2024 UNITE Program
Keynotes
Hooray for failure! There is one thing for certain in our lives and projects: at some point, we will fail. Whatever the loss or failure, there are ways to manage and achieve success from challenges, as long as we plan ahead for these challenging times. And if we are to shape the future and build on our triumphant teams, we need to leverage the lessons of loss and failure with the talents of our colleagues. In this energetic, dynamic, and hilarious keynote, using real examples from Arizona institutions and beyond, we will discuss why failure can be absolutely fabulous in our organizations, teams, and jobs, and how to create mechanisms so that we can spot, address, learn from, and move on from failure. Let's fail forward and reframe failure to fuel innovation! In this fun (and funny!) keynote, participants will:
- Gain a data-driven framework to reframe and shift failure into growth opportunities for your organization, team, and project
- Learn techniques to identify where and when failure could occur and train yourself and your team to implement a strategy to enable success in a challenge
- Discover a process-oriented approach to navigating any kind of professional failure, loss, or challenge
- Understand the lesson of failure to make us stronger and more agile, creative, communicative, and ultimately more victorious in our jobs and contributions to our institutions and the Arizona non-profit community!
Keyno
te: Alaina Levine Bio
Alaina G. Levine is an award-winning keynote speaker, career coach, speaking coach, TEDx speaker, science writer, and corporate comedian. She is the author of two books, Networking for Nerds (Wiley), which beat out Einstein (really!) for the honor of being named a Top 5 Book of the Year, and Create Your Unicorn Career! (forthcoming). As President of Quantum Success Solutions, LLC, she is a prolific speaker, emcee, and expert on career and workforce development, networking, and leveraging failure for innovation. Alaina has delivered ~1000 speeches for clients in 15 nations, 35 states, and 5 continents, and has written close to 500 articles in publications like Science, Scientific American, National Geographic News Watch, World Economic Forum, and Smithsonian, including her popular “Your Unicorn Career” column, which appeared in the Number one science journal in the world, Science Magazine.
As a career coach, she has helped hundreds of professionals create and land their Unicorn Career, the customized, authentic career that brings you joy, meaning, and money, and as a speaking coach, she has helped professionals improve their public speaking skills to increase their advocacy and influence, and land fat stacks of funding. Recent projects included coaching UA professors to land $120 Million from the NSF and NIH, and working with NASA to provide pitch coaching to STEM students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) who are competing for $300k in seed funding in a national NASA Incubator challenge. Previously, Alaina managed a master's program in science and business and taught entrepreneurship to STEM grad students at the UA as an Eller Entrepreneurial Scholar. She studied at the American University in Cairo as a US Department of Defense Boren Fellow, and holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and anthropology from the University of Arizona, where as a student, she competed in national billiard tournaments under her moniker, Lady Dyn-o-mite.
Traditional approaches to social impact are not solving our world’s most complex challenges. What we need is a shift in the system and it’s going to take all of us. This session will introduce the concept of systems and systems thinking, highlighting the often implicit conditions holding problems in place. We’ll explore the central role of collaboration to drive any systems change effort and discuss both common pitfalls and opportunities when we seek to collaborate—particularly across lines of difference. Whether you’re exploring a new collaborative initiative or you’re deeply engaged in an existing effort, participants will come away with practical tips and strategies for more effectively collaborating to advance lasting change.
Keynote: John Harper Bio
John Harper is the CEO of FSG, a global nonprofit consulting firm that partners with foundations and corporations to create equitable systems change. Throughout his career, John has been a thoughtful and inclusive leader with a deep commitment to advancing equity, shifting power, and uplifting the voices of historically marginalized communities. At FSG, John has successfully led engagements with notable organizations such as W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Cleveland Foundation, Ares Charitable Foundation/Ares Management, the James S. McDonnell Foundation, and numerous multinational corporations. Prior to joining FSG, John worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade, leading strategy and development for both direct service and field-building nonprofits. As a highly sought after speaker, he regularly writes and speaks on topics of systems change, place-based philanthropy and collaborative civic infrastructure, and translating global corporate purpose into local impact.
9:30AM - 10:45AM Breakout Sessions
As the year draws to a close, nonprofits face the critical challenge of creating impactful year-end fundraising campaigns that resonate with supporters and drive meaningful results. In this presentation, we'll explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing year-end giving, empowering organizations to create more personalized, engaging, and effective fundraising experiences. We'll delve into real-world examples of how AI-driven insights and data-informed strategies can help nonprofits transform their year-end campaigns, allocate resources more effectively, and maximize their fundraising potential. We'll also discuss how these cutting-edge AI tools can help nonprofits build lasting relationships with their supporters, fostering a shared purpose and commitment to driving positive change. Whether you're a seasoned fundraising professional or new to the world of nonprofits, this presentation will provide valuable insights, practical strategies, and inspiring examples of how AI can empower your organization to create more impactful year-end campaigns.
Key Takeaways:
- AI in Fundraising: Understand AI’s role in transforming and optimizing year-end fundraising campaigns.
- Enhanced Donor Insights: Use AI to gain deeper insights into donor behavior and create personalized narratives.
- Efficient Campaigns: Implement AI for quick setup, automated segmentation, and maximizing campaign potential.
- Building Relationships: Leverage AI to foster lasting donor relationships and analyze successful real-world examples.
- Future Trends: Explore future trends and the evolving impact of AI on fundraising.
Speaker: Kathleen Celmins (The Well-Paid Expert)
Kathleen Celmins, the founder and CEO of The Well-Paid Expert, has more than 15 years of experience in the online marketing world - in both large Fortune 500 companies and start-ups. She's on a mission to help creators (service providers, writers, designers, marketers, podcasters) become well-paid experts.
Kathleen Celmins is the co-founder of Moonflare.AI, a fundraising platform for nonprofits that leverages the power of AI to help nonprofits meet their year-end fundraising goals. She’s an author, a speaker, and passionate about helping nonprofits in Arizona do
Kathleen Celmins has more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing. They know how to create effective online campaigns that connect with audiences and achieve results.
Kathleen’s background includes building the Stacking Benjamins podcast to profitability, writing Become a Well-Paid Expert, and building sales funnels for dozens of industries. She’s worked with a wide range of organizations, from small grassroots nonprofits to large, established institutions, helping them achieve their fundraising goals and expand their impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Engaging Millennials and Gen Z: Learn how to effectively engage Millennials and Gen Z in exploring and improving their financial knowledge.
- Benefits of Financial Education: Discover how offering financial education options for staff can enhance your organization’s mission.
- Education Options Available: Review different options for providing financial education to your staff.
Joe’Mar Hooper is the Chief Executive Officer of 3rd Decade. In this role he is charged with overseeing the delivery of its mission, to change the financial futures of young adults nationwide by providing a life changing mix of financial education and mentoring to young adults in or near their 3rd Decade of life to help them set and reach their financial goals.
Over his career, Joe’Mar has served over 20 years in leadership in the government and non-profit sectors leading organizations and departments specializing in public policy, finance, public safety, and community and economic development. Joe’Mar has worked at various levels of government throughout his career including the State of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Public Schools, and most extensively, the City of Milwaukee. He has also most recently served as the Wisconsin Market Leader for CommonBond Communities and as the Executive Director of Safe & Sound, a Milwaukee based non-profit focused on creating neighborhood safety through collective impact. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Masters of Public Administration.
Joe’Mar believes strongly in community service and the power of mentoring, having served on multiple boards, committees, and taskforces; including Friends of the Children – Phoenix, the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the Social Development Commission, the Milwaukee Public Library Board, and he is a founding board member of MENTOR Greater Milwaukee. He has also served as an adjunct instructor at Marquette University.
