Please feel free to print copies of the 2015 newsletter to be included in your board packages.

 The_Update-_November_2015.pdf

In an effort to better provide the staff and volunteers at our member offices with the training opportunities they wanted and needed, and in collaboration with our regional partners, the OACFDC developed a Training Needs Assessment Survey. 

Those who completed the survey could choose to be entered into a draw to win a Grand Prize of a $1000 training credit for their office. We received 90 responses but were only able to choose one winner.  

Congratulations to Mari Bishop from the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund! 

When contacted about her win, this is what Mari had to say

“We are very excited to win the draw as NADF places a very high value on training opportunities as one tool to attract, develop and retain well qualified and motivated staff.  We formally review individual training needs and plan for staff development several times throughout the year, during our work plan and performance review processes.  Learning and growth is also one of the pillars of our Balanced Scorecard, to help ensure we have knowledgeable and skilled workers.”

We are now working with Mari and the team at NADF to help them find the training that they want.

Results were shared with our Professional Development Committee, the OACFDC Board, Regional Network Executive Members and FedNor/FedDev. It will help all stakeholders to better plan and budget for future training delivery as well as allow us to work with our training delivery partners in order to have them better understand the needs of our CFDC members.

This survey will be repeated annually. We thank all of you for all of the valuable feedback you offered.

The results of the survey can be found on the OACFDC website under Tools and Information for CFDCs/ Training Needs Survey Results.

http://www.oacfdc.com/tools-and-information-for-cfdcs/1209-training-needs-assessment-survey-results/5110-2015-training-needs-survey-results

The Community Futures Board Development (CFBD) program was created by the Community Futures Leadership Institute (CFLI) to assist CF Board Members and Senior Staff in orienting to Community Futures and adapting to the ever-changing challenges of rural community economic development by enhancing their skills and knowledge.

The CFBD program consists of 13 facilitated modules which, when delivered in person or via webinar, take about 3 hours to complete. Participants all receive a program certificate for each module taken.

Currently there are 14 facilitators across Canada who are trained and certified to deliver various modules. In Ontario, we only have one facilitator, Mary Alderson, who can deliver 3 of the 13 modules. We would like to see more people from Ontario trained to deliver even more modules. Having more Ontario facilitators will help reduce the travel cost portion of the training to Regional Networks, the OACFDC and individual offices who are booking training.

The process for becoming a facilitator is:

1. Each candidate will be asked to develop a portfolio that includes an application form, resume, reflection on their facilitation experiences, and self-assessment.
2. Each candidate will be interviewed by the CFLI committee.
3. Each candidate will give a 15 minute to ½ hour presentation to the panel. The panel will make a recommendation to Community Futures Pan West listing the modules and delivery methods the candidate is competent in.

Facilitators receive $500 compensation for each training session delivered.

Full details are available at http://cfleadershipinstitute.ca/bd/want-to-be-a-facilitator.php

So if you are a person (or know a person!) who has knowledge of the CF Program, has a passion for sharing and is looking for a new adventure, contact Brenda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 519-633-2326 ext. 125

Purchase the “Effective Leadership Bundle” and Save $31.50 off of the Member Price

These four publications from the CSAE Bookstore are designed specifically for association leaders who are looking to promote change, innovation and transformation within their organizations while raising the bar on their own strategic skills andeffectiveness.

• Regular CSAE Non-Member price $148.80
• Regular CSAE Member price $121.35
• SPECIAL promotion price $89.85 

  *Does not include tax or shipping costs

Leading Out-of-the-Box Change: The Chief Executive’s Essential Guide to Achieving Nonprofit Innovation and Growth

by Doug Eadie

The Demand Perspective: Leading from the Outside In

by Anna Caraveli, PhD

What Makes an Effective Association: Benchmarking for Performance

by Richard Paton, MA, MPA

 PLUS A FREE COPY OF:

Strategic Planning for Associations and Not-For-Profit Organizations

by Ron Knowles, FCMC and Helen Hayward, CMC

To order contact Brenda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by December 9^th, 2015

Lee Smithson appointed as third

General Manager at

The Business Help Centre

Poplar Hill, ON - The Business Help Centre (CFDC) of Middlesex County is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Lee Smithson as the new General Manager.

Smithson has a diverse background supporting business and entrepreneurs for the past 10 years. His experience includes business management and planning, IP commercialization, relationship and business development, marketing and sales, access to capital and finance and regional economic development. Lee has held the following positions: Director Life Sciences Business Development and Entrepreneurship support, Managing Director, The Stiller Centre for Technology Commercialization, Vice President Canadian Association

of Business Incubation, and more than 15 years of B2B Sales experience in Life Sciences and Telecom as well as his own small enterprise early in his career.

“We are confident Lee’s rich experience and his understanding of all facets of entrepreneurial development, discovery, innovation strategies and assisting small to medium business startups, coupled with his extensive and established network in the field, will assist The Business Help Centre’s clients to succeed” says Pat Van Geleuken, President of the Board of Directors.

