Faculty

Betsy Baker has won more than $10 million in grant money for nonprofits and wants to teach you how exactly how you can too. Betsy runs www.YourGrantAuthority.com, a training website dedicated to sharing the how of writing winning grant applications.

She is a published author, consultant and speaker for the The Foundation Center, the Grant Professionals Association, Centers for Nonprofits and United Way agencies and is a regular contributor to Opportunity Knocks! and CharityChannel.

Betsy is dedicated to demystifying the process of grant writing and encouraging fund raisers to win more grant money to support their organizations. She also coaches fellow grant writers in becoming grant writing consultants.Betsy hosts webinars, workshops and other educational opportunities concentrating on grant writing and consulting.  Get in touch with her at betsy@YourGrantAuthority.com.

Betsy leads the sessions How to Make Your Grant Proposal Stand Out From the Pack and Tell Your Story to Grant Makers.

Bill Bartolini, Ph.D., ACFRE, is a well known mentor, coach, educator, and counselor to those who raise philanthropic support. He is an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) – AFP’s certification signifying an advanced level of leadership and management expertise – and AFP has certified him as a Master Fundraising Teacher. He has served on the board of AFP and the AFP Foundation.

Most recently, Bill was Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Principal Giving at Ohio State University.  Previously, Bill worked at The George Washington University, as well as serving as Chief Development Officer for the national nonprofit Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (now Learning Ally). 

Bill received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University, his masters degree from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. from Kent State University, where his dissertation was Prospective Donors’ Cognitive and Emotive Processing of Charitable Requests – or “What do People Think and Feel when You Ask them for Money.”

Bill leads the session The Psychology of Giving.

Hunter Boyle is founder and CEO of GrowYourSocialBusiness.com, a new startup dedicated to helping global organizations optimize their bottom line and social impact at the same time. Previously, he led business development for email marketing service AWeber, and online marketing at 1800Hotels and MarketingExperiments.

With his multifaceted background, Hunter has helped clients achieve triple-digit gains since the dot-com days. In that time, he’s worked with nonprofits large and small, ranging from the Smithsonian Institution, University of Pennsylvania and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to Artblog and Theatre Horizon. Hunter’s passion for helping marketers optimize their growth has fueled over 300 articles, blog posts, webinars and workshops. His insights have been featured in Entrepreneur, Newsweek, Success, MarketingProfs and several other outlets, and he’s a highly rated presenter at events worldwide. Connect with him on Twitter: @hunterboyle

Hunter leads the session "Website Optimization: How to Convert More Prospects to Donors Online."

Christi is the owner of Authentic Leadership Coaching based in Spartanburg, where she provides in-person and Zoom life coaching for professional and personal development for both individuals and teams.  She also facilitates leadership workshops for teams, groups and organizations.  Christi has worked as a pastor, a leadership education director and a business consultant.  She draws on her work experience and her degrees in science, engineering, and divinity in order to serve all needs of her clients.

Outside of work, Christi enjoys spending time with family and friends and is happy doing anything outside & active, especially tennis & hiking.  She also enjoys meeting new people, learning new things and volunteering in leadership capacities throughout her community. She claims she gets embarrassingly excited about organizing, logistics and calendaring. Christi also spends a lot of time loving on (and corralling) her two kids, two dogs, two cats and one husband.  For more info, check out linkedin.com/in/christi-o-brown or email almsleader@gmail.com.

Christi leads the session Atomic Habits for Nonprofit Leaders

Kirsten is a nonprofit coach and works with entrepreneurial leaders of nonprofit organizations to involve more people in their organization and raise the money they need. Since 1995, Kirsten has worked with health care organizations, social service providers, and national and local ministries. She is on the board for the Greater Louisville Kentucky AFP Chapter. She is an AFP Master Trainer, and is the author of Simple Steps to Fundraising Success. Learn more about Kirsten at www.bullockconsulting.net.

As the founder of The Nonprofit Academy, Kirsten's lead many sessions including Growing Your Donor List, Engaging Board, Staff, and Volunteers through Celebration, Make Your Newsletter Better in 25 minutes, and Stop Being the Best Kept Secret in Town.

Ken Burnett is a writer, communicator and inspirational speaker. He is author of several influential books on donor development and communication, including Relationship Fundraising, the Zen of Fundraising, Tiny Essentials of an Effective Volunteer Board and the recently published (and his most important book to date), Storytelling Can Change the World. All are available on Amazon or at www.whitelionpress.com. Chairman of Trustees at ActionAid from 1998 to 2003, Ken began his fundraising career with that charity back in 1977. He is founder and managing trustee for SOFII, the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration, an independent trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee and a commissioner on the UK’s Commission for the Voluntary Sector and Ageing. For more see www.kenburnett.com.

Ken leads the session How Storytelling will help You Build Long-term Relationships with Your Donors.

Vanessa Chase is a fundraising and communications strategist. She founded TheStorytellingNonprofit.com to help nonprofits connect in more meaningful ways with donors through stories and stewardship. She works with nonprofits throughout North America—including BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Union Gospel Mission, and Cancer Care Connection—and is an internationally recognized speaker.

Vanessa co-leads the high-energy session Making Stewardship Fun for You AND Your Donor and leads the session The Story of You – How to create and share your personal story to raise money.

 

Christal M. Cherry is a nationally recognized nonprofit executive and professionally trained fundraiser. With over 20 years in the nonprofit sector, she has supported higher education institutions, human services organizations, and faith-based missions. Now as CEO of The Board Pro, a consulting firm designed to transform leaders through board service, she customizes training and support for the unique needs of each client.

Christal earned a MA in Counseling from Hampton University, a BA in Liberal Arts from Hofstra University, and multiple professional development certifications.

She currently serves on the board of the Greater Atlanta chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Villages of Carver YMCA. She is on faculty at CANDID where she teaches courses in fundraising and board development. She also enjoys a membership in the African American Development Officers Network, Toastmasters, and F3, Fabulous Female Fundraisers which she founded.

Christal wrote the popular post Adapting Your Development Plan to the New Normal.

Tina started Funding Change after seeing too many nonprofits excelling at their program work but struggling to raise the funds to pay for it. Or, raising huge sums from foundations with little income from individual donors – the largest and most reliable portion of money given away each year. Funding Change gives grassroots groups access to the same knowledge and the same successful fundraising techniques that many big charities can afford to have in-house. But without having to pay to have that expertise permanently on staff. Learn more about Funding Change at http://fundingchangeconsulting.com.

Tina wrote the popular post Donor Thank You Calls: Everything You Need To Know.

Roger Craver is a disruptor and challenger of the status quo. A pioneer in direct response fundraising in the 60's, telemarketing in the '70s, online information services in the '80s, multi-channel fundraising and communication in the '90s, and donor-designed strategies today, he brings an experienced and critical eye to the greatest problem faced by today's nonprofits: donor retention.

Roger, who today edits the daily Agitator (www.theagitator.net) , helped launch some of the household names in the nonprofit advocacy sector: Common Cause, Greenpeace, the National Organization for Women, World Wildlife Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and Amnesty International. He helped revitalize and grow older organizations--the ACLU, the NAACP, Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, League of Women Voters, Heifer Project International, and Planned Parenthood. He has conducted capital and annual fundraising campaigns, advocacy and membership drives in the U.S., Canada and throughout Europe.

Roger leads the session Easy Donor Retention Wins.

Kenjie Davis is a dedicated Associations Management Professional with over 10 years of experience helping organizations construct successful membership programs. He doubled the membership of the National Society of Black Engineers from 15,000 to over 30,000 annual members in 7 years! He stabilized the member operations of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) by guiding the organization through a concurrent migration to a new Association Management Software (AMS) and the membership department through the movement of its headquarters office across the country. His unique background exclusively positions him to effectively serve organizations in the non-profit space.Trained as an engineer and fueled by service, he employs amazing creativity, a superb technical acumen and outstanding analytical abilities to membership development. His website is: https://www.memmanconsulting.com/

Kenjie leads the session Showing Love: The Mindset for Member Satisfaction.

Susan Detwiler specializes in facilitating nonprofit organizations finding their vision and aligning their planning with values and mission. She brings extensive experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, including consulting to Fortune 500 companies, five years as an Executive Director and service on multiple nonprofit boards. Susan has facilitated the strategic planning process for large and small clients; taught governance and board relations to future leaders of horticultural institutions; and facilitated numerous board and staff retreats. She is a Creating the Future™ Fellow and licensed Standards for Excellence™ Consultant, and has a BS in Business Administration from State University of New York at Albany and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Susan leads the session Planning Strategically in the Middle of Anything.

Shanon Doolittle is a born do-gooder, high-fiving fundraising coach and donor happiness champion. As the co-founder of Stewardship School and Gratitude Camp, she’s out to help fundraisers everywhere take better care of their donors with creative stewardship strategies that put the fun back in fundraising. After signing up for AmeriCorps for a year, Shanon marched through the trenches, raising over $10 million dollars for various nonprofits and learning the dynamic challenges organizations faced when trying to build better relationships with their donors. Those experiences made her realize that gratitude is part of the asking, and the key to donor loyalty is giving your supporters the deeper connection and appreciation they crave before making a second and a more meaningful gift. Now, as a popular speaker and trainer, Shanon coaches other donor champions to do the same. (She may also be saving snail mail, one stamp at a time.) Learn more about Shanon at www.shanondoolittle.com.