Outside of work he enjoys golfing, exercising, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
“If you don’t have a seat at the table - you’re on the menu.” That is a somewhat familiar political saying. The implication is that if you are not in the room, seated at the table, when policy makers are deciding what issues to support - then they will have you for the meal. You will be presented with the ingredients to be an even more effective and influential advocate. Preparing you for success. The key ingredients, the action plan for advocacy success is in the 7 Actions of Highly Effective Advocates. These are actions and not steps. You can use one, two, three, or all of these actions. These 7 actions will act as your ingredients for advocacy success. So that you will have a seat at the table and your issues on the menu, prepared by you, with your interests being heard. You the citizen, hold the influence – it’s your power of personal persuasion – when you use it.
Key Takeaways:
- Role in Communication: Recognize your crucial role in communicating with key stakeholders, including elected officials.
- Advocacy Tree Branches: Discover the 7 Branches of the Advocacy Tree and understand their purposes.
- Advocate vs. Lobbyist: Learn the differences between effective advocates and lobbyists.
- Effective Advocacy Actions: Engage in and learn the Seven Actions of Highly Effective Advocates.
Speaker: Roger Rickard (Voices in Advocacy)
Roger is the Founder & President of Voices in Advocacy®, author of 7 Actions of Highly Effective Advocates, and host of the Voices in Advocacy Podcast™. He has more than 30 years of experience as an advocacy professional, speaker, trainer, consultant, and author. As a recognized expert in advocacy engagement and grassroots activation, Roger works with a wide cross-section of organizations from diverse industries. His vibrant personality and a good sense of humor make for engaging and interactive programming that is packaged and delivered in an easy to understand, easy to apply format combining his education, experience, and enthusiasm to drive advocacy success.
Roger is a proud Penn State Nittany Lion and self-confessed political junkie having received his education in Political Science. He has been an advocate for citizen involvement since the age of 13. Elected, three times to public office as a young man, served as a state legislative staff member, and have worked on many political campaigns from his very own clear up to presidential campaigns.
His work spans a cross-section of local, regional, national, and international organizations. He has served in numerous industry associations’ leadership roles, is a recipient of several international industry awards, and is a member of Meeting Professional International’s prestigious “Community of Honoree’s”.
He is often interviewed by radio, print and television media, highlighted by the MSNBC show Your Business. Smart Meetings Magazine did a cover story on Roger, entitled Passion & Purpose, Roger Rickard’s Call to Action. Successful Meetings Magazine named Roger one of the Six People Worth Watching in the Meetings Industry. Meetings Focus Magazine named him to their inaugural list of Meetings Trendsetters, and in 2020, Connect Magazine named Roger to their inaugural Class of 15 over 50 influencers.
Roger is a BIG man at 6’8”, a BIG thinker, and he has BIG ideas for helping you succeed with advocacy. He is casually known as the BIG GUY with a BOW TIE.
In a sector built on impact, inclusive philanthropy offers a way forward built on compassion and careful practice. But how can practitioners take this work from idea to implementation? In this session, we'll delve into the importance of inclusive practices in philanthropy, addressing systemic barriers and amplifying underrepresented voices.
Key Takeaways:
- Importance of Inclusive Practices: Understand the role of compassion and inclusive practices in philanthropy, addressing systemic barriers and amplifying underrepresented voices.
- Strategies for Equitable Giving: Learn strategies to foster equitable giving, build positive workplace culture, and promote inclusive community building.
- Practical Tools and Frameworks: Gain practical tools and frameworks to cultivate a culture of inclusivity in philanthropic initiatives.
- Effective Outreach: Explore outreach strategies that connect with diverse communities, incorporating their experiences and perspectives.
- Engaging Diverse Stakeholders: Equip yourself to engage diverse donors and stakeholders effectively for greater impact and stronger community connections.
Jessica Ford (she/her): Leadership that inspires, motivates, and empowers. Throughout her career, Jessica Ford has strived to be a leader who supports colleagues in achieving their greatest potential. Creating spaces that allow individual strengths to flourish results in a team driven to fulfill the organization’s mission and transform the communities they serve.
With 13 years of fundraising experience, Jessica has had great success in relationship building, leading philanthropists to achieve their goals in fine arts, healthcare, higher education, and nonprofits. Her experience includes major gift fundraising, annual fund campaigns, volunteer management, proposal development, group sales, and education program planning. Currently, a senior consultant at Plus Delta Partners, Jessica devotes herself full time facilitating and coaching the tools and frameworks that leverage the strengths and abilities of fundraisers and fundraising teams to raise more money and empower communities through thoughtful practice.
Before joining Plus Delta Partners, Jessica served as Director of Development for the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. She provided strategic direction and collaborated with colleagues to create priorities and frameworks for the upcoming campaign for the Global Futures Laboratory. Her previous roles include fundraising at Oberlin College, St. Luke’s CHI Hospitals and the Houston Symphony.
Jessica enjoys traveling, exploring small-town festivals and outdoor markets, and appreciating all forms of fine arts.
Travis Craddock (they/them): A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Travis Craddock is an accomplished fundraising professional and nonprofit leader. Currently, Travis serves as the Director of Philanthropy at ACLU of Arizona, raising critical resources to protect and advance the civil rights, liberties, and dignity of all Arizonans. Travis is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, dedicating their career to fostering these values within the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.
In their career, Travis has previously held fundraising and leadership roles at ASU Foundation, the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, and San Miguel High School. Travis strives to empower and improve the quality of life in the communities in which they live. This is also evident from their time spent in Malawi with the U.S. Peace Corps, where they worked in education and community development.
Outside of work, you can find Travis building community and volunteering for various causes that are meaningful to them, including sitting on the boards for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Southwest Tennis Foundation, and the Children's Museum Tucson & Oro Valley. Travis also runs a queer and allied pickleball league in Phoenix and enjoys playing many sports, spending time with family and friends, and dancing to the beat of their own drum.
Building lasting relationships with your donors, the people you serve, and internal teams is more difficult than ever, given the distractions of the world and the many different organizations vying for their attention. In this interactive session, reframe how you think about your audience, and learn how to better connect with them. You’ll walk away with a repeatable 4-step strategy for creating committed, loyal supporters. You’ll also learn different ways of connecting with them and get tips for how to tell better stories. You’ll leave with several different examples of other organizations with highly engaged and responsive audiences. .
Key Takeaways:
- Reframe Audience Perspective: Change how you view and understand your audience.
- Enhance Connection: Learn techniques to better engage with your audience.
- 4-Step Communication Strategy: Present and explain a repeatable 4-step strategy for connecting with and communicating to loyal supporters.
- Storytelling Tips: Receive practical tips for improving your storytelling.
- Practical Exercise: Participate in an exercise applying the 4-step strategy.
Speaker: Emily Soccorsy (Root + River)
There are many basic resources for nonprofit boards, but how do you find innovative and effective tools that match your organization’s lifecycle, resources and strategic direction? In this workshop, we will go beyond the basics providing you with tools to reimagine three common challenges of shared leadership between the board and the executive, board composition, recruitment and succession planning. Attendees will create components of their customized board plan. Participants will receive templates, resources and new ideas to incorporate into practice.
Key Takeaways:
- Shared Leadership Structure: Develop a structure for shared leadership and alignment between the Executive Director and Board, using tools like the Responsibility Chart.
- Reimagine Board Recruitment: Redesign board composition and recruitment strategies with tools such as the Experience Wheel.
- Board Succession Planning: Create an effective board succession plan using the Talent Plan tool.
Speakers: Liz Kinsfather, Tiffanie Dillard (Avenir Consulting Partners) & Colleen Conley, Amanda Kaye (CKSynergy Consulting)
Liz Kinsfather: More than ten years ago, Liz's work in board governance began on the
leadership team of a local nonprofit, where she managed eight independent boards and numerous committees as Board and Staff Liaison. With more than twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she has guided Arizona boards at all life cycle stages through mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, capacity building, and executive leadership transitions.
Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and a master’s in Organizational Development and Leadership from Fielding Graduate University. Her master’s thesis showcased her extensive research on the relationship between nonprofit boards and their chief executives. Liz has held leadership positions on multiple boards in the Valley and is currently the board chair of a local refugee support organization.
