A Training Series for CDC Boards

Dates/Times:
Session I: November 5, 2011
Session II: January 28, 2012

An exciting and unique opportunity to help strengthen your Board of Directors.  This “state of the art” governance training provides your Board members with innovative best practices; concrete strategies; and tools to help strengthen your Board’s effectiveness and ability to impact your community.  It is specifically designed for CDC boards; helping them engage more directly and become more accountable to the diverse communities they serve.  The sessions are highly interactive, “hands‐on”, and action‐oriented; board teams with their Executive Directors will learn together and apply the learnings to their own boards and organizations.

The training was offered to 3‐5 CDC’s who will work together as board teams, along their Executive Directors.   There were two sessions for the training, one held on an evening and one on a Saturday to accommodate Board members’ schedules.

Training Participants will learn about:

• Nonprofit board and individual board member responsibilities, including its role in communitybuilding and engagement, tailored to CDC governance
• “State of the Art”, best practices in developing more effective governance structures, such as board meetings and committees
• How to develop successful and culturally‐competent ways to recruit and retain valuable board members
• A new approach to governance which includes community residents, in partnership with the board, in governance decision‐making
• Strategies for building superb ED‐Board partnerships
• Action strategies for bringing this learning back to their organizations

The series will be facilitated by Judy Freiwirth, Psy.D. Principal, Nonprofit Solutions Associates.

Participating Organizations:

• Codman Square NDC
• Field’s Corner CDC
• Dorchester Bay EDC
• Fenway CDC

Participant Quotes:

• “Thank you. This has been very exciting and helpful!”
• “Very well prepared. Interesting materials and handouts. Good exercises and ‘engagement’ techniques.”
• “Good job – useful learnings, great to have board and ED together.

Location: SEIU 615, 2nd Floor (26 West Street, Boston, MA 02111) MAP

The world is full of complicated issues that impact our lives, especially during tough economic times – critical issues like affordable housing, neighborhood crime, youth development, and health care. Too often, potential community activists experience the problems within their own communities, but are unaware of their power to create solutions to those problems.

Organizing for Change helped leaders, board members, and staff of community-based groups strengthen their own internal capacity to advocate for change in their community. Featured presenters Mel King and Lew Finfer shared their deep knowledge and experience in educating, organizing, and mobilizing neighborhoods and communities into action.

This training helped participants to:

• Understand how to seize an opportunity to organize a constituency around a common problem and solution;

• Identify allies, build coalition, and communicate effectively about your solution for a winning campaign;

• Learn from veteran organizers Lew Finfer and Mel King, who have stories to tell and lessons to share.

This Organizing for Change program was a condensed public session, provided as a “Sampling” of a more in-depth Intensive Leadership Program offered by the Academy. Sponsoring organizations are Massachusetts Policy and Organizing Leadership Academy and Mel King Institute for Community Building.

Speaker Spotlight:

Mel King is a legendary community organizer in greater Boston and a special guest at the Academy’s first Organizing for Change training seminar. Sharing his “maximum feasible participation” coalition model, he’ll tell the story of a successful community campaign to stop the highway – I-95 – from going through neighborhoods in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston and how that coalition momentum helped create a network of Community Development Corporations across the state. For over 50 years, King has been an activist and community leader in Boston, and he is the founder and current director of the South End Technology Center. He’s a former Massachusetts State Representative, founder of the Mel King Institute, and a committed voice for justice and opportunity.

Lew Finfer is a celebrated organizing leader across the state and co-founder of the Academy. He’ll describe how, using King’s coalition model, he’s helped change policy at both the public and private institutional levels in parallel. Lew’s coalitions,for example, have persuaded private industry to provide jobs to young people and simultaneously secured funding for the youth jobs initiative from the state Legislature.

Finfer has worked as a community organizer since 1970 and is the director of the Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN). He’s led neighborhood improvement campaigns in Dorchester and Somerville, is a vocal housing advocate, and a beloved community-builder across the state.

This workshop enabled participants to become aware of and familiarize themselves with critical elements to become effective community educators: fostering open dialogues with and among participants, promoting critical thinking and creativity, and developing an environment of safety and freedom. Participants had the opportunity to discuss and understand the social role of education and its importance to promoting social change.

The workshop provided an overview of how adults learn by practicing all phases of the learning cycle (definition, validation, assimilation, integration, and transition), applying 12 important pinciples for effective learning, and sharing personal experiences.

