2023 Regional Conference Speakers

2/6/2023

Regional Conferences are day-long opportunities for nonprofit leaders to increase their skills and knowledge, network with colleagues, and find ways to collaborate to increase the impact of their nonprofit and community. Each location will feature:

Five Unique topics
Networking
Free coffee and lunch

This year's theme is Recipes for Retention: Planning for the Future. Check out what each region has in store! Full list below ⬇

North Idaho

Coeur d'Alene

Moscow

Lewiston

Southern Idaho

Treasure Valley: SOLD OUT

Twin Falls

Pocatello

Building a Foundation for Board Engagement

Learn about end-to-end board engagement strategies. Building a strong board starts with the recruiting process, setting expectations and clarifying commitment early on. Learn how to identify potential board members and how to properly steward them through the recruiting process so when they say yes, you've already got a knowledgeable board member ready to fully engage.

About Speaker: Amy Ridenour Little, MBA, is an award-winning nonprofit executive leader with over 20 years of service in the nonprofit sector. She has experience in operations, financial management, human resources and talent management. She is also a seasoned development professional with more than 12 years of fundraising, fund development, and grant writing experience.

Supercharging Your Grant Application with Powerful Partnerships

At this table talk Amy will explain how to leverage partnerships to make grant applications more competitive and to increase community impact. Attendees will leave with practical tools that they can use to better understand their partnerships and enhance their grant-funded projects.

findhelpidaho – Twin Falls & Pocatello

findhelpidaho.org connects community resource providers and the people they serve in order to improve health and social outcomes throughout Idaho. It’s free, confidential, easy to use, and provides up-to-date information. This past year, a collaborative of community based organizations worked with partners across Idaho to surpass outreach goals and help thousands of community members access resources through findhelpidaho.org. During this session you will learn more about findhelpidaho.org, our collaborative’s future plans, and how to leverage findhelpidaho.org to advance your organization’s mission.

About Speaker for the two sessions above: Amy Wuest, joined the United Way in September of 2020 as the Community Resources Director. In her role she draws on her experience in research, data analysis, grant management, digital outreach, and community-based collaboration. These skills help Amy as she works to assess key community needs, to manage grant-funded projects, and to leverage technology to optimize community resource management in the nonprofit sector.

Next-Level High-Value Event Production Tips

About Speaker: Anca Trifan, DES is the founder, creator, and CEO of Tree-Fan Events. Anca is a force to be reckoned with, a production specialist with 20 years of hands-on experience in leading technical roles, a passionate thought leader and a bold advocate for women in event productions, a natural fitness athlete, and a motivational speaker with a passion for mental and physical fitness for event & meeting professionals.

findhelpidaho

About Speaker: Anne Wolverton is the Community Resources Connector at United Way of Treasure Valley. Her goal is to remove barriers for Idahoans seeking help to ensure they can easily find and connect with the resources they need to lead healthy and successful lives. A proud University of Idaho Alumni, Anne has been working in non-profit management for more than a decade and is certified in Resource Navigation.

Volunteer Recruitment, Retention, Recognition of Older Adult Volunteers

Asia Miller is the Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator for the Treasure Valley's Foster Grandparent Program which is a tax-free stipend paid volunteer program for older adults to serve in local elementary classrooms as mentors and tutors. In previous work, she has managed a statewide crisis counseling dissemination of information campaign for the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.

Lisa Underwood is the Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator for the Legacy Corps caregiver support program. Legacy Corps provides respite for family caregivers and companionship for their loved one. This program provides services for military connected families.

Tips and Tricks for a Successful Idaho Gives Campaign

Learn the best ways to leverage Idaho Gives for a stellar fundraising season!

About Speaker: Nonprofit cheerleader, performing artist at heart, lives for data analysis. Betsy Ellsworth is the Programs and Membership Coordinator at the Idaho Nonprofit Center and manages the Idaho Gives program.

North Idaho Connections

North Idaho Connections is a robust online search and referral tool that connects individuals with community resources to meet their healthcare and social service needs. It’s a free, confidential, easy to use and up to date inclusive resource database powered by Kootenai Health. Community partners are encouraged to list their programs on the site for free as well as have access to additional tools, marketing and ongoing education at the click of a mouse. Come prepared to learn about North Idaho Connections and how to partner in bridging the gap in needed resources within our community.

About Speaker: Cassie Anderson is a Licensed Master Social Worker dedicated to addressing social determinants of health in her role as the Community Outreach and Social Services Coordinator for Kootenai Health. Cassie is also the administrator for North Idaho Connections and an integrated part of Kootenai Health's primary care and specialty clinics working to bridge the gap in needed resources. Her goal is to build a resource tool that improves access and availability to needed services within her community that will lead to better health outcomes.

