By Dan Cardinali, Independent Sector

I am thinking a lot about Next Gen leaders. As I embark on my time at IS, here’s the question I am considering: are we sufficiently creating authentic spaces for Next Gen leaders to have a voice, to be real interlocutors, as this community grows and changes? How intentional are we in sharing power with Next Gen leaders, in ways beyond mentoring them or guiding them – to allow them to lead and make decisions? Our sector at this moment needs to adapt to a set of dynamics that are building momentum in terms of their collective impact on our democracy, the technology we use, the information we act upon.

By Ginger Zielinskie, Benefits Data Trust

Last year, as I attended the Independent Sector Conference, Benefits Data Trust was at a moment of inflection. We were growing – fast. In order to keep pace we needed to invest in our team and the way we worked together. Old informal norms and ways of working were not going to work as we grew. Focused on this, I was excited for the conference and I was reading – a lot. I came across AchieveMission CEO James Shepard’s article, “Ready to Scale Fast, Are you Sure?” Then, by chance, at the conference, I met James. After several conversations we entered into a partnership to help BDT build a Human Talent Management Strategy. Sounds pretty consultant speak, I know. But what came out of the partnership was a comprehensive strategy to invest in the BDT team and improve how we work together.

By Julie Simpson, TCC Group

For years, funders have encouraged nonprofits – at a certain stage in their development – to scale, replicate, or expand their efforts. While most nonprofits are interested in expanding the good they do in the world (i.e., outcomes or impact), this should not be confused with simply expanding their activities, or increasing the number or intensity of their programs or services (i.e., outputs). When faced with the difficult choice of how to “grow their impact” – that tension of innovating with new program models, or improving the ways in which they are delivering their services and potentially expanding their reach – nonprofits (and their boards) need to assess whether they possess the capacities necessary to grow or scale successfully.

By James Siegal, KaBOOM!

For nonprofit professionals, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of finding a welcoming group of motivated people who share a passion for advancing the common good. There’s no place better to meet those inspired and inspiring individuals than the Independent Sector Conference. The schedule (and the hallways!) are packed with compelling leaders who are driving big solutions to complex societal challenges, ones that require collaboration across all sectors.

By Dan Cardinali, Independent Sector

It’s inescapable. As we have throughout our history, our country is painfully struggling with issues of racial equity. And the questions before us, individually and collectively, are just as inescapable. Are we facilitating, or are we frustrating, racial equity in America? As people of good will in leadership roles, as a community well-positioned to foster racial equity and racial healing, are we moving forward? Hesitating? Acting in opposition? With the support of a number of philanthropic institutions, particularly the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Independent Sector is choosing to move forward.

By Kyle Bozentko, Jefferson Center

I’ve come to realize that the Independent Sector Conference presents an invaluable opportunity for small organizations. It is an unparalleled venue for us to share our stories of success and our challenges, to learn from and with one another and alongside larger organizations, philanthropy, and the private sector, and to actively participate in shaping the future direction of cross-sector work and collaborations through connections that emerge through our participation and our unique contributions.

By Susan Dreyfus, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities

The nonprofit human services sector will continue to contribute to the vitality of our nation through our singular commitment to advancing equity and building our country’s greatest asset: its people. Our sector has distinction through the unique way we engage the people we serve; the creative ways we provide our programs and services; our leadership; our innovative spirit and deep partnerships; and our paramount responsibility to principled-based advocacy whether for the individual, the family, the community, the state, or the nation.

By Hilary Doe, NationBuilder

The Internet changed the way our organizations engage with our supporters, grow meaningfully, and create impact. In short, the Internet has changed the way we succeed. This election year highlighted even more clearly that we’re in a new era of public engagement. And those organizations leading the pack across sectors—nonprofits, political parties and campaigns, associations, foundations, companies, and higher education institutions—share an understanding a few key insights.

By Barry Goodinson, Independent Sector

I recently had the opportunity for a sneak preview and reception as the guest of a friend who is a curator at the museum. I couldn’t believe my good luck! All of us here at Independent Sector are counting ourselves lucky to know that we and other conference attendees will be among the first to see the museum when it hosts the opening reception of IS’s upcoming conference in November – and then, suddenly, I got this additional opportunity even sooner! Trust me. If you are on the fence about attending the IS conference in November, the opportunity to see this amazing place at the conference’s opening reception should send you catapulting over it.

By Marie LeBlanc, Critical Issues and Sector Advancement

Greater Washington is the epicenter for some of the largest national and international nonprofits in the country – United Way Worldwide, The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries International. But DC is also home to a vibrant community of local and regional nonprofits that make a significant impact on the lives of Washingtonians. Local and regional nonprofits are testing new ideas and innovative strategies to solve decades-long issues of poverty, racial inequity, and under-development. We can’t wait to share what’s happening in our own backyard at the 2016 Independent Sector Conference.