Small Government Forum: Providing Targeted Content and Networking Opportunities.

• Author: Mack, Mark
• Position: GFOA FORUMS

GFOA's Small Government Forum is just what it says on the tin--a group of GFOA members from government entities with populations of 25,000 or less, or employee counts of 500 or less. The forum was launched in 2015 to provide networking opportunities that allow GFOA members to connect with peers from similar organizations. Members exchange information on topics unique to the demands of managing small governments.

The forum adds value through targeted content and activities--for example, research on adding capacity and stability by cross-training employees in the finance department. This 18-month project engaged forum members directly with approximately 20 case studies of small governments that used cross-training to add capacity. An industry survey determined how and where cross-training was currently being leveraged in local government finance. Experts from other industries and academics were also engaged through an advisory committee. This research produced a series of webinars that were provided for free to all GFOA members.

The forum also provides a platform for GFOA members to connect and network with their peers in similarly sized organizations. The forum started in 2015 as a networking luncheon for about 60 members at the GFOA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. Since that time, the group has grown to more than 700 members from all regions of the United States and Canada. These members also come from a broad mixture of organizational types--cities, counties, school districts, utilities, and other special districts.

The forum provides professional development opportunities in a format that's useful to small governments. Many small governments don't have the financial capacity that larger organizations have for staff development. The training sessions available to them are often regional and limited in terms of topic areas. Over the last eight years, the forum has provided relevant content to small governments at no additional cost. The limited staff in small finance offices means that the job of implementing best practices can't be approached...