Sexual Harassment Prevention
with Ginny Biesiada
Thursday, October 12, 2023
10 am – 11 am
Online via Zoom – link will be provided upon registration
FREE Session – open to nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers in New York State

Register For This Session

Since 2018, New York State requires all employers, of any size, to conduct interactive sexual harassment prevention training annually for all employees, nonprofit board members, and volunteers. This training satisfies the state requirement, provides examples of situations and advises both employees and employers how to respond. Additionally, there is an opportunity to ask follow up questions either during the webinar or privately following it. Topics covered include the definition of sexual harassment, how to file a claim, investigations and case scenarios from both the original law and the 2019 and 2023 amendments to the law.

About the Presenter:
Ginny Biesiada served as the Chief Administrative Officer of a Syracuse-based real estate development and property management firm for over 25 years, overseeing human resources, organizational development and planning, training, risk management and marketing for the company and all of its related entities.

Currently she is providing human resource consulting services to small and mid-size firms who do not have in-house resources for recruiting, onboarding, benefits administration, coaching and disciplinary issues, policy and procedure design, sexual harassment training and compliance, either on an ongoing basis, or for special projects.

She is a graduate of the University at Albany, earned a Certificate in Human Resource Studies from Cornell University and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse. She is the recipient of the Central New York Women in Business Award, the Thursday Morning Roundtable Award for Meritorious Service to the Community, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York Volunteer of the Year Award, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central New York Volunteer of the Year Award.

She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of Friends of the Central Library, a member of the Board of Governors of Hillside, a member of the Onondaga County Civic Development Corporation and a Parish Council member of St. Paul’s Armenian Church. Previously she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the United Way of Central New York, President of the Board of Trustees of the Onondaga County Public Library system, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York, President of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Consortium, and President of the Syracuse Onondaga County Youth Board.  

Foundations of Healthy, High Performing Teams
with Christa Downey
Thursday, October 26, 2023
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E. Green Street
Fee $60
Pre-registration is required

Register For This Session

What makes a healthy, high performing team and what does it look like to lead one? Join us in an interactive session to discuss how you can create a healthy, high performance team culture through intentional leadership actions. Together, we will share ideas for building a culture of trust, open communication, and shared vision to attract, retain, and fully utilize top talent. We will engage in fun, reflective activities you can implement within your organization for healthy team dynamics. We will explore how to set the foundation for a team that works in alignment, where individual strengths are leveraged to reach a shared purpose for the greatest impact and results.

By the end of this workshop, you will have foundational tools to:

• Create a culture of trust and shared vision
• Encourage healthy team dynamics
• Leverage employee talents for the greatest impact and results

About the Presenter

Christa coaches leaders at Fortune 100 companies, healthcare organizations, and startups around the globe. She holds certifications in both EQi 2.0 Emotional Intelligence and PQ Positive Intelligence. She holds an M.S. in College Student Personnel from Miami University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. She is currently the Director of Cornell’s Engineering Career Center and an Operating Partner at Chloe Capital.

To re-energize, Christa enjoys time outside on the water, swimming or paddling, or surrounded by trees, backpacking or snowshoeing. She enjoys challenging herself through running, triathlons, and ice hockey and appreciates the connection between the physical and mental.

All registration sales are final.

This event is in person only.

Masking is optional.

Conflict Management
with Munna Rubaii
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
10 am – 12 pm
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E. Green Street
Fee $50
Pre-registration is required

Most of us learn how to react to conflict at an early age, usually from watching those around us. Some of what we learn is effective, some isn’t. In this workshop we will examine 5 different styles of conflict management to determine which is appropriate for a variety of situations. We will practice skills that allow us to shift styles as necessary.

Regardless of how we elect to react to a conflict, we also have to respond to others in conflict. In this workshop, we will practice a variety of techniques we can use to de-escalate conflict situations.

About the Presenter:
Munna Rubaii retired from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services after 32 years of service. Initially a direct care provider in both secure and limited secure juvenile residential facilities, she capped her state career as a training manager, responsible for supervising regional training centers and providing training to facilities and offices throughout central and northern New York. Munna has also worked as a private consultant since 1995.

