WID Connect: Conversations That Count
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Robin Hood
826 Broadway 9th Floor, New York, NY 10003
Registration Fees
Member: $45 | Non-Member: $55
Young Professional & Students: $35
Join Women In Development New York for a structured networking event focused on building authentic connections and community. This October, we're digging into the conversations shaping our field right now — from preparing for the greatest wealth transfer in history, to fundraising under new pressures around free expression, to making the case for the arts when budgets and attention are stretched thin.
Connect with fellow WID members, share experiences, and gain fresh perspectives to navigate today's evolving nonprofit landscape—together. Ready to be part of the conversation?
You will have the opportunity to participate in two of the following engaging roundtable discussions led by a facilitator:
The Handoff: Preparing Donors, Heirs, and Ourselves
Trillions of dollars are expected to change hands over the next two decades as wealth passes to younger generations. This table explores what that means for fundraisers. How do we build relationships with next-gen donors and heirs? How do we steward multigenerational family giving without losing the original donor's intent? What does it take to be ready when that transfer happens on our watch?
Dawn L. Williams serves as the Executive Director of Planned Giving at Barnard College. As seasoned fundraising professional, she brings an extensive background in college student development and community development to her work; knowledge she finds important to building meaningful relationships and fostering impactful philanthropy. Beyond her work at Barnard, Dawn is a practicing visual artist who finds endless inspiration in the world around her. She finds nothing better than spending a day immersed in the energy of NYC’s streets or exploring new destinations near and far.
The Quiet Part Out Loud: Fundraising When Words Are Risky
As political and cultural pressures increasingly shape what organizations can say, and who they can serve, fundraisers are being asked to navigate new constraints around messaging, mission, and public voice. This conversation digs into how development professionals are adapting their language, donor conversations, and public communications while staying true to their organization's mission.
Pamela Ellerman, Senior Director of Institutional Giving, CAMBA
Stay tuned for more details about our final roundtable facilitator!
Culture Under Pressure: Funding the Arts in Crisis
When budgets tighten and urgent needs dominate the headlines, arts and culture organizations often find themselves fighting for relevance and dollars. This table is a space for arts fundraisers to share strategies for articulating why the arts matter, especially when the world feels like it's on fire.
Kathleen Germann is a nonprofit advancement leader with more than two decades of experience in fundraising, donor engagement, and organizational growth across the arts, culture, music, and higher education. Kathleen currently serves as the inaugural Director of Development at 54 Below, where she’s leading the organization’s transition from a commercial performing arts venue to a nonprofit institution. Previously, Kathleen held development leadership roles at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Barnard College of Columbia University, Town Hall, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, managing major gift portfolios and creating successful annual giving and donor and alumni engagement programs.
Proving It: Impact, Perception, and the Story We Tell Donors
As public trust in institutions wavers and donors increasingly want to see that their gifts matter, fundraisers are under growing pressure to demonstrate impact in real time. This table explores the gap between what our organizations actually do and how donors perceive that work. How do we communicate impact honestly without oversimplifying complex outcomes? How do we handle donor skepticism or the perception that nonprofits are inefficient or opaque? And how do we tell a compelling story without overpromising results we can't guarantee?
Jessica Shearer is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of YAI, a national nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Jess joined YAI in 2024, bringing more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications for nonprofit and for-profit organizations.Prior to joining YAI, she served as Managing Director of Marketing and Communications for KIPP New Jersey and KIPP Miami, a network of public charter schools, during a period when the network grew from 8 to 22 schools. Before that, she was Vice President, Director of Marketing for MikeWorldWide, where her team was recognized as Marketing Department/Team of the Year multiple times by the American Business Awards and International Business Awards. Jess has been honored by the 2026 Stevie Awards for Women in Business as a winner in both the Female Executive of the Year and Woman of the Year categories. At YAI, Jess leads the organization's efforts to tell honest, human stories about people with I/DD — work that has shaped how the nonprofit communicates its mission to donors, families, and the public.
Love the One You’re With: The Value of Donor Stewardship
The most sustainable path to increased giving is not always finding new donors: it is deepening relationships with the donors you already have. This discussion will explore the importance of donor stewardship as a strategic and meaningful practice that keeps supporters connected to an organization’s mission over time. By “loving the one you’re with,” organizations can shift from transactional fundraising to relationship-centered engagement. This conversation will examine how intentional stewardship fosters long-term partnerships, enhances donor retention, and ultimately creates a stronger culture of philanthropy.
Tina Genoves-Cherena is a fundraising and nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience in development operations, donor relations, and fundraising strategy. Throughout her career, she has partnered with organizational leaders and fundraising teams to strengthen donor engagement and develop strategies for prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, while building the systems and operations that support successful fundraising programs. She is President and Founder of The Collaborative Edge Strategies, a consulting practice focused on organizational strategy, leadership, and nonprofit effectiveness. Tina is also a Ph.D. candidate in Leadership and Change Management at Antioch University.
Redefining Relationship Labor: The Warmth Tax in Major Gifts
Major Gift Officers often find themselves balancing the art of relationship-building with the challenge of navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. This can mean having their professional expertise subtly underestimated, managing over-familiar or personal behavior from donors, or feeling an unspoken expectation to provide "relational glue" that keeps partnerships warm and productive. By naming these dynamics openly, fundraisers can share strategies for setting respectful limits, reinforcing professional authority, and ensuring that relationship labor is recognized, valued, and equally shared with their organizations.
Jamie Lee is an executive coach who works with marginalized leaders who are “allergic” to office politics. She focuses on helping them get promoted and better paid without compromising their integrity or throwing anyone under the bus. As a coach, she blends proven self-advocacy strategies with evidence-based neuroplasticity tools. A South Korean immigrant, Jamie first learned the value of self-advocacy from the example of her mother, who single-handedly raised three daughters while running a nail salon and speaking broken English in New Jersey. Over a decade, Jamie has trained thousands of professionals in effective self-advocacy at leading organizations, including Citi, Unilever, Association of Corporate Counsels, American College of Cardiologists, UC Berkeley School of Business, and Smith College, among others.
Please select two roundtables that you would like to participate in. We will make every effort to accommodate your choices.
Priority will be given to early registrants.
To ensure participants have an opportunity to learn and ask questions SPACE WILL BE LIMITED.
For security reasons, tickets are not transferable, and onsite registration will not be available.
Women In Development, New York (WID) accepts refund requests made in writing at least five (5) business days prior to the event. Registration fees are not refundable after this date. Nonrefundable ticket purchases may not be used as credits towards future WID events.
By registering for this Women In Development, New York event, I give consent for my photograph to be taken and possibly used on the organization’s intranet, internet, newsletters, board reports, and other organizational materials as needed. I understand that I am not eligible for compensation for use of my photo and I may not be informed in advance of the specific use of those images.