Nonprofit Finance Conference – Request for Proposals

Attendees of the 2026 Nonprofit Finance Conference will be able to:

• Better understand issues of nonprofit finance including financial compliance, investing, budgeting, audits, internal controls, and equity in economic opportunity.
• Better understand themes of nonprofit sustainability including business planning, entrepreneurship, finding the right revenue mix, potential shifts in government oversight, community-led models, increased expenses, fluctuations in charitable giving, and the end of COVID relief funding.
• Gain insight into the relationship between finances and nonprofit leadership – from the point of view of the board, executive, senior leadership, and finance director.
• Dive into current work force trends with peer experts.
• Get specific about issues facing various subsectors, such as housing, human services, and the arts.

Attendees will include 500+ nonprofit leaders including staff, board members, and volunteers. Past conference attendees included:

• Finance / accounting staff
• Operations staff
• Executive directors
• Fundraising / development staff
• Board members

MCN seeks workshops that will focus on a range of skills, knowledge, and models of working that highlight both technical skills (i.e., budgeting, audits, and compliance) and strategic thinking and processes (i.e., team leadership, organizational sustainability, internal controls, oversight, and imaginative change). 

We are open to a variety of topics; however, we are especially interested in sessions that address the following: 

• Communicating finances to board and staff members.
• Introducing AI into your financial processes confidently and ethically.  
• Actions and strategies for addressing increased workloads and expenses in the sector. 
• How current fluctuations in charitable giving are impacting nonprofit business models.
• The connection between money and trauma and how that impacts that way people interact with finance.
• How efforts toward racial equity are showing up in your organization’s financial decision-making, service models, and overall health.
• How to manage government grants including how to work with the new Office of Grants Management guidelines.
• Preparing new nonprofit leaders for financial leadership success.
• Defining financial health based on your business model and funding streams.
• Understanding and implementing pay equity structures.
• Determining how and when to invest in infrastructure and personnel and how to communicate these needs to board members and funders.
• Financial, team, and constituent sustainability in rural contexts.
• All things real estate – how and when, build vs. buy, how to finance, maintenance projections.
• Deciding on a financial software program when you’ve outgrown Excel.

We also encourage sessions that engage topics and approaches relevant to and implementable by small nonprofits ($0-$99,999).

MCN seeks dynamic presenters from the nonprofit sector and allied organizations and fields who firmly understand nonprofit finance. Session presenters must demonstrate a depth of knowledge on the workshop topic. Sessions and presenters should reflect the racial, economic, cultural, age, and geographic diversity of the communities in the state of Minnesota. Sessions that include nonprofit presenters will be given priority. 

Session presenters have the choice to receive a stipend. We will pay individual presenters a stipend of $75, with a limit of $225 per session. Presenting a workshop is free; however, presenters planning to attend the entire conference need to pay a “presenter registration rate. This rate is 50% of the early bird registration rate, or $117, and is available to 3 presenters per session. If the presenter registration rate is inaccessible you can choose to register using the Pay What You Can (PWYC) rate that makes attendance possible for you. 

Consultants and/or for-profit businesses with an overriding interest in selling their products and services, as opposed to contributing to a learning community will not be invited to present.  

To ensure the highest quality sessions for the conference, the planning committee will place priority on session proposals that incorporate modern adult education modes, formats emphasizing participant engagement and interaction, and are accessible. MCN will offer strategy sessions for interested presenters to think through getting the most out of your engagement tools. 

• Your session should engage attendees so that participants are actively involved in dialogue, discussion, and idea-generation throughout the session in some form.
• Your sessions should allow attendees to connect with one another.
• Your session should provide specific takeaways that attendees can implement in their work.
• Your session should have no more than three presenters (including any moderator).
• PowerPoint slides filled with words should be kept to a minimum. Consider using pictures and stories to convey your message. 

Session presenters have the choice to receive a stipend. We will pay individual presenters a stipend of $75, with a limit of $225 per session. 

Presenting a workshop is complimentary; however, presenters planning to attend the entire conference need to pay a “presenter registration rate” which is 50% of the early bird MCN Member registration rate (available to 3 presenters per session). If the presenter registration rate is inaccessible you can choose to register using the Pay What You Can (PWYC) rate. 

Our conferences have been selling out, therefore having presenters register allows us to gather an accurate count of registration and accommodations to ensure everyone can fully engage in the conference. 

The RFP for the 2026 Nonprofit Finance Conference is now closed. We hope you can still join us April 23, 2026 as an attendee at the fifteenth annual event.

Interested in presenting at another MCN 2026 Conference? Check out our other open RFPs.

Submitting a proposal is easy! Simply complete the online proposal form. The deadline to submit a proposal to present at the conference is Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. central.