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FARSight Spring 2016
The nonprofit business leaders' network.

Dear Friends & Colleagues

The FAR program year for 2015/2016 is quickly coming to an end, as well as my year as Chair. It has been an honor to serve as your Chair this past year. I'm very proud of all the great work the FAR Board and staff have accomplished this past year.

The attendance to the monthly luncheons has grown. I believe the growth is due to the larger new venues and the level of speakers. The monthly breakfast meetings continue to grow in popularity. FAR's website redesign was an impressive success. Last but not least - the board is planning to finish out this program year, which has been full of changes, with the final results of the branding initiative. I would like to thank all of the members that participated in the various focus groups that took place in March. The information that our consultants, McKinley Advisors, obtained from these focus groups was extremely helpful in determining FAR's new look.

As you can see the board, staff and committee members have been busy! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has worked on the many different projects that took place over this past program year that helped make FAR the outstanding networking organization that it is.

I hope to see you at a FAR luncheon or breakfast.




Susan Medick, CPA, CAE 
FAR Chair 

FAR May Luncheon - Registration ends Friday, May 13
Pam Furneaux, FAR Member and COO, Electronic Transaction Association
Panelists:
Amy Zirkle, Director of Industry Affairs, Electronic Transaction Association
Randy Tillum, CEO, Clarus Merchant Services
Todd Metheny, Senior Product Manager, SAGE 

Convenience, cost, security and customer preference - all questions on your mind as you consider merchant processing options.  Amy Zirkle, Director of Industry Affairs at ETA, Todd Metheny of Sage and Randy Tillim, CEO & Founder at Clarus Merchant Services will join moderator Pam Furneaux, COO at Electronic Transactions Association to present the key players, providers and the mechanics of the industry.  Their discussion will cover the status of the EMV migration and other payment security initiatives. 

At the end of the session, participants should be able to:
* Identify key parties among players and providers in merchant processing industry
* Review the mechanics of the industry
* Assess relevance of a variety of factors to judge potential impact on your bottom line
* Recognize the impact of EMV migration on security

When:
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 11:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where:
Capital Hilton | 1001 16th St., NW | Washington, DC 20005
Room: South American AB
(map)

This program will be  evaluated for CPE credit and for Continuing Education credit.

FAR is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.  Complaints regarding sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 34219-2417.  Web-site:  www.nasba.org.

For more information regarding refund, complaint, and program cancellation policies, please contact the FAR office at: 1325 G Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005 or email (hq@far-roundtable.org). There are no refunds or cancellations accepted after May 13, 2016. Field of Study:  Specialized Knowledge & Apps  Legal Program level is basic - update. There are no pre-requisites nor advanced preparation.  It is Group-Live delivery method. Sponsor ID: 109395
The Value of FAR Programs
By Mindy Saffer - FAR Vice-Chair, Program Committee Chair & Ruth Nybro, FAR Education Coordinator

Changes in Employment Law-threats to Cyber Security-the impact of elections on the economy- the expectation of the millenial workforce: FAR members face these issues and more as they lead their organizations in the metro DC region. Their staffs and their boards of directors look to them for leadership through these changes while they look to FAR for information, peer support and suggestions, and continuing professional development. 

What makes FAR Programs popular? Why have attendance and participation increased? In 2015 alone FAR mounted 8 educational programs with more than 800 attendees, 8 hours of CPE's available and more than 268 credit hours awarded. But the deeper value in FAR programs derives from the timeliness of the topics, the quality and commitment of the presenters, both paid and volunteer - and the mutual interest and support shared by those who attend. 

Core to FAR's culture is its generous and welcoming nature, evidenced in its programming. Members - both nonprofit and resource members - regularly reach out to a large and diverse network of experts in a wide range of topics. Moderators, panelists and expert speakers present state of the art perspectives, invite discussion and allow for their presentations to be posted and recorded for FAR members on FAR's website. 

