Presenter: Anne Gingerich, MSW, Executive Director, PANO

Nonprofits provide much needed support for neighborhoods and communities and provide a place for community members to give back. We are more than “just” a feel-good sector; we provide significant economic infrastructure for the Commonwealth. This discussion will review the critical economic data points that we can use to inform our conversations with lawmakers, funders and the public. Participants will also gain access to other tools and resources to support their advocacy efforts.

Presented by: Hannah Litchfield

Narrative Power is the ability to shift hearts, mindsets and policies utilizing the personal story of your lived experiences. We all have a story to tell, whether it's about what brought us to nonprofit work, what drives us forward, or what change we want to see in the world. Using Your Story for Change will help you identify your own personal story, hone it and utilize it in various different ways. Rampant mis- and disinformation creates a societal narrative based on myth, bias and prejudice. Telling your personal story is how we collectively combat a society that tries to tell us who we are instead of listening to us.

Presented by: Jocelyn Orloff

Nonprofits operate in an environment of constant change, yet too often responses are reactive rather than strategic. This interactive workshop explores how to embed adaptability into leadership, culture and planning so organizations can evolve without losing momentum or morale. Rooted in the principles of Adaptive Leadership and change management, the session reframes strategic planning as an ongoing practice of learning, alignment and adjustment. Participants will explore practical frameworks for connecting vision to action, clarifying roles during times of change and strengthening the collective capacity to respond effectively to uncertainty. Attendees will leave with concrete tools to anticipate shifts before they happen and design resilience rather than recovery.

Presented by: Amaya Howard

Words shape perception and funding. Many nonprofits are conditioned to use deficit-based terms like “at-risk” and “underserved,” language that is very stigmatizing and not progressive. This workshop, led by Amaya Howard, MPA, Founder and Principal Consultant at Samaritan Grants Consulting, explores how to shift from framing communities by their challenges to highlighting their aspirations, strengths and leadership. Participants will analyze real-world examples of grant narratives and communications materials to understand how asset framing fosters trust, authenticity and lasting relationships with funders. By the end of the session, attendees will be equipped to transform organizational messaging into equity-centered storytelling that honors dignity while strengthening funding resilience.

Presented by: Elizabeth Vibber

Nonprofit boards play a critical role in advancing mission and ensuring organizational success—but many board members are unsure where their responsibilities begin and end. The Boardroom Blueprint workshop provides a clear framework for understanding the essential duties of board members and how these responsibilities connect directly to mission and strategy. Participants will learn the core roles of nonprofit boards, including fiduciary oversight, strategic planning, fundraising and supporting executive leadership. Through interactive discussions and practical examples, the session will highlight the difference between governance and management, clarify expectations of individual board members and explore how to build a culture of accountability and engagement. Whether you are new to board service or an experienced member seeking a refresher, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to fulfill your responsibilities effectively—and to help your board serve as a powerful partner in advancing the organization’s mission.

Presented by: Jessica Whitmore & Jeanne Troy

This session will focus on nonprofit personnel identifying and understanding their internal and external strengths as an organization. Through discussions and activities, participants will be able to leave knowing they are stronger than they think in their ability to better support themselves and collaborate with other organizations.

Presented by: Amanda Finnell & Mike Stefanski

Individual donors are the largest source of nonprofit revenue in the United States. Discover the keys to diversifying your revenue and cultivating transformational relationships in this interactive session. Through real-world scenarios and hands-on exercises, participants will learn how to align donor passions with organizational impact, prepare for meetings and navigate the art of the ask with confidence. Whether you’re new to major gifts or looking to refine your approach, this session offers practical strategies and tools to elevate your fundraising conversations and drive meaningful results.

Presented by: Marina Fradera

“I’m trauma-informed; now what?!” If this sounds familiar, join this session to move your practice from understanding to action. “Healing centered” is a framework that has taken hold in non-clinical settings supporting trauma impacted people, incorporating "therapeutic" strategies into educational enrichment and social emotional learning. This includes both youth and adults in our programs and organizations. Join to learn simple, concrete ways to promote healing and build healthy program cultures.

Presented by: Stef Arck-Baynes, Edel Howlin, & Sarah Maiellano

Public relations isn’t one-size-fits-all, especially in the nonprofit world. Join three veteran nonprofit PR practitioners as they unpack three core approaches:

1. Event-driven PR that earns timely coverage.
2. Mission-centered storytelling features that build your brand.
3. Thought leadership that positions your organization as the go-to voice.

After quick, high-impact presentations, you’ll rotate through interactive roundtables to dig into tactics, angles and media targets. Bring your current pitches, campaign ideas or “almost there” stories to workshop with peers and pros and leave with sharper messaging, tailored PR pathways for your goals and practical takeaways you can implement right away. Whether you're a team of one or part of a growing communications shop, this session will help you prioritize what to pitch, when to pitch it, and how to connect it back to impact. You’ll walk out with confidence and a clear next step forward.