Course Objectives:

• Participants will understand the fundamentals of popular education: the learning cycle, principles of effective learning, ideas-feelings-actions;
• learn, review and practice principles for effective learning; and  
• understand the importance of following the seven steps of lesson planning

Participant Quotes:

• “I enjoyed the range, resources, and positive attitude!”
• “I learned lots of new activities I will use with my youth. It was wonderful to learn about community organizing and popular education.”
• “I will now be a more effective teacher.”

Course Materials:

• Agenda
• Suggested Reading
• The Twelve Principles of Adult Learning
• The Land of Chips Interactive
• How Much We Have in Common Interactive

        

Location: Nixon Peabody, Pokross C, 25th Floor (100 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110)
Instructors: Kathleen McCabe, Asst. Director of Public Health Policy and Strategy Center at Health Resources in Action and Chris Banthin, Attorney at Public Health Advocacy Institute, Northeastern University

“Great presentation and really good resources!”
“Data and discussions will be useful in the evaluation and process for going smoke-free.”
                   -A Breath of Fresh Air participants

An introduction to smoke-free housing policy for practitioners in community development. Participants developed an understanding of the benefits of adopting smoke-free housing policies for their properties, were connected with resources to assist in the transition to smoke-free, and had the opportunity to learn from the work of their peers and discuss the steps and practical issues around adopting, implementing, and enforcing a smoke-free housing policy.

Agenda:

1:00 pm    Welcome and Introductions

1:15 pm     Presentation: Why go smoke-free?

2:00 pm    Reactions, questions, discussion

2:15 pm     Presentation: How do you go smoke-free?

Featuring CDCs currently working on transitioning properties to smoke-free

2:45 pm    Group discussion

3:30 pm    Wrap-up

This training was provided at no cost by the Mel King Institute.

Date: December 8, 2011
Time: 8:30am-12:00pm
Location: Oliver Wright Tavern (1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA)

“Inspirational and informative.”
“Covered a lot of ground with many, many specific examples and insights.”
“I left the training more inspired and reinvigorated, with new energy. I am now better equipped to move forward because of awareness of obstacles, delays, commitment required, and possibility of eventual success.”
                  -Training participants

Building community support for affordable housing was the topic of a half-day workshop on Thursday, Dec. 8 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Sturbridge Village.

Entitled “Strategies for Building Support for Affordable Housing”, the workshop featured experts who have experience dealing with the local decision making process and examples of successful techniques that have worked to move local affordable housing developments forward.

“You can spend years planning for affordable housing but most times your success depends on how well you have told your story in the community,” said Susan Connelly, MHP’s Director of Community Housing Initiatives. “This workshop is designed to help local leaders understand how to communicate their goals and turn this outreach into support for affordable housing initiatives.”

Presenters at this workshop included:

• John Ryan, Development Cycles
• Shelly Goehring, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance
• Alison Slack, Medway Affordable Housing Committee
• Phillip Giffee, Neighborhood for Affordable Housing
• Toby Kramer, Neighborhood for Affordable Housing.

The workshop was sponsored by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the Citizen’s Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance and the Mel King Institute.

Date: December 8, 2011
Time: 9:30am-4:00pm
Location: 122 Dewitt Community Room (122 Dewitt Drive, Roxbury, MA 02119)
Instructor: Heang Ly, Teen Empowerment

“Great workshop, I learned so many great interactive activities!”
“This will allow me to think about the dynamics/barriers within a group before making a meeting.”
“My coworkers and I are planning to facilitate a monthly meeting soon, we will definitely consider these techniques!”
            -Training participants

This workshop demonstrated the depth and richness of several interactive exercises, and their ability to increase positive participation, create and maintain relationships, and discuss challenging topics – all while engaging the hearts, minds, and energies of participants. Team leaders and group facilitators learned techniques to make meetings, seminars and workshops more dynamic and constructive. The training was conducted using entirely interactive methods, with learning taking place through the direct experience of various interactive activities.

• Morning Session: Interactive Techniques to Jump Start Your Group
• Afternoon Session: Designing and Facilitating Engaging Meetings

This session was led by Heang Ly, Director of Consulting and Training at Teen Empowerment. Heang has extensive background in group facilitation, youth development and community organizing.

For more information on interactives to jump-start your meetings, look at the Teen Empowerment website and the Moving Beyond Icebreakers manual!

