State of the State of Nonprofits
Schedule
Thu Apr 09 2026 at 09:00 am to 02:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Hilton Garden Inn Fargo | Fargo, ND
About this Event
Funding patterns shifted in 2025. Staffing remains unpredictable. Boards are under pressure. Donor behavior continues to evolve. And 2026 is not shaping up to be a “return to normal.”
The State of the State of Nonprofits is a half-day, no-fluff gathering designed to give nonprofit leaders a grounded look at what actually happened in 2025, and what it realistically means moving forward.
This is not a hype-your-organization-up-to-do-awesome-work conference. This is definitely not a panic session for nonprofits. This is absolutely a practical reality check on what experts across the state of North Dakota are seeing, hearing, experiencing that you need to know to make 2026 your best year ever.
You’ll hear directly from:
- Regional funders on what they funded and what they didn’t
- Governance and risk experts on fraud, oversight, and board responsibility
- HR and business leaders on hiring, retention, burnout, and leadership transitions
- Fundraising and event professionals on what truly moved the needle in 2025
- And an unscripted “Ask Us Anything” panel where nothing is off the table
Coffee, lunch, and real conversation included.
If you lead, fundraise for, serve on the board of, or advise a nonprofit organization, this day is built for you.
Space is limited!
In Person Tickets just $65!
FREE Virtual Tickets brought to you by Do Good Better Consulting, Mobile Pro and The 13th Hat
Speakers Include:
Patrick Kirby - Do Good Better Consulting
Tony LookingElk – Bush Foundation
Erik Wilke – FM Area Foundation
Anne Crews Melton – Consensus Council
Steve Lipp – North Dakota Community Foundation
Melanie Gaebe – Shift Happens Consulting
Anne Stoll – Eide Baily
Lonna Whiting – Garden Communications
David Deitz – Preference Employment Solutions
Heather Ostrowski – Gate City Bank
Jeremy Ostrowski – Border States
Brian Bestge – Mobile Pro
Deidre Hillman – 13th Hat
Shawn McKena - North Dakota Association of Nonpriofit Organizations
Agenda
Opening: The State of the State of Nonprofits
Regional Funder Panel
Boards, Fraud & “Please Don’t End Up in the Paper”
People Are the Strategy
Lunch & Peer Conversations
Events, Fundraising & The 2026 Forecast
Ask Us Anything Panel with All Speakers
Wrap-Up: What to Do Next
Where is it happening?
Hilton Garden Inn Fargo, 4351 17th Avenue South, Fargo, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 76.73
