Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference – Bayou Community Foundation

2023 Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference Presentations and Handouts

Bayou Community Foundation invites nonprofit professionals, Board members and volunteers to attend our annual one-day learning and networking conference on Thursday, August 10 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm at Fletcher Technical Community College!

Presenting Sponsor: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

Program Sponsor: Entergy

Host Sponsor: Fletcher Technical Community College

With the theme, “Stronger Together,” our 5th annual conference focuses on collaboration and provides opportunities for participants to learn more about the work of other local nonprofits in our community and ways that we may work together to fill a need, deliver services or raise awareness in our community. From an exciting list of general session speakers and breakout presenters, we’ll also learn how to strengthen our nonprofit administration, governance, fund development and communication efforts during this day-long conference JUST FOR US!

REGISTRATION NOW!

$75/per person includes all sessions, breakfast and lunch

REGISTRATION CLOSES at 5 pm on MONDAY, AUGUST 7

Purchase Tickets online with credit card HERE, OR
Use online coupon code CHECK at during online checkout HERE to pay with check. Mail check payment to: Bayou Community Foundation, P.O. Box 582, Houma, LA 70361. Payment is due once online registration is completed and at the rate included on your registration.

Questions? Email Contact@BayouCF.org or call us at (985) 219-0046.

About Our Conference

We have a great day of learning and networking scheduled, with sessions designed to help us all:

• Build a strong and sustainable nonprofit when the skies are blue

• Cultivate a diverse and engaged governing board

• Measure the hidden costs of fundraising events and more effectively manage your next one

• Thank and communicate effectively with donors

• Collaborate with other nonprofits to strengthen our work and better serve the community

• And Much More!

Breakfast and Lunch included.

Conference Agenda

Printable Version – 2023 Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference Agenda

General and Breakout Session Information

The major challenges of the past couple years are (mostly) behind us. What can you do NOW to ensure that your nonprofit is strong enough to survive AND thrive in the face of whatever curve balls come next? How do you prepare your staff? Where should you look for money to keep you afloat during a crisis? Dr. Bracey will prepare you with the fundamentals of bolstering your nonprofit so that unexpected challenges don’t spell disaster.

Dr. Joyce Bracey, ED.D., LPC, NCC has 15+ years of experience as a non-profit CEO and has served in leadership roles on numerous local and national non-profit boards and community organizations. She has extensive experience with leadership development, leading nonprofit mergers, navigating planned organizational culture change, and facilitating trainings, staff retreats, and strategic planning processes.

Dr. Bracey graduated with a Masters of Education in Counselor Education from the University of New Orleans in 2008. In 2021, she attained her Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership at the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans, where she conducted her dissertation research on the use of employee voice to bring about equitable organizational culture change.

Dr. Bracey is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and a National Certified Counselor, and has used her career in service to her community. She currently has a part-time counseling private practice, offers leadership development consulting services through her company, Bracey Solutions, serves as the President and CEO at CADA Prevention and Recovery Center, and in her spare time, teaches self-love and inner critic healing on social media and at workshops and retreats.

Event logistics can MAKE or BREAK your event! Reducing costs, maximizing in-kind partnerships and increasing efficiency will directly impact your event’s success. This session includes an overview of special events along with sample budgets, logistics plans, committee job descriptions, and tips and tricks to turn your event from TRYING to TERRIFIC!

Susan Mancuso is a fundraising consultant, speaker, trainer, and career coach. With over 30 years of successful fundraising experience, Susan focuses on sharing proves best practices with her clients and guiding their fundraising efforts to record-breaking success.

Susan launched her fundraising career in 1991 and was a staff fundraiser for 13 years, before starting her consulting practice in 2004. She was named the 2016 Fundraising Professional of the Year by the Greater New Orleans Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was chapter president in 2009. In her spare time, she practices for her future lifestyle as a beach bum.

Learn how to get the most from your foundation Board of Directors! Learn how to recruit the right board members, set expectations, and orient them on a pathway to success.

