Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions, Round I: 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

A.R.M.E. with Intersectionality
Track: Equity and Justice
In response to the deaths of George Floyd and countless others, the demand for innovative DEI education and resources significantly increased. Those events made it overtly clear that the experiences of Black Americans, African Americans, and other historically underrepresented groups were not widely understood or recognized. As a result, the need to acknowledge and address the experiences of ‘isms have become an elevated priority among organizations. Similarly, this uncovered truth must be addressed in an elevated manner surpassing normalized informational training to individual experiential learning in DEI. This workshop will utilize a modified RISE framework.
Monica Ibarra, enterprise equity, inclusion, diversity advisor, Mayo Clinic

Be In “the Room Where it Happens”: Engaging Policymakers
Track: Advocacy & Public Policy
Join a panel of MCN staff and policymakers for a workshop on how to advocate for your nonprofit. You’re an expert in your field! Learn why and how your unique knowledge of your nonprofit mission and values can be shared with your local elected officials from area cities counties and the Legislature. We’ll hear from elected officials how nonprofits can be involved in creating change through policy, focusing on the specialized knowledge of issue areas that nonprofit employees hold, and how to leverage relationships for effective advocacy. Learn how to write letters, testify at the Capitol, and more ways to share your vision for your community with policymakers.
Meghan Marriott, Minnesota Budget Project engagement manager, Laura Mortenson Minnesota Budget Project communications director, and Ileana Mejia, public policy advocate, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Liz Olson, State Representative, Minnesota House of Representatives, Liish Kozlowski, State Representative, Minnesota House of Representatives and Annie Harala, County Commissioner, St. Louis County

Byte-Sized Change: Digital Transformation in Nonprofits
Track: Technology
This session focuses on the transformative power of small-scale digital projects within nonprofits. With rapid technological advancement, it's crucial to harness the potential of automation and new software to stay relevant. This presentation is for people interested in technology (not highly technical individuals) to develop a toolkit for their own mini-digital transformation initiatives. Using two case studies, the presenter will demonstrate how small, non-technical teams can leverage technology to automate processes and reporting, mitigate burnout, and maintain a competitive edge. By portraying digital transformation as an accessible, iterative journey rather than a daunting and highly technical IT project, this presentation will aim to inspire attendees to take proactive steps towards their own digitization initiatives. The audience will leave feeling equipped with the knowledge to implement small digital transformation projects, feeling confident to handle challenges that arise, and feeling inspired to create significant changes in their daily operations.
Katia Lopes-Gilbert, senior development officer, Hennepin Healthcare Foundation

Communications Hacks for Breaking Barriers—Not Your Budget
Track: Communications and Marketing
In our ever-connected and ever-changing world, effectively communicating with your stakeholders can feel daunting. But what if it didn’t have to be like that? From Canva and Meta to Grammarly and the Google Suite, the presenter will share budget-friendly hacks to help you and your organization achieve important, relationship-driven communications goals. We’ll also look at these tools through an accessibility and inclusion lens, providing you with the information you need to better understand web and social media algorithms and ensure your messages reach—and resonate with—key audiences. All conference attendees, regardless of experience level, are invited to attend and will walk away with both tactical and strategic tips to level up their communications. Bring your laptop or mobile device and follow along (or soak it all up and report back to your team)!
Eric Hagemann, founder + strategist, Leif Media & PR

Creating Buy-in and Equipping Staff to Engage Volunteers
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
Want to ramp up your volunteer recruitment and increase volunteer retention? Start with the very people utilizing their support! Gaining staff buy-in and successfully inspiring and equipping staff to work with volunteers is critical in the volunteer engagement field. With the current climate of increased staff and volunteer turnover, ensuring volunteer experiences are positive is more important than ever. In this highly interactive session, we will: explore what it means to make a culture that values volunteers; consider common staff concerns about working with volunteers; and learn tips for creating training for staff who supervise volunteers. Participants will leave with steps for supporting flourishing partnerships between staff and volunteers.
Holly Daniels, training director and Polly Roach, program director, Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement

How Do We Decide?
Track: Leadership and Governance
Who makes the decisions in your organization, and could that power be shared? What processes do you use to decide? Explore different models of decision-making, from majority voting to consensus building, in this workshop designed for nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members. Which values do you uphold, and how do they inform your decision-making? Discuss how to balance inclusion and equity with efficiency in decision-making, and learn to think differently about the way things have always been done.
Ann Crews Melton, executive director and Elizabeth Hilt, program director, Consensus Council

How to Talk About Native Nations
Track: Equity and Justice
Do you ever feel hesitant when searching for the right language to use to talk about Native nations or individuals? Join Native Governance Center for an interactive presentation on terminology basics. In addition to covering what's ok and not ok, the session will showcase the wide range of opinions on language and terminology within Indian Country. You’ll learn how to differentiate between terms such as Native American, Indigenous, American Indian, Aboriginal, and Native Hawaiian; you’ll also learn how to talk about individual Native nations and topics like membership/enrollment and broader culture and language groups. We’ll share our own lived experiences on terminology, along with resources and guides to help you put the information to use in your own day-to-day work. Expect to participate throughout the session via live polling (using a phone or laptop), small group discussion time, and Q&A.
Cree Rose Dueker (Chippewa Cree Tribe), program coordinator - movement building, Lauren Kramer, external & donor relations officer, and Michelle Red Day (Bay Mills Indian Community), program coordinator - tribal governance, Native Governance Center

Minnesota Charitable Gambling: You Should Know About This
Track: Fundraising
Last year, there was $4.6 billion of charitable gambling in Minnesota, and it provided $145 million to support community needs across the state. Those numbers may be surprising, but they shouldn't be—charitable gambling needs to be on the radar of every Minnesota nonprofit. This session will be a practical introduction to this often-misunderstood industry. We'll talk about what is (and isn't) charitable gambling. We'll learn about common do's and don'ts as you explore whether it might fit with your organization's fundraising philosophy. And we'll answer the age-old question: "Is our quilt raffle legal?" You'll also learn about—and leave with instructions for—two new programs for beginners: the Smart Start raffle (the simplest, yet still fully legal, approach to charitable gambling in Minnesota), and Smart Start B (a tool for finding sources of charitable gambling funds already in your community).
Evan Johnson, communications specialist and Chris Mau, communications manager, Minnesota Gambling Control Board

Student Loans: Get Ready for Repayment & PSLF
Track: Finance, Human Resources, Administration, and Operations
During this interactive workshop, participants will gain knowledge about different types of repayment (including the new SAVE income driven repayment plan) and forgiveness programs, how they relate to individual circumstances, and how to navigate applications and processes. Attendees will be encouraged to access their loan information during the workshop to identify what types of loans they have and engage in a question-and-answer session.
Kim Miller and April Sanderson, certified financial & student loan counselors, LSS Financial Counseling

Breakout Sessions, Round II: 3:45 - 5 p.m.

Advancing Strategy and Sustainability Through Unlearning Habits
Track: Finance, Human Resources, Administration, and Operations
The accumulated grief and exhaustion in the nonprofit sector is evident as physical and emotional depletion shows up in high turnover rates and burn out. While community needs swell in the wake of Covid 19, the murder of George Floyd, and other external stressors, resources and human capacity contract, leaving those in leadership roles increasingly struggling to find balance between personal and professional/community responsibilities, and often relying upon old ways of doing our work that no longer serve us. This session will bring people together to explore how confronting individual, organizational, and sector habits and envisioning the big, interconnected leaps toward the worldview we want to leave to the next generations leads to revitalized hope, health, strategy, and capacity for growth in the sector.
Ed Heisler, strategic advisor, Men As Peacemakers and Suzanne Koepplinger, founder, Catalyst North Consulting

