PEI Community Impact Summit

The PEI Community Impact Summit is a 2-day conference bringing together nonprofit staff & volunteer from across PEI to learn, connect, and collaborate.

Attendees can expect practical tools, actionable strategies, and meaningful networking opportunities to strengthen their organizations and communities. Whether you’re an executive director, board member, staff professional, or emerging leader, the Summit offers fresh ideas and inspiration to drive impact and resilience across the sector.

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration & Breakfast

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM | Welcome & Opening remarks

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM | Stronger Together - Fireside Chat

Panelist: Jane Ledwell, Satya Sen, Isabelle Dasylva Gill, Heather Laiskonis, Alexia Riche

For the first time, leaders from PEI’s key networks - Creative PEI, the Federation of PEI Municipalities, La S'AFILE, and PEI Watershed Alliance - come together on one stage to explore how we can move from parallel efforts to shared action. This inspiring, solutions-focused conversation will challenge assumptions, celebrate collaboration, and remind us that we’re all part of the same story!

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Break

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Concurrent Workshops

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Lunch

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM | Leading with Belonging: Reimagining Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility in PEI’s Nonprofit Sector

Panelist: Daniel Ohaegbu, AinZ Kendrick, Kevin Porter , Deanelle Magbanua

This panel centers on the lived experiences of leaders who are transforming how organizations approach inclusion and belonging. It will highlight the realities of implementing equity practices on PEI and examine how organizations can embed accessibility, representation, and anti-racism into their daily work.

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM | Networking Activity

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM | Break

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Concurrent Workshops

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration & Breakfast

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM | Welcome & Opening remarks

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Beyond Collaboration: Building Sustainable Partnerships Across Sectors

Panelist: Jordan MacDonald, Michelle MacCallum, Jordan Bober, Amir Zuccolo

This panel will bring together leaders from nonprofits, government, and funders to explore how we move beyond transactional partnerships toward long-term, values-aligned collaborations that strengthen PEI’s communities and economy. The session will highlight lessons learned, practical strategies, and real examples of partnerships that have created shared value across sectors.

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM | Break

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Concurrent Workshops

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Lunch

1:15 PM - 3:15 PM | Closing session: Now What?

• Beyond Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Reimagining Antiracism in Atlantic Canada with Aaron Sardinha

Is DEI Dead or Just Evolving?

In a world that has grown hostile to anything labeled “woke”, how do we keep racial justice alive and relevant? Across Atlantic Canada, advocates, educators, and community builders are asking: What’s next for antiracism?

Join BIPOC USHR for a bold, reflective conversation on the future of this work. We’ll share five key lessons we’ve learned from the front lines: the missteps, the breakthroughs, and the moments of resilience, and reveal what’s coming next in 2026 and beyond as we reimagine DEI for a new era.

• Building Healthy and Equitable Conflict Cultures with Brook Thorndycraft

Do you have a hunch your workplace could be more effective at dealing with conflict? Deepen your understanding of how to build a workplace culture that supports equitable and healthy conflict that has the potential to create more authentic and transformative relationships.

When workplace relationships feel unnecessarily stressful and toxic - or alternatively when people are too worried about being nice to be honest with each other - it can get in the way of creating the workplaces and world we want to live in. But we can get better at engaging in conflict as a source of possibility and connection. This interactive training will help you understand the phases of conflict, and how to intervene to create healthier and more equitable culture, as well as some of the costs of letting conflict escalate and the benefits of early intervention.

• Investment Governance for Not-For-Profit Organizations with Jeff Pond and Marc De Rome

Effective investment governance is essential for not-for-profit organizations seeking to safeguard their capital, support long-term missions, and steward donor resources responsibly.  This workshop provides board and investment committees with a practical, structured framework for building and maintaining a well-governed investment program.  Attendees will learn how to clearly articulate their organization’s investment goals and objectives, forming the foundation of a strong Investment Policy.  Additionally, we will lead you through a discussion on how to design a robust long-term asset mix incorporating diversification principles, liquidity needs and time horizon considerations.

• Navigating Interpersonal Conflict in Anti-Oppression Spaces with Seed Room Consulting

This session examines how trauma, insecurity, and deference politics (the tendency to substitute interpersonal deference to marginalized individuals for the material changes those communities actually need) shape interpersonal conflict in anti-oppression environments. We explore how marginalized people may be burdened with, or internalize, expectations to act as “all-knowing” representatives of their communities, and how these pressures can unintentionally create harmful relational dynamics within teams. Participants will leave with greater clarity, emotional grounding, and practical tools to foster healthier, more accountable relationships within their organizations and networks.

• Coaching with Performance Management with Tory Kennedy

In today’s workplaces, performance management is no longer just about evaluation, it’s about growth. This workshop explores how coaching and performance management work hand-in-hand to build stronger teams, clarify expectations, and foster accountability. Participants will learn how coaching conversations can enhance motivation, address challenges early, and support employees in reaching their full potential. By integrating supportive coaching techniques into performance management practices, leaders can shift from a corrective approach to a collaborative one, driving results while strengthening relationships. This session is designed to be practical, interactive, and focused on real workplace scenarios that leaders face every day.

• Building Inclusive Workplaces: Advancing Accessibility, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with Chloe Toombs

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore the foundations of Accessibility, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (AEDI) through a practical, human-centered lens. Together, we’ll unpack common barriers faced by individuals with disabilities and other marginalized groups, and discuss strategies to create more inclusive spaces within the nonprofit sector. Through discussion, reflection, and real-world examples, participants will gain a stronger understanding of how to foster belonging, apply accessibility principles, and integrate AEDI values into everyday practice. Attendees will leave with actionable tools and insights to strengthen inclusion within their organizations and communities.

• Impact Measurement 101: Getting Started with What Matters with Nishka Smith

The workshop will help participants understand the key components of impact (activity → output → outcome → impact), identify simple indicators to measure progress, use basic tools to collect useful data consistently, analyze their data, and communicate change effectively to funders and stakeholders. The session will be interactive and will include practical activities so participants can practice applying the concepts learned.

• Leading for Impact: 3 Leadership Essentials for Today’s Non-Profit Environment with Sally Ripley

Through this interactive session, non-profit leaders will explore three critical leadership areas: adaptive leadership, emotional intelligence, and building a culture of accountability and care. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with actionable strategies to help leaders navigate change, strengthen team engagement, and foster sustainable, mission-driven organizational cultures.

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Host or Publisher Community Sector Network of PEI