Munna is a certified practitioner of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Step I and Step II. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and a Master of Science degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

This event is in person only
Masks are optional
All registration sales are final

Directions and Parking

Board Chair Roundtable – The Board Chair/Executive Director Partnership
with Cindy Wilcox
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
TC3 Ithaca Extension Center, 118 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, Rm 611
FREE Session – seating is limited, registration is required

No relationship is more important to the success of a not-for-profit organization than the one between the board chair and executive director. Does this partnership take work? You bet it does, but it’s not only well worth the effort, it is critical for the organizations to deliver on its mission.

In this workshop, you will:

• Learn the characteristics of an effective partnership
• Understand potential warning signs that the relationship may need attention
• Receive practical tools, tips and resources to help build an effective partnership
• Learn, share, and network with other board colleagues

Board chair roundtables are offered regularly through the HSC Workshop Series. They provide a peer environment where board chairs can learn together. Although offered around a governance theme, these sessions are designed for chairs to explore leading governance practices, share challenges, brainstorm solutions, and build connections. New, experienced, and yet-to-be chairs are welcome.

Have ideas for future roundtables? Please let us know!

About the Presenter

Cindy is the Executive Director of the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, an organization that works to enhance the delivery of health and human services. She brings over 20 years of leadership experience to the mission-driven sector. She is a self-proclaimed not-for-profit nerd and approaches her work with authenticity and kindness.

Cindy holds a Certificate of Nonprofit Governance Consulting from BoardSource. She is a Lifecycles Capacity Consultant with the Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute and a certified facilitator in total quality management.

When she isn’t helping mission-driven organizations thrive, you can find Cindy in the kitchen creating new recipes to serve to family and friends.

Board Boot Camp
with Cindy Wilcox
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
9:00am – 11:00 am
TC3 Extension Center, 118 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca, Rm 611
FREE Session – seating is limited, registration is required

Are you new to not-for-profit board service? Considering joining a board? Looking to enhance your skills as a current board member?

A strong board is critical to the success of any organization. Built around the ten basic responsibilities of not-for-profit boards, this workshop will review the essential roles and functions of governing boards. It will provide hands-on resources to enhance your knowledge and strengthen your effectiveness as a board member.

In this workshop you will:

• Learn the fundamentals of being a not-for-profit board member
• Receive hands-on guides and tools to support effective governance
• Explore scenarios that may emerge at the board table
• Network with and learn from other workshop participants  

About the Presenter

Cindy is the Executive Director of the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County, an organization that works to enhance the delivery of health and human services. She brings over 20 years of leadership experience to the mission-driven sector. She is a self-proclaimed not-for-profit nerd and approaches her work with authenticity and kindness.

Cindy holds a Certificate of Nonprofit Governance Consulting from BoardSource. She is a Lifecycles Capacity Consultant with the Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute and a certified facilitator in total quality management.

When she isn’t helping mission-driven organizations thrive, you can find Cindy in the kitchen creating new recipes to serve to family and friends.

Creating Trauma-Informed Organizations for Leaders
with Shasta Savage, MSW, CPC
Thursday, April 27, 2023
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Via Zoom (participants will be sent a link upon registration)
Fee: $30

A workshop for human services leaders, providers, and anyone interested in learning more about trauma-informed care.

Join HSC’s new Director of Leadership Development & Consulting Services, Shasta Savage, MSW, CPC, in this introductory workshop on Trauma-Informed Care (TIC). Here you will learn the main principles of the perspective and consider ways that you might choose to move forward to further support those served by your organization.

All registration sales are final.

About the Presenter:

Shasta Savage is the Director of Leadership Development & Consulting Services for the Human Services Coalition.  She previously held the position of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Associate at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and has a background in leadership, education, advocacy and well-being. Guided by the trauma-informed and human rights lenses, Shasta takes an intersectional approach to supporting the greatest outcomes for community partners.

Creating an LGBTQ Inclusive Workplace 
with Luca Maurer
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Via Zoom (participants will be sent a link upon registration)
Fee: $40

This session will highlight best practices when it comes to LGBTQ workplace equity and inclusion.

• Common questions, including the sometimes confusing terminology of this topic, will be addressed. 
• Participants will gain up-to-date information, resources, tools, and tips to create a respectful and inclusive workplace for LGBTQ employees, customers, and clients.

This will provide a competitive edge when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best talent, and lead to loyal customers as well. Join us to learn what actions you can take to move from accepting to expecting LGBTQ people, and building a workplace culture of LGBTQ equity and belonging. 

