Gathering United: 2024 UWP Conference
We are happy to announce that UWP will be hosting the 2024 Conference at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Seven Springs Pennsylvania from May 15th-17th 2024. Please join us to network and collaborate with UWP staff and an exciting lineup of great speakers as we discuss how we can develop and diversify resources though the Thriving United Way Framework. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of UWW, we have been able to lower registration significantly to $100 per person. The UWW sponsorship allows UWP to offer a travel stipend of at least $600 per United Way that registers to attend the conference, and it is likely that stipend will be higher. The final amount of the stipend will be determined when registration closes, based upon the number of United Ways who registered. The travel stipend can be used to offset hotel costs, mileage reimbursements and/or other travel costs associated with the conference. Stipend payments will be issued by the end of May to UWs who attend the conference.
UWP is also excited to extend invitations to local United Ways in our neighboring states to participate in Gathering United.
This year’s conference brings together experts in non-profit mission advancement, with innovative resource targeting and development, along with highlighting the role that UW plays in communities as a trusted and recognizable brand through times of division and discord. There will be a strong presence of speakers from varied backgrounds and diverse professional experience to highlight how we can be innovative as individual local United Ways, and as a network. We will look at new data collection opportunities and partnerships, as well as discussing how we can best use the tools at our disposal to assess, address, and predict community needs. There will be plenty of breakout sessions which are sure to provide tools to better engage with the communities we serve focused on resource development and meaningful community impact. Plus, plenty of time for networking and collaboration with peers from across the network and neighboring states!
About Seven Springs Mountain Resort
Seven Springs Mountain Resort is the ultimate Pennsylvania destination for winter fun, and also boasts plenty of warmer-weather attractions to provide a beautiful, retreat-like setting for Gathering United! The resort includes 33 slopes and trails, seven terrain parks, and the lodge offers a variety of activities like bowling, mini golf, an arcade, indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, nightlife and numerous dining options. This setting is sure to offer a great backdrop to the UWP conference for all attendees.
Gathering United: 2024 Conference Schedule
8:30am: Registration Opens
9:00am: Breakfast Buffet Open
Breakfast includes local breads and muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, breakfast potatoes, coffee, hot tea, and juice.
9:30am: Keynote Address
Welcome Message: Kristen Rotz: President of United Way of Pennsylvania
Carl Nassib, keynote presentation- Strength and Role of Younger donorship in the future of UW.
The nonprofit industry fills the gaps to where other agencies often fall short. Few organizations know the needs of their community better than our local United Ways and so they are positioned to be able to name, address, and impact communities in an effective manner. Join Carl Nassib, as he calls out what he believes to be the strengths of UW and its role in engaging younger donors to effectively further the Mission and Vision of United Way.
11:00am: Breakout Sessions
- Carl Nassib- Rayze App
Younger generations want to help out, and they want to give back—they just need a way to do it. Carl saw this as a technological gap, and a huge opportunity. After all, these generations barely carry cash and rarely write checks. Which is exactly why Rayze also allows users to donate to organizations right there on the app, seamlessly integrating this act of kindness into everyday lives. Join Carl as he discusses this exciting new opportunity and the impact that it can have on donorship and fundraising. - Amy Hager- Marketing Survival Guide
In the Marketing Survival Guide, we will look at communicating through a new lens so your marketing efforts are thriving, not just surviving. This very active and hands-on session is going to teach and encourage you to look at things a little differently so you are connecting and engaging with your community and driving donors to your door. We will be taking a pause to better understand the psychology of how people are engaging with content and trying something a little different based on YOUR strengths. We will also cover the six pieces of messaging you need in your marketing strategy to effectively communicate your organization’s mission to your community. - Beck Moore- Cultivating Workplace Culture: Harnessing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Success
Psychological safety is the workforce’s #1 most desired trait and an indicator of a high-performing team. Join us for an enlightening session that explores the critical intersection of workplace culture and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Attendees will explore an indisputable, human based approach to DEI and how to begin implementing a safer and productive workplace culture in simplistic ways. Finally, we will emphasize how DEI is not an isolated initiative but an all-encompassing approach that should be integrated into all aspects of an organization and how it can influence recruitment and retention, leadership development, decision-making processes, and overall organizational success.
12:00pm: Lunch Served
Lunch buffet includes salad, sandwiches, mini-desserts, side dishes, water and soda.
