The Interim Executive Director Leadership Program: Offering Assistance for Your Nonprofit

Offered by the New York Council of Nonprofts (NYCON)
Interim Executive Leaders can help manage your Nonprofit's Leadership Transition

In 2006, a study of 2,000 Executive Directors conducted by the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, noted that 75% of respondents did not plan to be in their current job in five years.

What is the Interim Executive Leadershp (IEL) Program?
The IEL Program is a comprehensive training, placement and support initiative designed to place qualified, experienced nonprofit professional in transitional Executive Director/CEO positions in New York State nonprofits.

The program is designed to help meet the needs of nonprofit agencies as significant numbers of nonprofit executives are expected to retire over the next 5 years.Leaders trained through our program can provide effective transitional leadership to nonprofits in order to strengthen organizational health and effectiveness during a time of transition.

Consider hiring an Interim Executive Leader if your organization:

• Is currently operating without an Executive Director;
• Has experienced Executive Director/CEO turnover in the last few years and the agency requires stabilization;
• Is expecting your Executive Director/CEO to retire or resign, and you require sufficient time to conduct a thorough search process;
• Is seeking an experienced, qualified nonprofit professional trained in transition management to guide the organization through a short-term period of transition

NYCON has developed a pool of highly qualified and experienced Interim Executive Leaders ("IELs") that are available to meet your needs.

For additional information please contact:
Jennifer Lockwood, Program Director
Email: jlockwood@nycon.org
Phone: 845.454.5062 ext. 102

Or click here to submit your inquiry online.

"Controlling the Local Tax Burden-A Dialogue" on Oct. 28

Jamestown's The Post-Journal reported that the Robert H. Jackson Center will host a free continuing legal education seminar titled, "Controlling the Local Tax Burden-A Dialogue" on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Topics to be discussed include The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Progress and Experience with Efforts in Consolidation of Shared Services presented by Stan Lundine, former chair of the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, A Case Study discussion with Steve Abdella, Chautauqua County Attorney and David V. DiTanna, CPA, shareholder of Buffamante Whipple Buttafaro, P.C.; and School and Municipal Governance for the 21st Century presented by Gregory L. Peterson, Esq., Phillips Lytle LLP, Charles Zettek, Vice President and Director of Government Management Services for the Center for Governmental Research of Rochester and Dr. Kathryn Foster, Director of the University at Buffalo Regional Institute.

The program will be immediately followed by a luncheon featuring guest speaker, Shane P. Conlan, former Buffalo Bills linebacker.

Developed primarily as a continuing legal education seminar for attorneys, the seminar will appeal to a cross-disciplinary audience of lawyers, municipal officials, business leaders, school administrators, bankers, non-profit organizations and their board members. Read more here.

Ten Behaviors of Managers Who Excel---in tough times

A conference to strengthen the effectiveness of managers & supervisors who work in non-profit organizations
PRESENTED BY HSC Workshops

Management is a demanding job under the best circumstances. During these tough economic times, the tasks of management are especially difficult, particularly for those working in the non-profit sector. With fewer and fewer resources, the role of management can seem overwhelming, requiring you to juggle multiple priorities and demands. You must be able to help staff deal with constant changes, budget cuts, staff reductions and wage freezes. This is in addition to the normal responsibilities of performance management, delegation, team development, coaching and conflict resolution. You balance the roles of leader, coach, cheerleader and score keeper. And do all this in the midst of constant changes and shifting priorities.

You may feel overwhelmed as a supervisor or manager. Perhaps you have had little or no training in how to be a successful manager. Maybe you want a refresher course on management covering all the latest information on essential management strategies. Join us and let us help you learn to excel as a manager.

This one-day, fast-paced, comprehensive seminar will provide you with the knowledge and, most importantly, the skills to improve the productive work of your staff. We will emphasize how we accomplish the same job, or even more, with fewer resources. Whether you supervise a staff of one or 101, we will provide the basic skills training, as well as build on the skills you already have, to enable you to succeed in the many facets of your job. You will leave this program with the confidence and ability to create a strong winning team of competent employees.

When & Where:
Buffalo (Amherst), NY Friday, December 18, 2009 Holiday Inn 1881 Niagara Falls Blvd. 14228
TIME: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM (Lunch is Noon-1:00)Cost: $135/person. This includes morning coffee and rolls as well as training materials. (NOTE: Funding restraints and cutbacks have affected us all. This is our effort to help by offering this at our 2005 price.)

Certificate of Attendance for 5.5 clock hours will be provided.

Here are just a few of the questions we have addressed in recent workshops:“How do you...”
manage people you previously worked with or are friends with?
manage experienced employees when you are new?
set your priorities when you are busy putting out fires?
delegate work when you know employees are already overworked?
deal with problem employees so other employees don’t feel resentment?
develop commitment in employees in spite of constant changes they face?
motivate with little or no raises possible?
help diverse members of a team work together and value their differences?
know when to be involved and when to let employees work out their own issues?
help employees feel ownership for results?
manage volunteers instead of paid employees?

HSC WORKSHOPS
2631 E. Sierra St.* Phoenix, AZ 85028
Phone: 602-674-0911 Fax: 602-997-5010
info@hscseminars.org
Call or e-mail any questions or to register. May we send you some references?

Area hospitals to use report to help guide their future plans

The Olean Times Herald reported that a recent report on what consumers think about health care in Western New York is seen by local hospital administrators as a valuable tool.

The report, "Reaching for Excellence: Community Vision and Voices for Western New York Health Care," polled more than 1,700 people from throughout eight Western New York counties. The report reflects what people want in the future from the health-care system and critical needs that currently are not being addressed.

