Tuesday, February 27  |  8am - 9am

Aligning Mission & Finance in Your Organization

Presented by Sarah Jackson of Propel Nonprofits

Often nonprofit financial leaders can feel disconnected from their mission because they're focused on daily operations, but they are also constantly making mission-related decisions, allocating resources, and sharing the financial story of the organization. Explore how to align the financial goals and processes within your organization with your mission and strategic goals, including tools and examples.

Understanding and Operationalizing Pay Equity

Presented by Rachel Martinez of Hope Community

What is pay equity, and how do we get there? This session explores these questions as the presenter shares her experience developing a compensation structure for a nonprofit that had never had one before. To address pay equity, the nonprofit took a multi-step approach to build stability, trust, and ultimately, a pay structure that reflects our work and values. The presenter will share the basic components of this structure, which uses data from the MCN Salary Survey, and can be adapted to fit the needs of other organizations.

Buying Real Estate: An Overview of the Steps

Presented by Allison Wagstrom of Propel Nonprofits

If your organization is considering making this investment, it is important to think about where the money is coming from, structures you need to have in place, and the impact on your business model.  Learn about the steps involved in making this choice and walk away with an understanding of debt service coverage ratios, pro formas, and the big questions that your board must think about when making this decision. 

Tuesday, February 27  |  11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Values-Based Investing: Three Minnesota Nonprofits Making Money Matter

Presented by Sarah Curfman of Northside Achievement Zone, Fay DeBellis of Graystone Consulting Twin Cities, Eleanor Savage of Jerome Foundation, and Katelyn Shehu of Arts Midwest

What does ESG (environmental, social, governance), Socially Responsible, and Impact Investing mean to your organization? Explore how three nonprofits worked with their boards to fully engage their values into investment policy statements and long-term asset pools, including how to approach the conversation and execute values-based investing.

Hybrid Work Environments: The Joy & Pain

Presented by Jenifer Hensely of Downtown Boise Association, Kellie Lager of Mission Animal Hospital, and Jun-Li Wang of Springboard for the Arts

Whether it’s frontline and office, or remote and in-person teams, building equitable benefits, PTO, and employee engagement practices is essential for organizational success. This session will explore best practices for moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach!

Management of Cashflow of Fast Growing Organizations

Presented by Pablo Urriche of The Loppet Foundation

Learn how to identify and organize cash variables in accounting; evaluate and potentially modify charts of accounts to build reports; measure key variables that allow control of key performance indicators; and make cash decisions based on current or projected performance of an organization. Participants will leave with an overview of how to plan cashflow, project cash flow, and compare with the actuals and the original plan.

Tuesday, February 27  |  1:15 - 2:30 p.m.

Streamlining Technology in Your Nonprofit

Presented by James Ellis of EV Strategic Partners

Let's identify opportunities for improvement in your ecosystem of software and hardware used to support your programs. We'll discuss the benefits of streamlining and walk through essential tools and strategies for integrating and upgrading outdated systems. You'll leave knowing how to evaluate vendors, implement new tools, and the importance of continuous assessment and training to stay ahead of emerging trends. 

The Four-Day Workweek: Embracing a Radical Shift

Presented by Emily Anderson of Arts Midwest

Many nonprofits, despite being founded on missions to do good, create a burnout workplace culture that harms their own workers. In recent years, more and more organizations are wondering about the four-day workweek as one way of changing workplace culture and centering workers’ wellbeing. Does it really work? How can you possibly get all your work done? Will this trend last? This session will share insights from one mid-sized arts nonprofit’s experience with transitioning to a four-day workweek. 

What You Need to Know About Internal Controls

Presented by Steve Anseth of Abdo, Marie Ellis of Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and Rick Linsk of Minnesota State Attorney General Office

Nonprofits must operate legally, ethically, and transparently. Strong internal controls, the rails that can keep your organization within the law and negative press at bay, take diligence and vigilance. Unpack ways to ensure your nonprofit’s positive intent to operate above board is actualized by internal controls that are effective for your unique nonprofit. Through a combination of presentation and moderated conversation, an attorney, CPA, and public policy expert will address the top "dos and don'ts" when being proactive in avoiding fraud and unintentional conflicts of interest and create an environment in which people are reminded that they are not operating in isolation.

Tuesday, February 27  |  2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Maximizing Financial Efficiencies

Presented by Aaron Engler, Sheila S. Dowling, and Steven H. Shafer of Bremer Bank

There are an increasingly number of tools that decrease costs and enable finance staff to do more with less time and less errors. This session will introduce general payment collection and receipt tools available in the broader market. You'll gain insights into financial tools available to increase operational efficiencies, and we'll specifically look at payment mechanisms to decrease reliance on paper checks and operational automation to increase the speed of receivable collection and classifications.