Shannon co-leads the high-energy session Making Stewardship Fun for You AND Your Donor.

Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE is an author, speaker, and trainer. Her published books include: Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops, Raising More with Less, and 50 A$ks in 50 Weeks. She became an AFP certified Master Trainer in 2009. Amy recently completed her service as the president of the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – New Jersey Chapter. She became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2004 and received her advanced certification, ACFRE, in 2013. Check out her blog and video posts at www.amyeisenstein.com for free fundraising tips and best practices.

Amy leads the sessions 3 Secrets to Raising Major Gifts You Can’t Survive Without and 3 Keys to a Successful Capital Campaign in Today’s Hyper-Busy World

Leah is Chief Idea Goddess at Good Works, a boutique philanthropy consulting agency based in Canada. An idea-generator and strategic thinker with a wide and varied background in charitable fund development, Leah works with clients to help tell powerful stories through direct marketing, cases for support, legacy giving and social media. She has a particular interest in strategic planning and ‘looking under the hood’ of fundraising programs to help tune up revenue-generation activities.

Leah’s volunteer work is extensive. She is Chair of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy Canada, and has been heavily involved in AFP’s efforts in the area of diversity and inclusion in philanthropy. Leah was instrumental in securing over CA$700,000 in grants to support diversity initiatives in Ontario.

In 2014, Leah earned both her ACFRE accreditation, and was honoured with the AFP Ottawa Chapter Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award.

Leah leads the session called Anchoring: Making sure your story sticks with donors.

Dennis Fischman helps your nonprofit win loyal friends and get the support you need. Communications is the "easy button" for nonprofit fundraising. When people know your organization, like what you do, and trust what you say, it’s easy for you to ask them for time or money...and for them to say yes. Find out more about how to cultivate donors for your nonprofit. Check out Dennis' Communicate! blog and The No-Nonsense Nonprofit Guide to Social Media.

Dennis leads the sessions Delight Your Donors With Better Communication (and Spend Less Time Doing It) and Where's the Story? Discovering Stories that Drive Donations

Anthony Flowe is a communications professional with experience in developing high-quality materials and cultivating business-to-audience relationships across web, social media, and editorial channels. Anthony specializes in social media engagement strategies and layout design for government and international nonprofit publications. He is also a writer, digital artist, educator, and event planner. In his current role with ICF/U.S. Global Change Research Program, he is synthesizing complex science topics and data from U.S. federal agencies and communicating them broadly to a general audience. He believes in creating people-driven narratives, especially in the context of science, to have information be more accessible and relatable. Anthony values education, encouraging constructive dialogues, and social change towards equality. With this, he is passionate about educating people on social inequalities and providing concrete steps on how to be more inclusive in communication/outreach and programming.

Anthony recently volunteered as an academic tutor, planner and coordinator to a large scale inter-agency event, cultural adviser to a George Mason University student organization, social media specialist for a startup company, and co-speaker at the 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference.

Anthony co-leads the session Cultural Competency: Understanding Context in Communications

Valida Foster is the Senior Director for Institutional Advancement and Public Relations at Sherman College of Chiropractic.She previously served as a relationship manager for leadership giving at the United Way of Greenville County and as campaign director at the United Way of the Piedmont, serving Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union Counties.

Active as a volunteer herself, she has been involved with many social and civic organizations, including the City of Spartanburg’s Mayor Disability Board, the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity Committee, Uptown Sertoma of Spartanburg, the Board of Directors of Spartanburg Habitat for Humanity, the UNCF Upstate's Leadership Council, and the Greenville Drive’s Diversity Committee.

She continues her service with the United Way of the Piedmont’s Young Leaders, Women Giving for Spartanburg, the MLK Dreams in Action Scholarship Board, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Upstate Chapter, the Greenville Chamber’s PULSE Young Professionals, the Urban League Upstate Network, and the Spartanburg Chamber’s Young Professionals.

Committed to lifelong learning, she's participated in the Spartanburg Chamber’s Leadership Spartanburg program in 2013 and is a 2013 graduate of the Dale Carnegie Leadership Development Success course; she is a 2017 graduate of the Clemson Leadership Lab; a 2018 graduate of the Spartanburg County Foundation’s Grassroots Leadership Development Institute; a 2019 participant in Furman University's Women's Leadership Institute; and the United Way of Piedmont's Non Profit Fellows. She is also a member of the Epsilon Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Sorority, Incorporated.

Valida leads the NPA session called Teaching Volunteers to Raise Money.

John Frank is passionate about stewardship. He studies, teaches, and consults on stewardship and believes it is the key to a holistic approach to life for individuals and organizations. www.TheFrankGroup.us A nationally and internationally recognized speaker and teacher, John’s expertise includes stewardship, leadership, nonprofit organizations, as well as biblical training in various topics. He speaks with churches, ministry leadership, non-profits, boards, and retreats. He has authored articles numerous on stewardship, development and leadership and his first book "The Ministry of Development" was published in 1996 and reprinted in 2010. His second book, “The Monthly Partner” was published in 2005. His new book, Stewardship as a Lifestyle was released in 2013. He is a contributing author to “Revolution in Generosity” as well as having contributed to “From Soup & a Sermon to Mega-Mission, A Guide to Financing Rescue Missions” and two chapters in “In the Trenches, You and Your Nonprofit”. He is the Founder/Director of the Stewardship Summit, a meeting to bring those interested in the research, writing, teaching, and learning about stewardship in the church and parachurch together. www.stewardshipsummit.org

John leads the NPA session called The Call of the Steward – Generosity to Your Cause.

Author, teacher, and coach John Fulwider helps nonprofit chief executives get their boards and leadership teams rowing in the same direction. His specialty is internal strategic communication: What to say, to whom, and when to inspire people with your strategic vision. He's the author of five books, a happy husband, proud papa, fun-loving foodie, and advocate of alliteration.

John leads the session How to Build a Strong Board Chair-Chief Executive Partnership.

Anita Gallagher is Director of InnovaSocial, a social impact consultancy specializing in strategic planning and marketing for nonprofits. A respected trainer and mentor, she regularly speaks and coordinates workshops at nonprofit conferences in Mexico and abroad and is a passionate advocate for individual giving.

Her expertise in crowdfunding stems from first-hand experience of helping hundreds of Latinx-serving nonprofits throughout the US and Latin America to run successful campaigns in her role as training lead for HIPGive, Hispanics in Philanthropy’s bilingual crowdfunding platform. She is also the representative of #undiaparadar, or GivingTuesday in Mexico, and was recently nominated to form part of the GivingTuesday international board.

Anita leads the session Head, Heart, or Who? Crowdfund Your Way to Greater Giving

Joe Garecht is the President of Garecht Fundraising Associates, and has almost 20 years' experience as a professional fundraiser. Joe is a world-recognized fundraising consultant, author and speaker… and has helped countless non-profits escape the donor treadmill by creating scalable fundraising systems.

Prior to launching Garecht Fundraising Associates, Joe was the founder of The Fundraising Authority, where he and his team provided online fundraising training for non-profit organizations of all sizes. Through The Fundraising Authority, Joe had the opportunity to train over 50,000 non-profit fundraisers, executives, and board members on all aspects of fundraising and development.

Joe previously served as the Executive Director of BLOCS: Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools and as the Development Director of The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance. He is the founder and editor of The Non-Profit Fundraising Digest, and a graduate of Rutgers University.

Joe leads many NPA sessions including Rapid Growth Fundraising, How to Use the Fundraising Funnel to Maximize Your Fundraising, How to Write a Successful Non-Profit Fundraising Plan, and Systemize Your Fundraising! How to Raise More by Creating Scalable Fundraising Systems for Your Non-Profit.

Communications and Marketing Manager
CFRE International

Based in Baltimore, Ashley Gatewood is passionate about the nonprofit sector and membership associations, having spent the bulk of her career in these areas. She loves talking about the CFRE certification and how it can help elevate fundraising professionals’ careers. She believes bringing a higher degree of professionalism and ethical accountability to fundraising will help nonprofits become more sustainable and better serve their missions.

Previously, she was the events and marketing manager at the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand, where she helped bring world-class fundraising programing to the country.

Ashley co-leads the session Everything You Need to Know to Become a CFRE 

Meghan Godorov is a career consultant and speaker dedicated to helping individuals build careers that last. She combines her professional training with her personal experiences to inspire, educate, and mentor professionals who want to grow and lead themselves and others more effectively in this changing workplace landscape. She offers individualized coaching sessions and small group workshops to empower this process.

Meghan speaks nationally on topics such as preparing for the job search, resume and cover letter writing, women’s leadership, and salary negotiation. She is a certified resume writer, trained salary negotiation facilitator via the American Association of University Women, and a truly engaged volunteer as a leadership team member on the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Association board. Her advice has appeared in the Huffington Post College blog, Mashable Business Twitter Chat, Higher Ed Beyond the University, NerdScholar, the Progressive Women’s Leadership podcast, and Good.co. Visit her website for more information about the ways she can help you succeed in your professional endeavors and subscribe to her newsletter. Follow her on Twitter @MeghanGodorov or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Meghan leads the session You Deserve a Raise Today- Getting What You Want in Salary and Raise Negotiations

Trista Harris is a philanthropic futurist and nationally known as a passionate advocate for leaders in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Trista’s work has been covered by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Forbes, CNN, the New York Times, and numerous social sector blogs. She is also the co-author of the book “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar” and the author of “FutureGood”. She is a President of FutureGood, a consultancy focused on helping visionaries build a better future. 

