Bosler Academy - Cambria Regional Chamber | Cambria County Business Chamber

Bosler Academy 2021

Full Course Descriptions and Instructor Biographies

______________________________________________________________________________

Workshop #1: Engaging Staff and Volunteers In a Virtual World

Presented by Debra Thompson, Strategy Solutions & Amy Lynn Walsh, Senior Consultant

This workshop provides information and ideas for managers and employees to appropriately establish, support and engage employees and volunteers in remote environments. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:

Establish effective management practices to engage and support remote workers, including those with disabilities and overcome the challenges of working remotely including lack of face-to-face supervision, lack of access to information, social isolation and distractions.
Embrace team norms and personal work habits that support productivity and employee well-being including availability, responsiveness, measurements, tech support, ADA considerations, security and confidentiality.
Understand the fundamental rules of your mind and how to “hack the system” to overcome stress and invite balance into the workplace, especially in a virtual environment.

Presenters:

Debra Thompson

Debra Thompson is President of Strategy Solutions, Inc. In this role, she serves as project manager and collaborator, enabling clients to “take it to the next level” and achieve their vision and goals. She also helps nonprofits implement best practices in governance and management.

With advanced training in Strategic Planning, Quantitative and Qualitative Market Research, Total Quality Management, Leadership Development, Systems Thinking & Facilitation (through affiliates of MIT), Deb is a licensed consultant, trainer and peer reviewer for the National and Pennsylvania Standards for Excellence®: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. She was appointed to the National Standards for Excellence® Council in December 2015.

Amy Lynn Walsh

Amy Lynn Walsh is a Transformation Therapist and Mindset coach that helps high-achieving professionals overcome their anxiety and self-sabotaging behaviors to achieve the healthy body, genuine relationships and success they desire. Amy is passionate about empowering professionals to embrace their brilliance, own their authentic gifts and to show up boldly and authentically themselves. Amy’s unique approach to healing both the limiting beliefs of the mind, along with the energetic blocks around the heart is her recipe for true and lasting change. She was the recipient of the 2021 Influential Leadership award through Pittsburgh Professional Women.

Workshop #2: Communicating Your Organization’s Value to Stakeholders

Presented by Ben Kafferlin, Principal, Kafferlin Strategies & Margie Taylor, CRFE, Senior Consultant, Strategy Solutions

Those who work in government relations at the federal and state levels and local elected officials are often shocked at how poorly nonprofit leaders educate the community and advocate for policy changes and/or funding to support their cause. This is particularly important today as nonprofits think about how to position their organization for the American Rescue Plan funding that is becoming available to communities over the next few months. This workshop provides participants with a strategic framework to think through your messaging to various audiences and engage stakeholders. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:

Identify key stakeholder groups and determine the strategic messages that each group should know and understand about your organization and its mission as well as your outcomes and impact.
Organize and engage your board in an effective outreach and education strategy.
Equip nonprofit leaders to effectively advocate for themselves with government entities and/or foundations in a respective and effective manner.

Benjamin Kafferlin, Partner, Kafferlin Strategies

Benjamin Kafferlin is a founding partner in Kafferlin Strategies, a project management company that focuses on helping small businesses and nonprofits thrive. He also serves as the Chairman of the Warren County Commissioners, taking the lead on many important rural initiatives such as broadband, emergency management improvements, economic development projects, and overseeing the administration of millions in grants. A magna cum laude graduate of Ashland University and Scholar at the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, Ben studied Economics and Political Science. He has completed training with the U.S. Army War College, Family Policy Institute, lean manufacturing, project management, emergency management and crisis communications, as well as worked as a government relations professional in Washington DC. In his local community, Ben has served on the board of 20 different organizations, and is an active volunteer firefighter and EMT. Ben and his wife, Heidi, reside in Spring Creek, PA, where they enjoy their orchard and expect their first child in the fall of 2021.

Margie Taylor, CFRE, Senior Consultant

Margie has worked in philanthropy and economic development for more than 30 years. Her tenure began at a women’s liberal arts college whose fundraising staff was charged in the 1980s with raising $1 million in cash annually. She then joined a public policy consulting firm followed by leadership roles in economic development organizations. In 2000 she joined The Pennsylvania State University’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations where she served as Director of Development for one of the university’s colleges, raising over $56 million.

Taylor holds the professional designation “Certified Fundraising Executive,” after having met a series of standards which include tenure in the profession, education, demonstrated fundraising achievement and a commitment to service to not‐for‐profit organizations. She was named Outstanding Fundraiser of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter, in 2012.

Workshop #3: Fundraising Strategies During a Pandemic and Beyond

Presented by Margie Taylor, CFRE, Senior Consultant, Jacqui Catrabone, Chief Operating Officer and Erika Berlin, Senior Consultant, Strategy Solutions

Although the fundraising efforts of many organizations have suffered during the pandemic, especially the ones that rely on events, history shows that while people may support fewer charities in an economic downturn, they invest more in those causes they care about. This workshop explores the critical success factors that enable organizations to grow their fundraising amid crisis and beyond. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to:

Challenge your assumptions about fundraising in a crisis and embrace new tools, ideas and strategies that can enhance your ability to raise funds and ensure sustainability.
Understand and embrace donor interests while making a compelling “case for support” to position your organization for major gifts fundraising.
Better fundraising software and available social media tools to target your outreach and engagement and support your fundraising efforts.

