Partnership for Excellence Conference Inspires Nonprofit Sector

A panoramic view of the Partnership for Excellence Conference at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara, on April 12, 2016. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

A panoramic view of the Partnership for Excellence Conference at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara, on April 12, 2016. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

I’ve always been curious to see what goes on at the Partnership for Excellence Conference—an always sold-out annual gathering of Santa Barbara County’s nonprofit leaders organized by the Foundation Roundtable—so when the opportunity to attend the 23rd annual edition of the conference came up last month, I leaped on the invitation and was not disappointed.

First of all, the mere sight of more than 500 attendees from Santa Barbara County’s philanthropic sector in one room is rather impressive. You always hear the lore about Santa Barbara having more nonprofits per capita than any other community of its size, and the passion, energy and brain power of the folks in the main ballroom of The Fess Parker Doubletree Resort that morning was enough to fuel a third-world nation.

Nonprofit leaders gather at the Partnership for Excellence Conference at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara, on April 12, 2016. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

Nonprofit leaders gather at the Partnership for Excellence Conference at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara, on April 12, 2016. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

The opportunities for networking and cross pollinating of ideas is enough to ensure attendance, but the conference also provided a lot of food for thought on how to improve your performance, as well as that of your organization.  The overall conference theme was “Mindful Leadership: Strengthening Focus and Purpose,” and the keynote speaker focused on just that.  Leah Weiss Ph.D., of Stanford University, gave a lively, interaction talk as she presented her research on the benefits of mindfulness practices.

Mindfulness comes down to a handful of factors, says Weiss, intention and purpose, attention, and attitude. Neuroplasticity, the idea that our brains can be rewired, is one of the ideas that mindfulness hinges on—we can train ourselves to become more mindful. She demonstrated this through experiments with the audience, asking people to write down their distractions and throw them away, draw a sketch of how they perceive their mind, take a moment of silence, and meditate on a calming scene she described. It was fascinating to see how much easier it was to focus (in a very crowded, distracting environment) with just a few of her strategies.

Keynote speaker Leah Weiss, PhD at the Partnership for Excellence Conference. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

Keynote speaker Leah Weiss, PhD at the Partnership for Excellence Conference. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

I also attended an inspiring workshop on “Power of Perspective: Overcoming Overload to Optimize Performance,” with Relly Nadler, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in emotional intelligence. It was fascinating. Truth be told, I was planning to dip in and out of the morning presentations, but ended up being so engrossed in what Nadler had to say that I stayed for the whole thing. Check out his free iPhone App highlighting his tools with video, called Leadership Keys. http://bit.ly/TNLiPhoneApp, it’s pretty interesting. You can also get more tools, tips, assessments, podcasts and blogs to raise your emotional intelligence at www.truenorthleadership.com/ei-central.

The rest of the full day conference, which I was unfortunately not able to attend, included workshops and presentations on:

-Human Capital: Opening a Conversation

-Getting Beyond the Overhead Myth: How to Talk About What Nonprofits Need to Thrive
-Out of Your Mind: Mindfulness in Action
-Transitions: How To Design and Practice Mindful Leadership Change
-What’s Not Being Said: Learning to Read and Manage Nonverbal Communications
-Working Together: Navigating Challenging Funder – Grantee Partnerships
and Mindful Leadership Applications: facilitated by Weiss.
Nonprofit leaders at the Partnership for Excellence Conference. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

Nonprofit leaders at the Partnership for Excellence Conference. Photo by Robert Redfield, courtesy Partnership for Excellence.

It was quite a conference. I’ll definitely be back for more next year. For more information go to http://nprnsb.org/pfe/.
—Leslie Dinaberg
Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on May 11, 2016.

Partnership for Excellence Conference Addresses Benefits of Mindful Practices

 

Partnership for ExcellenceThe 23rd Annual Partnership for Excellence Conference—the premiere forum for social sector leaders in Santa Barbara County—takes place on Tuesday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Fess Parker Doubletree Resort, 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd.

Founded by the Foundation Roundtable, the Partnership for Excellence Conference is a vital event that convenes a forum for funders and nonprofit leaders from the philanthropic sector to learn, share and network together —building connections and exploring ideas, strategies, and skills that can enhance our organizations, our work, and our communities.

The conference theme for this year is Mindful Leadership: Strengthening Focus and Purpose. Cultivating mindfulness in social organizations can unlock human potential, creating increased clarity of purpose in individual leadership and greater well-being in communities served. More than 500 attendees from Santa Barbara County’s philanthropic sector will gain insights into mindfulness practices being adopted by leaders, businesses, organizations and educational programs such as Stanford and Harvard, the top two business schools in the world.

This is the single largest annual gathering on the Central Coast convening regional foundations, nonprofit organizations, board members and community/business volunteers.

The keynote speaker is Leah Weiss Ph.D., who will present her research confirming that organizations and businesses are looking to leverage the benefits of mindfulness practices. Weiss’ interactive keynote will explore the science and practices of mindfulness and purpose along with actionable frameworks and practical, evidence-based tools for individuals and organizations in our community to generate deeper impact and personal satisfaction in their work.

“We are excited to bring this program to our community at a time when the scientific study of mindfulness is expanding. According to Dr. Weiss, the latest studies show that mindfulness improves work-related capacities such as focus, emotion management, memory, learning, decision making, and creativity.  For a sector in which dedicated leaders often experience overload, this conference will provide practical tools and peer-to-peer networking that will benefit many organizations,” says Palmer Jackson, Conference Chair and Executive Director, Ann Jackson Family Foundation.

For more information about the conference and registration information, click here.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on March 29, 2016.