CDS Professional Services Contractor Request for Proposal

The CDS Board of Directors seeks qualified and motivated applicants for a professional services contract to manage the general operations of the Community Development Society during the 2019 operations year as CDS undergoes several transitions related to its revised bylaws and updated policies and governance of the organization. The contract professional will have an average hourly commitment of 10 to 15 hours per week; there may be additional hours on average leading up to and during the annual international conference in July. The contract will run for up to six months from the time the contract begins. The contract professional may apply for the Managing Director staff position when it is posted later this year.

The mission of the Community Development Society (CDS) is to strengthen community development practice, policy, learning, and scholarship through connecting, convening and collaborating. CDS provides leadership to professionals and citizens across the spectrum of community development.

Essential Functions of the Professional Services Contractor

The contract professional shall focus on the following essential functions:

• Provide leadership in developing program, organizational and financial plans with the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers, and carry out plans and policies authorized by the Board.
• Maintain official records and documents, and ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations.
• See that the board is kept fully informed, in a timely and accurate manner, on the condition of the organization and all important factors influencing it.
• Attend and participate in all general and executive level board meetings and annual board retreat.
• Publicize the activities of the organization, its programs, and goals.
• Be responsible for developing and maintaining sound financial practices.
• Work with the Stewardship Committee and the Board in preparing a budget; see that the organization operates within budget guidelines.
• Ensure that adequate funds are available to permit the organization to carry out its work.
• Process invoices for accounts receivable and accounts payable within a bookkeeping system approved by the treasurer.
• Submit quarterly reconciliations of finances and endowment funds in coordination with a third party CPA to the Treasurer and Stewardship Committee.
• Provide administrative and technical support for all volunteer-led fundraising efforts, including giving campaigns and the annual auction.
• Jointly, with the Chair and Secretary of the Board of Directors, conduct official correspondence of the organization, and jointly, with designated officers, execute legal documents.
• Attend and provide logistical support to the annual international meeting and conference.
• Provide technical support for membership management including subscriptions, records, and website access. Produce monthly updates for the Vice Chair for operations and the Membership Committee.

Additional Information

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred
• Contract Rate: $20,000 annually
• Non-benefits eligible
• Starting Date: June 1, 2019, or earlier
• The contractor reports to the Board of Directors while working most closely with the Vice Chair of Operations and Treasurer
• The professional services contractor may be eligible for hire, pending board approval
  
  

Applications Instructions

Interested parties are instructed to submit the following documents catered to the essential functions above:

• Cover Letter
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Contact information for three professional references, including names, relationship, email, and phone number

Please submit application documents and any additional inquiries to KP Williams, Vice Chair of Operations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject CDS Interim Director. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled. Applications received on or before 6pm PST May 28, 2019 will receive priority consideration.

Submitted by Monieca West

1969

Close your eyes and think 1969. Slaughterhouse-Five is published and the Jackson Five debuts.

The National Women’s Hall of Fame opens and Hillary Rodham Clinton graduates from high school. The Cuyahoga River ignites and is the catalyst for the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Chappaquiddick Bridge incident all but extinguishes a presidential possibility. Two men walk on the moon and 400,000 souls stagger through Woodstock. The public is grief-stricken as Hurricane Camille devastates the Gulf Coast and outraged at the government cover-up of the My Lai Massacre.

1969. The year it all began for CDS amid these and other social, political and cultural concerns. As part of the 50^th anniversary celebration, the opening reception on Sunday night is all about our past and will feature the debut of a historical video and book, recognition of various key leadership groups and will culminate with a number of past presidents sharing memories and telling the CDS stories. How did the scholarship fund get started? How did CDS react to the push for certification? When did all those private sector people show up? How has CDS developed international membership? What was it like when there were only print communications? Remember Duane Gibson and his camera? Who crashed the first Soapbox Sermon? And just how much fun was that conference in Australia? All will be made clear at the reception so don’t miss it!

So, come on home for a family reunion on Sunday, July 14. There will be music from the 60s and 70s and, for those of you who are fun-loving and a bit daring, go ahead and pull some vintage looks out of the closet and show us what 1969 was really like!

Submitted by Jane Leonard

Show Me the Pre-Conference Workshops!

They call Missouri the “Show Me State” so to follow our host’s advice, we want to Show You some amazing highlights of the Pre-Conference Workshops on Sunday July 14.

First, a quick reminder that the deadline to register for pre-conference workshops is by 11:59 p.m. (GMT5), June 10, 2019. For details about the conference, venue and to register, go to: https://www.comm-dev.org/networking/2019-conference. 

• They will be held Sunday, July 14th at the Bond Life Sciences Center (the conference main venue) or in adjacent classrooms. Register for a workshop when you register for the conference.
• Pre-Conference Workshops are optional and require an additional fee at registration. Register by 11:59 p.m., June 10, 2019. 
• Four workshops are half-day long, and two are full day and include lunch.

And now, Show Me the cavalcade of 2019 CDS Pre-Conference Workshops:

Take some deep dives into leadership development, social network analysis, workforce development, arts & culture to increase community capacity, design & community development, and assessing university & community partnerships.

Your Show Me guides are folks with deep experience in their topics and deep excitement that you might join in the Sunday journey with colleagues from near and far.