Automate All the Things!
Track: Technology
While many nonprofits have yet to move "to the cloud" and are still reliant on desktop financial systems, analog processes, and paper checks, we are about to see a shift akin to leaving behind paper ledgers and moving to computer systems that we saw in the early '90s. ChatGPT 4 has already passed the CPA exam and promises to upend every aspect of the way we do our day to day work, from gathering resources, improving emails, and even doing our accounting with the aid of plugins that connect Zapier to QuickBooks and allow us to interact with PDFs. The goal of this session is to present an overview, from simple things to those that are more "out there" so people can begin to develop a plan.
Megan Genest Tarnow, principal, DaisyBee Consulting

Be in “the Room Where it Happens”: Nonprofit Impact
Track: Advocacy and Public Policy
We all need to make waves and break barriers at the Capitol as nonprofit advocates. As leaders and employees in the nonprofit sector, regardless of your job title, you know so much about your community and what it needs. Whether you work on food insecurity, a local environment challenge, animal welfare, or housing, Minnesota legislators should be hearing from nonprofit voices about your priorities for your community. Join us in learning why it’s important for you to be at the policy-making table and how to do it. During this session you’ll learn how to get involved in a 501c3 nonpartisan manner, and how joining together nonprofits can be a powerful voice for the sector.
Marie Ellis, public policy director, and Ileana Mejia, public policy advocate, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Meghan Marriott, engagement manager, and Laura Mortenson, communications director, Minnesota Budget Project

Essentials for Your Supervisor Toolkit
Track: Supervision and Management
The supervisor role is designed to accelerate results and do so in a way that helps elevate an individual's strengths and abilities. Great supervisors contribute to outstanding results by catalyzing rather than attempting to control people’s behavior. Supervisors are like a lever — a small input that can yield massive output. Learn about tangible small inputs that can make a big impact on your team and therefore organizations. This is a great session for first time or experienced supervisors to be on the cutting edge of people management.
Dominique Holwerda, human resources manager, Canopy Mental Health & Consulting + Canopy Roots.

How to Design Training that Actually Works
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
Lots of nonprofit organizations provide training for staff, volunteers, and external constituents, but few have expertise in curriculum development or training evaluation. A few simple techniques can make the difference between achieving learning objectives and falling short. This session will be a crash course in designing training that builds skill, knowledge, and confidence, and is also accessible and inclusive. Presenters will combine their academic and practitioner perspectives to introduce learning design concepts, offer some how-to guidelines, and provide a hands-on practice opportunity.
Karen Graham, consultant, Karen Graham Consulting and Kimberly OmniEssence, curriculum developer/trainer, OmniEssence Consulting

Humble Yourself: Adapting Cultural Humility in Leadership
Track: Leadership and Governance
Join us for an engaging and transformative workshop designed to deepen your understanding and practice of cultural humility in leadership. Through a combination of mindfulness practices, self-reflection exercises, and interactive discussions, this workshop will empower you to enhance your leadership approach, foster inclusive environments, and build meaningful connections across diverse cultures.
Brittany Clausen, visionary strategist, Envision Greatness

Mirror on the Wall, Intersectionality is Fairest of All
Track: Equity and Justice
How do your intersecting identities impact how you provide equitable care? Giving space to your whole self allows greater alignment for reaching desired outcomes by recognizing the role of history, power, and privilege in public health settings within the crossroad to providing equitable care. During this session, participants will have an opportunity to explore their identity and its role in delivering quality care. Participants will develop practices for cultural humility and skills to move through bias when it comes up.
Khadijah Cooper, director of sexuality education and Carissa Stevens, education program manager, Annex Teen Clinic

Skilled Volunteerism & Scoping Projects
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
This session will focus on pro bono programming for nonprofits and how to internally scope strategic needs to create an impactful project. Having a clear focus within a set project and timeline will be beneficial to engage potential volunteers and subject matter experts. And additionally give the why's of how working with pro bono volunteers can be valuable to the operational needs of the organization. Pro Bono solutions are designed to create internal capacity. This type of volunteerism promotes a team growth mindset, leveraging volunteers through their vocational knowledge is a way to innovate how an organization operates. Now more than ever engaging with volunteers in this way shows donors/funders and supporters the leadership is forward thinking and being a responsible steward of funds and budgets. Through formal presentations and small group breakouts we aim to keep the participants highly engaged.
Joy Altmann, managing director, Blair Halperin, senior relationship manager, and Akshaya Patrachari, relationship manager, Pro Bono Advisory Program, HandsOn Twin Cities

Social Media 2023: Measure and Segment for Impact
Track: Communications & Marketing
The early days of the social media revolution meant easier access to audiences for nonprofit organizations and their mission supporters. Algorithmic changes in the most recent years have made it increasingly likely that simple informational posts will no longer be seen by those who have signed up to follow your work. This session will focus on learning the exact reach and impact of social messaging by comparing your outcomes to a peer group of other nonprofits to see what may be possible under the rules these companies enforce (the algorithm). Using specific tagging ideas and augmenting those with specific individual user accounts (superfans!) can break through the logjam social media places in front of charities. Finally, learn the power of small audiences in tools such as NodeXL and Facebook Groups to bypass the barriers while building off-network connections.
Steve Boland, managing consultant, Next in Nonprofits and Saengmany Ratasabout, executive director, East Side Freedom Library

Breakout Sessions, Round III: 10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Connect and Captivate: Creating Content that Gets Noticed
Track: Communications and Marketing
This will be an immersive session on crafting compelling content that captivates audiences across various platforms and mediums. The session will build on the latest trends and data in the world of communications, with special attention to the changing role of social media and the continued relevance of email and print materials. We will explore tips for social media, websites, email, and print, focusing on creating authentic content that resonates. Practical, data-based tips will be shared for how to craft compelling subject lines, engaging preheaders, and skimmable content that converts. This session is perfect for marketers, content creators, fundraisers, and anyone responsible for communication in their nonprofit. The outcome is to equip attendees with practical techniques and impactful examples to transform content across platforms. By the end of the presentation, attendees will possess the knowledge and tools to create captivating content that stands out and engages a target audience effectively.
Jennifer Baker, Marketing Manager, Bridging

Donor Acquisition: Building a Base of Supporters
Track: Fundraising
Individual donor revenue is often the most flexible support a charity can grow, but donor acquisition is one of the most challenging areas of giving. Even the most robust donor programs will experience some lapsing donors, so an ongoing program to attract new supporters is crucial. Join to learn tools to move people up the engagement ladder from being unaware of your mission, to supportive, to donation. Events can bring in a range of donors (don’t begin with a big gala), but the key is finding qualified donors - people who support your work and can make a gift. We’ll also cover peer-supported donor campaigns, using existing supporters to bring their networks to the table. Finally, you know your mission better than anyone, so tell the rest of us about it! Use content marketing to target acquisition of new donors and use measurement tools to see which tactics work best.
Brooke Bailey, executive director, Just The Pill and Steve Boland, managing consultant, Next in Nonprofits

How to Create a Fiscally Fit Board
Track: Leadership and Governance
Do your financial reports prepare your board to easily grasp what they need to know to assess the financial health of your organization? This session will equip you with best practices in preparing effective financial reports. The presenters will demonstrate the power of supplemental financial reporting using dashboards, differing presentation styles, organization-specific performance measurements and benchmarking against peers. The desired outcome is to encourage participants to identify the state of their current financial reporting. Is it a neglected and unremarkable agenda item for the board? Are there gaps that create uncertainty? Nonprofit leaders will learn how to evolve and present their financial reporting, showing how financial results tie directly to mission delivery and organizational sustainability.
Monica Bryand, executive co-director, Voices For Racial Justice and Jerry Frick, director, operations controller/C.F.O., Veracity Pros

Inclusive Governance Practices for Nonprofit Leaders
Track: Leadership and Governance
Nonprofit boards have the opportunity to think differently, act equitably, and share power, but often these governing bodies get stuck operating in pre-established systems that fail to meet the needs of the communities they serve. In this session you will hear the story of the Minnesota Council on Foundation’s journey to implement inclusive governance practices throughout its board and committees over the last four years. After being grounded in this renewed governance approach, a panel of nonprofit leaders will discuss organizational successes and areas of growth related to healthy board governance. The session will end with a Q & A from the audience.
Amirthini Keef, executive director, Domestic Abuse Project; Brianna Kocka, governance and operations manager, Minnesota Council on Foundations; and Aaron Zimmerman, executive director, PFund Foundation

Interpreting Financial Statements: Unraveling Your Organization's Narrative
Track: Finance, Human Resources, Administration, and Operations
In the realm of nonprofit organizations, financial statements play a crucial role in conveying the organization's mission, impact, and financial health to donors, stakeholders, and the public. This session is a specialized course designed to empower nonprofit professionals with the skills and knowledge required to interpret and communicate the unique story hidden within financial data. By understanding how financial statements can serve as a powerful storytelling tool, participants will be better equipped to demonstrate transparency, build trust, and drive support for their nonprofit's important work.
Joe Wallis, nonprofit audit manager, Abdo, LLP

Now What? Emerging Strategies for Leading Volunteers
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
Volunteerism in 2023 is facing a unique set of circumstances: A decades-long decline in volunteer engagement was exacerbated by the 2020 pandemic, and new conditions are shaping the volunteerism landscape as volunteers, and groups engaging volunteers, adapt to a post-pandemic environment. Join the Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement (MAVA) to explore findings from "Post-Pandemic Volunteerism: Trends and Strategies for Volunteer Engagement in 2023 and Beyond." MAVA’s latest field-based research uncovered eight emerging trends shaping the current volunteerism landscape and provides key recommendations for taking charge of changing conditions, and elevating volunteer engagement. In this session, you will gain a better understanding of factors shaping today’s volunteer response, explore how emerging trends can guide development of new tactics for engaging volunteers, and leave with actionable strategies to lead innovation in volunteerism at your organization or initiative.
Holly Daniels, training director and Polly Roach, program director, Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement

Red Flags: Disrupting DEI Harm
Track: Equity and Justice
As DEI demands continue to accelerate in workplaces everywhere, the effort required to make progress is not distributed equitably. Training budgets continue to soar as U.S. companies spend $8 billion per year on DEI, yet the implementation of practices and ideation advancing strategic planning falls on the shoulders of those most impacted. Marginalized employees have been asking for the same basic dignities in the workplace for generations, but only recently started getting "invited to the table” for conversations about workplace culture. Being a subject matter expert can be taxing when emotional labor is high and compensation is low. This session will address the conflict of wanting to influence change, while needing to maintain self-preservation. Together we will learn to identify DEI red flags, how to respond, and center our well-being throughout it all. Come to learn how to disrupt without sacrifice, keeping ourselves whole as we co-create spaces everyone deserves.
Ashley Oolman, founder + equity strategist, Alliedfolk

Using AI in the Grant Seeking Process
Track: Technology
In this session, we will go through some of the many ways that generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help nonprofits throughout their grant seeking process. From researching and prioritizing opportunities to helping you craft a highly personalized response for each application, we will discuss some of the tools and best practices for optimizing with AI technology.
Valerie Lockhart, executive director, Code Savvy

Volunteers + Donations ≠ Disaster During a Disaster
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
When a disaster occurs, people want to help. Proactively prepare yourself, employees, volunteers, clients, and organization to respond in a disaster situation and learn of other ways to support external disaster relief efforts. Explore options and actions that can be taken to prepare for the kindness of others. Otherwise, an organization may be overwhelmed by enthusiastic spontaneous volunteers and unusable donations. Volunteers plus donations don’t have to equal a disaster during a disaster.
Jeanne Rasmussen, volunteer resources coordinator, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, State of Minnesota

Breakout Sessions, Round IV: 2 - 3 p.m.

