When your nonprofit is stronger, all of us are stronger. The Best Nonprofit Conference is a one-off-its-kind opportunity for all of us to learn from – and aspire to – the best practices of exceptional nonprofits.
On Wednesday, December 8th and Thursday, December 9th, Nonprofit New York will bring together over 300 nonprofit professionals from all across the New York City area (and beyond!) to our virtual 2021 Best Nonprofit Conference. This year’s conference will provide attendees the opportunity to learn about management practices & strategies that center race equity. We will kick off a discussion on initial equity goals so that we can develop a plan with accountability standards for individual organizations and the sector as a whole.
2021 Best Nonprofit Conference Agenda
Wednesday, December 8 and Thursday, December 9, 2021 | Virtual
Day 1:
- 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Opening Welcome
- 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM Plenary: Nonprofit Management Through a Racial Equity Lens
- Lakimja Mattocks, Chief Equity & Learning Officer, Nonprofit New York
- Tiffany Caton, Director of Development & Communications, Trail Blazers
- Amy West, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, AHRC NYC
- Jason Wu, Director of Operations, Human Services Council of New York
- 11:35 AM - 12:25 PM Disruptive Development: Shifting the Fundraising Focus
- George Suttles, Executive Director, Commonfund Institute
- Stella Billings, Safe Horizon, Vice President, Institutional Advancement
- Santana Moreno, Senior Manager of Philanthropic Partnerships, Jobs With Justice
- Rhea Wong, Nonprofit Consultant, Rhea Wong Consulting
- 12:25 PM - 12:55 PM Lunch and Learn
- 12:55 PM - 1:25 PM Networking
- 1:25 PM - 2:15 PM Technology and Equity: Promoting Inclusion and Increasing Accessibility
- Kerry Thompson, Inclusion and Accessibility Development Manager, Disability Rights Fund and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund
- Chris Bunting, Lead Instructional Designer, Candid
- Matthew Canuteson, Diversity & Inclusion Officer/Dir. Bureau of Cultural Competence, NYS Office of Mental Health
- Rebecca Cokley, U.S. Disability Rights Program Officer, Ford Foundation
- 2:15 PM - 2:25 PM Break
- 2:25 PM - 2:55 PM Coffee and Convos
- 3:00 PM -3:50 PM Communicating Solidarity: Moving Beyond the Social Media Post
- Melissa Lashley Elliott, CEO, MDL Coaching and Consulting
- AiLun Ku, President & CEO, The Opportunity Network
- Cheryl Cato Blakemore, VP, Strategic Communications and Public Engagement, Race Forward
- 3:50 PM - 4:00 PM Close Out
Day 2:
- 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Welcome
- 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM Holding Ourselves Accountable: As Organizations and a Sector
- Meg Barnette, President & CEO, Nonprofit New York
- Jennifer Jones Austin, FPWA, CEO and Executive Director
- Morgan Monaco, Executive Director, Red Hook Initiative
- Muzzy Rosenblatt, CEO & President, BRC
- 11:20 AM - 12:10 PM Translating Access to Change: How Can Advocates Reshape Policies and Landscape?
- Kei Williams, National Organizer, Marsha P. Johnson Institute
- Elizabeth Angeles, Associate Vice President, Advocacy, United Way of New York City
- Alana Cantillo, Vice President of Advocacy, New York Immigration Coalition
- Dawn Rowe, President & CEO, Girl Vow
- 12:10 PM - 12:40 PM Lunch and Learn
- 12:40 PM - 1:10 PM Networking
- 1:10 PM - 2:00 PM Operationalizing Race Equity Through a Shared Leadership Framework
- Diana Breen, Principal & Owner, Diana Breen Consulting
- Shibani Gambhir, Chief Operating Officer, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts
- Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Director, CACF (Coalition for Asian American Children and Families)
- Lacy Serros, Manager, Executive, Nonprofit Finance Fund
- 2:05 PM - 2:35 PM Coffee and Convos
- 2:35 PM - 2:45 PM Break
- 2:45 PM - 3:35 PM Beyond Awareness: Becoming an Anti-Racist Organization
- Jennifer Njuguna, Chief Operating Officer, Common Future
- Kevin Cummings, Executive Director, New York, Institute for Nonprofit Practice
- Haydee Morales, Casita Maria
- Stephanie Nilva, Executive Director, Day One
- 3:40 PM - 4:00 PM Conference Close Out
2021 BEST NONPROFIT CONFERENCE SPONSORS
Platinum Sponsors
Inkind Sponsor
Break out Session Sponsor
Program Booklet Sponsor
Session Sponsor
Exhibitor Table Sponsor
Testimonials
"I was uplifted by seeing such a wide array of inspiring, knowledgeable women as expert panelists. That was a new experience for me at a conference and really appreciated the effort by Nonprofit New York to diversify the experiences being shared."
— 2020 Best Nonprofit Conference Participant
"The effort to really bring anti-racist and equitable practices can be so difficult when shifting the culture and practices in an organization that is just starting to address these issues on an organizational level. It was amazing to hear the speakers talk about their experiences and what it looks like in their orgs and think about how to apply it to the work that I do."
— 2020 Best Nonprofit Conference Participant
"I think the nonprofit collective needs Nonprofit New York to continue its assessment of organizations and also find ways for organizations to collaborate....we have already lost several nonprofits because they could not meet their revenue obligations, and we know that our city and communities need us strong."
— 2020 Best Nonprofit Conference Participant
For program inquiries:
Lakimja Mattocks,
[email protected]
For press, media inquiries, and sponsorships:
Meg Barnette,
[email protected]