Social Impact Officer Opening Keynote Panel 9:10-10:10

Kick off Madison Nonprofit Day with an inspiring conversation featuring Madison’s leading Social Impact Officers. These visionary leaders set the standard for how organizations create, measure, and sustain impact in our community.
The panel will bring together:
Angela Davis – Madison Community Foundation
Angela Russell – TruStage
Renee Moe – United Way of Dane County
Shiva Bidar-Sielaff – UW Health

Together, they will share how they:
• Build strong frameworks for social impact
• Evaluate programs and measure outcomes
• Guide funding priorities and strategic investments
• Shape a future of innovation, collaboration, and community change



This moderated, 60-minute keynote includes both guided conversation and an audience Q&A, giving attendees a unique opportunity to hear directly from the leaders shaping Madison’s nonprofit ecosystem.

Finding Your Perfect Match 10:15-11:05

Just like the Match Game, finding the right nonprofit collaborator is about asking the right questions and recognizing alignment. In this highly interactive session, Gregg Potter—our own in-house collaboration matchmaker—will guide participants through a playful yet practical process for identifying their “perfect match” in community partnerships. Using tools, best practices, and case examples, this session will help attendees strengthen cross-sector collaborations and build sustainable community impact.

Show Me the Money: Navigating the Nonprofit Financial Landscape with Amanda White

Description:
Funding is the lifeline of nonprofit work—but finding and sustaining it can often feel overwhelming. This power-packed 30-minute session is designed to give nonprofit leaders practical, actionable insights into funding strategies they can apply right away. From diversifying income streams to building stronger donor relationships, this session will cut through the jargon and focus on what really works for organizations of all sizes.

Key Focus Areas:

• Diversified Funding Models: Grants, corporate sponsorships, individual giving, and earned income.
• Building Relationships with Funders: Tips on communicating your mission’s impact clearly and compellingly.
• Creative Approaches: Community fundraising, partnerships, and social enterprise models.
• Financial Resilience: Strategies to smooth cash flow and sustain work between funding cycles.

Know Your Audience Culturally Relevant Approaches to Diversity & Community Engagement with Qiana Holmes

Description
How you engage is just as important as what you offer. In this practical session, Qiana Holmes introduces culturally relevant strategies that help nonprofits listen better, build trust, and co-create programs with the communities they serve. Participants will leave with a simple framework to tailor outreach, messaging, and services for different audiences—without tokenizing or “one-size-fits-all” shortcuts.

Key Focus Areas:
Participants will be able to:
• Map key audience segments and cultural contexts that shape engagement.
• Apply a 3-step CARE mini-framework (Context, Access, Reciprocity, Evaluation) to any program or campaign.
• Adjust messaging and outreach channels to increase participation and trust.
• Identify pitfalls (performative DEI, extractive feedback loops) and replace them with equitable practices.

Navigating the Current Legal Landscape Presented by Scholz Nonprofit Law

Session Description

The legal landscape for nonprofits is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of new rules, regulations, and compliance expectations is critical for organizational success. This session, led by the experts at Scholz Nonprofit Law, will equip nonprofit leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate today’s complex legal environment. Attendees will gain clarity on current trends, potential risks, and practical compliance strategies, leaving them better prepared to protect their missions and strengthen organizational resilience.
Key Focus Areas:
• Identify the most pressing legal trends affecting nonprofits in 2025.
• Understand how to minimize legal and compliance risks.
• Know the “must-have” policies and procedures for their organizations.
• Gain confidence in reviewing contracts, grant terms, and reporting obligations.
• Leave with a practical checklist of compliance priorities for the year ahead.

Healing the Healers — Embedding Mental Health and Wellbeing in Nonprofit Organizations with Shekinah Hockenhull

Nonprofits are at the forefront of community care, yet the mental health and wellbeing of both staff and the people they serve are often overlooked. Healing the Healers explores how organizations can embed mental health practices into their structures, policies, and culture to create sustainable, supportive environments. Participants will learn practical approaches for integrating mental health principles into leadership, operations, and programming to foster resilience and organizational health.
Key Focus Areas

Organizational Wellness: Shifting from reactive self-care to proactive, systemic wellbeing practices.

Leadership & Culture: Developing trauma-informed leadership and psychologically safe workplaces.

Program Design: Incorporating mental health literacy and supports for the people nonprofits serve.

Sustainability: Embedding wellbeing practices into funding proposals, evaluations, and long-term strategy.

By the end of the session, participants will:

Understand the impact of organizational stress and compassion fatigue on mission effectiveness.

Learn evidence-based strategies for embedding mental health into nonprofit structures and programs.

Identify practical steps to build a culture of collective care and sustainability.

Leave with tools to integrate wellbeing into both daily operations and long-term strategic planning.

Keeping Our Youth Safe — Understanding and Interrupting the Praesidium Abuse Equation

Every youth-serving organization must understand how abuse happens before it can effectively prevent it. According to Praesidium, 95% of abuse is preventable through education—and simply knowing and applying the Praesidium Abuse Equation is a critical part of that education. This workshop will help participants recognize how abuse occurs when access, privacy, and control overlap—and how to design systems that interrupt those conditions before harm can happen.

Through this session, attendees will gain practical tools to assess environments, policies, and staff interactions with youth—ensuring that safety is intentional, measurable, and deeply rooted in their organization’s culture.

Key Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

Understand the Praesidium Abuse Equation — how access + privacy + control create opportunities for abuse, and how each factor can be mitigated.

Examine Access: Who is screened, vetted, and allowed to interact with youth? Learn to strengthen selection, supervision, and accountability practices for staff, volunteers, and peer leaders.

Evaluate Privacy: Where and when are youth isolated or unsupervised? Explore common red flags—such as one-on-one time, back-of-the-bus seating, or secluded areas—and how to eliminate or monitor them.

Assess Control: Who holds power or influence over youth? Understand how authority, favoritism, and dependency can be misused—whether by adults or peers—and how to set clear boundaries and reporting pathways.

Develop Organizational Safeguards: Implement risk-reduction strategies that protect children across programs, including supervision standards, safe space design, and ongoing staff training.

Foster a Culture of Protection: Build shared responsibility for child safety through open communication, empowerment, and continuous education.

Why This Matters

By understanding and interrupting the Praesidium Abuse Equation, nonprofits can take proactive steps to protect the youth they serve. When organizations educate their teams and communities on these dynamics, they not only reduce risk—they help build a culture where safety, transparency, and trust are the norm.