nonprofit finance & sustainability conference

Nonprofit Finance & Sustainability Conference

April 19, 20128:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.Earle Brown Heritage CenterBrooklyn Center, Minnesota

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Title


Inside:

Conference Schedule-at-a-Glance page 4Plenary Sessions page 5Morning Breakout Sessions pages 6 - 7Early Afternoon Breakout Sessions pages 8 - 9Late Afternoon Breakout Sessions page 10Facility Map page 11Presenter Biographies pages 12 - 17About MCN and NAF page 18Upcoming Events page 19

Thank you to our sponsors:

Gold Level Sponsor:

Silver Level Sponsor:

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans


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Conference Schedule-at-a-Glance

7:30 a.m. Registration Opens

8:30 a.m. Plenary Session: Leading Nonprofits to Sustainability Jeanne Bell, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services Room: Carriage Hall A

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. Morning Breakout Sessions

Staffing and Software for Your Finance Function Room: Tack Room A Managing Temporarily Restricted Funds Room: Tack Room B Your Budget as a Communication Tool Room: Captain’s Room Integrating Finance and Performance Management:

Managing All of Your Bottom Lines Room: Carriage Hall B

noon – 1:15 p.m. Plenary Session: Stepping Up in the New Nonprofit Economy Elizabeth Boris, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Urban Institute Room: Carriage Hall A

1:30 – 3 p.m. Early Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Sales Tax? Use Tax? What Nonprofits Need to Know Room: Captain’s Room Building a Culture of Shared Financial Leadership Room: Tack Room A Reserves Aren’t Enough: Understanding and

Planning Nonprofit Capitalization Room: Carriage Hall B Self Regulation as the Bridge to Nonprofit Sustainability Room: Tack Room B

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. Late Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Ensuring Internal Controls in an Electronic Age Room: Tack Room A Financial Drivers and Budget Benchmarks: Set, Watch, Act Room: Tack Room B This Organization is Too Big. This Organization is Too Small.

Right-Sizing Your Organization… Room: Captain’s Room Pay for Performance: Assessing the Fit and Impact for Organizations Room: Carriage Hall B

4:45 p.m. Adjourn


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Plenary Sessions

8:30 a.m. Plenary Session: Leading Nonprofits to SustainabilityJeanne Bell, Executive Director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services

Is nonprofit sustainability attainable, or is it a myth? Sustainable nonprofits understand how to balance all the components of the organization strategically to integrate mission impact with financial viability. Changing a nonprofit’s focus from budget balancing to sustainability requires leadership at every level and opens up discussions and decisions to new ideas.

Jeanne Bell is executive director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services – one of the country’s lead-ing providers of training and consulting services to community-based organizations and the co-

author of Financial Leadership for Nonprofit Executives: Guiding Your Organization to Long Term Success.

Noon Plenary Session: Stepping Up in the New Nonprofit EconomyElizabeth Boris, Director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Urban Institute

The $779 billion U.S. nonprofit economy continues to grow, but faces new tensions in its rela-tionships with government, changing donor expectations and new ideas for earned income. At the same time, expectations are increasing that nonprofit managers will identify and document performance outcome measures and adopt effective practices – but which ones? Fortunately, more information is available about how the nonprofit economy works, and new tools are being made available to help organizations perform well (including for free).

At this session, keynote speaker Elizabeth Boris, founding director of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, will present a comprehensive view of the changing nonprofit landscape and resources for organizations in the new nonprofit economy.

www.minnesotanonprofits.org/leadership-conference


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Morning Breakout Sessions (10:15 - 11:45 a.m.)

Managing Temporarily Restricted FundsRoom: Tack Room BNonprofit board and staff members quickly learn that managing money is key to their organization’s long-term financial success. The current economic climate makes this task even more challenging as many nonprofits are struggling to stretch their dollars as far as they can go. Here’s a question some may not have considered: In your efforts to keep the lights on, could your organization be misusing grant funds without knowing it? This is usu-ally not done with malicious intent. Instead, it’s often an innocent attempt to keep the doors open because many don’t have a clear handle on how best to track and moni-tor the use of contributions with donor-imposed restric-tions. During this session, our presenter and panelists – all seasoned financial professionals – will assist you in understanding the key issues around the accounting treatment of temporarily and permanently restricted net assets.Barbara Clare, Chief Financial Officer, MAP for Nonprofits; Barb Diekmann, CPA, MBA, Outsourcing Solutions, Clifton-LarsonAllen; Rebecca R. Manthei, CPA, Manager, Audit and Accounting, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP; and Nick Vega Puente, State Programs Administrator Director, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services

