A virtual training day for BIPOC-led organizations
Presented by
Financially Lit & Funding Ready.
Turn financial knowledge into greater community impact.
Whether you're leading a nonprofit, launching a community initiative, or growing a mission-driven organization, sustainable impact begins with financial confidence. Join nonprofit leaders, grant experts, financial professionals, and changemakers from across the country for practical strategies designed to help your organization become financially stronger and funding ready.
- Friday, October 23, 2026
- Virtual Conference
- 60-minute expert sessions
- Free registration
Why attend?
Today's nonprofit landscape is changing rapidly. Funding expectations are evolving, grantmakers are demanding stronger evidence of impact, and organizations need more than passion — they need financial strategy.
Financially Lit & Funding Ready brings together experts who share practical tools, real-world experiences, and proven strategies that help organizations build financial resilience and compete for funding. You'll leave with actionable knowledge you can implement immediately.
What you'll learn
Financial Leadership
Develop stronger financial practices that help your organization grow sustainably.
Grant Readiness
Learn what funders are looking for and how to position your organization for success.
Fundraising Strategies
Explore innovative approaches to diversifying revenue and building long-term sustainability.
Data & Impact
Discover how meaningful data and evaluation strengthen grant applications and donor confidence.
Organizational Capacity
Build systems that prepare your organization for growth, partnerships, and larger funding opportunities.
The Good, the Bad & the Necessary
Local BIPOC-led organization leaders take the mic to tell the truth about their philanthropic journey — what funded them, what failed them, and what they had to build anyway. No polished case studies. Real numbers, real lessons, real strategy.
The grants that changed everything, the funders who showed up as partners, and the wins BIPOC-led organizations rarely get to celebrate out loud.
Honest talk about restricted dollars, reporting burdens, delayed reimbursements, and the trust gap that keeps community organizations underfunded.
What leaders did anyway — the systems, boundaries, budgets, and boldness it takes to stay mission-true while becoming funding ready.
Conference agenda
Friday, October 23, 2026 · all times CT. Select the sessions you want and add them straight to your calendar. Speaker announcements coming soon.
9:00 AM
to 9:30 AM CT
WelcomeOpening: Turning Financial Knowledge Into Community Impact
Measure opens the day with why financial confidence is the foundation of sustainable community impact, and how to get the most out of every session.
Meme Styles, President & Founder, Measure
9:30 AM
to 10:30 AM CT
Financial LeadershipBuilding Financially Healthy Organizations
The practices, policies, and habits that keep mission-driven organizations solvent, audit-ready, and able to grow without burning out their teams.
Hosted by Amplify Credit Union10:30 AM
to 11:30 AM CT
Financial LeadershipNonprofit Structure & Compliance
Explore nonprofit financial structures, most often missed opportunities and mistakes on 990s, and the potential impacts of current tax law changes on funding strategies. Includes practical examples of a variety of funding strategies.
Hosted by Sarah Loghin, CPA CMA CFE (she/her)Director, Forvis Mazars Nonprofit Advisory Services
11:30 AM
to 12:00 PM CT
Grant ReadinessWhat Funders Really Want
A candid look at how grantmakers read applications, what evidence moves a decision, and how to position your organization before the RFP drops.
Speaker to be announced
12:00 PM
to 1:00 PM CT
NetworkingNetworking Rooms
Optional breakout rooms by region and organization size — meet peers navigating the same funding landscape.
Speaker to be announced
1:00 PM
to 2:00 PM CT
Grant ReadinessGet R.E.A.D.Y. Before You Write
Winning grants is not only about writing strong proposals — organizations must be ready before the application ever opens. In this practical, interactive workshop, Michelle Goodwine helps nonprofit and community leaders evaluate whether their organization and proposed program are truly ready to pursue grant funding. Participants use the R.E.A.D.Y. Grant Check to examine five critical areas: Requirements & Fit, Evidence & Outcomes, Administrative Readiness, Dollars & Budget Alignment, and Your Capacity to Deliver. The session also covers common, preventable mistakes — chasing funding that doesn't fit, starting too late, submitting generic narratives, confusing activities with outcomes, using unsupported claims, creating budgets that don't match the proposal, missing required documents, overpromising results, and waiting until the deadline to submit. Participants leave with a readiness score, a go/no-go decision tool, and a prioritized action plan for strengthening their organization.
