2003-2004 ACN Events Included:

Sept. 17, 2003 - Meet Your ACN Colleagues
10:30am-2pm. Members only. DePaul University's Egan Center, 243 S. Wabash, 9th fl, Chicago.
Annual member consultants' get-acquainted program, including members' introductions of themselves and their consulting practices, which fosters collegiality, networking, and collaboration.

Oct. 28, 2003  Talking Among Ourselves: Things Consultants Need to Know
Facilitator: Laura Stempel, PhD. 10:30am-2pm. ACN members only. DePaul University's Egan Center, 243 S. Wabash, Chicago.
This program gave ACN members an opportunity to talk with one another about some of the issues all consultants face: writing contracts, setting fees, subcontracting, and working with other consultants. Using a discussion format--no formal presentation--we interacted as colleagues, to meet fellow consultants, exchange opinions and experiences, learn from seasoned veterans, and remember what beginners need to know (a real asset if you want to work with or mentor consulting newcomers).

Nov. 20, 2003  Building Capacity by Selecting the Right Consultant, Exhibition+Program.
3:30-6pm. Spertus Institute, Bederman Auditorium, 618 S. Michigan, Chicago.
Distinguished panelists discussed significant aspects of how nonprofit groups can best utilize and select consultants to enhance organizational capabilities, including Clint Mabie, Director of Donor Services and Program Development, Chicago Community Trust; Richard H. Calica, Executive Director, Juvenile Protective Services; Bill Brooks, President, Association of Consultants to Nonprofits; Moderator: Willard Hall, Vice President, Association of Consultants to Nonprofits. Exhibiting consultants were able to present themselves and their services directly to a variety of NFP-affiliated attendees.

Dec. 11, 2003  ACN Holiday Party.
ACN Members Only.  6pm.  Hosted by ACN's Board of Directors.

Jan. 20, 2004  Marketing and Communications
10:30-2pm. DePaul University's Egan Center, 243 S. Wabash, Chicago.
Rob Moore, PhD, managing partner of LipmanHearne, addressed the "how to" and "what" of developing effective communications strategies that support a consultant's larger marketing plan for targeting and increasing business. The practical marketing applications included best practices on "how to" describe your business in a range of settings from an informal cocktail party or elevator conversation to more formal environments, such as conference or web communication.

Feb. 25, 2004 - Behind Closed Doors: Maximizing Your Own Business Operations
10:30-2pm. DePaul University Center, 1 E. Jackson, Chicago.
A panel of experienced consultants—Kathryn Vanden Berk, JD (Mosher & Associates, Attorneys at Law), Beth E. Saks, CPA, MBA (SFA Advisory Group, Inc.), and Charles C. Saxe, MCSE (Latticeworks Information Systems)—discussed crucial "back office" processes for consultancies, including selecting the best legal structure for an individual consulting practice, tracking finances, maintaining records, minimizing overhead, maximizing profit, and increasing productivity through wise investments in technology.

Mar. 25, 2004 - Cultivating Diversity on Non-Profit Boards of Directors
11:30-2pm. DePaul University Center, Egan Urban Center, 243 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago.
At this well-attended program, nonprofit board members, NFP administrators, and ACN members discussed crucial aspects of how to cultivate diversity on nonprofit boards. Panelists included: Evette Cardona (Polk Bros. Fndtn; moderator); Carmen Prieto (Board Pres, Chicago Foundation for Women, & Assoc. Dir, Wieboldt Fndtn); Delbert Arsenault (former ED & Dev. committee volunteer, Chicago Youth Centers); Gregory White (Bd. Pres, Lawndale Educational and Regional Network [L.E.A.R.N.] Charter School, & former Bd. Pres., Lakefront Supportive Housing); Bea Young (Mng'g. Dir. & Founder, The Kaleidoscope Group, L.L.C). Program presented by ACN's Diversity Task Force in partnership with Blacks in Development, Latinos in Development, Chicago African Americans In Philanthropy, and Chicago Latinos in Philanthropy.

Apr. 14, 2004  Organizational Transformation: Bringing New Vision and Vitality to Your Organization 8:30-11am. Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 618 S. Michigan, Chicago.
Bracketed by a consultants' exhibition and networking, the program featured panelists Sunny Fischer (The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation), David Prendergast (America's Second Harvest), Nancy Carstedt (President/CEO, Chicago Children's Choir), Cinda Rierson (Management and Training Consultant), and moderator Nancy Moore (N.W. Moore and Associates, and ACN Board member). The panel addressed significant nuances of organizational transformation, particularly, how "leading change" differs fundamentally from the command-and-control delegation management that most leaders employ on a daily basis. Leading change involves the true transformation of people, processes, products, and attitudes.

May 6, 2004 - NEW ADVANCED SERIES: Innovative Marketing Strategies: Attracting Your Ideal Clients & Projects.
2:30-4pm. DePaul Univ. Egan Urban Center, 243 S. Wabash, Chi.
Led by Randi Killian, head of Randi B Enterprises, Inc., participants in this inaugural "Advanced Series" program learned how to take their businesses to the next level, moving beyond bottom-line realities. Killian brought her considerable consulting experience to bear on such issues as: reshaping one's work and client base to develop a "dream practice"; assessing one's current marketing image, re-packaging oneself, and reaching new audiences; retaining credibility during the change, and achieving new levels of revenues, recognition, and satisfaction.

May 18, 2004 The Impossible Client: How to Avoid a Consulting Engagement Run Amok.
11:30am-1:30pm. DePaul Univ. Egan Urban Center, 243 S. Wabash, Chicago.
Bruce Mabee and David Jewell, Consultants in Organizational Development and Change, led a vigorous discussion of how to solve the challenges posed by "difficult" clients. Long-time board officers and advisers to the Organization Development Network of Chicago (ODN-Chicago), Mabee and Jewell have both worked with large for-profit clients, as well as with large and small nonprofits. They shared proven techniques to tame the ugly beast of conflictual client relations and to focus stakeholders on the task at hand.