2008 Regional Conferences
Risk Management & Finance Essentials for Nonprofit Leaders
June 26–27, 2008 • The Colony Hotel • Kennebunkport, ME
The Center is grateful to the Public Entity Risk Institute for its generous sponsorship of this conference.
I attended the regional conference in Denver last week. Thank you for putting together such an informative day! It was just what I needed to help get our agency going in the right direction in looking at these risk issues.
— Tamra Schmitt, Adoption Alliance, Denver, CO
For the third year in a row, the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, Maine Association of Nonprofits and New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits proudly present a conference designed to help nonprofit leaders effectively integrate sound finance and risk management principles into day-to-day operations. At an inspiring, oceanfront location, you’ll learn what steps are needed to achieve a greater measure of accountability and harness practical tools to strengthen your mission. The conference offers a time and place for the sharing of ideas, the opportunity to acquire information for informed decision-making and a welcoming environment for champions of effective financial management in the nonprofit sector. The conference is designed for nonprofit CFOs, finance professionals, CEOs, program managers, board members, department heads and professional advisors serving nonprofit organizations. Veteran nonprofit professionals, as well as new managers, will feel at home at this challenging, information-packed educational event.
This Training Is for You
- executive directors
- chief operating officers
- chief financial officers and treasurers
- fiscal managers
- professional risk managers
- program managers
- board members
- advisors to nonprofits
If you are responsible for finance or risk management or have volunteered as your nonprofit’s treasurer or risk management champion, don’t wait to reserve a place at this upcoming seminar. Click here to enroll today.
Conference Agenda
Day 1
| 8:30–9:00 am | Registration, Breakfast and Ice-Breaker |
| 9:00–10:15 am | OPENING SESSIONGood Governance, Financial Health and Mission: Perfect Harmony or Perfect Storm?Nonprofits are facing greater scrutiny than ever in how they manage their organizations and their finances to achieve their missions. Your board members may be dedicated to mission, excellent ambassadors and donors of substantial time and money, but are they engaged in basic financial oversight? Aware of best practices in governance? This session will illuminate the risks facing organizations in today's environment and how and why paying careful attention to good governance practice is good risk management. Speaker: Jennifer Chandler Hauge, Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects, Nonprofit Risk Management Center |
| 10:30 am–Noon | Key Risk Management Policies: What Are They and How Do I Get Started?Designing corporate policies that will keep your nonprofit out of trouble sounds like a great idea, but how exactly can that be accomplished? Using real-life situations that have derailed other nonprofits, this workshop will identify critical policies that every nonprofit needs to have in their arsenal of risk management strategies. Workshop participants will also gain valuable insight in techniques for working with board members and staff to integrate risk management policies into the nonprofit’s everyday operations. Speaker: Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director, Nonprofit Risk Management Center |
| 12:00–12:45 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00–2:00 pm | Employment Risks and Your Nonprofit: Hot Topics for 2008What are the most common mistakes made in the context of hiring, supervising and terminating nonprofit employees? What do nonprofit managers and executives need to know about recent or pending changes in legislation or regulation governing the employment relationship? This session will delve into continuing and emerging employment risks and offer practical human resource strategies suitable for nonprofit employers of any size. Speaker: Jennifer Chandler Hauge, Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects, Nonprofit Risk Management Center |
| 2:00–2:45 pm | What Really Happens When a Nonprofit Is Sued: Enlightening Case StudiesDuring this session we'll delve into the claims files of Chubb & Son, an insurer that provides directors' and officers' (D&O) liability coverage for thousands of nonprofits across the country. We'll review the circumstances giving rise to a series of claims and discuss how your nonprofit can avoid finding itself in similar circumstances. Speakers: Melanie Lockwood Herman, Nonprofit Risk Management Center and Michael Schraer, Vice President, Chubb & Son |
| 3:00–4:30 pm | Insurance Myths and MysteriesThe insurance landscape is dynamic and complex. It is a jungle out there. If you are the type of nonprofit manager who breaks out in hives at the very mention of the word "insurance," this session is for you. This workshop will unravel the mysteries and myths of the insurance industry, while suggesting an approach for gaining a deeper understanding of your organization's insurance needs, options and opportunities. Attendees at this workshop will receive candid advice on how to take practical steps to strengthen your nonprofit's insurance program. Speakers: Melanie Lockwood Herman, Nonprofit Risk Management Center and Michael Schraer, Vice President, Chubb & Son |
Day 2
| 8:30–9:00 am | Registration, Breakfast and Networking |
