Supervisory Skills Certificate Series: Winter 2025

HSF’s most popular workshop series is returning for 2025.

Give new supervisors the skills they need to succeed.  If you are planning on promoting, or have just promoted someone to a supervisory position help them hit the ground running with this 8 week course.  With HSF’s strong team of seasoned presenters covering a wide range of knowledge from different points of view, we cover theory, soft skills, and hard facts.  Conversation topics range from harassment law and insurance liability to finding common purpose in a team and how to show faith in those who work for you, and much much more.

Register an individual who is eligible for a certificate, or a space for your agency to send someone different to each session depending on who the topic will benefit most.

This series is presented virtually over Zoom. Series runs 8 consecutive weeks starting Thursday January 23rd  9am-12:30pm all session.  Full series is $600 for members, $1200 for nonmembers.

 

SERIES TOPICS:

  • Lead with Influence

Whether they mean to or not, each person exerts influence over others.  With this session learn 10 steps a person could take to add intentionality to that and influence people like a leader. Create a sphere of impact that leaves a lasting positing impression on those you work closely with, leading to them influencing others positively as well.

Presented by Will Weche; Willful Change LLC

  • Employment Law

Avoid missteps that can lead to expensive and time-consuming litigation.  Learn from practicing attorneys on the wording of the law, along with how that wording is actually applied. Covering a wide range of subjects to clear up misconceptions and acknowledging pitfalls, this session is packed with useful information that every organization needs.

Presented by Skoler-Abbott

  • Culturally Responsive Supervision

Join us as we take a deep look at the many aspects that make up our identities and how they impact our leadership,  our organizations and the people we serve.  Improve our skills in having conversations about our differences in a way that encourages learning and growth while building intersectional resilience.  We will strengthen our ability to have important dialogues, navigate predictable tensions and avoid pitfalls that lead to disconnection. This session helps supervisors cultivate trusting, creative and connected diverse working relationships.

Presented by Regi Wingo and JAC Patriss; Growing a New Heart

  • Team Building and Conflict Resolution

Through discussions that will include team activities and individual reflection, forge a shared understanding of team-building and the essential skills for conflict resolution and negotiation that facilitate the development of strong, cohesive, effective teams. Make your team stronger than the sum of their parts, drive unity, and be able to address conflict when it does happen.

Presented by Dr. Lucie Lewis and Janine Fondon

  • Liability and Benefit

Gain a better understanding of Insurance, and how it affects you, your team and your organizations. Understand what coverage you have, and might need, in a variety of situations from daily operations to special fundraising events.  Learn the various forms of benefits available to understand what you have and be able to help explain to your team what their options are.

Presented by Ben Garvey and Val Francis; Hub International

  • Cyber Security

With the threat of cyber attacks continuing to rise, with an increased focus on social engineering, no one can afford to hide their heads in the sand and pretend that everything is ok.  With a focus on practical, simple, daily steps that one can take, this session seeks to minimize risk to you, your organization, and your clients.

Presented by Chris Wisneski; Whittlesey

  • Leadership Communication

This session looks at the building blocks of communicating clear messages to others.  In a core aspect of leadership that is often taken for granted, those who excel at communicating often excel in supervision.  Learn to avoid noise and interference, and how to properly process feedback to fine tune your messages for clearer understanding.

Presented by Jeff Tingley; Human Service Forum

  • Retention: Rewards and Accountability

People don’t leave jobs; they leave bad supervisors. This session puts a focus on how a supervisor can strengthen and grow those who report to them, creating an environment where employees want to stay.  Covering how to multiple the strengths of your team, how to discipline in a way that productive, and how to praise, we will learn how to create a work environment centered on retention.

Presented by Diana Brooks; Diana Brooks Associates

Supervisory Skills Series Sponsor:

 

 

HSF Annual Sponsors:

Arbor Associates     The Beveridge Family Foundation     BHN
Guidewire     Hub International New England
Wayfinders    Whittlesey

HSF BREAKFAST: Ethical Uses of A.I.: Asking the Hard Questions

Tuesday November 12th 7:30am- 10:00pm

Willits Hallowell Center, South Hadley

HSF is happy to welcome Ankit Virimani, international expert in the field of ethical uses of generative AI.  Ankit will be giving a brief keynote discussing advances in AI technology for use in the non-profit field and on the issues and challenges being discussed on a broad scale. You are being invited to join in a conversation to presenting him with the hard challenging questions that are your personal hesitations/stumbling blocks/fears to see if we can address them together.

Join us for breakfast, insightful conversation, and networking. Email jtingley@humanserviceforum.org for diet restrictions or other accommodations.

