Saturday Session Options
Board Leadership Lethbridge 2024
Friday Keynote Workshop
Presented by Matt Leung. Matt has facilitated trainings and workshops across Canada and the United States and he played a key role in the planning and implementation of the 2017 International Play Association conference hosted in Calgary, Canada. He is the Program Manager of Communities ChooseWell, a health promotion and community development program operated by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. He is also a former college football player, a podcaster, and sits on the Board of Directors for Outdoor Play Canada.
Play-FULL Governance: Harnessing Curiosity and Empathy for Board Success
with Matt Leung
In the dynamic landscape of non-profit governance, success hinges not just on strategic planning and financial oversight, but also on human elements that drive meaningful impact. "Play FULL Governance" is a dynamic workshop designed to empower board members by integrating playfulness, curiosity, and empathy into their leadership practices.
Through interactive activities and reflective discussions, participants will explore how a playful mindset can foster creative problem-solving, strengthen relationships, and enhance communication within their organizations. By embracing curiosity and empathy, participants will unlock new perspectives and innovative ideas, while enabling them to connect more deeply with organization staff, fellow directors, and their communities.
This workshop offers practical tools and strategies for board members to infuse their governance practices with these essential qualities, leading to more engaged, resilient, and successful nonprofit organizations. Join us to discover how playfulness can transform your approach to leadership and governance, ensuring that your board thrives in today’s complex and ever-changing environment.
Friday’s event begins at 6:30 PM and concludes at 9:00 PM.
Board Leadership Lethbridge 2024 attendees will be able to attend 4 sessions over the course of the day. There are 5 options offered concurrently. You will be able to select the sessions that best suits your needs. If multiple board members from your organization attend, we encourage you to spread yourselves out to take in a larger variety of topics.
Saturday sessions begin at 8:30 AM, and the last session concludes at 4:30 PM.
Succession Planning: Setting Your Board Up for Success
with Justin Solamillo
Planning for succession is critical to ensuring board continuity and the success of your organization. Learn how board evaluations, understanding skill gaps, nurturing people and having frameworks in place (i.e. orientation, job descriptions, training etc.) can give potential recruits the confidence that this a board they want to join. Discussion about the benefits of building a strong board will complement practical tools that boards can use.
Practical Strategic Planning: Methods in Facilitation
with Daniella Galindo
As a non-profit leader, you may realize that strategic planning is more important than ever, but it is not always easy to begin the process. Through interactive exercises and resources in this session, you will experience how to develop a basic strategic plan, from the earliest planning stages all the way through to ensuring the outcomes can take root throughout your organization. You will leave this session with actionable tips, resources, and confidence to return to your organization and apply proven-by-practice methods and new insights and ideas from current strategic thinking approaches.
Board Basics: What Does Good Governance Look Like?
with Jerry Firth
Non-profit boards function effectively when they understand what it means to be a non-profit organization and what is expected of them as a board of directors. Join us for an interactive session to learn more about:
The function, structure, and legal landscape of non-profit organizations
Key roles, responsibilities and relationships of board members
Tips and resources for effective governance
Unleash your Inner Innovator: A Hands-On Guide to using Design Thinking to Solve your Organizations Biggest and Smallest Problems
with Abigail Shakespeare & Lyndsay Montina
Are you ready to transform your organization from the inside out? Design thinking is your secret weapon! Join us for a fun and interactive workshop (think candy, fidget toys and pipe cleaners - intrigued yet?) where you'll learn to think like a designer and create groundbreaking solutions to your toughest challenges. Through interactive exercises, real-world examples, and hands-on activities, you'll discover how to put people at the centre of your work and develop innovative programs and services. Learn how to guide your own teams through the process of empathize-define-ideate-prototype-test and get ready to spark your creativity, collaborate with your colleagues, and leave this session equipped to drive positive change.
Budgeting for Non-profits
with Michael Zubach
A key component of financial sustainability is the commitment of board and staff to financial management that includes timely review of financial reports and advance planning. One way that the board and staff plan for income and expenses in the future is by creating a budget. Learn the basics of budgeting in this session.