Lee resides in London, Ontario with his wife Tena where they spend much of their time supporting their two active children in their extracurricular efforts

Request for Proposals for Conference Presenters

Date:          May 18-20, 2016

Where:       Hotel Bonaventure, Montréal, QC

Participants Expected: 400

Profile of Participants: CED and social economy practitioners, representatives from community, business, government, charitable and education sectors and academics

Deadline for Proposals: December 4, 2015

This year, conference organizers are inviting proposals specifically for three conference streams:

• Workforce Development
• Community-Based Enterprises
• Community Development

Within those three streams, sessions that address the following cross-cutting themes are also encouraged: Finance, Policy, Youth, Diversity & Inclusion, Arts & Culture, Technology, the Environment, Rural and Remote Realities, and Evaluating Impact.

Workshop presenters will receive 50% off full registration to ECONOUS2016 or a free registration for the day of their session.

Full details available at http://www.econous.ca/pages/econous2016-call-for-session-proposals

Volunteers are one of the most important assets of the Community Futures program.

There are 670 people who volunteer with the CF program in Ontario. 670 people with a passion for small business and entrepreneurs and helping their communities grow and achieve greatness.

The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards recognize individual volunteers for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to an organization. Adults are recognized for five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30+, 40+, 50+ and 60+ years of continuous service. Youth (under the age of 24) are recognized for two or more years of continuous service.

Consider nominating one (or several!) of your great volunteers!                                                                                               

Full details are available at http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/vsa.shtml

Young Canada Works (YCW) in both Official Languages

Young Canada Works in both official languages for the year 2016-2017 has been launched and are now accepting grant applications for summer jobs and internships for 2016. Private, public, non-profit organizations or municipalities are eligible to apply. The employer must run activities in both official languages.

• Summer job positions last from 6 to 16 weeks. Students must work 30 to 40 hours per week. Employers can receive a maximum of 50% of the student’s employment costs (wages, benefits and other eligible expenses).
• Internships give employers access to graduates for 4 to 12 months. Interns must work 30-40 hours per week. YCW may fund a maximum total contribution of $13,000 per internship.

Please apply online at www.youngcanadaworks.gc.ca  (make sure to choose YCW in Both Official Languages).

The deadline to submit applications is February 2, 2016.

Presented by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and the Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, the Young Entrepreneurs, Make Your Pitch competition invites high school students in Ontario to pitch their business ideas in a two-minute video. Videos are judged through online public voting (40%) and expert judges’ scores (60%).

The videos must address the following questions:

• Who will your customers be?
• What problem will it solve?
• Why will your business succeed?

Twenty finalists are chosen who are awarded a trip to Toronto to pitch their ideas live at OCE’s Discovery conference and showcase, May 9-10, 2016, in front of a panel of judges from the entrepreneur community.

Six winners will be selected and presented with reserved entry into the Summer Company which includes a grant of up to $3000 to help launch their business.

Full details are available at http://www.makeyourpitch.ca/

Are you looking for a high resolution version of a map of your CFDC’s catchment area? Our webmaster Laura Rey can help!  You can contact her by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or open a ticket on the helpdesk on our the OACFDC website (just click on the Blue support button on the right hand side).  

Your updated map will also then be uploaded to the OACFDC website in the section “Find a Local CFDC”.

Sample

Do you have new Board Members?

This 10 minute long Board Orientation training DVD was created by the Community Futures Network of Canada.

The video is divided into 10 short segments:

• Community Futures Introduction
• What is Community Futures?
• Community Futures History and Goals
• Community Futures Objectives
• Community Futures Board of Directors
• Board Responsibilities
• Community Futures General Manager
• Community Futures Guiding Principles
• Community Futures Strategic Planning
• Community Futures Conclusion 

To view the contents of the video go to http://cfleadershipinstitute.ca/bd/cf-orientation.php . There is also a great Board Orientation Manual available on this same site.              

The OACFDC is able to offer these to you free of charge- you just pay for shipping. Please let Brenda know how many you would like at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at  519-633-2326 ext 125.

Already enrolled – or would like to enroll in the OACFDC Retirement Savings Plan?

Andrew Braithwaite of Standard Life is holding a webinar to shed light on the importance of RSP. Mark your calendars.

Tuesday, December 8th at 10AM (EST)

Join WebEx meeting  - http://jointhemeeting                                                                                                                 

Meeting number:     632 894 536                                                                                                                    

Meeting password:         standard1

Join by phone (if you don’t have speakers on your computer)

Call-in toll-free number: 1-866-518-0783 

Call-in number: 1-416-406-3406 

The webinar will repeat on

Tuesday, December 15th at 2PM (EST)

Join WebEx meeting  - http://jointhesecondmeeting

Meeting number:     632 894 536                                                                                                                   

Meeting password:         standard1

Join by phone (if you don’t have speakers on your computer)

Call-in toll-free number: 1-866-518-0783 

Call-in number: 1-416-406-3406 

In English only- presentation will be translated and posted on the OACFDC website at a later date.

