NCJW Leaders’ Retreat 2012, held March 16-18. 2012, in Florham Park, NJ, brought more than 120 NCJW women from across the country together for a weekend of learning and networking. This hands-on leadership training weekend gave give current and future NCJW leaders the opportunity to boost their leadership capacity both professionally and organizationally. NCJW leaders dedicated their weekend to learning techniques to more effectively engage, mobilize and lead members, networking with colleagues to discover new ideas and tap into new resources, and obtaining the latest news about NCJW’s initiatives.

Below are the many tools and resources that came from the retreat that can help support you in your section leadership responsibilities.

• Final agenda from Leaders’ Retreat 

 

Building Financial Health: Supporting Your Section’s Goals Now and Into the Future

Financial health is key to sustaining your section’s capacity to implement effective social change work. The important fundamentals of balanced budgeting, realistically evaluating your section’s revenue streams and expenses, and creatively developing and implementing a plan to fund your budget are essential to your section’s success. Led by Dianne Goldin, NCJW, Inc. board director, co-chair development committee, St. Louis Section, and Joan Shapiro Green, executive director, New York Section.

• Balancing Your Section’s Budget
  An overview of the nuts and bolts of budgeting and more importantly, realistic, balanced and sustainable budgeting.

• Making the Case for Support
  Key talking points to help you “make the case” for financial support and fundraising

• Development Scenarios
  Actively brainstorm ways to sustainable fund your section’s work.

 

Developing Effective and Relevant Programming for Your Section – A Strategic Approach

Each program we implement requires time, talent and resources. Leaders are responsible for guiding section priorities and ensuring that programs address NCJW’s mission and make the best use of section resources. Program evaluation and implementation strategies – looking at programs and events through an evaluative lens, using a process of evaluation to determine whether a program is cut, retained, or added, and creating an plan to launch and promote programming – are key to your success. Led by Janet Neuenschwander, SPA co-chair, past NCJW, Inc. board director, San Antonio Section, and Cathy Silverman, executive director, Essex County Section.

• Sample Scenarios and Evaluation Logic
  Examples of an evaluation strategy that can ensure your section is doing the best, most valuable and most sustainable work it can be doing to support NCJW’s mission in your community.

• Tech Savvy Communications Toolkit for Non-Profits
  An overview of how to develop an effective message for your section, as well as a survey of communication tools (such as RSS feeds, blogs, and podcasts) you can use to deliver that message. A free resource from NPower Seattle. [http://www.npowerseattle.org/]

 

Educate, Organize and Mobilize – NCJW’s Role as an Advocate for Israel

Israel today faces an intensive and increasingly sophisticated assault on its right to exist as a sovereign democratic Jewish state. Learn what resources are available to you as an NCJW member and section leader to help you to advocate for Israel in your community, inform the conversation and support the development of a broader understanding of Israel and Israelis. Led by Geri Palast, Managing Director, Israel Action Network, and Shari Eshet, director of NCJW’s Israel office.

• Explore the Current Resources from the Israel Action Network

 

Leading Your Section with Vision and Direction

Strong leadership and strong governance are essential to a section’s success. Leaders provide the vision for the section, and take the section from strategic goal-setting to operational action. Coach your team to define the difference between the governance and operational activities of the section, outline goal-setting strategies to move from vision to action, and discuss strategies for encouraging and leading your team with the tools below. Led by Beth Mitchell, NCJW, Inc. board director, New York Section, and Rose Singer, NCJW, Inc. board director, Seattle Section.

• Key Notes for Creating a Vision for Your Section
  A clear vision is needed to help focus, direct and inspire your sections actions and goals.

• Governance vs. Operations
  A worksheet grid to help facilitate a conversation in your section as to what constitutes governance responsibilities and what is operational.

• Developing SMART Goals to Guide Your Section’s Success
  SMART Goals help define concrete results that you want to achieve and the action steps needed to achieve them.

• Program Evaluation Grid
  Easy-to-use grid to help you evaluate each of your programs to ensure they fulfill your section’s goals, align with NCJW’s mission, are financially sustainable, and effectively leverage the assets of your section and community.

 

Leveraging Your Assets to Expand Your Section’s Capacity for Social Change

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut thinking about what you could do if you had more members or more money or more (insert challenge here). There are, however, so many ways that you can expand your section’s capacity for social change by leveraging the assets you DO have. Brainstorm ways to create and enhance NCJW’s image in your community, use your Board as ambassadors, attract and engage new members in the work of the organization, and create partnerships to increase your capacity for programs and projects. Led by Ellen Alper, executive director, St. Louis Section, and Marilyn Colby Rivkin, president, Greater Minneapolis Section.

• Sample Board Member Job Description
  A job description is a great way to set expectations for your board members. Remember to include governance, fiduciary and operations expectations, and include their role to serve as an enthusiastic ambassador for NCJW’s mission and work in your community.

• Evaluating Your Programming Reach and Impact – Have You Made Use of All Your Assets?
  This grid is a good tool to help you look at how successfully you are tapping your resources and extending your reach and impact for each section program.

• Why Create a Coalition?

• Ways to Be Involved Sign Up Sheet
  An easy tool your section can use to showcase activities and engage members in programming right from the start. Sample from NCJW Minneapolis Section

 

Public Narrative Workshop: Story of Self

Each of us has a story that can move others to action. By telling the “story of self” you can communicate the values that move you to lead and help others discover the values that move them to lead. Telling your story of self can help establish a firm ground for leadership, collaboration and discovering common purpose. This workshop is adapted from the work of Marshall Ganz at Harvard University and the full series looks at the Story of Self, the Story of Us, and the Story of Now. It’s a great tool to use with your board and membership to really empower each and every woman in your section to reach out and engage others to get involved and create change. Led by Nancy K. Kaufman, NCJW CEO, and Lindsay Morris, NCJW Grassroots Administrator.

• Public Narrative Workshop: Story of Self Participant Guide
  This workshop is adapted from the work of Marshall Ganz of Harvard University and governed by the Restrictions of Use found on page two.