Staffing and Software for Your Finance Function Room: Tack Room ADoes form follow function or function follow form in the world of nonprofit finance and accounting? How do we know when we need more accounting and finance staff? What staffing patterns do we choose to optimize efficiency and plan for growth? Do we outsource our accounting or hire staff? What software is appropri-ate to the size and complexity of our organization? The presenters are currently serving as financial officers for small, medium, and large nonprofits, each with a dif-ferent staffing configuration, and each using a different software solution. Join us as we explore strategies for designing a highly effective finance function.Rudy Brynolfson, Independent Consultant; Curt Klotz, Finance Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund; and Kathleen Michaelson, Director-Finance and Administration, Minne-sota Humanities Center

Your Budget as a Communication ToolRoom: Captain’s RoomOne of the most important roles in nonprofit leadership is communicating about your work: who do you serve, and how do you provide that service? Have you ever used your budget to tell your story? How could you turn this mundane document, your budget, into a story-telling, communication tool that allows every audience to bet-ter understand your work? How do different audiences use this tool and what are their expectations? From one organizational budget we will create many more: pro-gram, project, grant and allocated budgets that allow you to show off your work. You will hear from philanthropy, development, and financial professionals about accuracy, transparency and how to collaborate with your develop-ment team to produce a budget that best communicates your work.Stephen Devereux, Principal, Devereux Development Con-sulting; Brad Kruse, Program Director, SRI, Hugh J. Anders-en Foundation and Unity Avenue Foundation; Mark Lind-berg, Director, Relief, Recovery, and Development, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation; and Janet Ogden-Brackett, Associate Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund

Integrating Finance and Performance Management: Managing All of Your Bot-tom LinesRoom: Carriage Hall BOrganizations need to succeed on several levels at the same time. One of the greatest management challenges is to discover how to align a system of continuous track-ing, improvement and demonstrated results with the appropriate mix of revenue, expenses and assets. Moni-toring key indicators requires two distinct but critical streams of information, and deciphering this finance/performance connection is essential to effectively deploy resources. This session will explore how to connect the dots in ways that make sense for ongoing program adap-tation and economic viability.Jeanne Bell, Executive Director, CompassPoint; Elizabeth Boris, Center Director, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthro-py, Urban Institute; Jon Pratt, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits


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Early Afternoon Breakout Sessions (1:30 - 3 p.m.)

Sales Tax? Use Tax? What Nonprofits Need to KnowRoom: Captain’s RoomDoes your organization sell items? Is your organiza-tion exempt from paying sales tax? Is your organization responsible for collecting sales tax? These are just some of the questions that determine your organization’s sales tax and use tax requirements. Join this session to discuss the ways that sales tax and use tax can apply to your or-ganization. Discussion will include: is your organization exempt?, how to become exempt, collecting sales tax or form ST-3, determining use tax, and resources. Also, this session will include a sample template for determining use tax.Gina DeConcini, Partner, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP and Becky Johnson, Accountant, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Self Regulation as the Bridge to Nonprofit SustainabilityRoom: Tack Room BAfter decades at the nation’s charitable epicenter, the new economy has Minnesota facing a tectonic shift in its nonprofit landscape. Nonprofits have avoided slip-ping into the fault line by demonstrating characteristic resiliency. Budgets have been cut, staff reduced, earned income uncovered, and organizations have merged. At a time of instability, the public’s trust becomes threatened. Self regulation is essential to maintaining transparency and accountability as a desired alternative to govern-ment regulation and as a bridge to sustainability - includ-ing its capacity to attract donors, quality board members and volunteers and enhance organizational reputation. This session will present the role and state of nonprofit government regulation (federal, IRS and state regula-tion) and self regulation vehicles, including the Min-nesota Council of Nonprofits, Charities Review Council, Better Business Bureau, Independent Sector, Guidestar, etc… Leaders from local nonprofits will discuss their self regulation experiences and success using self regula-tion to stand out from the crowd.Armando Camacho, President, Neighborhood House; Heidi Christianson, Partner, Moore, Costello & Hart, PLLP; Brad Kruse, Program Director, SRI; Robert Pickering, VP of finance and Administration, Lifetrack Resources; and Patty Wilder, Faculty, University of St. Thomas

Follow today’s conference on Twitter with hashtag#NPFinance


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Early Afternoon Breakout Sessions (1:30 - 3 p.m.)

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Building a Culture of Shared Financial LeadershipRoom: Tack Room ADo you often feel like you have to “go it alone” when it comes to managing your organization’s finances? As if the weight of your organization’s budget is on your very shoulders? Empowering those around you can relieve concentrated financial leadership burden and increase the quality of your organization’s financial decisions. This session will follow a dollar’s trail through a non-profit organization. Along the trail, we will discuss how to assess the ways in which organizational culture influences behavior and decisions around resources. Ad-ditionally, we’ll offer an assortment of tools and advice to deepen an individual’s engagement in organizational finances.Michael Anderson, Training Manager and Loan Officer, Nonprofits Assistance Fund and Julia Classen, Principal Consultant and Co-Founder, Aurora Consulting

Reserves Aren’t Enough: Understanding and Planning Nonprofit CapitalizationRoom: Carriage Hall BCommon financial management practices at nonprofits often emphasize the annual budget and, hopefully, a cash reserve fund. Too often, this short term perspective hampers growth and change. In this session we’ll discuss the different types of capital needed by nonprofits to maintain stable cash flow, seize opportunities, and build institutions with buildings and endowments. What’s the right capital structure for your organization, and what’s the strategy to get there?Kate Barr, Executive Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund


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Late Afternoon Breakout Sessions (3:15 - 4:45 p.m.)