FAR's program Committee is tasked with preparing the calendar of topics and securing speakers for the year's events. The committee solicits suggestions from members through the monthly feedback surveys, welcomes recommendations of speakers heard at other conferences and pays attention to news - political, legal, economic - that is likely to have some bearing on how FAR members lead their organizations. Just as important as responding to requests for topics is the awareness of what's coming down the pike. As one Board member remarked recently, "Program topics respond to expressed needs, but also keep me ahead of the game, giving me things I need that I haven't thought of yet." 

FAR luncheon programs offer a time for leadership to sit back and reflect , to put down the mantle of leadership to assess and address their own needs for growth in areas that range from principled leadership to specialized knowledge in technology, economic outlook and employment law. The presentations invite members to recognize what's not working anymore, to try on new perspectives, to adapt where market conditions require change, and to have the support of peers all with the mission of advancing nonprofit excellence in the metro DC region. FAR programs are practical, professional and personal. Their value is derived from "outside" through industry experts, authors and inspirational speakers, and nurtured from the "inside" through the generous and welcoming network of peers willing to share best practices, encouragement and support. 

We invite you to join us for our next luncheon program at Capital Hilton on Wednesday, May 18.
FAR June Luncheon - Registration will open late May
"LEADING CHANGE FROM THE INSIDE OUT"

Speaker: 
Seth Kahan, Visionary Leadership

Change management is often looked at as a project and implemented as if everyone will just go along. But, that's not how real change works. Change done right is a social movement. It travels on excitement and passion, which must be aroused for transformation to take place. Conversely, change lead through cold calculation mostly fails because it doesn't have the necessary support. My presentation will lay down the basic elements of starting and leading a social movement that gets change right, and leads to better business and more powerful mission impact.

When:
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 | 11:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where:
Capital Hilton | 1001 16th St., NW | Washington, DC 20005
Room: South American AB
(map)

This program will be  evaluated for CPE credit and for Continuing Education credit.

FAR is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.  Complaints regarding sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 34219-2417.  Web-site:  www.nasba.org.

For more information regarding refund, complaint, and program cancellation policies, please contact the FAR office at: 1325 G Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005 or email (hq@far-roundtable.org). There are no refunds or cancellations accepted after May 13, 2016. Field of Study:  Specialized Knowledge & Apps  Legal Program level is basic - update. There are no pre-requisites nor advanced preparation.  It is Group-Live delivery method. Sponsor ID: 109395
FAR Nonprofit Breakfasts

Topic: Wage Theft Act
Host: Johnson Lambert
When: Thursday, May 26, 2016 | 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. 
Where: AHRI, 2111 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
Topic: Project Management and Leveraging Existing Relationships
Host: AHT
When: Thursday, June 23, 2016 | 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Member Directory Coming This Summer!

The annual FAR Membership Directory will begin development in the coming weeks. Please log in to the FAR website and look over your member profile.  All edits and updates must be made by June 1. 

All edits and updates are the responsibility of the member. If you need assistance logging in to the FAR website, please contact hq@far-roundtable.org
Is Your Managed Services Provider Stuck in the 90s?
By Payam Pourkhomami, President & CEO, OSIbeyond

Once upon a time, if you had an IT issue, you would have to wait until the next scheduled on-site visit by the IT Support Technician to resolve it. 

The IT Support Technician (let's call him David) would be on-site on a predetermined day, to visit each staff member and resolve their IT issues.

David would then go to the server room/closet and "check the logs" to make sure the servers were in good health. Once David was done with his routine tasks, he would hang around (probably browsing the internet) since he was contracted to be on-site for the entire day. 

Evolution of Managed Services 
That was the 90s, the problem is that today there are still organizations that have the same arrangement with their Managed Services Provider (MSP), as they did 20 years ago. But it's not the fault of the customer, but rather the MSPs who have not evolved in their service delivery model over the last two decades. 
FAR Members in the News

Our members are busy! Check out the latest new about FAR member career recognition, helping in the community and much more! (Click here...)
THANK YOU TO OUR GOLD MEMBERS



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