1:30pm: AI/Digital Equity Panel
Emily Aubele, Kelly Cockshaw, Karen Struble Meyers, Sally Ellwein: How can we assess, address, and predict community needs using the tools at our disposal: AI, 211, Digital Navigator Network strategy, and strategic partnerships.
2:45pm: Afternoon Breakout Sessions
- Kelly Cockshaw- Innovate for Impact
Designed to uplift community nonprofits and social enterprises, United Way of Chester County offers a range of innovative solutions, including hands-on AI training, data-driven decision-making guidance, practical capacity-building resources, and robust leadership support. Through these offerings, we empower nonprofits to innovate, adapt, and create lasting, positive impacts within our community. Join Kelly Cockshaw as she discusses this initiative in further detail and how it can impact your local UW. - Susan Loucks- Patterns of Power: Sound Familiar?
Butting heads on the board of directors; difficulty retaining staff or board members that represent nontraditional communities; long-term leader having a hard time letting go. These may seem like different issues on the surface, but there’s one way to better understand all of them – through the lens of power. Power isn’t inherently good or bad; it is, however, a dynamic part of every interaction. Join us to explore patterns of power, cultivate good habits around power, and practice a tool that can identify ways to channel power more productively in our organizations. - Upic Solutions- The Evolution of Fundraising: Expanding beyond Workplace Campaigns to Individual Engagement
Fundraising for United Ways has evolved beyond the Workplace. Where the workplace once provided the opportunity to simply raise money through employee campaigns, it now provides the much-needed access/opportunity to engage differently. Come and learn from other United Ways how they are using the workplace as an opportunity for Individual Engagement, deepening relationships with donors through targeted marketing, communications, volunteer opportunities and more.
4:00pm: Social Hour
6:00pm: Membership Dinner with the State of the UWP Network Address
Dinner will be buffet style and Kristen Rotz, President of United Way of PA, will give an update on the work completed by UWP in 2023 and so far in 2024. Dinner buffet includes salad, two entrees, three side dishes, two desserts, rolls, coffee, hot tea, and water. There will be a cash bar available.
8:00am: Registration Opens
8:30am: Breakfast and Networking
Breakfast includes local breads and muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, breakfast potatoes, coffee, hot tea, and juice.
9:30am: Opening Keynote:
Mr. Jeff Coleman: Civility and the role of UW in community leadership
We live in a time where polarizations of views, both political and social, continue to have negative effects on the way that nonprofits positively impact people’s lives. Trusted community-based organizations like UW have a privileged position to be able to bridge the gap between civility and community divisions to deliver meaningful change. Jeff has over 15 years of experience delivering high level and targeted messaging to audiences with an approach that continually returns to a commitment of telling each story with grace and authenticity. Jeff is the founder and principal of Churchill Strategies in Harrisburg.
10:45am Breakout Sessions
- Amy Hager- Benefits of Transformation
Why do people in your community donate to your organization? People are being more cautious with their spending and therefore need more reasons to donate to your organization besides “networking” or “because it is the right thing to do”. They want results for their investment, but we frequently sell them benefits. Bring a pen and paper or your computer and an upcoming event or current offering that you want to create a transformation statement for. The way we will break this down can be taken back and used in your future product and event development or to revamp current offerings and events that need messaging help. - Emily Aubele & Phil Falvo- PA 211 & ALICE: Measuring Barriers to Financial Stability and Finding Solutions Join us to learn more about the combined power of ALICE and 211. Take a deep dive into the ALICE and 211 data and learn more about how you can overlay this information to demonstrate your community needs and help to tell your story. The UWP and PA 211 teams will lead the way in showing how we use ALICE and 211 data to strengthen relationships in Public Policy, Resource Development, and Community Engagement.
- Sara Noel and Sally Ellwein, UWSWPA – Innovations in Impact: Community Change Collaboratives Building upon our Investment Priority Framework which focuses on Meeting Basic Needs, Moving People to Financial Security, and Building for Success in School and Life for all children, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania identified several multi-faceted community needs that no one organization can tackle alone. Join us to learn how we are using our convening power to bring people together from multiple organizations to generate innovative solutions to challenging problems that affect a wide cross-section of our communities. We will discuss the development of our Community Change Collaboratives, provide ideas about how this concept can be scaled for communities of various sizes and resources, and share a specific example of a collaborative we created focused on food insecurity. This impact work tackles a variety of issues, the partners represent a multitude of community stakeholders, and the investment needed is of varying scale.
