the advocacy monitor

Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

CIL-NET Presents… A National Teleconference & Webinar: Supporting Your CIL Board for Success

February 20, 2019; 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Register online or by using the printable registration form (PDF)

Sure, your Center for Independent Living (CIL) board runs the organization, but there is still a lot that you can do to prepare them for success. The Executive Director and staff often know much more about the day-to-day operations and ins-and-outs of the organization than volunteer board members. That knowledge is so valuable to making the best decisions for the organization – from financial management to strategic planning and everything in between. Join us in February for tips and guidance on supporting your CIL board to do their best job. We’ll share strategies for recruitment, orientation, communications, evaluating the Executive Director, leadership development, and more!

This webinar is not just for Executive Directors. CIL staff and board members are encouraged to attend!

Registration Fee: $75.00. Fee is per site and does not apply per participant; registrants are encouraged to gather as many individuals as desired to participate.

Target Audience:

  • Members of boards of directors and administrative staff of all Centers for Independent Living.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will have knowledge and resources that will enable them to:

  • Identify effective strategies that support an organization’s board in the areas of recruitment and orientation, training and professional development, effective communications, and development and fundraising.
  • Describe components of an effective board member orientation plan.
  • Describe how the performance evaluation of the executive director can result in better-aligned expectations and goals for the organization and for the executive director.
  • Describe how to determine the leadership gaps in your current board and focus your recruitment on filling those gaps.
  • Identify strategies for running smooth, highly effective board meetings.

Meet Your Presenters

Paula McElwee is the Technical Assistance Coordinator for the IL-NET and SILC Training and Technical Assistance projects at Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU). In addition to providing individualized technical assistance, Paula moderates training calls monthly for new CIL Executive Directors and Program Managers and for SILCs. Her blog, ilnet-ta.org/wp, is a repository of technical assistance questions and answers from CILs and SILCs. Paula was the first Director of Link, Inc. in Kansas (one of the first states funded through the Rehabilitation Act) beginning in 1979. She worked in the disability field in Kansas for 25 years, and was appointed by two governors to serve three terms on the Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas before moving to California in 2000. She previously served on the board of Resources for Independence of the Central Valley and served as interim executive director for four CILs in California, assisting the boards to transition to their next executive director. Paula has provided training, facilitation and consultation with state associations, SILCs, and numerous centers throughout the country.

Anne Weeks is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain State Centers for Independent Living and the fund raising arm of the Center, the Foundation for Independent Living. She has been involved with the Center since its beginning. Ms. Weeks has been involved in the disability community for over 35 years and served twice as the Chairperson of the WVSILC.

The IL-NET is a national training and technical assistance project for centers for independent living and statewide independent living councils. The IL-NET is operated by Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) in partnership with the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), and Utah State University Center for Persons with Disabilities. 

The IL-NET is supported by grant numbers 90ILTA0001 and 90ISTA0001 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.

IL-NET Logo - CIL-NET + SILC-NET