Senior Centers: Make a Connection to Opportunity!

December 14, 2009

NISC Pre-Conference Intensive

March 14, 2010
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Hyatt Regency Chicago

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Join the National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) as we connect your center with its potential! 

Program Schedule

The Art of Storytelling: Crafting a Compelling Story about Your Center
9:30-10:30 a.m.

Learn how this uniquely powerful communications tool can help advance your cause. If your goal is to educate, persuade, or simply connect in a meaningful way with a particular audience, storytelling is the single-most powerful communications tool available to you.

Speaker: Terrence McNally is a consultant,  writer, and coach for foundations, public interest groups, public agencies, and progressive corporations. He focuses on message and media mastery. A graduate of Harvard, where he won its highest academic award, McNally left teaching and moved to entertainment to reach larger audiences. He now hosts a radio interview program in Los Angeles envisioning “a world that just might work.” He brings his wealth of experience in multiple roles and forms of media to help clients clarify and communicate their messages in order to maximize their impact.

What’s Wrong with this Picture?
10:30-11:30 a.m. 

They say the right picture is worth 1,000 words, but when it comes to images of older adults in the media and even in our own materials, the “right” picture is hard to find. This session will provide critically needed insight into how to evaluate photographs for public consumption and facilitate a discussion about the role aging services providers can play in promoting more positive images of older adults.

Social Networking for Senior Centers
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Delve into popular social media -- such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs -- and discover how nonprofits are successfully integrating them into their communications, outreach, fundraising, and business plans. Hear case studies of nonprofits that are using these technologies to increase visibility in their communities, engage Baby Boomers, and help older adults connect with others.

Lunch Break
12:45-1:45 p.m.

Beyond Bake Sales
1:45–2:30 p.m. 

Increasingly, senior centers must find additional resources to operate. Learn best practices and effective ideas for both rural and urban/suburban settings, as well as do's and don’ts for senior center fundraising. You'll also have an opportunity to discuss how these ideas will work in your setting.

New Models of Senior Centers Panel
2:30-3:15 p.m.

Leadership is a key factor in determining success of a senior center. The vision, professional competence, commitment, and courage of senior center leaders can make all the difference. Listen to panelists from different models of senior centers discuss what it means to be a cutting-edge senior center professional. 

New National Senior Center Standards
3:15-3:30 p.m.

Watch a short video about the new National Senior Center Standards and have the opportunity to purchase the manual after the meeting. See how conducting a self-assessment of your organization can strengthen your vision and your credibility.

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