What’s been on our mind?

It’s been about six weeks since our last blog entry…and we thought we would share with you some of the projects and efforts we have been working on.

New Office Space and Training Offerings
In early May, we established an office for FIO Partners in Chester, CT. We will be offering training and consulting services to nonprofits and foundations in southeastern CT as well as in other areas across the state.  We are also pleased to announce that we will be offering a series of training programs on a quarterly basis.  Our first set of trainings will be held this summer. The dates and topics are listed below:

• July 10 – Making the Most of Change
• July 16 – Inspiring Your Board
• July 22 & 23 – Employee Supervision
• August 6 & 7 – Critical Conversations
• August 13 – Strategic Growth

To register, double-click the training you are interested in, you will be directed to our main website.

Significant Projects
Information Management Research Study
We continue to work on the information management research study. This project is a collaboration with our colleagues in New Orleans at Greater New Orleans Knowledge Works. Our team has conducted assessments of six agencies – four in New Orleans, one in Connecticut, and one in Rhode Island. We will be meeting in early June to review the results of the assessments and to identify the common problem set and begin to design the intervention – which may include assessment tools as well as curriculum. We are currently seeking organizations that might want to help us pilot these new tools.  Contact Jane at jane@fiopartners.com if you have an interest.

Creating Networks to Improve Service Delivery and Increase Efficiency
The firm has been working closely with a set of agencies that provide services to children with co-occurring developmental delays and behavioral health problems. Given the deeply troubling economic situation in Rhode Island, the agencies are facing significant budget cuts over the next two years. FIO Partners has facilitated a process by which the agencies have designed a system of care that will seek to prevent lifelong institutionalization for these children. The group intends to establish a powerful new community of practice around these children linked with a major research facility. A great example of an effort to turn lemons into lemonade, hardship into hope. We will share more about this exciting project as we are able.

“Constructing a Diverse Board”
Anne Yurasek delivered an interactive training session, entitled “Constructing A Diverse Board: Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Board of Directors” in late May. Sponsored by the Middlesex United Way and the Middlesex Community Foundation, the session’s slides are viewable below:

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Upcoming Events
June 20th – We will be having an “open house” at FIO Partners in Chester, CT, on June 20th from 5:00 – 8:00PM as part of Chester’s Midsummer’s Night Stroll.  Come by and say hello and learn more about our firm!

June 24th – Jane Arsenault will be the Annual Meeting Speaker for Prospect, an innovative agency in Calgary, Alberta that provides vocational supports to a variety of individuals with disabilities.