Join United Way of Pennsylvania for the Move the Mission: 2025 Annual Conference, April 28-30, 2025, at the Hilton Harrisburg. For those traveling in early, we invite you to join us at a Welcome Reception on Sunday evening. This impactful event brings together UWP staff, local United Way members, and leaders from across the region to explore critical topics like resource development, community impact, leadership, and data-driven strategies.
With a dynamic lineup of speakers, collaborative sessions, and networking opportunities, this promises to inspire and equip attendees to drive meaningful change in their communities. We’re also extending invitations to United Ways in neighboring states, fostering broader connections and shared insights.
Together, we will Move the Mission of United Way!
Registration Details
Mark your calendar! Registration closes April 11, 2025. UWP is proud to support our United Ways by offering a $200 stipend to every LUW attendee registered for the full 2025 UWP Conference and a $100 stipend for those attending the one-day option, thanks to support from United Way Worldwide. Stipends will be distributed after the conference as part of our commitment to providing a high-quality experience at an affordable rate.
- Early Bird Registration for UWP Members: $350 (December 1, 2024 – March 14, 2025)
- UWP Member Registration: $450 (March 14 – April 11, 2025)
- Non-Member Registration: $450 (December 1, 2024 – April 11, 2025)
- One-Day Registration: $225
Register early and save! Don’t miss your chance to secure your spot.
“My experience at last year’s United Way of PA Conference was incredibly informative, highly collaborative, and thoroughly enjoyable. The sessions provided valuable insights, and the opportunity to connect with peers across the state was both inspiring and energizing.”
Brian Grimm
President, United Way of York County
Accommodations
This year’s conference will be held at the Hilton Harrisburg, located at One N 2nd St, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Situated in the heart of Downtown Harrisburg, the Hilton is just steps away from the State Capitol Complex, the Whitaker Center for Science and Arts, and shopping at Strawberry Square. Guests can enjoy amenities such as an indoor pool, fitness center, onsite dining, and pet-friendly accommodations.
Conference attendees can book onsite at the special rate of $179 per night (plus a $10/night parking fee). To take advantage of this discounted rate, reservations must be made by Sunday, April 6, 2025. After this date, the standard hotel rate will apply.
Book online or call (717) 233-6000, option 1 and provide the group code 92M.
Sponsorship
Partner with us for the Move the Mission: 2025 UWP Annual Conference and showcase your commitment to driving local and statewide impact. This conference provides a platform for local United Ways to exchange ideas, foster innovation, and strengthen their capacity to create lasting change.
As a sponsor, you’ll gain direct access to Chief Professional Officers and key leaders from United Ways across Pennsylvania—decision-makers driving impactful work in their regions. Sponsoring this conference allows you to connect with a statewide audience, elevate your brand, and support community transformation.
UWP Member Opportunity
We are thrilled to extend a unique opportunity for Member United Ways to engage their local partners in the Move the Mission Conference. To recognize the local United Ways that secure sponsorships, benefits will be awarded based on the sponsorship level.
2025 Conference Schedule
Click to View Session Descriptions – Monday, April 28, 2025
9:45am – 10:45am – Opening Keynote
Break the Bottle: How to Shatter Limiting Beliefs and Unlock Mindset, Identity, and Peak Performance
Michael Allison, The Adversity Academy
In this powerful keynote, Michael Allison delivers a transformational message designed to help leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals break through the self-imposed barriers that hold them back. Break The Bottle is a call to action for those ready to shatter limiting beliefs, embrace a growth mindset, and unlock their true identity and potential to achieve peak performance in life and business. Drawing from his own experiences of overcoming adversity in the military, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Michael provides actionable frameworks, strategies and insights that inspire audiences to challenge their mental barriers and redefine their personal and professional paths. With a dynamic blend of storytelling, practical advice, and motivational guidance, participants will walk away equipped to achieve peak performance in both personal and professional endeavors.
11:00am – 12:00pm:
Make the Most of Your Donation Tracker (RD)
Information to come.
