You’re preaching to the choir! Conferences need way more creativity—in venue selection, production, agenda design, and even the freebies.
Lately, I’ve been asking myself: “Why are we really here?” Especially at philanthropic convenings. Like, did we really fly to beautiful destinations just to sit in outdated hotel conference rooms, talk about the emotionally and physically taxing (but necessary) work we’re doing with limited funds, and vent about the challenges of working with local governments—only to clap after every youth panelist’s sentence but not fully support their economic mobility back home?
One of the best convenings I’ve attended was hosted by Color Congress. Their team was truly intentional—attentive, inclusive, and thoughtful. I was part of a funded org in their national collective, and we met virtually each month (with members across the U.S., including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). Meeting in person in ATL at The Gathering Spot to workshop how we’d use their funding to tackle issues in the documentary film space was a game changer! 🙌🏽🔥 The energy faded a bit once we returned to virtual meetings, but I’ll never forget that convening—or the people I met.
YES to all of this! If we’re serious about modeling the future we claim to be building, our convenings need to reflect that.
I am a huge fan of Color Congress!! I’ve never been to one of their convenings, but I’m not surprised they know how to get it right when gathering together. And you’re doing exciting work in the documentary film space! I’m trying to get more into that space (again) as of late. Most recently, I helped research and write a report with the Center for Media and Social Impact exploring how communities used the documentary, The First Step, to drive local engagement, coalition-building, and storytelling for criminal justice reform.
Would love to learn more about what you do sometime :)
YES. I think conferences can be great for reminding you why you’re in a field and for finding others who are doing amazing things and learning from them, but there needs to be a game plan before, during, and after a conference. I think thoughtful, well done conferences probably build some of this into their infrastructure (I found this with the International Leadership Association’s annual conference in Chicago this past November), but I also think we need to be thoughtful conference attendees and have specific goals in mind for attendance and then a game plan for utilizing what we learned while there. I also think there can be less conference attending because it can get real old real fast if you do it a lot, right?
Absolutely. I agree on all fronts! Conferences can be powerful spaces for connection and clarity, but there must be an equal level of intentionality within a conference infrastructure to connect more deeply. At the next conference I attend, I’ll aim to have specific goals in hopes of changing the dynamic from passive absorption to more active engagement. And yes, the burnout is real! Sometimes, folks forget that less is more.
Also, the International Leadership Association’s annual conference sounds stellar! I may check that one out in the future.
Dear Tirrea, thank you. Thank you for your professionalism and authenticity. You are so spot on, and I appreciate your essay.
I am grateful to connect with you and reading more about your work.
Cheers to you!
I have horror stories of my time spent with non-profits. I saved a wildlife rescue-rehab-release from getting shut down by the State and built it into a great place. Then the narcissistic behavior from people...the never ending loop...
Thank you for your kind words! I truly appreciate it. And wow, your story resonates with me so much. It’s heartbreaking how often the spaces built to “do good” can become breeding grounds for harm, especially when ego and control take over. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Stories like yours inspired me to start this Substack in the first place. Here’s to breaking that cycle and building something better!
You’re welcome! We are resonate. And, cheers to breaking that horrid, hypocritical cycle and build better!
It is our responsibility to tell what’s true— and, transformation is my name. Robin means “new beginnings” (and “bright fame”, according to a Subscriber) Personal stories are included in Wildlands.
It looks like you've done some AMAZING work. The conferences that have spoken to me did activities like "unconferences" where they flipped the dynamic, so it wasn't all about expert speakers. The best conferences are also ones that help the introverts in the room connect (I'm an introvert as soon as I get to a large group where I have no role). I recently took a class with a program called Liberating Structures. They have designed a series of facilitation methods (or "structures") that are focused on inclusion--bringing everyone to the "table." You might find it interesting.
Thank you so much, Marisa! And I agree with you. The conferences that have left the most significant impact on me are the ones that had more of an “unconference” structure or co-created sessions where everyone’s voice matters.
I’m so glad you mentioned Liberating Structures! I’m interested in learning more. I was planning on starting a conversation in my subscriber chat about good programs/workshops for learning facilitation methods.
And yes to building space for introverts to engage meaningfully! That’s such an overlooked part of equitable design. I’m also an introvert and appreciate more intimate and inclusive settings.
Yes, I totally feel this. Thanks for describing the numbing effect of so many conferences. I have had a few really good experiences, most recently last year a local organization that is mandated to support the non-profit sector in my region organized a conference called Exchange that was really about building community and capacity with an justice, equity, and decolonization lens, and it was awesome. They really had so many amazing ways of connecting, building relationships, learning from each other, and strengthening people's ability to do the work. It was co-hosted with a local Indigenous community at a conference centre on their reserve, and each day was opened with a welcome and blessing from elders, and there were also times when you could just go and sit with the elders around a sacred fire and hear their stories and teachings, but not in a tokenistic way, more in a "this is our land and this is what it means to us to welcome you here" kind of way. And then they also completely changed around the traditional session format. The first morning was a "human library" where they invited anyone to submit a topic they wanted to guide a conversation on or tell a story about (within certain themes they were focusing on), and there were four different sessions where you could pick which conversation you wanted to be a part of. There were also longer concurrent sessions, which were longer than usual (90 minutes). I facilitated one and we were encouraged to think of it more as an interactive workshop with the goal of practical learning rather than a presentation. Topics ranged from practices for making systems change, to getting better at conflict (mine), to creative financing, etc. They did one panel discussion that was organizations that had piloted 4-day work weeks talking about what they learned from the pilots (which people asked tons of questions about), and the had a final session that was in the spirit of supporting organizations to move toward a learning culture where anyone who wanted to could tell a story about learning from a failure. The social times were also longer and more relaxed than usual, and some of them were structured and some not. I had more real conversations with people there than I have in years. Sorry so long, but thought it was a good example of what you were asking about.
Brook, thank you so much for sharing this reflection! What you described is exactly the kind of gathering I hope the sector starts prioritizing and creating more often. A space rooted in community and care. The intentional collaboration with Indigenous elders, the reimagining of session formats, and the spaciousness for real connection make it sound like they truly prioritized relationship building. And the human library model? Brilliant!
This gives me hope and affirms that it is possible to create gatherings that nourish, challenge, and help us grow, not just as professionals but as people. Thank you again for taking the time to share. I’m genuinely inspired!
Very much scripted indeed. Makes it hard to connect/stay engaged. I feel like the more honest, raw conversations are happening in smaller spaces, like webinars and healing circles for example.
I work at a consulting firm. I agree with everything you’ve said. Conferences offer a one-time-only space that quickly evaporates; they lack “presence” as you said. I think we should view them as purely informative and start creating spaces where people speak in a circle, perhaps at parks or other public spaces, and make it a routinely thing that develops over time. That is the best way to organize in my opinion! Conferences are fun but they don’t lead to significant change. Congrats on your work btw!!
Thank you so much for reading and for the compliment! I 100% agree with you about conferences being informative. When I want opportunities for smaller, more intimate settings, I rely on webinars or smaller in-person gatherings. Unconferences have also started to become a thing, but I haven’t been to one yet. I wonder if they’re any better. Regardless, small group organizing approaches are the way to go, in my opinion!
The metric of conferences is so outdated. Companies should look at having conferences as a means of discussing problems and implementing solutions to building the Company from the ground up, but sadly many companies have one or two people who speak usually someone who is in a executive position that has no idea of the work many members within the company do let alone their name and it sounds like they are just reading from a script.
Exactly. It doesn’t help that most of these top-level executives are so far removed from the day-to-day work. It reinforces a top-down culture that sidelines the insight and perspective of the people and communities actually doing the work. A lot of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders get so caught up in titles and appearances that they forget that they are supposed to be *stewards* of the work, rather than overtaking it.
