Symposium Info

The symposium will have three tracks:

• Governance
• Training Programs
• Race Directing

Governance will be formal training in the morning. Race Directing and Training Programs will each be half day, each with three sessions in the afternoon.

The Training Programs and Race Directing sessions be one hour to cover as much material as possible and allow participation in either track as appropriate to your interests. These sessions will generally be about 50% case study from the facilitator’s experience, and 50% questions / answers / experience sharing by the participants. Facilitators will be members of area clubs for all but the Nonprofit Governance Training session.

Governance

Governance simply means how your running club is operated and managed to carry out the club’s mission, including setting the mission, budgeting, financial oversight, policy development, effective board organization, etc. 

Nonprofit Governance Training

Trainer: Pat Hanberry, Hanberry Associates, LLC

This three hour session will be led by Pat Hanberry of Hanberry Associates, LLC, a professional trainer for nonprofit governance. Pat will cover the following topics:

• primary duties of nonprofit boards
• nonprofit board member responsibilities
• finance and budgeting
• policies
• recruiting and retaining board members

Training Programs

Many clubs offer training programs to their members as a core service. 

Setting Up a Training Program

Facilitator: Heidi Novak, Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club

This one hour session will include topics on how to set up a training program.

• registration for the program
• setting up a training plan
• communication to participants
• road safety for group running

Training Programs as a Club Business

Facilitator: Cecilia Murach, Howard County Striders

This one hour session discusses how to use training programs as a way to bring in club revenue.

• How to make training programs attractive to runners (who may not think they need or want to pay for a training program)
• Training programs as a way to build your club’s membership
• obtaining outside Sponsorship of training program (local businesses can access runners before/after training session)
• building training programs to “feed into” (or train members for) your own races
• how to price your training program (or at least not lose money)

Recruiting and Training Volunteer Coaches

Facilitator: Faye Weaver, Howard County Striders

• what makes a good coach
• what makes a good training program coordinator
• following RRCA coaches guidelines
• important safety issues for coaches (AED, first aid, etc.)
• general knowledge of exercise physiology and progression of training
• male/female ratio (unless female-only training program!) experience/new

Race Directing

Many clubs put on races as part of their mission.

Race Directing 101

Facilitator: Harriet Langlois, Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club

This one hour session provides an overview on what is involved to put on a race. This will include, but not be limited to the following.

• budgets and finances
• staying organized
• marketing and promotion
• participant registration and communications
• volunteers
• timing and scoring
• awards

Budget and Finances

Facilitator: Karen Kincer, Montgomery County Road Runners Club

This one hour session explores what factors go into a race budget, who’s in charge of the race budget and how to use your budget as a tool for planning, decision making and measurement.

• Income and Expenses – What’s in a race budget anyway?
• Spreadsheets, Bookkeeping and Risk Management – Keeping track of income and expenses
• The Budget as a Tool – Using your budget to balance needs, nice to haves and dreams

Marketing and Promotion

Facilitators: Harriet Langlois & Lou King, Frederick Steeplechasers Running Club

This one hour session dives into how to market and promote the race.

• social media
• mass emails
• online calendars
• posters, postcards and business cards

Schedule

Please give yourself plenty of time to get checked in and have a snack before your session. If you’re coming for the afternoon session, please give yourself time before lunch to get checked in. Lunch will be served in the Community Life Center.

	Community Life Center	Room 303
9:00	Governance Training
12:00	Lunch
1:00	Race Directing 101	Setting Up a Training Program
2:00	Race Budget and Finances	Training Programs as a Club Business
3:00	Race Marketing and Promotion	Recruiting and Training Volunteer Coaches