Leading Conflict Resolution and Negotiation: Enhancing Collaboration Through Effective Strategies (LD)
Dr. Christy King, Elizabethtown College
In today’s fast-paced work environment, conflict is inevitable—but it doesn’t have to be destructive. This interactive one-hour workshop will guide participants through key strategies for effectively leading conflict resolution and negotiating outcomes that foster collaboration and mutual understanding. We’ll explore how understanding your personal conflict style can improve your interactions with others, allowing for more constructive discussions even in challenging situations.
Innovate for ALICE with AI (CI)
Edwin Goutier, LaunchPath
This session will provide UW staff with best practices and tools to design new solutions to the needs of the ALICE population. By using inclusive innovation techniques and widely available AI tools, UWs can supercharge their community listening, problem framing, human centered intervention design, piloting, and funding of breakthrough solutions that benefit ALICE. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how innovation best practices can enhance impact, a printed toolkit that guides them through the innovation process, and specific AI tools and techniques that will save time and money while delivering exciting new thinking.
1:25pm – 2:25pm
Effective Grant Writing & Grant Management (RD)
Neal Fogle, Penn State Extension
The process of grant writing has multiple components beyond completing a grant application. Items such as project identification, researching potential funders, establishing relationships, and preparing for and following up with grant management all come into play.
In this session, participants will learn important aspects of establishing a need and finding funders, addressing the components and expectations of grant writing, writing a grant proposal, and showcasing and managing your project..
Who Got Space? The Don’t Talk About It But Be About It. Transformational Allyship Framework (LD)
Hattie B. McCarter, Mend Solutions, LLC
Allyship has become a buzzword, often diluted to hashtags, slogans, or fleeting moments of public support. But the question remains: Who’s truly “about it,” and who’s just talking? For system leaders, allyship isn’t a choice—it’s a responsibility. It’s about leveraging your position to create sustained, transformative change in ways that ripple far beyond the walls of your organization.
Allyship isn’t quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or reposting a Maya Angelou quote on social media. It’s not a bumper sticker, a t-shirt, or a fleeting moment of discomfort. True allyship means stepping into the arena of discomfort, dismantling oppressive systems, and confronting the ways privilege shows up in our decisions, behaviors, and organizational structures. It’s the difference between looking the part and living the part. It’s the difference between performative and transformational.
ALICE Data Driven Decision Making (CI)
Dr. Mohammed Raja, York College of Pennsylvania
Information to come.
2:30pm – 3:30pm (RD)
Communications
Dr. Jefrey Woodall, York College of Pennsylvania & Christina Butler, Speak Training
Information to come.
Maximizing Your Board’s Potential (LD)
Kristen Rotz, UWP, Ivy Buchan, Anne Gingerich, PANO
A strong, engaged Board can be one of your greatest assets—but managing and leveraging that potential takes effort. This session will explore Board management best practices, Standards of Excellence, and how to effectively utilize your Board’s skills, expertise, and relationships to advance your mission. Our panelists will also discuss how to navigate challenges, from tough conversations to differing personalities, ensuring your Board operates as a powerful driver of impact.
Measuring Community Impact Success (CI)
Stefani McAuliffe, United Way of the Capital Region, Heather Turoczi, United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley, Will Price, United Way of Venango and Titusville Region
Information to come.
3:45pm – 5:00pm
Understanding ALICE in Today’s Economy
Stephanie Hoopes, United For ALICE
Dr. Hoopes will share the latest research and tools from United For ALICE and discuss what the latest changes in the economy mean for our work. She will start by getting us on the same page with ALICE with the soon to be released interactive activity that walks us through the difficult decisions ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) workers and families face during a month as they struggle to pay the bills and experience unexpected emergencies. Then she will share highlights from the forthcoming State of ALICE report. And will end with a discussion how ALICE fits in the current economic climate.
Key: RD – Resource Development, LD – Leadership Development, CI – Community Impact
Click to View Session Descriptions – Tuesday, April 29, 2025
9:45am – 10:45am – Opening Keynote
Cultural Awareness and Humility
Chad Lassiter, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
Information to come.
11:00am – 12:00pm:
AI 101 & Beyond: ChatGPT, Digital Capacity Building, and the Power of Partnerships(RD)
Kelly Cockshaw, Chester County United Way
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way we work—but what does that mean for nonprofits and the United Way network? How can organizations with limited resources take advantage of AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance their impact?
