Annual Conference – Keynotes

Nonprofit leaders everywhere share a commitment to serving our communities, especially those most vulnerable and often traditionally marginalized. How we do that work often depends on the unique histories, political climates, and power dynamics in our regions and states.

Minnesota’s nonprofits face the challenge of navigating an increasingly polarized and unpredictable environment. We’re not alone. Our peers in states with deeply conservative political landscapes have spent years developing strategies to stay rooted in mission, build resilient coalitions, and advocate effectively, even when the terrain at times can feel hostile.  

Join Brian Voerding, president of the Initiative Foundation, for a candid, wide-ranging conversation with leaders from state nonprofit associations in Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia. Together, they’ll explore: 

• How personal identities, values, and lived experiences shape their leadership in politically challenging contexts.
• The strategies they use to protect nonprofit nonpartisanship while advancing equity and justice.
• How they stay grounded and effective in times of crisis and uncertainty.
• Lessons Minnesota’s nonprofit sector can learn from their resilience, creativity, and vision.

The panel will include:

• Kevin Dean, president & CEO, Tennessee Nonprofit Network
• Mariane Doyle, executive director, Center for Nonprofits Excellence (CNE)
• Danielle Dunbar, executive director, Alabama Association of Nonprofits
• Nonoko Sato, president and CEO, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Vu Le’s new book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector, drops this October and he’s bringing it to Saint Paul for the 2025 Annual Conference. We are excitedAF!  

The nonprofit and philanthropic sector has always played a vital role in society. With the dismantling of democracy and the rise in fascism, how do we move forward? What lessons should we be learning from the past few tumultuous years? What philosophies and practices should we let go or adopt? And how do we keep ourselves motivated to continue our work when everything is on fire? Vu Le, known for his no-nonsense observations, will explore these and other questions. Leave provoked and fired up to flip some tables over. 

The first 600 paid registrants of the Annual Conference will receive a copy of Vu’s book. If you are one of these first 600 registrants, there will be instructions for picking up your copy on-site. 

Vu Le (“voo lay”) writes the blog NonprofitAF.com. He is the former executive director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by supporting leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities. Vu is a founding board member of Community-Centric Fundraising, a movement that aims to ground fundraising practices in racial equity and social justice.

Vu’s Keynote will be moderated by May Lee-Yang. May Lee-Yang (she/her) is a writer, performer, filmmaker, and educator. Her theater-based works The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity, Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman and Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star. Along with her husband, she wrote and produced a comedic web series called Hmong Organization. She has also devised theater projects with Hmong youth and elders including the Letters to Our Grandchildren project.