Member Column

• All About Employee Handbooks
• Oregon Community Foundation Giving in Oregon Survey-Fall 2009

What's New

• Sunriver Resort Holiday Party Package
  
• Lahaina Galleries “Annual Holiday Show”
  
• Central Oregon Women's Expo Returns in 2010
  
• Visiting Angels in Bend Celebrates 2-Year Anniversary
  
• Time to Volunteer
  
• Eastlake Framing Celebrates its Silver Anniversary
  
• Get Control of Email
  
• The Bi-Annual Oregon AFL-CIO Convention Sets New Attendance Record
• NeighborImpact Opens New Office in Bend
• Central Oregon Wedding & Event Show
  
• Integra Telecom Selected for PHONE + Ballot
  
• Feed Your Family, Restore the Planet
  

Bend Chamber Calendar of Events

• Complete list of Chamber events from November 16- December 31, 2009
  
  

All About Employee Handbooks

     Many of us who manage small organizations consciously try to operate without the rules and regulations of large companies. However, as organizations grow, issues often become more complex, resulting in the need to define standards and policies. Even with as few as six employees, stating expectations and policies in writing helps prevent misunderstandings and ensure fairness. A properly composed, well written employee handbook is an effective way to meet the need to effectively communicate information to all employees.
     If you don’t have a handbook, or you copied and pasted from a colleague’s handbook, or if you have not updated your handbook to reflect the recent employment law changes and technology advances, read on.
     We are not talking about a lengthy, legalistic set of rules; but rather a comprehensive, easy to read resource for employees and managers/owners. Developing an employee handbook is an opportunity to examine and align practices, policies and values.
     An employee handbook should:

• Express company history, mission, values and culture;
• Clearly communicate information that is relevant and important to employees;
• Address federal and state employment laws;
• Articulate company expectations and employee benefits;
• Help to orientate new employees, and answer many typical questions;
• Guide managers to consistent policy application and legal compliance.

     It is important to include legal disclaimers, such as at-will, non-contract, right to revise, etc. It is also important to write in a clear non-technical style that encourages employees to read and aids understanding. While you do not want your attorney to write the handbook, review by legal counsel is prudent. Organize the handbook in sections and include a table of contents. While headings vary, a handbook typically includes the following sections:

• Welcome and Employer Information
• Employment Policies and Issues
• Compensation
• Benefits
• Safety and Security

Oregon Community Foundation Giving in Oregon Survey-Fall 2009

     The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) released findings from an August/September 2009 survey of 134 Oregon nonprofit organizations about the impact of the economic recession on donations, demand for services, and cost-saving measures.
     The findings from the sample include the following:

• Demand for nonprofits’ services has increased by 12 percent on average since July 2008. Education and social service organizations reported the largest increases in demand, averaging 17 percent.
• Private giving declined for about half of the organizations surveyed.
• 61 percent of arts and culture organizations and 54 percent of social service organizations saw contributions decline in 2009, while 41 percent of education and environment and civic engagement organizations saw contributions decline.
• 78 percent of survey respondents have implemented cost cutting measures to make up for lost revenue.
• Oregonians who are able to give are doing so. Comments from survey participants suggest that more donors are giving smaller amounts.

     The survey findings have several implications:

• Donors have shifted support to different organizations in these hard economic times. For example, 41 percent of the education organizations that responded to the survey reported decreased donations in the first half of 2009 compared with the first half of 2008, while 61 percent of arts and culture organizations saw contributions decline.
• Most nonprofit organizations are under some degree of fiscal stress, likely due in part to decreases in fee income and government revenue as well as declines in private contributions.
• Some nonprofit organizations have been able to increase contributions despite the recession. Survey responses suggest that many nonprofit leaders quickly took steps to balance organizational budgets while continuing to provide services.

What's New

Sunriver Resort Holiday Party Package

     Put a Sunriver spin on this year's holiday get-together. Sunriver Resort has put together a party package full of holiday cheer. Book by November 20 and you’ll also get complimentary hors d'oeuvres for the first half-hour of your event.
      Plus, since it’s the season of giving, we’ll be donating five percent of the pre-tax and pre-gratuity revenues from your event to the local charity of your choice.
     $179 per room, double occupancy and the package includes:

• Lodge Village guestroom, including taxes/fees
• Three-course plated dinner for two with gratuity
• $20 breakfast credit to use at any resort outlet
• Room rental
• Bartender fee
• Holiday linens and décor
• Five percent donation to local charity

     Valid through February 2010 based on space availability. For more information, or to book call 800-862-7212.

