Our expert trainersbring decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, funding strategy, program desing, and sustainable growth. Each workshop is designed to equip leaders with practical tools to scale impact and strengthen organizational stability.
Shirin Senegal
CEO, Ronnie's House Foundation
Helping nonprofit leaders leverage technology and strategy to expand efficiency and impact.
Shirin Senegal is a nonprofit capacity-building strategist, tech entrepreneur, author, and AI expert. She helps organizations leverage strong governance, funding strategy, and emerging technologies to increase efficiency, strengthen outcomes, and scale sustainably.
Under her leadership, Ronnie’s House launched the first business accelerator in the City of Long Beach and has since delivered workshops, resources, and programming to over 1,000 businesses, families, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Shirin’s work bridges mission and modernization — ensuring nonprofits are both heart-centered and future-ready.
Upcoming Session
AI for Impact: How to Scale, Fund & Strengthen Your Nonprofit Using Artificial Intelligence
Nonprofits are expected to do more with less. Less staff, less funding, and less time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a tech trend; it is a practical tool that nonprofit leaders can use right now to increase capacity, strengthen funding strategies, and improve overall sustainability.
This hands-on workshop will show nonprofit founders and executive leaders how to strategically use AI to scale their organizations without increasing overhead. Participants will learn how to leverage AI to search for funding opportunities, strengthen grant writing, improve marketing and branding, and build meaningful partnerships, all while maintaining authenticity and mission alignment.
We will break down AI into simple, actionable tools that can be implemented immediately, even for organizations with limited tech experience.
By the end of this session, leaders will understand how to use AI as a support system, not a replacement to enhance decision-making, increase efficiency, and position their nonprofit for long-term growth.
Dr. Cre
CEO of Strategic Choices Consulting
Dr. Lucretia “Cre” Taylor is a seasoned strategist and consultant with 20 years of experience.
Dr. Lucretia “Cre” Taylor is a seasoned strategist and
consultant with over two decades of experience
leading and supporting organizations across the
nonprofit and public sectors. Her expertise spans
strategic planning, program design, evaluation,
organizational development, and capacity building—
particularly for organizations advancing equity, healing, and access for historically marginalized communities. Dr. Cre is the founder of Strategic Choices Consulting, where she works closely with
nonprofits, funders, and coalitions to strengthen
infrastructure, align programs with outcomes, and
move from vision to impact.
Upcoming Session
Funders invest in outcomes — not activities. This workshop teaches nonprofit leaders how to design programs that clearly demonstrate measurable results rather than simply listing services provided. Participants will learn how to define meaningful outcomes, connect activities to impact, and structure programs in a way that shows clear return on investment.
The session emphasizes that while storytelling engages funders, data drives decisions — and data must lead. Participants will learn how to identify the right performance indicators, align outcomes with community needs, and present both narrative and evidence in a way that strengthens credibility and funding potential.
By the end of the workshop, organizations will be equipped to design programs that are strategic, measurable, and positioned to attract sustainable funding.
Dawn Osborne
Certified Life Coach | Executive Business Coach | Motivational Speaker
Working with High Net Worth Individuals
Dawn Osborne is a seasoned executive leader, certified life coach, and nationally recognized grant writer with more than 25 years of experience strengthening nonprofit and community-based organizations. Since 1999, she has successfully raised over $150 million for local Los Angeles agencies through federal, state, county, city, and private funding sources. Known for her strategic vision and operational discipline, Dawn helps organizations build sustainable systems that drive growth and measurable impact. She is widely regarded as a compliance authority, designing accountability frameworks that ensure fiscal integrity, contract adherence, and long-term program success. In addition to her executive leadership, Dawn provides coaching and development support to emerging leaders and mission-driven professionals. Her work bridges business strategy, funding acquisition, and organizational excellence, empowering agencies to scale with confidence and clarity.
Website: Dawn Osborne | LinkedInUpcoming Session
Building on Outcome-Driven Program Design, this workshop focuses on how to strategically interpret grant application questions and respond with clarity and alignment. Participants will learn how to break down funder language, understand what reviewers are truly asking, and connect their measurable outcomes to funding priorities. The session also covers key components of a competitive proposal, common mistakes to avoid, and practical strategies to strengthen narrative responses.
Dawn Osborne Bio - With over 25 years of nonprofit grant writing, consulting, and strategic development experience, Dawn Osborn brings deep expertise in helping organizations strengthen their funding capacity. She has helped nonprofits raise millions of dollars over the course of her career. Dawn specializes in guiding organizations to clearly interpret grant requirements, align their programs with funder priorities, and incorporate the essential elements needed to craft competitive, compelling proposals.