About the Presenter:
Luca Maurer has worked in the US and abroad with students and teachers, families and caregivers, faith communities, workplaces large and small, and professionals in social services, law enforcement, healthcare and more. He is also founding director of Ithaca College’s Center for LGBT Education, Outreach & Services, teaches in the Sociology department, and currently serves there as interim Executive Director for Student Equity and Belonging.

Understanding and Managing Different Personalities in the Workplace
with Munna Rubaii
Thursday, February 2, 2023
9am – 12pm
Fee: $70
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library

Registration is required
Masks are optional

This is a workshop for anyone who supervises or manages the work of others.   

We often supervise people who have a variety of different learning and working styles.  Unless we’re aware of what people need and how they need it, it’s difficult to create a comfortable, productive workplace.  At best, we may get mediocre performance; at worst, we may create or exacerbate conflict. 

In this workshop we will:

• Learn about some common work styles and how to best manage them
• Learn what may motivate “difficult” employees
• Create a plan to work with one or more specific employees

About the Presenter:

Munna Rubaii retired from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services after 32 years of service. Initially a direct care provider in both secure and limited secure juvenile residential facilities, she capped her state career as a training manager, responsible for supervising regional training centers and providing training to facilities and offices throughout central and northern New York. Munna has also worked as a private consultant since 1995.

Munna is a certified practitioner of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Step I and Step II. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and a Master of Science degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Grants 101
with Amanda Heidel and Steve Densmore
Thursday, January 19, 2023
9 am -12 pm  
FREE
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library

Curious about the grant seeking process? If you are new to grant writing or want to refine your foray into the grant seeking world- this workshop is for you!

This Grants 101 workshop will provide a basic overview on grant preparation, writing and research.

We will explore:   

• How to make your organization or program “grant ready”
• The essential parts of a proposal
• How to create a budget
• The dos and don’ts of grant writing
• How to research potential opportunities
• Differences and similarities between local, state, and federal resources

Bring your ideas, program, or projects you are working on. This workshop will be interactive to help you move through the process of drafting language and budgets for your proposal.

Grants 101 will be led by Choice Words Ithaca, a grant writing and fundraising firm that helps businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, and municipalities identify and acquire grant funding.

Choice Words Ithaca is a new branch of the highly successful Choice Words Hudson Valley that has been serving clients across New York State with a focus on Mid-Hudson Valley for over 13 years. The firm has won more than $103 million for its clients- and are ready to help you do the same.  

About the Presenters

Amanda Heidel: Amanda is the manager of Choice Words Ithaca. She helped direct the development of Choice Words Small and Emerging Nonprofit grants program, which she now manages. Her background in marketing dovetails with grant writing to create an innovative framework for guiding emerging nonprofits who often need diversified funding streams to get on their feet. She is also an artist, educator within the Cornell Small Farms Program, and founder of the community project, Mushroom Shed.

Steve Densmore: Steve founded Choice Words LLC in 2010 to answer a persistent and critical need for strategic communications services within the Hudson Valley Region of New York’s nonprofit community. Steve has worked and lived in the Hudson Valley for more than three decades, much of it spent as a community journalist. Steve always dreamed of extending the firm’s services to the Central New York region. When Choice Words Manager, Amanda Heidel, announced she was moving to Ithaca, it seemed like the perfect time to implement that dream.

Developing your Inner Ally
with Amy Kohut
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
9-11 am  
$40
Via Zoom (link will be sent via email after registration)

Have you noticed that we are often stronger allies for others than we are for ourselves?

Many of us are familiar with the concept of the inner critic: that sometimes too-prevalent voice in our head that judges us. There are some good reasons for us to have some degree of self-criticism, but it can end up being destructive if it’s the only voice we listen to. 

What if we turn that on its side and develop our own inner ally?  What would it be like to have our self-talk be encouraging and productive?  What if we could rely on being self-supportive as we head into that tough meeting or tackle that task we are a bit unsure of?

This workshop will help develop your own inner ally.  You will:

• Understand why the brain behaves as it does as it relates to your “inner critic”
• Explore the concept of Self-As-Resource
• Practice presence and working from choice
• Engage in physical practices that help ‘install’ an ally state of mind
• Learn practical tools to develop a strong inner ally

A generous donor has provided funding for a scholarship for this session.  If you are in need of a scholarship for this session, please contact registration@hsctc.org.

