Breakout Sessions
Round 1 Workshops: 8 - 9 a.m.
Advanced Accounting Topics: Jeopardy Style
Track: Advanced; Finance
On today's episode of nonprofit Jeopardy, categories will include advanced accounting topics. Topics will be introduced Jeopardy-style with additional context added after selections and clues. This will be an action-packed, high-level session designed to highlight key advanced accounting issues but not dredge through the details.
Steve Anseth, partner, Nonprofit Services Leader, Abdo Eick and Meyers, LLP andBecky Johnson, financial manager, WomenVenture
Counting, Accounting, and Recognition: Beyond the Annual Fund
Track: Sustainability
Session details are coming soon.
Athena Mihas, vice president of finance, Greater Twin Cities United Way and Marie Ruzek, vice president, senior philanthropic specialist, Philanthropic Services, Great Lakes Region, Wells Fargo
Help! I’ve Been Elected Board Treasurer
Track: Governance; Finance
Were you just elected board treasurer and you’re not sure what to do? Are you an executive director who has a new board treasurer and they need some finance skills to carry out their role? Or are you a board chair who convinced your friend on the board to be the treasurer, and now you need to create a financial game plan for the board? This session is geared toward helping new treasurers be successful in their new role on the board. Presenters will cover handy tools and practices that can help board treasurers develop finance skills, ask strategic financial questions, lead board development in finance, and keep the numbers connected to mission.
Mario Hernandez, director of strategic services and Amanda Ziebell Mawanda, strategic services consultant, Propel Nonprofits
Lessons Learned: Spinning out a New Native-Led Nonprofit
Track: Change; Leadership
In 2009, the Bush Foundation created a new program area called Native Nation Building, with the goal of strengthening the governance and self-determination of the 23 Native Nations in their region. As demand grew, the foundation needed to consider how to best scale and sustain the work, both to better meet the demand, and to allow greater focus on making grants versus managing programs. Two years of research and planning led to the creation of a new nonprofit, the Native Governance Center. Through applied research and storytelling, this session will explore intersectional themes of risk, trust, leadership, finance, and operations. We’ll unpack lessons we learned about how matters of finance and sustainability connect with questions of organizational model, financing considerations, building of leadership, and developmental issues when presented with a big opportunity.
Ben Aase, principal, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Allison Barmann, strategy and learning vice president, Bush Foundation; Tracey Zephier, board member, Bush Foundation & Native Governance Center
Town Hall: History and Road Map: How to Read Two Financial Reports
Track: Town Hall; Finance
This town hall is for new, start-up, and small nonprofits with revenues below $750,000 (the audit threshold). The town hall has two parts. During the first part, presenters will discuss the income statement and balance sheet – your history and road map for the future. The presenters will briefly review how to read these reports in order to understand what has happened (income statement) and how your organization can expect to perform financially in the future (balance sheet). In addition, they’ll touch on how other financial documents (cash flow projections, budgets, and budget forecasts) interact in your financial management strategy. For the second part of the town hall, attendees are encouraged to bring their income statement and balance sheet (from December 2018). Attendees will be divided into small groups to talk about what their financial statements tell about their organizations’ history and future. This is a fundamental-level session; no prior experience is needed.
Phil Hatlie, senior loan officer and Allison Wagstrom, portfolio director, Propel Nonprofits
Round 2 Workshops: 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Amplify Your Impact Through People Practices
Track: Leadership; Change
People are often described as an agency's key differentiator. The hard and soft costs of your people practices can make or break your agency's sustainability. Attend this session to learn how to mitigate risk factors, proactively address employment-related issues and create a desirable workplace culture.
Kelly Rietow, principal, Roo Solutions
Changes, Changes, Changes. Will it Ever Stop?
Track: Finance
For a long time FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) seemed to ignore the nonprofit arena and our unique challenges. No more! Now we have more attention than perhaps we wanted. There are too many nonprofit-focused changes to the Accounting Standards to cover in one session. During this workshop we will focus on discussing and understanding the liquidity footnote and revenue recognition, with a quick nod to the new functional expense requirement.
Steve Anseth, partner, Nonprofit Services Leader, Abdo Eick and Meyers, LLP
Town Hall: IT/Tech Roundtable
Track: Town Hall
If you want to sit back and listen to a Sage on the Stage, this session is not for you. In a facilitated roundtable discussion, you will have a chance to talk with peers from small-to-medium sized organizations. Compare notes on strategic issues like how to choose tech tools, when to hire a consultant, and how to foster a tech-positive culture with high user adoption. We will pay special attention to the types of technology that support the finance function, but will steer away from questions (or gripes) about specific tools.
Karen Graham, director, Idealware and director of capacity building, Tech Impact and Luciano Patiño, information technology and data manager, Propel Nonprofits
Change as Opportunity
Track: Leadership; Change
Most of us typically resist change as we emotionally perceive change as loss. But leading through change can be empowering, energizing, and rewarding – as well as exhausting and a little frightening. The session will begin with presenters discussing how they are leading change in their organizations and the larger community. They will share lessons learned, what best prepared them to lead change, and how change never stops (even though at times they wish it would). Attendees will then talk with their peers in small groups about the changes they are navigating within their own organizations and communities, and we will share out the changes we are experiencing.
Adair Mosley, president & CEO, Pillsbury United Communities; Glyn Northington, senior program director, Propel Nonprofits; and Eddie Torres, president & CEO, Grantmakers in the Arts
Navigating and Structuring Social Enterprise Activities
Track: Advanced; Sustainability
When nonprofit organizations embark on revenue generating ventures, there are many options (and issues) to consider when navigating the legal, governance, and tax structures. This session will address the options, issues, and concerns related to structuring, starting, and managing revenue generating social ventures. Presentation will include insights on how to work through UBIT, select an appropriate entity, and work through board and member approval processes. The session will also include the opportunity to work through scenarios as well as guided discussion on ventures participants may be considering.
Kimberly Lowe, attorney and shareholder, Avisen Legal, P.A.
A Nonprofit’s Guide to Considering Fiscal Sponsorship
Track: Leadership
Fiscal sponsorship continues to become a more widely used tool for charitable impact. Therefore, it is important that 501(c)(3) organizations acting as a fiscal sponsor are doing it right and don’t become the latest “fiscal sponsorship gone wrong” horror story in the news. Board members and leadership of sponsoring organizations must fully understand the role the organization is playing, its legal responsibilities and possible risks, and how to be a good steward and partner to its sponsored projects. In this session we will review fiscal sponsorship basics, how to identify a fiscal sponsorship relationship, potential risks and questions to ask when considering acting as a sponsor, and best practices to follow once you have determined that fiscal sponsorship is right for your organization.
John Bell, business manager, Springboard for the Arts and Danielle Gangelhoff, fiscal sponsorship director, Propel Nonprofits
Round 3 Workshops: 1:45 - 3 p.m.
Equity in Finance
Track: Leadership; Finance
Session details are coming soon.
Craig Warren, vice president of enterprise solutions, Minnesota Children's Museum
How Tax Reform will Affect Your Organization
Track: Advanced
While the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (the Act) will simplify taxes for many Americans, many business and tax-exempt entities will find the computation of taxable income even more complex than in the past. Presenters of this session will share insights and planning opportunities related to the numerous changes to tax-exempt entity taxation. Areas of focus will include the impact to organizations from changes to Unrelated Business Income (including the definition of an activity, the limitations on Net Operating Loss carryforwards, state tax impact of these changes, etc.), and the inclusion of transportation fringe benefits as unrelated business income (including the breadth and depth of the application of these rules to tax-exempt organizations). Attention will also be given to organizational changes that may need to be made to adapt to these new rules.
Amy Hendley, tax manager and Larry Mohr, partner, Baker Tilly
Town Hall: Quickbooks Roundtable
Track: Town Hall
Join this session to engage in peer-to-peer learning about some of the most pressing topics related to using QuickBooks. Whether you’d like to get answers about QuickBooks Online or share tips about Desktop, brainstorm how to create your dream report, ponder integrated apps, capture information about your gala, figure out how the heck to track restricted funds, or discuss other pressing issues with QuickBooks, this is the session for you. Come together to talk with other QuickBooks users. Leave with new tips for making your daily work easier.
Megan Genest Tarnow, principal, The Mobius Group; Yohannes Ghebru, finance manager, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Stacey Holland, director of finance and operations, Minnesota Private College Council; Gillian Martin, principal, Clarity Bookkeeping; Peggy Prall, senior manager, General Business Services, Mahoney, Ulbrich, Christansen and Russ, PA; and Acacia Willey, senior accounting and finance consultant, Propel Nonprofits
Financial Leadership for Successful Successions
Track: Sustainability; Change
According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, less than a quarter of nonprofits have a succession plan in place even though 67 percent of nonprofit leaders say they plan to leave their position in the next five years. Transitions and successions in nonprofits, while sometimes planned and sometimes unexpected, are a normal part of any organizational life cycle. Why, then, do they so often seem to catch us by surprise? Join Kate as she outlines the three critical steps to succession planning – prepare, search, and onboarding – and shares her insights into financial leadership for successful transitions.
Kate Barr, president and CEO, Propel Nonprofits
What Did I Sign Up For? Tips for Boards Facing a Crisis
Track: Advanced; Governance
When a crisis hits a nonprofit, the board must be ready to make many decisions thoughtfully, decisively, and quickly. Yet few boards consider how they would handle a crisis until they are in the middle of one. At this session, hear from a panel of experienced practitioners who regularly counsel nonprofits on all aspects of crisis management— from governance to financials to public relations. We’ll talk through several hypotheticals from our collective experience, walking through the steps to address a crisis when one (inevitably) arises.
Heidi Christianson, Veena Iyer, and Don Lewis, shareholders, Nilan Johnson Lewis; and Liz Tunheim Sheets, chief marketing officer, Tunheim
Wheel of Fortune? Setting Realistic Goals and (Reasonably) Predicting Grant Revenue
Track: Sustainability
Minnesota foundations, corporations, and government agencies contribute $1 billion in grants to Minnesota nonprofits every year. Predicting your organization's share of those dollars is a difficult and necessary task. Finance and development professionals use a variety of stratagems to assess internal factors, analyze opportunities/trends, set fundraising goals and contingency plans, and communicate goals and results to their organizations’ senior management and board (and many of these pan out!) Join this session to explore how other organizations deal with these common pitfalls and practices for setting supportable fundraising goals for grant revenue, predicting the outcomes, and making adjustments in real time.
Kari Aanestad, director of advancement, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Aretha Green-Rupert, regional director, Otto Bremer Trust; and Jon Pratt, executive director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Round 4 Workshops: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
EOS/Traction: How to Do More with Less
Track: Sustainability; Change
In the nonprofit world, it’s a constant dilemma: How do you make a huge impact with a not-so-huge budget? The answer: work smarter, not harder. Do more with less. What if you and your staff could show up to work every day knowing exactly what needs to be done to serve the most people, make the biggest impact, maximize your limited resources, set big goals, hold everyone accountable, and give the organization major momentum? EOS (aka Traction) is a proven system that has helped thousands of organizations do more with less. Come learn how your peers have benefited from running their nonprofit organizations on Traction.
Nicole Deters, executive director, EVOLVE Adoption and Family Services; Andrea Robideau, executive director, Safe Generations; and Joel Swanson, founder, certified EOS/Traction implementer, Swanson Insight
Town Hall: Finance Check-Up: The Health of Your Financial Operations
Track: Town Hall; Finance
Experiencing a growth spurt? Chronic pain points? Often these are symptoms of areas for improvement within an organization’s finance function. In this session, learn about a holistic approach you can take to assess the people, rules, and tools your finance function uses to operate, and how to develop a road-map to get you from today to the high-performing finance function of your future. Through a panel discussion, nonprofit leaders will share their experiences of improving the health of their finance operations.
Kris Davidson, controller, Mia; Mary Ites, senior consultant, CliftonLarsonAllen; Valerie McCullough, chief operating officer, Reading and Math Inc.; Brian Peterson, chief financial officer, Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans; and Kelsey Vatsaas, managing consultant, CliftonLarsonAllen
Leading with Influence
Track: Leadership
What is the best way to lead? Why would others follow you? How can you use your influence to make a positive impact on the people you serve? Simply put, there are only two ways to lead: through your title or through your influence. Leaders who only use their title to lead see nothing but momentary change, minimal effort, and mediocre results. Influential leaders don't need a title – people follow because they want to. Come and join us in this powerful session on influence where you will learn the common myths of leadership, the four degrees of influence, and a handful of insightful ways to interact more positively, to motivate, and to mentor others. Whatever your vocation or aspiration, as you grow your influence, you grow the positive impact you can have in the lives of others – at home, at work, and in every other area of life.
Jason Hunt, owner, Eye Squared Leadership
Real Estate Transactions with Nonprofit Entities
Track: Finance
Is your nonprofit a current or future owner of an office building, land, or other real estate property? This session will cover unique real estate issues involving nonprofit corporations. Topics of discussion will include property tax exemption, corporate authority, planning, and more.
Craig Kepler, attorney, Ballard Spahr and Peter S. Olsen, chief financial officer, YWCA St. Paul
Storytelling with Your Financial Statements: Ignite not Ignore
Track: Governance; Finance
Your financial statements tell a story. How can you inspire board member action and commitment by making your mission come alive in the numbers? Communicating trends and patterns is a science and an art that's more than dashboards.
Keven Ambrus, CFO and vice president of finance, Propel Nonprofits and Dawne Brown White, executive director, Compas Inc.