Onboard United! Now What?

5/23/2022 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Are you ready to meet and connect with other Network staff from around the country and collectively join together with the United Way as a group of global changemakers? If so, then this session is for you! Onboard United! – Now what? is the next step to springboard your United Way professional career, digging in to the resources you’ll need as you embark on your United Way journey. We’ll touch on United Way’s core business: its history, mission, vision, strategy, structure, and work, and provide more understanding about all aspects of the United Way Network. The session will explore current issues facing United Way, discuss how to achieve collective impact and learn ways to maximize revenue and create opportunities for better lives for all.

 

Faculty: Kristin Brandner, United Way of Washington County | Ali Haigh, United Way of Racine County

 

BLOCK A - Easy Online Giving Solution for Individuals, Campaigns and Causes

5/23/2022 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Presenter: Upic Solutions

Learn how to easily setup, run, and manage a seamless online giving experience for existing and potential donors. Boost fundraising to support your causes through online donation forms that integrate with CRM Lite. An easy, quick to deploy online giving platform for United Ways of all sizes.

Faculty: Upic Solutions

BLOCK A - The SuperPowers of Multi-Agency, Multi-Program Hubs

5/23/2022 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Presenter: Visionlink

We have come a long way from the silo’s of service and isolated data systems. The next step, however, is more than a willingness to work together. It’s about using program guidance, staff training, client consent agreements, common software platforms, and data exchanges between different technologies to create an operating system for coordinated care. Done well, we can support not only the common objectives and aspirations of partner agencies—but we can also respect what they each do differently, to leverage truly better outcomes for those we serve.  This workshop will provide specific, detailed suggestions and case studies to help participants plan, implement, and measure their progress toward community hub solutions that succeed.

 

Faculty: Doug Zimmerman, Visionlink

DEEP DIVE - Community Impact 101

5/23/2022 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Community Impact is BIG and walking into your role can feel overwhelming. Since there is no "one way" to approach Community Impact, connect with your peers to help you navigate from where you are to where you want to go. Join us as we take a deep dive to explore the principles of Community Impact and share different resources from every size United Way. Our goal? Help you feel more confident and help your United Way find success through creating Community Impact. 

 

Faculty: Mitch Baker, United Way of Central Illinois | Julie Divjak, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County | Margaret Stuckey, United Way of Southwestern Indiana | Amy Canterbury, United Way of Southwestern Indiana

DEEP DIVE - Marketing / Communications 101

5/23/2022 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

In an ever-changing marketplace, you need the right strategies and tools to reach your audience. But what will work for your LUW? Whether you’re a new United Way marketing/communications staffer or are interested in a UWW brand refresher and some lively discussion, this interactive session is for you. We’ll cover UWW brand guidelines and resources, discuss popular marketing tactics, and tap into different perspectives from local United Ways. 

 

Faculty: Amy Mangold, United Way of Southwestern Indiana | Karen Burch, United Way of Dane County

BLOCK B - Financial Leadership: Communicating the Financial Information that Matters

5/23/2022 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

Presenter: Your Part Time Controller

The United Way, like many nonprofits, oftentimes lack dedicated staff with formal finance or accounting expertise and experience. However, it’s vital for United Way executives, staff, and board members to have timely and accurate financial information so they can clearly understand the organization’s financial story. In this presentation, we will identify key pieces of financial information that should matter most to nonprofit leaders and provide tips for how to best communicate it so nonprofit leaders can make better business decisions.

 

Faculty: Gregg S. Indictor, Your Part-Time Controller | Andi McGunnigle, Your Part-Time Controller

BLOCK B - How to Engage Individual Givers Outside the Workplace

5/23/2022 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

Presenter: StratusLIVE

United Ways today must continue to expect the unexpected. The constant shifts in the fundraising environment require that the United Way network diversify their fundraising revenue beyond workplace giving. In this session, we will discuss five ways to cultivate your donor base outside the workplace. We will also demonstrate how to leverage StratusLIVE Ignite as a digital engagement tool to serve ALL donors – no matter their workplace.