Lahaina Galleries “Annual Holiday Show”

     Lahaina Galleries "Annual Holiday Show" will occur on December 4, First Friday Art Walk from 5 to 9 p.m. A wonderful array of original artwork by three attending artists, Donna Young, Mollie Jurgenson and Katherine Taylor will be unveiled and ornamented throughout the gallery.
      Donna Young is known for her colorfully impressionistic landscapes and figurative works. Mollie Jurgenson incorporates crushed glass and acrylic paste in her mixed media abstracts. Katherine Taylor is known for her impressionistic still life and figurative works in ethereal settings.

Central Oregon Women’s Expo Returns In 2010!

     Specialized Meetings & Events is proud to announce the production of the 2010 Central Oregon Women's Expo. The Expo will take place October 21-22, 2010 at the Deschutes Fair and Expo Center. Specialized Meetings & Events has taken the reins for the event from Red Carpet Events.
     The two-day Expo will feature educational seminars and entertainment, live demonstrations, 130 vendors offering a variety of products and services, prize giveaways, and a fashion show. This is a retail event that features Central Oregon designers, clothing, jewelry and many other great products. Further, the 2010 event will feature an expanded Bachelor Auction on Friday night, including hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and of course plenty of Central Oregon bachelors! The auction will benefit a local non-profit.
      The Central Oregon Women's Expo is currently seeking vendors and sponsors for the event. Please contact the Expo at 541-385-7988, info@specialized-events.com or visit the Expo's site at www.centraloregonwomensexpo.com. Entrance to the event will be free.

Visiting Angels in Bend Celebrates 2-Year Anniversary

     Two years ago, Visiting Angels identified a real need in the local community for homecare services for elderly residents. Visiting Angels, located in Bend, Oregon, is celebrating its two-year anniversary. Since its founding, Visiting Angels has assisted more than 200 clients in Central Oregon.
      In the last year alone, Visiting Angels has supported more than 100 families, providing seniors with the skills and assistance they needed to remain in the comfort of their own home and in control of their lives.
     The AARP/National Alliance for Caregiving study, showed that people providing the highest level of care, 40 hours a week or more, are stressed, develop health problems and have difficulty finding ways to cope.
      For more information about Visiting Angels please contact Nancy Turk or Mary Lou Blount, 617-3868 or visit www.visitingangels.com/bend.

Time To Volunteer

     Central Oregon Council on Aging RSVP needs volunteers. If you are 55+ years old and can read to children, help build homes for those in need, deliver meals to seniors or lend a hand with a community project, we need you.
    Volunteers are needed now for:
    Marine Corps Central Oregon Toys for Tots -- Share a smile with a child in need this Christmas by helping out once a week with the Central Oregon Toys for Tots project.
      Meals-On-Wheels -- Drivers who can deliver meals to seniors and disabled people a few hours once a week.
      Santa To A Senior -- To make the Christmas deadline, we need volunteers to help sort and label, and participate in our gift wrapping party on December 16.
      Habitat for Humanity -- Needs people who can use a hammer to help in construction of homes for low-income families.
     Central Oregon Council On Aging serves seniors in the Tri-County. Help fellow seniors in multiple ways.
     If you're looking for a meaningful way to help friends, neighbors and your community, please call 541-548-8817 and sign up today.

Eastlake Framing Celebrates its Silver Anniversary

     Deb Spicer at Eastlake Framing has invested the past 25 years turning pieces of art into statements of beauty. She and her team make framing as much a piece of art as the art itself.
     To celebrate its Silver Anniversary, Eastlake Framing is ending a year of gallery showings with a signature anniversary event! On Friday, December 4, 2009, Eastlake Framing will showcase the works of all 11 local photographers featured in the 2009 Artist Spotlight Night. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Live music will set the mood.
     Artists will include: Loren Irving, Brad Bailey, Vern Bartley, Ric Ergenbright, Michael Caligure, Tom Allen, Bruce Jackson, Dave Kamperman, Dorothy Freudenberg, Hadley McCann and Robert Agli. For more information, visit www.eastlakeframing.com.

