2016 Nonprofit Conference: Opportunities and Challenges in a High-Risk World- GHJ

Los Angeles, CA, September 16, 2016… Nearly 200 nonprofit industry leaders gathered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday, Sept. 15, for the 2016 Nonprofit Industry Conference presented by GHJ, a prominent Los Angeles accounting firm. The theme of the afternoon was “Opportunities and Challenges in a High-Risk World,” and included interviews with community change-makers who offered insights on strategy, vision, sustainability, marketing, operations, branding, board oversight, financial and legal compliance and creating a positive work culture. The Firm advocates for businesses across several industries and positions them for long-term success. It also produces events throughout the year to bring multiple constituencies together to gain knowledge that will help them plan, make decisions and take action in organizational and community settings.

The forum debuted the GHJ whitepaper on the same subject, which seeks to inform nonprofits about forward-thinking business practices and strategies. In attendance at the conference were board members and management from both public charities and private foundations. The invite-only event gave guests an opportunity to discuss ways to improve their organizations, strengthen connections and elevate their causes to the next level.

“The event exceeded our expectations as a platform for innovative and visionary ideas within the nonprofit sector. It was a great opportunity to build peer relationships and share new theories about a quickly evolving industry,” said Donella Wilson, Partner and Nonprofit Practice Leader at GHJ and one of the primary authors of the whitepaper. “We engaged in an eye-opening conversation and are proud that our whitepaper addresses the issues in intricate detail.”

Art delaCruz, COO of Team Rubicon USA, delivered the keynote address and spoke candidly about the struggles of operating a nonprofit that supports veterans and provides disaster relief by pairing the experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams.

Donella Wilson moderated the Strategic Planning and Risk Management panel that included Wendy Garen, President and CEO of The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation; Deidre Lind, President of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles; and Renata Simril, President and CEO of LA84 Foundation. The panelists discussed methods of averting and minimizing risk as well as crisis management.

GHJ Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Mari-Anne Kehler led a panel on Marketing, Branding and Reputational Risk and was joined by Matt Asner, Vice President of Development for Autism Society of America; Matthew King, Communications Director for Heal the Bay; and Faye Washington, President and CEO of YWCA Greater Los Angeles. The diverse organizations represented on the panel allowed attendees to see how reputational risk translates across various missions and goals.

To download your copy of the whitepaper click here.

For more than 30 years, GHJ has specialized in serving clients in the nonprofit world. The firm is considered to be one of the premier accounting firms for nonprofits in Southern California. Nine of the top 25 private foundations in Southern California trust GHJ with their business needs.

GHJ was ranked the 18th largest CPA firm in Los Angeles County in 2016 and was recently named 121st in INSIDE Public Accounting’s list of the Top 200 Largest Accounting Firms in the U.S. Since 1953, the firm has taken a personalized and collaborative approach to each of their clients, and has offered comprehensive services that include accounting, auditing, management consulting, tax planning and compliance.

In addition to their nonprofit clients, GHJ serves a variety of industries and has a specialized focus on entertainment and media businesses and food and beverage companies. The staff offers expertise in transaction advisory and strategic planning.

GHJ has a deep commitment to supporting local communities. Volunteerism is a key part of their founding principles and the company supports several organizations as volunteers and as tax and audit professionals.