Report on CEDPA Training - Essay Example

She made us aware of our differences and in doing so helped us develop a greater appreciation for one another. By understanding our cultural diversities, we found that as female leaders we had many common bonds. Xiaoping was able to direct us into our personal learning style and demonstrated how our style could be flexible enough to work across culture lines and develop a team concept. We were challenged to see ourselves as women and understand our gender role. By understanding our selves as a unified team we could begin to mainstream our philosophies.

At the heart of GWM's agenda is leadership. GWM stresses that leadership is not supervision and it is not management. The purpose of leadership is to establish a direction and create a vision that can be shared by others. By executing a visionary agenda, the leader inspires and motivates others into action. Instructor Sheila Ramsey instilled in us the idea that only a leader can effect change. In the changing face of the role of women, leadership is our most important quality whether it's in government, business, or the family.

We were challenged to create a vision and an environment for that vision to take hold. The new directions envisioned by leadership cost money to adequately pursue. Management and senior staff will need to be creative in their approach to finance the needed projects. The fund raising presentation was given by Sue Richiedei who highlighted the need to have a well-directed fund raising strategy. A determination on the nature, purpose, and extent of the fund raising goals will lay the foundation for the fund raising plan.

The course gave additional information on forming a proposal team, criteria for a good proposal, and managing the proposal process.In building an organization or program to aid women it is vital that the group has the ability to sustain itself over time. Xiaoping held a presentation on sustaining an institution through a careful analysis of finance and costs. She pointed to the need to understand where the money was coming from and place a value on its reliability. Will it be there in the future Is it independent of political pressure The importance of the expenditures is as important as the funding.

Are the fixed costs really fixed Have we allowed for the fluctuation in variable costs By pinpointing the answers to these questions we can see the long-term outlook and measure the trend into the future. This understanding will give us a measure of sustainability.The care and work that goes into funding mandates that the money be spent with great control. Monitoring and constant evaluation of the project will give us the yardstick we need to measure the program's value. This requires setting baselines and endpoints.

It calls for evaluation at pre-set intervals to validate data. The method of collecting and checking data is as important as the overall project. Instructor Jill Posner related the various ways in which an objective may be measured. The information may be totally objective numerical data, or a subjective and qualitative evaluation. These goals and endpoints will be used to form a project management framework. This will be the roadmap for the project's success.Throughout the process of fundraising to implementing a project, communication will be vital to keep the public informed as well as to maintain a