillium Foundation and think together with other Executive Directors about the complex and systemic issues surrounding funding that face the of the non-profit sector.

Lunch and Learn sessions are restricted to the Executive Directors of Toronto non-profits and are designed to provide an opportunity for networking and to listen to a speaker on a current topic of interest.

About The Speaker:

Thursday November 1, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

This workshop is an advanced 'how to' designed for those interested in doing qualitative research from a community-based perspective (focus groups, interviews, participant observation, etc.) Sometimes people think that doing qualitative research is easier than quantitative research, because there are no statistics involved. However, managing qualitative data can be an equally difficult and overwhelming task. We will explore how to design open-ended questions, manage qualitative data, and do collaborative data analysis.

Participants Will Learn:

  • some important jargon associated with qualitative research
  • how to develop interview guides and sampling strategies
  • tips for gathering and managing 'good' data (e.g. recording, transcribing, note-taking, qualitative software, etc)
  • about collaborative analysis through a 'hands-on' exercise
  • approaches for presenting qualitative data effectively

Who Should Attend:

Wednesday November 7, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

Non-profits often hate the term "marketing". However, marketing skills play a critical role in our day-to-day work. We market ourselves in order to reach and attract clients. If we charge for a service we need to determine an acceptable price. To obtain grants we promote ourselves to government officials and funders. If we fundraise we have to get the public committed to our organization. When we find our service niche we must brand ourselves. And lastly, we make social change by selling the community and social systems on the benefits of change. Come to this interactive workshop and develop a marketing strategy customized for your organization or social change process.

Participants will learn:

Tuesday November 13, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

We are increasingly being asked to develop, describe and document and the impacts of our programs and services. This brief interactive seminar will give us a chance to workshop existing tools. It will also provide some brief tips on administration, analysis and dissemination of findings. Feel free to bring a tool that you have already been using and see how it can be improved!

Participants Will Learn:

  • What makes a good client satisfaction tool
  • How to critique and improve existing tools
  • Get feedback on tools they have been using
  • Tips for administration, analysis and dissemination

Who Should Attend:

  • Front line practitioners
  • Those seeking to develop or improve client satisfaction tools
  • Community members
  • Students
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

Tired of seeing your research reports sitting on a shelf? A fundamental principle of community-based research is ensuring that action outcomes emerge as a result of research. The 'gold standard' outcome for CBR projects is to affect public policy.

So, how do I go from research to affecting public policy.....?

Participants Will Learn:

  • translating completed research into social change
  • strategies and tactics for the use of research as a tool for advocacy
  • impacting public sector decision makers
  • incorporating learning into future research design

Who Should Attend:

  • funders of community-based research
  • community members, researchers, practitioners and others involved in community-based research
  • those involved in capacity-building and community development
  • policy makers
Thursday November 22, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

As a leader, manager or coordinator of any service agency or programme you appreciate the vital importance of clear, motivational communication.Improving your written and person-to-person communication skills will move your organization and programmes forward.

The workshop will give you a system for creating effective communications.You will come away with a set of principles, which will make you, now and in the future, a more disciplined, persuasive communicator.

Participants Will Learn:

Friday November 23, 2007
Start: 9:30 am
End: 4:30 pm

The Human Rights Code is all about respect in the workplace. Come to an all day workshop where we will understand our rights and responsibilities under the legislation, explore real-life vignettes, and identify which behaviours/environments contravene the Code. Dealing with complaints filed at the Human Rights Commission can be a lengthy and costly process and quite disruptive in an organization. Learn management responsibilities and some simple strategies in preventing discrimination and harassment to create a respectful environment in the workplace.

You will learn:

  • your rights and responsibilities under legislation
  • how to avoid costly human rights actions
  • the tools to help create an inclusive workplace

This workshop will consist of short lectures, case studies and quizzes in a format that is highly interactive and informative.

Who should attend:

Supervisors and Managers who wish to avoid the disruption and high cost that results from dealing with complaints filed at the Human Rights Commission, will find this workshop a “must attend.”

Workshop Leader: