Conference Schedule and Sesssions

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Finance and Management Track

Engaging the Board in Financial Leadership

Thursday, October 6, 1:45 - 3 p.m.

Nonprofit board members have the ultimate responsibility for the financial health of their organizations, yet their efforts to engage in financial matters are often misguided, ineffective, and inefficient. To be effective leaders, board members must have an understanding of key financial reports, the important factors in analyzing the reports, and how to align and balance the mission and programmatic work with the financial plans of the organization. Session presenters will discuss the essential reports for the board’s review and analysis, reveal tips on how to effectively frame strategic financial management conversations, and highlight case examples of nonprofits who have successfully redefined their board’s role to share in their organization’s financial leadership. The conversation will be most helpful to staff leaders who seek to deepen their board’s role in financial leadership as well as board members who desire to serve as effective financial stewards of their organizations.
Michael Anderson, Training Program Manager and Loan Officer, Nonprofits Assistance Fund; Atum Azzahir, Executive Director, Cultural Wellness Center; Matt Halley, Executive Director, Cookie Cart; Mark Lofstrom, Board Member, Rainbow Health Initiative; Fran McCloskey, Board Member, Cookie Cart; and Dawn Williams, Board Member, Cultural Wellness Center

Social Enterprise and the Ties That Bind: Moving Beyond an Exclusive Reliance on Philanthropy

Friday, October 7, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

As nonprofit leaders scramble to find their footing in the new philanthropic funding landscape, an increasing number are emphasizing earned revenue and innovative funding models as a means of attaining sustainability, autonomy, and long-term stability. Hear from members of the Social Enterprise Alliance - Twin Cities Chapter about the paths they have taken to launch and sustain their business ventures. How are they balancing the tension between mission and money? What legal structures have they used? What special opportunities and challenges arise when social enterprises begin expanding their operations to serve more constituents? The conversation will be a nuts and bolts discussion of several different models.
Greg Bauman, Business Development Specialist, Innovative Packaging Solutions, Lifetrack Resources; Colleen Ebinger, Executive Director, Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA); Lynne Megan, President & CEO, TSE, Inc.; and Randy Treichel, Enterprise Director & Interim Executive Director, Urban Business Adventures

Keeping the Roof Up and Your Costs Down 

Friday, October 7, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Rent or own? Move or stay? Are we getting a good deal, or taken to the cleaners? Facilities costs are often the second most expensive thing in a nonprofit budget. This session will highlight some tools to understand your total costs of occupancy, how your space can impact your mission (and vice versa), how to be a smart and informed negotiator surrounding lease issues and what to think about when it comes to owning property. The session will include a sample timeline and issues for navigating a property move, as well as a discussion of sharing space with other nonprofits as a possible option. Leave this session with an understanding of total facilities costs and how to manage them, tips on negotiating a better deal with existing property or new space, and templates for budgeting leasehold or repair needs.
Steve Boland, Loan Officer, Nonprofits Assistance Fund; Paul Donovan, Senior Vice President and Jaclyn May, Real Estate Advisor, Advisory Services Group of NorthMarq

The Leadership of Performance Management

Friday, October 7, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

High performing nonprofits know that leadership development and organizational effectiveness are intrinsically linked. Attend this workshop to explore the benefits for nonprofits when performance management, performance measurement and organizational leadership are integrated. Based on examples from Greater Minnesota nonprofits that have practiced this integrated approach, we will examine the lessons learned, share tools developed and discuss reflections. Join this session if you are interested in learning about ways to positively impact the community through a holistic approach to leadership development, organizational planning, performance management and evaluation.
Julia Classen, Principal, Aurora Consulting; Kris McNally, Co-executive Director, Industries, Incorporated; Joy Nadeau, Executive Director, Sherburne County Area United Way; and Paul Masiarchin, Program Manager, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Why and What to Evaluate? 

Friday, October 7, 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Evaluation is one of the most common ways to help an organization underline its success stories as well as to amend or improve the manner in which they operate. It seems, however, that evaluation is a hard practice to keep up with when nonprofit staff members are overwhelmed with all of their responsibilities, much less all that they need to consider in an evaluation. Every organization, regardless of size or activity area, has a different set of needs that must be evaluated in a very specific way. Fortunately, there are methods and techniques already in place that can alleviate the burden behind evaluation planning. In this session we will summarize methods and options to evaluate your program(s), and present case examples. We will also discuss the convenience of introducing the logic model in program planning in order to facilitate the path to the evaluation plan as well as its ongoing maintenance. Linking your logic model with your evaluation plan is a wonderful way to know what, how, and when to evaluate your program(s), and allows you the possibility to generate solid reports at a moment’s notice that will be received positively by your stakeholders.
Rodolfo Gutierrez, Executive Director, HACER and Ann Zukoski, Senior Research Associate, Rainbow Research, Inc.

Bonding Your Impact: How Human Capital Performance Bonds Could Affect the Nonprofit Sector

Friday, October 7, 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

As the state budget is stretched and stressed further and further, there is increased conversation regarding the most efficient way to provide services. As a critical partner in delivering state-funded services, changes to the status quo could mean big things for the nonprofit sector. Human capital performance bonding is a proposed pay-for-performance funding method based on the extent to which nonprofit services lead to increased receipts (e.g. state income tax) or cost abatement (e.g. decreased demand for social services). The proposed funding method could dramatically change the way in which the state government and nonprofits partner and could also have big implications for performance measurement, outcome management, working capital, and state-nonprofit relationships. This session will provide an overview of the human capital performance bonds concept and proposed pilot project, a space for nonprofit leaders to discuss how the change in funding method could impact their organization and their clients, and information on legislative efforts.
Michael Anderson, Training Manager and Loan Officer, Nonprofits Assistance Fund; Colleen Ebinger, Executive Director, Social Enterprise Alliance – Twin Cities Chapter; and Martin Wera, Program Director, Charities Review Council

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