Thank you for your interest in submitting a workshop proposal for the 2023 Collaborative Conference, presented in partnership by Alliance for Nonprofit Resources (ANR), the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP), the PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO), and Villanova University. Scroll down for our online form, download a PDF of the request for proposals (RFP) here, or download a Word copy here. Deadline for submission is 5:00 PM on Friday, June 2, 2023. All submissions will be reviewed by our RFP committee and selection decisions will be shared by the end of the week of June 12, 2023.
About the 2023 Collaborative Conference
When:
- Tuesday, September 19 & Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Where:
Details:
- September 19, 11:00 AM-6:00 PM (workshops will be in the afternoon)
- September 20, 8:00 AM-3:30 PM (workshops will be in morning and early afternoon)
- Workshops will be 75 minutes long
- The more interactive, the better!
- We highly encourage our friends from historically underrepresented groups to submit a proposal and share your wisdom, insights, and experiences.
Theme: Landing the Plane (Without Wrecking It)
It’s finally here! The year of the Reunion Special. For the first time since 2019, the annual Collaborative Conference will be hosted in person, bringing together nonprofit professionals to connect, learn, celebrate, and just plain have fun – in the flesh (can you tell we’re excited to take this year’s event off-screen?!). This year, with our theme of Landing the Plane (Without Wrecking It), we are taking an honest look at where we’ve all been these last few years, where we’re going, and how to get there as safely as possible – or at least not completely crash and burn along the way! Rather than dance around what many of us seem to be feeling these days, we hope this theme acknowledges (among other things):
- The daily pressures many of us are under – to do more with less, to make change happen overnight, to continue “pivoting”, to not just keep up but get ahead of the curve, etc.
- The many challenges our sector is facing – funding and staffing and planning, OH MY! (and more).
- The very real fear of “messing up” – that often keeps us from trying new things.
- That “doing our best” will look different from day to day, and that’s ok – some days we stick the picture-perfect landing and others…well, we’re just glad to have landed in one piece!
COVID prompted so many of us to stop waiting for the perfect moment and just start building the plane while flying it (which is what we explored as our conference theme last year!). Now that we’ve got our planes in the air, where do we go from here? Knowing there will be at least a little turbulence on our flight path, what will it take to chart our course, soar to new heights, and then land the plane – all without wrecking it? Special thanks to a 2022 conference attendee for suggesting this year’s theme! (We really do listen when we ask for input!).
Unpack all this and more with us this fall – submit a proposal for a workshop in one of these tracks:
- Caring for the Crew (HR) – Recruitment, hiring, retention, managing through staff transitions…caring for the crew is a full-time job! In this HR-focused track, we’ll look at all this and more, including building diverse teams, rethinking traditional flight team structures, and ways we can support our teams’ needs.
- Charting the Course (Strategy, Planning, Change Management) – We all know what happens to the “best-laid plans”. What does this mean for us once our planes are in the air? What does it look like to “course correct” from the cockpit? This track will look at how we can continue to be agile and respond in the moment while keeping our final destination in sight, especially when it comes to “walking the talk” of the DEI work that so many organizations committed to in 2020.
- Fueling the Flight (Fundraising/Resource Development) – We can’t get very far, much less avoid a crash, on an empty tank! This track will look at tips, tools, and sustainable approaches to resource development that will help keep your planes in the air AND bring them safely back to the ground.
- Ground Control to Major Tom (Communications) – Communication is one of the most important elements of a smooth flight as well as a safe landing. The same is true in community benefit work! This track will look at various aspects of communication, both internal and external, to help us lift up our work, lift up our missions, and lift up our communities – in ways that are inclusive, ethical, and respectful.
- Piloting the Plane (Leadership) – Piloting the plane isn’t just for the flight captain! Everyone on board is a leader. This track will look at the changing face of leadership in our sector, what it means to “coach from coach” (aka lead from the middle), how new leaders can confidently take the wheel, what board leaders can do to make the flight the best it can be, how to ensure diverse voices are being heard, and more.
- Thinking Outside the (Black) Box (Miscellaneous) – Got an idea that doesn’t fit neatly into one of the categories above? Suggest a new one!
Please review our guidelines for workshop cohesiveness (Word version | PDF version) before submitting your proposal here.
