2012 Alliance for Nonprofit Management Conference Program

Affinity Group Working Sessions

Affinity Groups (AGs) are an integral part of the Alliance's commitment to igniting and accelerating the effectiveness of individuals and organizations helping nonprofits achieve positive social change. The purpose of AGs is to advance the nonprofit capacity building field through innovative ideas, practices, models, research and/or publications. All five of our AGs will convene during this year’s conference:

• Capacity Building Organizations (formerly MSO Affinity Group) Aug 8, 9 AM–2 PM
  Session Designer: Judy Alnes, MAP for Nonprofits
• Coaching – August 9th, Dine Around Dinner gathering
  Session Designer: Michelle Gislason, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services
• Executive Transitions and Leadership Continuity Aug 8, 9 AM– 5 PM
  Session Designers: Jeffrey Wilcox, Third Sector Company, and Jan Glick, Jan Glick & Associates
• Governance Aug 8, 9 AM–5 PM
  Session Designer: Judy Freiwirth, Nonprofit Solutions Associates
• People of Color/Cultural Competence – Aug 8, 1 PM–5 PM
  Session Designer: Monika Moss, MKM Management Consulting

If you are not currently a member of an Alliance AG, but would like to attend one of the sessions to explore its work and meet fellow capacity builders working in your discipline, you are welcome to do so.

Research to Practice
Session Designers: Ruth McCambridge, Judy Freiwirth, and Peter York

This signature Alliance program links the most current and relevant research on nonprofit leadership to the practice of capacity building. The sessions are intensive, with presentation of research by leading academics followed by interactive discussion among participants about the implications for improved capacity building support to nonprofit leaders, organizations, and movements.

Can Leadership Development Fulfill Its Promise?
Session Designer: Michelle Gislason, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services
Catalysts: Akaya Windwood, President, Rockwood Leadership
Ashley Stewart, Senior Associate Talent and Leadership Development, The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Now more than ever, capacity builders and funders are investing in talent and leadership development in the nonprofit sector. But, debates are emerging about whether leadership is really teachable, and, if so, how we should measure its success given this our increasingly complex operating environment. In this conversation, leadership “catalysts” will explore the question, “Can leadership development fulfill its promise”? We"ll discuss what assumptions we hold about leadership development and what it claims to do, how important we really feel leaders are, what core leadership skills and attributes we believe are needed in the 21st century, how teachable these are, and how we can best measure impact.

FutureSector
Session Designers: Nancie Zane, Praxis Consulting Group, and David Renz, Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, UMKC
Presenters: Ruth McCambridge, Editor in Chief, Nonprofit Quarterly; Dione Alexander, Vice President, Nonprofit Finance Fund®  and William A. Schambra, Director, Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal; Senior Fellow Hudson Institute

This is an Alliance-curated conversation with national thought leaders leading up to, inside, and beyond this year’s conference. We are asking a cross-discipline group of provocateurs to engage in dialogue about the current and future purposes and directions of the nonprofit sector. They are being asked to name what’s emerging in the environment and to propose the theoretical frames, research, and practices that will help make sense of the sector’s relevance to, and capacity for, solving social problems.

Preparing and Supporting Emerging Capacity Builders
Session Designers: Johnson Center for Philanthropy

As the nonprofit capacity building field matures, questions about professional development and succession emerge. Are we developing a pipeline for younger professionals to pursue careers in this field? When is someone “ready” to give counsel to other nonprofit leaders? Are mentors accessible for individuals starting out in this line of work that requires a highly specialized set of skills? This panel discussion will feature both established and emerging leaders in the capacity building field and will explore the pathways for career development in nonprofit consulting, evaluation, training and coaching. In the development of this session, the Alliance for Nonprofit Management has accessed resources from the Michigan Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Greater Grand Rapids.

Collaboration on Steroids: The Role of Third-party Facilitation in Developing Nonprofit Strategic Alliances
Session Designer: Donna Murray-Brown, Director of Metro Detroit Partnership, Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA)

What happens when a community’s economy can no longer support its small and mid-sized arts organizations and they are all at-risk of extinction? This dynamic session is designed to offer an in depth exploration and discussion of an innovative nonprofit collaboration and restructuring process with arts organizations in Detroit. The case highlights the various stages of the process and the different roles played by the capacity building community: Management Support Organization as facilitator, technical assistance provider, funder, and evaluator

The 2012 Terry McAdam Book Award
Session Designer: Michelle Torgerson, Draper Consulting Group

Each year the Alliance for Nonprofit Management forms the Terry McAdam Award Committee, which seeks nominations for the most inspirational and useful new book published for the nonprofit sector. Past winners include Walk out, Walk On by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze (2011); Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times by Kim Klein (2010); Forces for Good by Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant (2009), and Generations by Peter Brinkerhoff (2008). This year, the Committee is reviewing more than 20 nominations; the award will be given on Friday, August 10th.