Ensuring Internal Controls in an Electronic AgeRoom: Tack Room AMany organizations consider going paperless both from a cost and efficiency standpoint. Doing so requires care-ful planning to ensure that internal controls are main-tained and business risk is appropriately mitigated. This session will cover both baseline fundamentals of internal controls as well as current trends that impact both the control and security of electronically stored information. Along the way, we’ll discuss best practices to consider when thinking about going paperless; internal controls surrounding electronic activities including payables, receivables, and banking; when to absolutely keep a hard copy; potential pitfalls to going paperless; and technol-ogy issues related to going paperless (software, network security, and data storage, maintenance, retrieval, and security).Mark Eich, Partner, Information Security Services Group and Kelly Kienholz, Manager, Nonprofit Outsourcing Solu-tions, CliftonLarsonAllen

Financial Drivers and Budget Benchmarks: Set, Watch, ActRoom: Tack Room BAgility, scenario planning, and swift decision-making are necessary financial management competencies to coun-teract the ever-present and dangerous force of financial inertia. Most nonprofit budgets have a few key financial drivers that are critical to “make the budget work.” Do you know your budget’s key drivers? Are they being actively monitored and understood? This session will use nonprofit case studies to illustrate how organizations have successfully established varying budget scenario plans, monitored their financial drivers over the course of the fiscal year, and made decisions to implement alternative budgets mid-year.Michael Anderson, Training Manager and Loan Officer, Nonprofits Assistance Fund and Robert Pickering, Vice Presi-dent of Finance and Administration, Lifetrack Resources

This Organization is Too Big. This Orga-nization is Too Small. Right-Sizing Your Organization…Room: Captain’s RoomHow do you know if your organization is the right size? Is it always true that not having enough cash means your organization is too big? Do the assets you own help or hurt the organization? When is it time to realign the organization? How do you convince your board to not just cut costs but to make choices that change the structure of organization? The panelists in this session are four dynamic leaders who have lived through right sizing their organizations through growth, realignment and contraction.Alissa Light, Executive Director, Family Tree Clinic; Amelia Franck Meyer, Executive Director, Anu Family Services; Elizabeth Reed, COO, Turning Point; and Peter Rosenblatt, Executive Director, The Link

Pay for Performance: Assessing the Fit and Impact for OrganizationsRoom: Carriage Hall BThe concept of paying nonprofits for success instead of activities has taken hold as a new approach to effectively use scarce public resources. Whether it’s the State of Minnesota’s Human Capital Performance Bond pilot or one of the other Pay for Success or Social Impact Bond models, now is the time for nonprofits to understand if and how they may be affected. What services are the most likely candidates, and what factors go into the formulas? How will budgets and cash flow planning change? In this session a panel of nonprofit practitioners will share their ideas and plans to determine whether pay for performance is a fit for them.Kate Barr, Executive Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund; Art Berman, President & CEO, Twin Cities RISE!; TrixieAnn Goldberg, President & CEO, Lifetrack Resources; Barbara Milon, Executive Director, Phyllis Wheatly Community Cen-ter; Brian Paulson, Director, Innovation Strategies, Greater Twin Cities United Way; and Susan Strandberg, Community Development Officer, Three Rivers Community Action


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Facility Map


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Presenter Biographies

As training program manager at Nonprofits Assistance Fund, Michael Anderson coordi-nates the development and delivery of unique, expert trainings that enable nonprofit staff and board members to enhance their financial management skills, implement best practices, and engage in strategic thinking. As a loan

officer, he is responsible for advising nonprofits through the loan application and review process, as well as throughout the lifecycle of the loan. He graduated from St. Thomas and holds a master of public policy degree from the Humphrey Insti-tute of Public Affairs. Michael serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota and on the board of directors of PRG, Inc., a nonprofit community development corporation.

Kate Barr, executive director, oversees Non-profits Assistance Fund’s strategic plans, development, loan capital, outreach, and pro-gram activities for the loan funds. Under her leadership, the organization has emerged as a premier financial management resource in Minnesota by providing training, strategic fi-

nancial counsel, and loans to the nonprofit community. Prior to joining Nonprofits Assistance Fund, Kate served as senior vice president of Riverside Bank where she was responsible for strategic planning, marketing, and community develop-ment lending. With her unique insight and experience, she is a popular speaker, trainer, and writer on nonprofit man-agement and financial issues. Kate holds a master’s degree from Hamline University and is currently a member of their adjunct faculty. She serves on the boards of the Neighborhood Development Center, Partners for the Common Good, and Western Bank.

