| Agenda See additional breakout session details below. | |
| 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Exhibits Open |
| 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Registration & Networking Breakfast |
| 9:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Welcome Opening Plenary Session |
| 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Break/Networking/Exhibits |
| 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Breakouts – Session 1 |
| 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Break/Networking/Exhibits |
| 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Lunch Afternoon Plenary Session |
| 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Break/Exhibits |
| 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Breakouts – Session 2 |
| 3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Reception |
| Session 1 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | Session 2 2:15p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | |||
| Available morning breakout sessions: | Available afternoon breakout sessions: | |||
| Census 2020: Making All Voices Count | Issues 2019 | |||
| Jeff Behler, Regional Director, U.S. Census Bureau Kiki Jamieson, President, The Fund for New Jersey Inge Spungen, Executive Director, Paterson Alliance Scott Novakowski, Associate Counsel, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice Getting the 2020 Census right is important for all American communities – particularly those most likely to be undercounted. When populations are undercounted, it affects our democracy, our state’s representation in federal government, and funding for vital purposes. But it also affects non-profits, because when populations are undercounted and critical needs are underfunded, the pressure mounts on already over-stressed non-profits to address these unmet needs. This session will cover what’s at stake for the 2020 Census, what preparations are already underway, and how non-profits can become involved. | Linda Czipo, President & CEO, Center for Non-Profits David L. Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy, National Council of Nonprofits Get the latest news about the major federal and state public policy trends affecting non-profits. Learn where some of the key issues stand and what burning issues are on the horizon for 2019. Weigh in with your observations and help us strategize for the coming year! | |||
| Silence is Not Golden: Advancing Your Mission Through Advocacy | Expand Program Impact with Creative & Effective Partnerships | |||
| David L. Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy, National Council of Nonprofits It is no longer possible to focus just on delivering quality services in your community; too many things are getting in the way of mission. Whether it’s rapidly changing federal policies, efforts at the state and local levels to impose more burdens on nonprofits, or outside forces to advance their agendas at our expense; they can all undermine your best efforts. This session will discuss what is advocacy (it’s much more than you may think), how to use advocacy to advance your mission (it’s easier than you think; HINT: you’re already doing it), and ensuring board members, colleagues, and the community are all weighing in to remove barriers and improve the climate for your nonprofit’s success. | Kiran Gaudioso, Chief Operating Officer, United Way of Northern New Jersey Mark Valli, Chief Executive Officer, NORWESCAP An interactive discussion about effective strategies to expand your agency/program impact using partnerships. Partnerships can help nonprofits achieve more impact and expand their organization’s capacity without the need for more funding. Solid partnerships can also help attract new funding. This workshop will also explore models for finding partnerships in unlikely partners and thinking about our communities from ‘grass tops’ perspective not just grassroots perspective. We will explore ways to expand outreach and messaging to a wider audience and blend stakeholders to explore new thinking and greater impact. Two New Jersey nonprofit veterans will share best practices, common pitfalls and work with participants to envision targeted partnerships that could directly impact your organization’s ability to expand impact. | |||
| Culture Counts: Creating a More Inclusive Board Culture | The Art and Practice of Emotional Intelligence and Diversity | |||
| Yvette Murry, President, YRM Consulting Keith Timko, Executive Director, Support Center There is a favorite saying in management literature that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” In the case of building a more diverse board, we couldn’t agree more. There is an increasing priority to build boards that more closely resemble the communities that we serve. So where do you start? Without a board culture that allows new voices to feel welcome and empowered, our strategies for building board diversity are just optics. This session will focus on how to assess our board culture–formally and informally–and to build a more inclusive culture. | Kim Pevia, Founder, KAP Inner Prizes Antionette Kerr, CEO, Bold & Bright Media In today’s workplace diversity is essential. In this workshop we will explore and practice the emotional challenges to change. We will practice how to have conversations that encourage a flourishing diverse workplace. We will address the emotional issues that keep us stuck and how to move beyond them. | |||
| Strengthening Leadership Pathways for Non-Profit Professionals of Color – How Can Management Do Better? | Engaging Emerging Professionals on Boards | |||