Timothy J. Finan, president and CEO of Olean General Hospital, and Eva Benedict, president and CEO of Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville, both said the report will be a significant part of their future planning on how to make a more patient-centered health-care experience.

The report is a collaborative effort of the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, the John R. Oishei Foundation, The P2 Collaborative and The University of Buffalo Regional Institute. It is the first to conduct such an intensive, widespread and continuing process for engaging and amplifying the consumer perspective, said Ann F. Monroe, president and CEO of the Community Health Foundation.

The report identified five critical areas that consumers felt needed to be addressed: Making a human connection, losing the hassle factor, helping patients understand, making healthy choices and increasing access to care.

Mr. Finan called the report significant and said that it amplified what Olean General knew intuitively about people's perception of the health-care system. The report will help administrators at Olean General and Bradford Regional Medical Center develop a strategic plan as the hospitals soon come together under the Upper Allegheny Health System, he said.

"As we embark upon a strategic plan for the new Upper Allegheny Health System this will be very important information that will factor into the process," he said.

Ms. Benedict said that Jones Memorial will use the information for its own strategic planning.

"We certainly welcome and need that consumer input and their perceptions to help us guide where go in the future," she said.

The report is the result of two years of information gathering. Nearly 115 meetings were held to discuss the future of Western New York health care. Read more here.

Health Care Forum Set for Thurs and Friday

The Buffalo News reported about the People’s Pharmacy, Joe and Terry Graedon, who offer health information on home remedies, prescription drugs and saving money.

Their health advice column runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Life & Arts section of The Buffalo News, and their radio show is aired nationally on public radio.

“People think of us as the ‘Pill People,’ said Joe Graedon during a recent phone interview. “We are either talking about prescription or over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, herbs, home remedies. We’re talking about stuff—that for the most part—you swallow or smear.”

It may come as a surprise, then, to hear the Graedons speak off-topic Friday, when they present the keynote address during the P2 Collaborative Conference at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

“The real question here is: ‘How do you motivate yourself to make those lifestyle changes?’” said Joe Graedon.

With more than 200 member and partner organizations, the P2 Collaborative brings together health care providers, patients and insurers. The initiative— dedicated to improving the health of people in Western New York— is funded by sources including the John R. Oishei Foundation, the New York State Department of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read more here.

Seminar at a glance
When: 7:30 a. m. to 6 p. m. Thursday and 7:30 a. m. to 2 p. m. Friday
Where: Buffalo Niagara Convention Center
What:Spend two days with national health experts learning how to improve health care in Western New York.
Keynote Luncheon Address: “Taking Charge of Your Health” with Joe and Terry Graedon from “People’s Pharmacy” at noon Friday. Cost $50. To register, visit: http://tinyurl.com/p209lunch.
Event Schedule: For information and fees, visit http://www.p2wny.org/.

With fewer resources, groups opt to give less

The Buffalo News reported how the downturn has impacted local foundations. As the article relates:
Battered by more than $80 million in stock market losses last year, the John R. Oishei Foundation suspended new funding for medical research. The James H. Cummings Foundation, whose assets dropped by about 30 percent, probably will give away $500,000 less in 2009 than in previous years.

The Grigg-Lewis Foundation lost about $12 million and informed charitable organizations it wouldn't award any more grants this year.

"We tell them, 'Come back in January, and we'll take a look,'" said William May, executive director of the Griggs-Lewis Foundation, based in Lockport.

The stock market began turning around in the first half of 2009, but the impact of the 2008 free-fall will be felt in local philanthropic giving for years.

"This is not your daddy's downturn. This is an entirely new animal," noted Paul Hogan, vice president of the Oishei Foundation. "A third of the money has just disappeared. That doesn't come back in a normal cycle."

It took just four months in 2008 to wipe out almost a decade's worth of investment earnings at Western New York's largest private foundation. Oishei had $232.9 million in assets at the end of 2008 — down from $332.9 million at the close of 2007.

In addition to investment losses, overhead costs of $2.6 million and the payout of nearly $16 million in grants — the most in its history — further drained Oishei's net assets.

Other Western New York foundations were in the same boat.

"We will not have the income in 2010 that we had in 2009 or 2008. Nowhere near," said Robert Kresse, a trustee with the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, where assets fell from about $120 million to $80 million. "We're in a very tight squeeze."

The Wendt Foundation already has sizable grant commitments to pay out from previous years, pinching its ability to award new grants.

Grantmaking hasn't stopped, but foundation representatives said they would have to be more selective than ever. Some foundations acknowledged they're now less inclined to do multiyear grants. Read more here.

With decreased resources, funders will have to cut back on their giving. As these cutbacks impact the sector, nonprofits facing growing deficits and cash flow issues will clearly be facing critical issues. Some nonprofits will go out of business. What does this mean for the sector? How can nonprofits prepare or respond to these funding issues? Share your thoughts here.

Oishei gives $100K grant for jobs program

Business First of Buffalo reported that a new foundation grant will allow three local nonprofit organizations to create a collaborative jobs program.

The $100,000 two-year grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation to Goodwill Industries of Western New York supports the "Parks Careers Pathways Collaboration."

The program is a collaborative effort between Goodwill Industries, the Buffalo City Mission and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

The program is intended to offer training and career exploration opportunities at Olmsted Parks for individuals referred by the other two agencies. Individuals will come through Goodwill's Assessment and Evaluation Clinic and the Mission's long-term recovery programs. Read more here.