Wade Martin
Director of Cal States Institute of innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Expertise: Innovation & entrepreneurship, local economic development, risk analysis
Wade Martin, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Economics and Director of the Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Cal State, Long Beach.
His research focuses on risk analysis related to natural resources and environmental policy, as well as local economic development. He has worked on research and development projects for the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, CalRecycle, the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Government of Indonesia. He has also been a visiting scholar at the Harvard Institute for International Development.
He has been a commentator on NPR’s Marketplace and has appeared in numerous newspaper outlets. He has also served as editor-in-chief of the academic journal Contemporary Economic Policy.
He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of New Mexico.
Website: Wade Martin | California State University Long Beach
Upcoming Session
Expanding Revenue, Creating Jobs, and Strengthening Community Impact.
Nonprofits must think beyond traditional funding streams to ensure long-term sustainability. This workshop guides leaders through the process of developing social enterprises that generate earned revenue while advancing mission-driven impact.
Participants will learn how to identify viable revenue opportunities aligned with their organization’s strengths, assess market demand, and design enterprise models that support both financial growth and workforce development. The session also explores how social enterprises can create meaningful job and training pathways for the communities you serve.
By the end of this workshop, leaders will have a clearer framework for building revenue-generating strategies that strengthen organizational stability, expand programs, and deepen community impact.
Dr. Rick Williamson
Director of Emmeda institute.
A clinical psychologist and consultant in the global context
Dr. Rick Williamson is Co-Founder of The Emmada Institute. A clinical psychologist and consultant in the global context, he has decades of service assisting and responding to persons and communities suffering from trauma impact.
He has served in the communities of Los Angeles and Watts, CA and prior to this Washington DC. Internationally, he has served in several countries throughout the Caribbean, Central America, The Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Southeast Asia. In addition, Dr. Williamson has a passion for equipping and training care providers to better serve our marginalized and vulnerable communities.
He trains leaders, managers, and direct service providers alike to better understand how to connect with and assist those whom they serve. Dr. Williamson holds degrees from Princeton University, Fuller’s Graduate School of Psychology, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He completed his Clinical Psychology Internship training at Howard University and his postdoctoral training in Cross-Cultural Research at UCLA.
Website: EMMADA | Trauma-Informed Mental Health for Schools, Courts & Communities
Upcoming Session
Prioritizing Mental Health and Trauma Awareness to Scale with Strength
Nonprofit leadership is demanding, and many leaders carry not only organizational responsibility but also personal and community trauma. Sustainable growth requires more than strategy and funding — it requires resilient, healthy leadership.
This workshop explores how trauma, chronic stress, and burnout impact decision-making, organizational culture, and long-term sustainability. Participants will gain insight into trauma-informed leadership practices, mental wellness strategies, and practical tools to build personal resilience while leading high-impact work.
Leaders will learn how prioritizing mental health strengthens team performance, improves program outcomes, and creates a stable foundation for scaling. Because strong organizations are built by healthy leaders.
Lynne Elena Lyman
LARRP CoFounder
An organizer and policy expert working to end mass incarceration and racial discrimination in government institutions and systems.
LARRP CoFounder Lynne Elena Lyman is an organizer and policy expert working to end mass incarceration and racial discrimination in government institutions and systems. With an M.P.A. from Harvard and a B.S. from UC Berkeley, Lynne’s career has spanned community organizing, political campaigns, government service, civil rights advocacy, and criminal legal system and drug policy reform.
From 2019-2020, Lyman served as co-director of Reform LA Jails/Measure R, an LA County ballot measure to reduce the jail population and enact oversight of the LA Sheriff, which secured 73% of the vote. Lyman was the California Director for the Drug Policy Alliance from 2012-2017, where she led the criminal justice reform work, including the 2014 legislation that ended the disparity between powder and crack cocaine sentencing in California; as well as co-authoring and co-chairing the successful 2016 California marijuana legalization initiative, Proposition 64. Lyman also co-founded LARRP (Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership) in 2011 and continues to serve on its Steering Committee.
Lyman has been on the front lines fighting for justice, equity and dignity for underserved and oppressed communities for over 3 decades. Today, Lynne is an independent consultant, continuing her work by supporting and training the next generation of activist leaders.
Website: Lynne Elena Lyman | LinkedInUpcoming Session
Securing funding is not just about writing grants — it’s about understanding the different types of funding available and building a smart, diversified revenue strategy.
In this interactive workshop, participants will learn the difference between restricted and unrestricted funding, program grants, general operating support, capital funding, government contracts, corporate sponsorships, and earned revenue. More importantly, they will identify which types of funding best align with their organization’s structure, capacity, and growth stage.
This is not a lecture. It is a working session.
Participants will map their current funding streams, assess gaps, and begin building a customized funding blueprint designed to strengthen sustainability and reduce over-reliance on a single revenue source.