Carey David Lawson has spent over 25 years working to advance projects to benefit the public interest. She is married to Alan John Lawson of Crowley, LA where they are partners with his parents in A&L Lawson Farms and raise their two children, Colin and Lillian.

A native of Pointe Coupee Parish, Carey earned her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa graduating with honors. While in graduate school, Carey served as Province President for Pi Beta Phi Sorority, member of the Junior League of Tuscaloosa, and assistant youth leader at Trinity Presbyterian Church. She earned her Bachelor’s in Geography from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where she served as President of Panhellenic Council, Secretary of Student Government, and selected to Leadership LSU. Carey earned the designation of Certified Fundraising Executive in 2003 and again in 2021.

Her professional work experience includes over 20 years of fundraising experience holding management level positions working for Girl Scouts of the USA, The University of Alabama, LSU Foundation, Women’s Hospital Foundation, and the American Heart Association. Shifting gears, she spent the last 5 years with Synergy Home Care (Kindred at Home) as an Account Manager in sales and assisting seniors and their families as they navigate through the post-acute care system. In November of 2016 she joined LSU Eunice as Director of University Advancement and in May 2017 also became Executive Director of LSU Eunice Foundation.

As a volunteer she serves on the Eunice Rotary Club, Ladies Krewe for Krewe of Town Revelers Bal and Acadia Parish Chamber Board of Directors.

Can you tell your nonprofit’s story in a compelling, inspiring way? Can your board members do the same? Join Sarah Cortell Vandersypen, an experienced fundraiser and nonprofit executive, to learn how to choose and craft powerful stories to inspire giving and engagement through interactive exercises.

Sarah Cortell Vandersypen, CFRE has been in the nonprofit sector for more than an decade. Early in her career, she realized that nonprofits couldn’t do the impactful work they do without funding. Through her years of experience at various arts and cultural institutions and higher education around the United States, Sarah has developed a unique skill set in nonprofit operations, fund development, volunteer management, board development, program evaluation, program planning and grant making.

In February 2023, Sarah joined the United MSD Foundation as its Executive Director. Her team supports an international patient population battling an ultra-rare disease as the Foundation invests in groundbreaking research to hopefully lead to a cure for MSD.

Additionally, she is the face of Philanthropic Partners, a consulting firm that provides fundraising and board development services to nonprofit organizations. You can find her around the state of Louisiana speaking about philanthropy, the fundamentals of fundraising, and her love of connecting donors with their passions.

She is active with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She is a past Global Board Member and currently serves on the AFP Global Nominating Committee and ICON Advisory Committee.

Sarah received her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2016. She holds a Master’s Degree in Arts Policy and Administration from Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Boston University. She earned a Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource in 2019.

Did you know it can cost up to ten times more to gain a new donor than to retain an existing one? You can drastically improve your nonprofit’s individual giving program by making simple-but-powerful adjustments to how you communicate with your supporters. This session will walk you through strategies and tools that will help you grow your organization by retaining more donors.

Nora Ellertsen is Founder and Fundraising Coach with The Funding Seed. As a fundraising practitioner, she raised money for environmental, human rights, and civil liberties causes through grassroots fundraising, major donor development, fundraising events, grant writing and other fundraising activities. Since founding The Funding Seed in 2010, she has partnered with hundreds of nonprofit agencies to help them develop the resources they need to thrive.

Through The Funding Seed, Nora applies the philosophy, “Teach a person to fish and they will have food for a lifetime” to fundraising, with the goal of helping organizations develop strong skills that will make them successful for the long term.

This interactive lunch-and-learn session will offer an overview of nonprofit collaboration, what to ask before creating partnerships and group brainstorming exercises to help your organization expand its reach and strengthen its impact.

Bayou Community Foundation provides grants, workshops and other programs for nonprofit organizations in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle to help our community grow and prosper.

As events and activities are scheduled, they will be listed on this page.

Our Generous Donors make all of these programs possible!

Nonprofits: Sign up for the BCF e-newsletter to receive notices about upcoming BCF workshops and events!