2012 Spring Nonprofit Forums

Day 1, Tuesday, March 13

God-honoring board governance doesn’t just happen. It requires spiritual discernment to recruit the right people onto the “board bus” and then wisdom to ensure that board practices are always Christ-centered. When your CEO, board chair and other board members attend, the value to your organization will be greatly enhanced.

We will discuss Nine Goveranance Essentials for Nonprofits plus dozens of board practices to enrich your steward leadership:

1. Recruiting and engaging board members. How do we recruit board prospects and engage them as faithful, fruitful board members?
    
2. Balancing board roles. How do board members balance their governance, volunteer, and participant hats?
    
3. Focusing versus micro-managing. How do we inspire the board to focus on their most important jobs: Hiring and encouraging the CEO and owning (but not micro-managing) the organization’s strategy?
    
4. Creating clarity and alignment. How do we ensure that board members, the CEO and senior team members are clear about their roles and responsibilities?
    
5. Discerning direction. How do we hear from God and spiritually discern His direction about ministry vision, mission, core values and strategic planning?
    
6. Implementing effective practices. How do we keep current on governance principles and practices and leverage board member strengths?
    
7. Identifying key organizational risks. How do we determine and monitor the risks that could endanger or significantly impact our fulfilling of the Great Commission?
    
8. Assessing our effectiveness. How do we faithfully conduct annual assessments for both the board and the CEO?

Forum Speakers

Michael Batts

Michael Batts, CPA, is managing shareholder of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., based in Orlando, Florida. He is a licensed CPA in multiple states, an author of numerous professional publications, the drafter of several state statutes pertaining to nonprofit organizations, and a sought-after conference moderator and seminar leader. He also served on the Legal Framework Workgroup of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, an advisory panel formed at the request of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman.

Richard Hammar

An attorney and CPA, Richard Hammar specializes in legal and tax issues for churches and clergy. He serves as legal counsel to the Assemblies of God denomination. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he is the author of more than 100 books, including the annual Church & Clergy Tax Guide, the Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, Pastor, Church & Law, and Reducing the Risk: Keeping Your Ministry Safe from Child Sexual Abuse. Richard also serves as senior editor of Church Law & Tax Report and Church Finance Today newsletters. He has contributed articles to numerous journals and publications, is a frequent speaker at legal and tax conferences, and has taught church law at a number of seminaries.

Steve Macchia

Steve is the founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. The mission of LTi is “to cultivate vibrant spirituality and attentive discernment among Christian leaders and teams.”  Steve also serves as a member of the Doctor of Ministry teaching team at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is director of the seminary’s Pierce Center for Disciple Building. He previously served on the pastoral team at Grace Chapel, Lexington, Mass., and was also president of Vision New England (formerly known as The Evangelistic Association of New England). He is the author of several books, including Becoming a Healthy Church, Becoming a Healthy Disciple and Becoming a Healthy Team.

John Pearson

John, a management and board governance consultant, is the president of John Pearson Associates, Inc., San Clemente, Calif.  He served 30 years as a nonprofit ministry CEO, including 25 years as the president/CEO of three associations: Willow Creek Association, Christian Management Association (CLA) and Christian Camp and Conference Association. He is the author of Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit and is the editor and publisher of Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews. John has consulted with and/or facilitated governance training sessions for more than 100 ministries and churches.

Day 2, Wednesday, March 14

Effective ministry financial oversight has another name—biblical stewardship.  Doing everything as unto the Lord includes diligently striving for God-honoring excellence in financial oversight.  Your CEO, board chair, CFO and financial management staff will enhance their skills and understanding of key financial oversight strategies.

We will discuss Six Financial Oversight Strategies for Nonprofits plus dozens of financial practices to enrich your steward leadership

1. Board committee structure and appropriate board oversight.  What is the proper working relationship among the board, its committees, top leaders and financial managers?

2. An organization-wide approach to risk management.  What is risk management?  Whose responsibility is it?  How should a ministry address it?

3. Effective internal control strategies.  What are the most important internal control strategies an organization can employ related to financial reporting?

4. Effective internal financial reporting to the board, board committees, and the top leaders.  How can non-financial information enhance the evaluation and decision-making process?

5. Budgeting as a strategy to improve financial position.  How can your organization use budgeting as a strategy to strengthen your organization’s financial position?

6. Putting your best foot forward financially.  How can you “tell your financial story” in an accurate, compelling way?

Forum Speakers

Michael Batts

Michael Batts, CPA, is managing shareholder of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., based in Orlando, Florida. He is a licensed CPA in multiple states, an author of numerous professional publications, the drafter of several state statutes pertaining to nonprofit organizations, and a sought-after conference moderator and seminar leader. He also served on the Legal Framework Workgroup of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, an advisory panel formed at the request of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman.

Dan Busby

Dan is president of ECFA. Earlier in his career, he founded a Kansas City-based CPA firm, was the controller of a major medical center and CFO of a major religious denomination. Dan has been a Zondervan author for over 20 years with hundreds of thousands of his books and booklets used by church and other nonprofit leaders. A frequent speaker at national nonprofit conferences in more than 35 states, he has served 110 board service years on nonprofit boards, including Christian Management Association. In 2010, and again in 2011, The Nonprofit Times honored Busby by naming him to the “Nonprofit Times Power & Influence Top 50.”

John Van Drunen

John Van Drunen, CPA, attorney, is ECFA vice president and legal counsel with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Anderson University and a Juris Doctor from Regent University School of Law. His responsibilities at ECFA primarily relate to managing the compliance program and writing and speaking on technical nonprofit issues.

