“While the pandemic forced the world to embrace virtual settings, there is still an energy and excitement that comes from being at an in-person event,” Tom Gabriel, president and CEO of United Way of Westchester and Putnam told the Business Journal. “Being together encourages more engagement with one another and allows participants to connect with the speakers and the content in a more intimate way.”
United Way is planning for its Nonprofit Leadership Summit 2022 scheduled on March 25 to host a maximum of 500 in-person attendees as well as offering virtual participation over the internet.
The featured speakers include: Angela F. William, CEO of United Way Worldwide; Cristina Alesci, former CNN correspondent and chief corporate affairs officer of Chobani, known for its yogurt; and Avera Martin, a Harvard-trained civil rights attorney, advocate, nonprofit founder, television host, legal and social issues commentator and author.
“Scientists and medical professionals believe that the latest Covid surge will peak this month,” Gabriel said. “Schools are open and colleges are welcoming back students over the next few weeks, so holding an event at the end of March is reasonable. We will be following any protocols put in place by Pace University, since the Summit will be held on its Pleasantville campus.”
Gabriel said that should the new Covid case rate remain high and health professionals advise against large in-person gatherings, United Way would switch the event to all-virtual, the way their leadership summits for 2020 and 2021 were held.
“Our past in-person summits drew audiences of 700 people. We were able to grow the audience in the virtual setting to over 2,000 unique visitors in 2021,” Gabriel said. “By offering a hybrid opportunity, with a capped in-person capacity of 500 individuals to increase social distancing, we believe that we can provide a valuable experience for all participants.”
In its 20th year, the Nonprofit Leadership Summit is designed to help organizations build professional excellence. This year”™s theme is collaboration and innovation for community building. In addition to the keynote speakers, the event will feature TED-styled talks related to the theme from local leaders. There also will be collaboration activities to engage the participants.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Goldstein Fitness Center on Pace”™s Pleasantville Campus from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets will include breakfast, lunch and a cocktail reception. While United Way is offering sponsorship opportunities on its internet page uwwp.org/summit-2022-sponsorships, it has announced that TD Bank is partial underwriter of the event with Con Edison and Pace as sponsors.
