Last year about this time I hatched a crazy idea in the Marketing Committee at Nonprofit Learning Point - an unconference planned around stories and tales and inspiration to celebrate the first 20 years of NLP's amazing history.  Hopefully by now you have heard of the 2015 NLP Summit, The State of the Nonprofit Sector: The Next 20 Years. #nlpsummit15

In honor of Nonprofit Learning Point’s 20th anniversary, we have put together an awesome day devoted to inspirational stories and innovative ideas centering around the role of the non profit and the potential impact they can and will make over the next 20 years.  While serving as Speaker Chair for this exciting event, I have had the opportunity to hear the stories and ideas of many amazing people and I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say. 

A focus for this summit was to find speakers most people have not heard from, or potentially heard of; people who are “get their hands dirty” practitioners in their field. The summit will include a diverse group of 18, mostly local, speakers.  Among them, The Spark Mill is excited to have four recent or current clients. 

TK SOMANATH, CEO AT RICHMOND REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Spark Mill is currently working with RRHA on Strategic Planning and Employee Engagement helping to craft a plan to move forward on a visionary plan to deconcentrate poverty in Richmond.  TK will share with us his vision for the decentralization of public housing, the resources needed to make it happen and its long-term benefits. I heard his talk yesterday and want to warn you that he is about to ask you to get involved and help facilitate radical change in our city. 

PEYTON ROWE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT CREATEATHON

The Spark Mill worked on Strategic Planning with CreateAthon in 2014 creating a plan to transform this organization from a mostly volunteer run program into a national nonprofit. Peyton will be speaking about the changing nature of pro bono work, and how it is perceived and respected both inside and outside of the non profit world. Get ready, she is planning on telling nonprofits how and what to do! She even inspired us to start our own probono program!

DOMINIC BARRETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT SHALOM FARMS

The Spark Mill is currently working with Shalom Farms on a Development and Marketing Assessment and Plan transforming their storytelling and ask from farm centric to city centric.  Dominic will be discussing the relationship between healthy food and healthy cities, or how food intersects with the cycle of poverty.

CLAIRE SADEGHZADEH, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM COORDINATOR AT RICHMOND CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The Spark Mill had the pleasure of working with Claire during #RVABreastfeeds and will be working with her again the first of the year facilitating staff retreats for employee engagement for the WIC program.   Claire is going to speak on the future of public health services and introduce us all to healthography - a new way of looking at health outcomes and poverty cycles. 

Buy a Ticket Already!

These are just a highlight of four of the talented and visionary speakers and what they will be talking about next Tuesday, November 10th.   I’m sure most of you have already purchased your ticket, but if you haven’t, you have until this Friday, November 6th.   You can follow this link.