The lineup of keynote speakers at the Alliance National Conference offered a fitting balance between messages rooted in the reality of today’s challenges and members’ need for solutions and inspiration.
In his opening address, Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post, used humor-infused political commentary to touch on a variety of current hot topics in Washington, D.C.
 |
| Bob Danzig takes time to chat with members before taking the podium for the conference's third and final keynote address. |
Yet, much of his address offered a stark view of politics today, especially Washington’s attitude toward the nonprofit sector.
He emphasized the need for nonprofits to deliver compelling and focused stories about their impact. It’s a sentiment that was echoed during the second keynote address, which suggested there are a variety of reasons for members to be optimistic about what’s happening in Washington—at least in terms of funding.
Speakers David Gogol, president of B&D Consulting, and Patrick Lester, senior vice president of public policy for the Alliance and United Neighborhood Centers of America, offered information and advice for tapping both federal and state-based funding.
Acknowledging that the economic stimulus bill wasn’t what members had hoped for, Gogol presented a Plan B. He explained how large amounts of stimulus funds are currently tied up in state governments. As deadlines for spending the funds approach, there are opportunities for nonprofits to petition for these funds to be shifted to their shovel-ready projects.
Lester built upon Gogol’s remarks with updates about the Alliance’s work to support members with funding and regulations related to a variety of issues, including residential treatment, neighborhood-based initiatives, and treatment foster care.
The final keynote speaker, Bob Danzig, former CEO of Hearst Newspapers, reinvigorated, energized, and inspired.
Speaking from his experience as a foster child, he talked about the dramatic impact ordinary, spirit-driven people—like the hundreds sitting in the room—have had on his life, and have had on the lives of others he has encountered.
“You are worthwhile. You are full of promise. Those two sentences, those eight words, transformed my life,” he told attendees.
Printer-friendly version