The other thing I've noticed related to the gap between content and action is the way attendees and these "trailblazer" speakers treat conference and hotel staff. I've seen everything from people insulting food in front of hotel workers to speakers demanding staff violate fire safety rules (and then tattling on staff lol).I really can't take the self-congratulatory content dumps seriously if these equity leaders in philanthropy can't even manage basic manners towards workers. Thank you for this insight.
I’m appalled that you witnessed such behavior, but I’m not surprised. That disconnect between what’s said on stage and how people treat workers behind the scenes is so telling. You can’t claim to be advancing equity while dehumanizing the very people making the event possible! Also a good reminder that values aren’t just something you speak, they’re something you practice.
I'm 22, barely a foot in the workforce, and I'm already exhausted by conferences. I've been to a handful of conferences since my first one during my junior year of college. As you mentioned, after a certain point, they get redundant. I went to a conference just recently, however, and one of their sessions revitalized me. It was engaging, thought-provoking, and it felt like we were truly collaborating-- and it had a simple structure: 6 tables with one poster each that stated a priority of a campaign. We discussed how it affects us, society, and how effective it would be as a priority. More conferences need to hold sessions like these, and it doesn't take much.
Yes! Thank you for sharing this, especially as someone early in your career. That kind of reflection says a lot about the state of things. And you’re so right. It doesn’t take much AT ALL. People simply want space to think, connect, and build together.
That session you described sounds like exactly the kind of format we need more of. Grounded, collaborative, and focused on real-world impact...more of that, please.
You’re preaching to the choir! Conferences need way more creativity—in venue selection, production, agenda design, and even the freebies.
Lately, I’ve been asking myself: “Why are we really here?” Especially at philanthropic convenings. Like, did we really fly to beautiful destinations just to sit in outdated hotel conference rooms, talk about the emotionally and physically taxing (but necessary) work we’re doing with limited funds, and vent about the challenges of working with local governments—only to clap after every youth panelist’s sentence but not fully support their economic mobility back home?
One of the best convenings I’ve attended was hosted by Color Congress. Their team was truly intentional—attentive, inclusive, and thoughtful. I was part of a funded org in their national collective, and we met virtually each month (with members across the U.S., including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). Meeting in person in ATL at The Gathering Spot to workshop how we’d use their funding to tackle issues in the documentary film space was a game changer! 🙌🏽🔥 The energy faded a bit once we returned to virtual meetings, but I’ll never forget that convening—or the people I met.
YES to all of this! If we’re serious about modeling the future we claim to be building, our convenings need to reflect that.
I am a huge fan of Color Congress!! I’ve never been to one of their convenings, but I’m not surprised they know how to get it right when gathering together. And you’re doing exciting work in the documentary film space! I’m trying to get more into that space (again) as of late. Most recently, I helped research and write a report with the Center for Media and Social Impact exploring how communities used the documentary, The First Step, to drive local engagement, coalition-building, and storytelling for criminal justice reform.
Would love to learn more about what you do sometime :)
YES. I think conferences can be great for reminding you why you’re in a field and for finding others who are doing amazing things and learning from them, but there needs to be a game plan before, during, and after a conference. I think thoughtful, well done conferences probably build some of this into their infrastructure (I found this with the International Leadership Association’s annual conference in Chicago this past November), but I also think we need to be thoughtful conference attendees and have specific goals in mind for attendance and then a game plan for utilizing what we learned while there. I also think there can be less conference attending because it can get real old real fast if you do it a lot, right?
Absolutely. I agree on all fronts! Conferences can be powerful spaces for connection and clarity, but there must be an equal level of intentionality within a conference infrastructure to connect more deeply. At the next conference I attend, I’ll aim to have specific goals in hopes of changing the dynamic from passive absorption to more active engagement. And yes, the burnout is real! Sometimes, folks forget that less is more.