Trista leads the session Becoming a Future Focused Fundraiser

As a seasoned professional with 14 years of experience in nonprofit technology consulting and database management, Jessica has had her fair share of experience with nonprofit software. Before joining Bloomerang, she worked as the Database Administrator for David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, and as a Nonprofit Technology Consultant at JCA, Inc. She’s had experience working with nonprofits both big and small: from hospital foundations to universities, to museums and hunger relief organizations. And if that’s not enough, Jessica was also a Geist Half Marathon Board Member in 2017 to help raise money for Hamilton County and Lawrence Township schools.

At Bloomerang, Jessica is dedicated to serving the technology needs of the nonprofit sector by directing  how our nonprofit software can become more intuitive and relationship-focused. In her free time she enjoys volunteering and giving back to her community, spending time with her growing family, and advocating for nonprofits and missions that are near and dear to her heart.

Jessica leads the session Crafting Powerful Donor Engagement Surveys 

As Publisher and Executive Director for Nonprofit Hub, and a Professional Certified Marketer, Randy shares his passions of marketing and education with nonprofits to help them implement marketing and organizational leadership principles so they can grow their organizations. Randy lends his marketing and organizational leadership expertise to a number of nonprofits in his community. Outside the office, Randy works with high school and college students and mentors young professionals to develop their leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

Randy leads the session Why Nonprofits Should Make Money, Not Just Raise It

Josh Hirsch has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2006 with a focus on educational philanthropy for both public charter and independent private schools. He has an extensive background in social media, digital communications, and marketing along with experience in grant research and writing, individual giving, special event planning, stewardship and cultivation of donors. He is past Communications Chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Palm Beach County chapter. Josh is also a member of the AFPeeps; the social media vanguard for the AFP International Conference on Fundraising and other AFP initiatives. Josh previously served as the Marketing Chair for the AFP Florida Caucus’ 2014 Planet Philanthropy conference and was the Director of Social Media for TEDxBocaRaton 2015. He has spoken nationally on social media, and has had numerous articles published in professional journals. Josh has a Certificate in Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy from Bay Path College. He received a Master of Science in Family, Youth and Community Sciences from the University of Florida and received a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Florida. He is a graduate of NonProfits First's Sustainability and Social Enterprise Institute.

Josh leads the sessions Top Social Media Tips, Tactics, and Apps and A Deep Dive into Facebook Frames, Facebook Live, and Facebook Insights

Denise Jacobs is a Speaker + Author + Creativity Evangelist who speaks at web conferences and consults with companies and individuals worldwide. As the Founder + Chief Creativity Evangelist of The Creative Dose, and author of Banish Your Inner Critic, she teaches techniques to make the creative process more fluid, methods for making work environments more conducive to creative productivity, and practices for sparking innovation. 

Working in Web Design & Development since 1997, she is an industry veteran and regarded expert on many things web. She is also the author of The CSS Detective Guide and co-author of the Smashing Book #3 1/3 and Interact with Web Standards. Denise is also the Chief Unicorn of Rawk The Web and the Head Instigator of The Creativity (R)Evolution.

Denise leads the NPA session Banish Your Inner Critic.

Lori L. Jacobwith is a nationally-recognized master storyteller and fundraising culture change expert. She has delivered more than 10,000 coaching and training sessions that have helped nonprofit organizations raise $300 million dollars from individual donors. Lori’s proven strategies & tools teach staff and board members to share their stories powerfully and effectively to cause donors to give more. 

Lori holds a BA from the University of Minnesota in speech-communications and Political Science and has additional training from Indiana University’s Fund Raising School. Lori is a longtime member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Twin Cities Chapter in Minneapolis, MN.

Lori leads the sessions Advanced Storytelling: Transform Boring Stories into Brilliant Action-Causing Stories and Storytelling for Raising More Money

Kristal Johnson is president and CEO of FundJoy LLC. Under her direction, FundJoy LLC has helped organizations find the sustainable funding they need to establish their brand and build on service offerings. Because of first-hand experience, she is a sought-after speaker and has presented at national, state and regional events and conferences. Kristal has authored many peer-reviewed publications related to fundraising and grant writing. She is a Women Empowering Change Professional Award winner and the author of the book Grant Guide. Kristal is a long-standing member of the Grant Professionals Association, Nonprofit Technology Network, and serves as a peer reviewer for the United Way of Greater Houston Community Building Grants program.

Kristal wrote the article Strategies for a Strong Grant Proposal and leads the session The Needs Assessment: Connecting Your Data and Nonprofit Story

Sheri Chaney Jones specializes in helping organizations successfully collect, organize, and use data and information to demonstrate and communicate their value. The outcomes of her work allow her clients to fully achieve their dreams and take their missions to the next level. For over a decade, Sheri has improved government, non-profits, and small businesses through the use of performance management, evaluation, and organizational behavior best practices. Her experience and expertise has transformed the measurement culture and as a result saved public dollars, improved outcomes, demonstrated effectiveness, and increased revenues. Her clientele is vast including arts, education, health and human services, juvenile justice, faith-based, and private organizations. http://www.measurementresourcesco.com/

Sheri leads the sessions Improving Your Grant Results and Grow Yourself and Your Impact.

Described as "thoughtful, inspiring, and provocative," Simone says she really likes "provocative." Now in her fourth decade of full-time consulting, she specializes in fundraising, governance, management, and strategic planning.

"Philanthropy is my life's work," she says. "I've written 3 books and contributed to multiple others. I present all over the world and teach in the Masters Program in Philanthropy and Development at Saint Mary's University of MN.

She blogs weekly as Simone Uncensored and tweets @spjoyaux. As a volunteer, Simone regularly serves on boards and has founded two organizations.

Simone leads the session called How to Fire Lousy Board Members.

Originally from upstate New York, Paul attended Union College and the State University of NY and worked with the Dale Carnegie Institute and AWESCO before coming to Florida in 1986. He began and operated a coffee franchise operation eventually covering all of southeast and southwest Florida. Upon divesting of the company fifteen years later, he went to work for a not-for-profit hospice covering south Florida eventually becoming the Director of Planned Gifts and running the Community Outreach programs. Over the years Paul has worked with several charities in all sectors to help increase donor involvement and contributions as well as establish events and programs designed to increase awareness and financial capacity. He is co-founder of Philanthropia, a consultancy designed to assist not-for-profit’s in their fundraising needs. Paul has been active in community affairs and has served as President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Ft Lauderdale/Broward chapter (AFP), Past President of Elder Services Resource Network (ESRN) and additionally serves on the boards of the National Council on Planned Giving, Broward, and the advisory board of Impact Broward.

Along with Michael Thorsen, Paul leads the NPA session Harvest Time: 10 Ways to Increase Revenue through Low Hanging Fruit.

Antionette Kerr is a nonprofit leader, syndicated journalist and lover of poetry. After a decade of serving as an executive director, her passion for storytelling led her back into the world of journalism, consulting, training and publishing. She continues to serve as a board member, communications consultant for multiple nonprofit agencies, and CEO of Bold & Bright Media. Antionette is also the co-author of Modern Media Relations for Nonprofits.

Antionette leads the sessions Making your earned media strategy G.R.E.A.T., How to Develop Your Nonprofit's Brand When You Don't Have Any Time, and Fresh IDEAS for Diversifying Your Donor Base.

Andrea Kihlstedt has been thinking up new ways to approach knotty problems in fundraising for more than 30 years. In fact, she pioneered the concept that people have different asking styles featured on the cover page of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

She’s written four books on fundraising. She’s counseled and coached dozens of nonprofit organizations. She’s been on the faculty of The Fundraising School and the Gestalt International Study Center. She’s thoughtful, unconventional, irreverent and fun.

Andrea leads the sessions The Asking Conversation: Exactly what to say in a major gift solicitation and when to say it, Capital Campaigns 101: The Critical Lessons you MUST to know about a capital campaign before you get started! and and 3 Keys to a Successful Capital Campaign in Today’s Hyper-Busy World.

Charrosé King earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Parsons School of Design, a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University, and a certificate in marketing strategy from Cornell University. She has worked in the Philadelphia public school district with AmeriCorps; developed digital communications for ACDI/VOCA, an international development organization; and managed social media for the American Psychiatric Association.

Ms. King is currently the Digital Marketing and Communications Specialist for the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs at Howard University. Ms. King has done communications consulting for Microsoft UK and pro bono work for Girls Inc., DC, Bright Beginnings, and Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services. She delivers presentations on cultural competency in communications, which she’s delivered at the 2017 Nonprofit Technology Conference and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

She leads the session: Cultural Competency: Understanding Context in Communications

Jamie Kitz is known for her consistency and credibility, her focus on customer success, and for using her unique skillset to share with others the power of giving.  With a Horticulture and Ag-business Master’s Degree from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, Jamie has worked for some of the top seed and vegetable breeding companies in the Industry.  Combining her passion for agriculture with her interest in social responsibility, she has recently been inspired to help companies make a positive impact by creating corporate giving and employee engagement programs.

Jamie is honored to serve on the Society of American Florists (SAF) Grower Council and Board of Directors, The PMA Floral Council, actively participates in Congressional Action Days in Washington D.C, and serves on the Seed Your Future Advisory Committee.

