As of June 2010 once a member starts the certification process by attending one of the week long certification trainings they will have up to five years to complete the process by attending the second week of training and having their research paper approved.
Introduction
The certification program consists of attending two weeks of training one in the spring and one in the fall. It does not matter which order they are done in but both need to be completed before submitting your final step of a research paper. Visit the main website for the next available training class. You can be working on your paper during the process as long as you follow the procedures and only submit it after completing both weeks. Once all the steps are completed you will be awarded the designation of CCFM (Certified Church Facility Manager).
Research Paper Description
A research paper is exploring other people’s findings on a topic and combining them with your knowledge to make effective conclusions on the subject. We have chosen to use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers not only as a standard but also to help you learn how and be able to produce a good quality paper.
The first step you need to do is get the most current copy of the MLA book (6th edition paper back at Amazon.com is about $16.00) Start out by reading the forward and chapter 1. The rest of the book can be used more as a reference as you need to know how to do things. You should plan to use 3-4 sources in the form of interviews, articles, books or online information to be able to produce a good quality paper. The intent is once you have chosen your topic you research and find other sources that help you solve or support the question you are trying to answer.
You open a research paper with a thesis statement which states what you are presenting or the challenge at hand. Then your paper follows as you identify a problem or opinion and you present the information you found during your research. We are all problem solvers in our every day jobs, just think of this as a thorough investigation you must present to your board and you want it to be as creditable as possible.
You may want to use the “Step by step, a week by week guide to getting your paper written” to keep you focused on the process.
Review the current procedures and guidelines from the website.
When you are prepared to write your paper you must contact the VP of Education to review your topic.
Remember you may not submit your paper until after completing both weeks of training.
Research paper Guidelines
Your Name
NACFM Research Paper
Title
Final Approval Date
MLA Handbook for writers of Research Papers Gibaldi, Joseph; The Modern Language Association of America; New York 2003
Victoria Hardy, CFM, CFMJ
Chief Executive Officer
Star Island Corporation
30 Middle Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Research paper procedures
(Note: V.P. of Education archives file; V.P. of Communications archives file, places paper online and announces accomplishment in the next newsletter publication; Secretary keeps file for future reproduction to other organizations.)
Certification Maintenance
In order to have the CCFM designation maintain value to the organization we want to be sure those with the designation stay actively involved in church facility management. The following will be used to verify a member’s involvement:
Certification will be valid for three (3) years. During this time CCFMs are required to earn a minimum of 120 maintenance points (Avg. 40 pts. / year) in at least three of the following categories. Practice, Continuing Education, Professional Involvement, Development of the Profession.
Note: Any item may be asked to be verified with documentation.
To maintain their designations every three years CCFMs need to fill out an on line form showing activities they performed (and be able to support it with documentation if asked) as well as paying a $75.00 renewal fee. The V.P of Education must receive the maintenance verification any time from three months prior to three months after their anniversary to be considered on time. If submitted three months and one day to six months after the anniversary a $50.00 reinstatement fee must also be sent to the treasurer. If more than six months past, the designation will have expired and the candidate will have to pay the $50.00 reinstatement fee as well as submit and have approved a new research paper to regain the CCFM status.
Full Time (active national member)
135 pts
Full Time (active local member)
(Chapter mtg) 15 pts x 3 yrs = 45 pts
144 pts
Part Time (active national member)
135 pts
Part Time (active local member)
(Chapter mtg) 15 pts x 3 yrs = 45 pts
123 pts
Step by step
A week by week guide to getting your paper written
Go find a place to sit for one hour with paper and pen in hand (you high tech individuals can use your lap top). All the information should be in your head, no research needed yet and you are the topic for now. Your goal is to tell those that will be reading your paper, who you are. Don’t get too hung up on grammar yet, just get it down then we can clean it up later. Start with a sentence or two about where you were raised then move to your education and career path that led you to church facility management. Let them know about your facility management career and how God called you to it. Be sure to tell the readers who your spouse is and how many children you have. God put them in your life for a reason so don’t leave them out.
If you are still experiencing “writers block” reschedule your one hour writing session and go to the NACFM web site and read some of the autobiographies that are posted in the research paper section. After reading a few I am sure you will be ready to write your own autobiography.
That is all for this week, put it in a folder labeled NACFM Research Paper.
This week we are going to concentrate on cleaning up our autobiography. First step is to book yourself a one-hour time block when you can dedicate yourself to the project. At that time pull out your rough draft from last week and read through it. A couple questions to ask yourself are; does it flow well, do you have good transitions and did you cover all the major points, if not make some notes.
We will be using the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers to set up how the paper will look and the proper way to list the sources we used to get the information for our paper. For now just set all margins at one inch and use Times New Romans 12 pt font double spaced. It is now time to get it typed on the computer; this is the best way to check your spelling and grammar. You should try to make it fit on one page but no more than two pages. I also find as I type I may have ideas that make it sound better so I adjust as I go.
After you have your autobiography typed, ask a couple of your closest friends to read it and give you feed back on how well you communicated your life and why you are doing church facility management. Take any corrective criticism and make the adjustments needed. Congratulations you have completed the first part of your paper!
To prepare for the next part of the research paper, if you have not already done so, purchase a copy of the MLA handbook for Writing Research Papers and read the forward and chapter one.
