THE ASSOCIATION OF PVO FINANCIAL MANAGERS
Annual Membership Meeting
May 11-12, 2006
May 11
9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
plus cocktail reception from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
May 12
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
AED Conference Center
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.
We are very pleased to announce that the 2006 Annual Membership Meeting of the Association of PVO Financial Managers will be held on May 11-12. The meeting will offer a wide variety of topics and presenters sure to be of interest to members and their staff. In addition there will be many networking opportunities to meet informally with your colleagues.
We have continued the format of two tracks—one which we believe will be of more interest to CFOs , Controllers , and Finance Managers and the other to Grants and Grants/Contracts Administrators . Participants need not, however, be wedded to a track and will be free to choose whichever session they want to attend.
Focused sessions and Plenaries on many topics
Plenaries
May 11: We are fortunate to have William J. Ryan of the Hauser Center at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard as a keynote speaker on May 11. Mr. Ryan's consulting and research focus is on nonprofit organizational effectiveness. He has explored how several forces -- including board governance, access to capital, foundation grantmaking practices, and competition with for-profit firms -- shape the capacity of nonprofits to deliver on their missions. He currently directs the Nonprofit Governance and Accountability Project , a joint initiative of the Hauser Center and Harvard Law School aimed at engaging Harvard researchers in critical questions related to nonprofit governance.
May 12: Mike Walsh, Michael Gushue, Jean Horton and others from USAID will discuss w hat's happening at USAID. They will discuss current challenges at USAID, their efforts to deal with problems raised over the years by PVO's, the process in place for trying to solve some of them, and how we as PVO's can help. In addition, USAID will be open to hearing our suggestions on ways they can improve their work with PVOs.
Separate Sessions will include:
Detecting & Preventing Fraud —Best Practices: A panel of PVOs will share their stories and lessons learned, policies implemented and advice to others The panel will also include an auditor who will discuss the added focus on fraud that all will be experiencing as a result of recent changes in audit programs.
Managing the Multi-Donor Environment : AusAid, DFID, EEU: What are agencies discovering about funding from other governments? How does one manage different caps, different policies, reporting? Hear what the pros and cons of dealing with these funders are.
Making the Transition from Grants to Contracts: How does one go about preparing your organization to deal with contracts? What is the impact on your organization? What are the advantages and disadvantages, and how do you get your agency prepared to deal with the different environment?
Managing Foreign Sub-Agreements: How can organizations monitor and manage subs? How do you identify areas of exposure and limit risk, assist the sub-grantee in building capacity to manage the grant? Participants will take a look at different tools for assessing risk.
Guide to Local Compliance—Mitigating your Risk: Organizations often focus on being compliant with local practices and not the law. This session will focus on how to ensure you are legally compliant in your local office and keeping yourself out of the newspapers.
Organizational Structures : Three organizations will share their org chart and structure and how it works for them. Participants will be encouraged to share their own structures.
The “A” word—Audit This session will look at field office audits, procedures your organization needs in place to help the audit go smoothly, using staff to do internal audits, and the changing nature of audits in the post Enron era.
These and other sessions are being planned. If you have an idea for a session or would like to present, please contact us. We're still finalizing sessions and speakers and would love to hear from you. We will update the website as other sessions are planned.
Working Groups
Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning, groups will be broken out by functional area so that CFOs can talk with CFOs, grants managers with grants managers, internal auditors with internal auditors. Groups working in Iraq and Afghanistan have also asked that we set aside a working group for them. Come and discuss with your counterparts problems and successes, share best practices and resources and suggest ways the Association can help meet your needs.
Last year participants suggested there be more structure to the functional break-out groups so we will be asking groups to suggest agenda items ahead of the meeting. Ideas will be circulated via the listserv and the members-only site. In addition there will be facilitators for each group.
Reception, May 11 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Everyone is invited to a cocktail reception to share conversation and a beer, a glass of wine, soda, or your beverage of choice without worrying how you'll pay for the unallowable cost of alcohol!
Register now
If you are interested in attending the meeting, please click here to register online. You can also download a registration form by clicking here. Please return the completed registration form by email to workshops@apvofm.org by by fax to 203-226-3652. If you have any questions regarding registraiton, please don't hesitate to call us at 203-226-3650. If you do not know if your organization is a member of APVOFM, please click here to see the current APVOFM Member List.
Discounts for additional attendees from the same member organization and for early payment
We have reduced the registration fee for additional staff from member agencies. If your organization is not a member, but would like to become one, please click here to download an APVOFM membership application. Discounts are also granted for early registration and payment.
Hotel Reservations:
Participants are responsible for making and paying for their own hotel/lodging arrangements. The Association has negotiated discounted rates at Marriott Courtyard (directly opposite AED) and Jury's Normandy Hotel (a five minute walk from AED). There are a limited number of discounted rooms, and in order to qualify for this rate, reservations must be made prior to April 7. This is a very busy time of the year, so we would suggest making the reservation as soon as you know that you will be attending. Courtyard Marriott Northwest : 1900 Connecticut Ave., NW (202) 332-9300.; Jury's Normandy Hotel 2118 Wyoming Avenue NW (202) 483 1350.
Be sure to mention the Association of PVO Financial Managers or APVOFM when you call, and be sure to check the cancellation policy.
Earn CPE Credits
The Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Participants will earn 7.5 CPEs for each day of the workshop. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses. The course level is intermediate. No advance preparation is required. No prerequisites. The category of study is specialized knowledge. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to NASBA, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700 , Nashville , TN 37219-2417 , www.nasba.org
Plan to attend the Indirect Cost Workshops on May 9 and/or May 10 as well
The Association has planned two days on indirect costs for May 9 and 10, immediately preceding the annual meeting so that those who are coming from out of town can attend both workshops. The May 9 workshop will cover the basics of indirect costs and the NICRA (Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement). Topics will include basic indirect theory, review of various rate types, as well as proposing and managing a NICRA. On May 10 we will discuss more advanced topics such as advanced rate theory and structures, strategies for Full Indirect Recovery in a “cap” environment; and case studies of various donors approach to paying indirect costs.
The key decision makers at USAID in the Indirect Cost Rate process, Steve Tashjian and his staff will join us after lunch on May 10 to discuss what the Office of Procurement looks at in reviewing indirect cost rate proposals and the indirect-cost portion of an organization's A-133 audit. He will bring us up to date on Office of Procurement thinking. USAID Staff responsible for negotiating rates with individual PVO's have also been invited so that participants can meet and speak with them.