Hosted by Michelle GoodwineFounder/CEO, Maverick HR Consulting; Program Director, LIFELine Support & Services and the BizNess Center at Abundant LIFE CDC
2:00 PM
to 2:30 PM CT
Financial LeadershipFinancial Literacy and Aligning Metrics to Facilitate Mission Sustainability
Shifting mindset and process to strategic budgeting, setting appropriate metrics, and evaluating reserves and related strategies. Includes practical considerations for establishing/maintaining banking relationships and communicating financial metrics to stakeholders.
Hosted by Sarah Loghin, CPA CMA CFE (she/her)Director, Forvis Mazars Nonprofit Advisory Services
2:30 PM
to 3:00 PM CT
Data & ImpactMeasuring Outcomes That Matter & Storytelling With Data
Choose outcomes funders and community both trust, then turn your numbers into a story that strengthens applications and donor confidence.
Meme Styles
President, Measure
3:00 PM
to 3:30 PM CT
Data & ImpactEquity-Centered AI Governance
How community-led AI governance keeps technology accountable to the people it affects, and what funders should require before backing AI-driven work.
Hosted by Dominique OquendoIntentional Data
3:30 PM
to 4:00 PM CT
Data & ImpactGrant Writing with AI: Faster, Smarter, Funded
Llyas Salahud-din, founder of GrantAppli, demonstrates how this AI-powered platform helps nonprofits and schools write, manage, and research grants faster — so teams spend less time chasing deadlines and more time delivering on mission.
Llyas Salahud-din
Founder, GrantAppli
5:00 PM
to 6:30 PM CT
In PersonHappy Hour Mixer at Teakeasy (In Person)
Close the day face to face. Join Measure, sponsors, funders, and fellow nonprofit leaders for a happy hour at Teakeasy in Pflugerville, Texas — drinks, bites, and the kind of relationship building that funding actually runs on. Separate RSVP required; space is limited.
Teakeasy, Pflugerville, TX (address sent to confirmed guests)
Who should attend?
Whether your organization is just getting started or preparing for its next million-dollar grant, this conference offers valuable insights for every stage of growth.
- Executive Directors
- Nonprofit CEOs
- Development Directors
- Grant Writers
- Program Managers
- Finance Professionals
- Community Leaders
- Board Members
- Faith-Based Organizations
- Emerging Nonprofit Founders
- Philanthropic Partners
- Government & Community Organizations
What makes this conference different?
Unlike traditional fundraising conferences, Financially Lit & Funding Ready focuses on the intersection of financial literacy, organizational strategy, evaluation, and long-term sustainability. Sessions are practical, interactive, and designed specifically for mission-driven organizations serving communities.
Included with registration
- Access to all live sessions
- Conference resources
- Downloadable tools and templates
- Access to presentation materials
- Networking opportunities
- Conference recordings (where available)
- Future funding and professional development updates from Measure
About Measure
Measure is a Black woman-led research and evaluation organization that equips nonprofits, governments, and community organizations with the data, strategy, and accountability tools they need to create measurable change. Through evaluation, capacity building, and community-centered learning, Measure has helped organizations strengthen programs, secure funding, and increase their impact across the country.
Frequently asked questions
Reserve your spot today
Strong organizations are built on strong financial foundations. Join nonprofit leaders from across the country as we learn practical strategies for building organizations that are financially resilient, funding ready, and positioned for lasting community impact.
Friday, October 23, 2026 · Virtual · Free registration
Measure your own progress
Take the 5-minute pre-conference survey — anyone can take it, registered or not. It captures how confident you feel today about your finances and about asking funders for money. The matching post-conference survey opens Friday, October 23, 2026 · 9:00 AM CT so you can see exactly what changed.