Board Development and Training

The Board Resources and Development Unit provides many learning opportunities for CFSA board members as part of their overall development.  This includes:

  • orientation to new board members and Co-Chairs;
  • board member development and training; and
  • specialized workshops upon request by a CFSA board (if resources permit).

Conferences

A Board Leadership Conference was held on October 19-21, 2008, in Kananaskis.  The theme of the conference was "Telling Our Stories: Opportunities for Board Leadership." 
 
Every organization is made up of many stories, and the relationship between leadership and stories is a close one.  Effective leaders know their organizational story, embody its values, and communicate it to their various stakeholders and clients.  They are comfortable listening to the stories that circulate through the organization, and regard them as organizational knowledge.  They know that for meaningful change to occur the story must change, and they are adept at helping the organization create a new story for itself.

This conference was about story telling, story listening and story making.  Participants heard memorable stories that created a new sense of identity, transformed an organization’s mission or created new purpose.  They discovered how different kinds of stories can embody different aspects of organizational life.  Participants also had the opportunity to reflect on their own organization and experience the using of stories to discover new capacities and potentials within it.

In June 2007, the third Growing in Governance Conference was held in Edmonton. The theme of the conference was "Boards Excelling Through Appreciative Leadership."

To view key conference presentations, click on one of the following links.