She recently has taken on the role of Director of Business Development and Philanthropy for Center for Growing Talent, nonprofit sector for the Produce Marketing Association.

Jamie is a California native, and prioritizes contributing to her communities and enjoying the open spaces where she lives.

She leads the session: Partnering with For-Profit Companies

A fundraising professional for more than a decade, Rob Koenig currently serves as the President/Program Strategist for LTV Strategies in Louisville, KY and as a Development Officer at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, IN.

In his career, Rob has served organizations throughout the country as a program director manager and as an account director for a fundraising agency. He has experience in a variety of nonprofit sectors including faith-based charities, food banking, higher education, animal welfare, conservation, literacy and healthcare.

He received a B.A. in political science from Providence College in Providence, R.I., and holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive professional designation.

Rob leads the session Improving Your Direct Mail Fundraising Results.

Cherian Koshy is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and AFP Master Trainer with more than twenty years of experience in a variety of non­profits where he has successfully helped organizations connect thousands of donors to causes they care about and raising tens of millions of dollars from foundations, governments, businesses, and individuals in the process.

He currently serves as the Director of Development at Des Moines Performing Arts, one of the nation's premier arts organizations. As a member of the advisory panel for Rogare: The Fundraising Think Tank, he has written a number of articles and contributed to a number of papers on fundraising ethics, professional development, and philanthropy in the US. He was appointed by the governor to Iowa’s Commission on Volunteer Service where he helps advance legislation to support volunteerism and engage Iowans in volunteer activity. He is a co-founder of the Des Moines Fundraising Institute, a non-profit designed to instruct fundraisers on best practices.

Nationally, he serves as a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals External Relations and Professional Development Divisions as well as a regular presenter at the AFP International Conference and regional workshops on fundraising.  

Cherian leads the session: A New Normal.

Samantha began her fundraising career in 1991. She has worked in all aspects of fundraising including legacy giving, capital campaigns, direct mail and special events.

Currently Samantha is a major gifts officer in Ottawa. Samantha has also worked for the Ottawa Humane Society, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation and the Easter Seals Society.

Samantha has a passion for connecting donors to the needs of the community. Personally Samantha has witnessed the results from the Gryphon Report and feels strongly about sharing this incredible tool with all fundraising professionals.

Sam leads the session on Imposter Syndrome at: https://thenonprofitacademy.com/trainings/impostor-syndrome/

 Diane H. Leonard, GPC is an experienced and respected grant professional who has provided grant development counsel to nonprofit organizations of varying size and scope for more than a decade. Clients she serves include health care providers, advocacy organizations, social services agencies, elementary and secondary schools, and municipal corporations. In addition, Diane is an in-demand speaker on the topics of grant writing and grants management and regularly provides her expertise to audiences ranging from national conferences to boards of directors for small, nonprofit organizations.

Diane leads the sessions: Tips & Tricks from the Foundation Side of Grant Seeking, Using the Power of Storytelling in Your Grant Applications, and Setting Up Your Grant Calendar to Succeed as Part of Your Fundraising Plan

Dena Liston is Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Club of Collier County. In this role, Dena is responsible for the development, coordination and leadership of fundraising campaigns, special events, capital fundraising, endowment campaigns, marketing & PR, and planned giving. 

Dena came to Boys & Girls Club of Collier County with thirteen years of front-line fundraising experience in a broad range of social causes. Currently, Dena is a CFRE Ambassador.

Dena co-leads the sessions: Everything You Need to Know to Become a CFRE

With more than 23 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Chamlee has served in organizations of all sizes and stages of growth. Her nonprofit experience includes twelve years as CEO of Hope Center for Children, where she facilitated a merger of two existing organizations. In addition, Chamlee serves as the Owner & Principal Consultant of Heightened Development, a coaching and consulting firm that focuses on helping leaders manage change in a data informed way while achieving strong buy in from multiple stakeholders. Chamlee is adept in solving complex problems, improving organizational sustainability, and achieving buy in from multiple audiences to achieve a common goal.

Chamlee leads the session Helping Others Embrace Needed Change While Making Sure it Sticks

Jen Love is a storyteller. And not in a poetic sense. In a fumbling, arm-waving, half-sentence-speaking, let's-get-to-the-heart-and-the-feelings sense. Write drunk, edit sober...even if you’re only drunk on emotions. Inhaling an attitude of gratitude and exhaling #donorlove, Jen is a partner at Agents of Good, a collective of donor champions.

Jen leads the session on building a case for support at: https://thenonprofitacademy.com/trainings/donorlove-and-inspiration/

She's also blogged about the only 6 questions you need for your case for support at:
https://thenonprofitacademy.com/youll-love-working-on-your-case-for-support/

 

Linda is one of slightly more one hundred professionals worldwide to hold the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive designation. In her thirty years in the development field, she has managed capital campaigns; helped dozens of nonprofit organizations achieve their development goals, and has trained more than 30,000 professionals in Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Bermuda, and most of the fifty United States. Linda is a graduate of Alvernia College in Reading, PA with majors in Banking and Finance; Communications; and Theology/Philosophy. She is a graduate of AFP’s Faculty Training Academy and has received two AFP research grants. She is also a prolific writer, having written or contributed to more than a dozen books. She serves as Acquisitions Editor for CharityChannel Press and For the GENIUS Press. Linda has received the Outstanding Fundraising Executive award from the Eastern PA, Las Vegas, and Sierra (NV) chapters of AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) was recognized internationally with the Barbara Marion Award for Outstanding Service to AFP. She was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Las Vegas Chapter of AFP.

Linda leads the session on corporate philanthropy at: https://thenonprofitacademy.com/trainings/corporate-philanthropy/

Kimberley has been described as: provocative, bold, inspiring, edgy and a truthteller. Kimberley won’t hold back – she believes when we name a problem, we can tackle that problem – especially when it comes to fundraising. An award-winning fundraiser, Certified Fundraising Executive and AFP International Master Trainer. She works as a coach to help people advance a culture of philanthropy and create transformative results for their organizations. A sought after facilitator, speaker and trainer Kimberley has been in the fundraising trenches since 2001.

As a thought leader in the sector Kimberley has had many articles and blogs published internationally, spoken internationally, was a driving force in the early days of SOFII.org. Kimberley has also served as Editor for Hilborn Canada’s eNEWS, was a member of the Advisory Panel for the Rogare Think Tank at Plymouth University and an executive member of the Planned Giving Council of Simcoe County.

You can find her at www.kimberleymackenzie.ca, chat with her on twitter @kimberleycanada or drop her an email k@kimberleymackenzie.ca

Kimberley leads the session Practical Planned Giving

Tony Martignetti is the evangelist for Planned Giving. He’s been launching successful, scalable Planned Giving programs since 1997. Now he hosts Planned Giving Accelerator. It’s at PlannedGivingAccelerator.com.

He’s an attorney, but he don’t talk like one. He’ll use plain language – and weave in his stand-up comedy – to make Planned Giving accessible and understandable.

Recent webinar attendees have raved, including, “Really like your clarity in explaining,” “Very relevant and I learned a lot,” “I feel more empowered to advocate for Planned Giving,” “Just removed the fear factor,” “Love your energy and enthusiasm,” “Engaging personality,” and “You look nothing like your picture.”

Tony leads the session Start Your Planned Giving in 2021

Raydia Martin is a communications editor for Children Incorporated, a national child-sponsorship organization.

After editing and writing everything from fundraising emails to appeal letters, she decided to start her freelance business, Perfect Appeals, where she specializes in writing effective direct mail appeal letters for nonprofits of all sizes.

Raydia is skilled at creating donor-centered appeals that pull on heartstrings, increase donations, and expand nonprofit impact.

Raydia leads the session Writing Effective Direct Mail Appeals that Compel Donors to Give

Over the past 15 years Melissa Merriam has helped Nonprofits succeed, first in sales and business development, and now, as Senior Director of Consulting and Training with OneCause. She leads a high performing team of 35 Consultants and Managers to provide world class service and support to thousands of clients. Melissa is a creative problem solver and strategist and spends much of her time researching, connecting with customers and coaching her team to be the foremost experts in Nonprofit and event fundraising.  

Melissa leads the session Top Strategies for Auction Event Survival.

Chris Morata is the VP of Product Development at Qgiv, Inc, an online fundraising platform designed to help nonprofits recruit, retain, and delight their donors. In his 6+ years at Qgiv, Chris has done extensive research on how different parts of the online donation process affect donors and their behaviors both during and after they make a gift. When he's not working on the Qgiv platform, Chris loves traveling the world with his wife, Lauren, or heading up his hometown's local coding group.

Chris leads the session Designing Your Donation Processes to Retain More Donors

Dana Ostomel is the founder and Chief Gifting Officer of Deposit a Gift.com, a crowdfunding platform that allows anyone to easily create an online fundraising campaign for any organizational, school or personal need. Whether you're a nonprofit or school looking to get into crowdsourced fundraising, or an individual looking to raise money for a personal project, business, disaster relief, memorial fund or help with medical bills, Deposit a Gift makes it easy.

