Agenda.
Schedule-at-a-Glance.
Mark your calendars and join conference partners PANO and Villanova University for two days of in-person learning, connection, community, and fun as we Root Deeper and Rise Together at the 2026 Collaborative Conference. With intention, this year’s event will once again be in-person-only, recognizing the importance of personal connections made over meals, in hallways, during sessions, at exhibitor booths, at the hotel restaurant or bar…you get the picture!
Check out our daily line-up of activities, workshops, and more here.
Thursday, September 24
Registration, Networking, & Meet the Sponsors
10:00 – 11:00 am
Welcome
11:00 – 11:15 am
Fireside Chat-Style Keynote – Dreaming Out Loud: The Democracy We Build Next
11:15 am-11:55 am
Speakers: Diane Yentel, CEO, National Council of Nonprofits | Maddie Gitomer, Senior Counsel, Democracy Forward | Anne Gingerich, Executive Director, PANO
Lunch, Networking, & More
11:55 am – 12:55 pm
Sponsor Spotlight
12:55 – 1:15 pm
Working Sessions
1:20 – 2:50 pm
Collaboration & Partnership | Evolving Technology | Fundraising & Financial Sustainability | Nimble Communications | Leadership & Governance | Strategy, Planning, & Organizational Resilience
Break
2:50 – 3:05 pm
Mini-Clinics: Tending to Our Roots
3:10 – 3:30 pm
Learning Sessions
3:40 – 4:55 pm
Collaboration & Partnership | Evolving Technology | Fundraising & Financial Sustainability | Nimble Communications | Leadership & Governance | Strategy, Planning, & Organizational Resilience
(Outdoor!) Networking Happy Hour
Grounding Ourselves in Nature in The Penn Stater’s Picturesque Courtyard (weather-permitting, of course)
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Live Entertainment by Berks Sinfonietta
Friday, September 25
Breakfast, Networking, & Registration
8:00 – 8:45 am
Welcome (Back) & Opening Activity
8:45 – 9:20 am
Break
9:20 – 9:30 am
Learning Sessions
9:30 – 10:45 am
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Break
10:45 – 11:00 am
Working Sessions
11:05 am – 12:35 pm
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Lunch, Keynote, & Closing
12:40 – 2:00 pm
Closing Keynote: Growth is Not Accidental: Building the Conditions for Collective Thriving
Presented by: Dr. Hasshan Batts
Meet the Speakers & Facilitators.
This year’s conference will feature both facilitators with subject matter expertise and on-the-ground nonprofit professionals with valuable, on-the-ground experience. Get to know the folks who will be leading Learning Sessions, Working Sessions, and Mini-Clinics!