Financial Responsibilities of Boards
with Michael Zubach
Each board member has a fiduciary duty to administer, monitor, and distribute the assets of the organizations they serve. They must work to ensure long-term financial stability, monitor the use of funds, and ensure that controls are in place to protect the organization against error or fraud.
Liability and Legal Fundamentals
with Yvonne Cheneir
To understand the risks your nonprofit faces, you need to understand the legal fundamentals that shape your organization as well as the liabilities and protections that board members have when volunteering for organizations.
In this workshop, you will learn from an experienced charity lawyer about:
What is the legal framework that surrounds your organization and how do you find out?
What are the fundamental duties of board directors? What is the board’s role in managing risk?
What liability protections exist for board members? What is not protected and how does that relate to insurance coverage?
Starting points to identify risks in your organization
Bylaws, Policies, and Procedures
with Yvonne Cheneir
Integral to a healthy organization are its bylaws, policies, and procedures. But what is behind an organization’s bylaws, policies, and procedures? What are the differences and what are the limits of these important tools? In this workshop you will learn from an experienced charity lawyer about:
Differences and relationships between bylaws, policies, and procedures
The basics of managing, drafting, and changing bylaws
The limitations of bylaws, policies, and procedures and as it applies to organizations incorporated/registered under a variety of legislation
Learn about the inner workings of bylaws, policies, and procedures and try your hand at creating a new policy and pertinent bylaw clause for your organization.
Developing Effective Teams: Board, Staff and Everyone in Between
with Mandy DeCecco-Kolebaba
Effective teamwork is the key to the successful operation of your organization and a strong team will make it through challenging times that may lie ahead. In this session you will learn:
Ways to understand skills, interests and motivations of team members
Know your Role - How structures and processes can help support your team
Tips to help prevent and address conflict
How to divide and conquer the work while ensuring everyone fulfills their roles and responsibilities
Breaking Barriers: Fostering Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) in Nonprofit Leadership
A panel with Abigail Shakespeare (moderator) Dave Lawson, Martha Mathurin-Moe, and Kendal Shroder
Ready to create a truly inclusive and equitable organization and break down barriers in our local community? Join us for a powerful panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities of implementing IDEA principles, specifically for southern Alberta nonprofits. Our panelists will share their journeys, practical strategies, and real-world examples of building inclusive cultures, and it won’t just be about ticking boxes of diversity - we will be getting into the weeds on why and HOW you can actually do this. You'll leave this session energized and equipped with actionable steps to foster inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and ultimately belonging, within your organization. Discover how to create a space where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
Note: We will be curating a brave space where you can bring your real-world questions and challenges - don’t hesitate to let our facilitator, Abigail, know beforehand if you would like her to address a specific concern within your organization during the session. Let's build a more just and inclusive future together!
Voluntary Landscape in Southern Alberta: Plenty of opportunity with Newcomers and Postsecondary Students
with Amanda Jensen
Volunteer Lethbridge is THE advocate for nonprofit organizations South of Calgary. We collect information and statistics from our own centralized membership base, as well as from our trusted partners. Because we have this access to data and to broad provincial and federal information, we can distill sector and voluntary trends. Let's talk about what these trends are. In Southern Alberta, Volunteer Lethbridge is happy to report that there are bright spots on the volunteer landscape, especially through the growing trend to volunteer in post secondary students, as well as New Canadians. Our time together will explore specific strategies to set your volunteer management program up for success in attracting and retaining these groups of community members. This is truly a scenario where everybody wins.
Burnout Prevention + Recovery in Leadership
with Tevi Legge
In this session, participants will explore the key signs and symptoms of burnout, with a focus on early detection and proactive measures for leaders. The session will cover effective stress management techniques, the basics of understanding the nervous system in relation to burnout (the science), and the importance of recovery. Board members will learn about creating supportive workplace cultures that prioritize mental health and employee well-being. Practical tools for self-care, resilience-building, and maintaining sustainable productivity will be provided. Interactive activities and case studies will illustrate best practices, enabling leaders to implement these strategies in their organizations to foster a healthier, more engaged workforce.