Dana is a marketing and branding expert with over a decade of experience developing integrated marketing solutions for brands in a wide range of industries, from Snapple and CENTURY 21 to The Home Depot, DIRECTV and MasterCard before she left to launch Deposit a Gift 6 years ago. Since then she has been advising organizations, schools and individuals on the best approach to setting up and marketing their campaigns. She has a Bachelor's degree in communications from U.C.L.A. and has also studied in Israel and Spain. She is fluent in Spanish and loves to travel, exercise and cook. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.
Follow Dana and the Deposit a Gift team on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Dana leads the session Crowdfunding 101: How To Run a Successful Campaign, from Prep Through Appreciation!

Peter Panepento is principal at Panepento Strategies, a full-service content, digital, and social strategy firm that works with nonprofits, foundations, and socially-minded companies, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the National Center for Family Philanthropy, the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation, and GuideStar. He was formerly an assistant managing editor at the The Chronicle of Philanthropy, where he led its transition into digital journalism and social media — a transition that included the creation of some of the nonprofit world’s richest online communities, the launch of a highly profitable webinar series, and the creation of new digital products such as the How America Gives giving database. He is also an adviser for Nonprofit Marketing Guide on media relations for nonprofits.

Peter leads the session Media Relations for Nonprofits: New Approaches for the Digital Era

Anna Peña has over 10 years experience in Office Administration, including HR and Payroll. Inspired by their work, Anna left her position at a well-known home health agency when Chabad at ASU was seeking an office administrator who would take their organization to the next level. As a seasoned office manager, she is now helping other nonprofits systematize their organizations in order reach their maximum level of productivity.

Along with Chana Tiechtel, Anna leads the session Making Your First Hire

Richard Perry is driven by a passion for donor stewardship and care and has a 35-year record of delivering outstanding results for clients and non-profit organizations.

Currently this passion is expressed through The Veritus Group, founded in 2005 by Richard and business partner Jeff Schreifels. Their work, of helping non-profit organizations develop highly effective major donor programs, is recognized by scores of leading non-profits and fundraising thought leaders in the United States, Canada and Europe. The combined annual major gift income of the agencies they serve recently totaled in excess of $500 million.

Richard is particularly valued for providing clients with innovative and effective approaches to reverse the loss of major gift revenue which (for many non-profits) can exceed 50% a year for a single organization, equating to millions of dollars lost from good donors every year.

Their blog, Passionate Giving (at www.veritusgroup.com) shares practical and helpful advice on starting and maintaining a successful major gift program, no matter what size organization you have. It has won recognition in recent years for its outstanding contribution to online fundraising resources.

Previously Richard co-founded The Domain Group, a leading direct marketing agency serving major non-profits in the United States, Canada and Europe. From its Seattle base it expanded to offices in Colorado, Atlanta, London and Paris. The agency was sold in 2005.

Richard leads the session Successfully Packaging Program Into Donor Offers with Jeff Schreifels.

Former CNN Associate Producer turned Biz Reinvention Expert, Professional Speaker, and Zoom Strategist, Marquesa Pettway, CSP helps experts and organizations leverage the Zoom platform at the highest level.

Her expertise creates highly engaging, unique virtual events, smart productive meetings, and multiple zoom-based income streams.

As a Zoom Administrator, she holds hundreds of the coveted Zoom VIP Licenses.

She can be found online at www.ZoomLikeABoss.com.

Marquesa leads the session No More Zoom Like a Boss and Leave the Boring Zoom Meeting Club

Called by others as the "Johnny Appleseed of fundraising", Marc A. Pitman loves spreading the joy of asking for money to people who never expected to believe it! Marc is the author of "Ask Without Fear!" and founder of FundraisingCoach.com and director of The Nonprofit Academy.

Marc's expertise and enthusiasm engages audiences around the world and has caught the attention of media organizations as diverse as Al Jazeera, SUCCESS Magazine, and Fox News. Marc’s experience also includes pastoring a Vineyard church, managing a gubernatorial campaign, and teaching internet marketing and fundraising at colleges and universities. On Twitter, he is @marcapitman. He is the husband to his best friend and the father of three amazing kids. And if you drive by him on the road, he’ll be singing 80’s tunes loud enough to embarrass his family! Sign up for his free fundraising tips, the Ask Without Fear! email newsletter, at http://fundraisingcoach.com/subscribe/.

As well as directing NPA, Marc's also created the sessions 10 Ways to Get Your Board Engaged in Fundraising, FaceTwitLink? TwitteredIn? TheLinkedBook?: An introduction to social media for fundraising, and Which Leadership Style is Best for Your Nonprofit Fundraising?.

Robert “Bob” Poole offers nearly 40 years of experience in higher education fund development, with expertise in corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, major gifts, and alumni giving. He is also skilled in the creation of effective marketing and public relations programs.

In his role as a Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Saad&Shaw, Poole applies his expertise to working with colleges and universities, with an emphasis on historically black colleges and universities, and small colleges.

Poole served for 14 years in institutional advancement at Meharry Medical College, most recently in the role of senior vice president. There, he partnered with the board of trustees and president toward successful completion of the historic $125 million Campaign for Meharry, and later he and his team helped secure more than $90 million in private philanthropy.

A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Poole earned his degree in economics at Fisk University. He has served on a number of volunteer and community boards, including CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), and local American Heart Association, United Way, and Chambers of Commerce boards.

Bob leads the session Small Budget, Big Impact.

Alison J. Rapping is a consultant serving nonprofit organizations and community initiatives. She provides services in the areas of nonprofit capacity building and organizational effectiveness, fundraising and resource development and facilitation of community initiatives. A recognized leader in the non-profit community, she brings more than 20 years nonprofit experience to her role. She has been is responsible for providing the strategic direction for organizations, managing an extensive volunteer structure including the Board of Directors, and creating fund raising plans and raising the resources to support year-round programs and activities.

Ms. Rapping is passionate about helping people align their giving – time, treasures and talents – with causes and organizations that are making a transformational difference in the world. She has worked extensively in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and community development sectors as the Executive Director of Valley Leadership; the Executive Director of VisionQuest 20/20; and CEO of the Alliance for Arizona Nonprofits, where she oversaw the successful launch of this new statewide organization focused on promoting, supporting and serving Arizona’s nonprofit community. She invested 12 years of her professional career with Hands on Greater Phoenix, (formally Make A Difference), a nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing volunteers and developing and managing innovative community programs. While at Hands on Greater Phoenix, she facilitated the growth of the organization from a very small start up to a $1.2 million organization offering a wide-range of programs and services.

She was named one of the inaugural members The Business Journal’s ‘40 Under 40’ emerging leaders and is a graduate of Valley Leadership Class XX. Alison is also a graduate of the Community Driven Institute. Ms. Rapping received her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Alison leads the session Organizational Culture: Why it matters and how it translates into money

Sandy Rees is the founder of Get Fully Funded where leaders of small nonprofits can learn how to solve the problem of creating consistent funding. Through proven, donor-based fundraising, Sandy shows people how to fully fund their operating budget so they can make the difference they want to make in the world. She started her career in nonprofit work in 1998 at Knox Area Rescue Ministries, then spent 5 years at Second Harvest Food Bank. During her time at Second Harvest, the organization nearly tripled its budget, based largely on her efforts in fundraising. Sandy is an accomplished presenter and an AFP Master Trainer, and hosts her own multi-day workshop called the Inspired Fundraising Retreat. You can find her fundraising tips each week at www.GetFullyFunded.com/blog or www.GetFullyFundedTV.com. When she’s not raising money, Sandy gardens, quilts, and cares for a menagerie of animals on a small farm in Loudon, TN.

Sandy leads many NPA sessions including Planning a Successful Appeal, 6-Figure Fundraising: How to Start and Run Your First $100,000 Campaign, How to Find the Donors of Your Dreams, and 4 Simple Steps to Raising All the Money You Need.

Julia Reich is a designer and brand strategist. Her company Stone Soup Creative helps nonprofits look, sound and feel different than other organizations so they can stand out from the crowd. Stone Soup does everything from branding to website design to marketing and everything in between.

She can be reached at: julia@stonesoupcreative.com, www.stonesoupcreative.com, on Twitter @juliareich, or on Facebook.

Julia leads the session on Let’s Get Visual! Basic Graphic Design Principles for the Creatively-Impaired

Allison Rickels, CFRE is executive director and CEO of the FarmHouse Foundation, serving as the first and only woman CEO of a men's fraternity educational foundation. She began this role in June 2007.

In the Foundation's 50-year history, Allison is only the second person to fill the position on a full-time basis. She has led the efforts to grow the Foundation’s assets from $2 million, when she started on staff, to over $21 million today. Last fiscal year, the FarmHouse Foundation raised over $6.25 million.

FFE, formerly the North-American Interfraternity Conference Foundation, has honored Allison and her staff with 10 NICF Award of Distinctions under her leadership, and she is often a presenter at NICF conferences.

In November 2014, Allison and the Foundation Staff was honored with the “Excellence in Fundraising” Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Mid-America Chapter at the National Philanthropy Day Celebration. Allison is a member of the AFP MidAmerica Chapter, serving on their board of directors for six years, is a ten-year faculty member of her AFP Chapter’s Fundraising 101 Seminar and each semester presents to students at Rockhurst University, teaching about stewardship and annual giving.

Allison leads the session on Maximizing Your Team's Talents and Strengths for Fundraising Success

Eric François Rolfson is President of the Rolfson Group, Inc. Eric spent more than 30 years raising money for nonprofit institutions and held leadership positions in $10 million, $35 million and $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaigns at Thomas College, Colby College, and the University of Maine. He founded the Rolfson Group to help organizations make a difference in the world by effectively identifying and engaging like-minded constituents in their futures.

