2011 Summer Web Chat Series:

Adjusting to the ‘New Normal'

There has been much talk of a 'New Normal' for the nonprofit sector. What is the 'New Normal'? How is it affecting how we work programmatically and financially? And what changes must we all make to continue to adapt successfully to this shift in economics and client demand? In this web chat series, we explore key themes we learned from the nearly 2000 nonprofits who took our recent State of the Sector Survey. We will explore the creative methods that so many nonprofits are applying to maintain services–or to take on even more–while their financial and capacity resources remain limited, or diminish.

Hear from and ask questions of experts on topics ranging from nonprofit collaboration to packaging your financial story effectively for fundraising. The series will be held on June 14, June 28, and July 12 from 12:00-1:00 pm EST, and is free to all. Please view the topics and speakers below, and help us spread the word! We hope you'll join us and The Chronicle of Philanthropy for what promises to be lively online discussion!

The Ins and Outs of Strategic Collaboration

TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 12:00-1:00pm EST
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Free and Open to All 

To continue to improve how we deliver on mission in today's changing environment, organizations need access to all possible means of doing business differently. Nonprofits have collaborated in a variety of meaningful ways for quite some time, but expertise and resources to support collaboration haven't always been readily available. Our recent national survey showed nonprofits' growing interest in collaborations: 47% of respondents partnered to deliver services over the past year, and 14% partnered to help reduce expenses.

What are the steps that nonprofits need to take if they're considering collaboration? And how can funders better support nonprofits' voluntary collaborative aspirations?

Join us for an online discussion with nonprofit and funder leadership around the obstacles, incentives, and real world experiences of positioning nonprofit organizations for long-term success through strategic collaboration.

Panelists

• Chrystal Kornegay, President and CEO, Urban Edge
  After eleven years with Urban Edge, Chrystal became President and CEO of the community development corporation serving Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and surrounding communities of Boston in January of 2011. In her current capacity as President and CEO she provides leadership to the organization's interdisciplinary development, planning and program staff while maintaining relationships with key funders and stakeholders. After more than a year of collaboration planning work, Chrystal and her counterpart at Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation are piloting a new asset management joint venture.

• Bob Van Meter, Executive Director, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Boston
  Bob has served as Executive Director of Boston LISC since March of 2008.  Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation from 1993 until 2008, and a project manager and real estate director at the Fenway Community Development Corporation before that.  Bob served as a board member of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations for ten years and as board chair for two years. LISC is a partner in the Catalyst Fund for Nonprofits, a funder collaborative to support collaborations and mergers in the Boston area.

• Bill Pinakiewicz, Director, New England Program, Nonprofit Finance Fund
  Bill is responsible for managing NFF's financial services, advisory services and new business development activities throughout the six-state New England region. His professional experience includes over 35 years in management and finance in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Bill has played a key role in creating, launching, and now, managing the Catalyst Fund for Nonprofits, a funder collaborative to support collaborations and mergers in the Boston area.

Meeting Increased Demand in Challenging Times

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 12:00-1:00pm EST
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Free and Open to All 

NFF's 2011 Nonprofit State of the Sector Survey revealed that, for the third year in a row, nonprofits face increased year-over-year demand. Yet while client needs continue to climb, financial and capacity resources have mostly remained at the same levels. And while some nonprofits struggle to keep up with the increased demand, others have increased the programs offered or number of clients served. How do they do it? Expert panelists from our ever-creative and resilient sector will share stories and tips on coping with demand during challenging times.

Panelists

• Jay Laudato, Acting Executive Director of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
  Jay Laudato is acting executive director of Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. Previously he served as the director of the division of managed care at New York State Department of Health, and in New York City's Health and Hospitals Corporation's HIV services office.

• Joe Harrington, Director, Financial Services, California Charter School Association
  Joe Harrington is Director of Financial Services for the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA). He works closely with the finance community in an effort to attract capital for the cash flow and facility development needs of CCSA member schools. Joe earned his MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC-Berkeley, where as an Education Pioneers fellow he developed a 5-year strategic growth plan for Citizen Schools. Previously, Joe was a marketing manager at Working Assets, a mobile service reseller that generates donations to nonprofit organizations.

• Anne Dyjak, Chief Credit Officer & Vice President, Nonprofit Finance Fund
  Anne Dyjak is the Chief Credit Officer and Vice President at Nonprofit Finance Fund. Anne oversees credit quality nationwide for NFF, working with a complement of lenders in the underwriting and structuring of loans and management of credit risk. She was previously regional chief operations officer and vice president at Wachovia Bank. She has also served as the director of finance and administration at an environmental organization.

How Fund Raisers Can Tell a Nonprofit's Financial Story

TUESDAY, JULY 12, 12:00-1:00pm EST
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Free and Open to All

Every organization has financial needs that must be incorporated into fundraising targets. Having a deep understanding of your nonprofit's financials, and telling that story effectively, is a key component of successful fundraising. Expert panelists will answer questions about how to present your organization well, address any red flags, and make a strong case for various types of funding, including core support.

Panelists

• Bruce Arbit, Principal and Founder, Melarbit Partners
  Bruce Arbit, founder and principal of Melarbit Partners, Inc. has 20 years of professional fundraising, marketing and organizational/business development experience resulting in over $100 million dollars raised in support of organizations working in community/economic development, healthcare, and social/human services. Founded in 2006, Melarbit Partners was established to maximize the catalytic role of private philanthropy – to expand and leverage resources that create opportunity, change lives and build community.  For more information go to melarbit.com.

• Dana Pancrazi, Senior Program Officer, The F.B. Heron Foundation 
  Dana Pancrazi is Senior Program Officer at the F.B. Heron Foundation in New York City. She covers Texas and designated strategic partners working nationally. In her role, she is responsible for helping to deploy the full range of Heron’s “philanthropic toolbox” including grants, program-related investments and market-rate mission-related investments as appropriate. Prior to joining Heron, Dana was a financial advisor/philanthropic nonprofit specialist with Merrill Lynch in La Jolla, California.

• Kristin Giantris, Vice President, Eastern Region, Nonprofit Finance Fund
  Kristin Giantris is Vice President, Eastern Region at Nonprofit Finance Fund, responsible for managing and overseeing delivery of NFF's services and all marketing and fundraising in the eastern US. Kristin’s professional experience combines over 15 years of economic development and debt financing in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Prior to NFF, Kristin was a Vice President at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. She also served as a multi-country Program Officer in Washington, DC and as a Country Director in Albania for the nonprofit firm ACDI/VOCA, managing agribusiness technical assistance and small business development programs.