Location: TSNE Nonprofit Center, Community Room, First Floor (89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111)
Instructor: Robert Sweet, National Development Council

“The instructor was knowledgable and engaging!”
“Great presentation, I learned a lot!”
“I can better review and analyze loans applying what I learned today.”
            -Training participants

A three-day course presented by the National Development Council, funded by Citi Foundation, and co-sponsored by MassDevelopment. This course provided important analytical and financing skills needed by non-profit development practitioners who are assisting local small businesses and creating jobs for neighborhood residents.  Specific topics included:

Date: November 17, 2011
Time: 9:30am-4:00pm, 9:00am breakfast and networking
Location: 122 Dewitt Dr., Roxbury, MA 02119 (Note: the location has been changed from 757 Shawmut Ave.)
Instructor: Harry Smith, Director of Sustainable Economic Development at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative

“Clear and engaging. Great workshop. Harry is great!”
“Loved the little group exercises. Funny and felt comfortable being engaged in the conversation.”
“Facilitation was excellent! I appreciate the connection to “real world” situations and interactive style. The presenters were very helpful.”
            -Training participants

This training course provided organizers and other CDC staff and leaders with an introduction to the basic principles and practices of organizing within a CDC context.  The training addressed several fundamental elements of community organizing including:

• Basic concepts of community organizing
• Understanding the differences between organizing, direct service and advocacy models
• Identifying issues to organize around
• Understanding the role of organizers and leaders
• A panel discussion with veteran organizers sharing their experiences on the keys to developing leaders and implementing successful organizing initiatives at their CDCs

The training was an intensive, hands-on session, with a mix of brief presentations, role plays, and small group discussions.

For a full agenda, please click here.

Date:  November 2-3, 2011
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location:  Third Sector New England Nonprofit Center, Community Room (89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111)
Instructor: Jennifer Pinck, Pinck and Co., Inc., a provider of Design and Construction Management Services

Registration Deadline: October 26, 2011

This training provided participating community development practitioners with strategies, techniques and resources to engage a General Contractor and to achieve economic development and hiring goals, comply with state and federal and funder regulations, and create the contractual language to manage the risks and challenges inherent in real estate projects.

 Agenda

Wednesday, November 2

 1.  Construction Contracts Overview – 9:30am to 12:00pm: This session focused on the key ingredients of construction contracts including important contractual terms and conditions that are essential to a good contract. The group examined the different types of contracts and understand when is each appropriate.  Using exercises and a case study, participants learned about the differences and similarities between lump sum, cost plus a fixed fee contracts and construction manager as advisor as well as understand when a project is of limited vs. major scope and how that impacts contract choices.

Lunch Provided on Site

2.  Creating Complete Contractor Documents and Incorporating Stakeholder Requirements  – 1:00pm to 4:00pm: This session focused on developing a complete set of contract documents that are “biddable” and how to integrate the key contract terms and conditions from the funders, local municipalities and everyone in between while addressing the real needs and specific constraints of a project. The group reviewed closing check lists, general conditions and other documents from real projects and in small groups will perform exercises.  The group also examined strategies for each project to maximize small business, M and WBE participation and some of the pros and cons of different ideas.

 Thursday, November 3

3.  How to Select and Hire a Contractor – 9:30am to 12:00pm: This session focused on the process of engaging a general contractor with an emphasis on the projects with subsidy or public financing. We will review best practices, the role of the Owner, the Architect, and the lenders. Participants learned about the differences and similarities between the private and public sector, how and when public bidding regulations apply and how to comply with public bidding laws and lender requirements.  The group examined how to identify contractors best suited to a project and how to address the union vs. open shop dilemma that often arises. Using a case study and role play exercises participants explored issues and solutions and strategies.

Lunch Provided on Site

4.  Accomplishing Economic and Other Objectives   - 1:00pm to 3:00pm: A panel of experienced partners shared their strategies for Section 3, M/WBE, local hiring, community development and other compliance.

5.  Wrap up – 3:00 to 4:00

Date:  October 26, 2011
Time:   9:00-11:00am, Breakfast and Networking 8:30am
Location:  Boston Private Bank & Trust Company (10 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109)

Registration Deadline: October 22, 2011

This 2-hour, interactive seminar was led by a tax-exempt organization specialist. The agenda included the role of your board, director duties, board composition, board procedures, policies, as well as other compliance issues and director liabilities.

Co-sponsored by Boston Private Bank and Trust Company, The Lawyers Clearinghouse, and Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster.