Nell Edgington has 25 years of experience innovating in the social change sector. At Social Velocity she inspires nonprofit and philanthropic leaders to imagine the social change they want to create and then empowers them to attract the abundance necessary to achieve it.
In her work at Social Velocity she has helped nonprofits across the country, with budgets of $200,000 to $60 million, create a bold strategic direction; grow their programs, their audience, and their impact; activate their boards; and dramatically increase their revenue.
Meet Keynote Speaker, Nell Edgington
President of Social Velocity, LLC
She is author of the 2021 book, Reinventing Social Change: Embrace Abundance to Create a Healthier and More Equitable World and co-author of The Strategic Management of Charter Schools: Frameworks and Tools for Educational Entrepreneurs published by Harvard Education Press in 2011.
Beyond writing the popular Social Velocity blog, she has keynoted countless nonprofit board, staff, donor, and association events across the country. She has contributed to many leading nonprofit and philanthropy blogs, such as The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Center for Effective Philanthropy, Grantmakers for Effective Philanthropy, BoardSource, and National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. And she’s been a guest on over a dozen social change sector podcasts.
Prior to Social Velocity, Nell transformed the fundraising and marketing functions at KLRU, Austin’s PBS (public broadcasting) station. She raised $5 million annually, led a team of 15 marketing and fundraising professionals, and helped lead the station’s strategic planning process. She conceived, secured funding for and implemented a new development plan which increased annual revenue by $1.6 million, with double or triple-digit percentage growth in major gifts, membership, corporate support and online giving. These accomplishments led KLRU to 5 national PBS Awards for fundraising excellence.
Previously, as Director of Development at the Capital Area Food Bank, she increased annual revenue by 40% to $2.5 million.
Prior to that, Nell was a management consultant helping nonprofits create strategic, marketing, business and fundraising plans, launch earned revenue businesses, and develop their boards.
Before earning her MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University, Nell worked at PBS (public broadcasting) headquarters in Washington, D.C. managing $1 million+ corporate sponsorship accounts and strengthening PBS’s marketing strategies. Prior to that, she led fundraising, marketing and board development efforts at the Oregon Children’s Foundation.
As we grapple with the effects of a global pandemic and deep racial, economic and social divides, it is critical that nonprofit leaders learn how to become more networked – to collaborate with other organizations and entities that share their social change goals. But in order to do that, nonprofit leaders must chart their Theory of Change (the argument for why they exist and what social change they are hoping to accomplish) and analyze the external environment in which they operate to determine with whom they should Collaborate (Marketplace Map).
GRC SESSION: BUILDING BRIDGES FOR TRUE SOCIAL CHANGE
Nell's session at the Grantee Renewal Conference will provide both the strategic mindset and tactical frameworks necessary to help MMI grantees learn how to articulate the social change they seek and use that knowledge to Collaborate in much bigger, more effective ways.
Participants in this session will:
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Learn the benefits of becoming a “networked nonprofit”
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Developing bridging techniques that create more abundant alliances, funding and influence for their work
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Understand case studies about other “networked nonprofits”
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Gain new understanding of two key frameworks: a Marketplace Map, and a Theory of Change
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Create a draft Theory of Change for their organization
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Learn how to move their board and staff to think and act differently about Collaboration
Barbara has presented to over 1,000 organizations since 1991, including corporations, state and national associations, and non-profits. As a Board-Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress and Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, she helps leaders retain employees who struggling with empathic distress and gives audiences practical wellness strategies. Barbara received a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Master of Arts degree in community health, with a concentration in thanatology, both from Brooklyn College.
Barbara is the author of, But I Didn’t Say Goodbye: Helping Families After a Suicide (3ed). (2020), and the 30-hour CE course for Nurses, Loss, Grief, and Bereavement: Helping Individuals Cope (4ed), Western Schools. Barbara wrote the CE course for healthcare professionals, COVID-19 Loss, Grief, and Bereavement (2020), sold through Elite Healthcare. Since 2003, Barbara has been a consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVCTTAC). Barbara co-authored the OVCTTAC Training Curriculum, Compassion Fatigue. She is a contributing writer to Thin Threads: Grief and Renewal; Fresh Grief; Coaching for Results; and Keys to a Good Life.
You have seen her work in Newsweek magazine, Family Circle, Health magazine, Shape magazine, FOX Business, TODAY, and others.
GRC SESSION: BUILDING A BRIDGE OF RESILIENCE ON A FABULOUS FOUNDATION
You’ve probably heard of the value of trauma-informed practices, but did you know there’s practices that mitigate your own burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma? We're talking, about being vicarious trauma-informed!
Barbara's session at the Grantee Renewal Conference will focus on lessening the impact of burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many professionals have increased levels of occupational stress and are experiencing issues with safety and security, leaving them with feelings of anxiety, uncertainty distress, and grief. As life begins to shift back to a more normal routine, the need to build our resilience is more important than ever.
Participants will recognize ways to foster career resilience through 8 FABULOUS pillars: 1. Flexibility, 2. Attitude, 3. Boundaries, 4. Understanding job satisfaction, 5. Laughter, 6. Optimism, 7. United, and 8. Self-compassion. By the end of this program, participants will recognize the influence of wellness, work-life balance, and meaning making, to manage work-related stress.
Objectives. Participants will be able to:
- Recognize the effects of burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
- Use techniques that match one’s strength to build career resilience.
- Select ways to make meaning of a stressful career.
Meet Keynote Speaker, Barbara Rubel
Griefworks Center, Inc.
Barbara Rubel, MA, BCETS, DAAET, is a subject matter expert and nationally recognized keynote speaker who is passionate about helping organizations learn practical strategies of wellbeing and work-life balance. Barbara motivates audiences to build career resilience through the lens of traumatic grief-informed and vicarious trauma-informed care. Her programs help mental health teams, healthcare leaders, and victim service providers in trauma-informed organizations, manage workplace chronic stressors.