Grant Writing 101: An Introduction to Funding Sources and Grant Writing
with Karen Blewitt
Seeking funding and applying for grants can be a daunting task for non-profit organizations. There is a lot of work to do before you even start writing a grant! Join this session to explore different types of funding sources, learn about the steps involved in the grant writing process, and identify some common practices and tips for success.
Funders Forum Q&A: Navigating Grant Opportunities for Nonprofits
with Jaci Zalesak, Caitlin Gajdostik, Aiden Peacock
This session is a prime opportunity for nonprofit leaders to engage directly with representatives from key funding organizations, designed to answer your questions about available funding opportunities, application processes, and best practices for securing grants. Gain valuable insights directly from funders and learn how to enhance your organization’s funding strategies to better serve our community.
This interactive session features representatives from:
United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta
Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta
City of Lethbridge
Government of Alberta, Community Grants Unit
Beyond the Donation Box: Unlocking Your Nonprofit's Entrepreneurial Spirit with Social Enterprise
with Abigail Shakespeare & Lyndsay Montina
Are you ready to transform your non-profit from a charity to a change-making enterprise? Have you been tasked with the need to diversify your revenue and it’s feeling like a daunting task, given the difficulty of fundraising these days? This session will introduce you to the exciting, yet complicated world of social enterprise. Discover how this innovative model can help your organization diversify revenue streams, increase impact, and build sustainability. We'll delve into the benefits and challenges of social enterprise for Canadian non-profits, and explore a real-world example with a local non-profit who is funding their programming by engaging their entrepreneurial prowess. Get ready to be inspired and equipped with practical insights to launch your own social venture - we will even be leading you through an exercise for you to start the dreaming process!
Empowering Boards: Governance and Future-Focused Fund Development
with Joyanne Mitchell
This session highlights the importance of the Board as leaders in the fund development process. Join us to learn more about
The role of the Board
Universal Fundraising Principles
Activating Your Network
Understanding Fundraising Strategies, and
Key Metrics that Matter
By the end, attendees will be able to identify the connection between mission, strategy, and fund development while avoiding common fund development challenges that Boards face.
From Good to Best: Tech Solutions for Nonprofit Success
with Tanya Whipple & Jennie Sudo
In this session, we will explore together digital tools and software solutions that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your organization, regardless of its size. We will cover various categories, including project management, communications, email marketing, analytics, graphics, information gathering, asset storage/sharing, and more. Participants will gain insights into what we consider good, better, and best options within each category, with options to fit different organizational needs and budgets.
By the end of this session, you will have an increased understanding of the technology available to support your nonprofit’s mission, making your role as a volunteer easier and your organization more efficient. Whether you are tech-savvy or just beginning to explore digital tools, we hope this session will provide valuable knowledge and practical tips to help you make informed decisions and drive your nonprofit forward.
Hands-on with GenAI: Opportunities and Cautions
with Craig McCarthy & Kristin Bond
This introductory session on Generative AI will break down what GenAI is, how to use it, and how it can benefit (or harm) your non-profit board. We will provide:
helpful tips and prompts for using GenAI
some common mistakes when using GenAI
ideas for where GenAI is most effective
time to practice using GenAI
Branding: The Power of Shaping Your Nonprofit's Identity
with Lane Anderson
Learn how to define your nonprofit's brand for consistent, clear messaging and stronger connections with your community. This session will show board members how to support and communicate your brand effectively and help your organization achieve its mission.
Cybersecurity: What are the Real Risks?
with Jesse Amos
This talk will focus on what board members ought to know about cybersecurity from a leadership perspective. The talk will touch on the most common attacks against organizations, mitigation strategies, and resources available for crafting policies including industry standards to protect your organization.