| 9:00–10:15 am | OPENING SESSIONFraud and Your Nonprofit: Avoiding Your Worst NightmareIs a headline reading “Charity Worker Charged with Theft” your worst nightmare? Despite the lack of evidence that theft of charitable assets occurs at a more frequent rate than theft of assets in the business and government sectors, intensive media coverage of fraud in the nonprofit sector paints a disturbing, though unfair picture. Despite its rare occurrence, every nonprofit should take steps to prevent workplace theft and procedures to ensure prompt detection. The timely discovery of fraud is key to reducing the amount of the loss to the organization. This fast-paced keynote session will explore the myths and realities of fraud in the nonprofit sector, and offer specific advice on fraud prevention and detection. The emphasis will be on measures that can be adapted to meet the needs of a diverse array of organizations. A portion of the program will be dedicated to exploring actual nonprofit fraud case studies. You’ll learn what went wrong from a control and detection standpoint, and what you can do to keep your organization off the list of featured organizations in next year’s fraud case studies! Speakers: Melanie Lockwood Herman, Nonprofit Risk Management Center and Alan J. Strand, Director of Finance and Financial Services, California Association of Nonprofits (CAN®) |
| 10:30 am–Noon | The New 990: Friend or Foe? What You Need to Know to Prepare Your Organization and the Board for the Road AheadThe IRS released the new Form 990 on December 20th, 2007. The new form will be required beginning in 2009 (Covering tax year 2008). This workshop will give your organization’s staff and board members a head start in preparing for the significant reporting changes required by the new IRS Form 990, and provide background on policy and procedural changes helpful in ensuring compliance with the new requirements. As a bonus you’ll also learn how to turn your organization’s annual financial reporting process into a significant risk management tool. Speakers: Jennifer Chandler Hauge, Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects, Nonprofit Risk Management Center and Alan J. Strand, Director of Finance and Financial Services, California Association of Nonprofits (CAN®) |
| Noon–1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00–2:30 pm | BREAKOUT SESSIONSSession #1Nonprofit Financial Basics, Part IWhat is the difference between nonprofit and for profit financial reporting? Is this contribution income now or later? How do I allocate my expenses? What reports do I need to prepare and how do I read them once they are done? Get an introduction to the world of nonprofit finance and get the tools you need to get meaningful information from your financial management system. There will be plenty of time for questions so feel free to ask away. In this first part of the presentation we will cover:
Speaker: Alan J. Strand, Director of Finance and Financial Services, California Association of Nonprofits (CAN®) Session #2Advanced Financial Management — Doing More with Less (Or at Least Holding Your Own), Part IOrganizations relying on state funding are facing the harshest economic challenge in recent history, and agencies wishing to survive will need to adjust. It is no longer “business as usual…” This two-part, three hour session will give direction on how to respond to diminishing resources by addressing the following key areas:
Speaker: Ken Bustard, The Accounting Coach, Bangor, ME |
| 2:30–2:45 pm | Break |
| 2:45–4:15 pm | BREAKOUT SESSIONSSession #1Nonprofit Financial Basics, Part IISee description above. In this second part of the presentation we will cover:
Speaker: Alan J. Strand, Director of Finance and Financial Services, California Association of Nonprofits (CAN®) Session #2Advanced Financial Management — Doing More with Less (Or at Least Holding Your Own), Part IISee description above Speaker: Ken Bustard, The Accounting Coach, Bangor, ME |
| 4:15–5:00 pm | Closing session / networking |
About the Faculty
Ken Bustard is the principal in a Bangor based consulting and tax practice, “The Accounting Coach”. Prior to this, he spent twenty years as the Chief Financial Officer with one of the largest nonprofit agencies in central Maine.
Melanie Lockwood Herman serves as Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, a position she has held since 1996. As the Center’s CEO Melanie has written and co-authored more than 15 books on various risk management topics, and has delivered countless workshops and keynote presentations to nonprofit leaders in the U.S. and abroad. Melanie provides expert help to nonprofit boards and senior staff seeking risk management advice on topics ranging from governance risk to employment practices, financial risk management, protecting vulnerable clients, volunteer risk management and merger/collaboration risks. She also regularly delivers presentations on insurance topics for audiences seeking to better understand their insurance needs and existing insurance policies. In 2007 Melanie was named to the 10th annual NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50, a list of "executives and thinkers ... selected for the impact they have now and for the innovative plans they are putting in place to evolve the charitable sector." Melanie graduated from American University and George Mason University School of Law.
Jennifer Chandler Hauge serves as Senior Counsel and Director of Special Projects for the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. For the past 16 years Jennifer has served as legal counsel to public charities and private foundations. During 2006, she served a one-year appointment as Assistant Director of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector (Washington, D.C.) during the Panel’s focus on recommendations for ethical governance practices for all charitable organizations. Jennifer has served on a variety of pubic charity and foundation boards, and has been a frequent presenter of workshops and seminars for the Nonprofit Risk Management Center over the years. She has authored numerous articles and several texts on personnel practices and risk management topics germane to nonprofits, most recently as co-author (with Melanie Herman) of Taking the High Road: A Guide to Effective and Legal Employment Practices for Nonprofits—2nd Edition (2006). Jennifer graduated from Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School.
Conference Workshops
- Good Governance, Financial Health and Mission: Perfect Harmony or Perfect Storm?
