KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Jeanne M. Bell, Director of The Nonprofit Quarterly’s Advancing Practice Program

“Developing Human Capital: Moving from Extraction to Reciprocity in Our Organizational Relationships”

In a recent article for Nonprofit Quarterly, our keynote, Jeanne Bell asked a provocative question. How might we shift from thinking of staff and board members as “human resources to be managed?” As people with talent and resources to be strategically extracted over the life of our organization’s relationship with them. This question feels especially urgent today in what is being called “the great resignation.” Many nonprofits are experiencing what feels like unending turnover. How might we shift our mental models and organizational habits about “talent” in ways that match the needs and expectations of staff and board members who are committed, gifted, exhausted, and maybe even burnt out all at the same time?

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Developing Human Capital

Building off of her keynote address, Jeanne Bell will guide participants through an assessment of where their organizations may be stuck in habits of extraction rather than reciprocity. We’ll explore changes to organizational systems and practices that embody an ethos of reciprocity with staff, board, and community stakeholders. You’ll leave the session having identified priority shifts towards reciprocity to explore further with your team.

Finding and Keeping the Talent You Need: The Work of the Board

Finding and keeping the people to advance our mission has always been a critical concern for nonprofit executives and boards, and it’s no secret the challenge is more significant than ever as we make our way through the pandemic and the era some have labelled “The Great Resignation.” Further, a large share of the nonprofit sector never did very fully develop what used to be called “human resource management” – and now the sector is even more challenged! In this interactive session, Dave Renz will provide an overview of the role of “talent leadership” in nonprofit success and facilitate a discussion on what governing boards can do (and how) to enable their agencies and chief executives to address the pivotal challenge of finding, hiring, retaining, and supporting the people who do the work of bringing our missions.

The Great Resignation’s Impact on Fundraising in KC

The future of many nonprofits and those who rely on them for help are threatened when there is a shortage of qualified fundraising professionals. Few things are more important in fundraising than the people on the frontlines. How healthy are our fundraising shops in Kansas City? How is our market impacted by the “great resignation/re-invention” and what are our metro area fundraising shops doing to recruit and retain great talent? What are job seekers doing to find that next great team?