 

Faculty: Brandon Fix, StratusLIVE

Networking: New Attendee Welcome Reception

5/23/2022 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

New to Great Rivers or have not attended in a while? Join us at the new attendee welcome reception Tuesday evening! Our Community Building Committee will be working hard to make sure your conference gets started off on the right foot! Sponsored by Upic Solutions.

Welcome Breakfast & Host City Welcome

5/24/2022 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Join Ellie Westman Chin, President & CEO of Destination Madison, as she shares their passion for our amazing community. In a city of inquisitive minds and inclusive spirits with an independent vibe, Destination Madison is dedicated to creating economic impact through tourism. The effects of which benefit everyone living in Dane County in key areas including jobs, community services and quality of life. Ellie will also introduce how Madison offers excellent opportunities to enjoy the city while also helping to support well-being. From there, Celeste Florentin, Program and Outreach Manager for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health), will focus on challenges such as burnout and mental health faced by staff in the non-profit world of work and will walk us through the techniques individual employees and their leadership can use to help each team member feel supported. 

Being Efficient and Vulnerable for Greater Impact

5/24/2022 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Come prepared to answer the hard questions in a way that will hopefully make you laugh! This session will get you thinking about how your United Way can improve their efficiencies to bring a larger impact to your community. We will not present a silver bullet, but will help you to walk away thinking about how a minor change in process to a full-blown merger can make a difference, and how to start that conversation with key stakeholders.

 

Faculty: Jodee O'Brien, Consultant & Strategic Advisor

Between the Lines: Putting a Face to Community Needs

5/24/2022 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Learn the power storytelling has on connecting your donors and community to the issues their neighbors are facing. In this session, the United Way of Midland County team will share how they bring real community stories to life through a multichannel campaign approach.

 

Faculty: Ashley Kring, United Way of Midland County | Cathleen Louisignau, United Way of Midland County | Kali Cochran, United Way of Midland County

Direct Mail - Maximize Your Community's Giving

5/24/2022 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

In 2007, United Way of Portage County generated 4.6% of their total campaign revenue through direct mail solicitation. In 2020 it hit 13%. It's old, it's not in vogue, but you just might agree - the return on investment is worth going retro. Join us as we explore how you can take your direct mail campaign to the next level.

 

Faculty: Fred Hebblewhite, United Way of Portage County | Laura Pfeil, United Way of Portage County | Ann Kleifgen, United Way of Portage County

United for ALICE@Work: Creating Best Practices for Employers

5/24/2022 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

This session will focus on the United for ALICE@Work (formerly named ALICE Friendly Workplace Project) Pilot that the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region conducted this past year. Presenters will discuss the purpose of the project, the creation of the corporate cohort, the development of the tools and sessions in the project, and the evaluation data from cohort members on their experience. The purpose of the United for ALICE@Work Project is to create workplaces for the ALICE population that are empathetic, equitable, and ultimately provide space for individuals to transition out of ALICE. Part of the project includes the development of a United for ALICE@Work Toolkit that guides employers to evaluate and change current policies that may be harming their employees. The toolkit is informed by local data and research about ALICE in the region. In addition to this, the project includes two sessions for learning and reflection with cohort members and community experts. 

Faculty: Bayane Alem, United Way of Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region | Natalie Saucedo, United Way of Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region 

Lunch with Keynote Judson Laipply - Lead Your Evolution

5/24/2022 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Everything changes. Not everything evolves. Every organization needs leaders who can lead the evolution.

 

Change is inevitable; evolving is not. Evolving means becoming a better version of ourselves, our organizations, our world by focusing on the things we have influence over.

