Newsletter 2015
Special offer for December only. We only have 125 books left, so if you want a great Christmas present for your CEO or Board Chair, now is the time to order! Books ordered direct (not through the website) before Christmas will cost $25 only – plus any postage. Order now through books@cgotransitions.co.nz An-e-book version is also available at the same price.
Workshops
Judith and Hazel have been continuing to help build effective CGOs throughout the year and across the country! As one of our tools we have developed a number of organisational scenarios illustrating typical issues faced by CGOs. We use them in our workshops and they provide useful talking points for staff and Board members. You can find some of these in our Resources file www.cgotransitions.co.nz/resources
February Our first workshop of the year was in Timaru – with the Timaru Presbyterian Parish, helping our small congregations consolidate their integration as one parish, with several workshop centres.
March Unfortunately a workshop planned for Auckland didn’t attract a large enough enrolment. We used the scheduled date to work with Muscular Dystrophy Board chair and CEO, and later followed up by working with the full Board.
April Horrible weather greeted us in Wellington when we travelled down on 21 April. We met Garth Bennie, CEO of NZ Disability Services Support Network for a very interesting discussion over dinner, before he took us out to Mana where we were staying for a workshop in Porirua next day. This was a great workshop. 14 people from a wide range of community groups gathering in the fabulous Porirua Library/ Community Centre complex supported each other’s learning, networking and on-going plans for change.
May CGO AGM showed that we were gradually selling books and holding our own financially. This enabled all of us to go on our respective overseas adventures with clear consciences!
September We resumed workshops in September with a series of three for NZDSN. Garth Bennie had asked us to focus on developing strategic awareness and readiness in DSN member organisations. We called these workshops: Alert and Ready? Thriving or Striving? With DSN hosting us, we found the common understanding of disability shared by participants added an extra dimension to their engagement with our model, and their ability to apply it to the recommendations in the NZDSN Briefing Paper. This Briefing Paper document is one of the best examples of clear, sector-focused strategic thinking we have worked with. The Auckland workshop was held at Framework Trust in Otahuhu (16 people); in Wellington we had 12 participants at the Comfort Hotel, and 19 people at the post-earthquake facilities at St John of God in Christchurch. We thoroughly enjoyed working with NZDSN in this way. Each workshop had its own dynamic as organisations of different sizes, resources and opportunities grappled with the challenges facing them and the urgency of specific transitional change.
Our last workshop for the year in October was Managing Organisational Transitions in Palmerston North, where, three years ago, we had started regional workshops. This was hosted by PN Community Services Council and held in their new services HUB. It drew in many of the organisations using the building and attracted a good number of board members as well as senior service providers and managers. Common issues, and similarity of context made this a very fruitful discussion. Participants were thrilled to find tools and ways of thinking that addressed real issues. We were delighted to receive 100% Excellent Evaluations!
Research
In 2015 Ljiljana and Judith, together with Lesley Ferkins, published a chapter in the book ‘Leadership in sport’ (Routledge). The chapter ‘Leading organisational change’ offers our CGO development model as a conceptual framework for sports organisational leaders and ‘students’ of sport leadership.
Ljiljana has continued to explore research opportunities in the NFP sector. Currently, she is working on a manuscript which investigates the work and capabilities that non-profit leaders and governors require to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of common good organisations in the future. Changes in social and economic policies, compelling demands of numerous stakeholders and increasing impact of social media are just some of the factors which force CGOs to critically re-evaluate their core purpose, position in the sector, and engagement with the wider society. This manuscript is based on data Ljiljana collected through interviews with 40 sector leaders, policy makers and researchers in 2014/2015.
Book sales
We continue to make great progress in selling the book, despite the lack of any formal publicity or distribution network. Our special thanks go to Hilary Star Foged and her colleagues at UNITEC who have sold books to their students, and given us a corner of their table at conferences. We are dismayed at the news of UNITEC’s curtailing of this programme and look forward to working with Hilary and colleagues to continue our work in the NFP/CGO management, leadership and governance field. GROW have also helped promote the book, and given us space at conferences and seminars. We are grateful for this support.
We now have 125 books left from our original imprint of 1000. This self-published, self-funded project has been a most enjoyable venture. We have particularly enjoyed the favourable and often enthusiastic feedback we have received from so many people. Thank you.
We look forward to new workshops in 2016 and perhaps new ways of working with colleagues who have long used the materials. If you would like to talk about workshop or organisational development opportunities, please contact us on info@cgotransitions.co.nz
Best wishes to you all in your work for the common good,
Judith, Hazel and Ljiljana.