Arthur H. Berman is president and chief execu-tive officer of Twin Cities RISE! Prior to join-ing Twin Cities RISE! in 2008, Art Berman had a 22-year career with American Express/Ameriprise Financial, where he held positions including senior vice president, chief financial officer and corporate treasurer. He has also

worked as a consultant to both for-profit and nonprofit orga-nizations, an executive fellow at the University of St. Thomas’ Opus School of Business, and adjunct finance instructor at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School and Capella University. Art currently serves on the board of directors for the Network for Better Futures, Marnita’s Table, Inc. and Stu-dents Today, Leaders Forever. He holds an M.B.A. in finance from The Wharton School and a B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Bowdoin College.

Rudy Brynolfson is an independent consultant assisting nonprofit organizations with finan-cial analysis, reporting, and management. From 1993 to 2007 he was vice president, finance and administration of Lifetrack Re-sources, a diversified social services agency. Prior to that, he held a similar position for

13 years at District Energy St Paul, a nonprofit utility com-pany. His earlier experience included several positions in the private and government sectors involving administration, research, and computer programming. He has a B.A. from Macalester College and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

Anne Cheney serves as vice president, finance for Scholarship America. Her experience includes seven years of auditing nonprofit organizations, first with Arthur Andersen & Co. and more recently at KPMG LLP. She has also headed the financial operations of MAP for Nonprofits, the Minnesota Orchestral As-

sociation, and the University of Minnesota Foundation. She was a founding member of the Nonprofit Financial Group, past chair of the Minnesota Society of CPAs’ annual Not-For-Profit Organizations Conference, as well a board member for St. Peter’s Chamber of Commerce, treasurer of the St. Peter United Way, and a past chair of the Kenwood and Blooming-ton Symphonies. Anne received a bachelor’s degree in eco-nomics from Carleton College and an M.B.A. in accounting from the University of Michigan, and she is a certified public accountant (inactive).

Heidi Neff Christianson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. She served as assistant attorney general in the Charities Division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for six years and is currently a partner at Moore, Costello & Hart in St. Paul, where she counsels nonprofit and tax-exempt

organizations. Heidi serves as chair of the board of Charities Review Council of Minnesota, and vice chair of the board of directors of Regional Parks Foundation of the Twin Cities.

Download breakout session materials at

www.minnesotanonprofits.org


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Julia Classen is principal consultant and co-founder of Aurora Consulting. She has been a leader on nonprofit boards for more than 30 years. Julia currently serves as vice chair of the board of the Women’s Foundation of Min-nesota and is a member of the board of the New World Foundation. In 2011, Julia served

as senior fellow for MCN, developing and leading the Perfor-mance Management Leadership Institute. Julia serves as the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center’s Hubert fellow in 2012 at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the Univer-sity of Minnesota. She received her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute, with a focus on Leadership and Nonprofit Management. In addition to her consulting, Julia is an adjunct faculty member at the Hum-phrey Institute.

Barbara Clare has more than 20 years of non-profit and for-profit accounting experi¬ence in the U.S. and internationally. She has been director of financial services and chief financial officer for MAP for Nonprofits since 1998. Her work has focused on financial sys¬tems improvements for area nonprof-

its. She has done collaborative projects with the McKnight Founda¬tion, Minnesota State Department of Refugee and Resettlement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. She was one of the authors for the Minnesota Nonprofit Ac-countability Collaborative’s publication on Preparing Federal Form 990. Barbara has a master’s in international manage-ment from the American Graduate School of International Management and a B.A. from State University of New York at Albany.

Gina DeConcini is a partner in Oppenheimer’s Corporate Finance & Transactions Group. Her practice focuses on tax planning, executive compensation, and merger and acquisition transactions. Previously, she worked in the multistate and international tax practices of one of the “big four” public accounting firms

for over 12 years, and also served as the partner in charge of the tax practice at a major Minneapolis accounting firm. Gina currently serves as chair of the Tax Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. She was named the 2011 volunteer of the year for LegalCorps, and provides significant pro bono assistance to nonprofits and small companies. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School and earned a B.A. with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Stephen Devereux is the principal at Devereux Development Consulting. Steve is a development professional who has previously worked for Project for Pride and Living, the Bridge for Youth and the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. Now as an independent development consultant he specializes in annual development planning, interim development department management, community development project management, fundraising staff mentoring, project management, prospect research, cultivation strategies, grant writing (government, corporate and family foundations), raisers edge data manage-ment and volunteer program management.

