FINANCIAL COURSES

Credit/Mortgage Seminar

Credit is one of the most important aspects of purchasing a home. Find out what information is on a credit report, how it pertains to mortgages and how to maintain or improve your score.
Things to learn about credit:

- How to improve credit score
- How to keep your credit score high
- What information Lenders see about you on your credit report
- Things to watch for when applying for credit
- Credit Myths

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: Derek Loose, Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Excellence
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
To Register: 562-2853

Women and Money

A Statistics Canada study says single women over age 65 are four times more likely than single men over 65 to find themselves living below the poverty line. This seminar will cover two main topics:

1. Why does it seem that there is always more month than pay cheque?
2. How do you get your finances on track so that you can enjoy peace of mind for the rest of your life?

What we will have accomplished is an easy to follow recipe of how to balance needs, wants and savings. You will take home your completed aspiration worksheet that will picture your dreams and aspirations. This will give you your reason for wanting to save.

Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: Lisa Aucoin, Future Focus Financial Planners
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
To Register: 562-2853

Retirement Planning

Come join George Lyster, Financial Planner and learn how to develop a Retirement Plan.
SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound
What are your present lifestyle expenditures? What are your projected lifestyle expenditures at retirement? How many years before retirement? Number of expected retirement years? What are your sources of income? In this hour and a half workshop you will learn all there is to know about developing a successful retirement plan.

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: George Lyster, Lyster Financial Planning Services
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
To Register: 562-2853

Letter Grant Proposal Writing

Proposal and grant writing are core skills in gathering financial capital funds for organization programs and projects. This session is for beginners in proposal and grant writing and is focused on building the basic skills to prepare Letter Grant Proposals. This is the preferred format for grant cover letters, letters of intent and to request funds from foundations and corporations who do not have application forms. The 48 page “Proposal Planning & Proposal Writing – Expanded Version” resource from The Grantsmanship Center will be provided to all participants.
Minimum: 8

Who should attend?

1) Organization members responsible for writing grants
2) Executive Directors and Staff responsible for fundraising

Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: Dick Larsen
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, September 17, 2008
To Register: 562-2853

Provincial & Federal Government Grants and Request for Proposals:
Including Lottery Based Funding & Foundation Grants

Funds for services, pilot projects and research exist in many departments of the provincial and federal government. This session will provide you with the tools to search for and apply for these funds, including the process to access requests for proposals. We will also discuss the more than 11 different sources of lottery based funding and foundation grants.
Minimum: 8

Who should attend?

1) Staff and Volunteers responsible for finding funding for pilot projects and operational funds

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: Dick Larsen
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
To Register: 562-2853

Volunteer Management

Active and committed volunteers are key to the success of community organizations. Recruiting the right volunteer for the job is a significant challenge for many not-for-profit organizations. In this workshop you will learn:
• What you need to know before you begin to recruit
• How to identify your target group for recruitment
• How to target recruitment by activity/availability/location/association
• How to develop the recruitment message for your targeted group
• The steps to take when volunteers come through the door

Equally important is the retention of volunteers once they come through the front door. This workshop will help you learn how to keep volunteers coming back by:

• Understanding the impact of their contributions for the organization and community
• Building associations in the larger community
• Learning new skills and building employment relationships
• Building a sense of belonging in your organization
• How to let you volunteers know that they are valued and respected
Minimum: 8

Who should attend?

Anyone responsible for volunteer recruitment or volunteer retention.

Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: Dick Larsen
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
To Register: 562-2853

Roles and Responsibilities of a Board

This workshop will discuss and explain four topics related to the roles and responsibilities of not-for-profit boards:
• Roles of board members
• Responsibilities of board members, including legal responsibilities
• Board/staff relationships (in organization with paid staff)
• Board/volunteer relations (in organizations with and without paid staff)
Minimum: 8

Who should attend?

New and experienced board members, executive directors and volunteers who lead projects.

Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Time: 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Cost: $10.00
Instructor: Dick Larsen
Location: Chinook Educational Consortium, 2nd Floor, Room 17
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
To Register: 562-2853