Get Control Of Email

     If constant interruptions, ineffective messages and poorly managed meetings are stressing you out and slowing you down, join Mike Song, lead author of the best-selling efficiency books The Hamster Revolution and The Hamster Revolution For Meetings in cooperation with Tracy Campbell, Simplicated, LLC for a free webinar.
     Get Control of Email – Friday, November 20, 2009 - 11 to 11:50 a.m. or contact Tracy at 541-788-7001.

The Bi-Annual Oregon AFL-CIO Convention Sets New Attendance Record

     The Bi-Annual Oregon AFL-CIO Convention which took place in October at The Riverhouse Hotel & Convention Center set new attendance records and impacted the local economy by an estimated $342,000. Nearly 500 attendees took part in the two-day convention, including 300 affiliate organizations. The conference was the first time the AFL-CIO had held their convention in Central Oregon in more than fifty years.
    According to Stacie Bushaw, Associate Director of Sales for The Riverhouse Hotel & Convention Center, "We were very excited to get this convention to Central Oregon. The AFL-CIO has historically booked their bi-annual meetings in more metropolitan locations. We are fortunate to have a facility like The Riverhouse Convention Center to attract new and significantly larger groups to Bend."

NeighborImpact Opens New Office in Bend

    NeighborImpact opened its new Bend Office in early October at 20310 Empire Avenue. Public Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    NeighborImpact combines a variety of services in one location to better serve the residents of the greater Bend area. The services available at this new location include:

• Energy Assistance
• Energy Education
• Rental Assistance
• Housing Counseling
• Foreclosure Prevention Counseling
• Individual Development Account services
• Home Rehabilitation services

     NeighborImpact has had scattered offices in Bend for a number of years. It is the organization's desire to enhance its visibility in the Bend community and to improve the accessibility to services for the residents of the area. This new office location offers services in one location and affords the opportunity to provide larger learning opportunities in a NeighborImpact facility. For further information, contact the Bend Office at 541-318-7506.

Central Oregon Wedding & Event Show

     Just a few booths are available for the Central Oregon Wedding & Event Show on January 16, 2010. Last year, we had over 4,000 attendees along with a qualified list of 230 brides that were to be wed that summer.
     We kept the price of the booths at our cost again which will be $400. Your information will be listed in the Bulletin's Book of Love which is around all year and inserted into the newspaper prior to the show.
     The entrance fee for the day is a can of food. Last year, we collected over 400 pounds for Bethlehem Inn to feed the homeless.
     If you are interested in having a booth, contact Impressive Events at 541-383-8268 or www.thecoshow.com for more information.

Integra Telecom selected for PHONE+ Ballot

     Integra Telecom was selected from hundreds of companies – carriers, resellers, master agencies, and hardware and software vendors – that submitted their channel programs to PHONE+ for the 2009 ballot. Winners were determined by nearly 1,000 indirect sales partners who cast votes from August 10 to August 19.
     This year's top channel managers were nominated by master agents, subagents, and independent agents and selected by a poll of PHONE+ readers and supports conducted August 17 through August 26. Seventy two candidates were nominated for the 2009 award and nearly 1,000 votes were received.

Feed Your Family, Restore the Planet

     An Organic Valley purchase at Ray's Food Place presents an opportunity to play a role in the restoration of waterways and protection of the local environment. Organic Valley and Ray’s Food Place are proud to launch a program with EcoUnit, a new shopper rewards program that awards customers with EcoUnit credits that can be redeemed to support local stewardship projects like tree planting, river restoration, removal of invasive species and watershed clean-up.
     "We believe this partnership is a great fit for our company and our commitment to supporting the communities that we are part of," remarked Greg Sandeno, vice president and COO of C&K Market, Inc., parent company of Ray’s Food Place. "Together with Organic Valley and EcoUnit, Ray’s is doing its part to work toward a sustainable future for our families."
     Through the end of this year, a purchase of an Organic Valley Product from Ray's Food Place stores will earn shoppers EcoUnit credits they can redeem to support the projects of their choice. Visit http://ov.ecounit.com to sign-up and register EcoUnit credits to support a variety of local environmental projects, including restoring the Deschutes River basin habitat.