The National Community Action Management Academy is a distinct training experience designed specifically for the top management teams of community action agencies.

Our focus is on building the capacity of your management team. Funded by the Office of Community Services (OCS), the Academy’s purpose is to cross-train your management team in core competencies that are critical for an agency’s top-level managers.

The Academy Advantage

The Academy offers unique advantages to agencies experiencing any of the following:

• A new executive director (within last 2-3 years) can build the management team around his/her leadership.
• A veteran executive director can be sure that new personnel (within last 2-3 years) in significant management positions have a baseline understanding of the basic community action management competencies.
• The agency as a whole is in a rebuilding process.
• Succession planning: The agency has a desire to begin to train the next generation of leaders.

As a result of having your team stay together for the entire training program, team members will:

• Have a common knowledge base in specific skill sets needed to manage in community action.
• Have a better understanding of and appreciation for one another’s work.
• Be a stronger, more cohesive unit.

You can’t replace 100 years of experience, but you can learn from it.

The Academy is a one-of-a-kind national training program that was designed by community action veterans who collectively have nearly a century of experience. The sessions are facilitated by individuals who have decades of experience working for community action agencies or programs.
Result: a practical curriculum for busy professionals.

Our curriculum consists of a series of four comprehensive modules (each 3 – 4 ½ days long), which are presented sequentially over a 6-month period. The Academy believes that long-term growth and change in an agency can best be supported with a more in-depth, 2004 long-term training program or 2005 long-term training program. (LINK to Module Descriptions)

National leaders in the community action network are some of our primary presenters. The Academy is proud to have David Bradley, Executive Director of The National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) lead off our series with his two-day presentation detailing the political history of community action. Anita Lichtblau, Esq., Executive Director of CAPLAW, is the principal presenter for our second module: “Rules, Regs, Roles of Community Action”. Mr. Clarence Carter, Director of the Office of Community Services (OCS), or Dr. Margaret Washnitzer, Director of the Division of State Assistance for OCS, present the OCS vision for community action on the final day of our four-part series.

The Details

Tuition of $4,500 per agency allows five staff to attend all four modules. That’s 500 hours of training for $4,500. You do the math.

The Academy recommends that your five-member team include:

• Executive Director
• Chief Financial Officer
• Personnel Manager
• Program Managers
• Board Members

Call us and tell us about your agency. We’ll help you figure out if The Academy is the right fit for your management team. Check here for the Registration Form.

The Academy brings the training program to you. We choose our venues based on agency interest. The Academy works closely with state community action associations and state CSBG offices in choosing our sites. Call now to get your state on our 2005 schedule!

Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) are offered for each module through Austin Community College.

Questions Answered

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.And call our toll free number 1-877-392-6856.

“The primary mission of all community action agencies should be to shape the dialogue and lead the process of developing solutions for the issues of poverty. The National Community Action Management Academy is dedicated to building the teams that build communities.”

– Pat Steiger
CCAP, Academy Director

“More and more, non-profits, including Community Action Agencies, must perform at the highest standards when administering agencies and programs. I have found the National Community Action Management Academy an excellent resource for getting a better understanding of fiscal and legal accountability. Also of tremendous benefit is the presentation of the analytical framework of our rich history that makes our network so unique!”

– Dan Maskin
Executive Director, New York State Community Action Association

“The Academy has provided a wonderful forum in which a blend of staff can be involved to satisfy a variety of training needs to be used in an enhanced team environment.”

– Harald Schmidtke
Weatherization Director, Southeast Vermont Community Action, Inc.
Belmont, NY

“Our agency participated in the entire series sponsored by NCAMA. To a person, neophyte or veteran, our management team gleaned invaluable information. The presenters were of the highest caliber, with the ability to make CAA history and operations vibrant. The sessions strengthened our resolve to continue to work as change agents on behalf of the poor of our society.”

– Dr. Linda Hickmon Evans
Director Planning and Evaluation, Action for a Better Community
Rochester, NY

“I think this is one of the best things that happened in Community Action in the last 25 years. For new beginners to Community Action this is great, very informative and worth every penny to get this type of training.”

– Sandra Sanchez
Executive Director, Joint Orange-Chatham Community Action, Inc.

How do we sign up?

It’s easy! Just call our toll free number 1-877-392-6856 or email our logistics coordinator, Lisa Umphrey, at [email protected].