 

Overcoming the adverse reaction to chaos and embracing the struggles that strengthen. As Leaders we need to help our organizations see the need to evolve as the world moves faster and faster requiring a constant evolving mentality. Come to this session and learn practical strategies you can implement personally and professionally on how you can help lead your evolution.

BLOCK A - Beyond the 21 Day Challenge: Advancing Equity

5/24/2022 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Learn how small- and mid-sized United Ways have laid the groundwork and steered the course for addressing disparities with an equity and inclusivity lens. You'll also hear about how the 21-Day Equity Challenge has served as a powerful tool to advance the equity conversation and racial justice. The session will include discussion on actionable steps on what you can do to create an equitable and inclusive community and how to be a better ally and advocate and how United Ways are building on the momentum and conversation generated by the Equity Challenge.

 

Faculty: Angelica Vannatta, United Way of East Central Iowa | Erin Mann, Otsego County United Way | Megan Hacker, Otsego County United Way

 

BLOCK A - Jumpstarting the Donor Journey

5/24/2022 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Join this session to learn about effective strategies and engagement opportunities to convert prospects and one-time supporters into committed donors.

 

Faculty: Peter Hanscom, United Way of Central Indiana

DEEP DIVE - Build Future Ready Organizations and Communities & Strategic Doing

5/24/2022 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

This session will offer United Ways of any size easy-to-use tools to identify drivers of change and emerging trends. These practices can be used to deepen board engagement, shape community initiatives and build future ready organizations. These tools and practices can be used along with existing strategic plans or they can form the basis for a dynamic planning process. This will include some discussion of Strategic Doing - a compact, fast paced process for getting ideas into action and spurring innovative solutions.  

 

Faculty: Leslie Wright, Collective Clarity

DEEP DIVE - Evolve Your Impact Agenda: Maximize Engagement, Revenue and Impact

5/24/2022 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A compelling impact agenda reflects both critical community needs and the interests of current and potential donors. What also makes community impact efforts enticing to potential supporters are multiple opportunities for people to give and to be engaged at different levels. In this session United Ways will learn ways to improve their impact offerings through engaging diverse stakeholders, segmenting donors to identify investment opportunities, and how to use community data to develop an impact portfolio that resonates with diverse donors. Examples from UWs that have unbundled their impact work will be featured and tools and templates will be available for making your UW's impact portfolio more sellable.

 

Faculty: Holly Miller, United Way of Midland County | Sue Grey, United Way of Champaign County

BLOCK B - Best in Class Fundraising – It's All About Data

5/24/2022 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Are you using all the data available to make decisions that drive revenue? This session will highlight best practices from high-performing United Ways for overall campaign planning, prioritizing and developing strategies for growing key corporate accounts, developing account plans, monitoring the results and course correcting. 

 

Faculty: Bill Kitson, United Way Worldwide | TBD

BLOCK B - Shifting Workplace Donors to Major Gift Donors

5/24/2022 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM

The Modern United Way encourages Local United Ways to grow the number of major donors & overall revenue.  If your United Way has been successful raising funds through Workplace Campaigns but you are not sure how to begin Major Gift/Planned Giving Fundraising, this interactive session will help get you on the right track by highlighting how to understand your market and identify steps to shift Workplace Campaign Donors to Major Gift & Planned Giving Donors.

 

Faculty: Jeremy Wingerter, United Way of Adams County 

Networking: Live United Lounge

5/24/2022 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Join us for fun and comradery at the Live United Lounge sponsored by Andar Software.

BLOCK A - Building Collective Impact by Failing Forward

5/25/2022 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Navigating pandemics,  natural disasters and other events  has provided the metaphorical fork in the road; claim defeat or learn and adjust.  Choosing the learn and adjust fork, participants will learn how to build a foundation to support impact initiatives through emphasis on the importance on listening and relationship building, knowing what your UW does best and how to showcase it, and taking feedback and learning to be flexible and PIVOT. This will include specific examples of impact initiatives: homeowner disaster relief, rent/utility assistance, board orientation, long term housing initiatives, vaccination hesitancy, supporting DEI initiatives  and rural engagement.