Barb Diekmann has over 25 years of accounting experience working in both a financial management and auditing capac-ity. She began her career at Deloitte & Touche where she specialized in health care and nonprofit organizations. Since then, she has worked for several nonprofits in the Twin Cities metro area including Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, a start-up catholic high school in south Minneapolis serving under-resourced teenagers. Barb currently works in the Outsourcing Solutions group of CliftonLarsonAllen where she works exclu-sively with nonprofit organizations. She has a B.S. degree in accounting/finance and received her M.B.A. from the Univer-sity of St. Thomas.

Mark Eich is a partner at CliftonLarsonAllen in charge of the Information Security Services Group. In this position, he has actively led several IT audits and security assessments. Mark leads a team of technology and industry specialists that provide security analyses that are based on business needs. Mark, a certified

public accountant, earned the certified information system auditor designation from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association in 1995. He is a nationally recognized leader in the field of information security and is a frequent speaker at national conferences. Mark has long recognized the need for IT auditing and consulting services that integrate with and complement the internal audit function. Mark’s specialty is risk assessment and design of internal audit work plans to address risk.


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Amelia Franck Meyer is the CEO of Anu Family Services. Amelia has spent her more than twenty-year career dedicated to serving chil-dren and families in the areas of out-of-home care, family-based services and disability services. Prior to her current position, Amelia worked for four years in a community-based

and residential training center with children, adolescents and adults who were DeafBlind. She also worked for eight years in Illinois in the areas of out-of-home care and domestic violence. Amelia is an advanced practice social worker in Wis-consin and a licensed independent social worker in Minneso-ta. She has a master’s degree in social work from University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in sociology from Illinois State University, and a graduate certificate from the University of Minnesota in disability policies and services.

Becky Johnson, CPA, is an accountant for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. She joined MCN in 2009. Becky is responsible for the daily financial management of MCN as well as monthly, quarterly, and annual financial du-ties and assists with the financial management of Nonprofit Insurance Advisors. In addition

to her financial management duties, Becky responds to ac-counting and tax inquiries from member organizations. Prior to her work at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Becky was an auditor at a public accounting firm in St. Paul. Becky has served on various boards and committees in the twin cit-ies and enjoys volunteering with nonprofit organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Kelly Kienholz has over fifteen years experience in nonprofit accounting. Kelly has ten years experience with CliftonLarsonAllen, five years in auditing and five years providing out-sourced accounting services. In addition, Kelly served for five years with a large organization as their controller. Kelly’s role within Clifton-

LarsonAllen as outsourcing solutions manager includes work-ing with nonprofits as their CFO/controller to implement systems, controls and policies. She manages the CliftonLar-sonAllen outsourcing team and makes sure communication, timeliness, and efficiencies are met. Kelly has expertise with GAAP, audit readiness, nonprofit tax, internal controls, risk management, dashboards and financial structure assessments. She received a B.A. degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota, graduating summa cum laude. Kelly is a mem-ber of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Minnesota Society of CPA’s.

Curt Klotz oversees the financial and op-erational activities of Nonprofits Assistance Fund including financial reporting, corporate records, grants/contracts compliance, and all other areas of the management information system. Curt has worked in nonprofits for over 25 years, both in programs and finan-

cial management. Previously, Curt served as vice president, finance and administration, for Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, and as director of finance & administration at the Indian Law Resource Center in Montana. Curt is a previous chairperson of the Montana Nonprofit Association. He has provided management consulting and accounting for a variety of nonprofits, was an adjunct faculty at Carroll College, and has presented numerous financial management seminars. Curt is a licensed certified public accountant in Montana (inactive). He is a graduate of St. Olaf College.

Brad Kruse, program director for SRI in Bay-port, Minnesota, holds master’s degrees in philanthropic studies and nonprofit manage-ment from Indiana University. Brad directs the Philanthropic Services department of SRI with direct responsibility for the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation and the Unity Avenue

Foundation. Brad previously worked for the Initiative Founda-tion in Little Falls, Minnesota and the Central Indiana Com-munity Foundation in Indianapolis, Indiana. Brad is a board member of the Minnesota Council of Foundations, past board chair of MAP for Nonprofits, an advisory committee member of the Nonprofits Assistance Fund and previously served on the Charities Review Council of Minnesota’s board.

Alissa Light is the executive director of Family Tree Clinic, a nonprofit sexual health center founded in 1971 in St. Paul. Alissa holds a bachelor of arts degree in women’s & gender Studies and communications from Macales-ter College and completed prerequisites for a master’s in nursing. Alissa’s interests include

working to reduce health disparities impacting women and their children and developing collaborative partnerships to bridge gaps in care to underserved communities. Alissa also serves on the board of the Neighborhood Health Care Net-work, the Reproductive Health Alliance, and is a co-convener and executive member of the Community Health Fund.