Prior to his career in fundraising, Eric taught English, French and American Studies at the secondary and college levels, both in the United States and abroad. Additionally, Eric was co-founder and President of Toast Technologies Inc., a Massachusetts-based information technology company with expertise in network infrastructure consulting.

An avid musician, Rolfson travels regularly with old-time country music bands representing the United States on musical and cultural exchanges, primarily in developing countries. Trips over the past dozen years include tours in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Cuba, Benin, Niger, Mauritania, Israel, Jordan, Poland, Mongolia and Ukraine. In his spare time, Eric runs a family maple syrup operation and maintains trails on his land in rural Maine.

Eric leads the session: Top 10 Lessons Learned from 30 Years on the Campaign Trail

Laura A. Roser is the founder and CEO of Paragon Road, the leading authority in
Meaning Legacy planning (passing on non-financial assets, such as values, wisdom and
beliefs). She is the editor in chief of Legacy Arts magazine and has interviewed many top
CEOs, high net worth individuals, spiritual leaders, philosophers, financial professionals,
family experts, celebrities, philanthropists, and innovators in her quest to uncover how to
craft a more meaningful life experience. Her writing has been featured in ThinkAdvisor,
Iris.xyz, and Kiplinger. Laura lives and works in Solana Beach, California, Salt Lake
City, Utah and occasionally from hotels, boats, planes, and apartments around the world.

To read Laura’s recent book, Your Meaning Legacy: How to Cultivate & Pass On
Non-Financial Assets, go to www.yourmeaninglegacy.com

Laura leads the session Legacy Development for Nonprofits.

Kathie has excelled in development and leadership positions in the nonprofit sector for 15 years. Kathie’s passion for connecting donors to the causes they care about led her to launch Arroyo Fundraising. Kathie’s areas of expertise include individual giving and major gifts, annual fundraising events, start-up fundraising (building a comprehensive fundraising program from the ground up) and grants management. Kathie is a past-president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Colorado Chapter. She serves on the Steering Committee and chairs the Mentor Committee for the Institute for Leaders in Development at the University of Denver. She has held numerous board, committee and advisory positions. Sign up to receive weekly fundraising tips from Kathie here and follow her on Twitter @KathieKRyan.

Kathie leads the session Don’t Wing It! – Major Gift Mistakes Even Smart Fundraisers Make.

Stuart (Stu) Saunders has been the vision behind YLCC since it began in 1992. Growing up he attended summer camp from the age of 6. In fact, he hasn’t missed a summer of camp in over 40 years. For the last 25 years Stu has put his heart and soul into building a world-class summer camp and leadership development program that is now Youth Leadership Camps Canada.

Since 1991 he has also travelled North America and Europe speaking to middle schools, high schools, international schools, colleges, universities and many corporations. He has worked with over 2 million young people worldwide and was recently named among the top 30 leadership facilitators in the world.

He has grown YLCC beyond a summer camp. He took over the Ontario Student Leadership Conference (OSLC) in 1999 and grew it from 600 delegates to more that 2300. He started the only ever national student leadership magazine called “The Canadian Spirit”, launched YLCC Media a division that has created 2 powerful documentaries and also started the Canadian Youth Speakers Bureau (CYSB). Each year YLCC works with close to 200,000 youth across Canada and around the world.

As one of Canada’s most sought-after educational leadership consultants and speakers, Stu is a mentor to our staff and campers, and proud father of three amazing children.

Stu leads the session Hiring and Retaining the Next Generation. 

 

Jeff Schreifels has over 27 years’ experience in non-profit fundraising. The first 8 years of his career Jeff worked on the non-profit side working for two organizations as Development Director.

In 1996, Jeff joined the Domain Group based in Seattle. There, Jeff as Senior Strategist, led a team that executed strategic plans and direct-response marketing for clients such as, Feeding America, Arthritis Foundation, American Cancer Society and the Salvation Army; among many others. Jeff and his team helped raise over $200 million for their clients over 12 years.

In 2009, Jeff joined Richard Perry, one of the former owners of Domain Group, to become Senior Partner of Veritus Group. Veritus Group is a major gift consulting agency that has taken the discipline of direct-response and applied it to major gifts. This is a unique approach to major gift fundraising. Veritus helps non-profits all over the United States and the U.K. by helping create, develop and manage mid and major gift programs. As senior partner, Jeff is responsible for client strategy, sales and marketing.

Jeff is also the co-author (with Richard Perry) of a popular fundraising blog focused on major gifts called “Passionate Giving.” They also recently co-authored a book called It’s Not JUST About the Money.

Jeff is the proud father of two adult children who are the joy of his life. Jeff is passionate about life, spirituality, philanthropy, relationships, and the city of Philadelphia!

Jeff leads the session leads the session Successfully Packaging Program Into Donor Offers with Richard Perry.

Steven has 22 years of fundraising experience and has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise more money. He is co-founder and Creative Director of The Better Fundraising Co. He’s created and tracked the results for hundreds of donor newsletters and is a recognized expert in helping organizations raise money with donor-centered newsletters. Steven is the co-host of the Fundraising Is Beautiful podcast, and a past winner of the Direct Mail Package Of the Year award from Fundraising Success magazine. Steven is married and has 3 kids.

Steven leads the session How to Raise Money and Retain Your Donors with Your Nonprofit's Newsletter and How To Create A Fundraising “Offer”.

Simon Scriver is a professional fundraising consultant, coach, trainer, practitioner, keynote speaker, podcast host and co-founder of the virtual conference Fundraising Everywhere.

Simon has won Fundraising Ireland's 'Small Budget, Big Impact' and ‘Supplier Of The Year’ Awards, Eircom’s Start-up Award, and was a 2019 finalist of Charities Institute Ireland’s Communications Agency of the Year. He is a TEDx speaker and has previously won the Toastmasters UK & Ireland International Speech Contest. He also sits on the Advisory Panel of Rogare, the international fundraising think tank, and is a member of the AFP.

Simon also offers consultancy to some of the biggest and smallest charities in Ireland and abroad. He offers advice and training to non-profits to make their fundraising more cost-effective, speaking regularly at international conferences. He holds a Diploma in Fundraising and a Certificate in Fundraising.

Simon leads the session Small Budget, Big Impact

Isaac is a senior strategist, master planner, and organizational coach. Over the last fifteen years, Isaac has led nonprofit organizations through significant transformations, including startups, turnarounds, and digital transformation. As founder and principal consultant at Sage70, Isaac advises organizations on all facets of transformation and change, from strategy, marketing, and resource development to personnel, culture, process and technology. His broad lens and deep experience make him an invaluable resource to organizations tackling ambitious projects. Isaac also lectures frequently at nonprofit incubators, capacity-building organizations, and conferences, helping nonprofit professionals develop core skills around data, technology and operations.

Isaac leads the session: Accounting for Fundraisers.

Jessica Sharp is passionate about empowering underserved and minority communities, diverse representation, and brain education. Jessica is the Founder and Chief Educator of Sharp Brain Consulting which works with youth and adults and organizations who serve them. Additionally, she is a Capacity Building Specialist for the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She has prior work experience at Meals on Wheels, Greenville Health System and the YMCA of Greenville.

Jessica is dedicated to advancing the rights of our community’s underserved people. After earning a marketing degree from the University of South Carolina, she pursued her passion through Teach for America—an organization that places recent graduates in classrooms in underserved communities. She also has a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Missouri.

Jessica is currently a student at William James College where she is obtaining a Doctorate in Leadership Psychology. In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, listening to podcasts and spending time with friends and family. Jessica is active on Instagram and Twitter at @sharpjes

Jessica leads the session: What Nonprofits Needs to Know about the Brain and Managing Stress and Uncertainty during the COVID-19 Pandemic 

Steven Shattuck is Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang. In addition to leading the sales and marketing teams, he curates our blog, administers Bloomerang's weekly educational webinar series and hosts Bloomerang TV, a weekly video podcast that interviews fundraisers and consultants in the nonprofit sector.

Steven got his start in the nonprofit sector producing fundraising videos and other digital content for organizations like Butler University, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the Domestic Violence Network, the Adoption Support Center, the American Heart Association and CICOA. In 2015, he co-founded Launch Cause, a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping emerging nonprofit organizations enhance the impact of their work through collaborative office space, shared services, educational programming and networking with other nonprofit professionals. As a HubSpot Certified inbound marketer, Steven is a contributor to NTEN, Nonprofit Hub, Ragan, Social Media Today, Search Engine Journal, The Build Network, Technorati, Content Marketing Institute, Conductor and Business2Community. He is a frequent conference speaker and webinar presenter.

Steven leads the session An Introduction to Donor Data Segmentation

Mel Shaw and Pearl Shaw are a husband-and-wife team with over 50 years of combined experience serving diverse organizations across the country. In 2004, they created Saad&Shaw, bringing together Shaw & Company, founded by Melvin Shaw (1995) and Phrased Write, founded by Pearl Shaw (2001). They draw on Mel Shaw’s extensive experience working with nonprofits, colleges, universities, grassroots organizations, celebrities, corporate leaders, and members of the media in all our work.  His tried and tested techniques form the backbone of the Saad&Shaw approach to fundraising, community engagement, and successful business operations. These are leveraged by Pearl Shaw’s writing and analytic skills, allowing us to provide our clients with more than concepts, more than talk. They document all of our suggestions so clients can reference them for future use.