12:00pm: Lunch
Lunch buffet includes salad, entrees, mini-desserts, side dishes, mini desserts coffee, hot tea, and water.
2:00pm: Afternoon Keynote
Chad Barger: What’s Changing In Fundraising & How Nonprofits Should Adapt
Join fundraising master trainer, Chad Barger, CFRE, for a presentation highlighting recent findings in fundraising research to shed insight on how nonprofit fundraising is changing. The latest data on donor trends, academic research, articles from fundraising thought leaders and stories from the front lines will provide a snapshot of where fundraising is today and where it is headed. In addition, specific tactics and strategies will be provided to assist nonprofit organizations in adapting to these changes and better position the organization for fundraising success.
3:30pm: Breakout Sessions
- Chad Barger- “How to Keep All Those Donors You Worked So Hard to Get”
Join fundraising master trainer, Chad Barger, CFRE, for a discussion on the importance of donor retention and learn simple, actionable steps that you can take to boost donor retention in your organization. Attendees will also complete several exercises which will review and map the donor touchpoints at their organization. Participants will leave the session with a greater understanding of what they can do to improve donor retention and the start of an improvement plan for their organization. - Kim Amsler, Emily Aubele, Erin Connelly- Strengthening Relationships to Achieve Common Goals Join the panel of presenters from United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, PA 211, and UWP to explore how you can grow and strengthen relationships within your communities and across the state to reach your common goals and advance your mission. We will highlight each of our relationships with the Eastern PA CoC – and discuss how each partner is combining their skills, experience, and knowledge to strive toward a common goal to end homelessness. Each partnership is unique, just as every community is unique, but when each of us brings our strengths to the table, we are able to make an even greater impact. While the Eastern PA CoC is region specific, the programs, goals, and lesson learns will be valuable and applicable to every community.
- Phil Falvo- UWP Public Policy Director: In the ever changing landscape of public policy, there is one constant for the United Way of Pennsylvania: the impact it has on Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) households. Join our public policy team as they discuss current issues in Pennsylvania government and policy, and the potential impact on the nonprofit sector and the population we serve.
5:00pm: Networking Happy Hour
8:30am: Breakfast
Breakfast includes local breads and muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, breakfast potatoes, coffee, hot tea, and juice.
9:00am: Opening Keynote: UWW- UW Revenue Diversification Strategies
A member of the UWW global corporate leadership team will share information about the next stage of United Way’s efforts to build strong and lasting relationships with existing corporate partners and develop new corporate partnerships with social responsibility goals that align to the United Way network’s current and emerging work.
10:15am: UWW- UW Revenue Diversification Strategies
In the Thriving United Way Framework, United Ways are engaging board and volunteers in fundraising strategies, activating diverse and sustainable revenue streams, implementing year-round donor engagement and sustainable fundraising best practices for individual and corporate donors, and leveraging community impact success to amplify diverse fundraising.
This session is designed to allow United Ways to
1) learn about successful diversified revenue strategies in growing local United Ways of all different sizes across the country;
2) gain an understanding of emerging pilot groups convened by UWW who will be testing these strategies in additional markets and sharing learning across the country – pilots include issue-based community campaigns, disaster and crisis donor conversion, learning and training, and collaborative fundraising, among others.
11:30: Conference End, join us for an informal closing event.
Registration
Registration for the conference is now closed. If you have questions please reach out to iruizswartz@uwp.org
Full Conference Registration
- Includes all conference sessions Wednesday-Friday
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner provided during the conference
Registration Pricing
Member Pricing: $100.00/person
One Day Conference Registration
- Includes all conference sessions on Wednesday or Thursday (not available on Friday)
- Breakfast and Lunch provided during the conference
Registration Pricing
Member Pricing: $50.00/person
Hotel Information
Attendees at the conference can stay at the Seven Springs Resort at a special rate of $149.99/night, parking is free and provided by the resort. Rooms must be booked by April 14th, 2024 to receive discounted rate. Any reservations made after this date will be at the normal rate the hotel has to offer.
To reserve your room at the discounted rate, please call (814) 352-7777 and ask for the front desk. Mention that the block name is “United Way of Pennsylvania”, and the group block code is “UWP”.
Register