What a day we had in Yakima!

May 13, 2019
Akaya Windwood starts our day talking about “People Matter.”

More than 275 people gathered in Yakima for the Central Washington Conference for the Greater Good on April 24, 2019. People came from Okanagan to Walla Walla counties, from Aberdeen to Spokane. They made their way to Yakima to learn, connect, and be inspired. Washington Nonprofits proudly partnered with Northwest Harvest and NPIP to create one conference at which a wide array of people with different interests could come together.

Keynote speaker Akaya Windwood kicked off the day with a high impact session on leadership. As one attendee put it, she focused on making us human again, helping us to see others different from ourselves as people trying to make their way in this world, just as we are. Akaya led one of 13 workshop sessions that took place throughout the day. In the most attended session, “Making the Ask” with Katie Howard, a full room practiced how they can better invite others into the work of their organization. Melanie Lockwood Herman of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center led to popular sessions on risk leadership. In other sessions, people talked about the Census, finance, volunteer management, and more.

Over the course of the day, participants created a “story wall” with the guidance of volunteers from IRIS, the Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship (IRIS). We celebrated the successes all around us as people from across the area shared stories that elevated the good that they are seeing around them.

A highlight of the Conference was the afternoon plenary in which local and state nonprofit and philanthropic leaders shared their stories, what inspires them, and what we can do to work for more equitable communities in which everyone can live with dignity.

We are grateful for the generous sponsors who believe in the power of nonprofits. Our sustaining funders—the Yakima Valley Community Foundation and Premera—allowed us to keep the cost of the conference under $100. We appreciate our scholarship funders, the Office of the Secretary of State and the Statewide Capacity Collaborative, who covered attendance for 30 leaders. We celebrate the wonderful nonprofit leaders who came from near and far to attend this Conference. Thank you for all you do! Until next year—

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