CAFCA BRIEF UPDATE

July 2003

REMINDER:
General Membership meeting is this Friday, July 18^th, 9:00-10:30 a.m. at 455 Sherman St., 1^st floor building conference room.  Ned Davis of AV Unlimited will present his products and services to promote nonprofits’ development and public relations needs.  The CTS committee will meet immediately following the General Membership meeting.

CAFCA is seeking members willing to host a General Membership meeting the third Friday of the month (requires space for 15-20 people).  Please contact Peg or Mary if you would like to be the host of an upcoming membership meeting.  Host member agencies can conduct a brief tour or provide other information about their programs and services.  This could be a great way to learn more about each other.

WE’RE MOVING!
CAFCA will be relocating its office some time in early August.  We will be making an official announcement soon as to our new location and move schedule.  We will do our best to avoid any interruption in member service during this time.

CAFCA COMMITTEE NEWS

Adoption Committee (Chair: Virginia Appel, Adoption Alliance)
The Adoption committee is working on outlining potential legislation for 2004, including amendments to the Voluntary Relinquishment statute and new legislation addressing the facilitator issue.  Virginia Appel and Peg Long are scheduled to attend a meeting with Amy Sampson of the governor’s office on August 7^th to discuss how to move adoption to the forefront.  Committee members are also beginning work on an Adoption white paper.

Foster Care Committee (Chair: Megan Aldritt, Catholic Charities)
As a result of the June 10^th CPA-county luncheon, the committee is working with two counties on the following topics to improve the foster care system: strategies for recruitment and retention of families, training and research. Megan is also working with the CPA Network to include best practices in rules and regulations required by new legislation.

CTS Committee (Chair: Andrew Braun, Devereux Cleo Wallace)
The FY 2003 - 2004 reimbursements rates have been finalized.  The cap is up slightly.  David Gilliland-Mallo said there is little flexibility to alter the rates mid-year, and there is no room for pilot programs.  The rate setting methodology for FY 2004-2005 needs to be set by March 2004.  According to Judy Rodriguez the rate will not be based on bed days or costs, but on standard of care.  It was announced that David Gilliland-Mallo will be leaving his position effective August 1^st. The Medicaid audits of RTCs by Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) will continue as required under federal law.  The revised Vol. VIII standards were distributed to providers and are scheduled for initial hearing by the Medical Services board at the August board meeting.  These rules permit HCPF to recover the entire daily rate if a single required service is not documented. 

Membership/Communications (Chair: Derek Cortvriendt, Jefferson Hall)
Derek announced that he is resigning from the board because Jefferson Hall is suspending operations and all current staff (including Derek) will be laid off effective August 1st.  The committee and the CAFCA board are seeking executive directors or upper level management personnel interested in serving as chair of the committee and serving on the CAFCA board.  Please contact Mary Simons if you are interested in serving in this capacity for the remainder of Derek’s term.    

Public Policy (Chair: Cyndi Dodds, Namaqua)
Peg, Dallas and Andrew will be meeting with Amy Sampson and Dave Rivera of the governor’s office on July 17^th regarding the Governor’s child welfare policies, including Medicaid proposals, services to children with mental health needs and President Bush’s proposals regarding block grants.  Mendez Steadman urges CAFCA members to formalize plans for proposed legislation so sponsor identification and work can begin as soon as possible.  CAFCA and CWLA jointly hosted a forum “The Future of Private Child Welfare Services” on June 23^rd.     About 20 members and a few of their board members participated.  CAFCA will also investigate sponsoring a train-the-trainer workshop on the impact of TABOR.  Norma Anderson is supporting a voter initiative amendment to freeze local property taxes at 8% of appraised value rather than continuing the ratcheting down effect of Gallagher. The JBC estimates that the 02-03 budget is still short by some $28 million, but the shortfall will be covered by $17 million in federal relief and $11 million from state reserves.  Current estimates of the ’03-’04 budget indicate the need for a further reduction of another $208 million.  The 2004 Legislative Luncheon is tentatively set for Wednesday March 3^rd.  Mark your calendars NOW!

HOW IS COLORADO’S BUDGET REALLY CREATED?

The July/August  issue of CANPO’s newsletter Nonprofit Colorado  contains an excellent article by Dr. Toni Larson titled “State Budget Building Deserves Attention.”  Dr. Larson explains the components of the budget, how the legislative and executive branches shape the budget, and at what points nonprofits can impact the budget process.  This two-page article would be a good one to share with board members.  Check with CANPO (www.canpo.org  or call 303 832-5710, 800-333-6554) for permission to reproduce it.

In the 2002 Long Bill, Governor Owens vetoed a footnote requiring the counties to pass on legislated COLA increases to providers.  How could he do this?  If you have ever wondered how and why the governor vetoes headnotes and footnotes in the Long Bill (the state budget bill prepared by the legislature in March-April of each legislative session), log on to the web page of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, http://www.cclponline.org/ and click on the top left Issue Brief July 2003.  Senior Policy Analyst Jim Zelenski gives a thorough analysis of the judicial authority and policy reasons for such actions by the Governor.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

JVA Consulting will present seven workshops from July 21, 2003, to August 20, 2003, in the area of nonprofit management.  The cost is $49 per workshop, with group discounts if four people from an organization would like to attend.  Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the workshops end at noon. Among the offerings are:

• THE OFFICIAL SURVIVAL GUIDE TO NONPROFIT FUNDRAISING. In this tough funding climate, can you afford to rely on your usual sources of funding? Have you thought about looking at other funding sources before, but you weren’t sure how to start? In this workshop, you will learn: fundraising methods, diversifying funding and much more. July 23, 2003

• A FITNESS PLAN FOR YOUR PROGRAM: INTEGRATING EVALUATION INTO YOUR ORGANIZATION. This workshop teaches organizations how to identify program outcomes and link them to outcome measures, while using results of ongoing evaluation for continuous program improvement.  Participants will leave the workshop with tools to help them develop an evaluation plan for at least one program. August 6, 2003, MHUW.

• ALL THE WRITE MOVES: THE HOW TOS OF SECURING A FEDERAL GRANT.
Discouraged by the enormity of federal proposal projects? Come learn from expert federal grant writers how to better manage and successfully complete federal proposals. In this workshop, you will learn how to: find and match appropriate government funds for your programs, deal with forms, attachments, budgets and more. August 11, 2003, Volunteers of America (VOA).

• RIDE THE WAVE: SMARTER WEB DESIGN. Over 90% of Web sites on the
Internet have obsolete information. How do you develop a site that looks to the future and stays relevant? This workshop will guide you through the fundamentals of: designing sites for Web standards, content management, and working with design consultants. August 20, 2003, VOA.

For more information about the workshops, visit our their web site at www.jvaconsulting.com.  To register, contact Leigh Elliott at 303-477-4896, or email her at leigh@jvaconsulting.com.

There is still time to register for “Focusing on Integration: “The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Delinquency,” a Symposium co-sponsored by CWLA and Larimer County Department of Human Services.  Date: August 7^th. Location: Holiday Inn University Park, Ft. Collins, CO.  Time: 8:30-5:00.  Registration fee: $40. Contact Sharon Naus at LCDHS, (970) 498-6912 to register before the July 25^th deadline.

CAFCA presents “Youth Subcultures,” by Regina Hueter, MA.  This is an expanded version of Regina’s popular session at the CAFCA conference on May 16^th.  Date: August 20^th.  Location: Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Wheat Ridge, CO.  Time: 8:30-noon.  Cost: $15 CAFCA members, $25 nonmembers.  For more information, e-mail info@cafca.net.  Space is limited so register now!

www.cafca.net