Schedule and Sessions

Far too often, nonprofits reward great fundraisers by handing them a team to manage — and hoping for the best.

(Spoiler: it doesn't always go well!)

This session challenges the long-standing belief that fundraising prowess is leadership readiness, and explores the real cost of promoting tacticians to people-managers. Attendees will unpack why leadership is not a prize for performance, but a distinct discipline that demands curiosity, emotional intelligence, and a deep commitment to humans — not donor satisfaction, retention rates or dollars raised.

Expect honest conversation, gentle provocation, and practical reframing exercises to help build teams that thrive.

Most nonprofit crises don’t start with bad strategy. They start with a leadership relationship no one wants to talk about. This session puts the Board Chair–Executive Director partnership on the couch, using couples therapy as a practical framework for diagnosing dysfunction, naming tension, and fixing what’s quietly breaking organizations. Through real nonprofit scenarios, participants will learn how avoidance, micromanagement, and blurred boundaries undermine trust—and how to repair them before burnout, exits, or organizational collapse. Expect candor, humor, and tools leaders can use immediately to stop pretending everything is fine.

Losing a great fundraiser doesn't just hurt your budget — it can take years to rebuild the donor relationships and institutional knowledge they walk out the door with. If you've ever watched a strong Development Director leave for a competitor (or worse, leave the sector entirely), this session is for you. Amy Sexton Stanislavski, CFRE, draws on 15+ years leading and coaching development teams to give senior leaders the honest, practical playbook for keeping their best people. No theory. No corporate-speak. Just the stuff that actually works — including the hard conversations most organizations are avoiding.

Career transitions in nonprofit leadership often carry an unspoken weight: career grief.
Whether leaders leave, stay, or are unexpectedly forced into change, identity, confidence, and clarity can be disrupted in ways that affect not only personal well-being but organizational stability.
In this interactive session, we will explore the research behind career grief, imposter syndrome, and job hugging, and examine how unprocessed transitions impact retention, succession, and development continuity.
Through real leadership stories and practical tools, participants will gain language, insight, and strategies to navigate transitions with resilience and strengthen leadership sustainability.