Agenda.
Schedule-at-a-Glance.
Mark your calendars and join conference partners the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP), PANO, and Villanova University for two days of in-person learning, connection, community, and fun as we explore Meeting the Moment – Rooted Together at the 2025 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 25
Registration, Networking, & Meet the Sponsors
10:00 – 11:00 am
Welcome
11:00 – 11:20 am
Panel-Style Keynote – The Unquiet Force: Leaning into Our Power for Social Change
11:20 am-12:15 pm
Moderated by: Ifeoma Aduba, Entrepreneurship Funders Network
Featuring as Panelists: Alexia Doumbouya, CocoLife.Black | Susan Gobreski, Sedgwick Group | Nikki McKenney, Democracy Forward | Arun Prabhakaran, Urban Affairs Coalition
Lunch, Networking, & More
12:15 – 1:25 pm
MIT D-Lab Co-Design
1:15 – 5:00 pm
Facilitated Peer Discussions
1:30 – 3:00 pm
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Break
3:00 – 3:15 pm
Taproot Talks
3:20 – 3:30 pm
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Workshops
3:40 – 4:55 pm
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
(Outdoor!) Networking Happy Hour
Grounding Ourselves in Nature in The Penn Stater’s Picturesque Courtyard (weather-permitting, of course)
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Friday, September 26
Breakfast, Networking, & Registration
8:00 – 8:45 am
Welcome (Back)
8:45 – 9:00 am
Resource Exchange
9:00 – 9:25 am
Facilitated Peer Discussions
9:30 – 11:00 am
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Taproot Talks
11:10 – 11:20 am
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Workshops
11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Advocacy | Board Governance | Communications | Fundraising | Human-Centered Leadership | Planning for Funding Cuts/Delays
Lunch, Keynote, & Closing
12:45 – 2:00 pm
Closing Keynote: Braving the Elements
Presented by: Kashonna Marrow, President & CEO, Simply Kashonna
Meet the Speakers & Facilitators.
This year’s conference will feature both speakers in the traditional sense as well as conversation guides to take our learning and connection even deeper. Get to know the folks who will be leading Workshops, Peer Discussions, and Taproot Talks!