Workshops & Events

Join Montana Nonprofit Association's Community Engagement Director Tylyn Newcomb and MNA Rural Ambassador & Leadership Coach Eddie Visnovske for a free day of nonprofit training in the Flathead Valley.

Designed for nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers, this training will tackle two important pieces of building a healthy, effective organization: recruiting and retaining the people who make your work possible and navigating conflict when it arises.

Schedule

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Volunteer & Board Recruitment and Retention

12:00–12:45 p.m. | Lunch

12:45–2:30 p.m. | Navigating Conflict

This training is free for nonprofits to attend, thanks to sponsorship from Whitefish Community Foundation and Opportunity Bank. Space is limited to 40 participants, so advance registration is encouraged.

This workshop is currently full. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please contact Tylyn at tnewcomb@mtnonprofit.org. 

Celebrate the 2026 Great Fish Community Challenge with us! We'll announce our special awards and present each participating nonprofit with their check, plus announce the grand total raised during the Challenge. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free to attend and open the public.

Governing -- the "verb of the board" -- is key to effective organizations, but we don't often talk about what it actually means to govern. If you are new on a board, or looking to expand or refresh your knowledge as a continuing board member, this workshop is for you. Ned Cooney, retiring consultant who has worked with many boards over the last 25 years, will share his parting thoughts about: 

• Governance framework to understand the work of the board within organizations
• Roles and responsibilities of boards, collectively and individually 
• The difference between governing, supporting, managing and doing the work of delivering on the mission
• Effective relationships between board members 
• Relationships with the Executive Director and other staff

About Ned

Ned Cooney began his consulting practice in 2005. After years of serving as staff and volunteer in a variety of organizations, Ned’s goal is to leverage his experience to assist clients to learn and make better decisions together, and ultimately to succeed in reaching their aspirations. Ned brings to this work a heart for the importance of a strong civic society, and the importance of the nonprofit sector, volunteer action, and committed public servants. He brings a unique combination of perspectives: as both grant-maker and grant-seeker; as volunteer, staff, and board member in a variety of organizations; as educator and consultant in organizational and academic settings; and as active participant in several community coalitions at the state and local levels. Ned is a former member and Board Chair of the Board of Directors of the Montana Nonprofit Association and has served as a member of MNA’s Nonprofit Public Policy Council since its start in 2006.

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Stop by a pop-up donation station to make your gift in person, ask questions, and support the participating nonprofits making a difference across the Flathead Valley during the Great Fish Community Challenge

Join us Tuesday, August 11 from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. at Glacier Bank Park to kick off this year's Great Fish Community Challenge. Enjoy free food and beverages while meeting all of the participating nonprofits. We'll raffle off five $1,000 grants to the participating nonprofits of your choice.

This quarterly roundtable is open to all nonprofit executive directors to connect with and learn from each other during an open discussion format. Bring your lunch and a lawn chair and join us outside at Whitefish Community Foundation! 

Learn how to maximize the Great Fish Community Challenge platform to engage more donors and raise more money! This workshop is reserved for organizations who are selected to participate in the 2026 Great Fish Community Challenge. Organizations will be notified if they have been accepted into this year's Challenge in June.

Join us for our first quarterly gathering to connect the growing next generation of nonprofit leaders in our region. This group is open to nonprofit professionals ages 21-45 in the Flathead Valley.

Schedule:

• 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. - Mingling over light refreshments
• 4:45 - 5:00 p.m. - Goals and Gains - share your new projects or goals, and/or some recent wins or successes within your organization!
• 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. -  Current nonprofit leaders in our community will speak to the theme, and how they and their organization have navigated relevant opportunities and challenges.
• 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. - Wrap-up with goodbyes and further mingling.

Are you ready to lead through a crisis? Does your organization have a current Crisis Communications Plan? This workshop will prepare nonprofit organization leaders for effective communication during situations of crisis with the following objectives:

• Know the difference between public relations and crisis communications.
• Understand your communication role in an emergency.
• Review the five tenets of crisis communications.
• Prepare for a crisis following the eight steps to effective crisis communications.
• Learn from local case studies.
• Develop “trigger levels” as an assessment tool.

Lisa Jones is a communications professional, offering over 30 years of experience in public relations, crisis communications, strategic planning, community outreach, training facilitation and events. She owned Whitefish based LJ Communications, Inc. for over 20 years, serving many non-profit clients specializing in the fields of conservation, recreation, tourism and hospitality. She currently serves on the board of directors for three local non-profit organizations. Jones offers extensive knowledge and unique insight on crisis communications planning and preparedness based on local experiences with cyber extortion, wildfire, threats of hate and a pandemic, to name a few. She holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Colorado and a Leading Through Crisis Certification from Rutgers University.

Change succeeds or fails not because of the strategy—but because of how people experience the transition. Logic alone does not drive adoption to change – emotions, identity, and resistance in times of uncertainty contribute greatly to change outcomes. This workshop is designed to equip leaders with tools for guiding their teams through the human side of change. Learn the difference between change and transition, explore the emotional journey individuals experience through change, and practice real-world conversations that build trust and alignment.

Adam Hannigan has over 20 years of experience shaping positive workplace cultures and building high-performing teams. He has delivered impactful results across public and private sectors, earning a reputation for driving meaningful change. His leadership background spans operations, business development, nonprofit leadership, family enterprises, construction, education, and behavioral health. Adam understands that effective leadership—regardless of industry—emerges through a process of discovery, alignment, and intentional growth. As a coach, Adam helps leaders enhance awareness, and integrate mindset, and technical expertise to accelerate and achieve meaningful professional outcomes. His candid, insightful approach empowers clients to broaden their perspective, sharpen their focus, and engage fully in opportunities that drive real results.

The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to join us and celebrate with this year's grant awardees. Reception begins at 5pm and the program begins at 6pm.

This quarterly roundtable is open to all nonprofit executive directors to connect with and learn from each other during an open discussion format. Email npdp@whitefishcommunityfoundation.org to receive the Zoom link.

There are times when performance and/or behavior issues must be addressed with an employee. Skillful coaching will develop employees, boost productivity, build team morale and assist an organization with maintaining a positive work culture. This session will introduce participants to effective tools in managing performance and behaviors. We will cover:

• When to Coach- Identifying the right moment for intervention
• Coaching Process – Step by step approach to successful coaching
• Documentation Practices – Creating effective, legally sound records
• Discussion Techniques – Addressing issues directly and productively

Bethany Williamson has been with Associated Employers in the role of HR Business Partner since 2016. For more than 25 years, Bethany was in store management, district and regional management, and hospitality management with the responsibility for teams of up to 200 in corporate and small business environments. She has extensive experience in employee management, recruiting, staff training, succession planning, performance management, conflict resolution, and management training.  Bethany has lived in 23 states and 3 countries and chose Montana as her permanent home in 2014.