Shine the Light to offer valuable leadership experiences for nonprofit professionals and board members
March 15, 2017
DNA Creative Communications (DNA), in partnership with Community Foundation of Greenville, United Way of Greenville County and Hollingsworth Funds, announces the launch of its 2017 Shine the Light Nonprofit Forums series, “Creativity: A Pathway to Change” with its kickoff session “Community Engagement: Authentic Voices Really Matter” This event will take place on April 12, from 8 a.m. to noon at The Warehouse Theatre, located at 37 Augusta Street in Greenville.
Fellowship Greenville’s Jonathan Parker will present the keynote address at the kickoff session. Parker, the Director of City Involvement at Fellowship Greenville, is tirelessly committed to finding ways to connect the Church and our community. Parker strives to break down barriers that separate the two and actively looks for opportunities to have intentional and transparent conversations around critical social issues, situations, and challenges facing our community. Parker’s passions for finding meaningful and productive engagement between both the Church and the city has given him a respected voice in both contexts.
In this first 2017 Shine the Light session, Parker will lead the forum and focus on the question: What will it take to make Greenville the most curious city in the World? In doing so, he will use his expertise in building bridges to illuminate topics and issues that create barriers in our community and in nonprofit organizations and how these barriers can be broken through by the power of curiosity. The forum will include information, conversations, and exercises to ensure that community engagement is viewed from multiple vantage points. “Community Engagement: Authentic Voices Really Matter” will also feature Innovation Labs facilitated by community leaders. Facilitators will encourage attendees to share their experiences and insights in a dynamic, robust and authentic conversation about the power of creativity and authenticity in achieving an organization’s mission.
Shine the Light will have 3 additional forums in their 2017 series. On June 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at Zen in downtown Greenville, Scott Neely and Carolina Caldwell of Speaking Down Barriers will lead a forum entitled “Courageous Conversations: Listening to and Valuing Different Voices.” On August 16, from 8 a.m. to noon at Zen, Grady Powell of Openfields will lead a discussion called “Thinking Differently: Designing our Future Nonprofit Landscape.” And finally, Shine the Light will conclude its 2017 season with a forum on October 18, from 8 a.m. to noon, led by Marc Pitman of The Concord Leadership Group. This final session is entitled “Inspiring Stories: Strengthening Our Collective Voice.”
“This year’s Shine the Light series focuses on creativity and collaboration in leadership and is designed to help nonprofit leaders develop the skills to generate transformational change to ensure their organizations thrive in the future,” said Debbie Nelson, president of DNA and founder of Shine the Light. “This year’s sessions follow a logical progression and culminate with a forum on how we, collectively, can affect the change that we want to see in our community. I cannot stress enough how valuable it will be for nonprofit leaders and professionals to attend our entire series so they can walk step by step through the processes that illuminate effective methods which will serve their organizations with valuable insight and leadership principles.”
For more information on Shine the Light or to register for the series, visit www.NonprofitForums.org or call Debbie Nelson at (864) 420-0195.
Shine the Light Nonprofit Forums
Shine the Light Nonprofit Forums, a learning forum for nonprofit professionals and their board members, is presented annually by DNA Creative Communications in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greenville, the United Way of Greenville County and the Hollingsworth Funds. Each year Shine the Light develops and delivers highly relevant and creative events 1) to expose participants to key leadership strategies, 2) to provide them with opportunities to learn together through unique experiences and facilitated conversations, and 3) to equip them with tools to apply these strategies in their organizations. Since its launch in 2010, more than 1,800 participants and 400 organizations have attended and supported Shine the Light Nonprofit Forums. To learn more, visit www.nonprofitforums.org
