Fall Workshops (2026)

AFOA Atlantic Fall Workshops

Join AFOA Atlantic this fall as we host the workshops outlined below! These events are sure to educate and inspire those working on behalf of First Nations communities.

Workload Management Training (Wed, Sep 9)

Members and non-members are welcome to join us for this workshop facilitated by Detry Carragher with Carvo Group.

Workshop Description:

Workload Management Training gives leaders, administrators and staff practical tools to prioritize, delegate, and protect capacity in workplaces where one person routinely covers what would be three or four roles anywhere else. This isn’t generic time-management content; it’s built around the specific pressures of running an Indigenous-based organization, where funder reporting cycles, community
pressures, and day-to-day operations all compete for the same small team.

Workload pressure also looks different here because saying no is different here. In a workplace built on relationships and accountability to community, turning down a request from a Chief, Council member, an Elder, or a community member can read as disrespect rather than a reasonable boundary. This session doesn’t ask participants to import a corporate productivity system that assumes anonymity and hierarchy; it builds prioritization, delegation, and boundary-setting skills that work inside a relational governance structure.

The day also addresses a newer pressure: shifting expectations around new tools, including AI, that are starting to show up in funder requirements, board expectations, and everyday work. That’s covered deliberately as one practical piece of the day, not the focus of it, so participants leave knowing where a tool like AI can responsibly take work off their plate, and where judgment and data sovereignty mean it shouldn’t be used at all.

Location: Delta Dartmouth
Fee: Members – $250 / Non members – $450
Deadline: Please register by August 31

Building Capacity for Nation Success (Thu, Sep 10)

Members and non-members are welcome to join us for this workshop facilitated by MNP!

Workshop Description:

This collaborative, one-day learning experience is designed for First Nations administrators, managers, staff, and organizational leaders who play a key role in supporting the success of their Nation and community. Participants will explore practical approaches to strengthening governance, leadership, management, and organizational capacity in a way that reflects the values, traditions, priorities, and unique realities of their Nation.

Built around the Nation Capacity Framework, the workshop examines how organizations can govern well by establishing structures and accountabilities that support the Nation’s vision, lead well by developing leaders who inspire and strengthen their teams, manage well by creating systems that support people and results, and grow well by building capacity for future generations. A guiding principle throughout the session is Nation Cultural Alignment, recognizing that governance structures, leadership approaches, management practices, and organizational systems should be grounded in the Nation’s identity, values, traditions, language, and community priorities. Through interactive discussions, practical examples, and collaborative learning, participants will gain tools and insights to help build stronger, culturally aligned organizations that deliver sustainable results for their Nations and communities.

Location: Delta Dartmouth
Fee: Members – $250 / Non members – $450
Deadline: Please register by August 31

Employee Records – From Hire to Retire (Tue, Sep 22)

Members and non-members are welcome to join us for this workshop facilitated by Detry Carragher with Carvo Group.

Workshop Description:

Employee Records: From Hire to Retire gives leaders, administrators, and HR staff a practical, complete system for building and maintaining employee files across the full life of employment, from the first job posting to the last day of work. Most administrations inherit their records practices from whoever held the role before, which means gaps, inconsistency, and real exposure at audit or funder review time. This session replaces that with a clear, repeatable standard anyone stepping into the role could pick up and follow.

Recordkeeping also carries a different weight inside an Indigenous organization. The person managing a file may be related to, or know personally, the employee it belongs to. There is typically no anonymous HR department down the hall, and information travels fast in a small community. This session treats confidentiality and access as a practical, everyday skill rather than a policy line item, and builds habits that protect both the employee and the organization without turning recordkeeping into something cold or adversarial.

The day is built around the real shape of employment, not a generic HR compliance checklist: what belongs in a file at hire, what needs to stay current throughout employment, how to protect it appropriately, and how to close it properly at termination, resignation, or retirement, including what the law requires you to keep, for how long, and how to dispose of it safely.

Location: Four Points by Sheraton Moncton
Fee: Members – $250 / Non members – $450
Deadline: Please register by September 12

Attendance Support Program Training (Wed, Sep 23)

Members and non-members are welcome to join us for this workshop facilitated by Detry Carragher with Carvo Group.

