State of the CONNEXTion

Connext: Emerging Nonprofit Leaders kicked off its 2022 slate of programs last week with an inspiring take on how "P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E" it really is to reach your personal and professional goals from Jill Marchant, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Hallmark Cards, Inc. As a third-year board member of Connext, and now its 2022 Board Chair, I find myself constantly amazed by the level and quality of guest speakers that my fellow young professional board members are able to enlist from their networks.
 
Last year alone, Connext partnered with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance to bring in Student Debt Crisis, an L.A.-based nonprofit, and Savi, a social impact technology startup from Washington, D.C., to talk about student loans. In another webinar, we learned about five nonprofits you've (maybe) never heard of before: BLOC (Brothers Liberating Our Communities), equity2, Kanbe's Market, The Golden Scoop, and Theatre Community Fund of Kansas City. Later in the summer, we facilitated a training led by Alive and Well Communities from St. Louis on becoming more trauma aware. And our October event was even highlighted on the Toxic Leadership Podcast with Dr. Kevin Sansberry II.
 
And the results showed! Throughout 13 educational events held, we had 30 guest speakers present to 383 unique individuals, with 212 nonprofits represented. Which was a 44.7% average attendance rate, with a 92.9% event satisfaction rate. But more rewarding than any number is the impact our programs have on those who attend. Through the survey data we collected, one person shared that Connext programming "allowed me to be less stressed and achieve success in the fundamental areas of my role while delegating non-essential or non-priority tasks …" and another said that they were able to "showcase in 1:1 meetings with management my willingness to learn leadership training skills while being able to have a pulse on the new and growing topics in the nonprofit sector." We could not be more thrilled as a board with the impact our programming is having on the nonprofit sector in Kansas City.
 
Despite these successes, Connext still has room to grow, particularly regarding the diversity of our board, our programs, and how we reach and engage diverse audiences. This is why last year, we set a goal by the end of 2022 to build a more inclusive board where at least 30% of members (i.e., a critical mass) identify as people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, and/or other non-dominant intersectional identities. We hope that with increased board diversity, we can reach new audiences and present on a broader range of topics for those who still feel unseen or unheard in our community.
 
Supporting us in that charge are seven first-year board "newbies" who will help move us toward a stronger, more equitable, and dynamic nonprofit community in the Kansas City region. When asked what excites them the most about this upcoming year, one new board member said, "I'm excited to expand my knowledge about the nonprofit sector and work together with folks I may not otherwise have met before. I'm really looking forward to hitting the ground running and helping where I can with advocacy and working with our community."
 
We hope that you're excited, too.
 
Best Regards,
Dane Sosniecki
Connext Board Chair



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Stay tuned with what Connext is doing by signing up for our email list (about one email a month) or tuning into our social network. You can always reach us by emailing connextkc@gmail.com, or by attending one of our events! You can see what Connext events are live by clicking the ‘Upcoming Connext Programs’ button on our webpage here.

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And as always, our sincerest gratitude to Connext's two sponsors: the Helzberg School of Management at Rockhurst University and M&C – Messaging & Strategy for Nonprofits for their enduring support of our board, our programs, and the nonprofit community in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.