Breakout Session A
Tuesday, April 27
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
A1: A Theology of Kinship: Engaging Religious Diversity from a Lutheran Perspective
This presenter believes that Lutheran organizations can be faithful to the building blocks of Lutheran identity and also engage religiously diverse clients and staff in meaningful ways. Her research offers a theology of kinship that recognizes a family resemblance between all people created in God’s image. This workshop will explore the practical applications of a Lutheran theology of kinship and engage participants in sharing their own experiences with religious diversity in their organizations.
Dr. Christy Lohr is director of the Intersections Institute, a partnership the ELCA eastern cluster Lutheran seminaries, social ministry organizations and schools of business.
A2: Make the Future Happen
Passion is contagious! The 21st century organization engages new people in new ways. Learn from a dynamic young nonprofit leader how to be an unapologetic champion for your organization and mobilize money and supporters to make the mission soar.
Kjerstin Erickson is the 26 year old Executive Director of FORGE, an organization working with African refugees, founded by Kjerstin when she was a student at Stanford. She has been named one of America’s “Top 40 Leaders Under 40”, a “Top 10 College Woman” by Glamour Magazine and “Person You Should Know” by CNN.
A3: Updates and Opportunities from the Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships
Join representatives from the Administration's Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Offices to learn more about the initiatives these offices are working on within federal agencies and to share ideas about how they can work more effectively and efficiently with faith-based organizations.
Alexia Kelley is the Director of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for the Department of Health and Human Services. She co-founded Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good in 2005 and co-authored "A National for All: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division."
John Kelly is the Strategic Advisor, Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships for the Corporation for National & Community Service.
Mark Linton serves as the Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mark previously served in the President’s U.S. Senate Office as a Legislative Aide focused on social policy; on the religious outreach team of the Obama for America campaign; and on the presidential transition team helping to lead the agency review process for the previous administration’s faith-based initiative.
A4: Life is Tweet
What is Twitter and what do 350 million Facebookers do all day (and night) long? The Chronicle of Philanthropy in December predicted the pendulum would swing back, away from social media popularity—were they right, and if so why? Rather than a how-to overview of the many new tools available and how to use them, this session will be a “why-to.” We’ll address, in a fun and interactive way, the key questions of how to use social media tools to work, not harder, but differently.
Gordon Mayer is Vice President of the Community Media Workshop, founded by a journalist and a community activist to encourage the media to tell the stories of real people and problems in Chicago. CMW trains people to tell their stories to the media and to use new media to create better relationships in their neighborhoods.
A5: Conversation with James A. Phills
Follow the morning keynote session with an in-depth conversation with Jim Phills. Quiz him about the future. Join the conversation on how the exchange of ideas, talent, capital, and values across sector boundaries and the shifting roles and relationships between business, government, and nonprofits drive the development of innovative solutions to social problems.
Dr. James A. Phills is director of the Center for Social Innovation and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University. He is Academic Editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review and Faculty Director of executive programs for nonprofit and philanthropy leaders. He received his PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard Business School and the departments of Psychology and Sociology.
A6: Naturally, Nonprofits Improve Communities. Now Let's Green our Workplace
As nonrenewable sources of energy run thin and the negative impacts of human society on the environment continue to grow, the entire world is seeking to green its efforts and reduce its footprint on the globe. As nonprofit leaders, we must do the same and be accountable to our constituencies – and those constituencies, if they not have begun already, will be holding us responsible for our impact on the environment. Just as corporations and individuals must, the nonprofit sector must take a prominent place in the green movement. This session aims to continue the dialog already begun in the nonprofit community about greening the sector and further that conversation by providing you education and assistance in becoming more environmentally aware and friendly. Session leaders will provide you with scores of concrete ideas, tools and resources you can put into practice at your organization right away - showing your community and supporters you intend to be part of the global environmental solution!
Ted Hart is founder and CEO of the international nonprofit environmental movement called GreenNonprofits dedicated to helping nonprofits become part of the global environmental movement.