Beyond Bob: Practicing Alternatives to Robert’s Rules
Track: Leadership and Governance
Robert’s Rules of Order: the term itself conjures visions of powdered wigs and white privilege. In this session we'll separate the myth from the method and identify ways to begin shifting your meetings towards more collaboration and inclusiveness. Come prepared to contribute to a conversation unpacking the essential elements of facilitating open and inclusive decision-making at the committee and board level. We'll take it a step farther by practicing alternatives you can use even if your bylaws require using Robert's Rules. Together, we will explore governance frameworks that invite every member to fully participate in your nonprofit’s vision, values, purpose, and practice.
Daryl Yankee, owner/operator, Daryl K Yankee Consulting, LLC and Barb Bickford, owner and principal, Bickford Collaboration, LLC

Building a Dream Workplace: How a Union Can (and Can’t) Help
Track: Supervision and Management
Unions have been a powerful tool for decades in shaping workplaces and ensuring the perspectives and interests of workers are influencing the policies and practices that impact them. With renewed attention on unionizing in the nonprofit sector, many nonprofit employees across positional levels are curious about: what it means to unionize, what’s unique or different about nonprofit unions versus for-profit, and what sorts of changes are possible through collective bargaining. Federal Mediation and Conciliation service mediators will provide a neutral perspective on labor relations, basic rights, definitions, timelines, processes, and procedures in building a cohesive team. This session is intended for anyone interested in learning more about the basics of the initial process of becoming a unionized nonprofit workplace, whether you’re a potential union employee, member of management, or somewhere in between.
Carrie Foster, commissioner, Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service

Building Your Ethical Nonprofit
Track: Leadership and Governance
A nonprofit without a strong ethical foundation is a peril to itself, its staff, its clients, and its stakeholders. Is yours ethical? How do you know? This workshop gives you the answers. In this lively session, the presenter will provide practical tools to ensure your team is operating according to ethical principles, as well as recommendations for the gray areas. Attend this session to learn the language needed to persuade your team about the importance of ethics and powerful rubrics that will give you confidence in your nonprofit’s ethical conduct.
Ted Bilich, CEO, Risk Alternatives LLC

An Economic Approach to Improving Employee Value Proposition
Track: Human Resources, Operations, & Administration
It’s the most competitive job market in 50 years and talent acquisition and retention are critical to organizational stability and continuity. With limited budgets and resources, enhancing and advancing culture and the employee experience can be a daunting undertaking for nonprofit organizations. In this session we will review the shifting employee demographic landscape and provide you with information and practical no-cost or low-cost strategies to bolster engagement of your employees, the culture of your organization, and your Employee Value Proposition in support of talent acquisition and retention.
Heather Eastman, vice president, HR & compensation consulting and Jessica Nikunen, vice president, Gallagher

The F Word: Reframing Fundraising and Philanthropy - (CANCELED)
Track: Fundraising
We are constantly receiving training and advice on how to ask for funds. While this knowledge is very important, how many of us think about affecting change in the culture of philanthropy as an early step to the growth of long-term development? In this session, we will discuss fundraising, development, philanthropy and philanthropic culture and how they relate to each other. This session will also work with you to reframe your definition, understanding, and application of philanthropic theories with real actionable steps to take away. You do not need to be a "fundraising professional" to attend!
Sarah Driever, director of development, Minnesota Autism Center

Fostering Supportive Environments for Queer and Trans Staff
Track: Equity and Justice
At this moment in time, Minnesota is portrayed as a safe haven for queer, trans and gender expansive folks as legislation passed in neighboring states becomes increasingly hostile to trans people's rights and bodily autonomy. But while legal protections remain strong in Minnesota, workplace practices, soft skills, and organizational policies still leave a lot to be desired where queer, trans, and gender expansive people are concerned. This session will provide concrete steps, clear language, and general advice for nonprofit executives, managers, and HR professionals to utilize to make their organizations more accessible and welcoming to new and current queer, trans, and gender expansive staff.
Iggy Gehlen, marketing, communications, & development coordinator, Annex Teen Clinic

From Deficit to Abundance: Building Asset-Based Language
Track: Communications and Marketing
Nonprofits are essential to addressing immediate needs within the community as well as system challenges. To engage donors and other stakeholders, they have historically created narratives that begin with the "challenge" or "problem" they are trying to solve rather than amplifying the strengths and assets of the communities their work supports. An asset-based approach supports nonprofits in identifying and leveraging the resources within their communities to create sustainable and impactful solutions. This workshop will provide nonprofit professionals with the knowledge and tools to develop an asset-based language guide for their organization, which can serve as a valuable resource for future programming and stakeholder engagement.
Stephannie L. Lewis, associate vice president, Community Impact, Greater Twin Cities United Way

How to Make Your Advocacy Bipartisan (and Why You Should)
Track: Adocacy and Public Policy
We hear it everywhere: our country is divided. Fault lines have been extending outside of politics and reaching into community, faith, philanthropy, schools, and workplaces. But there's good news -- the nonprofit sector can help stem the tide AND achieve our objectives at the same time. Join us to learn about how doing your advocacy work with a bipartisan lens can set you up for success inside and outside the capitol.
Shannon Watson, executive director, Majority in the Middle

Website Analytics: Introduction to Google Analytics GA4
Track: Technology
As many of our friends in nonprofit communications roles are aware, Google's legacy analytics software is being sunset in July of 2023. This presentation will outline the differences between Google's legacy analytics interface and GA4 (Google Analytics 4), guiding those who have yet to upgrade through what to expect and the benefits of making the switch. We will also explore the sort of information that nonprofits can measure using GA4, translating data into actionable insights to steer organizational decision making. A step-by-step tutorial on basic report setup within GA4 will make data visualization simple, resulting in digestible graphics for stakeholders. We'll also touch on User Experience (UX) and its interconnection with analytics.
Darin Faber, project manager and Jonathan Hatch executive director, Saint Paul Media; and Andrea Sanow, senior manager, marketing & communications, Propel Nonprofits

Breakout Sessions, Round V: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Becoming a Trauma-Informed Leader
Track: Leadership and Governance
A trauma-informed workplace offers a culture of safety and compassion, mindfully avoiding re-traumatization. Our understanding of trauma is expanded beyond an acute individual experience of trauma to include toxic stress, chronic traumatization, and collective trauma. With this new understanding, leaders and their teams can more effectively build a resilient workforce by acknowledging and effectively intervening in stress and trauma. In this session you will learn a shared vocabulary of trauma-informed language, practice research-based strategies to prevent vicarious trauma, employ skills for individual coping and resilience, and apply principles of a trauma-informed workplace in your organization.
Terri Allred, owner, Allred Consulting

Creating an Annual Report: Why Bother?
Track: Communications and Marketing
Whether you’re new to writing an annual report or a seasoned veteran, this session is for you. This breakout will bring together attendees who want to discuss the role of an annual/impact report in nonprofit work. There are numerous ways to help tell your story, and we will explore where this type of report fits in that process. This will be an interactive session where each participant will have the chance to walk away with a customized plan to implement for their own annual/impact report. To best reflect the experience level of our attendees it will be co-led by a second-year executive director who just wrote their first annual report (and had no idea what they were doing) along with an experienced leader who has multiple reports under their belt. An annual/impact report can feel like a daunting task so let’s come together and ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?”
Dom Korbel, executive director, Community Pathways of Steele County and Jason Viana, executive director, The Open Door

