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Breakout Sessions
Breakout descriptions and speakers subject to change (last updated 5.19.25). More session descriptions, times, and speakers coming soon!
Breakout Round I // 10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
AI for Leaders
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: General
AI is everywhere and changing daily. In this session we will address two critical needs for busy nonprofit leaders. First, we will provide a clear roadmap for developing your organization’s AI policies and capacity. This content will help you take the next step (no matter where your organization is in adopting AI tools) to make sure your team is leveraging resources appropriately and effectively. Secondly, we will update participants on tools that busy leaders can use to become more efficient in their work. AI holds great promise for reducing the amount of time you spend on transactional tasks so you can focus on the strategic and mission-driven work that only leaders can provide. Join us for a fun and engaging session with lots of interaction and hands-on applications.
Presenter: Eric Molho, Founder and Principal, Bon Partners; Lori Ryan, Founder and CEO, Lorignite
BIG Energy, BIG Engagement: How Building Relationships and Trust Can Lead to BIG Results
Focus: Pathways to Leadership Knowledge Level: General
Too often, nonprofit recruitment is treated as a numbers game—focused on volume rather than meaningful connections, but Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities learned that prioritizing relationships builds trust, fosters deeper community ties, and leads to big, long-term impact. Join this fun and high energy session to hear from a Black female professional who is dedicated to deepening community engagement in the Twin Cities as she tells the story of how actively listening to the community evolved into reshaping how Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities approaches volunteer recruitment. This session will demonstrate that by centering core values and embracing a community-first mindset over transactional outreach, organizations can cultivate sustainable engagement strategies that drive real change. Come ready to be inspired and reimagine what recruitment can look like when relationships come first!
Presenter: Sandi Richmond, Director of Community Engagement & Volunteer Recruitment
Deepening Community Engagement for Greater Impact
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leaderships Knowledge Level: General
How can nonprofits center their communities in their programs, evaluations, and strategy? Engage Winona has led community engagement initiatives in the Winona area since 2017 and has created a session for leaders at any level who engage, or want to engage, with the communities they serve and seek real-world tools and processes for engagement that increases impact, reciprocity, and ownership while minimizing harm. The content covered will be geared toward small- to mid-size nonprofits, with specific considerations for greater Minnesota. Participants will unpack and apply asset framing, the IAP2 spectrum, community mapping, and other tools to develop strategies for effective community engagement in their home communities. This interactive session will also support participants to scale engagement approaches to fit the size of their teams.
Presenters: Marcia Ratliff, Executive Director and Isabel McNally, Program and Communications Manager, Engage Winona
Empathy in Action: Beyond Just Understanding
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leadership Knowledge Level: General
In this workshop attendees will go beyond empathy as being able to feel someone’s story to empathy impacting their actions and leadership. This highly engaging session will invite attendees to dive into their personal stories cultivating empathic listening from their peers and challenging them to think about how they can change their potential actions based on what they heard. After this experience attendees will be equipped to listen more deeply, be more empathetic, and use this empathy to improve how they treat others in a more inclusive and liberated way. The facilitator will be centering the work of Green Card Voice’s story stitch card game in the space.
Presenter: Donte Curtis, CEO, Catch Your Dream Consulting
Fostering Productive Conflict on Teams
Focus: Conflict Conscious and Purpose-Driven Leadership Knowledge Level: General
Employee engagement is one of the strongest predictors of staff retention, productivity, and effectiveness. Yet, leaders who struggle to tolerate and manage disagreement may unintentionally suppress engagement — preventing innovative ideas and creative solutions from emerging. When distrust takes hold, staff often hesitate to challenge conventional thinking or voice perspectives that differ from the leader’s preferences. While avoiding conflict may seem like the best path to team harmony, overly agreeable meetings often lack energy and fail to drive meaningful outcomes. In contrast, meetings that embrace productive conflict foster deeper engagement, better decision making, and a stronger focus on results. This session is designed for leaders who facilitate meetings and want to create an environment where constructive conflict leads to greater team cohesion, trust, and effectiveness. Participants will explore a practical model for navigating disagreement in a way that enhances both team dynamics and performance.
Presenters: Russ Turner, Director, People Incorporated Mental Health Services
Navigating and Responding to Emergent Legal Threats and Opportunities
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: General
Join this session to learn more about the unfolding legal threats and opportunities facing Minnesota’s nonprofit sector, including: implications of recent executive orders, federal funding cuts, impending threats, and opportunities to strengthen internal policies and procedures. Session attendees will have an opportunity to put their own organization’s situation into perspective in light of an evolving federal context, and participate in an interactive opportunity to inform both existing work (led by MN LEAD, an initiative of the MN Black Collective Foundation) and a new initiative (co-led by LegalCORPS and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits) that are designed to expand nonprofit access to low and pro bono legal counsel.
