Paul Light of the Brookings Institution and New York University gave the Arizona nonprofit sector some
'tough love' through keynote remarks made to participants of the annual state-wide Nonprofit Day conference
held last Friday in Phoenix. Through a well-balanced combination of intellect and humor, Dr. Light proceeded
to answer the trust crisis that nonprofits are experiencing. The answer Dr. Light presented is his case for
capacity building, discussed in the recently released Brookings publication he authored titled, “Sustaining
Nonprofit Performance.”
Dr. Light urged the sector to build the capacity of their organizations by capitalizing on its greatest asset, the motivation of its workforce. He urged the sector to invest in its workforce as data show that it is a more dedicated workforce than those found in the profit or government sectors. Dr. Light summarized with this statement, "Capacity building is essential for performance, which is essential for regaining public confidence." He applauded the efforts of ASU and others involved with the creation of Arizona's first state-wide association of nonprofits and urged the gathering to support the effort in order to assure a vibrant and successful nonprofit sector.
In a pre-session on Thursday Juan Johnson, Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, and President of the Diversity Leadership Academy, discussed the opportunities for organizations to leverage diversity as an organizational asset. He provided the context of culture, gender, and age but also highlighted the perspective of management level, religious beliefs, job type, and other key considerations when building a winning human resource of volunteers and paid staff in organizations. Mr. Johnson presented an alternative perspective on diversity and showed that individuals bring more to their organizations when they are valued beyond what is most obvious such as race and gender.
After Juan Johnson's presentation, participants heard from a panel on Building Diverse Boards. The panel was facilitated by David Ramirez (City of Phoenix) featuring Marvin Perry (Black Board of Directors), Joseph Ortiz (Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), Dave Chandler (Tucson Volunteer Center) and Alandra Washington (W. K. Kellogg Foundation). The panel focused on what organizations can do to foster diversity within their respective organization boards.
Participants of Thursday's pre-session benefited from a Tools Fair, sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, that included information and materials from the following organizations that provide support services to nonprofits: CompuMentor, Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Groundspring, GuideStar, Hands on Network, Make a Difference, Michigan Nonprofit Association, NPower, NPower Arizona, NPower Michigan and VolunteerMarch.
Those attending Friday's annual conference benefited not only from Paul Light's presentation but also from many workshops and break-out sessions on topics ranging from nonprofit compensation, tools for capacity building, careers in fundraising, and developing the next generation of nonprofit leaders. The workshops were led by leaders in the field from ASU, Guidestar, Nonprofit Risk Management Center, the Center for Leadership Ethics & Public Service, the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Management, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and other capacity builders. The lunch program featured outstanding executive director awards presented by the Organization for Nonprofit Executives (ONE) and a presentation by Todd Hornback, CEO of the new Alliance for Arizona Nonprofits.