Also, the International Leadership Association’s annual conference sounds stellar! I may check that one out in the future.
Dear Tirrea, thank you. Thank you for your professionalism and authenticity. You are so spot on, and I appreciate your essay.
I am grateful to connect with you and reading more about your work.
Cheers to you!
I have horror stories of my time spent with non-profits. I saved a wildlife rescue-rehab-release from getting shut down by the State and built it into a great place. Then the narcissistic behavior from people...the never ending loop...
No. No. No.
Thank you for your kind words! I truly appreciate it. And wow, your story resonates with me so much. It’s heartbreaking how often the spaces built to “do good” can become breeding grounds for harm, especially when ego and control take over. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Stories like yours inspired me to start this Substack in the first place. Here’s to breaking that cycle and building something better!
And I am very grateful that you write a newsletter about the non-profit industrial complex. I just subscribed to your newsletter.
You are a gem! Thank you. 🙏🏾
Thanks, Tirrea— would love it for you to explore Wildlands!!
Yes! I’ve subscribed to you as well. Adding a few pieces to my reading list as we speak :)
Thank you, me, too with my reading list. : )
You’re welcome! We are resonate. And, cheers to breaking that horrid, hypocritical cycle and build better!
It is our responsibility to tell what’s true— and, transformation is my name. Robin means “new beginnings” (and “bright fame”, according to a Subscriber) Personal stories are included in Wildlands.
It looks like you've done some AMAZING work. The conferences that have spoken to me did activities like "unconferences" where they flipped the dynamic, so it wasn't all about expert speakers. The best conferences are also ones that help the introverts in the room connect (I'm an introvert as soon as I get to a large group where I have no role). I recently took a class with a program called Liberating Structures. They have designed a series of facilitation methods (or "structures") that are focused on inclusion--bringing everyone to the "table." You might find it interesting.
Thank you so much, Marisa! And I agree with you. The conferences that have left the most significant impact on me are the ones that had more of an “unconference” structure or co-created sessions where everyone’s voice matters.
I’m so glad you mentioned Liberating Structures! I’m interested in learning more. I was planning on starting a conversation in my subscriber chat about good programs/workshops for learning facilitation methods.
And yes to building space for introverts to engage meaningfully! That’s such an overlooked part of equitable design. I’m also an introvert and appreciate more intimate and inclusive settings.
Yes, I totally feel this. Thanks for describing the numbing effect of so many conferences. I have had a few really good experiences, most recently last year a local organization that is mandated to support the non-profit sector in my region organized a conference called Exchange that was really about building community and capacity with an justice, equity, and decolonization lens, and it was awesome. They really had so many amazing ways of connecting, building relationships, learning from each other, and strengthening people's ability to do the work. It was co-hosted with a local Indigenous community at a conference centre on their reserve, and each day was opened with a welcome and blessing from elders, and there were also times when you could just go and sit with the elders around a sacred fire and hear their stories and teachings, but not in a tokenistic way, more in a "this is our land and this is what it means to us to welcome you here" kind of way. And then they also completely changed around the traditional session format. The first morning was a "human library" where they invited anyone to submit a topic they wanted to guide a conversation on or tell a story about (within certain themes they were focusing on), and there were four different sessions where you could pick which conversation you wanted to be a part of. There were also longer concurrent sessions, which were longer than usual (90 minutes). I facilitated one and we were encouraged to think of it more as an interactive workshop with the goal of practical learning rather than a presentation. Topics ranged from practices for making systems change, to getting better at conflict (mine), to creative financing, etc. They did one panel discussion that was organizations that had piloted 4-day work weeks talking about what they learned from the pilots (which people asked tons of questions about), and the had a final session that was in the spirit of supporting organizations to move toward a learning culture where anyone who wanted to could tell a story about learning from a failure. The social times were also longer and more relaxed than usual, and some of them were structured and some not. I had more real conversations with people there than I have in years. Sorry so long, but thought it was a good example of what you were asking about.
