Preparing for the Women In Nonprofit Leadership Event

The Women in Non-Profit Leadership Event is an event sponsored by the Beautiful Social Research Collaborative at Saint Joseph’s University. Since January and throughout the semester, the Women in Leadership team has been reviewing media accounts, online presence, and campaign strategies for the event. On Thursday, April 28th, 2022 we will be holding the fourth annual Women in Leadership Event. Our panelists Emily Smedley, Sam Digiuseppe, and Risa Waldoks will be answering a series of intentional questions that will provide a great deal of insight for our attendees. We are hoping to have a strong turnout with participation and reflection. As a team, we are proud to have this event in person, in Saint Joseph’s University’s Cardinal Foley Center, after the challenges that were overcome throughout the last nearly two years. While much preparation has gone into this event over the past years to make it what it is now, there are specific tactics we accredit for continued success.

Preparation is Key 

Throughout the semester and building up to our anticipated event date, we made the decision to create questions generated towards women in leadership. By generalizing the questions to leadership roles, we allow the panelists the opportunity to answer the questions freely and drive their answer in the direction they best see fit; which could highlight a specific industry or specific situation they have experienced or have had to overcome. Generalizing questions also allows for more attendance. Audience members may be more engaged and interested if questions are relevant to them. By broadening the conversation, the door opens for more in depth conversation to follow which could deeply resonate with college students.

Benefiting From Those Before Us 

As this has become an annual event, it is only fitting that our group learns from the teams who have come before us. Through the creation of a documented partner report, future groups are able to analyze what has gone well and what could be improved. Our team can also appreciate and have a sense of gratitude for prior groups who have laid the groundwork for our event. Event planning is no small feat and requires much organization, time, and patience. 

Working Together 

With several individuals working together, there are several ideas presented at each team meeting. It was important for us from the very beginning to move from a “group” to a team. As a team, we have a common goal and are putting the event’s success as top priority. While we each may have ideas and plans which are all appreciated and valued, we find it equally important to be honest and offer respective criticism to improve as a whole. There is no one person who succeeds or fails, all decisions are made with each opinion in mind and person on the same page. 

Reflecting and Moving Forward

After our event takes place, our group looks forward to updating this post with our success! We eagerly anticipate bringing this event to life with each team member playing a key role in our day of plans and interactions.