Join this interactive session to explore the fundamentals of AI, get hands-on with ChatGPT prompts, and discover how United Way can lead the charge in building digital capacity for the nonprofit community. We’ll discuss practical ways to integrate AI into your work, from simple automations to full-scale capacity-building programs. Plus, learn how strategic partnerships can amplify these efforts, ensuring nonprofits are equipped to thrive in an AI-powered world.
Whether you’re an AI skeptic or an enthusiast, this session will provide actionable insights to help you navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI in the nonprofit sector.
United is the Way: Your Ignited H.E.A.R.T. is the Start – Sponsored by Schuylkill United Way (LD)
Katharina Stuerzl, LYBWK Coaching and Consulting
Discover how your personal passions and purpose align with United Way’s mission in this interactive and inspiring session. Through guided self-reflection and engaging activities, you’ll reconnect with what drives you—your values, strengths, and purpose—while gaining tools to communicate and collaborate more effectively. Leave reenergized, with newfound clarity on your role in fostering a resilient, united team and serving your community with confidence and passion.
Working Outside the Box: How to be More than Just a Grant Funder (CI)
Erik McGaughey, Meals on Wheels Greater Lehigh Valley
Does your community still only see you as a source funding? Do you want them to see you and your UW as a problem solver? Discover how your United Way can be recognized as a true problem solver and community partner. Explore ways to step beyond traditional grant funding and make a deeper, more meaningful impact in your community, no matter the organization size.
1:25pm – 2:25pm
Revenue Diversification: Actionable Appeals & Community Catalysts (RD)
Marissa Christie, United Way of Bucks County
Need a practical guide to raise more money and expand donor engagement? “Issue Based Community Campaigns” are one of UWW’s current revenue diversification pilots, but you are invited to test the model locally as an independent implementer.
We will work through a clear framework for:
– Engaging new donors and volunteers through targeted, time-bound campaigns.
– Leveraging partnerships and local networks to amplify impact.
– Optimizing marketing, fundraising, and stewardship for long-term success.
Designed for United Ways looking to innovate and grow, you will turn unmet needs into diverse and sustainable funding – and stronger community connections.
Important factors to consider in a small/medium size nonprofit organization’s cyber Security (LD)
David Hammarberg, McKonly & Asbury
For organizations with larger resources, it is often difficult to secure an environment. We will talk about how your organization with limited resources can take steps to secure your environment. No organization can be completely secure, but you can take steps to drastically reduce your security risk exposure. This presentation will go over some cyber security fundamentals that your organizations should adhere to.
Advocacy Training 101: How to Effectively Champion ALICE Policies to Lawmakers (CI)
Melody Zimmerman, UWP
This conference session, exclusively for United Way members, focuses on learning effective strategies to advocate for policy change at the federal, state, and local levels for ALICE households. Attendees will develop tools to communicate to policymakers and engage in grassroots advocacy. This session will help prepare you for everything from individual meetings with your local legislators to participating in meetings during UWP’s Hill Day on May 13.
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Resource Development Roundtable
Meet with fellow Resource Development specialists to discuss success revenue diversification, marketing, and workplace campaigns.
Confessions of a CPO – CPO Only Roundtable
Meet with fellow Executive Directors and CEOs to discuss leading a team, community challenges, and collaborative opportunities.
Community Impact Roundtable
Meet with fellow Community Impact specialists to discuss ALICE, transportation, youth opportunities, and 211.
3:45pm – 5:00pm
United is the Way: A Beacons of Hope In Gray Skies
Emily Aubele, PA 211
When communities face their darkest moments, local United Way’s and 211 can serve as powerful beacons of support, illuminating pathways through crisis and uncertainty. These extensive networks provide scaled and critical lifelines, serving as strategic coordination hubs and connecting vulnerable individuals with essential resources across 99% of the United States. This presentation will explore some recent work by PA 211 and other 211’s across the nation and discuss the important role local United Ways can play to help build community preparedness and resilience, ensuring that when challenges arise, no individual or family is left in the dark.
Key: RD – Resource Development, LD – Leadership Development, CI – Community Impact
