Click on the presenter's names within each individual session description to access the PowerPoint presentations. Note: where sessions have no links, PowerPoints are unavailable. Presentations are saved in PDF format.
Wednesday, November 23, Half-Day Sessions
W5 – W8
9 am – 12:30 pm
W5: Introduction to Strategic Management for Non-Profit Housing Providers
Strategic management can be defined simply as the development of a clear sense of objectives and the establishment and execution of a plan to accomplish these objectives. Despite the seemingly straightforward nature of these activities, organizations are increasingly finding themselves falling short of their organizational objectives as they spend their time dealing with emergencies and complexity that had not been anticipated. Through the application of some basic strategic management concepts, organizations can learn to better manage their daily tasks and re-establish forward organizational momentum. This workshop will provide management, staff, and board members of non-profit housing providers with a basic understanding of the concepts of strategic management and their application to a non-profit housing context. Once this conceptual foundation is established, learners will participate in a variety of facilitated hands-on exercises that will situate the concepts in a practical context and provide an understanding of their application to the daily activities of non-profit housing providers.
Presenter: BCNPHA Certified Instructor Michael Litchfield, Management Consultant, Thinklab Consulting Inc.; and Kyla Jackson, Lead Facilitator, Hidden Owl Consulting. View the W5 Resource Toolkit here.
This session is sponsored by Coinamatic Canada.
W6: Human Rights and Non-Profit Housing Accommodation
This is an introductory course designed to explain the basic principles of human rights law and the application of those laws to non-profit housing. Topics covered will include: review of the relevant sections of the Human Rights Code; types of unlawful discrimination that may arise in non-profit housing associations; a description of the BC Human Rights Tribunal and Human Rights Complaint and Response processes; directors’ liability and insurance; and pro-active measures that can be taken for claim avoidance. The primary objective will be to identify actual or possible human rights violations and to pro-actively deal with or eliminate them. Attendees can also expect to know and understand Human Rights Tribunal process, as well as gain some insight on director liability, insurance issues, and risk avoidance. Attendees should leave the session with an increased sensitivity to human rights issues and an increased interest in accommodating those in our society that need protection. This course will be of interest to property managers, directors of non-profit housing societies, caretakers, and anyone else involved in the day-to-day operations of non-profit housing.
Presenter: Grant Haddock, Lawyer, Haddock & Company.
W7: Introduction to Collaborative Conflict Resolution
This workshop explains different styles and approaches to resolving conflicts, and provides participants with hands-on opportunities to enhance their active listening skills, including role-playing a confrontation, and building upon problem solving/problem prevention skills. The session will provide an opportunity to learn ways to create solutions that everyone can support.
Presenter: BCNPHA Certified Instructor Don King, Certified Mediator, Consensus Consulting.
W8: Twelve Keys to High Performance Boards and Associations
This interactive session will engage participants in exploring the links between good governance and organizational performance based on research-based best practices for boards and associations. We will examine the key characteristics of highly effective boards and high performance organizations/associations. Participants will have an opportunity to apply good governance principles to a real non-profit housing case scenario (small group discussions), apply and take away tools to assess performance, and develop indicators for measuring performance against goals. The workshop is intended for intermediate- to advanced-level audiences. Participants will gain an increased understanding of:
- what governance is and how it relates to the overall performance of the association;
- the twelve keys to effective governance;
- how these work in real-life situations;
- how to assess the performance of their own boards; and
- developing key performance indicators for non-profit housing associations.
Presenter: Mel D. Gill, President, Synergy Associates, Consultants in Governance and Organizational Development.
This session is sponsored by Marsh Canada.