The current state of non-profit organizations in the region and the volatile political atmosphere they may be facing in the future will be discussed at a special forum organized by Sonoma State University.
The free program will be held from 8-10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 at the Doubletree Hotel, 1 Doubletree Drive, Rohnert Park. More than 600 non-profits have been invited to send representatives.
Demographic shifts, increasing public sector demands, and shrinking budgets have placed non-profits at the front of serving the most vulnerable and forgotten citizens in the region using fewer resources.
Leaders of non-profits need to better understand the world in which they now operate, beyond the population they serve, says SSU political science professor David McCuan who coordinates the University's Master's in Public Administration program..
"They are on a constant search for dollars with a mission that is constantly changing," he says. "Yesterday's approach will not work for the next generation of non-profit leaders. This summit is the first step in the need for an on-going conversation about where the Third Sector is headed in the next decade serving the North Bay." The forum will also address the economic and political climate in which non-profits operate.
Speakers for this event include David Goodman, Executive Director of the Redwood Empire Food Bank, Gloria Young, Executive Director of United Against Sexual Assault, Dr. Ruben Arminana, President of Sonoma State University, Dr. Robert Eyler, SSU Professor of Economics and Dr. David McCuan, SSU Professor of Political Science. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and Assemblywoman Noreen Evans have also been invited to speak.
This event is sponsored by the Sonoma State University Schools of Social Sciences and Business and Economics and the Community Foundation of Sonoma County. The forum is only open to the first 100 respondents. To reserve a place, contact Connie Lewsadder at the SSU School of Social Sciences, (707) 664-2112.