Their offices were first located in Oakland California, and in 2010 were relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. They continuously refine our services so that they can best meet the needs of new and returning clients. Their experience has allowed them to develop a professional specialization that focuses on helping nonprofits build their fundraising capacity and infrastructure while preparing for and conducting campaigns that represent a significant increase from prior campaigns, if any.

They lead the session Major Gifts: Within Reach But Outside Your Comfort Zone

Workforce thought leader Cara Silletto, MBA, works with organizations of all sizes to reduce unnecessary employee turnover by bridging generational gaps and making managers more effective in their roles. As a Millennial herself, she knows first-hand what it is like to have a heightened sense of entitlement, very little employee loyalty and a dependency upon her smart phone. However, unlike many Millennials, Cara has figured out exactly how these attributes were cultivated during her formative years, and she now shares that story with leaders across the country, including teams at Toyota, UPS, Cintas and Humana.

Cara learned early in her career, from her Baby Boomer and GenX mentors, what “professionalism” meant to them, and absorbed critical information about management expectations during her first 12 years in the business world. She then went on to earn her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the top-ranked University of Louisville Entrepreneurship program, lived overseas teaching German executives about business practices in the U.S., and then started her consulting firm, Crescendo Strategies, in 2012.

Today, she’s a highly-sought-after national speaker having conducted more than 100 engagements in 2016. Workforce Magazine in Chicago named Cara a “Game Changer” for her innovative approach to solving generational issues in the workplace and Recruiter.com listed her in their 2016 “Top 10 Company Culture Experts to Watch,” list. She is also the co-author of the book, What’s Next in HR.

Cara leads the sessions They Drive Me Crazy! Bridging the Generational Divide and Leading The New Workforce: Retaining Talent as Employee Expectations Evolve.

As a writer and teacher by trade, Kristin Steele partners with nonprofits to increase their impact and fundraising by strategically improving how they tell their story at events. Kristin helped start the consulting firm Swaim Strategies in 2004 and co-authored the book “Planning a Successful Major Donor Event.” As a passionate nonprofit advocate, she speaks nationally to help organizations generate change in their communities through their events.

Kristin leads the sessions Alternatives to Your Canceled Fundraising Event.

As principal of special events company Masquerade Events, A.J. Steinberg has been creating outstanding successful events for nonprofit and social clients since 1999. With a background in marketing and fundraising, it was natural for her event planning company to become specialists in nonprofit events. Working as a nonprofit consultant and liaison, A.J. became known for her success guiding volunteer committees in their production of nonprofit galas, fashion shows, concerts and street festivals. Working with a broad spectrum of nonprofits including The Jane Goodall Institute, Cystic Fibrosis, BreatheLA and Union Rescue Mission, A.J. became the leader in the field of committee-based fundraising. With a keen understanding of the benefits of engaging volunteer committees to create fundraising events, A.J. also studied the risks involved with having non-trained volunteers representing a nonprofit in their fundraising efforts.

In 2015 A.J. created Queen Bee Fundraising which focuses on the art of nonprofit special event management. A.J. teaches volunteers and nonprofit professionals the strategies for producing successful fundraising events along with guidance on how to successfully lead volunteer committees to achieve their goals. Her workbook series, Successful Nonprofit Events, will be published by the Charity Channel Press in 2017. A.J. Steinberg leads webinars, workshops and appears at speaking engagements that teach the art of committee-based nonprofit special event management.

A.J. leads the session Special Events 101

Maeve is a passionate fundraising professional, focused on inspiring donors to make an impact on the causes they love through philanthropy. Maeve works as a Fundraising Strategist with Blakely Inc., providing strategy for charities on integrated direct response campaigns. Previously, she developed the mid-level giving program at Wilfrid Laurier University, and built a young alumni giving program at Trinity College School. In her spare time, Maeve likes to work out, watch TV and movies, read, tweet, cook vegetarian food, and write for her fundraising and philanthropy-focused blog, www.whatgivesphilanthropy.com.

Maeve leads the session The Neglected Middle Child -- The Key to Inspiring & Engaging Your Mid-Level Donors.

Kent helps nonprofit organizations get the resources they need: money and people. He is a published author, popular speaker and successful fundraising consultant whose purpose in life is to Equip, Inspire and Encourage. Stroman’s book, Asking About Asking, is dramatically transforming the fundraising results of countless charities. His 10 Step Staircase provides a proven method used to engage staff and volunteers in Conversational Fundraising™. Kent’s expertise in fundraising, board governance, strategic planning and leadership development comes from 36 years of serving numerous philanthropic organizations. He is a BoardSource-trained governance consultant, Sarkeys Foundation-approved retreat facilitator, and has earned AFP’s Master Teacher designation. Kent has earned numerous awards and is a frequent speaker and presenter to regional and national audiences. http://www.stromanconsulting.com/

Kent leads the sessions Overcoming Obstacles & Getting to Success in Major Gifts and Asking Your Way to a Gift.

Samantha Swaim has more than 20 years of event planning and fundraising expertise. She founded Swaim Strategies, a fundraising event consultancy, in 2004, working internationally with nonprofit organizations to produce impactful events that move missions forward. Samantha is the co-author of “Planning a Successful Major Donor Event” and the founder of the annual Elevate fundraising event conference. She travels internationally to teach nonprofit professionals the tools they need to elevate their impact through events.

Samantha leads the session Alternatives to Your Canceled Fundraising Event.

As DonorSearch’s Executive Vice President,  Sarah oversees the company’s  Client Success, Production and Implementation, and Marketing functions. Sarah enjoys collaborating with clients and partners on strategic solutions and innovative product enhancements.  Sarah has worked in the nonprofit space for her entire career, starting as a prospect researcher before she even finished college, and has been with DonorSearch since its founding in 2007.   She continues to work with nonprofit organizations of every type and size, helping them find the best tools and strategies for their success and delivering outstanding training and support. 

Sarah leads the session Prospect Research for the Small Shop 

Chana Tiechtel co-founded the Chabad Jewish student center at ASU 15 years ago.  She spends 80% of her time doing what only she can do. Her skill set lies in training new hires to work independently. She consults non profits on identifying what their needs are so that they can hire and train new team members effectively. 

Along with Anna Peña, she leads the NPA session Making Your First Hire. 

For nearly two decades, Michael Thorson has been helping nonprofit organizations to more effectively raise funds. His experience includes directing multi-million dollar capital campaigns, developing annual funds, social media marketing, planned giving programs, corporate partnerships and large-scale special events, and recruiting, training and directing the efforts of board members and volunteers. Some of the organizations he has worked or consulted for include: Archdiocese of Kansas City KS, Community Counseling Services, American Cancer Society, Meeting Planners International Foundation, British American Chamber of Commerce, Arthritis Foundation and more. In addition to his fundraising career, Michael has been instrumental in helping businesses to increase their visibility and profits through more effective marketing, partnership development and social media. PhilanthroPros provides an opportunity for him to share his experience and knowledge to help nonprofits increase revenue through more effective fundraising, modern marketing and by developing partnerships with businesses that share their vision.

Along with Paul Keefe, Michael leads the NPA session Harvest Time: 10 Ways to Increase Revenue through Low Hanging Fruit.

Mazarine Treyz is the author of The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising, and founder of WildWomanFundraising.com, a popular fundraising resource with 50,000 monthly readers. She also wrote The Wild Woman’s Guide to Social Media, given a 5 star rating by Nonprofit.About.com. Her latest book, Get the Job! Your Fundraising Career Empowerment Guide, was also given a 5 star review by Nonprofit.About.com. Ms. Treyz has co-founded a nonprofit and worked in fundraising roles for 10 years. She's raised millions for small, national and international charities via grants, events, sponsorships, crowdfunding, appeals. She's trained over 10,000 people from 2011-2015 and helped nonprofits raise millions more.

Mazarine leads the sessions Your First 90 Days in Your Fundraising Job and Next Level Fundraising

Erin is a puzzle solver. With each client engagement, she merges her extensive fundraising experience with a true grasp of each client’s unique story to find solutions to complex problems. Her ability to listen and quickly prioritize, has allowed her to significantly impact fundraising growth across organizations, breakdown and revitalize data solutions, and exceed annual revenue goals.

Throughout her eighteen years of nonprofit management experience she has brought creativity, energy and analytical skills to those organizations she has had the opportunity to serve. Erin’s professional experience includes Chief Development Officer of a national sorority, Director of Development within a regional healthcare system, and Vice President of Analytics for a fundraising consulting firm. She has played almost every internal role and approaches her client work with not only a broad best practice view, but from the viewpoint of having been in the “chair.”

Erin received a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in 1998 and a Masters Degree in Higher Education Administration from the College of William and Mary in 2001.

Erin leads the sessions Data. Curiosity. Creativity. Building the Bridge, Taking the Plunge: Data Analysis Deep Dive, and The Art and Science of Targeting

Dr. Theo Tsaousides is a neuropsychologist, entrepreneur, and author of the book Brainblocks: Overcoming the 7 hidden barriers to success. He is a brain-training expert, with extensive research and clinical experience on traumatic brain injuries, and a faculty member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Dr. Theo helps his clients use their brains more efficiently for the pursuit of their goals. He provides training to individuals, groups, and organizations, nationally and internationally. He has one of the most difficult to pronounce last names in the industry, surpassed only by Mihaly Csikszentimhalyi, author of Flow.