| Paulina Alvarado-Goldman, Founder & CEO, Capacity Building and Policy Experts, LLC Ana Berdecia, Founder, NJ Cultural Competency and English Language Learners (ELL) Summer Institute and Mentoring Program Joseph Youngblood, Dean, John S. Watson School of Public Service, Thomas Edison State University How can non-profit organizations “walk the walk” on racial & ethnic diversity and inclusion? What organizational policies and practices cultivate a culture honoring diversity? What roles do funders play? How is talent acquired, developed and retained with equity, understanding and affirmation? Voices from different perspectives offer insights and invite discussion. | Pam Gregory, President & CEO, Princeton-Blairstown Center Judith Hutton, CEO, YWCA Princeton Helen LeFrois, Vice President of Development, Jersey Battered Women’s Services Anthony Sytko, Esq.,Regional Manager, Extra Life Guild of Newark This panel discussion will give participants a better understanding of how young professionals can support your organization by becoming part of a designated young professional board or by joining your traditional board. Non-profit experts will cover the logistics, opportunities and challenges and how to measure and evaluate your board’s success working with different generations. | |||
| Creating the Right Communications Plan for Your Organization | Getting off the Hamster Wheel: How to Boost your Resiliency for Long-term Financial Sustainability | |||
| Ted Deutsch, President, Taft Communications Learn the steps for building a strategic communications plan that delivers the right message, to the right audience, in the right way, at the right time. This session will provide participants an overview of key plan components and a framework for elevating your organization’s profile. | Nancy Burd, President, The Burd Group Lois W. Greco, Senior Vice President, Evaluations, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation Kathie Nixon, Executive Director, FamCare Bridget Phifer, Executive Director, Parkside Business & Community Business Partnership Cori Solomon, Executive Director, Appel Farm Recent state-wide surveys show that NJ nonprofits today continue to feel under siege as they attempt to reach a state of financial sustainability nirvana. Between extreme financial uncertainty due to threats of funding cuts, increased demand for services, unfunded mandates, and increasing overhead costs, nonprofits always seem to be racing to catch up rather than invest in growth, improved services and innovation. Getting off that hamster wheel sometimes seems beyond reach. What may be missing in many of our organizations is resiliency– the ability to respond quickly to change, adapt to new and unforeseen conditions and seize opportunities when they arise. Just as weight training builds strong muscles that support strong bones, building our financial resiliency “muscle” takes knowledge, practice, time and single-mindedness. The results are worth the effort, as your capacity increases to meet hardships with confidence, be innovative and mitigate risks. Hear from colleagues and dispel myths, explore the key steps and tools you need to change the way you and your board think of financial health. We’ll provide insight into how a true understanding of your business model can shape your future financial health. Invite your board to discuss their essential role in long-term financial sustainability. | |||
| Board Assessment Leading to Insightful Results | Don’t Just Inform, Inspire: Strong Messaging Breaks Through the Clutter | |||
| John McEwen, Executive Director, New Jersey Theatre Alliance June Zeringue, Consultant, Insigniam Board evaluation is an opportunity for trustees to reflect on the board’s overall performance, as well as their own. Assessment when done with integrity, can often lead to improvements in policies, processes, performance and engagement. Hear from two professionals who come from different perspectives and are both focused on impact and assessing the keys to highly effective teams and boards. Participants will also have an opportunity to meet in small groups for peer to peer learning around board assessment challenges and successful solutions. | Jon Shure, Senior Director, Taft Communications In this interactive session, we’ll cover what messaging is, and why it matters; “putting why before what;” the power of stories; and messaging in three acts for maximum impact. | |||
| Trends in Philanthropy | Nonprofit Lifecycles: Demystifying Why Things Are the Way They Are | |||
| Craig Drinkard, Associate Director, Victoria Foundation Andy Fraizer, Executive Director, Community Foundation of South Jersey Jeremy Grunin, President, Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation Marion C. O’Neill, Manager-Corporate Contributions, PSEG Moderated by: Theresa Jacks, Deputy Director, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers additional panelists tba This highly engaging session will build upon ongoing work occurring in New Jersey and across the country to strengthen the partnerships between grantmakers and non-profits in order to enhance the individual and joint impact of both. Discussion will include the evolving nature of grantmaking, infrastructure support, diversity, equity and inclusion, funder/non-profit dynamics, overcoming the “scarcity mindset,” and more. | Wendy Liscow, Program Director, Education, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Are your programs way out ahead of your capacity to deliver them? Do you wish your board was able to raise more money? Are you feeling the need to hire a development or communications specialist to support volunteers or a staffer who is “doing it all?” Do you desperately need to build infrastructure to support your growth? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you are not alone. This session will introduce Susan Stevens’ Nonprofit Lifecycles framework and help you understand the developmental stages that ALL nonprofits go through, the challenges of each stage, and what actions are needed to advance to the next stage. Come diagnose where you are in your lifecycle so you can develop practical next steps to move your organization forward. | |||
| Enhancing Team Performance & Ensuring a Positive Work Environment | Cause Marketing – Successful Non-Profit/For-Profit Partnerships | |||
