8:00am

Networking & Registration

8:30am

Welcome Opening Remarks

8:45am

Board Responsibilities: Checklist and Toolkit 

A nonprofit’s board of directors has multiple, equally important responsibilities to fulfill. The board sets the plan, examines operations, and acts as a public figure of the nonprofit. It is essential to consider things like finding the right personalities, the right experience levels and job qualifications as well as what is needed in terms of operational risk, the importance of D&O insurance and protecting your clients in general. This session will discuss where to begin, checklist of important tools and resources, balancing the daily, monthly and five-year plan.

• Director of Individual Giving, Services for the UnderServed Inc.
• Assistant Attorney General. Trusts and Estates Section of the Charities Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office
• President & CEO, Vanderheyden Inc.
• Director of Communications, Save The Garment Center
• Partner, Outsourced Services, Tate & Tryon

9:30am

Strengthening governance functions while increasing organization effectiveness

Nonprofit governance is widely recognized as critical ingredients in a nonprofit organization’s ability to be effective achieve impact. Good governance is and will remain a constant challenge facing organizational leaders and the nonprofit community. Focusing on best practices for executing realistic governance solutions is key to a nonprofit’s success. The session will discuss important governance topics including - revising the application process of board and/or committee members; orientation of new team members, employment laws and issues; strategic planning and learning tips for enacting good governance in your nonprofit.

• Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, AHRC NYC (moderator)
• Managing Director, Institutional Consultant, UBS Institutional Consulting
• Chair of Board Governance Committee, Covenant House New York
• Chief of Staff, The Doe Fund
• Partner-in-Charge of New York City Office, Not-for-Profit Practice Leader. Grassi & Co.
• Senior Nonprofit Strategist, Vanguard Group

10:15am

Networking Break

10:35am

How to Be a Board Diversity Advocate

A board that lacks racial and ethnic diversity risks a dangerous deficiency in understanding issues of critical importance to the organization’s work and the people it serves. A homogenous board limits viewpoints and ideas, which can result in lost service opportunities and, in turn, lost impact. Alternatively, board diversity is a major contributor to overall organizational and leadership diversity. It is important to be open to expanding recruitment to board members of varying backgrounds, perspectives, ethnicities, professions, age groups and socioeconomic statuses.

• President & CEO, Harlem Educational Activities Fund (moderator)
• Chief of Staff, NYC Service, Office of the Mayor
• Executive Director, Correctional Association of New York
• Founding Partner, Koya Leadership Partners

11:20am

Special Presentation Charity Watchdogs: Who is Watching and Why it Matters

In this session, we will highlight the three primary charity watchdog organizations and explore why their rankings matter. We’ll also review some current hot topics and emerging changes to the rankings landscape. Participants will walk away with a few tips to help tell your organization’s story by leveraging free tools already available.

Presenters:

Ellie Hume, Senior Manager, Your Part-Time Controller, LLC

Rachel DeMatteo, Manager, Your Part-Time Controller, LLC

11:50am

The Board’s Role in Fundraising: Boosting Board Performance & Impact

The board's role in fundraising is to provide leadership, financial support, and connection to donors and potential donors. The board needs to be prepared to effectively pursue the fundraising goals it establishes in support of the organization. Boards can affect fundraising in several ways: providing leadership on strategy, being donors as leadership examples and to prove commitment, being ambassadors for their nonprofit and mission, and supporting the fundraising staff in meetings or at events.

• Executive Director, Directions for our Youth (moderator)
• Chief Development & Communications Officer, Partnership with Children, Inc.
• Director of Development and Communications, Wediko Children’s Services
• Principal, Carriage Trade Insurance Agency, Inc
• Senior Vice President, Head of Healthcare & Not-For-Profit, IDB Bank

12:35pm

Networking Luncheon

1:35pm

The partnership between your board and your staff

The relationship between a nonprofit’s board and its staff is so important that it can make or break an organization. A good working partnership can be a leading factor in success. This panel will address the dynamic, ongoing learning process and the importance of following a focused strategic plan based on ongoing board and staff alliance and on continuing to listen, design, and learn.

• Treasurer, The Junior League of Long Island (moderator)
• Founder & CEO, Pitch In For Baseball and Softball
• Audit Principal, Berdon LLP
• Partner, Not-For-Profit Group, Mazars USA LLP

2:20pm

Best practices for the recruitment and retention of millennial board leaders

Nonprofits are often searching for ways to reach Millennials to build a future base of supporters and volunteers for their organization and its purpose. This will discuss how nonprofits can connect with the next generation of supporters by using of social media, videoconferencing and other newer technology, by recruiting in groups, and by taking advantage of their generation’s knowledge.

• Executive Director, Cents Ability, Inc. (moderator)
• Executive Director, The Felix Organization
• Associate Consultant, Community Resource Exchange
• VP, Risk Management & Head of Non Profit Advisory, PRB Wealth Management

3:05pm

Networking Break

3:25pm

Succession and Transition Planning

Nonprofits that are concerned about their own viability will also be thoughtful about planning for smooth transitions of leadership - as well as making sure their nonprofit is prepared for unexpected changes. Whether a transition occurs due to an unanticipated opening on the staff or board, or the expected transition of a long-time leader, being thoughtful and having a plan in place, can help a nonprofit withstand the inevitable challenges of leadership transition.

• Executive Director/CEO, VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (moderator)
• President/CEO, Staten Island Mental Health Society, Inc.
• President and CEO, Outreach
• Member, Caplin & Drysdale

4:10pm

Bringing an action mindset to your organization

Creating a strong and resilient board capable of generating new ideas and choosing strategies in such a complex world in which we live is challenging adaptive work. Boards and staff must shift their mindsets and their everyday habits. It’s important to create a shared mindset which is created from the ties that bind people together and enable them to maintain their collective focus on the work at hand.

• Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships, Fordham University (moderator)
• Interim Executive Director, Children’s Cancer & Blood Foundation
• Director of Development, The City University of New York School of Public Health
• President/CEO, National Executive Service Corps

5:00pm

Conference Concludes