John has received many awards, including The Virginia Bar Association recognition for his pro bono work during his tenure as a law student. This work included working with nonprofit organizations and assisting low-income individuals by preparing their taxes. John is a member of the Christian Legal Society, American Bar Association, Virginia Bar Association, and the AICPA.

Day 3, Thursday, March 15

Raising Kingdom resources in a God-pleasing manner requires the right biblical framework—including utilizing ECFA’s stewardship standards. Additionally, stewardship efforts should be focused, strategic and effectively executed. Your CEO, board chair and development staff will greatly benefit from this day.

We will discuss Four Foundational Ways to Measure Success in a Christian Development Program plus dozens of stewardship practices to enrich your resource-raising.

1. Faithful. Is your resource-raising program conducted according to biblical principles that minister to supporters and glorify God? Raising Kingdom resources in a God-pleasing manner requires the right biblical framework. You will be introduced to the Four Foundations of a faithful resource development program.
2. Strategic. Is your resource-raising program strategic and well-planned, built on past success and best practices? Most organizations work with limited resources, so their development work must be focused, well planned and strategic. We will help you develop a strategic approach to your development work, integrating it with your organizational strategic plan and using your resources in the most efficient manner to achieve your development goals.
3. Effective. Is your resource-raising program well executed with skill, intelligence and integrity? The bottom line for every development effort is its ability to be the conduit through which funds are received to fund the work of the organization. Scott Rodin will present the keys to the effective execution of your development plans. These keys will be directly applicable to your work and will provide the essential framework for fund development success.
4. Standards-based. Is your resource-raising program standards-based? ECFA’s stewardship standards provide a plumb-line for every ministry’s stewardship program. We will examine how your ministry can avoid common pitfalls in applying these standards.

Forum Speakers

Dan Busby

Dan is president of ECFA. Earlier in his career, he founded a Kansas City-based CPA firm, was the controller of a major medical center and CFO of a major religious denomination. Dan has been a Zondervan author for over 20 years with hundreds of thousands of his books and booklets used by church and other nonprofit leaders. A frequent speaker at national nonprofit conferences in more than 35 states, he has served 110 board service years on nonprofit boards, including Christian Management Association. In 2010, and again in 2011, The Nonprofit Times honored Busby by naming him to the “Nonprofit Times Power & Influence Top 50.”

Shelley Cochrane

Shelley Cochrane, partner, program design at Artios Partners is an experienced executive in not-for-profit leadership. She has experience in helping organizations sharpen their vision, refine strategies and excel at execution so that they are fully resourced to accomplish their mission. Shelley served on the senior leadership team of The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) at a Vice-President level position during the strategic restructuring of this century-old international mission agency that works in thirty-nine countries on five continents.

As her main focus, Shelley spearheaded a comprehensive fund development program grounded in biblical stewardship and based on the philosophy of relating to givers as partners in ministry. Development strategies included direct marketing and relationship management that engaged general, core, key, major, and legacy donors located throughout North America and internationally.

Scott Rodin

Scott is one of the founder partners of Artios Partners. He has been in nonprofit leadership and consulting for twenty-five years. He has served as counsel to over 100 organizations across the country and in Canada and Great Britain including colleges, seminaries, schools, churches, para-church ministries and other not-for-profit organizations. He has extensive experience in the areas of leadership, fund raising, strategic planning, board development, change management and organizational effectiveness.

Scott holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is a Senior Fellow of the Engstrom Institute, and is the former president of the Christian Stewardship Association and Palmer Theological Seminary.

John Van Drunen

John Van Drunen, CPA, attorney, is ECFA vice president and legal counsel with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Anderson University and a Juris Doctor from Regent University School of Law. His responsibilities at ECFA primarily relate to managing the compliance program and writing and speaking on technical nonprofit issues.

John has received many awards, including The Virginia Bar Association recognition for his pro bono work during his tenure as a law student. This work included working with nonprofit organizations and assisting low-income individuals by preparing their taxes. John is a member of the Christian Legal Society, American Bar Association, Virginia Bar Association, and the AICPA.

Mark Vincent

Mark is CEO and a senior design partner of Design Group International, a firm established to help organizations and their leaders discover clarity and implement solutions. Mark’s expertise in the arena of associational and denominational systems helps religious and nonprofit organizations discover new ways to sustain and expand their efforts across their many chapters, congregations and institutions. This expertise was gathered across his years in executive leadership, leadership development, pastoral ministry, academic pursuits and more than twenty years in organizational development consulting.

The Hope Center
2001 W. Plano Parkway
Plano, TX 75075
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

NASBA Credit ECFA is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37312-2417. Website: www.nasba.org. CPE credits earned are based on a 50-minute session equaling one CPE credit—a maximum of 8.5 credits may be earned for the entire forum. Program level: basic; delivery method: group-live; prerequisites: none; advanced preparation: none.

NACBA Credit ECFA is a National Registered Continuing Education Provider (NRCEP) with the National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA). This program is a premier comprehensive continuing education program related to administration in the local church. It is designed to enhance the ongoing professional development of NACBA members and other ministry professionals, through the offering of quality learning experiences. 0.1 CEUs will be granted to persons who properly register and attend one contact hour of a minimum of 50 minutes of lecture, presentation, or discussion on approved topics.

Staybridge Suites (ask for The Hope Center rate of $99) SOLD OUT
Contact:  Kim Tanner
301 Silverglen Drive
Plano, TX 75075
972-612-8180

A limited shuttle service is available from the Staybridge Suites to The Hope Center, so please reserve early.

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