Early Morning Sessions 9:30 am - 10:45 am
Next Generation Leaders: The Future is Now - SESSION FULL
Meghan Lowney, Executive Director, ZOOM Foundation (Meghan’s bio)
Leadership development isn’t just about succession—it is about sustainability and impact. Too often, nonprofit leadership isn’t focused on accelerating the development of their rising leaders. It is next generation leaders who will chart the course through new, challenging times. Join us to learn how you can integrate leadership development broadly and strategically in your organization. For next generation leaders, join us to learn how to own your leadership development so that you can accelerate your growth and add more value today
Liquidity: A Key Component of Organizational Stability
Andrea Mills, Principal, Fiscal Management Associates (Andrea’s bio)
In this session, we explore a nonprofit’s financial health through the lens of the Balance Sheet. Using a sample set of nonprofit financial statements as a case study, we pull apart the components of a nonprofit’s capital structure, focusing specifically on liquidity: What is it? How is it calculated? What liquidity benchmarks should an organization be working toward? As a takeaway, participants in the session are provided with a tool to calculate key liquidity and other Balance Sheet metrics for their own organizations.
Losing Tim: How Our System Fails Our Kids with Mental Illness and What We Can Do About It
Paul Gionfriddo, President & CEO, Mental Health America (Paul’s bio)
Mental illnesses today are the only chronic conditions that, as a matter of public policy, we wait until Stage 4 to treat—and then often only through incarceration. We wait until crises occur, and then react. We need to change the way we think about mental health conditions. We must invest in prevention, early identification and intervention, integrated service delivery and recovery in order to truly change the trajectories of lives. And because mental illnesses are most frequently diseases of childhood, we need to start with our children—and not wait for decades until they’ve been hospitalized, homeless or incarcerated to act.
Peer-to-Peer Facilitated Discussion Topic: Communications - SESSION FULL
Rob Leighton, iMission Partners (Rob’s bio)
Word-of-Mouth Communications —The Connecticut Experience: Nonprofits rely on their social networks (online and offline) for raising resources, boosting clout and building brand. In this discussion, you will join your colleagues in exploring how word-of-mouth (i.e. peer-to-peer exchanges) are elevating nonprofits across Connecticut.
Mid-Morning Sessions 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
New Ideas: Tools for Discovery & Implementation
Anne Yurasek, Principal, Fio Partners (Anne’s bio)
Where do new ideas come from? How do we create organizations where new ideas are welcomed and explored? How do we implement new ideas in the face of resistance to change? Drawing from research in innovation, creativity and change management, as well as Fio Partners’ extensive transformative work with nonprofit organizations, this interactive, engaging session provided nonprofit leaders with practical tools and strategies to discover and implement new ideas in their organizations. The world is changing faster than ever, are you ready to adapt and to try something new?
Campaigns in a Crowdfunding World
Sharon Danosky, President & Founder, Danosky & Associates (Sharon’s bio)
What could capital campaigns and crowdfunding campaigns possibly have in common? More than you think. Yet the execution of each couldn’t be more different. In this workshop you will learn what makes a good campaign (capital or crowdfunding) effective, how they differ and when to use which approach. You’ll also learn how you can use crowdfunding during or in-between campaigns.
Trending Public Policy Issues: CT Nonprofits Take Note (Panel Discussion)
Now more than ever, we have to maintain the momentum of nonprofits of all shapes, sizes and missions coming together to be heard in our communities and at the State Capitol. This session discusses advocacy strategies to combat ‘trending’ threats to nonprofit organizations as well as how to build on opportunities to strengthen the entire sector. Attendees will leave this session with a better understanding of public policy issues likely to be debated next session, and strategies to make sure your voice is heard in Hartford.
Moderator: Catherine Blinder, Chief of Education and Outreach, Dept. of Consumer Protection (Catherine's bio)
Panelists Include: Jeffrey Shaw, Director of Public Policy, CT Nonprofits (Jeff's bio)
Bill Yelanek, VP of Public Policy and Development, Massachusetts Provider’s Council (Bill’s bio)
Mary Erin Casale, Advocacy and Public Relations Manager, Maine Association of Nonprofits (Mary’s bio)
Peer-to-Peer Facilitated Discussion Topic: Leadership - SESSION FULL
Meghan Lowney, ZOOM Foundation
Join a conversation about how to build on your strengths and add to your tool kit in order to increase your effectiveness. All participants: please bring a resource or an idea you’d like to share with others so we can do a rapid-speed sharing round, too!
Afternoon Sessions 2:30 – 3:45 pm
Crafting the Online Ask: A Donor-Driven Model
Rob Leighton, Principal, iMission Partners
Is your ‘Donate Now’ button hot? It is for many nonprofits, driving big increases in unrestricted funding. Learn the art and science of creating the online asks that sell—not just in December but throughout the year. In this session, you will learn what constitutes a good first ask, what a recurring donation ask entails, and what is necessary to make effective mid-year appeals. You’ll also learn how to use the ‘match’ and how to keep your catalog of asks fresh and appealing in the eyes of your stakeholders.
Fish or Fowl? Establishing Your Nonprofit’s Brand Personality
Sarah Durham, President, Big Duck (Sarah’s bio)
Is your website friendly or formal? Are your emails inspiring or overwhelming? Is your CEO’s speech moving or jargony? Whether you consciously manage it or not, your organization has a personality (a tone and style) that shapes how people perceive it. Most organizations communicate without an overarching strategy or framework to ensure that they are speaking with a deliberate, cohesive “voice”. This session explains what having a “brand personality” means for a nonprofit. We’ll cover how it can help your organization fundraise, recruit and differentiate itself, and get you started crafting your own.
Team Development in the Nonprofit Workplace - SESSION FULL
Kenya Rutland, Principal, KJR Consulting (Kenya’s bio)
Cohesive teams are those with positive interpersonal relationships that foster better communication and collaboration amongst their members. This session provides participants with tips and strategies for building more cohesive teams and committed team members. Participants engage in discussions on developing mutual trust; engaging in healthy conflict; creating buy-in and commitment; holding team members accountable; and encouraging a results-oriented environment.
Peer-to-Peer Facilitated Discussion Topic: Technology
CT Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT)
This discussion explores how you can maximize sustainability through leveraging new approaches to shared IT resources. What are the opportunities in the cloud? Through private clouds? With software as a service? VOIP Telephony? Enrich the discussion with your questions and your experiences.