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Mark Lindberg is the director of relief, re-covery, and development at the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation. Previously, he was the director of operations and international pro-grams for the Medtronic Foundation. Mark also worked for six years as a senior program officer at the Otto Bremer Foundation. Addi-

tionally, he has worked in Papua New Guinea and as associate general counsel for the Peace Corps. He attended the Ken-nedy School of Government at Harvard as an Archibald Bush Leadership fellow, where he obtained a master’s in public administration. Mark also holds a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law, and a B.S. in business administra-tion from the University of Minnesota. Mark also studied for a year at Georgetown’s Kennedy School of Ethics as a Shriver Peace Worker fellow.

Jay Lyons, accounting consultant for MAP for Nonprofits’ Accounting and Finance Services, brings more than 15 years of nonprofit ac-counting and finance experience to his work with MAP’s clients. Prior to joining MAP, Jay served as financial manager at Common Hope in St. Paul and Windustry. In his time with

MAP, Jay has worked with more than 40 organizations in all areas of the nonprofit sector, where he has provided ongoing accounting services, prepared federal and state information returns, recommended and implemented accounting soft-ware, trained client staff, and provided assessments and rec-ommendations for improvement of accounting systems and practices. Jay holds bachelor’s degrees in business administra-tion and quantitative methods/computer science, as well as a mini-master’s degree in nonprofit finance from the University of St. Thomas.

Rebecca Manthei is a manager in the Audit and Accounting department at Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP. She spends most of her time working with nonprofit clients, including schools, various health and welfare organizations, and private foundations. Becky provides consulting services and assists organizations with their financial reporting and tax related matters. Becky earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from St. Cloud State University and has over 25 years of experience. She served as president of the board at her children’s parochial school in South Minneapolis and has served on the boards of other nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Kathleen Michaelson is the director of finance and administration at Minnesota Humani-ties Center. After a long career in banking, Kathleen moved to the nonprofit sector in 2008, and joined the Humanities Center staff in 2009. As a member of the Humanities Center’s leadership team, she is involved in

strategic planning and policy development. Her direct respon-sibilities include financial budgeting and reporting, regulatory compliance, human resources, facilities, and oversight of the Center’s full-service conference center. The Center imple-mented Sage Fund Accounting in 2009, and Sage Fundraising 50 in 2010.

Barbara Milon is the executive director at Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. The mission of Phyllis Wheatley Community Center is to provide comprehensive programs in lifelong learning, child development, and family support for the Greater Minneapolis community. Phyllis Wheatley serves people

using a family strength model — a holistic approach to engage people in decision making that empowers them within the context of family and community. Staff and trained volunteers create an environment that is focused on results while being respectful and responsive. Barbara has a master’s of science in community economic development. She serves on the boards of Nonprofits Assistance Fund and MACC Alliance of Con-nected Communities, is a member of the African American Leadership Education and Lifelong Learning Committee, and is a doctoral student at the University of St Thomas.

Janet Ogden-Brackett directs all program activities, manages the loan program, and oversees the financial management of training and strategic financial counsel for Nonprofits Assistance Fund. In this capacity she brings further cohesion and integration to services, helping the lending team assess each nonprof-

it’s unique financial situation and craft loans that best meet their immediate and long-term needs. She also delivers train-ing workshops and provides technical assistance on financial management topics to nonprofits throughout Minnesota. Prior to joining the NAF, Janet was director of operations and financial manager at Minnesota Environmental Initiative. She has a B.A. in business management from the University of St. Thomas. A graduate of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Leadership Institute, Janet serves on the board of directors for LegalCorps, Family Tree Clinic and The Textile Center.


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Brian Paulson has 12 years of experience in the social service sector in a variety of positions, from direct practice social work with low income children and families, to more macro practice in managing programs, program development and grant making. As director of innovation strategies, Brian coordinates United Way’s work in measuring return on invest-ment, pay-for-performance models, career pathway programs for low-income populations, and social enterprise. Brian is also actively engaged in multiple system change efforts related to workforce development including FastTRAC, the Governor’s Workforce Development Council’s ROI Analysis, and Heading Home Hennepin and Ramsey efforts focused on employment outcomes for homeless community members. Brian is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work with a focus on community practice social work.

Robert Pickering joined Lifetrack Resources as the vice president of finance & administration in 2008 and is responsible for the areas of ac-counting, finance, facilities, human resources and technology. Through his experience, Robert has seen how nonprofit agencies ac-complish great things when they are engaged

in healthy partnerships with the public and private sectors. Robert received his accounting degree from the University of Idaho, his master’s of business Administration degree from Metropolitan State University and is currently enrolled in the master of public affairs program at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. Robert currently serves as the treasurer of the board of directors of Community Dental Care, a nonprofit that provides quality dental care for low income and ethnic minority families and children.

Jon Pratt is the executive director of the Min-nesota Council of Nonprofits. He has worked at Minnesota Public Interest Research Group as an attorney and lobbyist, as regional direc-tor at the Youth Project, and as director for the Philanthropy Project. In 1982 he was campaign manager for Paul Wellstone candi-

dacy for Minnesota State Auditor. In 1987 he became director of MCN, an association of 2,000 organizations that spon-sors research, training, lobbying and negotiated discounts to strengthen Minnesota’s nonprofit sector. Jon has consulted with nongovernmental organizations on the development of NGO associations and services in Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Turkey. Jon has a law degree from Antioch School of Law, and a M.P.A. from Har-vard University.