OTEC is an independent, not-for-profit Training, Consulting, and Workforce Development organization that delivers innovative, high quality solutions for the development and growth of a professional, skilled workforce. They offer facilitated, online, blended learning, or custom-built solutions ensure OTEC has an option suited to any business or organizations needs

For over the past 10 years, OTEC has been helping financial services organizations develop the skills of team members to ensure consistent and excellent service is provided to all corporate and retail customers.

OTEC’s offers highly engaging training programs in:

• Service Excellence Series
• Leadership Excellence Series
• Training the Trainer Series
• Additional OTEC Training Solutions

OTEC is a government approved Canada-Ontario Job Grant training supplier.

http://www.otec.org/Home.aspx

On November 19th, 2015 Kyle Robinson of Fern Software gave a demonstration of their FaaSBank software that has been created specifically for use in Ontario CFDC's. The following is a link to the 75 minute video recording of the webinar https://FERNWEBINAR2015. It is also available on our website under Professional Development/ Webinar Library for CFDCs.

PRICES

• Annual Licensing Fee: $5,076.00 + HST
• Annual Support: $1,015.20 + HST
• Bulletproof for hosting your FaaSBank data: $1,523.00 

Unlimited number of users on the system, no extra costs for reports, minor modifications etc…..

Total $7,614.20 annually

In both cases, once 40 offices are using the system the prices will start to come down. Right now there are 25 offices.

ONE TIME FEES:

• Data conversion $1,595.00

This figure is to take the TEA X data and convert it into FaaSBank. This price applies to standard TEA X data and usage. Special cases may requirecustom migrations.

CONTACT INFO

Kyle Robinson  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   1-647-873-8511       This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  (for FaaSBank support)

The Community Futures’ Staff Development program is not a training program per se, but a certification program combining self-assessment, performance evaluations and training. The program is based around the competencies – that is, the skills, knowledge, and values – required to do a job effectively. Certification involves rating your knowledge and skills in several areas by answering a multiple choice questionnaire, and then uploading your credentials (diplomas, certificates, letters of support, etc.) to back up your statements. 

Why pursue certification?

 Clearly demonstrate your level of skill and competency to your superiors

• Facilitate discussions about skills gaps and training needs, allowing you better access to further professional development
• Set the stage for future career moves
• Build the capacity of your organization by increasing staff levels of expertise

There are 18 shared competencies and many specific competencies for each position.

The Community Futures Staff Development Program is voluntary and flexible. It takes into account the experience and education that you already have. Staff members are encouraged to take relevant competency training through any educational institution or training provider.

You can attain certification in the following positions:

» General Manager

» Business Analyst

» Community Economic DevelopmentCoordinator

» Administrative Coordinator

To enroll, go to http://cfleadershipinstitute.ca/  and click on the blue staff certification logo. 

If you have any questions about CFLI Staff Certification, please contact Brenda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Did you know….

• That  has been in the office products industry for over 35 years and provide national distribution with next day delivery?
• That Office Central is a Canadian company based in London Ontario?

We’re pleased to announce discounted pricing on office supplies for Ontario CFDCs with Office Central.  Free next business day delivery throughout Ontario (2-3 days in rural areas) for orders of $50 or more.  Log in to the OACFDC website to access the pricing chart under Member Services, Affinity Plans. 

If you order specific items on a regular basis which are not listed, please contact Sharon Novotny, Account Manager at 519-868-0672 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   to learn about contract pricing on your “Top 10”.

Retiring or Leaving your Job? 

Health Track Insurance^® lets you convert your group insurance to individual insurance without evidence of insurability.  If you want to make sure you and your family are still covered after your group insurance plan ends, Desjardins Insurance has the solution.

You and your family are eligible for this individual health insurance if you enroll within 60 days after your group insurance ends.

For more details, log in to the OACFDC website, under Benefits of Membership/ Member Services/ Group Health Insurance Benefits Plan folder.  

For inquiries, contact Customer Care at Desjardins 1-877-647-5235 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Peterborough CFDC and Peterborough Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at improving service to local businesses by simplifying how Peterborough CFDC and PED’s Business Advisory Centre work together.

This agreement will streamline how businesses access the complementary services of both organizations. The focus is on cross-promotion of services to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and will ensure that businesses utilize Business Advisory Centre services to assist them in preparing their loan application, business plan and pitch for financing to Peterborough CFDC. Past clients, have experienced a higher success rate in their loan application with CFDC when they utilize the Business Advisory Centre’s services.

Peterborough Economic Development Board Chair Peter Gaffney and Peterborough CFDC Board Chair Dan Stafford signing the MOU November 25, 2015

http://peterboroughcfdc.ca/

 Our distribution list is growing thanks to you!

Please keep sending us your staff and board member names and email addresses so that we can add them to our communications/ distribution lists. We will also sign them up to access the OACFDC website which has many valuable resources available only to members.

Please send them along to Brenda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.