$45 for HSF Members     $65 for Not Yet Members

Thank you to Our Breakfast Sponsors

 

 

 

 

Thank You to Our Annual Sponsors

 

 

Celebrating the Why

HSF proudly presents our new Recruitment and Retention Series. This series designed for HR Professionals and Executive level Managers takes a deep dive in six topics to help find and keep the right people for your organization.
From understand why you gravitate towards some people, to understanding your “why” so you can instill it in others, we take a deep dive with a diverse team of experts.

The most requested topics for workshops are ones centered around recruitment and retention.  You asked, we listened!

Select individual sessions or save by selecting the full series.  Select an agency spot, and send a different person to each training.

Series dates and Topics (detailed descriptions being added as they come in): 

  • Celebrating the Why- On 12/4

Want to know why your work is really important? This workshop will help you dig deep into your organization’s story. We’ll talk about how understanding your mission and values can light a fire within you. Discover how a clear sense of purpose can attract the right people, inspire innovation, and build lasting connections. Learn the art of storytelling to share your passion with the world and make a real difference.

Presented by Becca Coolong- Human Service Forum

  • Job Descriptions, Evals, and Expectations Through an Equity Lens- on 12/11

Objectives

  1. Recognize systems that exist which are directly responsible for invisible barriers
  2. Explore their personal bias and articulate its contributions to conflict and non-productivity in the workplace.
  3. Demonstrate cultural awareness and competence.
  4. Identify language and terms that are harmful and offensive.

Learning Outcomes

    1. Evaluate an organization’s hierarchy and how those structures do not add to building equity and belonging.
    2. Understand Affirmative Action on a deeper level.
    3. Gain a greater understanding of your cultural values, biases, and behaviors and how they impact your interactions amidst diversity.
    4. Explore how language and communication influence whom you attract to your business.
    5. Expand knowledge of policy and systems that innately keep some folks out.

Presented by Traci Talbert- African American Female Presenter Award Association

9am- 12:30pm all session

$600 HSF Members

$1200 Not Yet Members

 

HSF Training Sponsors

HSF Annual Sponsors

Creating a Program of Employee Wellness and Support

HSF proudly presents our new Recruitment and Retention Series. This series designed for HR Professionals and Executive level Managers takes a deep dive in six topics to help find and keep the right people for your organization.
From understand why you gravitate towards some people, to understanding your “why” so you can instill it in others, we take a deep dive with a diverse team of experts.

The most requested topics for workshops are ones centered around recruitment and retention.  You asked, we listened!

Select individual sessions or save by selecting the full series.  Select an agency spot, and send a different person to each training.

  • Creating a Program of Employee Wellness and Support- on 11/20

Presented by Val Francis and Nicole Polite- Hub International

  • Celebrating the Why- On 12/4

Want to know why your work is really important? This workshop will help you dig deep into your organization’s story. We’ll talk about how understanding your mission and values can light a fire within you. Discover how a clear sense of purpose can attract the right people, inspire innovation, and build lasting connections. Learn the art of storytelling to share your passion with the world and make a real difference.

Presented by Becca Coolong- Human Service Forum

  • Job Descriptions, Evals, and Expectations Through an Equity Lens- on 12/11

Objectives

  1. Recognize systems that exist which are directly responsible for invisible barriers
  2. Explore their personal bias and articulate its contributions to conflict and non-productivity in the workplace.
  3. Demonstrate cultural awareness and competence.
  4. Identify language and terms that are harmful and offensive.

Learning Outcomes

    1. Evaluate an organization’s hierarchy and how those structures do not add to building equity and belonging.
    2. Understand Affirmative Action on a deeper level.
    3. Gain a greater understanding of your cultural values, biases, and behaviors and how they impact your interactions amidst diversity.
    4. Explore how language and communication influence whom you attract to your business.
    5. Expand knowledge of policy and systems that innately keep some folks out.

Presented by Traci Talbert- African American Female Presenter Award Association

9am- 12:30pm all session

$600 HSF Members

$1200 Not Yet Members

 

HSF Training Sponsors

HSF Annual Sponsors

Job Descriptions, Evals, and Expectations Through an Equity Lens

Objectives

  1. Recognize systems that exist which are directly responsible for invisible barriers
  2. Explore their personal bias and articulate its contributions to conflict and non-productivity in the workplace.
  3. Demonstrate cultural awareness and competence.
  4. Identify language and terms that are harmful and offensive.

Learning Outcomes

    1. Evaluate an organization’s hierarchy and how those structures do not add to building equity and belonging.
    2. Understand Affirmative Action on a deeper level.
    3. Gain a greater understanding of your cultural values, biases, and behaviors and how they impact your interactions amidst diversity.
    4. Explore how language and communication influence whom you attract to your business.
    5. Expand knowledge of policy and systems that innately keep some folks out.

Presented by Traci Talbert- African American Female Presenter Award Association

9am- 12:30pm

$120 HSF Members

$240 Not Yet Members

 

HSF Training Sponsors

HSF Annual Sponsors