Every day, nonprofit leaders are fighting to keep doing the hard work of providing education, ensuring people have the food and housing they need, offering all kinds of support despite dwindling government funding<\/a> and increased need.<\/a> They\u2019re everyday problem-solvers who lead with empathy to solve the city\u2019s most-pressing problems.<\/p>\n This month, the Fitler Foundation aims to make their work a little easier: On April 13 they\u2019re hosting their inaugural, all-day Fitler Forum,<\/a> a gathering of the city\u2019s nonprofit leaders to network, share ideas and work with one another to solve the challenges they face. Board members, executive directors, fundraisers and those with dollars to give will convene to imagine a better future for the $48.5 billion sector in Philly.<\/a> The event will take place at the Fitler Club at 24 S. 24th Street from 7:30am to 6:30pm. Tickets range from $150 to $185.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a day-long, really rich offering that will give an opportunity for people to share insights that are hard earned and also to share ideas about the way forward,\u201d says Dr. Kimberly McGlonn, vice president of social impact at the Fitler Club and the executive director of The Fitler Foundation, the club\u2019s philanthropic arm.<\/p>\n McGlonn designed the day\u2019s agenda to intentionally address the key challenges nonprofits face: governance, fundraising, succession planning and board-building. Those topics may seem simple and straightforward, but they\u2019re the lifeblood of a nonprofit\u2019s day-to-day operations. If someone isn\u2019t raising money, and planning how to hand-off management to the next generation of changemakers, a nonprofit can\u2019t function.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people who enter the vocation of nonprofit leadership \u2026 almost always begin with an innate sense that things are not ordered as they should be, and a desire and a sense of capability that they as an individual could make things better,\u201d says Rev. Bill Golderer, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. Golderer will be giving a talk on governance at the event.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one that I\u2019ve ever met was counting on the trials and tribulations of running an organization \u2014 being an employer, filing a 990, managing Charity Navigator,<\/a> trying to maintain services when city contracts aren\u2019t paid on time. Once you get past that first impulse to serve your neighbor, there\u2019s a lot of things that people are dealing with that they weren\u2019t counting on.\u201d<\/p>\n The agenda will give attendees a toolkit for navigating those unexpected challenges, with some of Philadelphia\u2019s premiere nonprofit leaders as a guide. Speakers include Project HOME\u2019s Donna Bullock; Diane Cornman-Levy, executive director of Women\u2019s Way; Jo-Elle Mogerman, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Zoo, and Penn Professor Dr. Howard Stevenson, who will share lessons from his storied nonprofit career in the keynote address.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are going to be some really nitty gritty panels about the ins-and-outs of what makes nonprofits run,\u201d says Jennifer Kebea, president of Campus Philly, who will be speaking on a panel on building high-quality boards.<\/p>\n While some major nonprofit leaders in the region will be sharing their \u201chard-earned wisdom,\u201d McGlonn says she\u2019s been thoughtful to make sure the event is not just the \u201csage on the stage.\u201d Throughout the day, there are breaks for attendees to spend time in casual conversation, getting to know one another and sharing ideas.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hope is that it creates some pathways for them to build partnerships in real time,\u201d McGlonn says.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a wellness component to the day. Nonprofit leaders and employees \u2014 like those in any caring profession \u2014 often struggle with burnout. One 2024 survey from the Center for Effective Philanthropy found 76 percent of nonprofit leaders<\/a> reported staff burnout affected their organization\u2019s ability to do mission-driven work. McGlonn has curated a full wellness program, including chair yoga, intentional breathwork, and conversations about centering wellness, alongside the talks from nonprofit leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Fitler Forum seeks to convene the community in a more courageous conversation about the demands of the moment,\u201d McGlonn says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe aspiration is that the work of the summit \u2014 and the work in tandem of the foundation around wellness for nonprofit leaders \u2014 continues to drive a much needed conversation about how people who are the front line deserve to be cared for, and the importance of centering their wellness.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Fitler_Forum_body_Photo.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>Dr. Kimberly McGlonn (standing, center) at a meeting of Fitler Foundation\u2019s Impact Residency for small nonprofit and B-Corp leaders. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775486228_165_nl_bolt600-copy.jpg\"\/)
MORE NONPROFIT NEWS<\/p>\n