Nonprofit Finance Conference – Request for Proposals

The conference is designed for both finance specialists and nonprofit leaders who want to better understand financial management, compliance, budgeting, audits, investments, internal controls, revenue strategies, and the connection between financial health and organizational sustainability. 

Attendees of the 2027 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, and fluctuations in charitable giving.
• 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 who play a role in organizational financial decisions, including:

• Finance / accounting staff
• Operations staff
• Executive directors and senior leaders
• Fundraising / development staff
• Board members and volunteers

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).

For additional information and context, you may review 2026 Finance Conference sessions.

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. Proposals from our allies in for-profit companies are welcome; however, please note that preference will be given to sessions that demonstrate active involvement of nonprofit professionals and sector researchers and members from the communities they engage as session presenters or co-presenters. 

Session presenters receive a stipend of $80, with a limit of $240 per session (for multiple presenters). Presenters are also recognized on the conference website under their breakout session description and in the conference program given to all attendees.

Presenters are supported via an optional virtual preparation session approximately one month before the conference, are sent general information about conference attendees to help inform their presentation, and receive on-site tech support.

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.  

Session proposals that emphasize participant engagement, interaction, and accessibility have generally received the most positive feedback. We recommended session formats incorporate: 

• Participant engagement: dialogue, discussion, and idea-generation throughout the session.  
• Networking: time for attendees to connect with one another and methods to stay connected. 
• Specific takeaways that attendees can implement in their work. 
• No more than three presenters (including a moderator). 
• Accessible slides and materials; text-heavy slides should be kept to a minimum. 
• Visual imagery and storytelling to convey your message.  

Session presenters receive a stipend of $80, with a limit of $240 per session (for multiple presenters).

Presenters who plan to attend the entire conference need to pay a “presenter registration rate. This rate is 50 percent of the early bird registration rate, or $117, and is available to three 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. 

MCN 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. 

Proposals can be submitted through the online proposal form and take about 15 minutes to complete. You do not need to have a fully fleshed out presentation to submit a proposal. You are sharing an idea that you will shape into a presentation.

The deadline to submit a proposal to present at the conference is Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. central. 

Yes! If your experience and insights overlap with multiple focus areas that you think would benefit attendees at multiple MCN conferences, we encourage you to submit a proposals to all those applicable. Session proposals are currently open for the following MCN 2027 Conferences:

Submission deadline: Thursday, November 19, 2026.

Conference focus: Strategic and equitable approaches to leading people, organizations, and movements from any position and point of view within nonprofits.

Leadership RFP >>

Submission deadline: Thursday, February 18, 2027.

Conference focus: Sustainable approaches to revenue generation by building fundraising skills, strengthening donor relationships, and exploring emerging practices.

Fundraising RFP >>

Submission deadline: Thursday, April 15, 2027.

Conference focus: Topics across all departments, experience levels, and organizational sizes that explore strategies to support sustainable, thriving nonprofits.

Annual RFP >>