Elizabeth A. Reed is the chief operating officer of Turning Point, Inc., where she manages the day to day operations of a 2 million dollar nonprofit. She has been instrumental in the design and implementation of policies and procedures that have made Turning Point one of the top nine providers of chemical depen-

dency treatment in Hennepin County. Previously, she worked for 30 years at Northwestern Bell (which later became US West). Before retiring in 1997, Elizabeth served as director of administration/business start-up, and later became regional human resource director. Understanding the needs of the community, she spent over 20 years volunteering at several nonprofits. She has been a member of the Minnesota Black Managers, Minnesota Leadership Council, United Way Pro-gram Review Team and the University of Minnesota Commu-nity Action Team.

Peter Rosenblatt has more than 25 years of ex-perience serving youth and children in social service organizations. Peter began his career working in Oregon, the majority of that time at Janus Youth Programs. During his tenure at Janus he ran a variety of community based residential group homes for children and

youth across the continuum of mental health, homeless, and juvenile justice needs. After 15 years at Janus, Peter taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for three years. Peter followed his passion for direct service work and moved to Minneapolis to become the director of children’s services at Catholic Charities before becoming the executive director of The Link. For his first two years at The Link, Peter focused on creating the appropriate level of infrastructure to support the growing organization.

Turn to page 11 for a full map of the facility.


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Susan Strandberg is the community develop-ment officer for multi-family housing at Three Rivers Community Action. She is an expe-rienced project manager, taking the lead on many of Three Rivers’ housing development projects, including assembling financing, se-curing government approvals, developing bud-

gets, and overseeing property management. Prior to joining Three Rivers, Susan worked as a project manager and budget analyst with King County, Washington. Susan also worked as a budget analyst for the Congressional Budget Office in Wash-ington, DC before earning a master’s degree in public affairs and urban and regional planning from Princeton. Susan a cer-tified housing development finance professional and currently serves on the board of directors of the MCN. She was recently appointed by the Commissioner for Management and Budget to serve on the Pay for Performance Oversight Committee.

Nick Vega Puente was the first Hispanic in Minnesota to be ap-pointed to the State Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory Council in 1983, to which he was elected chair in 1987-88. A graduate of Macalester College, Nick received his B.A. with a major in Spanish with emphasis on education. He has worked for the Department of Human Services, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division since 1988. Nick holds a state programs administrator director position within the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division and acts as the supervisor of the Prevention and Recovery Services Section. In this capacity, he serves the National Prevention Network representative for Minnesota and oversees the implementation of all the prevention activi-ties, including Synar compliance under the Federal Substance Abuse Preventionand Treatment Block Grant.


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About MCN and NAF

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) is the statewide association of over 2,000 nonprofit organizations. Through its website, resource publications, workshops and events, cost-saving programs and advocacy, MCN continually works to inform, promote, connect and strengthen individual nonprofits and the nonprofit sector.

MCN StaffBarbara Brady, Minnesota Budget Project Communications ManagerSusie Brown, Public Policy DirectorMark Buenaflor, Operations AssistantShelly Chamberlain, Director of Operations and Human ResourcesMichaela Charleston, Communications AssistantChristine Durand, Communications and Marketing DirectorJeannie Fox, Deputy Public Policy DirectorLeah Gardner, Minnesota Budget Project Outreach CoordinatorStephanie Haddad, Program DirectorBecky Johnson, AccountantAmyJo Lennartson, South Central/Southwest Minnesota

Regional CoordinatorNan Madden, Minnesota Budget Project DirectorPaul Masiarchin, Program ManagerShannon McCarville, Program CoordinatorAndrew Morse, Nonprofit Insurance Advisors Senior Insurance ConsultantChrista Otteson, Central Minnesota Regional CoordinatorJeff Narabrook, Public Policy AssociateJon Pratt, Executive DirectorSondra Reis, Associate DirectorScott Russell, Policy AnalystMary Streufert, Northeast Minnesota Regional CoordinatorLauren Van Schepen, Nonprofit Services AssistantPaul Vliem, Development Project CoordinatorChristina Wessel, Minnesota Budget Project Deputy DirectorCindy Yang, Nonprofit Insurance Advisors Client Service Specialist

MCN Board of DirectorsAmy Brugh, Minnesota AIDS ProjectBobbi Cordano, Amherst H. Wilder FoundationJeanne Edevold Larson, Northern Dental Access CenterTracy Fischman, AccountAbility MinnesotaMolly Greenman, The Family PartnershipRodolfo Gutierrez, Hispanic Advocacy and Community

Empowerment through Research (HACER)Mary Jones, YWCA of MinneapolisNancy Kleeman, Jewish Community ActionJoan Macik, Heartland Community Action AgencyCathy Maes, ICA Food ShelfDavid Marty, Reif Arts CouncilKeith Parker, Minnesota Department of Natural ResourcesKathy Potter, Access of the Red River ValleyLeonard Price, Conservation Corps Minnesota and IowaEthan Roberts, Jewish Community Relations Council of

Minnesota and the DakotasShannon RobinsonLori Saroya, Council on American-Islamic Relations, MNMarsha ShotleyAlvine Siaka, African Health Action CorporationSheila Smith, Minnesota Citizens for the ArtsSusan Strandberg, Three Rivers Community ActionJoshua Winters, Minnesota Public Interest Research

Group (MPIRG)

Nonprofits Assistance Fund is a national pioneer in lending to nonprofits and is a premier financial management resource for Minnesota’s nonprofit community. We build financially healthy nonprofits that foster community vitality. Meeting the challenge of a changed environ-ment requires a deep understanding of how mission and money work together. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Nonprofits Assistance Fund helps nonprofits build sustainable organizations by providing financial advice, loans, trainings and resources, and strategic financial consulting. Our financial experts help nonprofits strengthen their capacity to address unexpected events, finance new opportunities, and realize strategic goals.

NAF StaffMichael Anderson, Training Program Manager & Loan OfficerKate Barr, Executive DirectorKimberly Beaulieu, Bookkeeper/Administrative AssistantSteve Boland, Loan Officer & TrainerKate Borman, Communications CoordinatorAmanda Dlouhy, Program AssistantSandra Hales, Loan AdministratorPhil Hatlie, Loan Officer & TrainerCurtis Klotz, Finance DirectorJanet Ogden-Brackett, Associate Director

NAF Board of DirectorsJean Adams, Vice President of Finance, Administration and Communica-tions,

The Minneapolis FoundationAlison Halley, Vice President of Community Development, Wells Fargo BankJohn Kostishack, Secretary/Treasurer, Executive Director (retired), Otto

Bremer FoundationBarbara Milon, Executive Director, Phyllis Wheatley Community CenterRon Price, Senior Program Officer, Twin Cities LISC (Local Initiatives

Support Corp)Sondra Reis, Associate Director, Minnesota Council of NonprofitsMagui Rubalcava Shulman, Director of Immigration, Public Interest Proj-ectsLois Schmidt, Nonprofit Resource Specialist, Bremer Bank Willmar/Mar-shallMichael Wirth-Davis, Chair, President and CEO, Goodwill/Easter Seals

Minnesota


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Upcoming Events

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and our partners are offering three more great conferences in 2012. We hope that you will join us at our future conferences!

Nonprofit Leadership Conference with the Public and Nonprofit Leadership CenterTuesday, June 26, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., MN Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen Join this day-long conversation and learning opportunity to refresh your knowledge of foundational concepts of nonprofit leadership, to discuss current trends for creating community impact and to engage in discussions around the future that is emerging in our organizations and communities. www.minnesotanonprofits.org/leadership-conference

Nonprofit Essentials Conference with the University of St. ThomasThursday, July 26, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., University of St. Thomas, MinneapolisAt this conference, you will find valuable large group discussions, skill-building breakout sessions, relevant re-sources from nonprofit service providers and opportunities to build networks with peers. Save the date! More details to come.

2012 Joint Annual Conference: Allied for Action with Minnesota Council on FoundationsNovember 1-2, Saint Paul RiverCentre, St. PaulSave the date! More details to come.

Financial Management WorkshopsOur 2012 workshop series is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. These affordable, half-day sessions are designed to fit the budget and busy schedule of nonprofits.

Cost: $45 for MCN members / $55 for nonmembersLocation: Open Book in Minneapolis

◆ Strategic Financial Planning, Tuesday, May 1◆ Financial Leadership for Executive Directors,

Tuesday, May 22◆ Fundamentals of Budgeting, Tuesday, June 5◆ Fundamentals of Nonprofit Finance,

Tuesday, June 19

Financial Management WebinarsTo accommodate to your busy schedule, our inter-active webinars maximize your time and budget to deliver practical content in an hour (12 p.m. CST). All webinars cost $40.

◆ Build a Better Budget, Friday, April 13◆ Transforming Nonprofit Business Models.

Wednesday, May 16◆ Cash is King: Managing Cash Flow for Nonprofits

Tuesday, June 19◆ Managing your Nonprofit Budget through

Scenario Planning, Tuesday, July 24◆ Clear Communications through Dashboard

Reports, Wednesday, August 15

Having access to a comprehensive set of tools to help manage an organization’s money is essential to success. Nonprofit Assistance Fund’s trainings cover a range of topics in different formats to help you develop and hone your financial management skills. For detailed descriptions, times and registration information, please visit www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org/trainings.

nonprofit finance & sustainability conference

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