| Heather Fullerton, Director of Communications and Research Grants, Histiocytosis Association Sandra Toussaint, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Mercer County You have deadlines to meet. You don’t have it in the budget. Your organization is experiencing one change after another. Why do team building? Providing your employees with team building opportunities is one the best ways to empower employees to deal with change and to retain talented staff. How can forging team building impact your mission and affect your bottom line? In this session, you will learn: – why team building works and activities you can do that are fast, flexible and with reliable outcomes; – tips for resolving misunderstanding and conflicts – what can you do to address generational differences; and – how to engage your board in team building | Erica Colace, Executive Director, Grow It Green Morristown Stacey Edwards, MS, BCBA, Director of Therapeutic In-Home Services, Archway Programs Douglas A. Kalbach, Director of Rehabilitative Therapy Services, Voorhees Pediatric Facility Diane Kinnane, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Monmouth County Moderated by: Sally Glick, Principal of the Firm and Chief Growth Strategist, Sobel & Co. A panel of experts highlighting the mutually-beneficial relationships of New Jersey non-profits and for-profits. We’ll discuss how these partnerships help to build better awareness of the important mission of the non-profit and the communities the organization serves, and how the for-profit’s involvement helps with their own brand recognition and support of the community. | |||
| Building Relationships with Today’s Media and Other Influencers | What Non-Profits Need to Know about Recent Employment Law Changes | |||
| Joe Hernandez, South Jersey Reporter, WHYY Bryan Mercer, Executive Director, Media Mobilizing Project Mike Shapiro, Executive Director, TapInto Dan Swern, Co-Founder and Producing Director, coLAB Arts Moderated by: Meghan Jambor, Informed Communities Program Officer, Communications Director, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation As the media landscape continues to change, how do you build relationships with reporters and other influencers to share awareness for your mission, non-profit events and other news? This panel brings together NJ-focused news professionals on multiple and diverse platforms and non-profit leaders sharing successful ways they work with media today making the relationships more about collaboration and not just transactional. | Maxine Neuhauser, Esq., Member, Epstein Becker Green In the world of employment law, no one cares that you are a non-profit. This presentation will focus on recent developments and trends in New Jersey employment law with an emphasis on areas where nonprofit employers should be particularly alert and on ways to manage risk. Topics will include New Jersey’s mandatory paid sick leave law, expansion of New Jersey’s Equal Pay Act, New Jersey’s task force on independent contractor misclassification and more. | |||
| Rising Tides Lift All Boats: A New View of Nonprofit Career Development | Changes to the Donor Landscape After Tax Reform: Moving from Transaction to Transformation | |||
| Adriana Abizadeh, Executive Director, Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund Jeff Key, Director of Operations, Project U.S.E. “Climbing the ladder” is a short-term practice in the current employment scene. How can the younger nonprofit professional boost their career trajectory and be proactive about gaining skills and leadership development in their current job? How do non-profits make the most of their staff, create a culture supporting professional development, and retain and attract talented employees? This session will offer tips for young nonprofit professionals to identify and develop relationships with mentors, identify and share their professional development and career goals with supervisors, and be intentional about planning their career path. It will also offer tips to established nonprofit leaders on ways to support and develop emerging leaders at their organizations, find free and low-cost professional development opportunities, and what specific benefits and development opportunities younger professionals are looking for. For young professionals and leaders who wish to foster career development in their organizations. | Bruce Arbit, Founder and President, Melarbit Partners Moving from Transaction to Transformation is a new paradigm for any major fundraising, philanthropic giving and community impact initiative – and is essential for nonprofits, entrepreneurs and investors looking to thrive in these dynamic times. Position yourself and your organization to achieve transformative growth utilizing the growing range of resources available to turn your vision into reality. If you’re wondering how the new tax reforms or political climate could impact your initiatives, this interactive session will open up new possibilities, and actionable steps to put in place right away. | |||
| “Full Funding” Budgeting: Are You Filling in the Gaps? | Mindfulness Techniques to Decrease Stress and Anxiety | |||
| Ronice Bruce, Executive Director, Newark South Ward Special Improvement District Identifying the obvious costs for a project or program, and the grant proposal, can be a challenge, but it’s done! However, halfway through, do you find there are unanticipated expenses and needs not filled that weaken your impact? How do you accurately identify your “real” costs in advance? What do you do when you realize the funding doesn’t cover a critical piece? Explore some positive steps to address these common problems non-profits face. | Tina LeMar, Founder, Sheltered Yoga Learn different techniques, through Sheltered Yoga’s specialized evidence-based, trauma-informed curriculum, that can help calm the amygdala and allow for effective problem solving and positive self talk and self regulation. | |||