- Employment Risks and Your Nonprofit: Hot Topics for 2008
- What Really Happens When a Nonprofit Is Sued: Enlightening Case Studies
- Insurance Myths and Mysteries
- Fraud and Your Nonprofit: Avoiding Your Worst Nightmare
- The New 990: Friend or Foe? What You Need to Know to Prepare Your Organization and the Board for the Road Ahead
- Nonprofit Financial Basics, Part I
- Advanced Financial Management, Part I
- Nonprofit Financial Basics, Part II
- Advanced Financial Management, Part II
Lead Sponsor
Sponsors
Co-Sponsor
Conference Sponsors
Maine Association of Nonprofits — The Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) is committed to advancing and strengthening Maine's nonprofit sector. MANP's membership consists of over 550 nonprofit members and 95 business and individual supporters. MANP offers members professional skill development programs, affordable healthcare and benefits plans, discounts on related programs and services and advocacy resources. For more information, visit www.nonprofitmaine.org
New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits — Founded in 1986, the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits is an association of over 400 member nonprofit organizations who have joined together to strengthen the state's nonprofit sector. The Center works to increase public awareness of how indispensable nonprofits are to NH's well being and is dedicated to strengthening the effectiveness of New Hampshire nonprofits by providing them with the knowledge, resources, and tools necessary to enhance their ability to serve the citizens and communities of New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.nhnonprofits.org.
The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) is a tax-exempt nonprofit whose mission is to serve public, private and nonprofit organizations as a dynamic, forward thinking resource for the practical enhancement of risk management. PERI provided generous funding to support the delivery of this conference. For more information on PERI, visit the organization’s Web site.
Conference Location
The Colony Hotel
140 Ocean Avenue
PO 511
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
phone: (800) 552-2363
Lodging
The Colony Hotel is reserving a limited amount of rooms at the highly discounted rate of $124/night for garden side & garden house rooms. Reservations must be made at least 30 days prior to the event (by 04/28/07) to ensure the special rate and availability. One night's deposit will be taken with a credit card when making the reservation. Full refund can be made on the credit card if reservations are cancelled at least 3 days prior to arrival. Guests should mention the Maine Association of Nonprofits or Nonprofit Risk Management Center when making the reservation. Call (800) 552-2363 for reservations.
About The Colony Hotel
The Colony Hotel is one of Maine's most outstanding resorts. Spectacularly situated on the rock promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Kennebunk River, we have a heated saltwater swimming pool, private safe surf beach and gorgeous organic gardens. We are within walking distance of the charming village of Kennebunkport. Area attractions include golf, tennis, sea kayaking, nature trails, bicycling, boating, shopping and art galleries.
The Boughton Family has maintained a reputation for excellence throughout 57 years of owning and managing the Boughton Hotel Corporation. Our courteous atmosphere is conducive to work or play. As the first environmentally responsible hotel and U.S. Backyard Wildlife Habitat in the state of Maine, we are committed to providing our guests with a quality experience while maintaining our policy of respect for Nature and our surroundings.
Spectacular ocean views, unequaled natural beauty, cool sea breezes, the sound of the sea, and a sense of history distinguish The Colony Hotel.
- Open mid-May through late October
- Hotel Environmental Action Plan
- Heated Saltwater Outdoor Pool
- Private Sandy Beach and Safe Bathing
- Acclaimed New England Dining featuring Maine Lobster and Local Seafoods
- Poolside Lunches in summer season
- Afternoon Tea 4–5 pm daily
- Room Service — Limited Hours
- Poolside Marine Room Lounge
- Wedding, Banquet and Conference Facilities Available
- Intimate Ballroom
- Hotel Gift Shop featuring Maine-made gifts
- Beautiful Rose, Herb and Flower Gardens
- Verandas Overlooking Gardens and Ocean
- Fresh Flower Bouquets from the Gardens
Directions
- Once you have paid the toll on the Maine Turnpike (I-95) North or South take exit #25, formerly exit #3 for the "Kennebunk's."
- Turn left heading south onto Route 35 — following the signs for "Kennebunkport". Travel 1 1/2 miles to Route 1. At the traffic light, turn left (go approximately 200 feet). Turn right onto Route 35.
- Travel 4 miles toward Kennebunkport. At the light turn left onto Route 9.
- Travel over the bridge and after the Dock Square Monument (White Sign) in the town center, turn right onto Ocean Avenue.
- Travel 1 mile until you see the sign on the left for King's Highway. Take a left up the hill to the main entrance.
Conference Registration Fee
- $195 for the first registration and $170 for each additional registration if your organization is a member of:
- Maine Association of Nonprofits
- New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits
- $295 for the first registration and $270 for each additional registration if your organization is not a member of one of the above organizations
The Conference Registration Fee includes breakfast and lunch on both days. Registrants will also receive a resource guide containing handout materials.
Refund Policy
Cancellations received in writing by June 12, 2008 will be eligible for a refund, minus a $50 processing fee. No refunds will be given after June 12, 2008, however all registrations are transferable.
Questions?
Call (202) 785-3891 or send an email.