ASCPA Public Service Award Recipient
by Heidi Frei
The Red Cross has always been there to offer assistance – after the tsunami hit Southeast Asia , following the hurricanes in Florida , and when the 9-11 tragedy struck America . They help by providing relief to victims of disaster, both locally and globally and heavily depend on volunteers to provide assistance. The ASCPA's 2004 Public Service Award Winner Kate Forbes is one of those volunteers.
Forbes is currently the National Chair of Volunteers, the top operational volunteer and partner to the President and CEO. Kate provides policy development and strategic leadership on volunteer issues, advocacy, and support for the more than one million volunteer workforce of the Red Cross.
Forbes recently completed her term on the National Board of Governors, serving as Vice Chair and Chairing the audit committee for four years. During the events of 9-11, the audit committee monitored the receipt and distribution of a $1 billion influx of funds, the largest single event donation in the history of the U.S. “During a period of heightened interest and exceptional external oversight, Kate's leadership, driven by her years of CPA experience and knowledge of our organization, helped establish a systematic foundation for our chapters to ensure proper stewardship of September 11th funds,” said Marsha Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross.
Her work did not stop with 9-11. Recognizing that many of the 1,000 American Red Cross Chapters did not have an effective audit committee, Forbes designed an Audit Committee Guide that has been used to increase the effectiveness of Audit Committees at the chapter level. “Because the American Red Cross receives a large number of donations and serves people throughout the country, it is very important that the finances are monitored. This will ensure that the money that is donated is used to serve the people who need it most,” said Forbes.
Forbes has also made an impact with the Red Cross internationally. As part of the delegation in Geneva she worked with the other 180 Societies to pass resolutions addressing: the problem of humanitarian workers being targets of terrorism in violation of the Geneva Convention, uniting humanitarian agencies and governments in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa by funding affordable medicine and coordinating relief efforts, and the failure of governments to comply with the Geneva Convention by properly accounting for missing in action and casualties of armed conflict.
She also headed a delegation to Viet Nam to meet with the U.S. Ambassador and Viet Nam Red Cross Society in 2003. The trip to Hanoi , Viet Nam had two purposes. The first was to meet with the Vietnamese Red Cross to review a program by the American Red Cross to assist those with severe disabilities while defusing potential Agent Orange claims. The second purpose was to meet with the U.S. Ambassador to initiate a feeding program that would be administered through the schools. According to Forbes, “Girls would have to come to school to get the food. This would encourage girls to become educated and assist the nutritional needs of families. If girls can stay in school until they are 10 years old, there is a higher probability that better hygiene practices can be taught to other family members thus reducing childhood deaths and preventable illness.”
Forbes' work with the American Red Cross has inspired others to get involved. “Her enthusiasm for and commitment to the goals of the organization influenced me to serve as a volunteer board member of my local chapter of the American Red Cross,” said Peggy Ullmann, CPA.
Forbes has also had a great impact with nonprofits locally. She is one of the founders of the Arizona State University Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management. The mission of Arizona State University 's Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management is to help build the capacity of social sector organizations to improve the quality of life in communities through research, education, and outreach activities. The Center provides knowledge and tools that enhance the effectiveness of those who lead and manage nonprofit organizations.
In 1997, Forbes met with Dr. Robert Ashcraft, a professor at ASU who taught in the field of nonprofit management, to discuss the lack of training for those who volunteered on nonprofit boards and nonprofit professionals who worked in the field. Dr. Ashcraft shared her concern, and together they decided to convene community leaders in the profit and nonprofit sectors to discuss the problem.
“Throughout our work together, Kate Forbes demonstrated an intellect, passion and keen understanding of the need for better-prepared nonprofit professionals. Her sense of public service was evident from the beginning and she was an immense help in teaming with me to approach a number of internal and external stakeholders to gain support for the Center's mission and activities,” said Ashcraft.
They brought 24 community leaders together to discuss the concerns and then conducted community focus groups from the sector to define the problem, identify possible training gaps and solutions. There was agreement that a Center was needed and the next step was to find funding. A white paper was drafted and submitted to ASU leadership and potential contributors. They approached the Kellogg Foundation with the concept and were accepted as part of a Building Bridges Initiative. Based on that work, a $1.3 million grant was given to ASU to start the Center. The Arizona Board of Regents approved the Center in 1999.
Forbes chaired the board of the Center from 1999-2003. During that time, the board worked to develop a graduate program, expanded the undergraduate program, helped build nonprofit capacity by developing a self-assessment process for nonprofit organizations, held an annual training session for nonprofit board chairmen and executives, and conducted research for Maricopa County regarding the nonprofit sector. They continued to meet to update their progress with the Kellogg Foundation and were successful in obtaining a second grant of $4.1 million to continue to grow the program and reach out to the community.
“The Center continues to thrive and build a national reputation but most important is training volunteers and staff to be more effective in using donor dollars and delivering much need services in Arizona ,” said Forbes. “We have come a long way from a breakfast with two concerned citizens at the Good Egg in 1997.”
The ASCPA will honor Kate Forbes at the Annual Meeting on May 6. Please join us in recognizing all of the great contributions Kate has made to the community.
Heidi Frei, MBA, is director of marketing and membership for the ASCPA.
For more information on the American Red Cross go to www.redcross.org. For more information on the ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management visit: www.asu. edu/copp/nonprofit.
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