Dr. Tiffanie Dillard: Tiffanie is the Founder and CEO of Avenir Consulting Partners, a collective of experienced nonprofit leaders who work at the intersection of Strategy, Talent and Culture. Her work leverages her deep experience and her sector-based research to support the unique needs of nonprofits at each life cycle stage. She supports individuals and teams across the nonprofit ecosystem and is frequently called upon for board engagement initiatives, sustained collaborations, team and individual coaching, leadership transitions and succession planning. Tiffanie has held multiple staff and board roles in the nonprofit sector over the last 20 years.
Her PhD is in Human and Organizational Systems and she has Masters’ Degrees in both Organizational Management and Human Development, as well as the national HR certification (SHRM-SCP). She is an ICF credentialed professional coach, qualified in multiple individual, group and organizational assessments and a Certified Lifecycle Capacity Consultant with the Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute. She is currently in a post-doc research fellowship identifying the success factors for ED’s who are “Following a Founder”.
Amanda Kaye: As a co-founder and partner of ckSYNERGY (2014), Amanda collaborates with clients to strengthen the capacity of their organizations to build healthy, resilient communities. She approaches her work with creative, comprehensive strategies that combine research and experience with a fresh perspective and focuses on: developing business plans; facilitating strategic planning processes, collaborative meetings, and board retreats; and governance and leadership coaching and training. She is particularly passionate about working with local, community-based organizations.
After graduating from the University of Arizona, Amanda received a Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management degree (MNLM) from Arizona State University. She is a Nonprofit Leadership Institute Certified Lifecycle Capacity Consultant; was selected to participate in Vitalyst Health Foundation trainings, including Professional Interim Executive Director (PIED) and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A); is a member of Vitalyst’s TAP Team of Consultants; and is a member of Local First Arizona. In addition to her work, Amanda serves on one national and one local board.
Estimates suggest that up to 75% of U.S. nonprofit leaders are planning to leave their positions in the next five to ten years and only 29% of organizations have transition plans. In Arizona alone that equates to approximately 21,750 nonprofits in leadership transition over the next five to ten years. These statistics suggest that nearly 71% of those organizations are unprepared for such transitions. It is also estimated that the turnover rate for nonprofit executive directors is 18% to 22% annually. Considering this rate, organizations can expect to navigate a leadership transition every 4-5 years. These statistics point to the importance of planning and preparation for leadership transitions. Executives direct and guide all aspects of organizations. How and when a leader exit reverberates throughout the organization, often reaching into the community and the field. Planning for leadership transitions can negate the disruption to strategy, programming, and revenue streams. Whether an exit is planned or unplanned, it can take longer than anticipated to fill the top job, and during the hiatus it’s important to keep operations running smoothly. Transition plans are like having insurance, they can help create a smooth transition for all stakeholders within and outside the organization. This interactive workshop provides an opportunity for Grantmakers, Executive Directors, Board of Directors, and other leaders to deepen their understanding of organizational resilience and sustainability by assessing the transition readiness of an organization. It is designed to provide an overview of research, tips, and tools to prepare organizations for leadership transition.
Key Takeaways:
- Define Leadership Transition: Understand what leadership transition is and identify the elements needed for successful transitions.
- Assess Transition Readiness: Evaluate an organization’s readiness for leadership transition.
- Prepare for Transition: Explore strategies to effectively prepare an organization for a leadership transition.
Speaker: Kim Madrigal (Madrigal Consulting and Counseling), Maria Camila Englert (Western Alliance Bank) and Michelle Bradshaw (SAFE Credit Union)
Kim Madrigal: Kim Madrigal’s journey is a focused one: to combine creativity, knowledge, and experience in delivering the best leadership development to encourage her fellow partner-leaders to have their greatest impact. Driven to add value and make an impact, her goal is to help individuals and teams recognize their leadership capacities and commit to effective leadership of self, others, and organizations. Kim is founder of Madrigal Coaching & Consulting, where leadership, operational excellence, and strategy join to create agile ecosystems. Kim has combined her PhD from the University of North Carolina Greensboro with a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University, a Master of Liberal Studies from the University of Toledo, and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Indiana University. This rare tailoring of her educational journey equips her with a wealth of disciplined educational and leadership tools to foster leadership skills and impact with others With experience in corporate, non-profit and education arenas, Kim is certified in several organizational development tools. She has traveled the nation and trained thousands of executives, boards of directors, and frontline staff in strategy and operational development, growth and capacity building, and program design and facilitation. She has facilitated sessions and consulted on team development, change management, curriculum development and implementation, and leadership and performance coaching. Through these great opportunities, her legacy and impact influence other leaders’ legacies and impact. Kim is committed to sharing a good belly laugh, to developing enriching relationships, and to refueling her spirit through cheese, learning, running, and travel.
Michelle Bradshaw: Michelle Bradshaw is an IT executive with a deep passion for innovative leadership. As the Senior Vice President, Information Technology for SAFE credit union, she leads change with a positive and adaptable mindset that motivates peers and business partners to peak performance, while delivering an optimal digital experience. Her career spans thirty years in the financial industry where she honed her technical skills as a certified Microsoft Engineer, has held high-value strategic roles including Chief Information Officer, and has a proven track record of developing and launching Enterprise-level programs.
Michelle currently serves as Chairwoman of the Board for Live & Learn AZ, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 to empower women in the Phoenix-metro area to overcome generational poverty and domestic violence. With the power of community, Michelle believes in sustainable solutions, lasting change, and developing the leader within all of us.
With decades of success in the professional and non-profit space, Michelle creates an equitable environment where people can be heard and supported to their full potential through engagement, collaboration, and accountability. Michelle is a mom to four children and enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling with her family.
Maria Camila Englert: Englert, Vice President at Western Alliance Bank, has over 17 years of banking and finance experience in the Phoenix-Metro Area. She enjoys working with business leaders to understand their business drivers, objectives, and challenges that enable her to provide a high level of service and strategic solutions to support their growth. Englert received her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Spanish Literature from the University of Arizona. Englert currently serves as the Board Chair for CALA Alliance (Celebración Artística de las Américas), a Latinx arts organization based in Phoenix that collaborates with artists and art organizations to nurture artistic talent, focusing on artists from the Latin American diaspora.
Join us for an illuminating session where we explore the dynamic relationship between journalism and philanthropy in today's rapidly evolving landscape. This forum will feature discussions on innovative collaborations, impactful storytelling, and the intersection of media and charitable initiatives. Our panel of experts will share insights on leveraging journalism to amplify philanthropic efforts, navigate ethical considerations, and foster informed communities.
Key Takeaways:
- Enhancing Impact through Media Partnerships: Learn strategies for integrating journalistic storytelling with philanthropic missions to maximize social impact.
- Ethics and Integrity in Philanthropy-Funded Media Projects: Explore best practices and considerations for maintaining journalistic independence and credibility in philanthropic collaborations.
- Innovative Funding Approaches for Media Sustainability: Discover new models and funding strategies that support the sustainability and independence of journalistic endeavors.
- Community Engagement and Empowerment: Hear case studies on successful initiatives that have empowered communities through philanthropy supported media and journalism.
- Interactive Discussion and Q&A: Engage directly with our panelists to deepen your understanding and explore practical applications of journalism in philanthropic endeavors.
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that will inspire new perspectives and strategies for leveraging journalism and philanthropy to drive positive change.