 

Faculty: Karey Chase, United Way of East Central Iowa

BLOCK A - Measuring Impact in Volunteer Engagement Activities

5/25/2022 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, in partnership with United Way Worldwide’s Volunteer Engagement team, will present to the network on the strategies a United Way can implement to increase the value of volunteer engagement at the local level. During this session, presenters will share their own tactics to increasing the visibility of and investment in volunteer engagement, which includes the development of Volunteer Engagement Dashboards to highlight progress. Metrics within the dashboard may include revenue generated, new corporate relationships, new individual relationships, renewal of lost relationships, reducing barriers to employment, donor conversions and increased awareness/understanding of a United Way’s work.  The session will also include time for participants to put the strategies into practice by developing their own dashboard.

 

Faculty: Jayne Thoma, United Way of Great Milwaukee & Waukesha County | Mei Cobb, United Way Worldwide

BLOCK A - Reimagining Relationships with Shared Purpose

5/25/2022 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Staff from United Way of Central New Mexico share their approach to taking corporate and community relationships from transactional to transformational with its Shared Purpose Initiative.

 

Faculty: Rodney Prunty, United Way of Central New Mexico | Stephanie Santillanes, United Way of Central Mexico

DEEP DIVE - Bold Goals, Big Results - Growth Mindset In Practice

5/25/2022 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

United Way of Summit & Medina has truly gone through transformational change. Through the work and results of our Bold Goals and leading with a positive growth mindset, UWSM has been able to create systemic and lasting change in the community while experiencing unprecedented growth. This all while developing a high talent and exchange staff and board.  This session will help local UWs of all sizes navigate the case for change through a positive growth mindset. In addition, it will provide real life data and processes for making the case, developing strategy and implementing tactics that get buy-in and results.  

 

Faculty: James Mullen, United Way of Summit & Medina | Kerri Stephen, United Way of Summit & Medina 

BLOCK B - Building Capacity in the Nonprofit Sector

5/25/2022 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

There is much interest in and need for nonprofit capacity building. With scant resources, both financial and human, nonprofits need to be able to assess their organizations' capacity to fulfill their missions by capitalizing and leveraging their strengths and working to close existing gaps in capacity to provide better service delivery. Hear from United Ways working on projects to build capacity including United Way of Dane County’s Boardwalk Academy, which focuses on building capacity by expanding the pipeline of diverse volunteer leaders.

 

Faculty: Krista Myer, Heart of Missouri United Way | Keetra Burnette, United Way of Dane County 

BLOCK B - Equity in Investments

5/25/2022 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

This session will focus on how United Ways are adding the equity criteria to their investment process. It will focus on case studies from United Ways.

 

Faculty: Jackie Rosa, United Way of Metro Chicago | Amy Trombley, United Way of Central Minnesota

BLOCK B - Make Your United Way a Magnet for Younger Donors

5/25/2022 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

As United Way's current donor base begins to age out of the system, many United Ways are left struggling to fill that gap with members of the younger generation. The problem is that many in the younger generation don't know who their Local United Way is or what it does. In this session, we will look at the reasons younger donors are choosing other charities to donate to, how you can market your United Way's work in a way that is appealing to the younger generation, and how to locate the younger generation outside of the workplace. We will also highlight United Ways large and small who are successfully engaging the younger generation.

 

Faculty: Gary Goscenski, Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. | Bryn Bogemann, Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc. 

Lunch with Keynote Louis Alloro - How Positive Psychology Principles & Practices Help Us Integrate & Collaborate

5/25/2022 12:00 PM - 1:45 PM

 In this interactive presentation, positive psychology pioneer Louis Alloro will help us understand the business case for thriving unitedly, and how applying strengths-based approaches are foundational for any other type of innovation in a system, like the United Way. He’ll help us celebrate our history and create our future with Personal, Relational and Structural social-science informed suggestions for how we think and be together as we work forward.