Challenges and Triumphs of Nonprofit Leadership in Greater Minnesota
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
This session focuses on the creativity and resilience of three nonprofits in northeast Minnesota. It includes participants from the American Indian Community Housing Organization in Duluth, Voices for Ethnic and Multicultural Awareness in Chisholm, and Koochiching County Food Access in International Falls. While they work in very different areas, all three seek to open the hearts and minds of community members to new perspectives and provide critical resources to support local populations. This session will share their innovative approaches to longstanding community challenges, highlight the barriers they face to success, and celebrate their successes in advancing their missions to create change in northeast Minnesota.
Ashley Hall, interim program director, Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank; Elissa Hansen, president & CEO, Northspan Group, Inc.; Seraphia Gravelle, co-executive director, Voices for Ethnic and Multicultural Awareness; and LeAnn Littlewolf, executive director, American Indian Community Housing Organization

Incorporating Reuse into Your Nonprofit Operations and Programming
Track: Finance, Human Resources, Administration, and Operations
For the better part of the last four decades, we have been trained to think about managing waste primarily in terms of trash, recycling, and composting. But we know that reuse (including repair and refurbishment) results in better environmental outcomes, creates more jobs, and offers greater social benefits. Reuse is often not prioritized due to perceptions about cost and time, which can be scarce for nonprofits. But adding reuse to your operations and programs can be done in many ways, big and small, and we invite you to learn with us! You will walk away from this presentation with ideas for how you can incorporate reuse into your day-to-day nonprofit operations, how reuse can help you reach organizational sustainability goals, opportunities for building materials reuse (including available grants), including reuse when implementing tech updates, and creative ways to build community through reuse-based programming.
Emily Barker, executive director, Reuse Minnesota and and Heather Walch, CEO, Repowered

Recovery Community Organization: A Community Based Nonprofit
Track: Programming, Volunteerism, and Community Engagement
Recovery Alliance Duluth (RAD) was the first Recovery Community Organization (RCO) north of the Twin Cities. RCOs support individuals in substance use/misuse recovery through policy and advocacy activities, recovery-focused community education and outreach, and peer recovery support. RAD is a community-based organization staffed by, governed by, and representative of the population it serves; with people with lived experience included in all levels of programming (direct service, family activities, recovery meetings, assistance accessing essential needs, etc.). RCOs are not aligned with any one system or agency; they are flexible, innovative, and honor the individual voices of participants. In this session you’ll hear about RAD's initial creation and development and how it engaged community members in a recovery-oriented system of care.
Cellie Dudley, peer recovery specialist, Jenny Swanson, executive director, and Julie Vena, program director, Recovery Alliance Duluth

Restoring Justice & Humanity (Making Waves that Break Barriers)
Track: Equity and Justice
Ever wonder what can lead to restoration of the community after harm has been done to it? The root causes of harm are multi-faceted and complex. For a history that informs educators, restorative practitioners, nonprofit program staff, and community members, join us in conversation about the Indigenous origins reflective of a way of life we all can engage. Restorative justice is impacted by race, culture, and ethnicity, and we’ll tell you how. Equity efforts continue to be challenged by the systemic context and tenacious disparities. Participants will be guided through an analysis that examines political power and privilege adding a dimension important to restorative process effectiveness. This interactive workshop maps and defines restorative justice practices while applying an equity lens and considers impact on community restoration and racial healing.
Beverly Bushyhead, restorative practitioner, Bushyhead Consulting and Cynthia Prosek, executive director, Restorative Justice Community Action

Stewardship for Small Shops: Inclusive Engagement = Fundraising Success
Track: Fundraising
As fundraisers, data and anecdotal evidence tell us that keeping a donor and increasing their engagement through meaningful stewardship is more cost-effective than recruiting new donors. Even small fundraising teams can implement a meaningful and inclusive stewardship process to engage and retain donors better. This session will focus on the why and the how of meaningful and inclusive stewardship. Session participants will leave with a clear action plan to increase their organizational fundraising success through a thoughtful and intentional stewardship plan.
Ashley Goetzke, assistant director of development and Jennifer Rogers-Petitt, director of development, Mounds Park Academy