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CEO Attends HarvardIn July, Community First Fund President and CEO Dan Betancourt attended Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management week-long program. Dan was able to attend Harvard after being awarded one of the 2010 John R. Baldwin Fellowships by the Lancaster County Community Foundation. While at Harvard, Dan had the opportunity to examine Community First Fund’s mission and develop tactics for the organization’s new five-year strategic plan. Through the program and via case studies, Dan learned new skills for dealing with today’s economic and political realities of nonprofit management including declining government expenditures and the growing needs of the disadvantaged communities we serve. Dan was eager to begin the leadership training which, “challenged my assumptions and introduced me to new and unexpected ways of thinking about the strategic direction of the organization.” “Community First has enjoyed unprecedented growth; however, the economic crisis demands I develop new ways of continuing that growth,” said Dan. “The experience has enlightened me ignited my desire to get planning for Community First Fund’s future.”
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Upcoming Events at Women’s Business CenterBeginning on August 25th, The Women’s Business Center at Community First Fund will start its fall class schedule, beginning with Keys to Success, to be held in York. State and Federal Procurement, and Marketing for Success will follow, starting in September. Exact dates, times, locations, and registration instructions for all classes can be accessed here on our web site. Keys to Success is a five-week, in depth business course that prepares students to run or grow their business while learning about financing and obtaining funding for a business. At the end of the course students will have completed central components of a comprehensive business plan and gained a detailed understanding of the ins and outs of running a business. State and Federal Procurement and is taught along with government officials. By the end of this three-hour seminar students will have gained a detailed understanding of how small businesses can become government contractors, how to become state certified as a woman-owned or minority-owned business, and how to obtain government contracts. Another program offered by the Women’s Business Center is the Entrepreneurial Speaker Series which premiered in March. The next free event will be held on Wednesday, September 15th at Community First Fund’s Lancaster office and will focus on basic negotiating tips. In October, the WBC will begin to offer the Speaker Series events in Harrisburg. Details when finalized will be posted on the web site. Each event begins at 4:30 pm to allow for networking, followed by knowledge sharing and concluding at 6:00 pm. To learn about past events or register for the September event visit our web site.
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