The other part of this assignment is to decide on what topic you are going to be researching and writing about. If you are having problems choosing you may want to visit the NACFM website and look through a few papers and get a feel for how a completed paper looks and flows.
When you have chosen a topic, make sure to contact the VP of Education for approval.
By now you should have a copy of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and read the forward and chapter #1 Research and Writing (p.1-40) the other five chapters will be used as you create your final copy of your paper.
Picking a single topic seems to be one of the biggest hurdles, so if you have not done so take heed of the words of a father and “buckle down and do it”. No need for a catchy title at this point just the subject you are going to write on.
Once the topic is picked you will want to create an outline of the main points you plan on communicating. An example would look like this:
Sorry if I just used your topic but think how far ahead you are now.
Remember this needs to be fluid. I even switched points around in the example because it very seldom comes to mind in the correct order. You may have sub-points that just ooze out at the same time and that is fine. Get it down on paper then you can clean it up later.
Example:
Next week we will begin to add substance to the outline.
By this time you should have a main topic and an outline of the main points you plan to write on. Next step is to think about what your main purpose in the paper is. You are writing in a persuasive or guidance style. Who is your audience and what do you want them to gain from reading your paper? From the answers to these questions you formulate a thesis statement. It should answer the overall main question of your topic. For example on our vacuum cleaner paper our thesis statement could be; “how you select the best vacuum for your cleaning operation” or it could be “ what makes vacuum cleaners clean and how do I keep them working” or “the only vacuum cleaner you will ever need is the _____ vacuum”. As you can see these statements will bring out some of the same information about vacuums yet each will present unique information to answer the thesis statement. As you go forward with your research you may find yourself wanting to adjust the thesis statement and that is all right as long as you realize that you are doing so.
Your goal this week is to schedule yourself a block of time to write your thesis statement and to refine your outline of main topics and sub topics. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers chapter #1 would be a helpful resource as it has valuable information on outlines, thesis statements and research.
If you want to work ahead, next week we will be digging in and doing the research on each part of the outline.
Now that we have our Topic, Thesis Statement and Outline we need information to bring it all together. You can get this information from various sources like books, magazines, the Internet and interviews, but they all need to be given the proper credit. It is important to document each place you get information from so it can be included in your “works cited” section at the end of your paper. In the chapter “Compiling a working bibliography” of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers it gives you what information is required for each type of source.
This week’s goal is to review chapter 1.5 on bibliographies and read 5.1-5.3 on citing sources of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and then to gather as much information on your topic as you can. A good way to stay on track is to use your outline and try to answer each point and think about how you will substantiate it with facts or reliable sources.
Next week we will use this information and put it into sentences so we can clearly communicate our points to our readers.
This is the time all your work of research and planning come together. With your outline and thesis statement as your guide, it is time to begin putting all the information you have on your topic into meaningful yet interesting sentences. I would recommend looking at the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers chapters 1.9-1.11 and 5.1-5.3 for pointers on writing your draft.
Remember this is only a draft, go with your thoughts and after you have them down you can go back and clean them up, add and rearrange. I also find it helpful after I create a draft to put it away for a day or so. Then I get it back out and read it as someone that does not know anything about the topic, to see if I am conveying clearly.
Work your draft copy into a well thought out communication of information and add your creative touch with your own writing style.
Next week we will use your draft and work it into a more complete writing with proper spelling, punctuation, grammar and giving credit to your sources.
At this point you should have a draft that is quit refined and you will need to set aside some blocks of time in order to create a well written paper.
First you will need to study the MLA Handbook, next you will need to apply it to your draft and lastly you will need to find a friend (critic) to give you feed back before you can move on.
If you have not done so yet you need to read the following chapters from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 2.1 – 2.7 on mechanics of writing, 3.1 - 3.9 on format and 4.2 - 4.5 on how to quote within a MLA paper. The balance of chapter 4 can be used as a reference as needed. Also look at the samples of an MLA paper after the appendix in the back of the book.
Once your studying is done you will be prepared to turn your draft into a well-presented MLA format paper. Once you have it done find someone to read it and give feedback on how well it was presented as well as grammatical errors.
Hang in there, you are almost done and it will be worth it. Remember if you plan to be recognized as a CCFM by the June conference you will need your draft submitted by March 15th.
This week is the time to put the finishing touches on your paper. By now you should have found someone to have read your paper and given you feed back.
First item is to clean up all the text so it reads not only correctly but also fluently with proper references to your sources. This is also the time to insert any pictures, graphs or tables if you have not done so already.
Second item is to recheck your MLA format for margins, quotes, etc.
Third is to make your works cited page. Using the MLA book as a reference guide, list all the sources used in writing your paper. This usually is just one page but may go longer if you had a lot of sources.
When you feel your paper is ready it is time to send it in for accreditation. Look up the submitting instructions in the guideline document found on the NACFM web site. On a cover page write a short paragraph to Ms. Hardy introducing yourself and your paper. Remember to send me an email with your name and subject of your paper when you mail Ms. Hardy for the first time so I can track it and make sure your certificate is ready by the conference date.
Now wait for Ms. Hardy to give you feedback.
Once your paper is sent in for accreditation it can take three to four weeks to get it back with comments. It is important that you make any adjustments and return it for final review ASAP. Our goal is to have all the papers being presented at the June conference completed and approved by the first week of June.