AI Technology for Nonprofits

Presented by Carly Kortuem and Crystal Ray of Qué Tal Language Program

This introductory session is tailored for nonprofit professionals in human resources and finance, aiming to demystify Artificial Intelligence (AI) and showcase its potential to optimize efficiency and maximize impact. We'll explore practical applications of AI in nonprofits, discussing how it can help you save time, reduce costs, and enhance your communication efforts. You'll leave with actionable insights to harness the power of AI and drive your nonprofit's mission forward effectively.

Empowering African Immigrants: Budget Equity and Engagement Strategies

Presented by Osman Ahmed of Talo Table and Nyia Harris of Nyia Harris, LLC.

Learn about the importance of budget equity in fostering inclusive and sustainable communities, and the role of budget equity in addressing socio-economic disparities in African immigrant communities. The presenters will also cover the challenges African immigrants are facing, benefits of engaging immigrant communities in the budgeting process, and strategies for inclusive budgeting.

Thursday, February 29  |  8 - 9 a.m.

The Big Reveal: You Nonprofit's Business Model

Presented by Henry Jiménez of Propel Nonprofits and Curtis Klotz, Luciano Patiño, and Shétu Rose of Diverge Finance Cooperative

This session outlines why knowing your business model matters so much. Learn concrete examples of how nonprofit fund accounting can be used to illuminate how your organization really functions financially and programmatically. With this understanding, you're better able to track, analyze, report, and strategize around your business model.

Minnesota's New Legislation and Its Impact on Employers

Presented by Dave Skovholt of Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

The pace of Minnesota's 2023 legislative session was lightning quick and there are many legislative changes now taking effect that impact the nonprofit workforce. Join an expert from Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry for an introduction to two areas of significant change: Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) and the Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA). The goal of this session is to build a base knowledge of the key implementers of these changes within nonprofit employers – the people who hold human resource and governance roles. An emphasis will be placed on the employer’s duty to inform their employees about the new laws while providing them with tools to do so.

An Ongoing Digital Transformation Story

Presented by Ben Aase and Troy Hollings of CliftonLarsonAllen, and Ben Post of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Unpack the experience of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and their journey to become a more data-driven organization. Through a case study format, dive into common questions and challenges nonprofits face in beginning their digital journeys, including: Bridging the strategy-operations-data divide; Advocating for good data and investment in related systems and people; How to think about which functions to staff in-house vs. outsource; How to communicate and manage change across teams and governance; And building the “habit” of data – a missed step for many.

Thursday, February 29  |  11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Planning a Capital Campaign? Finance and Fundraising Considerations

Presented by Frances Roen of Fundraising Sol and Joanna Koenig of CliftonLarsonAllen

If you're thinking about raising funds through a capital, comprehensive, or endowment campaign, your pre-campaign planning must include both fundraising and finance. Anticipating and planning for needed policies, procedures, increased communication, and staffing infrastructure before your campaign is underway will not only save you headaches down the road—it will increase your chances of an effective campaign. 

Top 5 Human Resources Trends

Presented by Stacy Johnston of Audacity HR

As we emerge from the pandemic, organizations have a tremendous opportunity to engage in HR thought leadership like never before. This session will dive into the trends we navigate on a daily basis and what should be on our radar for the future. We’ll engage across organizations and tap into the knowledge in the room to build skills and cultivate relationships to support our journey as nonprofit professionals.

Understanding Common Nonprofit Financial Statement Findings

Presented by Serena Cram of Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities and Joe Wallis of Abdo

Audits are critical for maintaining nonprofit transparency and accountability. By understanding the typical issues that auditors identify, nonprofits can take proactive measures to improve their financial reporting and compliance. We'll discuss various financial statement audit findings, their implications, and strategies to mitigate them, ensuring your nonprofit remains in good financial health and in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Thursday, February 29  |  1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Financial Planning for Leadership Transitions

Presented by Mario Hernandez and Amanda Ziebell of Propel Nonprofits

Learn how to plan for the costs (upfront and hidden) of a leadership transition. What are the financial implications when a long-term or founding leader leaves? How can you mitigate financial risk during this time? And most importantly, how can you plan ahead so they are not caught unaware by the associated costs? You'll learn the true costs of leadership transitions, get tips for mitigating financial risk, and learn how to plan for related costs ahead of time.

Neuroinclusive Employment: Creating Workplaces for All Brains to Thrive

Presented by Mel Houser of All Brains Belong VT

What does it mean for employers to be neuro-inclusive? Join this interactive session to learn concrete parameters to improve your neuro-cultural competency like accessibility-related aspects of recruitment and hiring, workplace environment, training and supervision, and workplace communication. You'll leave with specific, actionable steps to improve the accessibility and neuro-inclusiveness of your organization. 

The Where, When, Why, and How of Outsourcing

Presented by Patricio Cadena and Matt Haggerty of RSM US

Back-office functions like finance and accounting, HR, and IT are critical infrastructure elements of your organization. Getting them wrong or underperforming can severely impact your mission. So how can you keep up with changing regulations and technology, while having difficulty filling important positions? In this session we will discuss outsourcing these functions – when it might (or might not) be worth considering and how to ensure that it is successful, enabling you to more intently focus on your mission.