Networking Services
This informal referral service keeps EFCL and, through it all community leagues, in touch with agencies from all orders of government, partner organizations such as sport associations and seniors' organizations, mediation resources and key stakeholder groups. EFCL networking also allows community leagues to stay abreast of the news, issues, and initiatives of the other leagues throughout the city.
EFCL's priority is to keep community leagues updated about pertinent government legislation, policies and programs that affect their operations.
Recruiting New League Members
All of our
activities and promotions are geared to raise the profile of Community Leagues and to ultimately attract and recruit new members. Our office receives calls from the public trying to join their League or wanting to get involved in programs and activities. EFCL assists them in reaching you and finding out about possibilities with Leagues.
Advocacy Activities
EFCL is involved in a number of areas of negotiation on behalf of community leagues. These include EFCL’s work with:
- Tripartite License Agreements
- Infrastructure Grants
- Operations Grants
- Community space arrangements with all Edmonton’s school boards
- Traffic management plans for speed reduction in neighbourhoods
- Booking for use of City Recreation Facilities
- Provincial Government meetings with MLAs to increase awareness and to lobby for resources for Leagues
- Federal Government meetings with MPs to increase awareness and to lobby for resources for Leagues
- many planning initiatives such as Smart Growth, walkability initiatives , and more. See our Partnerships page
Programs
EFCL periodically offers programs for the benefit of member community leagues. Examples include:
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Infrastructure Assessment Program. Community leagues can arrange for a structural and energy efficiency assessment of their hall at a subsidized rate.
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Communications/Marketing Program. Beginning in 2009, this is a new initiative for EFCL. The program will outline the basics of developing marketing and communications programs – including how to attract advertisers for websites and newsletters.
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Procurement of Sponsors, Suppliers and Advertisers. EFCL works to secure sponsors, suppliers and advertisers interested in supporting a range of community league events, activities and initiatives or offering very competitive rates for all EFCL member community leagues. Starting in 2009 we hosted a trade show of league suppliers which is very well received.
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Preferred Suppliers. insurance brokers Foster Park Baskett supply insurance coverage to EFCL and about 120 community leagues, Reynolds, Mirth, Richardson, & Farmer LLC provide legal advice and support, and Servus Credit Union has special account relations for Leagues and their members. Read more
Training and Education
Treasurer Training. EFCL’s financial advisor assists leagues with transitions for newly elected treasurers, accounting software recommendations and implementations, grant applications and more. Please contact Linda Crosby at 780-437-2913 or linda.crosby@efcl.org for your financial needs.
Planning Advisory. EFCL’s Planning and Development Committee reviews city-wide urban planning issues and makes recommendations to the Board and Membership. (See P&D Terms of Reference, and the Principles). The issues in the recent past have included a policy on residential light efficiency, distribution of group homes in neighbourhoods, affordable housing policy, Living Local – recreation facility planning, Transit-Oriented Development Framework, zoning bylaws to improve transitions between small and large built forms, and Family-Friendly Multi-Unit Housing. Visit Planning Matters for more information.
Workshops. EFCL works with other organizations to offer a variety of workshops. The annual Board Leadership Conference, held at Grant MacEwan College, is the keystone event, offering in-depth information on all aspects of league operations (e.g.) treasurer’s responsibilities, volunteer management, resolution of volunteer conflicts and strategic planning and marketing. We host social media workshops semi annually to help familiarize leagues with helpful tools such as meeting scheduling, twitter, facebook, and more.
Leagues Alive Conference. In 2012 EFCL hired its first Board Development Director who is negotiating the first ever Community League Specific Board Development day. The past trade shows hosted supplier seminars. The conference has evolved the education component to include position specific material that will offer something for everyone on the board, from newbie to seasoned board representatives.
Conflict Resolution. For Leagues that request intervention EFCL will attend meetings to help re-establish communications and get boards back on the properly governed track. Contact us
Memoranda of Understanding
Mediation Partnership. EFCL has developed a partnership with the Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre, which provides full counselling and mediation services for community league boards to help them avoid conflicts or deal with them appropriately when they arise. www.mrjc.ca
Edmonton Immigrant Services Association. (EISA) is a not for profit organization that provides services to new immigrants, refugees and first generation Canadians. www.eisa-edmonton.org
Promotional Services & Outreach
EFCL offers a number of events & promotions to help raise the profile of community league activities:
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Community League Day - City Wide membership campaign and promotion of local events.
- Wellness Program with the City of Edmonton. EFCL has arranged for discounted fees for community league members. See recreation facilities for more benefits at facilities.
- City-Wide Publications. EFCL periodically places material in Edmonton Public Libraries, distributes news through schools, and runs advertisements in the Examiner, the Sun, and E Active guide. For Community League Day we and for the Winter Events promotions we run ads and inserts.
- NextGen Outreach. We liaise regularly with Edmonton's NextGen to promote leagues to this largely untapped demographic. 2012 we are hosting networking sessions, and in 2010 the NextGen Challenge was a great beginning to our program.