Taking People With You: A Strategic Communication Approach to Leadership (1-4 p.m, $40)

This interactive workshop draws on David Novak's insight-driven approach to leadership that ultimately led to his rise to Chairman of YUM! Brands. Participants will learn to: identify their big goal; use step-change and a people map to design a plan to achieve it; implement strategy, structure and culture to realize the plan; and follow through to get results. Presented by Jeannette H. Porter, Novak Leadership Institute, University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Using social network analysis to measure social capital(1-4 p.m, $40)

Participants will learn how to use social network analysis (SNA) as a tool for measuring social capital, compare and contrast the methods and practices of two different networks, and discuss how measuring social capital with an SNA might lead to stronger network connections. Presented by Bob Bertsch, North Dakota State University

Workforce Development: How Do We Scale to Meet This Need? (1-4 p.m, $40)

How do you systematically engage in building meaningful interventions in workforce development and challenges faced when addressing the multifaceted workforce issues in the 21st century? This workshop holds the key. Presented by Robert Russell, University of Missouri Extension

Preparing Place: Can Arts and Culture Save Rural America? (1-4 p.m, $40)

Explore the role of arts and culture in the development of institutional and community capacity in rural communities while discussing strategies that demonstrate how the thoughtful inclusion of arts and culture helps bridge existing community gaps. Presented by John Robert 'Bob' Reeder, Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

New Dimensions in Community Development (10 am.-4 p.m. includes lunch, $60)

Community development processes often struggle to give physical form to community goals and projects while intensive charrettes often generate high levels of community involvement and design ideas, but can be fleeting jolts of energy. This full day workshop offers participants a synthesis of theoretical and practical knowledge of participatory community design and shows its value for the field of community development. Presented by Todd Johnson, University of Wisconsin - River Falls (Extension)

Assessing University-Community Partnerships (10 am.-3 p.m. includes working lunch, $60)

Participants will assess the depth to which aspirations for equity, social justice, democratic practice, mutual respect, shared authority, and co-creation are realized in university-community partnerships in this full day workshop. Presented by Margaret Stout, West Virginia University

Submitted by:
Letitia Johnson
University of Missouri Extension
CDS 50th Anniversary Conference - Local Arrangements Committee

I’ve been attending CDS conferences for over 20 years, and have delighted in every single one -- I’ve been enlightened by keynote speakers, inspired by workshop leaders, intrigued by paper presentations, and enjoyed more good food, music and friendship than any person has a right to. But, without a doubt, the event I look forward to the most at any CDS conference is the mobile workshop. From touring the home of MLK in urban Atlanta to learning about wild “green rice” on the Leech Lake Ojibwe reservation in rural Minnesota, I’ve been enriched by every experience.

For the 50^th Anniversary Conference, we want you to have a similarly insightful and enjoyable experience. We talked to a number of people about their favorite mobile learning workshop experiences and turned it into a list of criteria for evaluating the many options in mid-Missouri. We understand that some of you are interested in the unusual, like the Missouri Penitentiary, others are looking for responses to emerging community concerns, such as innovations in local food systems. Looking to get your hands “dirty?” Pick up a paintbrush and work on a mural on the community arts MLW. Maybe you’re a history buff who wants to gain a deeper understanding in how one of our nation’s largest rivers has impacted communities and the environment. Or perhaps you’re something of a futurist who wants to explore new ideas for cultivating dynamic entrepreneurial cultures. Whatever your interest, whatever makes your community development heart beat a little faster – this year’s conference will have a mobile learning workshop for you.

The bar is set high, last year I attended the mobile workshop with the storyteller about Detroit’s Black History; it was moving and profound. We learned from that experience, and have incorporated storytellers into some of this year’s workshops. We want every year’s CDS conference to be your best conference experience ever.

Not sure which mobile learning workshop is for you? Contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  I can help you find the best fit!

Letitia “Tish” Johnson

People sometimes think I am wild and crazy. Maybe it's because I love adventure and take opportunities as they arise. Maybe it's because I lived abroad for so many years. Maybe it's because I am a good dancer and like to have fun. What's funny to me about all of these perceptions is that they beguile my typically dogged commitment to process and facts. There have been many times in my personal and professional life over the years where I have found myself saying "...but this may cause problems..." or "...this shows we should change course..." I think it's the evaluator in me, but almost as sure as I am to take on opportunity (like going to Ghana next week!), I also raise questions and concerns where needed to adhere to process, ethics, and facts. 

I've tried my best to uphold those principles in my work for CDS. I truly believe that compassionate and critical dialogue on the activities of our organization are necessary for our continued growth and development. This is one of the reasons the board chose to move to monthly meetings of the full board and ad-hoc meetings of the Executive Committee last fall. These regular meetings encourage exchange of ideas among board members and dissuade the out-of-the-light-of-day decisions that can get an organization into trouble.

I continue to commit to you, the members, that I will work hard to uphold our shared values and to name potential threats to our organization so the board can work to avoid them. Because my leadership here has never been about me, but about you, the member, and our professional home and beloved field of community development. As a leadership volunteer and an independent consultant who self-financed every meeting and conference (except one), including my 6 years of leadership to the organization, you could say that I put my money where my mouth is in terms of commitment - a commitment to our field and our home. For you. For us. So we can stay strong and stay together into our 50th and beyond!

Let me know your thoughts. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Board Update:

The May board meeting has been cancelled because of scheduling conflicts that would result in not having a quorum.