Theo leads the session The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People and How to Beat Them

Andrea is the co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies and was the Community Manager for Social Media Examiner, for over 2 years. She also uses her Improv comedy skills to blog as a slightly cranky character, Grandma Mary – Social Media Edutainer on her site at www.AndreaVahl.com.

Andrea leads the session called Facebook Advertising Secrets for Nonprofits.

Katrina VanHuss has been driving fundraising with communications and recognition programs for organizations like the American Cancer Society, Special Olympics, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society since founding her company, TurnKey, in 1989. Katrina's expertise lies in increasing peer to peer event participants' fundraising income levels with analysis of past fundraiser behavior, understanding the mechanisms of human decision-making, and making full use of human desire for personal recognition. Her programs consistently produce ROI’s in excess of 500%.

Katrina is a member of the Virginia Council of CEOs and is a fundraising volunteer for Special Olympics, Relay For Life, and the ARC, for which she also lobbies. She graduated from Virginia Tech with degrees in communications (BA) and biology (BS).

Katrina leads the session The Social Science Behind Donor Recognition

Frank Velásquez Jr. is the Executive Director at JobPath, Inc. Inspired to “dare greatly,” Frank Velásquez Jr. leads and collaborates with passion, authenticity and an open mind. A racial equity and social justice advocate, he connects to the stories that make each of us who we are and the stories that inextricably connect us to each other. A natural storyteller, he loves the task of bringing greater local, statewide, and national awareness to JobPath’s work through enhanced messaging. Additionally, he strives to never talk in the third person and to never have a long-winded biography.

Frank leads the session called Engaging Granters through Storytelling and Statistics.

Kelly Velasquez-Hague brings over 20 years of fundraising, nonprofit management, and marketing experience to her role as the VP of Content Marketing for OneCause. Prior to starting her career in nonprofit fundraising technology, Kelly worked in the nonprofit sector as a Development Director and Event Coordinator. She's an active speaker and thought leader, sharing insights on donor trends and fundraising best practices at nonprofit industry conferences and webinars. Kelly is passionate about empowering great missions and helping nonprofits reach new donors and raise more funds for their causes.

Kelly leads the session called Top Strategies for Auction Event Survival.

Abbie J. von Schlegell, CFRE, FAFP has been in development for over 40 years. Before starting her own consulting firm in 2007, she served as a consultant with several national firms including Marts & Lundy and Brakeley Briscoe.  She held key senior development positions at Stanford University and The University of Chicago. 

Areas of expertise and extensive experience includes major gifts, women’s philanthropy and governance, which encompasses board development, leadership and training. She speaks, consults and teaches workshops on these subjects.

Currently, Abbie is a Certified Governance Trainer for BoardSource, in Washington, D.C. In 1990, Abbie was the recipient of the President’s Award from the NSFRE of Chicago and in 2018 was named a Distinguished Fellow by Association of Fundraising Professionals.  She is the editor of Women as Donors, Women as Philanthropists, published in 1993 by Jossey-Bass.

Abbie leads the session called Get Your Board Engaged NOW!

Erica Waasdorp, President of A Direct Solution (www.adirectsolution.com), lives and breathes direct response and fundraising and can be considered a Philanthropyholic. Building partnerships and trying to find the best solution for members and donors and thus clients’ needs are what Erica does best. Her multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural experience are of added value to those clients interested in raising money internationally and her experience in monthly giving has given her an edge for those clients who are ready to embark on this way of giving.

Erica Waasdorp started A Direct Solution in December of 2003 with more than twenty years of experience in direct marketing, from both sides of the desk, on the client side and the agency side. She has since worked with numerous non-profit clients on and off-Cape. She has helped several organizations with their annual fund campaigns, monthly giving, grant writing, events and public relations. Erica contributes to various industry publications, both in the US and abroad, and she has spoken at numerous nonprofit conferences, ranging from fundamentals of fundraising, to international fundraising, to monthly giving. She is also the US Ambassador for the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) (www.resource-alliance.org) Erica is the author of Monthly Giving. The Sleeping Giant. She can be reached @ericawaasdorp.

Erica leads the session called How to Turn Small Donors into Monthly Donors to Generate Ongoing Revenue for your Nonprofit.

Susan Walterhouse was an educator for 20 years both in public, private and charter environments before moving into the non-profit sector.  She and her husband, Roger, have worked together for many years in pastoral ministry and outreach before both landing at Feed the Hungry, Inc. (https://feedthehungry.org/)  They have two grown daughters that also work in Non-profits/Fundraising and just added their first son-in-law to the mix in August of 2018.  After learning about the Challenge and Invitation Matrix, Susan says her family dynamics were revolutionized as they began to implement strategies into their conversations and interactions.  Coming from a place of understanding, rather than frustration, the whole family learned to embrace differences, "speak the language" of other family members, and then respond in a healthy manner.  She has since taken those principles and applied them to classrooms, work-environments, and donor relationships with tremendous success.

Susan leads the session called Creating an Atmosphere for 'Yes'.

AndreaWaltz is the co-founder of Courage Crafters, Inc. and co-author of the best-selling book, Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There.Through speaking and an online training and coaching course, Andrea teaches sellers in virtually every business and industry how to think and feel differently about failure, rejection and the word, no. Today, "Go for No" has become a well known methodology in the world of selling and is widely recognized as the singular best program of its kind. The book, Go for No! Reached #1 on Amazon’s “Selling” list in 2010 and has remained in the top 50 of ‘Sales’ books for the last 9 years.

Andrea leads the session on dealing with rejection called Go For No For Fundraising Success. 

As the founder of The Weathers Group, a management consulting firm specializing in organization behavior and development, Charles is a nationally recognized speaker, writer and consultant. He is known for his ability to help groups navigate difficult conversations and he captivates audiences with contagious energy, insight and humor.

Weathers is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a Forbes Coaches Council member, an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow, a Riley Diversity Fellow (Furman University), a member of the Institute of Management Consultants, and a member of the National Speakers Association.

In his mission to positively impact lives, Weathers has made headlines by lending his voice to disruptive companies in the nonprofit, government and private sectors. Charles has logged more than 16,000 facilitation hours over the last 16 years developing solutions for clients ranging from grassroots community organizations to billion-dollar enterprises. His work has touched the lives of leading executives at TD Bank, BASF Corporation, Goodwill Industries International, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and countless foundations and organizations across the globe.

Charles enjoys volunteering and is an active board member with numerous organizations. A trusted advisor and coach, he and his family reside in Columbia, South Carolina. You can follow Charles on social media channels at @CharlesWeathers and learn more by visiting www.charlescweathers.com.

Charles leads the session The Strategic Advantage

As the “Idea Whisperer,” Tamsen helps people find, build, and tell the stories of their ideas using their Red Thread®, the universal (but unique!) tie between how we see the world and what we do in it.

Tamsen’s own Red Thread weaves through her 20 years as a brand and message strategist, though she says she learned the most about inspiring change as a Weight Watchers leader.

As a TEDx Executive Producer, Tamsen coached experts, iconoclasts, and pioneers from around the world to build their Red Threads into Ideas Worth Spreading—and more than 9 million YouTube views.  

Today, she’s a globe-hopping keynote speaker on storytelling, branding, change management, and idea development, and a go-to consultant for enterprise companies like Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, and State Street Bank who want to their big ideas to have an even bigger impact.

Tamsen lives in Boston with her other half/chief ballroom dancing partner, and two amazing boys with big ideas all their own.

Tamsen leads the session How to Craft the Conversations that Build your Case with Donors (even on Zoom!)

Jay Wilkinson has been actively involved in the nonprofit community his entire life. He sits on the board of several nonprofits and is an avid supporter of programs that provide leadership and enrichment programs for America’s youth. As a philanthropist, Jay has raised millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations. As an educator, he has trained thousands of fundraisers, marketers and nonprofit executives and has appeared on CNN and other national news outlets discussing the important role nonprofits play in the U.S. economy.

Jay is the founder and CEO of Firespring—a company that provides beautiful websites and essential tools to nonprofit organizations. Firespring helps nonprofits raise money, manage donors, organize volunteers and conduct events while presenting a powerful and professional online presence. Firespring is proud to be the first B-Corporation in Nebraska and is on a quest to transform the business landscape by encouraging all companies to leverage their people and profit as a force for good.

Jay leads the session How to Avoid Fundraising's Quiet Killer: Donor Attrition

Tycely Williams has raised and managed more than $69 million dollars for nonprofit organizations. Currently, Tycely serves as a Regional Chief Development Officer for the American Red Cross. Prior to this position, she was the Association Director of Major Gifts for the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. Over the past 18 years, she founded and led a consulting company, served as a Director of Development for two health and human services organizations, the Artistic Director of two community-based dance studios, and the Executive Director for a nonprofit organization founded by a Fortune 500 Company.

Tycely holds an Executive Masters in Leadership from The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. A cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University, Tycely possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with distinguished departmental honors and a minor in Journalism. In addition, she has earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a Certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University. Tycely is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and Immediate Past President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Washington Metro Chapter.

Tycely leads the An Introduction to Creating Sustainable Systems for Your Nonprofit session.