- Cultural Outreach. In 2011 we hired outreach workers from several ethnicities and began our work to promote involvement of our diverse cultures in the league. Applications for continuing the program are underway in 2012. Please review our pilot project details. Read the news article about our Aboriginal Connections.
- Senior Outreach. EFCL is cooperating with Senior Associations to promote integration and involvement of seniors in Leagues. At our AGM in April 2012, we requested Leagues to ensure they engage a senior in their area to be the Seniors Director.
- Arts & History Engagement. Since 2010 we have been working with the Arts Council and since 2011 with the Heritage Council to promote active engagement of local artists and historians by Community Leagues. The Living Local Arts & Heritage Grant ran successfully in 2011, will be repeated in 2012, and we hope will flourish well into the future.
Administrative Services
EFCL Staff support
. EFCL staff are a valuable resource to community league board members, offering advice by phone and attending sessions or meetings when required and as they are available. The EFCL office, at 7103 – 105 Street, is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Membership Supplies. EFCL coordinates all membership supplies. This includes bulk purchase of membership cards, skate tags, brochures and point-of-purchase membership posters.
Community League Bylaw Storage. EFCL keeps copies of most community leagues’ bylaws. Please forward us a copy if you submit new changes to the registries.
EFCL Library. EFCL’s library, accessible to community league board members on request, contains historic EFCL materials and current resource materials. EFCL also offers a wide variety of online resources on its website. Documents stored at www.efcl.org / Resources / Resource Library
Celebration and Recognition Services
EFCL regularly hosts showcase and volunteer recognition events where key members of community leagues are acknowledged for their contributions and provided with a memento for their service. We have also held a presidents dinner. Showcase Highlights
Online Services
Community League Membership Purchase. Getting with the new millennium and streamlining administrative processes, has lead EFCL to offer online Membership Purchase, effective May 2009. We will be issuing the cards effective May 3, 2012. The process again is simple:
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The parents who need a League Membership in a hurry for various reasons go to our league directory.
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The purchaser will enter their postal code in a field and their appropriate league and a link to purchase a membership appears.
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They are encouraged to approach the league directly.
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Once they choose to purchase the membership online, they must select from options available such as Family, Single, or Senior membership.
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They proceed to Paypal and an administrative fee will be added to cover our administrative costs such as Paypal fees, cheques, and administrative charges.
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An order confirmation is e-mailed to the league to notify them a purchase has been made and they may contact their new member with any upcoming events, skate tags, and league meeting times, etc.
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At the same time, an order confirmation is emailed to EFCL and a receipt and a card to the purchaser.
The league still has a right to refuse membership. Every league should verify the address and appropriate league with ID. Abuse of incorrect addresses for cheaper memberships should be reported to EFCL and will result in blacklisted purchases.
We suggest that leagues use this opportunity to invite new members to a meeting and to volunteer.
On a set schedule, EFCL will forward a cheque for the fees owed to each league. We will advise when we decide on dates.
Supplier Marketplace. EFCL has provided a location for Leagues to help other Leagues and local businesses by referring a supplier who has done a great job for them.
Events & Activities. In our calendar of activities we list community league meeting times, EFCL & City workshops, and EFCL special dates. You can also RSVP and enroll for our meetings and events in the calendar such as our EFCL AGM and EFCL RGM.
Community Classifieds. Buy, sell, trade, or seek help here. This bulletin board is open to registered users. Any content that is not community oriented is monitored.
Membership Supplies. League Members who have identified themselves as membership directors or presidents can view and order from our membership catalogue - a new one will be posted in December or January. The process is simple, select items, view your cart to adjust quantities, checkout and enter shipping information, and submit. You will receive a purchase order copy and your league will be invoiced. We acknowledge and clarify any details, and have tips along the whole way.
Registered Users. We protect all information gathered through the registration process. It gives you power to add yourself to certain distribution lists or to participate in forums, enroll for events in our calendar, and have access to special community league member eyes only sections. Tips on how to register are in our FAQ or click Register at the top right of the page. Most of our services below require registration.
Surveys. For the betterment of the community, EFCL and / or the City of Edmonton organize surveys to gather input on issues as diverse as recreation or planning matters. We use these tools in decision making, both on our actions as your umbrella organization, and as consultant to the City for programs, policy, and planning. Presidents are invited always to participate. If the president is already registered, view of the survey is automatic as each arises. Occasionally we consult other board members, and again, if they have registered and identified their position in their profile, they too will be automatically added and informed.
Forums. On some subject we offer forums for you to see and share ideas among fellow community league members. This is a great opportunity to get some input. If desired, you can be notified when responses to your questions and comments are received.
League E-mail. We recommend that all community leagues have at least one email that is checked regularly that we can post in our league directory. Use general addresses in preference to a personal email, such as BalwinCLInfo@ gmail.com or ritchie @ yahoo.com . Best is to get your domain and use a service to provide e-mails like president @ woodvale.org or treasurer @ baturyn.com For tips on use of emails check our Resource page on Effective Communications