Margie Taylor, CFRE, Senior Consultant

Jacqui Catrabone

As Chief Operating Officer for Strategy Solutions, Jacqui is responsible for providing leadership, facilitation, organization, project management and client coordination support for training, research, planning, facilitation, organizational and program development and evaluation projects for nonprofit and community/government clients. She is a certified trainer, consultant and peer reviewer for the PA Standards for Excellence in Nonprofit Ethics and Accountability®.

With an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Social Work degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Jacqui brings a depth and breadth of project management and program development experience to SSI clients. Jacqui is also a trained facilitator for the development of program logic and outcomes measurement models using the United Way approach.

Erika Berlin, Senior Consultant

Erika Berlin is a passionate and creative leader with more than 15 years of experience developing communications, education programs, and technology products in nonprofit, start-up, and corporate organizations. As a consultant for Strategy Solutions, Erika provides leadership and project management to support client initiatives, including organizational development and training, program development and implementation, marketing and communications strategy and implementation, and fundraising campaign strategy and support.

Prior to joining Strategy Solutions, Erika was Vice President of Technology at Larson Texts where she led digital product development for the Big Ideas Math K-12 programs, including the strategy, planning, team coaching, and budgeting for the software development lifecycle. Erika is also the founding Board Chair of the Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, where she has helped shape its strategic direction and programming. Erika earned her undergraduate degree in Communications and Media from Penn State University. After earning a master degree in Learning Design and Technology from Stanford University, Erika established pedagogical standards and led communication strategy for Togetherville, a lean start-up founded to create a safe social media platform for children and their parents.

Workshop #4: Crisis and Contingency Planning

Presented by: Jacqui Catrabone, Chief Operating Officer, Strategy Solutions and Ben Kafferlin, Principal, Kafferlin Strategies

Coming through the COVID-crisis has left many of us wondering how much crisis is left and if we will ever find a “new normal.” As we forge a path forward, our ability to assess risk and adapt to changing circumstances through crisis and contingency planning is a critical success factor in our ability to not only survive but thrive! This workshop enables participants to:

Understand how to identify and manage risk as a critical success factor in planning to ensure sustainability.
Identify opportunities within chaos and crisis and how to develop strategies to capitalize on them through effective crisis, scenario and contingency planning.
Develop strategies and manage crisis communications through emergency situations and beyond.

Jacqui Catrabone

As Chief Operating Officer for Strategy Solutions, Jacqui is responsible for providing leadership, facilitation, organization, project management and client coordination support for training, research, planning, facilitation, organizational and program development and evaluation projects for nonprofit and community/government clients. She is a certified trainer, consultant and peer reviewer for the PA Standards for Excellence in Nonprofit Ethics and Accountability®.

Benjamin Kafferlin, Partner, Kafferlin Strategies

Workshop #5: Effective Board Leadership and Succession Planning

Presented by Debra Thompson and Jacqui Catrabone

When asked what they would most like to change about their organization, many nonprofit directors admit that they would love to have a more engaged and effective board that has a robust leadership succession process. Especially in today’s environment when volunteer leaders are pulled in a million directions, achieving and maintaining a highly engaged and effective board often seems impossible. However, by understanding and implementing a few simple board and staff “roles and rules,” you and your board can lead in achieve in amazing ways! By the end of the workshop, participants will:

Understand the role of the Executive Director in supporting board engagement through effective “staff support to the board.”
Learn how to educate board and staff members regarding their roles in planning and how to organize and engage board committees to be a catalyst for change.
Structure a board leadership succession process through effective orientation and coaching of new board members.

Debra Thompson

Jacqui Catrabone

Workshop #6: Sustainability and Long-Term Financial Planning

Presented by Debra Thompson, President Strategy Solutions and Michael Garczynski, CPA, Arnet Carbis, Toothman

According to the Standards for Excellence,® sustainability planning includes a variety of factors, including organizational identity, a Long-Range Strategic Plan, an Annual Operational Plan, financial planning and other systems, a long-range fundraising plan, a board development plan and staff development and organizational culture. All of these are built on a base of long-term financial planning to ensure sustainability. How do we think about these concepts in our nonprofit organizations when short-term cash flow and other challenges have us consumed with meeting our mission on a daily basis? This workshop offers participants tools and resources to:

Take a step back from the day-to-day operations of their agency and think about long-term financial future as well as other components of organizational sustainability.
Identify short term strategies that you can put into place to ensure long term financial success and sustainability.
Challenge your assumptions and explore strategies for long-term sustainability if/when your agency is at risk and may not have a sustainable business model.

Debra Thompson

Michael Garczynski

Michael is a Partner in Arnett Carbis Toothman LLP’s Health Care Services Group, as well as the Coordinator of Nonprofit Client Services. He has twenty-five years of experience in public accounting, including providing assurance and advisory services to clients in the health care industry. Michael serves as the Audit & Accounting Coordinator for the Firm, which included monitoring the Firm’s quality control system. In addition to his roles for Arnett Carbis Toothman, Michael also serves as Secretary for Total Practice Management, LLC, providing physician billing and practice consulting services.

Michael is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He also represents the Firm as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), and the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC).