This track is generously sponsored by BST Gallagher Flynn.

Organizational Development: Newly designed for 2026, this track brings together camper favorites, including governance, leadership, fundraising, marketing and communications. 

Exciting things are in the works! We're currently building out this learning track with sessions and speakers. Check back soon for updates.

Burnout is Not a Leadership Style

Mission-driven leaders are burning out, and the systems they work in are making it worse. With 53% of managers reporting burnout, leaders 56% more likely to experience disruptive change than individual contributors, exhaustion has become dangerously normalized in leadership culture. This interactive workshop challenges the idea that depletion is the price of impact. Participants will explore the 5 common mistakes that quietly fuel burnout, including over-commitment, avoiding hard conversations, and neglecting core needs. And leave with strategies they can use immediately. By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the patterns and dynamics driving their depletion.
2. Recognize the 5 mistakes that accelerate burnout.
3. Apply practical strategies to protect their energy and set boundaries.
4. Recognize the organizational conditions that contribute to burnout on their teams and identify one concrete step to address them.

Trenia Parham
Founder/Principal, Sustainable Leadership Consulting

AI Adoption Without Cognitive Surrender: A Nonprofit Roadmap

Most nonprofits approaching AI strategy are making the same mistake: treating it as a technology decision. It isn't. It's an organizational development challenge, and how you manage it will determine whether AI raises the quality of your work or quietly degrades it. The risks are real and go beyond reputation. Ethical blind spots, cognitive surrender, and staff who are no longer accountable for the quality of their own work are all on the table. So are genuine opportunities, well beyond efficiency gains, if your organization builds the capacity to use AI responsibly. This session argues that sound AI strategy rests on one overlooked foundation: accountability. Not top-down policy mandates, but org-wide capacity built through peer learning, where staff at every level keep thinking for themselves and own the consequences of how they use these tools. You will leave with concrete must-haves for any nonprofit AI strategy worth the paper it's written on.

Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken
Principal Consultant, Five Oaks Consulting

Building Equitable and Sustainable Fundraising Systems: Strengthening the Infrastructure Behind Donor Success

Fundraising challenges are often viewed as donor problems, when in reality they are frequently organizational challenges. High staff turnover, unclear roles, inconsistent communication, lack of cross-functional collaboration, and weak internal culture can all undermine fundraising effectiveness and donor confidence.

This session explores how nonprofit leaders can build equitable and sustainable fundraising systems by strengthening the organizational infrastructure that supports fundraising success. Participants will examine the connection between culture, leadership, employee engagement, donor relationships, and long-term sustainability. Through practical examples and interactive reflection, attendees will identify strategies to create stronger internal systems that improve retention, increase collaboration, and support more effective donor engagement.

Participants will leave with a framework for evaluating their organization's fundraising infrastructure and practical actions they can implement regardless of organizational size or budget.

Dr. Kesha Carter, CDE, PHR
Founder and Principal Consultant, Carter Culture Strategies

The Generosity Roundtable: A Role-Playing Lab for Trust, Perspective, and Donor Relationships That Hold

An interactive learning experience for the various nonprofit professionals responsible to keep donors close and revenue steady - from the frontline fundraiser to the finance lead. This session will use a structured role-playing format to explore how trust, identity, and perspective shape the decisions behind donor retention. Participants will learn:

• A clearer understanding of how peoplein different roles experience the same retention challenge.
• Practical ways to design donor engagement around trust and long-term relationships rather than one-time appeals.
• A personalized post-session resource that synthesizes the group's learning by highlighting patterns, points of alignment, and points of tension.
• A role-playing framework that you can take home and run with the rest of your team.

Tim Sarrantonio
Founder, The Generosity Spectrum

Navigating Advocacy: Effectively Advancing Your Nonprofit Agenda with Legislators

Let's take the mystery out of how to tell your story to those with the power to change the landscape. You're doing the work in your community, understand the challenges, now how do you take that message forward? Hear from long-time nonprofit lobbyist Vincent Marrone how to successfully navigate what can be a confusing legislative structure and make your voice heard. Plus, election years present unique challenges and opportunities for nonprofits, making it crucial to understand the boundaries of permissible activities.

