COURSE DESCRIPTION

The 501c League’s inaugural, live online course, The Ethical Nonprofit, is for nonprofit leaders interested in advancing ethical practices. As part of its mission to advocate for high ethical leadership, The 501c League presents this one-hour course to equip association executives and other nonprofit leaders with best practices for making ethical decisions. This online course is eligible for one (1) CAE credit hour and will fulfill the 2020 CAE ethics requirement for renewal. 

Presented by Cheryl Ronk, CAE, president of So Right LLC, and Cecilia Sepp, CAE, chief executive officer and founder of The 501c League, this interactive course will provide the opportunity to engage with experts and fellow peers in real time and to tackle some of the most challenging ethical issues in leadership today.

The course will cover the following topics:

• What is Ethics? 
• Why is Ethics Important in the Association and Nonprofit Sector? 
• The Six Pillars of Character 
• Seven-Step Model of Ethics from The Josephson Institute
• Common Misconceptions about Copyright Ownership, Convention Property Shopping, and Entrepreneurial Ideas 
• A Closer Look at Consistent Ethical Standards for All Situations 
• Case Studies for Ethical Situations: 
  • Big Bang Theory for Nobel Prize 
  • Making Ethical Decisions

Now is the time to create a consistent message on ethics within the association sector. Historically, ethical leadership has been limited to association executives doing the most with the least to provide the highest value with members’ resources. As a result, practices have occurred that call into question the knowledge of ethics. Being the leaders of leaders, as every association executive is, it is important to set the example of the highest ethical standards. If you would like to discover how to improve ethical practices in your nonprofit organization, association or industry, then this online course is for you. 

Register today for September 10 session!

PRESENTERS

Cheryl Ronk, CAE

Cheryl Ronk, CAE, is the president of So Right LLC and former president of the Michigan Society of Association Executives where she served for over 25 years. She is a highly recognized national leader in association management certification training. She became a Certified Association Executive in 1995 and a Certified Meeting Professional in 2003. Cheryl co-chaired the American Society of Association Executives 2015 annual meeting planning committee in Detroit. She has been a trustee of Burcham Hills Retirement Center II since November 2014, and is a current member of The 501c League. Cheryl earned a bachelor's degree at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and a master's degree in educational leadership at Western Michigan University.

Cecilia Sepp, CAE

Cecilia Sepp, CAE, is the chief executive officer and founder of The 501c League and principal and founder of Rogue Tulips LLC. She brings over three decades of experience to the association management profession, having served as a staff member at professional societies, trade associations, and a nonprofit dance organization. For 12 years, she consulted to a variety of professional and trade associations, focusing on strategy development and research. An experienced CEO, Cecilia frequently speaks and writes on a variety of association management topics. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science with an adjunct in management from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. She became a Certified Association Executive in June 2015 and completed the Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP) certificate program in 2018.

RESOURCES

The material required for this course is the book, Making Ethical Decisions, by Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. This comprehensive primer examines the hows and whys of making choices that are ethical. With realistic examples and a step-by-step decision-making model, this easy-to-read booklet is ideal for the individual reader or as a training resource for any organization that wishes to help its employees find the way through difficult issues to successful choices. This resource is included with the registration fee.