Webinars & Workshops

For many nonprofit CEOs, board engagement is a more urgent and complicated leadership challenge than it was even a few years ago. Today’s environment is putting new pressure on how trustees and leaders work together at a time when executives are navigating uncertainty, pressure, and limited capacity.

The stakes are clear: Research shows only about one in three CEOs believe they have the “right” board members to support their organization’s current strategy. As nonprofits look toward 2026, finding ways to close this gap is more critical than ever.

Join this 75-minute webinar to learn from two nonprofit leaders who bring long histories of working closely with boards as executives and advisers. They’ll share trends they’re seeing now, situations where board engagement tends to break down, and tactics that are helping make the board-CEO relationship more productive and supportive in this moment.

You’ll learn ways to:

• Encourage more active board participation and match members’ contributions to your organization’s most pressing needs.
• Clarify expectations and improve how board and staff members work together.
• Build board engagement that supports leadership during complex moments.
• You’ll walk away with practical insights you can apply immediately — whether you’re trying to reset expectations with a long-standing board or navigate engagement challenges that have become harder to ignore.

Host Provider: The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:15 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: $69/$89

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Most organizations work with a CPA to file their Form 990, and while those professionals bring expertise in IRS requirements, they may not be thinking like funders, grant writers, or development staff. As the funding landscape grows more competitive, your 990 can be a powerful tool for telling your organization’s story to funders and donors.  

Join Ara Beal as she walks through Form 990 and Form 990-EZ, highlighting the sections most reviewed by potential funders, along with considerations when completing these sections and questions to ask your accountant. The takeaways from this session can also inform future grant budgeting, fundraising strategy, and grant tracking and reporting.  

Host Provider: Ohio Arts Council
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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Nonprofit C-suite leaders play a pivotal role in driving mission impact—yet each role comes with its own evolving challenges, expectations, and opportunities. This webinar focuses on the Chief Operating Officer (COO)—building on Bridgespan’s original COO Resource Center and introducing new research and fresh insights, including findings from a recent survey of 150+ nonprofit COOs.

The COO role is among the most dynamic and multifaceted positions in the nonprofit sector. As organizations evolve to meet new challenges and opportunities, COOs—and the CEOs who partner with them—are redefining what effective leadership and operational excellence look like.

Attendees will learn:

• How COOs can clarify their focus around three critical roles that many high-performing COOs play in their organizations.
• What Bridgespan’s latest research reveals about the evolving nonprofit COO role, including key insights from a survey of 150+ nonprofit COOs.
• Strategies COOs and CEOs can use to build trust, balance priorities, and sustain high-functioning leadership partnerships.
• Practical tools, frameworks, and experience-sharing from guest speakers, grounded in real-world nonprofit leadership.

Host Provider: The Bridgespan Group
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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We invite nonprofit leaders to join the GAC and BVU for a new quarterly roundtable experience.  Throughout this series, you will experience the power of coming together to gain expert insights, build connections, and explore shared pain points, experiences, and solutions.  Each session will provide expert content, alongside opportunities for structured discussions and open networking.   

Host Provider: Greater Akron Chamber & BVU
Date: Friday, February 27, 2026
Time: 8:00-10:00 am
Location: Greater Akron Chamber (388 S Main St., Ste. 205, Akron, OH 44311)
Cost: Free

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Most nonprofit leaders underestimate the true value of their volunteer programs -- and what’s lost by underinvesting in them. Far from being supplemental, well-supported volunteer departments act as force multipliers that expand mission reach, strengthen community impact, and fuel organizational growth. Join Houston Goodwin, CEO of Better Impact, to explore the hidden costs of under-resourced programs and learn practical steps to secure the support and investment volunteer programs need to thrive.

Host Provider: Nonprofit Learning Lab
Date: Monday, March 2, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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Lunchtime gatherings for organizations and partners shaping Summit County’s cultural vitality. Join ArtsNow for our Quarterly Creative Summits, lunchtime conversations for the people and organizations who contribute to the cultural vitality of Summit County! Our quarter one conversation will be held at Northside Marketplace on Wednesday, March 4 at 12pm.

These gatherings bring together artists, arts and culture organizations, community partners, and supporters to share updates, build relationships, and explore how arts, culture, and creativity strengthen quality of life across our region. Each session offers a balance of learning, conversation, and dedicated time to connect with peers and collaborators.

Tickets are $15 to help cover the cost of lunch. If cost is a barrier, a pay-what-you-can community ticket is always available.

Host Provider: ArtsNow
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:30 pm
Location: Northside Marketplace (21 Furnace Streett, #Suite 404 Akron, OH 44308)
Cost: $15

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Are you new to proposal writing or want a quick refresher? If so, you don't want to miss one of Candid's most popular classes! This class will provide you with an overview of how to write a standard project proposal to a foundation.

Reasons to take this course:

• Understand how to write a standard project proposal to a foundation
• Describe your project in a way that connects with funder guidelines 
• Know how and when to connect with funders before and after submitting a proposal

Host Provider: Candid
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Time: 10:00-11:30 am
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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Are you using public ChatGPT or logging into your organization's private Copilot? Is Google Gemini safe? What about other AI tools? Do you have to disclose when you use an AI note taker at a board meeting? Is your valuable data protected? What does your AI policy allow? Learn from a cybersecurity expert how to use AI the secure way. Every level of AI user will learn something in this session.

Host Provider: Nonprofit Learning Lab
Date: Monday, March 9, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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BVU’s nonprofit seminars invite our region’s nonprofit leaders to come together for educational and insightful discussions. Past sessions have included Move Your Mission Forward with Story, Cultivating a Board of Fundraisers, and more. Nonprofits are navigating rising costs, funding uncertainty, and increasing demands in 2026. This session, featuring Jen Kelsch of JSK Solutions, offers a practical, easy-to-understand look at financial oversight and contingency planning – without jargon or alarmism.