Panelists: Stacy Sullivan (Flinn Foundation, previously The Arizona Republic), John Amoroso (Community Foundation for Southern Arizona) & Chris Kline (Arizona Media Association/Arizona Local News Foundation)
Moderator: Susan Casper (Arizona's Family)
Stacy Sullivan: Stacy Sullivan is vice president of communications for the Flinn Foundation, the privately-funded Phoenix-based philanthropy that supports Arizona’s bioscience industry, civic leadership training, arts/culture initiatives and the Flinn Scholars program for the state’s best and brightest high school students. He joined the Foundation in May 2024 from Gannett Co., Inc., where he was director of local philanthropic partnerships for the USA Today Network, working with The Arizona Republic and the media company’s other largest newsrooms to boost philanthropic support for local journalism. He first became acquainted with the Flinn Foundation when The Republic received a 2019 grant to support news coverage of the state’s bioscience industry, which turned out to be especially timely during the pandemic when public interest in COVID-related research spiked. Prior to his USA Today Network role, he was The Republic’s community-relations director, led the Season for Sharing campaign and produced the Arizona Storytellers series of live events. Stacy held various reporting and editing roles in newsrooms in Florida and his native Louisiana before joining The Republic in 1999.
John Amoroso: John came to Southern Arizona in 2015 to become the Executive Director of The David and Lura Lovell Foundation that spent down in 2024. Over his eight years in Arizona philanthropy, he always looked to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona as a dynamic collaborator and source of inspiration for his efforts. This partnering spirit resulted in co-funding efforts like the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership, the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Grant Program for nonprofit capacity building, and Catchafire with CFSA; financing an Emmy award-winning Arizona Public Media documentary with Marshall Foundation; and support of First Nations locally and nationally with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona and Novo Foundation. John helped the Lovell Foundation achieve the Outstanding Foundation Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Southern Arizona in 2019 and was awarded the inaugural Impact Philanthropy BLOOM Award from CFSA in 2024. He is very excited to continue this spirit of collaboration as a representative of CFSA in Southern Arizona’s philanthropy and nonprofit community.
John played a key role in helping amplify the impact and expand the reach of Arizona philanthropy by helping to grow Southern Arizona Grantmakers, as a board member of the state-wide nonprofit and philanthropy support organization, Arizona Impact For Good, and through committee work conference presentations and webinars on various topics with national philanthropic organizations like Exponent Philanthropy and Foundant. He relishes the opportunity to help nonprofits connect to resources as much as he does supporting philanthropist to accomplish their goals.
Before coming to Arizona, John worked in nonprofits and philanthropies across the West including stints as a Regional Organizer for the National Wildlife Federation across six states, a Program Officer for The Ford Family Foundation in Roseburg, Oregon (a Top-100 Foundation); and a Regional Representative for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. He has been dedicated to nonprofits and philanthropy all his life and received a Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University in 2014.
Chris Kline: Chris Kline is the President and CEO of the Arizona Media Association and Arizona Local News Foundation. He leads all shared services and advocacy for a coalition of more than 350 radio, TV, print and online brands with a focus on future-proofing local media and its critical role in community connection. Chris previously led the Arizona Broadcasters Association and before that spent 15 years working in Arizona local media at radio, TV and print operations plus at CNN in Washington, DC. Chris serves on boards at Arizona State's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, University of Arizona’s Journalism School, Arizona’s emergency communications committee, the Desert Botanical Gardens, the East Valley Institute of Technology, Arizona Talks, and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Susan Casper: Susan Casper is a highly respected television personality with nearly 30 years of experience as an award-winning anchor, reporter, and host.
Susan joined Arizona’s Family in January 2024 in her new role as Community Relations Manager/Community Anchor. As a station ambassador, she highlights those organizations and people who are positively impacting our community as the host and producer of her new series, “In the Community with Susan Casper.”
Susan has earned dozens of journalism awards and recognition throughout her career, including three Emmy nominations, a Positively Powerful Woman Media Leadership Award, PetSmart & Phoenix Suns Outstanding Leadership in the African American Community Award, Arizona Informant Newsmaker Award, and Reverend Arnold L. Jackson Community Leadership Award.
Susan also has the distinction of being the first African American woman to anchor a primetime newscast in Tampa, Florida.
Susan has an infectious personality and passion for helping others. When she’s not on television, you will find her volunteering in the community and advocating for women and girls.
For more than 6 years, Susan has proudly served as an Executive Board Member of Dress for Success Phoenix, is a founding member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter, and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists for three decades.
Susan and her husband, Sidney, are the proud parents of twin daughters who attend Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University.
1:00PM - 2:15PM Breakout Sessions
Playworks has been a leader in play for over 25 years! Join us as we share some of our best practices of play and how you can bring play into your organization as a tool to build relationships with staff and help develop a strong team. The same skills learned from play such as teamwork, conflict resolution and communication are all skills of effective teams. This is a lively and inclusive workshop filled with play that will help give you tools to increase employee satisfaction and collaboration to strengthen your team health.
Key Takeaways:
- Benefits of Play: Discover how play enhances team health, staff retention, and employee engagement.
- Teambuilder Games: Leave with 1-2 team-building games to implement with your team.
- Best Practices: Learn best practices for incorporating play into your team culture.
Speakers: Lisa Paulos & Erin Mahoney (Playworks Arizona)
Lisa Paulos: Lisa Paulos is the Program Director for Playworks Arizona. She first joined Playworks in 2018. Lisa holds a master’s degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Frostburg State University and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She has spent the last 15 years in recreation and youth services with area municipalities, school districts, and nonprofits. Lisa also serves as a City Commissioner on a local community Arts & Culture Commission. During her personal time, she enjoys traveling outdoors checking off National Parks, golfing with her husband, spending time with her four dogs and being a foster mom to many rescue pups!
Erin Mahoney: Erin Mahoney is the program manager for Playworks Arizona. Erin holds a Health Coach Certification from Institute of Integrated Nutrition and has a certificate in Mastering Leadership. Erin has over 10 years of experience working with children and believes in the power of play not only for children, but adults too! She loves developing leadership in young children and evoking those super powers to be the change that they wish to see in their schools and communities through inclusive, safe, and healthy play. In her spare time Erin enjoys working out, finding new local coffee shops, and sitting on patios enjoying live music with her dog. She can’t wait to see you on the playground!
This workshop will tell the story of an organization’s awakening and implementation of an equity integration staff team. Learn how one small nonprofit took steps from assessment to integration as part of a collective journey to aligning its mission to social justice principles for the benefit of its target population. Explore key insights for the Free Arts journey and reflect on your personal and organizational effort toward greater equity.
Key Takeaways:
- Reflect on Equity Participation: Assess personal and organizational involvement in equity work within the nonprofit sector.
- From Dialogue to Action: Understand how to advance organizational equity strategies from discussion to assessment and integration.
- Lessons from Implementation: Reflect on key lessons learned from implementing the Free Arts’ Equity Integration Team.
- Personal and Organizational Equity Journey: Evaluate personal and organizational equity progress, articulate a vision, and identify limitations in implementation.
Speakers: Matthew Sandoval & Marisa Skelpsa-Munoz (Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona)
Matthew Sandoval: Matt Sandoval is an Arizona native who has served in a variety of capacities in human services and non-profit organizations. With over twenty years of nonprofit experience, he is the Executive Director at Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona which provides trauma-informed art activities through trained adult mentors for children and teens who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and homelessness.
Marisa Skelpsa-Munoz: Marisa Skelpsa-Muñoz (she/they) is a queer, mixed-race Chicana, joyful weirdo, pleasure activist, painter, and introverted mermaid. Marisa was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a concentration in translation and interpretation from the University of Arizona. They have a decade-long career in nonprofit, primarily working in the fields of reproductive justice, fertility, sexual health, LGBTQ+ youth education, and DEI. She is the current Executive Projects Manager & Board Liaison at Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona where she manages the organizational DEI efforts and board of directors. In all areas, Marisa is dedicated to reflecting an ethic of love, existing as free from harmful shame as possible, cackling as loudly as her lungs will allow, dancing through it all, and staying open to the healing power of community.
