Nonprofit Knowledge Network

Date: Wednesday, January 29 

Time: 12:30pm-1:30pm

Location: Virtual Only

Speaker: Bank of America Cybersecurity expert speaking and taking questions about good cybersecurity habits for you organization and what we’re currently seeing as the highest risks.

Date: Wednesday, February 26

Time: 11:30 – 12:00 Networking

          12:00 – 1:00 Presentation

Location: Dove Conference Center

Topic: Engage to Elevate: Supercharging Board Involvement

Speaker: Beverly Neisler. Bev brings an impressive 38+ years of experience in philanthropy, having served major institutions across central Illinois, including Memorial Medical Center, Lincoln Land Community College, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, and HSHS St. John’s Hospital. Following her recent retirement, Bev launched Leadership 411, LLC, a dynamic venture dedicated to leadership training, nonprofit capacity-building, and advancing philanthropy. With unwavering passion and expertise, she remains deeply committed to empowering organizations and strengthening her community.

Date: Wednesday, March 26

Time: 12:00-1:00 Presentation

Location: UIS

Topic: Foundation Search

Mallory Jallas, Head of Information Literacy and Academic Outreach

Date: Wednesday, April 30

Time: 12:00pm-1:00 Presentation

Location: Dove Conference Center

Topic: Grant Writing

Date: Wednesday, May 28

Time: 12:00-1:00pm

Location: Dove Conference Center

Topic: Program Evaluation

Speakers:  Dr. Bob Blankenberger, Professor, School of Public Management and Policy, UIS and Dr. BJ Fletcher, Assistant Professor, School of Public Management and Policy, UIS  will be discussing the area of program evaluation as it relates to grant reporting.

Date: Wednesday, June 25

Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm

Location: Dove Conference Center

Speaker: Tess Fyalka

Title: The Purpose-Driven Strategy

Description:

In your organization, if it’s like many, everyone is moving, but in different directions. It’s also quite possible that there is no clear actionable strategy guiding you and your team toward achieving the high impact results you know your organization and your team members are capable of.

In this intensive and highly interactive session, Tess will introduce you to the Purpose-Driven Strategy. You’ll explore three core steps to help you guide your team in creating an actionable and meaningful purpose-driven strategy for the months ahead.

About Tess: 

Tess Fyalka is a leadership development coach, team coach, corporate trainer, speaker, and author. She brings more than 25 years’ experience in leadership, management, corporate training, and organizational development.

She is the author of the forthcoming book: Walking the Leadership Ledge; The “New” Leaders Guide to Building Resilience and Confidence at Every Step.

Her passion is helping leaders at all levels develop the essential core competencies to lead successfully and equipping organizational teams with the tools they need cut through challenging team dynamics and achieve their full potential. She is the owner of Angle Coaching & Communication, LLC (www.anglecoaching.com), a private coaching and consulting practice specializing in leadership development and team effectiveness.

Mark your calendars for the Central Illinois Volunteerism Conference (CIVC) 2025!

Date: Friday, July 11th 
Location: UIS Student Union, Springfield, IL
Topic: CIVC Conference
Theme: Strategic Volunteerism: Connecting Passion with Purpose 

In 2025, we're diving deeper into how volunteers and nonprofits can create lasting impact by aligning passion with meaningful causes. Whether you're a nonprofit leader, volunteer coordinator, or someone with a passion for community service, this event is for you!

Date: August 20^th.

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Pasfield House 

Eric Weinheimer is a Senior Vice President and Philanthropic Strategist for the National Consulting and Advisory Practice at Bank of America Private Bank, based in Chicago, IL. 

Drinks and heavy appetizers will be provided.

TBD

Topic: Forefront Summit

Date: Wednesday, October 29

Location: Dove Conference Center

Time: 12pm-1pm, bring your own lunch

Topic: Grants: Budgeting, Monitoring, and Reporting

The critical component in any grant application is the attachment called “The Budget.” When the budget raises more questions than provides answers, the grant will be in deep trouble despite any merits the program promises. Developing a budget, monitoring the program’s expenses against the budget, and reporting to funders are fundamental skills of a nonprofit finance leader. This session will include a discussion of developing effective budgets including direct and indirect costing, utilizing tools for monitoring budget execution, and creating final reports that contrasts the budget to actual results, a key to successful renewals and obtaining new grant dollars. 

Speaker Bio:

Kenneth A. Kriz, Ph.D. is University Distinguished Professor of Public Management and Policy at the University of Illinois at Springfield. A nationally recognized scholar for his work on public finance and quantitative data analysis, Dr. Kriz has published 3 academic books and over 50 journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Kriz has consulted with several public and nonprofit organizations on financial and economic matters. Most recently, he served as Interim Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration for UIS. In that role, he oversaw all fiscal operations for the Springfield campus as well as the Human Relations, Campus Safety, Purchasing, Sponsored Programs Post-Award, Performing Arts Services, and Facilities and Services Departments. Dr. Kriz  served as Vice-Chairperson of the City of Omaha, Nebraska Civilian Employees Retirement System from 2006 to 2011 and on the Board of Trustees of the Wichita, Kansas Police & Fire Retirement System and on the Joint Investment Committee for the city’s pension funds from 2014 to 2018.

Date: Wednesday, November 26 

Time: TBD

Topic: AI

November Social/Networking

Date: TBD

No Event - Happy Holidays!