Brook, thank you so much for sharing this reflection! What you described is exactly the kind of gathering I hope the sector starts prioritizing and creating more often. A space rooted in community and care. The intentional collaboration with Indigenous elders, the reimagining of session formats, and the spaciousness for real connection make it sound like they truly prioritized relationship building. And the human library model? Brilliant!
This gives me hope and affirms that it is possible to create gatherings that nourish, challenge, and help us grow, not just as professionals but as people. Thank you again for taking the time to share. I’m genuinely inspired!
Yes I left feeling very inspired and energized! Definitely happy to spread the learning in the hopes more events are organized like that.
I’ve been to a few dozen conferences now and I can’t stand how scripted the sessions have become. I want more raw and honest conversations.
Very much scripted indeed. Makes it hard to connect/stay engaged. I feel like the more honest, raw conversations are happening in smaller spaces, like webinars and healing circles for example.
Which makes sense. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
Of course!
I work at a consulting firm. I agree with everything you’ve said. Conferences offer a one-time-only space that quickly evaporates; they lack “presence” as you said. I think we should view them as purely informative and start creating spaces where people speak in a circle, perhaps at parks or other public spaces, and make it a routinely thing that develops over time. That is the best way to organize in my opinion! Conferences are fun but they don’t lead to significant change. Congrats on your work btw!!
Thank you so much for reading and for the compliment! I 100% agree with you about conferences being informative. When I want opportunities for smaller, more intimate settings, I rely on webinars or smaller in-person gatherings. Unconferences have also started to become a thing, but I haven’t been to one yet. I wonder if they’re any better. Regardless, small group organizing approaches are the way to go, in my opinion!
The metric of conferences is so outdated. Companies should look at having conferences as a means of discussing problems and implementing solutions to building the Company from the ground up, but sadly many companies have one or two people who speak usually someone who is in a executive position that has no idea of the work many members within the company do let alone their name and it sounds like they are just reading from a script.
Exactly. It doesn’t help that most of these top-level executives are so far removed from the day-to-day work. It reinforces a top-down culture that sidelines the insight and perspective of the people and communities actually doing the work. A lot of nonprofit and philanthropic leaders get so caught up in titles and appearances that they forget that they are supposed to be *stewards* of the work, rather than overtaking it.
The other thing I've noticed related to the gap between content and action is the way attendees and these "trailblazer" speakers treat conference and hotel staff. I've seen everything from people insulting food in front of hotel workers to speakers demanding staff violate fire safety rules (and then tattling on staff lol).I really can't take the self-congratulatory content dumps seriously if these equity leaders in philanthropy can't even manage basic manners towards workers. Thank you for this insight.
I’m appalled that you witnessed such behavior, but I’m not surprised. That disconnect between what’s said on stage and how people treat workers behind the scenes is so telling. You can’t claim to be advancing equity while dehumanizing the very people making the event possible! Also a good reminder that values aren’t just something you speak, they’re something you practice.
I'm 22, barely a foot in the workforce, and I'm already exhausted by conferences. I've been to a handful of conferences since my first one during my junior year of college. As you mentioned, after a certain point, they get redundant. I went to a conference just recently, however, and one of their sessions revitalized me. It was engaging, thought-provoking, and it felt like we were truly collaborating-- and it had a simple structure: 6 tables with one poster each that stated a priority of a campaign. We discussed how it affects us, society, and how effective it would be as a priority. More conferences need to hold sessions like these, and it doesn't take much.
Yes! Thank you for sharing this, especially as someone early in your career. That kind of reflection says a lot about the state of things. And you’re so right. It doesn’t take much AT ALL. People simply want space to think, connect, and build together.
That session you described sounds like exactly the kind of format we need more of. Grounded, collaborative, and focused on real-world impact...more of that, please.