CHHSM Partners Step Up to Provide Meaningful Annual Gathering for Member Ministries

The Annual Gathering app will help participants connect with events and each other.

In addition to the regular plenary and workshop sessions, attendees at CHHSM’s 81st Annual Gathering next month will be treated to a host of meals and receptions — which they will be able to track and organize with a user-friendly CHHSM Annual Gathering app — all thanks to the sponsorship of CHHSM partner organizations. The Annual Gathering takes place March 5-7 in Chicago.

Executive Sponsor Ziegler Investment Banking opted to return as a sponsor of the Annual Gathering because it appreciates “the opportunity to align with high-quality organizations who are doing great work every day,” says Lisa McCracken, director of senior living research and development. “The CHHSM members have great energy and meaningful relationships with one another. We aim to be a valuable partner with assisting the membership in advancing their missions for many years to come.”

Ziegler, a privately held investment bank specializing in the healthcare, senior living and education sectors, also will present a plenary session of the gathering. On Wednesday, March 6, Stephen Johnson, Ziegler’s managing director of sponsorship transition advisory practice, and Susan McDonough, Catholic elder card specialist for Ziegler, will lead “The Role of Faith, Mission and Heritage in Times of Consolidation.”

“The goal is for attendees to walk away from the session with an understanding of the uniqueness of the times we are in, but the ability for faith-based organizations to thrive during these times in partnership with one another,” McCracken says.

In addition to Ziegler, several partners are sponsoring specific events. CHHSM-member Retirement Housing Foundation is the sponsor of the March 5 dinner. “RHF often sponsors an event at the CHHSM annual meeting because we celebrate CHHSM’s legacy and mission of helping to make life better for all persons,” says the Rev. Laverne R. Joseph, president. “We believe that the Church has the responsibility of following the example of the Good Samaritan, and CHHSM is the front line for addressing that mission. The CHHSM Annual Gathering is a time for us to celebrate that high calling and to encourage one another in this important work.”

The UCC’s Cornerstone Fund, Church Building & Loan Fund, Insurance Board, and United Church Funds all are sponsoring events at the Annual Gathering. United Church Funds, sponsor of the March 6 luncheon, believes the sponsorship is part of serving as partners in ministry.

“United Church Funds is proud to serve as a sponsor of the 81st annual meeting of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries. We value the opportunity to serve CHHSM and its member organizations as the trusted, values-aligned investment manager that offers competitive performance and endowment solutions to support our clients’ missions,” says Donald G. Hart, president. “As the institutional investment ministry of the United Church of Christ, UCF offers a family of diversified investment funds and is committed to investing in companies that operate in a sustainable manner.”

The Cornerstone Fund, co-sponsor with the UCC Church Building & Loan Fund of the March 7 luncheon, finds the sponsorship one way to continue to build important relationships with CHHSM and its members.

“The United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund’s mission is to ‘join together in faith and to invest and build community,” says Maria C. Coyne, president and CEO. “It is our privilege to join together with CHHSM agencies like CHAMP Homes in Massachusetts, Uni-Pres Kindercottage in Missouri, and other CHHSM ministries to help them have an even greater impact on their communities — with both low-cost financing options and high-yield investments from the Cornerstone Fund.”

The Rev. Susan Mitchell, associate director for strategic initiatives for the Church Building & Loan Fund, sees the CB&LF partnership with CHHSM as critical. “The CB&LF/CHHSM partnership  and collaboration is important because we both believe in creating a  just, caring and compassionate world,” Mitchell says. “Specifically, CB&LF focuses on eradicating poverty and all forms that it exists. Where the two collaborate is in the area of affordable housing, which speaks to the call of Christ in Matthew 25:35-36.”

For Natalia Hernandez, account manager for CPS — the Group Purchasing Service behind the CHHSM Store — sponsoring the March 6 reception is an opportunity to inform CHHSM members of the services and resources the CHHSM Store can provide.

“As a sponsor, we want all CHHSM members to be aware of who we are, what we do, and the benefits we can bring to all communities and organizations,” says Hernandez. “We want to create relationships with all members … by developing strategies to decrease current costs.”

An App for All

Based on the success of its use at last year’s event, the CHHSM Annual Gathering app once again will be available to attendees. The app contains the schedule, maps to locations, speaker bios and contact information, says Paula Barker, CHHSM’s executive assistant for events and administration.

The app even features an Uber button, says CHHSM’s Paula Barker.

“Users will be able to see the meeting schedule and create a personal schedule of workshops they want to attend,” says Barker. “Guests can also take notes.”

Participants also will have the option of making their contact information available to other attendees. Event participants will be able to interact with each other through the app, connect to their social feeds, and upload photos into the app. They will be able to rate the workshops and plenary sessions in real time.

The app will allow attendees to “get real time notifications should any portion of the schedule change,” Barker adds. “There’s even an Uber button in the app.”

CHHSM partner Kittleman, the Chicago-based nonprofit executive search and recruiting firm, is the app sponsor. “Last year, I attended CHHSM’s Annual Gathering, and we are happy to continue this connection by sponsoring the CHHSM gathering’s app and by joining all at this year’s gathering,” says Michelle R.B. Saddler, principal at Kittleman. “Providing trusted caring and knowledgeable counsel to CHHSM members continues to reflect our values and culture. It is our pleasure and our calling to partner with and assist CHHSM members during critical transition periods when they need to identify and recruit a new executive director, president or CEO.”

The support of so many UCC and corporate partners is evidence of the power of working together, says Michael J. Readinger, CHHSM president and CEO.

“CHHSM members and partners bring inspiration to our servant leaders in order to transform the world through healing and mission ministries,” Readinger says. “Through our covenantal partnerships, we are all working together to create a just, caring and compassionate world.”

Learn more about the Annual Gathering.