Today's landscape finds nonprofits in a perfect storm with greater demands for services, fewer donors, higher costs, increasing salaries, higher turnover and a shortage of qualified development professionals. This workshop will discuss the opportunities for nonprofits to utilize the expertise of highly qualified professionals who know how to move the needle at fraction of the cost and time. Fractional fundraisers are ideal for non-profit organizations that need to build or scale their fundraising activities but have no dedicated fundraiser on staff. This will also work for organizations that have a small or junior fundraising team but require high-level strategy, planning or guidance. With limited budgets and growing salaries, many nonprofits are forced to hire a junior fundraiser who may not have the breadth of experience required to develop or scale critical fundraising systems and practices. This results in putting too much pressure on someone who is new to the profession and often leads to job dissatisfaction, burn-out and turnover. Additionally, to build a diversified and sustainable foundation of fundraising practices takes a lot of knowledge, an understanding of all the moving pieces and the ability to put the plans into action. Utilizing a fractional fundraiser provides the perfect mix of high-level customized strategy and the actual work of fundraising. They also bring a wide range of experience that makes them great problem-solvers and valuable helper-outers.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding Fractional Fundraising: Learn what fractional fundraising is and how it works.
- Benefits for Nonprofits: Discover the advantages of using fractional fundraising services.
- Roles of Fractional Fundraisers: Explore the various roles that a fractional fundraising professional can fill.
- Assessing Fit: Determine if fractional fundraising is a suitable option for your nonprofit.
Speakers: Michele Rebeor & Alan Knobloch (Synergy Philanthropy)
Michele Rebeor:
Michele has served Arizona’s nonprofit industry as an accomplished and innovative development professional for more than 30 years. She developed her wide range of fundraising skills in roles at the ASU Foundation, John C. Lincoln Health Foundation & Desert Mission, and United Blood Services.
After establishing her own consulting practice in 2016, she and Alan Knobloch combined their 60+ years of successful nonprofit experience in 2022 as founding partners of Synergy Philanthropy, LLC.
Michele’s expertise is strategies that maximize donor relationships for greater levels of retention & sustainable giving. Additionally, with a decade of rare hands-on experience in women focused philanthropy, she guides nonprofits in adapting their practices to better accommodate the transformative role of women as donors. Michele has also extended her acumen as a Nonprofit Lifecycle Consultant and representing national consulting firms, IPM Advancement & CCS Fundraising.
Michele was recognized as one of the 2023 Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women In Business; achieved accreditation as a Certified Fundraising Professional (CFRE); is an AFP Greater AZ Chapter member and has served in multiple Board roles including Chair of the Professional Mentoring Program and received the President's Award in 2020.
Michele practices what she preaches through a lifelong commitment to community engagement. She is a member & sponsor of 100+ Women Who Care Valley of the Sun, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Council, a Keep Tempe Beautiful inaugural board member, and volunteer for multiple nonprofits. She is an Ironman triathlete, competitive rower and passionate animal lover.
Alan Knobloch:
Alan has worked in the non-profit sector for over 30 years, establishing PAK Consulting and Strategic Gifts Executives in 2019. In 2022, Alan combined his consulting expertise with Michele Rebeor as founding partners of Synergy Philanthropy, LLC.
Alan honed his fundraising skills in principal and planned gifts working at nonprofits including The Nature Conservancy, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute and the Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico divisions of the American Cancer Society.
His niche expertise is strategies for Major and Planned Gifts as well as Annual and Mid-range donors, developing and implementing portfolios and Moves Management strategies as well as executive fundraising, feasibility studies, campaigns and more.
Alan is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE), acquired a National Planned Giving Institute diploma from the College of William and Mary and received the AFP Greater Arizona Chapter’s President’s Award in 2012.
Active in the nonprofit community, Alan successfully launched the Arizona Leave a Legacy initiative and created the Arizona Endowment Building Initiative, now a Arizona Community Foundation program, has served as president of the Greater Arizona Planned Giving Roundtable and as a board member of the Central Arizona Estate Planning Council, is an AFP member and has served as an officer as well as mentor and workshop presenter for AFP Greater AZ Chapter’s Professional Mentoring Program. Alan also serves on the boards of 33 Bucket’s and Seeding Mercy.
Alan grew up in Canada and enjoys traveling internationally as well as along the West Coast in his camper van.
Ready to revolutionize giving? This session dives into the cognitive science of donor engagement unveiling community-centered fundraising strategies that forge alliances between nonprofits and funders. We'll deconstruct deficit-framed narratives, elevating community strengths and aspirations, to significantly shift how we communicate with donors. We’ll explore how intuition over reason, negative bias phenomenon, and fundamental attribution error creep into our storytelling, and learn small but powerful language tweaks to disrupt these patterns. You’ll leave knowing how to craft ethical narratives that uplift, have deeper donor discussions that lead to long-term collaborations, and set in motion systemic transformation for communities to thrive.
Key Takeaways:
- Cognitive Science in Donor Engagement: Understand key principles influencing donor behavior, like intuition vs. reason and cognitive biases.
- Deficit-Framed Narratives: Learn to identify and transform deficit-framed language into asset-based, strength-focused narratives.
- Ethical Storytelling: Develop frameworks for ethical and empowering narratives that build community and donor connections.
- Community-Centered Fundraising: Gain practical strategies for community-centered fundraising that align with ethical practices and support systemic change.
Speaker: Frank Velásquez Jr. (4 Da Hood)
Frank Velásquez Jr.: Storyteller Extraordinaire, Social Justice Warrior, and Community Connector! With a heart as big as his vision, Frank dances on the frontlines of change, armed with an unshakeable belief in racial and gender equity. Whether he’s dropping knowledge on the conference stage or storytelling behind the scenes, Frank’s passion for social justice is as infectious as his smile. And he cooly connects our stories without compromising the unique flavor of any singular one, much like ingredients individually coming together to create a savory bowl of gumbo.
As Founder of 4 Da Hood and the mastermind behind the Ascending Leaders in Color leadership program, he's forging paths for peeps of color to lead with authenticity, courage, and joy! Because for Frank, advancing equity isn't just a job — it's a movement towards building generational wealth for communities of color to thrive!
In the heart of our work, where passion fuels progress, it's easy to lose sight of the spark that ignited our journey. This session delves into the profound significance of discovering and nurturing your "why" – the driving force behind your commitment to making a difference. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, insightful reflections, and practical exercises, we'll embark on a transformative exploration of:
Key Takeaways:
- Unmasking Your Core Values: We'll peel back the layers to uncover the deeply held beliefs that shape your worldview and guide your actions.
- Connecting to Your Personal Narrative: By tracing the threads of your unique experiences, we'll illuminate the defining moments that led you to this path.
- Aligning Passion with Impact: We'll delve into the intersection of your passions and the tangible outcomes you strive to achieve in your work.
- Staying Inspired: We'll equip you with strategies to navigate challenges, rekindle enthusiasm, and sustain your dedication in the face of adversity.
- Cultivating a Community of Purpose: We'll explore how fostering meaningful connections with like-minded individuals can amplify your impact and ignite collective action.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or a newcomer to the field, this session will empower you to rediscover your "why," re-energize your commitment, and lead with renewed purpose in your pursuit of a better world.
Speaker: Jake Hylton (LOOKOUT Publications)
Jake Hylton: Executive Director Jake Hylton brings a wealth of entrepreneurial experience and leadership prowess to LOOKOUT. Introduced to the small business world at the remarkable age of ten through his mother's venture in restaurant consulting, Jake spent seven formative years honing his skills as her apprentice. With a diverse background in the arts, including managing and founding arts organizations, Jake transitioned into the startup realm, where he excelled and eventually founded his own successful business in residential housing, The Jake Hylton Team with Retro Real Estate. Fueled by his passion for Arizona's LGBTQIA+ community and inspired by his partner's dedication to accountability reporting, Jake stepped into the role of Founding Executive Director at LOOKOUT, bringing with him a potent blend of business acumen and unwavering commitment to excellence.
A crisis can come from any direction but most organizations are focused on serving the community. What would you do if your organization was accused of fraud, lies, or a coverup? A single news story or social media post can spread like lightning - amplifying falsehoods, altering public perception, and jeopardizing your organization's reputation and future community impact. This presentation will share PR secrets so you’re ready for an attack from any direction - the public, a disgruntled community member, or an anonymous source. It will equip leaders with critical skills and strategies for a rapid response to protect their people and shut down falsehoods with speed and confidence. Attendees will get practical, actionable insight on how to act decisively and communicate effectively under pressure to comfort board members, and donors and ease city or state concerns. Our immediate response strategy will also cover key steps including who to contact immediately, what to say to volunteers, how to funnel criticism, and when it’s better to give an interview than issue a statement. This session is for organization leaders, and PR/marketing teams who want to learn how to emerge from a crisis without long-term damage to their reputations.
Key Takeaways:
- Crisis Preparedness: Prepare a list of potential crises that could damage reputations.
- Template Statements: Develop template statements for use during any crisis situation.
- Media Strategies: Harness traditional and social media to build support and manage public perception.
Speaker: Josh Weiss (10 to 1 Public Relations)
Josh Weiss: As the President and Founder of 10 to 1 PR, Josh Weiss has over 25 years of experience in public relations and crisis communications. His leadership has helped hundreds of organization leaders grow brands, promote their teams, and navigate crises. This includes nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in multiple industries including healthcare, construction, electrical, transportation, and semiconductor. Josh is passionately committed to helping all organizations achieve their long-term strategic goals through the power of public relations.
Since 2001, Josh has held a variety of PR roles including the National Director of Public Relations for Rural/Metro Corporation, a leading national provider of private ambulance and fire protection services, and as Director of Communications and Public Affairs for American Traffic Solutions, a national leader in traffic safety cameras. In 2012, Josh started 10 to 1 Public Relations to help his clients deliver purposeful storytelling to create strong brand reputations. He is a frequent conference speaker and byline writer for industry publications regarding crisis communication strategies. Josh’s efforts have earned numerous awards for his clients, company, and himself. Married with two kids, Josh has been a Scottsdale, Arizona resident since 2001 and has been active in several local boards and organizations including as the former Chair of the Scottsdale Transportation Commission, Scottsdale Leadership, the Scottsdale Railroad and Mechanical Society (supporting the Railroad Park for kids in Scottsdale), Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and others.
Join us for an interactive workshop focused on empowering individuals through effective goal setting strategies. Explore innovative approaches that transcend binary outcomes, emphasizing growth and continuous improvement. Delve into common obstacles in goal achievement and learn practical strategies to navigate challenges effectively.
Key Takeaways:
- Broaden Goal Perspectives: View goals as more than binary outcomes and understand their broader implications.
- Embrace Breakdowns: Recognize breakdowns as natural parts of the goal-setting process and opportunities for personal growth.
- Navigate Goal Challenges: Identify common breakdowns in goal achievement and learn effective strategies to address them.
Speakers: Mark Garcia & Briana Clark (New Pathways for Youth)
Mark Garcia: Mark Garcia's charismatic personality is infectious, capturing the interests and attention of not only adult volunteers but also teenagers and young adults as the Director of Training and Curriculum at New Pathways for Youth. Mark is responsible for facilitating life skill development workshops and mentor trainings, which are essential components of New Pathways' Transformative Mentoring typology, setting the organization apart from other social and recreational mentoring programs. He also leads the New Pathways Facilitator Training Program, engaging supporters of New Pathways in diving deeper into the curriculum, exploring their own personal development, and building facilitation skills to co-lead workshops and kickoff launches. Mark is a certified Integral Coach, bringing his coaching skills to the work at New Pathways, where he finds fulfillment.
Prior to joining New Pathways for Youth, Mark worked for The Kroger Company for ten years in various capacities, including Strategic People Initiative Specialist, Regional Trainer, and Senior HR Field Trainer. Mark is a self-proclaimed people person, passionate about youth development, coaching, and collaboration. A supervisor from Kroger praised Mark's facilitation skills and his ability to captivate his audience in an informative and enjoyable manner.
Mark holds a Master's of Science in Training and Performance Improvement from Capella University and a Bachelor's of Science in Business Management from Arizona State University. His accomplishments include being a member of Valley Leadership Institute, Class 36, and the 2018 Hispanic Leadership Institute. When he isn't leading youth in creating new possibilities for their future at the New Pathways for Youth Center, Mark enjoys hiking, exercising, practicing yoga, watching movies, and traveling.
Briana Clark: Briana Clark is the Vice President of Programs and Impact at New Pathways for Youth. She is a native Arizonan who began a career supporting youth through education as a classroom teacher. Briana worked for seven years in the classroom in grades ranging from K-8. She spent her time dedicated to working in low income areas, serving students who did not have access to many essential services in schools. Briana shifted into the mentoring field after devoting a year as a volunteer mentor with New Pathways. She is still in an active mentoring relationship with her mentee and is an advocate for youth mentoring in the community. With a Master’s Degree in Educational Policy, Briana looks to find innovative ways to support youth in bridging the achievement gap and allowing all youth to reach their full potential.
- Trust-Based Philanthropy's Influence on Giving Strategies: Discover how this approach is transforming donor-recipient relationships and fostering more effective collaboration.
- Defining and Measuring Meaningful Impact: Learn the latest methodologies for assessing the real-world effects of philanthropic initiatives.
- Covering Administrative Costs: Understand the critical role that operational expenses play in sustaining impactful programs and how to address them in funding proposals.
- Meeting Community Needs and Lessons Learned: Gain practical insights from funders on successfully identifying and responding to the evolving needs of communities.
- Interactive Q&A Session: Engage directly with our panel of experts, getting your questions answered and exploring topics in greater depth.
Wendy Erica Werden: Wendy Erica Werden is an award-winning community engagement and brand manager with more than 25 years of outreach, marketing, media and strategic development experience. She began her career with the Fox TV affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio – then moved to Tucson, Arizona. Here she has experience with associations, businesses, environmental non-profits, and media entities including PBS and NPR affiliates through the University of Arizona. She joined Arizona Congressman Ron Barber’s office as Outreach and Deputy District Director in 2012, and re-joined the Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy team in early 2015 as the Manager of Community Investment where she manages donations totaling more than $2 million annually. In her personal time she enjoys volunteering with many groups and the outdoors as a trail builder and section steward of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. She is proud of her work and commitment to improving Arizona, but also loves being on her horse with her trail dog on a mountain far away from the reach of her mobile phone.Matt Ellsworth: As the Flinn Foundation’s Chief Administrative Officer, Matt Ellsworth focuses on organizational and programmatic strategy and effectiveness. He helps the President and CEO to fulfill the Flinn Foundation’s mission, executive staff to optimize philanthropic and programmatic activities, and all staff to do work that meets high standards in a humane environment. He takes a lead role in planning content for Board of Directors meetings and developing strategic-planning activities across the Foundation’s areas of philanthropic interest, especially as related to implementation of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap. He leads select Foundation-wide initiatives and special projects and represents the Foundation in collaborations with external organizations. Previously at the Flinn Foundation, Ellsworth served as Vice President, Communications, and before that led the Flinn Scholars Program. His career began with several years in the education and social-services sectors. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction writing from George Mason University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from Arizona State University. As a Flinn Scholar, he graduated summa cum laude in English from Barrett, the Honors College at ASU.
Katia Jones: Katia Jones has been a steadfast presence at the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona (WFSA) since June 2021, initially joining as a vital member of the Development team. With a rich background spanning over 20 years in development and donor relations, Katia played an instrumental role in driving WFSA's impact statewide. Her dedication has been unwavering, leading to her recent promotion to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective March 2024. In her previous role as VP of Community Mobilization, Katia's hallmark was her enduring commitment to transparency and her ability to foster genuine connections throughout Arizona. She prides herself on nurturing authentic relationships and practicing Community-Centric Fundraising within WFSA’s Giving Collective and beyond.
Katia holds a bachelor's in psychology from the University of Georgia and an MBA from the esteemed W.P. Carey School at Arizona State University, reflecting her commitment to personal and professional growth. Her passion for community engagement extends beyond her professional life, as evidenced by her active involvement as a board member for the Arizona Justice Project and her longstanding membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She remains a dedicated alumna of the University of Georgia and continues to support and volunteer for various other community groups.