Workshop Description:

Attendance Support Program Training gives leaders and administrators a practical, supportive approach to attendance issues; one built to help employees back to regular attendance rather than jump straight to discipline. In a small administration, even one person’s absence is immediately felt in service to community, which makes attendance a real operational issue. But it’s rarely a simple one: grief, ceremonial obligations, caregiving for family and Elders, and health impacts all show up in attendance patterns in ways a generic no-fault attendance policy was never built to recognize.

This session doesn’t ask leaders to choose between accountability and compassion. It builds a program that distinguishes genuine, supportable absence from a pattern that needs a different conversation, meets legal duty-to-accommodate obligations with real care, and only moves to formal steps when earlier support hasn’t resolved the issue. Every stage is built for a workplace where the person on the attendance program is still a relative, neighbour, or community member tomorrow.

Participants leave with knowing how to hold early conversations, what to document (and what not to), and where the line sits between reasonable accommodation and a pattern that needs to be addressed formally.

Location: Four Points by Sheraton Moncton
Fee: Members – $250 / Non members – $450
Deadline: Please register by September 12

Budgeting, Forecasting and Variance Analysis/Funding Agreements and Compliance (Oct 14-15)

Members and non-members are welcome to join us for this workshop facilitated by AFOA Canada! There are 30 seats available for this course.

Day 1 – Workshop Learning Objectives:

This module aims to provide the participant with a fundamental knowledge of basic budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis. This workshop is intended to provide an understanding of the budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis processes and their importance for the effective and efficient management of the organization’s financial affairs. Exercises are designed to gauge how well you have learned and understood the manual material in relation to the learning objectives. The materials for this module have been drawn from a wide variety of sources and are as current as possible.

Upon successful completion of this Workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the concept of budget decision-making frameworks and the benefits of effective budgeting processes.
  Understand common issues arising in the budgeting process and be able to identify issues that might impede the effectiveness of the budgeting process.
• Understand the purpose of multi-year operational and capital budgets, and the distinctions from annual operating budgets.
  Understand the purpose of both mid-year and long-term financial forecasting, and the relationship between forecasting and cash/treasury management.
• Have basic comprehension of the tools used for mid-year forecasts of expenditures, revenues and cash requirements, and be able to identify common variables and assumptions considered/included in forecasts.
• Examine methods of variance , including budget to actual, horizontal/historical, and vertical (point-in-time) analysis and how this information supports management decision-making and financial oversight.

Day 2 – Workshop Learning Objectives:

The Funding Agreements & Compliance Workshop portion provides practical training on managing Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) funding agreements. Designed for experienced First Nations and Indigenous financial managers, this course focuses on real-world scenarios, proactive risk reduction, and high-level awareness of compliance rules rather than technical accounting.

This course is built for experienced First Nation and Indigenous finance officers, managers, directors, CFOs, and leaders who negotiate, implement, or monitor funding agreements. It assumes a basic familiarity with Indigenous financial management and contribution agreements.

Upon successful completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand Funding Models: Distinguish between different funding arrangements (Set, Fixed, Flexible, and Block contribution funding, as well as Grants like the 10-Year Grant) and evaluate what each model means for flexibility, accountability, and risk in a community context.
• Interpret Agreement Terms: Read and understand key funding agreement clauses, including attached conditions (permitted uses, reporting requirements) and enforcement or default provisions outlining consequences for non-compliance.
• Manage Eligible Expenditures & Carry-Forwards: Apply rules governing allowed expenditures, moving funds between budget categories or program areas, handling year-end unspent funds, and meeting conditions for carrying funds forward to future years.
• Recognize Intersecting Financial Responsibilities: Maintain high-level awareness of how funding agreements intersect with broader responsibilities like payroll tax remittances, sales tax (GST/HST) obligations, and mandatory corporate filings.
• Identify When to Escalate to Specialists: Determine when agreement issues or financial obligations require consultation with specialists (auditors, accountants, tax advisors, or legal counsel) and locate appropriate support resources.
• Apply Strategies to Real-World Scenarios: Analyze realistic scenarios faced by Indigenous governments, identify compliance issues or risks, and formulate strategies to address and prevent them.

This workshop utilizes a series of structured exercises, group discussions and scenario-based assignments.

Location: Delta Dartmouth
Fee: Members – $350 / Non members – $750
Deadline: Please register by September 30