Presenters: Kari Aanestad, Associate Director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Nicole Deters, Executive Director, LegalCORPS; and Allison Johnson Heist, Principal, AJH Strategies
Breakout Round II // 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Cultivating Meaningful Partnerships to Support Rural Community Sustainability
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leaderships Knowledge Level: General
What best practices support effective partnerships between small nonprofits and larger institutions? What pathways are available to help organizations like yours build meaningful partnerships that contribute to greater impacts? In this interactive session, facilitators from University of Minnesota Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships will share on-the-ground examples, outline specific partnership opportunities, and illustrate ways that partnerships can support local initiatives and help achieve goals. Facilitators and participants will discuss challenges, share tools, learn from proven approaches, and explore what makes for meaningful partnerships. This session will be relevant for staff, volunteers, and board members of all community-based organizations, with particular attention to those that focus on sustainable development and those located in Greater Minnesota. As a result of attending this session, participants will gain practical models for effective partnerships, develop a better understanding of best practices, and learn about actionable partnership opportunities.
Presenters: Anne Dybsetter, Executive Director, Southwest, Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, University of Minnesota; Andi Sutton, Executive Director, Southeast, Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, University of Minnesota
Cultural Islands, Care Ethics, and Theatre Games, Oh My: HR Rituals to Replicate
Focus: Staying Well While Leading Knowledge Level: Intermediate
How many of us have been told to mask our emotions at work? How might Anishinaabe Grandfather Teachings, theatre games, and feminist care ethics change our meetings and our organizations for good, redefining the future of leadership along the way? The presenter will share stories of her organization’s experience with workplace culture rituals proven to help organizations achieve their shared goals together in a good way. Through presentation and applied practice, she’ll help executive and HR leaders as well as managers and board members establish inclusive cultures of growth within their teams. Participants will leave the session understanding how and why to replicate these rituals within their own teams and organizations. As a result of attending this session, participants will be prepared to build organizational cultures of care rooted in traditional knowledge and their own values.
Presenters: Jenna Ray, Interim Executive Director, GiveMN
Guiding Your Committee to Infuse Your Mission and Values in Your Long-Term Assets
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Now more than ever it is important to dig in and connect your mission to every part of your organization, including your long-term asset pool. Attending this session, you will learn how to overcome investment committee reticence to engage in values focused strategies often due to fear of doing good costing returns. We’ll talk together about the journey of defining actionable goals, building consensus, institutionalizing values in your IPS, implementation, and engagement with stakeholders. Motivating committee members can come from education and hard data showing outperformance of values investing versus traditional direction and enthusiasm from leadership, and from potential increased stakeholder (staff, leadership and donor) engagement. Mission aligned and tailored investing can influence and change behavior. Infusing your assets with mission amplifies your work out into the world. Today’s world means that we need to reimagine fiduciary responsibility beyond traditional investment thought constructs.
Presenters: Sarah Curfman, Executive Director, Down Syndrom Association of MN Investment; Fay DeBellis, Institutional Consulting Director, Graystone Consulting of Morgan Stanley
Leading Together: The Power of Co-Leadership in Transforming Nonprofit Organizations
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leadership Knowledge Level: Intermediate
This session delves into Green Card Voices’s (GCV) implementation of a co-leadership model, which has driven transformative growth and resilience in the organization for over four years. We will showcase how this collaborative approach fostered transparency, equity, and shared accountability, enabling GCV to secure record-breaking grants, scale impactful programs, and earn the 2024 Bush Community Innovation Prize. Participants will learn practical strategies for adopting co-leadership, emphasizing shared decision-making and trust-building. They will gain actionable insights into leveraging co-leadership to navigate challenges, enhance organizational adaptability, and create equitable workplace cultures. This session highlights the critical role of empathy, relationships, and innovative problem-solving in nonprofit leadership. Nonprofit leaders, managers, board members, and emerging professionals seeking dynamic leadership models for growth, restructuring, or transitions will all benefit from this session.
Presenters: Tea Rozman, Co Leader, Programs and Partnership and Aaliyah Hannah, Co Leader, Finance and Operations, Green Card Voices
Practical Pathways to Leadership
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leadership Knowledge Level: General
In this session, we’ll explore equity-centered strategies for creating leadership pathways for individuals with lived experience. You’ll learn how to design mentorship programs that balance autonomy with support, promote shared decision-making, and remove barriers to leadership roles. We’ll also cover how to build mentorship relationships that honor both expertise and growth needs, and how to ensure lived experience leaders share power with decision-makers. Participants will leave with actionable frameworks, strategies, and tools to empower lived experience leaders in nonprofit organizations.