Board members and nonprofit leaders will learn how to think about cash flow, reserves, and program operations in a way that supports both mission and long-term stability. The focus is on clear questions, real-world examples, and tools leaders can use right away.

Host Provider: Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU)
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Time: 8:30-10:00 am
Location: MAGNET (1800 E 63rd St, Cleveland, OH 44103)
Cost: $50-$100

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Join Akron Community Foundation for an all-day nonprofit training conference. Limit: two attendees per organization. This year's Nonprofit Insights Conference will feature keynote speakers Aleda Gagarin, Vice President of Influence, for Candid, and Fred Brown, President and CEO, of Forbes Funds, and is an all-day learning experience for nonprofit leaders. Engaging workshops, interactive sessions, and insightful keynotes will help participants gain valuable skills, strategic insights, and practical tools to navigate the challenges of the nonprofit landscape.

Host Provider: Akron Community Foundation
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 8:30 am-3:15 pm
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Akron Fairlawn (3180 W. Market St., Akron, OH 44333)
Cost: $25

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Are you wrestling with how to adopt AI without compromising your organization's mission? You are not alone. On March 12 at AI built for good, leaders in the social good sector will examine the real-world tension shaping fundraising and grantmaking today. From a candid leader-led panel to a hands-on workshop on prompting with purpose, this virtual conference moves beyond theory into practical leadership.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify risks and safeguards in AI-assisted decision-making.
• Protect donor and grantee relationships.
• Reinforce transparency across the giving ecosystem.
• Keep humans firmly in control of AI-supported processes.
• AI may be powerful, but leadership determines whether it strengthens or weakens trust.

Host Provider: Bonterra
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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Since 2020, nonprofits have faced multiple stressors to our programs — including shifting donor preferences and evolving federal guidelines. These disruptions impact every level of our work, from formal strategic plans to ideas jotted on a napkin. In a landscape of flux and change, a static plan is a liability. This session will focus on practical tools to plan for the future, while navigating a constantly changing present and still preserving our core missions.

Host Provider: Nonprofit Learning Lab
Date: Monday, March 16, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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This free introductory course will explain what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and explore how to find potential funders. Register online, in person, or by phone at 330.643.9020.

You will learn the 10 most important things you need to know about finding grants, including:

• Who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations.
• What do funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested in funding.
• How do you identify potential funders and make the first approach.

This class is not intended for individuals seeking grants for their own use. 

Host Provider: Candid & Akron Community Foundation
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Time: 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Akron-Summit County Public Libary, Main Library, Meeting Room 2AB (60 South High Street, Akron, OH, 44326)
Cost: Free

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After you submit a grant proposal, you never want to get a question you can’t answer.  But often, fundraisers are confronted by grantmakers who ask questions about financial statements, and who expect *you* to know what they are asking.  What do you do? 

In this Ask Me Anything webinar, experts Ericka Harney and Rachel DeMatteo will review the basics of some common financial statements and give attendees clear guidance on red and green flags that funders look for in these statements. Attendees will leave this session with sound advice and resources that will help them become better versed in the essentials of funder financial analysis. 

Attendees will:

• Understand the crucial financial documents examined by funders 
• Recognize red and green flags funders look for in financial documents 
• Receive next steps for growing their own nonprofit financial literacy 

Submit your questions in advance; we will select questions to be answered live. Questions can also be submitted and upvoted by participants during the session.  

Host Provider: Candid
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Time: 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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Economic instability, policy shifts, and funding uncertainty are forcing nonprofit leaders to make difficult decisions about programs, partnerships, staffing, and long-term viability — often with limited capacity and little room for error. Despite the need for a clear road map, nearly half of nonprofit leaders report not having a strategic plan. Yet the majority of leaders with plans find them vital to strengthening revenue, decision-making, and organizational focus. Today’s uncertain climate calls for shorter planning horizons and increased flexibility, and the most relevant plans are living documents that help leaders make clearer decisions as conditions change. 

How can you plan smartly for your organization’s future amid disruption?

Join us for a 75-minute webinar to learn directly from savvy nonprofit leaders how to align priorities, navigate disruption, support organizational stability and even foster growth.

You’ll learn how to:

• Include key criteria such as mission fit, financial viability, and core principles to guide high-level strategic decisions
• Translate strategic priorities into actionable next steps
• Make clearer decisions about what to prioritize — and what to let go
• You’ll walk away with practical insights and real-world examples to help you approach strategic planning as a way to steady your organization and strengthen your work.

Host Provider: The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:15 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: $69/$89

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This session is for nonprofit professionals who want to create inclusive, effective surveys. You’ll learn how to write clear, respectful questions that reduce bias, improve accessibility, and encourage more honest responses. Through real examples and practical tips, you’ll gain confidence designing surveys that reflect your entire community, not just the most visible voices.

Host Provider: Nonprofit Learning Lab
Date: Monday, March 30, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free

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A great opportunity for anyone new to the field of fundraising to learn about grant-seeking for nonprofits. Are you new to proposal writing or want a quick refresher? If so, you don't want to miss one of our most popular classes!

This class will provide you with an overview of how to write a standard project proposal for a foundation and will include:

• The basic elements of a proposal.
• How to write a standard project proposal to a foundation.
• The do's and don'ts of writing and submitting a proposal.
• How and when to follow up with funders after submitting a proposal.

This class is not intended for individuals seeking grants for their own use. 

Host Provider: Candid & Akron Community Foundation
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Time: 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Location: Akron-Summit County Public Libary, Main Library, Meeting Room 2AB (60 South High Street, Akron, OH, 44326)
Cost: Free

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