Presented by: Alyssa Retzena

Nonprofits don’t lack creativity — they lack time, staff capacity and the breathing room needed to innovate. This session explores how design thinking and AI can work together to help mission-driven teams solve problems faster, streamline operations and build resiliency in the face of budget constraints and constant change. We’ll start by breaking down the foundational skill nonprofits need before adopting any tool: AI fluency. This isn’t about becoming technologists — it’s about learning how to communicate effectively with AI, evaluate outputs and use structured prompts that support better decisions and clearer thinking. From there, we’ll apply design thinking principles and show how AI can accelerate each stage: ideation, stakeholder mapping, journey mapping, prototyping and program iteration. Participants will run a “30-minute micro sprint,” compare “before and after” prompts and leave with ready-to-use templates for grant writing, board reporting, community engagement and program planning. The goal: help teams do more with the creativity they already have, without requiring new headcount or expensive systems. No technical background required — just curiosity and a desire to strengthen your organization’s ability to adapt.

Presented by: Jenny Gallagher Blom & Monica Gould

Unconscious bias isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a systemic one. In this interactive workshop, nonprofit professionals will explore how bias can quietly shape programming decisions, hiring practices, board dynamics and community engagement. Through real-world examples and reflective exercises, participants will learn to spot where bias may be embedded in their organizational culture and decision-making—and how to interrupt it with intention. Whether you're designing programs, recruiting staff, managing volunteers or working with your board, understanding bias is key to building trust, equity and impact. This session offers practical tools and a supportive space to deepen your awareness and strengthen your leadership.

Presented by: Kristin McKenna & Tamica Tanksley

Volunteers can be a crucial part of a nonprofit’s impact infrastructure—but, by definition, their commitment to your mission is limited in both time and scope. As a nonprofit leader, what does it take to build a consistent, reliable volunteer base? What untapped opportunities for further engagement might allow your volunteers to contribute more deeply, meaningfully and sustainably to your work? In this session, Kristin McKenna will share lessons from Compass Pro Bono’s nearly 25 years of strategic engagement with more than 5,000 skilled volunteers across the country, including many who have stepped up to train and support other volunteers. She will reveal how to leverage the power of cross-generational volunteer teams and cultivate “super-volunteers” who stay involved for years or even decades at a time. Participants will walk away with specific frameworks for tapping into the full potential of volunteers—and getting them to come back over and over again.

Presented by: Ingrid Boucher & Keith Dwyer

 In this session, we invite organizational leaders (including board members) and staff to learn about and align to key understandings about the purpose and best practices related to strategic planning. We teach participants fundamental terminology and methodology, discuss must-dos, nice-to-haves, and pitfalls and share examples of powerful planning tools and outputs that support effective strategic planning. We finish the session by discussing implementation and the relationship between strategic planning and change management, essential for moving beyond good ideas and plans that sit on a shelf and toward effective operationalizing of strategic goals with accountability for progress and desired impact. We will answer questions including: What is strategic planning? Why do organizations do it? What do useful tools and meaningful outputs look like? How can strategic planning poise an organization to more effectively navigate and manage change, thereby becoming nimbler in the face of a dynamic environment?

Presented by: Aaron Price

This training session will introduce a structured approach to evaluating grant opportunities before committing organizational resources to proposal development. Participants will learn to use a bid/no-bid Analysis tool to systematically review RFP requirements, identify funder priorities and map key funding opportunity information against their organization's mission, needs, programs and strategic objectives. Participants will learn to rate alignment levels, document strategic fit and weigh the benefits and costs of both preparing an application and receiving an award. During the session, participants will practice bid/no-bid Analysis on a sample RFP and document their rationale. This approach, which has been developed and refined over decades of experience supporting grant seeking clients, saves time and results in clear decision-making justification that can be shared with team members board members, and organizational partners. The session’s attendees will be provided with a customizable bid/no-bid Analysis tool that can be adapted to their organizational needs.

Presented by: Jamie Johnson

Ready to recharge? Join an interactive workshop that explores the Nonprofit Resilience Program (NRP) and the critical connection between self-care and sustainable leadership in the nonprofit sector. Attendees will explore how NRP utilizes emotional intelligence and the "People Need People" concept as a foundation for informed decision-making and effective relationship-building, while candidly discussing the warning signs and root causes of burnout—both within and outside the workplace. The session addresses the holistic factors that contribute to burnout, including inadequate coping skills, a lack of boundaries and insufficient social support. Attendees will leave equipped with self-care strategies and an opportunity to connect with peers who face similar challenges in mission-driven work.

Presented by: Vonée Hill, CEO & Principal Consultant of Hillcrest Development and Consulting; Founder & President of Linked Family Services

Nonprofits routinely navigate fragmented systems—healthcare, child welfare, housing, behavioral health and government—while supporting families who experience these systems simultaneously. When coordination is weak, nonprofits absorb the pressure through increased crises, duplicated efforts and staff burnout. This interactive 90-minute workshop explores how strategic cross-sector partnerships can strengthen organizational resiliency and improve community outcomes. Using real-world examples in maternal health, child welfare prevention and essential-needs support, participants will examine where system breakdowns occur and how collaboration can close critical gaps. Through group discussion and practical mapping exercises, attendees will learn how to build effective referral pathways, foster shared accountability and design partnerships that reduce strain on nonprofits while enhancing stability, access and long-term impact for families.