Presenter: Marc Propst, Director of Development, Tubman; Amanda Ziebell Mawanda, Leadership and Organizational Development Consultant
Quiet & Transformative: Developing the Leadership Potential of Introverts
Focus: Pathways to Leadership Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Current American societal ideals favor personalities that are outgoing, positive, and talkative in nature, due to the rise of the “Culture of Personality.” However, recent research studies have demonstrated that introverts not only make good teammates, but they are also excellent leaders. In this session, we will discover what makes introverts capable of being successful fundraisers, networkers, and leaders. By participating in this hour-long session, learners will be able to describe ways in which their nonprofit will benefit from the contributions of introverts as well as ways in which to develop the leadership potential of introverts on their team. A mixture of research and information will be provided and interspersed with self-reflection and small-group discussion to come to an understanding and appreciation of the importance of diversity in personality and thought in the growth and success of nonprofit organizations.
Presenters: Katie Jolicoeur, Ph. D., Director of Career Services, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Breakout Round III // 2 – 3:15 p.m.
Being a ‘Coach-Like’ Leader – Practice Asking More and Telling Less
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leadership Knowledge Level: General
Many leaders can easily fall into the trap of believing they need to be able to answer every question and solve all the problems posed to them by staff. This cycle can create staff who are overdependent and excessively reliant on their leader, as well as leaders who are overwhelmed. In this session, leaders learn how to become more ‘coach-like’ in their approach to leadership which includes meeting staff members where they are through an attitude of curiosity, asking impactful questions, engaging in meaningful dialogue, and empowering staff by supporting them in ongoing learning and development.
Presenters: Kate Solis Silva, Executive Coach & Facilitator and Stacie Watson, Owner & Partner, Transformative Leadership Strategies
From Chaos to Clarity: Building Team Rhythms That Actually Work
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Let’s be real, most nonprofit teams are drowning in back-to-back meetings while still feeling disconnected and reactive. This interactive session tackles the paradox of needing both structure and flexibility in chaotic times, revealing how to create a nested rhythm of weekly action meetings, 6- to 8-week strategic sprints, and quarterly reviews that actually work. Through real examples and hands-on exercises, we’ll explore how organizations have transformed their dynamics through intentional operating rhythms. We’ll examine common pitfalls, highlight success stories from grassroots organizations, and practice tools for sustaining momentum. This session is essential for teams navigating hybrid work, funding shifts, and increasing community needs while trying to maintain their wellbeing and impact.
Presenters: Janie Dunckley Moore, Director of Impact, Entrepreneur Fund and Chief Changemaker, Brico Works and Carly Viegut, Communications Manager, Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation
Meeting, Missing, Matching, and More: Advancing Equity Through Evaluation
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Many nonprofits conduct program evaluations out of necessity, but evaluation can also be a powerful tool to improve your program’s reach, impact, and ROI. By using evaluation to ask and solve strategic questions, you can assess whether you’re meeting your intended audiences, identify who you’re missing, and determine how to match your programs to their needs in the most impactful and efficient ways. This approach ensures continuous improvement, drives equity, and maximizes resources for those who need them most. As a result of attending this session, participants will develop skills to use evaluation data strategically to identify service gaps, align programs with audience needs, and advance equity.
Presenters: Jordan Vernoy, Partner and Stacy Van Gorp Partner, SWIM Consulting
Navigating Critical Conversations: Hard Questions in Uncertain Times
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: General
The nonprofit sector is facing unprecedented stressors, compelling organizations to engage in difficult conversations around economic viability and mission focus. These challenges often require tough decisions that may include mergers, acquisitions, or even dissolutions. This session will focus on how organizations can and should navigate these critical conversations with transparency and intention to ensure all voices are heard and decisions are made collaboratively, always guided by mission, values, and stakeholders. Participants from all levels of leadership will gain a deeper understanding of key questions and transparent processes to consider the future of their organizations thoughtfully and with respect.
