Don't Sit on Your Assets: How to Substitute Creativity for Cash and Accomplish More in Challenging Economic Times

Registration is now open for "Don't Sit on Your Assets: How to Substitute Creativity for Cash and Accomplish More in Challenging Economic Times" presented by Jeff Bercuvitz, president of Sparks: The Center for Leadership, Innovation and Community (bio below) at the Tikkun v'Or Retreat Center on Thursday, March 5th, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

* Are you trying to figure out how to not only help your organization get through the current fiscal crisis, but come out of it stronger than ever?
* Are you interested to learn how to capture the imagination of funders and the general public on a very limited budget?
* Do you want to keep morale high and help staff avoid burnout?

On March 5th, leaders in Tompkins County will have the opportunity to participate in a day-long workshop led by Jeff Bercuvitz, the president of The Center for Leadership, Innovation and Community (CLIC), to help them clarify their individual visions of success, learn how to identify and harness often overlooked resources and develop a "think big, start small" action plan for their organization.

Over the past 20 years, Jeff has trained and coached thousands of community builders, social service professionals and other leaders in more than 40 states, throughout Canada and in numerous countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. His work has been widely lauded for its creativity and results.

Bio: As president of The Center for Leadership, Innovation and Community (CLIC) Jeff Bercuvitz has worked with many non-profit organizations, social service agencies, foundations, educational institutions, civic groups, municipalities, businesses, and government agencies to help their leadership and staffs discover creative, inexpensive and enjoyable ways to make their work more successful, as well as more personally rewarding and sustainable.

The heart of Bercuvitz's work is inspiring creativity, passion and action for individuals, organizations and communities. He helps people clarify their visions of success and then brainstorms with them to craft practical strategies to build support for their efforts, gain access to more resources and realize their visions of success, while simultaneously avoiding burnout.
Bercuvitz has worked with organizations ranging from the White House to women's cooperatives in rural Tanzania. He has designed innovative campaigns around the country for cities from Seattle to Kalamazoo. He has given more than 500 talks and workshops on effective strategies for community service, youth involvement, inclusion of people with disabilities, sustainability, downtown revitalization, crime prevention, economic development, and other facets of community-building and leadership development.

In lively and entertaining workshops and retreats, Bercuvitz motivates people by telling inspiring success stories, while also providing them with the necessary "how-to's" to set meaningful and achievable goals and then move effectively from vision to action. His "Small Sparks" process has been singled out as one of the country's best examples of how to move beyond talking about social capital, to actually helping to build it. Around the world, Bercuvitz is known as the "Chocolateman" for giving out chocolates as he catches ordinary people in the act of doing extraordinary things to strengthen their organizations and communities.

Prior to his founding the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Community, Bercuvitz served as the president of Community Innovations and as the Executive Director of the Working Land Fund, a not-for-profit organization that integrated sustainable agriculture, land preservation and community economic development. Bercuvitz also served as the Director of the Regeneration Project of Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania that helped people learn sustainable economic development and community-building strategies.

Cost: $130 (registration information below); deadline for receipt of payment: Thursday, February 26, 2009 – space is limited. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

Questions: call (607) 273-8686 or email registration@hsctc.org