Build Well: Leadership and Culture in the Nonprofit World

Build your nonprofit culture through great leadership. Develop: Teach your staff and volunteers what they need to be successful. And then Empower: Give your staff and volunteers the latitude to create, author, implement and have real ownership with their work.

About Speaker: Danielle Lyda is a seasoned Human Resource professional who brings more than 25 years of experience working with nonprofits and Human Resource Outsource and Professional Employer Organizations. She is well equipped to represent 501 Commons as the HR Programs Manager for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Volunteer Engagement: Steps for Building a Strong Strategy

Volunteers are an integral part of any organization. The gift of time and skills a person gives can directly impact your organization's ability to meet its goals. The steps for bringing and keeping volunteers onboard should be thorough and intentional so that they stay motivated and engaged in your organization's mission, leading to longer-term volunteer retention and program success.

About Speaker: Erin Lanigan is the Executive Director of Gizmo-CdA. Her educational experience, business acumen, and time within the walls of Gizmo have well-positioned her to continue the vision and development established by Gizmo’s founders. As a professional, she has built multiple careers for herself, each building on the prior — as a teacher, administrator, business owner, and consultant.

Grant writing trends, tips, and tricks

During this table-talk discussion, Hannah Cortez of The Dotted I will lead participants in a roundtable discussion. Participants are encouraged to come with all of their burning grant questions! We will discuss trends in the philanthropic sector, as well as grant writing best practices, and facilitate a conversation that leaves attendees feeling empowered to tackle grant applications for their organization.

About Speaker: As a Grant Specialist with The Dotted i since 2017, Hannah Cortez has raised over 2.7 million dollars for her clients through thoughtful project development and successful grant writing. She has a background in human development, education, and community health which gives her a well-rounded approach to grant seeking, identifying an organization’s need, and building relationships with funders.

How do we keep the good ones?

This workshop will present/discuss ideas to keep volunteers engaged with your organization.

About Speaker: Helen Mayberry has managed both non-profit and governmental agency volunteer programs for 15 years. Her experience with volunteers includes everything from recruitment, training, recognition activities, and retaining long-term volunteers.

How to grow your donor base using automation

Description coming soon

About Speaker: Jeff Barker is the founder of Creative Change - a nonprofit digital strategy agency. Jeff got his start in the nonprofit world over a decade ago when his high school teacher started a nonprofit and needed a "tech guy" for a website - they were his first client and still a client today. Jeff's passion is working with underdog organizations who are making an incredible impact in their communities but don't always have the resources or time to tell their story.

Sailing the 7 Cs of Connection

We live in a world where we are more “connected” than ever before and yet, it can feel like we are more disconnected than at any other time in our history. That makes the work we do in non profits all the more difficult. After all, we rely on the ties that bind us together to do our work. Grab you best sailing hats and hop aboard our ship of service for a guide to building real and lasting connections with the people you serve, your donors, and the people and places around you. You’ll learn key tips to expanding your outreach and creating space within your organization to do the work you’re called to do.

About Speaker: Karma Metzler Fitzgerald is an advocate for farm and rural communities. As the chairman of the Lincoln County Youth Commission, she was part of the leadership team that raised over $1 million to open a preschool and after-school program at a new youth center in Richfield, Idaho.

10 Best Practices for Board Effectiveness

Nonprofit boards are the number one success factor of a healthy organization. In this engaging webinar, learn about 10 important best practices you can implement today to improve your board and organization to ensure its success and longevity.

The Overhead Myth and Why It Matters

In this table talk, you will learn about the importance of the overhead myth, the consequences of underinvestment, and how to address this topic with donors.

About Speaker for the two sessions above: Kevin Bailey is the current CEO of the Idaho Nonprofit Center and the former Executive Director of the United Way of Southeast Idaho.

Donor Stewardship and How it Relates to Fundraising

Talk through strategies with processes that help simplify the fundraisers. With best practices, engagement tools, pre and post communication and processes, volunteer job descriptions and expectations, you'll learn some tips and tactics for ways to optimize the fundraising experience

Streamlining you Fundraiser with Strategic Design

We'll talk through different Gala event styles and traditional methodologies with a twist. Here what other organizations do that make them successful in their own events

About Speaker for the two sessions above: Kristi’s core strength is working closely with nonprofit organizations to create a culture and process that simplifies – and amplifies -- the fundraising experience for everyone involved. Thousands of nonprofits have benefitted from that strength and Kristi’s broad range of experience as well as her compassionate compass.

Storytelling Strategies for Nonprofits

If you are struggling to get your nonprofit's message heard and your cause supported, join Lisa for a discussion on the keys to building trust and influence so you can focus on making the change you have dedicated your life’s work to. In this webinar, you'll learn practical strategies for building relationships through effective storytelling.

About Speaker: Lisa is a communications expert who helps purpose-driven leaders use storytelling to connect with the communities they serve and influence action. From land conservation, wilderness education, and animal welfare, to education, and healthcare, she has helped leaders shape perception and motivate behaviors so they can transform, elevate the positioning and debunk misperceptions about their organizations.

Strategic Planning is the Key

The success of any recipe (as well as nonprofit) includes having the correct ingredients (your staff), following the directions (policies and procedures), and advance planning (strategic planning). Like when you are following a recipe if you don’t plan, you may not have everything you need to complete the job. In this session, we will review the virtues of a strategic plan and the recipe for conducting your own planning process.

About Speaker: For 30+ years, Mary Beth Harrington has been one of the nonprofit sectors most passionate supporters. Her career path is unique, rather than focusing on a particular sector she has worked with a variety of nonprofits from Aids organizations to zoos.

Retention: Treat your Workplace Culture like a Recipe

Talent retention is tied to a successful organizational culture and its diversity of components (ingredients). By that end, our organization’s culture is like a recipe that needs to be tried, tested and adapted over time to fit the palette of all stakeholders. It is time to move past any remaining premise that we can tackle our workplace culture through “a one size fits all approach” and instead embrace the joy that comes from crafting a recipe that is broadly appealing.

About Speaker: Mike Krause is a leadership and whole life coach, who focuses on helping high achievers combat Imposter Syndrome. Mike is the Chief Coaching Officer with Global Bound LLC and he works with individuals and organizations from all walks of life (business leaders, non-profit executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, mental health professionals, coaches, etc.) who are looking for ways to move past their self-doubting thoughts and actions.

Getting the word out: telling the story of your organization

Why stories are so important and impactful; the essentials of story; crucial stories nonprofits need to tell; where and how to start

About Speaker: Nancy Buffington is an English professor turned public speaking coach and trainer. She uses psychological, physical and practical approaches she developed at Stanford to help people learn to speak with clarity, confidence, authenticity and even joy. Her clients range from musicians to doctors, entrepreneurs to lawyers; they come from industries ranging from biotech to insurance to conservation.

Build Your Best Board

Building a board ready to fundraise takes time and focus. Having a strong inquiry, application and orientation process for your Board recruitment is key. Finding meaningful fundraising engagement activities for the Board ensures they stay connected to the mission they are raising awareness and funds for.

3 Key Strategies for Developing Your Individual Giving

Over 80% of the philanthropy dollars given in our country are made by individuals. Cultivating and stewarding these individual relationships is key to our fundraising success. Storytelling, an engaged board and building a major donor pipeline (of any size and shape) are three core components of developing your individual giving program. You will practice effective storytelling, learn key board engagement tactics and how to build and nurture your own major donor pipeline.

About Speaker for the two sessions above: Rebecca Andrew Zanatta, President of RJZ Connections, Inc, brings more than 25 years of experience building and stewarding strategic donor partnerships and has worked with over 135+ clients in her 11-year consulting career. Rebecca has a deep understanding of everything from the planning, building, and managing a diverse and successful major gift and capital campaign to implementing a realistic and focused strategic plan.

Leveraging Technology: the secret ingredient to increase volunteer retention

An essential ingredient in recruiting and retaining volunteers is in the technology you use as a non-profit organization. Like baking there are a wide range of tools that can be used and it is important to select the combination of tools to get the best result for your organizational needs. This interactive session will leverage the collective wisdom of those in the room to exchange tips and tricks to determine the right technology that's best for you.

About Speaker: Tiffanie Braun, is a Community Sales & Outreach Manager for GivePulse. Prior to joining the GivePulse team in September 2022, she spent the last fifteen years providing leadership for the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at Washington State University.

Cultivate Passion and Move Donors to Action

This discussion is based on the seven rules of happiness in fundraising. Fundraising over the last few years has been a rollercoaster ride, including highs, lows, quick turns, and sudden stops (and if we are honest it has had many of us gasping for air at one time or another). Here we will talk through seven solid strategies to keep your feet on the ground and your heart in the work as you work to make community change happen in your own unique way.

About Speaker: Wendi’s passion for inspiring community change has been instrumental in her role as The Director of Donor and Community Engagement. Wendi started her non-profit journey with United Way of Southeastern Idaho in 2017 after a very successful career in sales and marketing. Throughout her career, she has led and trained multifaceted teams, facilitated successful community events, and created targeted marketing to increase revenue.

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