NC Conservation Network 10th Annual Conference Agenda
Please note this is a working agenda and is subject to change.
Thursday April 1 and Friday April 2, 2010. Marbles Kids Museum, 201 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC 27601, 919-834-4040. Directions available at http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/directions (opens in new window).
Thursday, April 1
10:30am: Registration Open
11:30am-1:00pm: Welcome Lunch and Funders’ Panel
Join us as we kick-off the 2010 Annual Conference with lunch while we hear from three environmental funders. These top North Carolina funders will talk about recent trends in fundraising and provide useful tips.
Moderated by: Brian Buzby, NC Conservation Network
Donna Chavis, Executive Director of NC Gives
Bobbi Hapgood, Executive Director, NC Network of Grantmakers and Board member, Educational Foundation of America
Hawley Truax, Program Officer of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
1:00pm-2:15pm: Breakout Sessions
-
Telling your story in a shrinking media industry
The media industry is shrinking daily. Small and medium-sized newspapers are being bought up by larger newspapers; television stations are owned by large corporations; and news blogs share and borrow content from one another. In this workshop you will learn tips from experts in the print, television, and internet media fields for how to make sure your issue is covered and your story is told.
Skill level: All
Moderated by: Ida Phillips, Audubon North Carolina
Kelcey Carlson, WRAL
Ben Niolet, News & Observer
Pam Spaulding, Pam’s House Blend -
Sustaining the self and the organization
The environmental community is fighting a lot of up-hill battles. And each one of these can take a toll on the individual and the organization. Make sure that you and your organization are around for the long haul by learning and practicing some helpful and practical tips for sustaining both.
Skill level: All
Scot Quaranda, Dogwood Alliance
Jill Rios, NC Interfaith Power & Light -
Finding new funders
Feel like you’re scraping the bottom of the fundraising barrel? It’s already challenging to raise funds for your organization—throw in a down economy, and things can look downright dismal. But, there’s hope. In this workshop you will find that the barrel is actually bottomless, as a topnotch fundraising expert shows you how and where to find new potential major donors.
Skill level: Advanced
Heather Yandow, NC Conservation Network
2:15pm-2:45pm: Networking break with coffee
2:45pm-4:00pm: Breakout Sessions
-
Introduction to online organizing
Hundreds of millions of people are using the Internet everyday. Learn about which tools are best to organize and mobilize your supporters, and discover the tips and tricks that can help you build and strengthen your organization.
Skill level: Beginner
Julielyn Gibbons, i3 Strategies -
Expanding your membership base
Is your organization having a challenging time finding new members? After having to account for attrition rate, is it difficult to get numbers greater then last years? In this workshop you will hear from a seasoned expert why there’s no need to give up hope as she walks you through a plan for where to find new members and how to spread your organization’s mission.
Skill level: Advanced
Elaine Chaney, Institute for Conservation Leadership -
Organizing in a predominantly people of color community
As our organizations work to become more diverse, the most challenging part can be getting started. As an all-white (or mostly white organization), it may be easy to determine where you need to outreach, but it can be challenging to actually go out there and do it. In this workshop you will hear from a few individuals who have successfully organized in communities that are predominantly people of color. They will provide tips and to-dos for how your organization can succeed in beginning to build a more diverse grassroots base.
Skill level: All
Moderated by: Cynthia Brown, The Conservation Fund
Veronica Butcher, NC Conservation Network
Sharon Campbell, SYNERGY Development Group & Training
Dave Emmerling, Pamlico-Tar River Foundation
4:00pm-4:30pm: Networking break with snack
4:30pm-5:30pm: Creating Change in NC Government
Many of our organizations work at the state level to create and enforce environmental legislation. One thing the NC Conservation Network wanted to know is what is it that the environmental community does well and what is it that we could be doing better? In this session, we will hear from a state legislator, a bill drafter, and someone who has worked closely with the Governor’s office on how effective we are at advocating for our issue.
Moderated by: Julie Mayfield, Western North Carolina Alliance
Representative Angela Bryant, NC House of Representatives
Jeff Hudson, NC General Assembly
Mac McCorkle, Adjunct Professor of the Practice at UNC Public Policy
5:30pm-7:00pm: Reception
Join us for good company, a glass of wine, and some light snacks while we celebrate the opportunity to be together.
Friday, April 2
8:30am-9:30am: Breakfast
9:30am-12:00pm: Training Sessions
-
Lobbying: How to & hands on
When we polled our affiliates on what type of trainings they would like to see at our Annual Conference, lobbying ranked at the top. So, straight from us to you: a “how to” and “hands on” lobbying workshop. First, you’ll get the “how to” from seasoned experts on legislative dynamics, the benefits of having a good lobbying team, and the importance of relationships. Then, a topnotch facilitator will create a space for the “hands on” as attendees get the chance to practice lobbying legislators and develop a lobbying plan for your organization.
Skills level: All
Meredith Emmett, Third Space Studio
Gina Upchurch, Senior PharmAssist
Betsy Vetter, American Heart Association -
Networks & coalitions: Benefits of working in groups
We all know that networks, coalitions, and other cooperative efforts with multiple organizations working together can achieve significant outcomes. In this training, you will learn how to become an effective leader in your cooperative effort and take practical steps to increase its impact; you will hear stories and lessons learned from existing cooperative efforts in the NC environmental community; and you will also be able to take one of your current campaigns and explore what a collaborative effort around that issue would look like.
This workshop is based on ICL’s Working Together: A Toolkit for Cooperative Efforts, Networks, and Coalitions publication.
Skill level: All
Elaine Chaney, Institute for Conservation Leadership -
Advanced online organizing
An effective Internet outreach strategy can make all the difference in your group's effectiveness online, and for many organizations, it's an outlet they can't afford to miss. We'll examine case-studies and examples of winning techniques and strategies from across the country within organizing, messaging, fundraising and outreach.
Skill level: Advanced
Julielyn Gibbons, i3 Strategies
12:00pm-2:00pm: Lunch & 2010 Issues’ Overview
Each year, before the North Carolina legislature convenes, the Common Agenda is created by participating NC environmental advocacy groups to set a short list of top issue priorities for the year. This year, the Common Agenda wants your feedback. In this final session we’ll see presentations on the potential top issues for the 2010 state legislative session. Then, we’ll have the opportunity to provide our feedback and voice our opinion for which issues we think should be put on the Common Agenda. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to make your organization’s voice heard.
Facilitated by Meredith Emmett, Third Space Studio
Dan Crawford, Conservation Council of NC
**Other speakers to be confirmed**
2:00pm-2:30pm: Wrap-Up & Adjournment/Farewell
