Leadership for the Not for Profit Sector

A one week course is being run by the University of Queensland in July. It has been designed to enhance the leadership capabilities of senior professionals in the not-for-profit sector. Here's the information:-

Course Overview
The Not For Profit sector makes important contributions to the Australian society and economy – impacts of which are often overlooked and neglected. This five day course is designed to enhance the leadership capabilities of senior professionals in the Not for Profit sector.

Participants will explore how strong leaders build culture and align it with strategy to effectively transform organisations. They will learn how to enhance partnerships and build networks across the Not for Profit and Profit sectors. This engaging course will equip participants with the necessary skills to be able to sucessfully respond to the leadership challenges faced in this hugely competitive sector.

Key benefits
Through attending this course, participants will be able to:
=>Build and sustain effective partnerships in the Not for Profit and Profit sectors
=>Successfully manage stakeholder relationships to the long term benefit of their organisation;
=>Respond to the national need to develop as leaders inareas such as strategic and organisational leadership,team leadership and change leadership across the Not for Profit sector;
=>Explore as leaders how they can transform and align the development of individuals in their organisation to the needs of the business culture;
=>Formulate practical ideas, models and tools of leadership and strategy applicable to the Not for Profit sector.

Who should attend
All current and potential leaders in the Not for Profit sector and partners of these organisations.

Where and when
Central Plaza1, Level 19, 345 Queen Street, Brisbane, 6th July – 10th July 2009.

Investment
$2,200* Fee includes tuition, course materials, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea each day and a formal dinner on Thursday evening. * Please note, this fee is heavily discounted, no further discounts apply. Also, GST does not apply to Corporate Education courses.

As part of our commitment to the sector, we are subsidizing the cost of this course for all non-profit organizations by 50%. Unmatched in Australia, this annual week-long executive level program is now $2,200 and is regularly $4,400 As space is strictly limited book now to avoid disappointment.

Further information
Register online or download the Registration Form from the UQBS Corporate Education website: www.business.uq.edu.au/corporate-education

For further information contact UQBS Corporate Education, telephone (07) 3346 7111 or email corped@business.uq.edu.au

Talking Finances

I recently came across a booklet of ‘101 top tips’ from successful Australian entrepreneurs offering reflections of what they’ve learned on their journey.

A recurring theme amongst the entrepreneurs was the co‐existence of three key principles – high‐quality delivery,great people, and strong financial management – three pillars that are a valuable blueprint for organisations of any size.

One of the first pieces of advice a banker will provide to any organisation is that the key to strong financial management is to never take your eyes off the cash flow.

To do this successfully you need an effective accounting system, plus simple to follow processes that make it easy for your staff or treasurer to record the everyday transactions of your organisation.

Here are a few ideas that will help to ensure your books stay in good shape:
􀂾 Everything has to add up: adopt a methodical and reliable accounting system. Make the most of its software and processes to record all transactions relating to monies coming in and going out.
􀂾 Time savers: if needed, investigate additional products such as tools to manage invoicing, superannuation and payroll. Your banker can help here.
􀂾 Sound administration: keep a separate file for each project, make sure your internet banking forms clearly identify their purpose, and keep a hard copy of receipts and budget spreadsheets as a back‐up.
􀂾 Never let your accounting processes slide: no matter if you’re a larger organisation with auditing requirements or a smaller group (auditing requirements vary from state to state), you’ll need to keep accurate and up‐to‐date records for taxation reasons.

Setting up a full and documented accounting system and easy to follow processes will also reduce the potential for fraud or simple mistakes like miscalculations which can be damaging to your organisation.

Also, your Treasurer may change overnight through accident, retirement or new election, and the newcomer will quickly need to extract everything they need from your organisation’s records.

Effective accounting is not only the foundation of a sustainable organisation, but ultimately a time saver that will free‐up your time so you can focus on providing your services where they’re needed most.

Article by Vanessa Nolan-Woods, Head of Community Markets at Westpac. Reproduced from the Our Community newsletter.

$250,000 in fuel vouchers to volunteers

As we all reel from the shock of calamities from bushfires to floods to droughts to global economic turmoil, community organisations are becoming more important than ever, providing a safety net, giving people a place to heal, providing help, support, hope, empathy and light relief.
The volunteers that sustain these great community groups need support.

With this in mind, Volunteer Treasurer Network would like to make you aware of a great initiative by BP Australia, "Vouchers for Volunteers" - which opened on Monday, April 27. Through this scheme BP will be providing $250,000 in fuel vouchers to volunteers assisting not-for-profit organisations.

For further information on this offer, please go to http:/www.talkstoppedlongago.com.au/v4v_home.html