Vincent Marrone
Founder, Public Strategies, LLC

Aligning Governance and Leadership for Financial Sustainability

Strong governance and effective leadership are the foundations of financial sustainbility in a nonprofit organization. This session will explore practical strategies for boards, executives, and finance leaders to work together in fostering transparency, accountability, and mission alignment. Participants will learn how governance structures influence financial decision-making, how to encourage a culture of ethical leadership, and how to strengthen board engagement in financial oversight without overstepping into management. Real-world example will highlight common pitfalls in nonprofit governance as well as best practices that promote resilience and long-term success. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to enhance collaboration between leadership and finance functions, ultimately strengthening both organizational integrity and impact.

Rebecca Reynolds, CPA, MBA
Partner, UHY, LLP

Katelyn Tymczyszyn, CPA
Audit Manager, UHY, LLP

Mission-Driven and People-Centered: Leading with Empathy in Nonprofits

This is not your grandparents’ workplace anymore, where showing emotion and compassion were frowned upon. Today organizations with empathetic cultures have greater productivity, retention, and job satisfaction. At a particularly challenging moment for nonprofits, join us for an engaging, hands-on workshop to explore the important role of empathetic leadership in mission-driven work, where everyone is asked to do more with less. We will dive into strategies for being an empathetic leader as well as approaches for overcoming challenges. We will also explore the misconception of empathy as a weakness in the workplace, with solutions to move beyond this perception. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or emerging changemaker, this session will deepen your leadership presence and inspire more inclusive, human-centered interactions with your team to increase trust, collaboration, and impact.

Risa Seelenfreund
Senior HR & Organizational Development Consultant, Sageview Consulting

Marilyn Hauserner
Managing Partner, Sageview Consulting

Stop Having Bad Board Meetings: Simple Ways to Make Meetings More Engaging, Productive and Worth Everyone's Time

Nonprofit board meetings are often overloaded with reports, unfocused discussion and outdated routines that leave board members disengaged and exhausted. This session explores practical strategies for running meetings that are focused, productive and mission-driven. Participants will learn how to build agendas that prioritize governance over operations, encourage meaningful participation and create space for strategic discussion rather than simply creating new to-do lists for overworked staff. The session will also examine common meeting pitfalls, including report overload, ineffective facilitation, poor time management and the occasional board member who believes every agenda item is a personal TED Talk. Attendees will also explore how technology can support stronger governance through tools for agenda management, consent agendas, virtual participation, collaboration and AI-assisted note-taking and follow-up. Participants will leave with practical tools to improve engagement, strengthen accountability, and create meetings people actually want to attend.

David Howson
Professor, Arts Administration, Skidmore College

Applying Tech and Best Practices for Effective Grant Writing & Research

Drawing on 16 years of grant development experience, Choice Words will share:

1. How to identify grant opportunities appropriate for your organization and its mission.
   1. Private/philanthropic/corporate foundations
   2. State and federal grants
2. How to ensure that you are eligible and competitive for the grant.
   1. This includes not just standard geographic location and funding priorities, but a more nuanced approach to understanding what the funder wants to fund.
   2. Ensuring compliance with state and federal funders.
3. Crafting the grant proposal and budget for maximum competitiveness.
4. Delve into some of the opportunities, risks, and challenges associated with AI in grant writing and research.

Stephen Densmore
President & Founder, Choice Words

Briana Maloney
Vice President & Co-Founder, Choice Words

ED Confidential

This session will provide an opportunity for Executive Directors to meet with others facing similar leadership challenges. Through structured conversation and a confidential space, attendees will have the opportunity to speak with other nonprofit leaders to get advice, share wisdom – and be understood by others in the same position. NYCON CEO Megan Allen will facilitate this session, which is open to Executive Directors only.

Megan Allen
Chief Executive Officer, New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON)