Spark! Conference

Igniting Passion in Nonprofits

June 20, 2024 | Marshfield Campus

Join us for a one-day conference that will spark passionate conversations between central Wisconsin's nonprofit enthusiasts. Nonprofits are driven by a mission mindset but require expertise and creativity to be sustainable. Ignite your passion while attending this Mid-State Technical College event dedicated to your personal and professional growth. All skill levels are welcome–whether you are a volunteer, director, or board member.

The conference will feature a conference opener by Ted Melby from Mid-State’s Workforce & Economic Development division, a keynote address from Jeremy Fojut from MARS Solution Groups, a panel discussion, and two breakout sessions. During the breakout sessions, attendees can choose from three different themes or mix and match topics. Themes include: Board Development, Marketing, and Fundraising.

Conference Fee: $95

Register

If you have a disability and need accommodations to take part in this activity, please let us know. Contact the event coordinator as soon as possible, ideally 14 days in advance.

Sponsors

Schedule

What’s in store for you at the Spark! Conference? Take a deep dive into the presentations and workshops on the schedule. Attendees will choose one presentation per breakout session.

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Session Descriptions & Presenter Bios

Conference Opener – Building Your Leadership Identity

Building a strong leadership identity is essential for driving meaningful change and maximizing impact within your organization and community. Join us as we delve into the core principles of authentic leadership, exploring how to cultivate your unique leadership style while staying true to your values and vision. Whether you're a seasoned executive, emerging leader, or aspiring change-maker, this session will provide you with the tools, confidence, and inspiration to lead with purpose, resilience, and authenticity. Take the first step towards shaping your leadership legacy and making a lasting difference in the nonprofit sector.

Presenter: Ted Melby, Mid-State Workforce & Economic Development

Ted Melby holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in organizational behavior, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in career & technical education leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. A proud graduate of the Wisconsin Technical College System, Ted also earned his journeyman machinist card early on in his career.

Ted joined Mid-State Technical College full-time in January of 2024, after more than 20 years of business leadership. Most recently, Ted was the director of plant operations and maintenance at Wysocki Family of Companies. Prior to that, Ted was the corporate director of procurement for Ministry Health Care. Over the years he has held positions such as engineering program manager, product engineering supervisor, and purchasing manager.

Breakout Session 1 (AM) – Option 1: From Chaos to Cohesion: Creating an Effective Board Structure

Theme: Board Development
Boards savvy about board governance are more effective, efficient, and engaged. But what is board governance and what does it entail? Attorney Amy Ebeling will cover legal requirements, best practices, and recommended policies for organizational documents. She’ll also address key players and their roles and responsibilities (and what makes an effective director), board structure, and board operations.

Presenter: Amy Ebeling, RuderWare

Amy Ebeling has a long history working with tax-exempt entities, including charitable foundations, community foundations, and private foundations. Because of her understanding of the unique tax considerations and legal requirements facing tax-exempt organizations, both tax-exempt board members and executive directors appreciate Amy’s guidance.

Beyond her legal practice, Amy regularly volunteers her time and expertise to support local charities and nonprofit organizations. She is committed to making a positive impact on the community and is actively involved in numerous organizations including the Community Partners Campus, Inc., and the B.A. & Esther Greenheck Foundation, Inc.

Breakout Session 1 (AM) – Option 2: Mastering Grant Writing Strategies to Unlock Success

Theme: Fundraising
Whether you're new to grant writing or looking to sharpen your skills, this session offers an overview of grant writing strategies, tips, and best practices. This session is designed to empower attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to craft compelling grant proposals. The facilitators will share proven strategies, best practices, and resources to elevate your grant-writing skills and increase your understanding of how to secure funding for your impactful projects.

Presenters: Micki Dirks-Luebbe and Sara Guild, Mid-State Foundation and Development

Micki Dirks-Luebbe is responsible for leading development efforts at Mid-State Technical College. As part of that role, she cultivates relationships with local, state, and federal economic development representatives to bring additional funding opportunities to the district. She collaborates with regional workforce systems, sister colleges, and nonprofit agencies to develop robust strategic plans and proposals to achieve goals and outcomes for furthering economic development. She also collaborates with public agencies to develop education and training opportunities that fit within state and federal missions to serve incumbent, unemployed, and underemployed as well as those with barriers to education. Micki holds a master’s degree in public administration and has over 15 years working in post-secondary education along with 10 years of experience working in the human service field.

Sara Guild has been serving as grant project manager at Mid-State Technical College since May 2023, where she participates in the entire grant administration process, including identifying grant opportunities, writing applications, and managing awarded grant projects through completion. Prior to this role, she spent almost five years serving as executive director for a small nonprofit that utilized multiple grants to sustain its programming. Her work history also includes experience in workforce development, government affairs and outreach, business advocacy, higher education, and healthcare.

Breakout Session 1 (AM) – Option 3: Empowering Nonprofits Online: Building Effective Websites for Impact

Theme: Marketing
Having a web presence is essential for any nonprofit in the modern economy. This session is designed to help you develop, understand, and optimize your website, whether you are starting from scratch or just looking to update or add features to an existing website. Attendees will start by learning some of the strategies of successful web design.

Presenter: Brent Presley, Mid-State School of Business & Information Technology

Brent Presley merges 20+ years of IT expertise with a passion for technology in the nonprofit sector. Teaching software development at Mid-State since 2014, he brings a wealth of experience from technology, management, and service industries to the table. Brent is committed to helping nonprofits overcome technology challenges, with a special focus on AI and software development innovations. As a lifelong learner with five degrees, his approach to education and nonprofit support is both practical and inspiring, designed to empower staff, volunteers, and board members to leverage technology for greater impact.

Breakout Session 2 (PM) – Option 1: Diversifying Your Fundraising Strategy for Maximum ROI

Theme: Fundraising
Grants, events, major gifts, direct mail appeals, oh my! Fundraising is often just one of many tasks on a staff member's plate, and there are a lot of different ways organizations can meet their revenue goals. How do you determine which fundraising streams you should focus on? When you're evaluating your annual development plan, are you prioritizing your time and efforts to improve your ROI? Do you have a diversified fundraising program that sustains your mission? Learn how to determine where to put your energy to create financial stability for your organization.

Presenter: Rikki Harry, LEAP Nonprofit Consulting

Rikki Harry is the founder and owner of LEAP Nonprofit Consulting, LLC. Her innate need to improve the world around her led to her career in nonprofits. For more than 15 years she has worked as a professional fundraiser, board member, and volunteer in multiple types of nonprofits, including human services, humanities, healthcare, and higher education. In those roles, she led high-performing teams, set organizational strategy, coached and trained successful fundraisers and board members, and personally raised millions of dollars to support the important work being done to serve our communities. She is passionate about building cultures of gratitude and philanthropy in organizations of all sizes.

Breakout Session 2 (PM) – Option 2: Brace for Impact: Crafting a Marketing/PR Plan and Enhancing your Online Presence

Theme: Marketing
In this interactive breakout session, we’ll dive into the realm of digital marketing to cultivate a robust online presence for organizations. Together, we’ll learn the fundamental components of crafting a comprehensive marketing plan tailored to the nonprofit sector. We’ll also dive into the key components that allow you to leverage your online and social media presence, along with how some free tools can make it all possible. This session aims to equip nonprofit leaders with the essential tools and strategies necessary to thrive in the digital landscape, amplify mission-driven initiatives, and achieve broader reach in the digital age!

Presenter: Ben Bauer, Exclamation

Ben Bauer is the executive director at Exclamation Services, a creative marketing agency and Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) that is wholly owned by Simplicity Credit Union. Ben and his team lead the marketing and public relations efforts at Simplicity CU as well as several external credit union and non-credit-union clients. He is an active member of the community, including serving as a board member for the Marshfield Sunrise Rotary Club, Marshfield Area Community Foundation, Inc., Spencer Youth Recreations, Inc. and as an assistant coach for Spencer-Columbus varsity football team. Ben and his wife Katie love to spend as much time possible with their two children and in their spare time enjoy Marshfield and Wisconsin in the great outdoors, biking, running, hiking, and camping.

Breakout Session 2 (PM) – Option 3: Successful Meetings

Theme: Board Development
Learn the basics of parliamentary procedure according to Roberts Rules of Order. This session will help you lead efficient, proper meetings for any group! This session will also help ensure that you are given proper rights as the member of an organized group. Participants will learn how to propose main motions, amendments, proper voting techniques, and other abilities to make meetings run smoothly.

Presenter: Amy Gerhardt, Mid-State School of Applied Technology

Amy Gerhardt is a part-time agriscience instructor at Mid-State Technical College. Prior to teaching at Mid-State, she taught high school agriculture and advised FFA for 23 years at Neillsville and Augusta High Schools. Her journey with parliamentary procedure began in seventh grade as a member of the Parliamentary Procedure team. She was a member of a Nationally Gold rated Parliamentary Procedure team in high school, judged parliamentary procedure in college, and coached parliamentary procedure teams. Outside of parliamentary procedure, Amy enjoys good dairy cattle, camping, and gardening. She resides in Neillsville with her husband and three children.

Breakout Session 2 (PM) – Option 4: Board Development and Retreats

Theme: Board Development
Stepping back from the day-to-day is essential to building a brighter future for your organization. You don't need to take a lot of time, resources, or expense to do it. In this session you'll learn to advance your mission, strategy, and initiatives during your board retreat to get all the impact without the price tag.

Presenter: Kelly Hirn, Kelly Hirn LLC - Transitional Leadership

Kelly Hirn has been leading and developing leaders for more than 20 years. Her experience with leading leaders in a variety of industries from education, financial services, constructions, hospitality, and more led her to create Kelly Hirn LLC – Transitional Leadership. She provides education, resources, and coaching to help leaders be effective in their own style and make an impact long term. Her experience as president of the governance board for her local charter school gives her a unique perspective of leading those who lead in the nonprofit space while being in the trenches with them. Kelly's comical, real-world perspective on objective reflection and active development helps those who work with her make a bigger impact on their organization's outcomes and successes.

Motives for Supporting the Mission: HR, Marketing, & Fundraising Panel

An engaging panel discussion with experts in marketing, human resources, and fundraising exploring innovative strategies for nonprofit success. Discover the synergy between these crucial elements that support your mission. Gain invaluable insights, practical tips, and real examples as our panelists share their expertise and experience from rural to national initiatives. This session will equip you with the tools and strategies needed to thrive in today's dynamic nonprofit landscape.

Panel Bios:

Angel Laidlaw, Centergy

Angel Laidlaw currently serves as the president and CEO for Centergy, a regional economic development organization in central Wisconsin. Her experience includes marketing, economic development, and strategic planning. Angel is a graduate of Mid-State Technical College with an associate degree in digital marketing with several certifications in economic development. Before Centergy, Angel led the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, and she served as the marketing and communications director at the Portage County Business Council. Angel was awarded the Wisconsin Economic Development Association’s Young Professional Award. She has also been involved in several community and economic development organizations, including Ignite Young Professionals, the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce’s Executives, Exclamation Board of Directors, and the Secretary for Opportunity Development’s Executive Board.

Teri Wilzcek, Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation

Teri Wilczek is the chief development officer for the Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation. During her 22 years of progressive responsibility at Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS), she has worked to transform philanthropy for the system. With support of the MCHS Foundation Board of Directors, she is responsible for leading philanthropic activities throughout the health system. The Foundation team generates $6–12M annually to support priorities, including cancer care and research and the children’s hospital. The Foundation’s fundraising programs include a strategic special event program, Children’s Miracle Network, and robust annual, major, and planned gift programs. Teri is a member of the System Leadership Team. Teri received her ungraduated degree from UW–La Crosse and her master’s from Capella University. She is also a Certified Fundraising Executive (C.F.R.E). In 2018 she completed the Carol Emmott Fellowship for Women Leaders in Healthcare. She and her husband Ron live in Marshfield, and she is an active community leader and volunteer. She has been a member of Marshfield Rotary for 25 years and serves on the UW–La Crosse Foundation Board of Directors. Her oldest child, son Sam, is a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas, and her daughters Sophie and Gracie are a freshman and junior at Columbus Catholic.

Stacey Schultz, Marshfield Area Community Foundation

Stacey Schultz is the executive director of the Marshfield Area Community Foundation. She began working with the Foundation in June of 2019. Stacey brings 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Her career as a recreational therapist, promoting community integration, involved relationship building with businesses and community members. Relationship building is the strongest asset Stacey brings to the Foundation and to its board of directors. She has a genuine interest in each person’s story. She also brings expertise on how to keep a nonprofit running smoothly and keeping an open line of communication with the board and community members. She is active with various committees so she can keep a pulse on emerging needs such as MACY Mental Health, United Way Allocations, United for Community Wellness, Marshfield Rotary, St. Vincent de Paul Community Gardens, Mainstreet Marshfield, and the Marshfield Refugee Relocation Program.

Aliya Arroyo, Roehl

Aliya Arroyo is the talent acquisition specialist at Roehl Transport. Prior to her career in HR, she spent 10 years working in enrollment for various higher education institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Extended Campus and Western Governors University. Prior to that, she spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector in various fundraising and director roles. Aliya earned her bachelor of arts in political science from Butler University, her master’s in philanthropic studies from the prestigious Indiana University School of Philanthropy, and her MBA from Western Governors University. During her nonprofit career, Aliya cultivated outstanding skills in relationship building with major donors, special event fundraising, program building, and grant writing.