About the Presenter

Amy Kohut has been skillfully leading groups and individuals towards their professional goals for over 25 years. She is the founder and owner of 1 Step Coaching and Consulting, LLC.

Amy served as the Director of Cornell University’s Team & Leadership Center from 2006-2016.  She continues to work for Cornell in the SC Johnson College of Business with the Executive MBA program as a team coach and is a Sr. Facilitator with the Cornell Team & Leadership Center.  She is a member of The International Coach Federation, is the past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Experiential Training and Development Alliance, and is a faculty member of Presence Based Coaching, LLC.  For more information please visit www.1stepcc.com.

Year End Fundraising with Maya Gasuk
Monday, November 7, 2022
1pm – 4pm
FREE
TC3 Ithaca Extension Center (Tioga Place), 118 N. Tioga Street, Rm 611

Will We Meet Our Annual Fundraising Goal? 

Oh, MG, will we raise enough money before the end of the year? If your organization is worried about reaching your year-end fundraising goals, learn effective strategies from Maya Gasuk (MG, that is!).

This FREE session is designed to help you focus on the essential elements of effective year-end fundraising and the key areas that drive success. Through an interactive series of activities, you will have a chance to reflect on your current strategy and develop a plan of action for the last two months of the fiscal year—and understand what a realistic goal might be for your results.   

Bring your organization’s goals, reports, donor list, draft mailing for the 4^th quarter, board directory and thank you letter to get the full benefit from the session.

In this workshop, you will:

• Learn which fundraising methods generate the most success
• Identify the strategy and focus that works best for your organization
• Develop a fundraising plan of action
• Set goals that are realistic and achievable 

Co-presented by the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County and AFPNY Finger Lakes Chapter 

About the Presenter

Maya brings over 30 years of fundraising experience to her work at West Wind Consulting Strategies in Fundraising, LLC, giving her clients access to hands-on experience and expertise and significantly increasing program results and performance.  Maya’s analytical and problem-solving skills enable her to develop innovative approaches resulting in extraordinary results both as a practitioner in the past, and as a consultant today.  She has a passion for teaching and problem solving.

Maya graduated Magna Cum Laude from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.  In addition to previous volunteer roles at Cornell, Cascadilla Boat Club as a rowing coach, she currently serves as a member of the Board for Historic Ithaca to keep active as a professional fundraiser and volunteer.

Peer to Manager – A Successful Transition with Munna Rubaii
Thursday, November 3, 2022
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
$70
Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library

This is a workshop for all new managers or supervisors or those who aspire to be promoted to a supervisory position.

It is normal to feel some hesitation about all the new skills required to become a supervisor.  Whether you have already accepted that promotion or you are thinking about taking that next step in your career, this workshop will help you:

• Transition from managing just yourself to managing others
• Learn and practice some of the basic skills needed to supervise others
• Learn how to manage competing priorities
• Strategize how to continue your own professional development once you become a supervisor

About the Presenter:
Munna Rubaii retired from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services after 32 years of service. Initially a direct care provider in both secure and limited secure juvenile residential facilities, she capped her state career as a training manager, responsible for supervising regional training centers and providing training to facilities and offices throughout central and northern New York. Munna has also worked as a private consultant since 1995.

Munna is a certified practitioner of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Step I and Step II. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and a Master of Science degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Inclusive Hiring Practices
with Belisa González
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
9:30 am – 11:30 am
$40
Online via Zoom

This workshop is for anyone who has been or will be involved at any stage of the hiring process and/or people who are interested in learning about the effects of unconscious bias. 

In this session we will investigate how unconscious bias affects decision-making throughout the hiring process. We will do this by learning about:

• unconscious bias
• how bias affects the way we construct job ads, review applications, and make decisions about which applicants to advance or reject
• the most common types of bias in hiring
• strategies for mitigating bias at every stage of the hiring process. 

About the Presenter:
Belisa González is a professor of Sociology, Director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, and Director of Faculty Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Ithaca College. Her teaching and research focus on inequality and race and ethnic relations in the U.S. In addition to teaching, Dr. González also conducts workshops and supports individuals, committees, departments, and organizations transform their policies, curriculum and cultures to those that align with social justice practices.