Katia enjoys quality time with her loved ones, including her husband and two kids. Whether exploring new local spots in Arizona, cheering on sports teams, or engaging in lively discussions with her cherished, live-in elders, Katia's loyalty to her family and her community shines through in every aspect of her life. As she steps into her new role as CEO of WFSA, Katia remains steadfast in her commitment to transparency, community, and fostering meaningful connections that empower and uplift all those she serves.
Monica Nuvamsa: Monica is a member of the Hopi Tribe and of the Water Cloud Clan from the Village of Songoopavi. She received her degree in Social & Behavioral Sciences and graduate certificate in research from The University of Arizona and certificate in nonprofit leadership from Arizona State University. Monica serves as the Executive Director of The Hopi Foundation, a local grantmaker and host of community-based nonprofit projects. The Hopi Foundation is one of the oldest philanthropic community development organizations in Indian Country. The Hopi Foundation established its first endowments to demonstrate a community’s ability to build wealth and support community-based projects utilizing Hopi-based practices that demonstrate cultural principles of respect, reciprocity, and generosity. Monica’s prior work includes intergovernmental affairs, higher education, and domestic violence advocacy. Monica currently serves on the board of the Arizona Community Foundation, the Colorado Plateau Foundation, and the Arizona Impact for Good.
Sabrina Lobato-Gonzales: Sabrina joined AZ Impact for Good in November 2023 after 20+ years in the non-profit sector. As the Director of Philanthropy her primary role is working with our grantmaker members and furthering the mission to unite nonprofits and philanthropy to transform Arizona. Sabrina began her fundraising career at the University of Arizona where she served in various roles over 17 years, beginning as an Accountant/Accountant, Senior at the Arizona Cancer Center Development Office. In this role, she managed the processing of 10,000 gifts annually and initiated a direct mail program that raised over $1 million each year. As Development Coordinator and later Assistant Director of Development at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Sabrina secured major philanthropy dollars, implemented an annual giving program, and coordinated major donor stewardship events. Her strategic expertise and ability to cultivate relationships led to their role as Associate Director of Development at Arizona Public Media and the University of Arizona Health Sciences, where they secured over $1 million from major donors.
Sabrina left the University of Arizona and joined Literacy Connects as Director of Development, where she drove an annual fund development and marketing plan, increased fundraising efforts for major gifts and corporate donors, and led comprehensive donor cultivation and stewardship programs. Under her leadership, the organization saw a significant increase in fundraising results and donor engagement. She has a proven record of increasing individual giving by 50% over three years and significantly improving donor retention rates.
She then joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona where she managed and directed the annual fund program, identified, and cultivated major gifts and grants, and implemented a new CRM system to
Throughout her, Sabrina has demonstrated exceptional financial acumen by developing and managing fundraising budgets, preparing financial reports, and establishing budget control systems. Her strategic thinking has been instrumental in diversifying funding sources and collaborating with senior leadership on organizational strategic plans.
Sabrina holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary, emphasizing Organizational Studies, Sabrina furthered their expertise by obtaining a Nonprofit Executive Leadership Certificate from the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation, and a Nonprofit Leadership & Management Certificate from Eller Executive Education.
In addition to her professional achievements, Sabrina is actively involved in several professional organizations. She is the current Chair of the Pima Community College Enrollment & External Relations Committee, and has held roles with the Planned Giving Round Table of Southern Arizona and Women Leading Southern Arizona.
A native of the Southwest, Sabrina grew up in Colorado and New Mexico. She currently resides in Tucson with her family.
2:45PM - 4:00PM Breakout Sessions
A Unicorn Career is a customized career, fully aligned with your authenticity, that brings you joy, meaning, AND money (because you should be paid appropriately for your contributions to Arizona, society, and the community). Anyone can create their own Unicorn Career, but it starts with identifying pain points in systems that you are uniquely positioned to alleviate. In this breakout session, you will engage, laugh, and learn as we leverage a data-driven process to launch and grow Your Unicorn Career, and discover how you can turn your current role into Your Unicorn Job! When we aim to be our full selves, 100% of the time, we bring our best work, innovations, and dedication to the community, our clients, donors, stakeholders, boards, and colleagues. Learn how to Create Your Unicorn Career...and how you can enable your colleagues' triumphs in their career development, too.
Speaker: Alaina Levine (Speaker, Coach & Author of Create Your Unicorn Career)
Alaina Levine: Alaina G. Levine is an award-winning keynote speaker, career coach, speaking coach, TEDx speaker, science writer, and corporate comedian. She is the author of two books, Networking for Nerds (Wiley), which beat out Einstein (really!) for the honor of being named a Top 5 Book of the Year, and Create Your Unicorn Career! (forthcoming). As President of Quantum Success Solutions, LLC, she is a prolific speaker, emcee, and expert on career and workforce development, networking, and leveraging failure for innovation. Alaina has delivered ~1000 speeches for clients in 15 nations, 35 states, and 5 continents, and has written close to 500 articles in publications like Science, Scientific American, National Geographic News Watch, World Economic Forum, and Smithsonian, including her popular “Your Unicorn Career” column, which appeared in the Number one science journal in the world, Science Magazine. As a career coach, she has helped hundreds of professionals create and land their Unicorn Career, the customized, authentic career that brings you joy, meaning, and money, and as a speaking coach, she has helped professionals improve their public speaking skills to increase their advocacy and influence, and land fat stacks of funding. Recent projects included coaching UA professors to land $120 Million from the NSF and NIH, and working with NASA to provide pitch coaching to STEM students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) who are competing for $300k in seed funding in a national NASA Incubator challenge. Previously, Alaina managed a master's program in science and business and taught entrepreneurship to STEM grad students at the UA as an Eller Entrepreneurial Scholar. She studied at the American University in Cairo as a US Department of Defense Boren Fellow, and holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and anthropology from the University of Arizona, where as a student, she competed in national billiard tournaments under her moniker, Lady Dyn-o-mite.
Key Takeaways:
- Types of Budgets: Understand different budget types and their uses.
- Budget Process: Overview of the nonprofit budgeting process.
- Financial Sustainability: Strategies to enhance financial stability.
- Management Tool: Use the budget effectively for management and decision-making.
Deanna Peterson: Deanna Peterson, CPA, is a Director with Your Part-time Controller, LLC (YPTC) where she leads the Phoenix market and serves clients in Arizona and New Mexico. YPTC is an outsourced accounting consulting firm specializing in accounting for non-profit organizations. Deanna earned both Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Master of Professional Accounting Degrees from the University of Washington. She is a driven and dedicated professional accountant with over 20 years of accounting experience from a blend of Big 4 public accounting, nonprofit controllership, and accounting consulting capacities. Deanna is passionate about providing accounting services for a bigger purpose. She enjoys using her expertise to assist non-profits further their mission, help their communities, and make the world a better place. 
Joseph Wagner: Joe Wagner, CPA, has over a decade of nonprofit accounting experience. Starting as an independent auditor of governmental, nonprofit, and federally funded entities - he transitioned to nonprofit consulting services and eventually to internal finance positions in healthcare, foundation fundraising, higher education, and federally funded research. He is a part-time university instructor of financial management in nonprofit and social enterprises while providing client services as a full-time YPTC Associate. This session will dive deeper into systems thinking, leveraging FSG’s Six Conditions of Systems Change to better understand the complex social problems we seek to solve and what might be holding these seemingly intractable problems in place. During this interactive workshop, participants will have the opportunity to practice applying a systems lens to diagnose the problem their work seeks to address and identify opportunities to incorporate systems change strategies into their efforts moving forward.
