WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
The following is a description of a training offered by NAFCM in September of 2005 in connection with Maryland Association of Community Mediation Centers (MACMC), and The University of Baltimore Negotiation and Conflict Management Program:
Developing and Managing Community Mediation Centers
The Institute, funded in part by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, is designed to help community mediation center staff and boards strengthen their skills, expand programs, and find ways to increase their centers’ effectiveness in their communities. Subject areas in the Institute, chosen by NAFCM members via survey, include: Government Relations; Public Education; Evaluation; Center Administration; Program Development; Fund Development; Case Management; and Volunteer Partnerships.
Government Relations There is no time like the present to start expanding your network to include government policy makers. Participants will learn how to develop relationships with Federal, state, and local agencies, legislatures, and other decision makers. Strategies will be presented for tracking legislation and working collaboratively to enhance resources, develop programs, and influence policies.
Public Education Spread the word about mediation and the services you provide! Participants will learn how to work with community agencies and the media to create greater awareness of the benefits of mediation and the services offered by community mediation centers. The module will include discussion of a variety of topics relevant to promoting community mediation centers, such as: the importance of mission, vision, and values; creating verbal images and visionary statements; strategies for community outreach; using public forums; developing and sustaining community partnerships and working with the media.
Evaluation The Evaluation workshop will change your ideas about evaluation. Instead of being a confusing and intimidating prospect, a good evaluation process is clear, helpful, and empowering. You’ll learn why evaluation is important for centers’ current and future work, and how a needs assessment can support program development. This workshop will show you how to write and measure goals, objectives, and activities, and offer an opportunity to write a draft evaluation plan for your center’s work.
Center Administration Designed for new and experienced center directors alike, the Center Administration workshop presents ways of improving the long term and day to day management of community mediation centers. From defining a center's values, mission, and goals to building an effective board, this workshop clarifies how values and functions in a center are interconnected. You’ll get tools and resources in key areas of non-profit management, such as human resources, fiscal operations, and facility management. Throughout, you’ll be developing a sense of peer network for exchange of ideas, revenue sharing and collaborative problem solving the challenges that most affect center administration.
Fund Development
Most community mediation centers worry about money, either for sustaining basic operations or for potential expansion of services. The Fund Development workshop will give you essential guidelines for creating successful development plans that will support your center’s goals. You’ll learn the primary kinds of funding which are available to any organization, and which are most suited for sustained operations or for growth. This workshop will highlight specific funding opportunities for mediation centers, and help you analyze which funds offer your center the maximum return on your investment of time. Finally, you’ll find out why some centers seem to attract money – the center characteristics and personal skills necessary for successful fund development.
Program Development
In order to remain vital and dynamic assets to their communities, community mediation centers must identify and respond to evolving community needs. The Program Development workshop will explore strategies for creating programs that fit with centers' capabilities and missions and promote community development. Participants will use their own program ideas to practice defining goals and objectives; identify potential sources of funding; create a budget; and design an evaluation process. Resource materials will include new and emerging program opportunities for community mediation centers.
Volunteer Partnerships
One of the “characteristics of community mediation centers” listed in NAFCM's literature is: “The use of trained community volunteers as providers of mediation services; the practice of mediation is open to all persons.” The Volunteer Partnerships workshop explores why volunteers are so important to centers’ work, and how to create a mutually beneficial relationship between volunteers and the organization. Topics will include: defining roles and expectations; identifying and attracting a volunteer pool representative of your community; training, supervising and evaluating volunteers; and expressing appreciation in meaningful ways.
Case Management
Case Management is the glue that holds the rest of the pieces together in the day-to-day operation of a community mediation program. It is fair to say that without a friendly, reliable, and empathetic case manager and a well-organized case management system, a mediation center will struggle to create or maintain a good reputation in the community. This workshop will look at key areas of case management: the importance of community needs assessment and referral sources; how center mission and values affect case acceptance policies; methods of case tracking and data collection; elements of case flow from intake to evaluation; and the importance of the case manager role.
