Our lives were upended due to the global pandemic that shut down businesses and rocked our worlds in ways we’d never have been able to anticipate. Millions of people lost their jobs and women exited the workforce in droves. The accounting, finance and not-for-profit industries were not spared - in fact, it’s harder than ever to attract and retain talent. Yet, some companies thrived beyond their wildest dreams. What was the reason that some companies were able to thrive and grow, while others languished? And, during the unprecedented “Great Resignation” of 2021, why are some employers able to attract and retain talent?

In this engaging and interactive discussion, join Shaara Roman, entrepreneur, board member, former CHRO and founder of boutique consultancy, The Silverene Group to learn about building culture intentionally in a hybrid world.

Technology impacts us in so many ways. When integrated correctly into our work, it can create greater efficiency and enhance the quality of service we provide. Join two not-for-profit financial professionals to understand how technology and automation can support your organization’s work.

Data is an organizational asset whose value and health should be optimized. If data is of poor quality, why bother using it? Join two not-for-profit financial professionals for this interactive discussion regarding the importance of data quality and governance.

Three risk experts lead a discussion on how risk mitigation strategies can protect your not-for-profit organization.

The number one priority – talent! With the ‘great resignation’, new ways of working and a re-set of aspirations, the availability of skilled finance personnel is now a top priority for finance leaders. As a result, leading finance organizations are investing more in finance upskilling and reskilling. One clear result of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the rapid acceleration of the digital transformation of our economy. Accompanying this digital transformation is an acceleration of changes to the critical skills, capabilities and mindsets that businesses need from their finance function. It is therefore vital to develop a strategic and sustainable approach to acquiring, developing and retaining a diverse pool of accounting and finance talent. In this session, the panel will speak to how they have reset and evolved their approach to talent development and upskilling. And how organizations have used models such as the CGMA Competency Framework to develop finance capability and talent needed to drive changes to their digital business and operating model.

Develop the know-how, tools and plans for system optimization and selection (SOS) related to your operational and financial management software needs. Successful system selection begins with a thoughtful, comprehensive approach to identifying your prioritized user requirements, well defined goals, and the inclusion of all organization stakeholders.  During this session, we will outline the major steps required to accurately select a new software system, or optimize your current application environment.

Has your website domain been blacklisted without your knowledge? Are visitors not coming to your site because it’s flagged as unsafe? Are your donor lists being shared on the dark web? Learn the best practices for monitoring and protecting your organization’s most valuable asset: your reputation. Understanding your reputation risk goes way beyond just googling your company name. In this session, we will cover the many ways your online reputation can be compromised and offer recommended tools available for monitoring these risks. We will also discuss remediation steps for addressing any issues uncovered.

Change is constant and often comes at a rapid pace. An unpredictable crisis, such as COVID-19, can be looming just around the next corner. While unexpected storms can quickly disable passive or reactive leaders and result in dire consequences for an organization, other leaders are able to make intelligent changes to confront, thrive and emerge successfully from a crisis. Strategy is an ever evolving process. Strong leaders who proactively put the right people, processes and technology in place, before disaster strikes, recognize opportunity and rise up to take calculated risks. They create short and long-term plans adaptable to a changing and highly competitive landscape. In this session, we will look back and forward with one veteran nonprofit CEO who led and guided his organization through pervasive disruption and extreme uncertainty to turn the corner on COVID stronger than ever.

Join this panel discussion with leading Investment Management Professionals as they:  

• • Provide insight from market leaders on the outlook for Equity, Fixed Income and Alternatives / hedge funds / and real asset market.
  • Explore how the economic outlook domestically and globally affect your organizations’ long term investment dollars and investment policy.
  • Share critical insight into what the key economic indicators are telling us as well as unique investment perspective from our top industry panelists.

Panel including Kirstie Tiernan (BDO) and Ben Menenberg (World Vision) will discuss how organizations are using AI and Automation to streamline processes, improve effectiveness, and strengthen internal controls.

Today’s nonprofits need to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. This requires effective organizational governance that can contribute to increased accountability, the ability to navigate major disruptions and proactive and opportunistic responsive to key stakeholders. This interactive session will discuss also best practices in board management and education. Tools to help nonprofits boards successfully manage their fiduciary responsibilities will be introduced. Areas of discussion will include risk management, DEIB, ESG, strategic thinking and the importance of real time reporting.

During this session we will discuss the complexities and pros and cons of socially responsible investing.

Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are different and equally important aspects of a healthy organization and they should be embedded throughout everything that we do. In this session you will learn what DEIB means, gain insight on how to ensure that DEIB influences your organization's key processes, explore ways to be more transparent, and implement more equitable practices.

This session will focus on a wide range of information to include GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) and NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) compliance as well as the important role of management as it relates to data security. Breach statistics indicate that as much as one third of institutions will be breached in the coming year. With that knowledge, management should take every opportunity to strengthen internal controls and validate that strength through GLBA required control testing as well as penetration testing. This session will also address the importance of breach detection and response and how the speed of response can save millions.

What does end-to-end financial stewardship look like in your organization? It is not uncommon to experience a disconnect between the various roles and responsibilities of fundraising to finance to utilization of monies. Hear from a panel of experts as they discuss the intricacies of fund stewardship, including - lessons learned, best practices, technology advantages, and how to create solid stewardship.

This session is designed to help Not-For-Profit organizations, during this period of inflation, improve their core business operations by identifying additional potential revenue streams and ways to more effectively manage and potentially reduce fixed and variable expenses.

As a nonprofit organization, it is critical to understand what matters to your donors and how Finance and Development can partner to meet today’s challenges head on -- focusing on what we can do today – to ensure the sustainability of our mission success. Join us as we look at what you can do right now to ramp up faster and leverage what recent giving data tells us matters most - for sustaining and growing your nonprofit’s funding. How do you leverage your data and performance metrics to better tell your story? How do you build engagement with donors to prioritize your mission? We’ll share some best practices, along with specific examples of how you can elevate your story to all generations of prospective donors to help strengthen sustainability for the long term.

Join three experts in an interactive discussion about the practical implications of remote work. While a remote workforce has always presented compliance and other issues for employers, the global pandemic has permanently shifted how work with be done in the future. As offices begin to re-open, employers are addressing what it means to have employees working in a number of jurisdictions, and how it impacts their culture going forward. This session will identify issues facing employers with a remote workforce.

Join three financial leaders for an interactive discussion of the top 6.5 challenges facing not-for-profits today accompanied by key strategies to address these challenges. Issues examined will include new revenue streams and remaining relevant, ESG, board communication, data quality and attracting and retaining top talent.

This session will focus on the key components of the strategic and financial planning process and will include examples of strategic plans and how it relates to the financial planning process from not-for-profit organizations

For nonprofit organizations, accounting for and understanding the true cost of activities, including the cost of distinct programs as well as the true cost of overhead, is essential for informed decision making. An effective and efficient cost allocation methodology is a key tool in this process. During this session, we explore the different cost allocation methodologies available, discuss how to decide which method to select and how to interpret and use the resulting financials to convey the organization's story.