BLOCK A - Advocacy and Impact

5/25/2022 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM

This sessions focuses on how to build skills to become effective advocates as part of your United Way's overall impact strategies. Topics will include developing effective communications materials, engaging donors/volunteers, and case studies of winning collaborations including United Way  of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County's Safe and Stable Homes Initiative, which is set to achieve a bold community goal: ending family homelessness by 2023. This presentation details how LUWs can build a successful advocacy program to support impact products and initiatives by engaging policymakers at all levels through education and outreach. It will include discussion of how to lay the groundwork for federal funding streams like earmarks.

 

Faculty: Dave Stone, United Way of Central Iowa | Deann Cook, United Ways of Iowa | Jeremy Simon, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County 

BLOCK A - Investing in our Leaders to Support the Modern United Way

5/25/2022 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Leadership development is a critical component of every professional’s journey. Providing space to invest in one’s self is a gift not only to the United Way staff person, but also to their team, their organization and the people we fight for. Join us for a conversation about how talent leaders provide leadership development opportunities to achieve their goals of engaging employees, retaining talent and building sustainable leadership for long-term success.

 

Faculty: Alex Fike, United Way Worldwide | TBD

BLOCK A - The Housing Task Force

5/25/2022 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM

United Way of Marathon County went through the process of creating a task force to replace their homeless and housing coalition. After many years of the coalition being in place, a refresh was needed to tackle homelessness in the greater Wausau area. Since the inception of the Task Force, we have found housing solutions for HALF of our homeless population. This session will explore the process and work of the Housing Task Force, and how they've created change in the greater Wausau area.

 

Faculty: Ben Lee, United Way of Marathon County

BLOCK A - Working Across Teams to Increase Growth and Impact

5/25/2022 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Does your United Way struggle with cross-departmental collaboration? Do you know how to effectively convey your work to donors and increase their trust? Hear from a United Way who has learned how to collaborate effectively in increasing resources under management almost 20%, meeting donors where they are and modernize their United Way.

 

Faculty: Salvo Rodriquez, United Way of Champaign County | Beverley Baker, United Way of Champaign County

ROUNDTABLE - Centering and Embracing Equity in Our Impact Work

5/25/2022 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A facilitated conversation that will allow participants to discuss their work around centering equity is our impact work, exchange information, perspectives and best practices, and discuss with peers about successes, challenges and future equitable inclusion and development in our impact work.

 

Facilitator: Amy Trombley, United Way of Central Minnesota

ROUNDTABLE - Early Care & Education

5/25/2022 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A facilitated conversation that will allow participants to showcase their work, exchange information and best practice, and talk to peers about successes, challenges and how to overcome roadblocks.

 

Facilitator: Katrina Hays, United Way of Central Illinois

ROUNDTABLE - Small Talk: Small Cities Networking & Learning Exchange

5/25/2022 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A facilitated conversation that will allow participants to showcase their work, exchange information and best practice, and talk to peers about successes, challenges and how to overcome roadblocks.

 

Facilitator: TBD

ROUNDTABLE - Working with Labor

5/25/2022 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A facilitated conversation that will allow participants to showcase their work, exchange information and best practice, and talk to peers about successes, challenges and how to overcome roadblocks.

 

Facilitator: Mike Larson, Michigan Association of United Ways | Kaitlynn Lamie, Michigan Association of United Ways

Networking: Breakfast Conversations

5/25/2022 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Take this opportunity to connect with peers over the breakfast table.

Breakfast with Sonal Shah

5/26/2022 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Join us for breakfast and hear from Sonal Shah, Interim Executive Vice President, Worldwide Network Advancement. Sonal leads the U.S. and International Network teams to work with local United Ways to help deliver the greatest impact for UWW's communities. She serves on the UWW Executive Leadership Team.