PORT ANGELES — Alliance for Leadership Programs will conduct its first conference in Clallam County on Oct. 5 — and nonprofits have until Wednesday to apply to participate.
Nonprofit organizations selected will be able to send one staff member and one board member to the all-day conference at the campus of NatureBridge Olympic — formerly Olympic Park Institute — on Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park, said Robbie Mantooth, spokeswoman for the conference.
A committee with representation from the Sequim Community Foundation, United Way of Clallam County, North Olympic Land Trust, Serenity House and the Benjamin Phillips Memorial Fund will screen applications Thursday.
All expenses beyond a $50-per-agency registration fee will be covered by sponsoring funders, the largest being the Phillips Foundation, which is administered by the Seattle Foundation.
Nonprofit sustainability
Each conference participant in the workshop will receive a copy of the book Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Nonprofit Viability.
The book — by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka and Steve Zimmerman — will provide the framework for discussions.
Claire Bishop, a representative of the Seattle Foundation for the Phillips program, said the conference theme (sustainability) emerged from a broad survey of nonprofit organizations in Clallam County about their training needs.
The lead presenter will be Shannon Ellis, a member of the staff of San Francisco-based CompassPoint, which assists nonprofit executives and board members with analyzing and adjusting their business models for greater organizational sustainability.
“Ellis is well-versed in the management of nonprofit organizations and has expressed delight in bringing CompassPoint’s methods of achieving sustainability to the Olympic Peninsula,” Bishop said.
Phillips Foundation
The Phillips Foundation was established by the late Joy Phillips as a memorial to her husband, Benjamin N. Phillips, to assist nonprofit organizations in improving the lives of Clallam County residents.
Other contributors to the conference are United Way of Clallam County, the Sequim Community Foundation and the Medina Foundation.
All sponsoring organizations will be represented at the conference so local groups interested in their funding possibilities and other services can learn more about them.
Bishop said invitations to apply for the conference have been sent to numerous organizations in Clallam County.
“We like the idea of honoring these leaders and providing avenues for professional development right here at home,” she said.
“We hope closer connections among nonprofit organizations also will help them achieve their potential more effectively.
“It’s all about building community, just as Mr. Phillips did with his bank services.”
Phillips headed the First National Bank in Port Angeles for many years.
Since the fund established in 2006 by the estate of the late Joy Phillips became available, the Seattle Foundation has awarded about $250,000 annually in grants to organizations in Clallam County, ranging from about $1,000 to $25,000 and based on recommendations from a committee comprising a majority of leaders in nonprofit work within the county.
CompassPoint
Ellis said CompassPoint has provided guidance to nonprofit organizations for more than 35 years.
“We strengthen today’s leaders and are helping to grow a healthy pipeline of diverse leaders for the future,” she said.
“We influence the dialogue about policies, emerging practices and the resources needed for nonprofits to create change.
“And we convene partners, link fields and strengthen networks that accomplish more by working together.”
More information is available from clallamleadershipconference@gmail.com or Bishop at Claireb96@comcast.net or 206-799-8563.