Presenter: Roger Meyer, Owner and Melissa Martinez-Sones, Owner, Mighty Consulting
The Resilient Leader’s Blueprint: Strategies for Self-Care, Expectation Alignment, and Emotional Intelligence
Focus: Staying Well While Leading Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Effective leadership starts with self-leadership. Before guiding others, leaders must develop self-awareness, set healthy boundaries, and communicate effectively—especially in today’s high-stress, rapidly changing environment. In the nonprofit sector, where funding is often tied to grants, shifting priorities, and political changes, leaders must navigate uncertainty while maintaining stability for themselves and their teams. This interactive session explores the complexities of balancing organizational demands with personal wellbeing in a sector where financial fluctuations and policy shifts can alter the course of work overnight. Participants will learn strategies to set clear boundaries, say “no” effectively, and ask clarifying questions to drive productive conversations without misinterpretation. Through guided discussions and an emotional intelligence (EQ) improv scenario, attendees will practice direct yet strategic communication techniques to navigate workplace dynamics, reduce defensiveness, and foster open dialogue. The session will also address burnout’s impact on leadership and equip participants with self-regulation tools to lead with resilience.
Presenters: Brittany Clausen, Chief Executive Officer and Rhonda Arnold, Chief Operating Officer, Envision Greatness
Breakout Round IV – 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Art & Organizing: The Future of Youth-Led Movement Building
Focus: Collaborative and Community-Centered Leaderships Knowledge Level: General
Believe In What’s Possible is a youth-led nonprofit working to reveal, center, and support youth power in Minnesota politics. Join the organization’s co-founders to learn about their unique strategic reasoning for why art should be a top priority of youth-led movement building and social change nonprofits. Attendees will leave this session with a robust understanding of events-based community organizing techniques and the importance (and challenges) of youth leadership and artwork in movement building from two Gen Z nonprofit leaders!
Presenters: Mamé Bioh, Co-Founder, Malaysia Abdi, Co-Founder, and Chelsea Sheldon, Co-Founder, Believe in What’s Possible and Lizbet Martinez, Director of Development, Believe in What’s Possible
Belonging Across Generations
Focus: Conflict Conscious and Purpose-Driven Leadership Knowledge Level: General
Working towards cultures of belonging in the workplace benefits everyone. While it can be difficult to navigate conversations around power, privilege, and marginalized identities, one common experience many of us have is being both the recipient and source of stereotyping and assumptions made about employees from different generations. In this workshop, participants will learn about overarching characteristics and elements of each generation while also learning the importance of individualizing colleagues and practicing de-biasing techniques such as moving beyond perception, towards perspective. Ultimately, by developing skills and shifting mindsets around this universal experience of bias, the hope is that participants can experience the benefits of working towards belonging and apply the learnings to other areas impacting belonging.
Presenter: Andrew Zhao, Associate Executive Director, AmazeWorks
The Importance of Disability Representation in Leadership
Focus: Pathways to Leadership Knowledge Level: General
This interactive session will lead participants through a discussion about how bias is a barrier to power for people with disabilities. People with disabilities are underrepresented in workplaces, which means there is a lack of leaders who identify as such. Attendees will learn more about the relatively recent phenomenon of executives publicly disclosing their disability, and how this, among other factors, could be the catalyst to help breakdown misconceptions and stigma preventing people with disabilities from making their way to the top. By reviewing workforce demographics data and best practices participants will be better prepared to ensure employees with disabilities are included in professional development initiatives at work.
Presenter: Keeri Tramm, Director of Disability Initiatives, Lifeworks Services, Inc.
Know Your Business: Leading Organizations through Strategic Alignment at Every Stage of Growth
Focus: Financial, Strategic, and Operational Leadership Knowledge Level: General
Building organizational capacity within a constantly-changing social impact landscape demands adaptability. But growing, rebuilding, and embracing change can seem to threaten the vision, value proposition, and team culture that enabled your organization’s impact in the first place. What does it take to maintain momentum while effectively reevaluating organizational strategy along the way? In this session, the presenter will share lessons on business strategy from Compass Pro Bono’s 20+ years of strategic support for more than 2,500 local nonprofits in the Twin Cities, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. After a deep dive into critical questions for “knowing your business” in the social impact space, nonprofit leaders in attendance will practice using evaluation tools to assess their own organizations, regardless of leadership tenure, issue area, or life-cycle stage. Participants will walk away with three frameworks for strategic alignment, prioritized for implementation based on their unique organizational needs.
Presenters: Mary Uran, Managing Director-Twin Cities, Compass Pro Bono
Leading with Purpose: Nonprofit Leadership in Polarized Times
Focus: Conflict Conscious and Purpose-Driven Leadership Knowledge Level: Intermediate
This interactive workshop equips nonprofit and community leaders with strategies to advance their missions effectively while navigating increasingly polarized environments. Through facilitated discussion, case studies, and practical exercises, participants will develop concrete approaches for building bridges and maintaining organizational focus amid social division.
Presenters: Libby Stegger, Executive Director, Jasmine Nguyen, Program Engagement Coordinator, and Jill Carey, Vice President of Programs, Civic Bridgers
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