Speaker: John Harper (FSG & Collective Impact Forum)
John Harper: John Harper is the CEO of FSG, a global nonprofit consulting firm that partners with foundations
and corporations to create equitable systems change. Throughout his career, John has been a thoughtful and inclusive leader with a deep commitment to advancing equity, shifting power, and uplifting the voices of historically marginalized communities. At FSG, John has successfully led engagements with notable organizations such as W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Cleveland Foundation, Ares Charitable Foundation/Ares Management, the James S. McDonnell Foundation, and numerous multinational corporations. Prior to joining FSG, John worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade, leading strategy and development for both direct service and field-building
nonprofits. As a highly sought after speaker, he regularly writes and speaks on topics of systems change, place-based philanthropy and collaborative civic infrastructure, and translating global corporate purpose into local impact.
Ever feel like you put your needs to the back-burner in service of the important mission that drives you? Ever feel like you are spread too thin constantly striving to do as much good as possible? Ever wish you could clone yourself to take care of your never-ending to do list? Burnout and compassion fatigue plague mission-driven people just like you or those you lead. And the mission you serve depends entirely on your individual and collective resilience. We’ve been told that resilience means tirelessly bouncing back and pushing through - but that just leaves us all feeling more tired. There is only so much bouncing back we can do! Thankfully, resilience is more simple and much easier than that. As a resilience coach for nearly a decade, Alison Smith has spent thousands of hours coaching clients experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue in a variety of fields and functions. And as a fellow human, she’s been there too. Alison will share what she has learned about the power of small acts of resilience as a way to ultimately design your life and work so you can THRIVE.
Key Takeaways:
- To redefine resilience from merely powering through challenges to drawing strength from within during them.
- To understand how small acts of self-connection, when practiced consistently, can help mission-driven professionals overcome compassion fatigue.
- To learn and apply the seven most powerful methods for cultivating individual and team resilience while embracing the "BE HUMAN" approach.
Speaker: Alison Smith (The Thrive Designer)
Alison Smith: Alison Smith (she/her) is an author, speaker, and coach. As an expert on burnout and how cultivating our resilience impacts our personal and professional lives, she speaks nationally to help audiences harness the power of small acts of resilience so they can design thriving lives.
She has coached hundreds of highly-motivated yet highly-burnt out clients from CEOs, leaders, teachers, entrepreneurs, and mothers, to name a few. Her work has been featured in a variety of publications, and her book, Drawing Your Line: Setting Boundaries Step by Step has been a companion to many as they live life on healthier terms.
Outside of work, you’ll find her enjoying a good book with a glass of wine, and hanging out with her husband and two kids.
This session covers common misconceptions about grant writing, strategies for successful grant writing techniques, funder trends, the value of relationship building, and helpful ways to measure the success of a grants program beyond the success rate of proposals.
Key Takeaways:
- Common Misconceptions: Identify prevalent myths about grant writing.
- Successful Grant Writing Strategies: Learn effective strategies for writing successful grants.
- Funder Trends and Relationships: Understand the significance of tracking funder trends and building relationships.
- Measuring Success: Discover how to assess the success of your grants program.
Speaker: Harmony Nelson, GPC (Kim Joyce & Associates)
Harmony Nelson: Harmony is an experienced nonprofit and grant professional, having worked with the Boys & Girls Clubs, United Way, and other government, collegiate, and nonprofit organizations nationwide. She brings expertise in program development and management, grant writing, and management information systems. Harmony has bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and English Literature. Her non-profit experience has focused on foster care, workforce development, veterans, children’s literacy, and homelessness.
Key Takeaways:
- Modern Donor Relations: Gain an understanding of contemporary approaches to managing donor relationships.
- Classical Approaches: Appreciate classical donor relations methods and their enduring value.
- Donor Motivations: Develop a deeper understanding of what drives donor motivations.
- Overcoming Fundraising Challenges: Address and overcome fears or reluctance in fundraising efforts.
- Peer Learning: Learn from the experiences and insights of other workshop attendees.
John Scola: John Scola is a CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) and is also certified as a BoardSource Trainer, a certified Consultant in Nonprofit Lifecycles, and is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP).The well-being of individuals, teams and organizations has become a hot topic. Gallup surveys show that large percentages of employees do not believe their organizations care enough about their well-being. Mindfulness exercises are often identified as something organizations can offer their employees. However mindfulness and stress reduction is often practiced as a way of relieving stress after the fact. This session is intended to show that mindfulness practices are even more effective when learned with the intention of using them while in action, even during high stress situations. We will also draw the connection between well-being practices and effective leadership.
Key Takeaways:
- Achieve Deep Relaxation: Learn techniques to guide yourself or your team into a fully relaxed state.
- Experience State Differences: Feel and describe the contrast between a typical aroused work state and a fully relaxed state.
- Discover Centeredness: Explore what it means to be centered and how to maintain this state.
- Understand and Mitigate Stress: Gain insights into the sources of stress and how to use relaxation tools to manage it effectively.
- Develop Leadership Capacities: Understand two critical embodied capacities that enhance purpose-centered leadership.
Speakers: Timm Esque & Amanda Stradling (East Valley Leadership Laboratory)
Timm Esque: Timm Esque is also Co-founder of East Valley Leader Lab and Co-host of the podcast Mind & Body@Work, but came to Tai Chi and an appreciation of embodiment practices at a later stage in life. After 15 years of working mostly with high stakes project teams at Intel Corporation, Timm founded Ensemble Management Consulting, authored 2 books on management and worked with teams around the world.
Beth Morrison: Beth Morrison is an experienced and dynamic leader who served for 25 years as a nonprofit CEO, in Michigan and in Tucson. For the past two years Beth has been providing nonprofit consulting including coaching new leaders, serving as an interim CEO, and leading staff development. She received a Master of Science degree from the University of Arizona and a B.A. from Central Michigan University. She is also a Certified Executive Coach and Certified Interim Executive Director. Beth is an award-winning leader, advocate, and team builder. Beth’s principles of leadership include integrity, inclusiveness and having bold aspirations. She believes that every person has value and deserves respect, and that transparency, fairness and innovation are vital when serving our community. Beth has made self-care and mindfulness an important part of her life over the past several years, often leading others via mindfulness walks and presenting to other leaders on bringing self-care into their lives as well as into their organizations.
Teresita Flores: Terry Flores was born in Sevilla, Spain, the unexpected fifth child to Albert and Teresa Flores. The first in her family to receive an advanced degree, she went on to work in civil and criminal law, then tribal government for a local, Southern Arizona tribe.
She worked for 12 years at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona in executive leadership positions ranging from grants development/compliance, EEO/AA/ADA, Legal Affairs and Human Resources. She also worked for county government in Pima County, serving as the leader of fiscal compliance for all grants for the County.
Since 2011, she has developed a thriving business as an employment law compliance expert, trainer, investigator, executive and management coach and change facilitator. This work helps employers with applying and maintaining lawful, defensible, and fair employment practices, compliance with federal employment laws, discrimination complaint investigations, and assistance with the ADA process. She has been a trainer and content developer in employment, ethics and compliance for National Community College Hispanic Council since 2003, and for many businesses and nonprofits Arizona and Colorado. Her clients range from small- to medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations, city governments, K-12 districts and federally funded entities.
Her undergraduate and law studies were completed at the University of Arizona, where she focused on architectural design and general law studies.
Wendy Erica Werden: Wendy Erica Werden is an award-winning community engagement and brand manager with more than 25 years of outreach, marketing, media and strategic development experience. She began her career with the Fox TV affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio – then moved to Tucson, Arizona. Here she has experience with associations, businesses, environmental non-profits, and media entities including PBS and NPR affiliates through the University of Arizona. She joined Arizona Congressman Ron Barber’s office as Outreach and Deputy District Director in 2012, and re-joined the Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy team in early 2015 as the Manager of Community Investment where she manages donations totaling more than $2 million annually. In her personal time she enjoys volunteering with many groups and the outdoors as a trail builder and section steward of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. She is proud of her work and commitment to improving Arizona, but also loves being on her horse with her trail dog on a mountain far away from the reach of her mobile phone. 
Our Incredible Exhibitors
