Douglas County Community Foundation Hosts Nonprofit Symposium at RidgeGate on March 27

The Douglas County Community Foundation gathered nonprofit leaders, donors, and business supporters at The Conference Center at RidgeGate in Lone Tree today for its 2nd Annual Nonprofit Symposium, "Collaborative Impact," a six-hour training day built around the practical demands of running a mature organization in Douglas County.

The event, running from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., opened with a light breakfast and a brief welcome before splitting into five concurrent sessions explicitly designed for advanced nonprofits rather than organizations just finding their footing. Attendees chose three sessions from a lineup covering fundraising campaigns, grant writing, financial management, strategic partnerships, and strategic philanthropy.

DCCF Executive Director Kirsten Swanson-Moore led the grant-writing session, focusing on how to write successful grant applications for both local and statewide funders. The fundraising campaigns session brought together leaders with direct experience running Colorado Gives, capital campaigns, and galas in a roundtable format. The financials session focused on reading budgets, identifying cuts, and leveraging software and consultants to stabilize an organization's financial position.

The two strategic sessions rounded out the curriculum. The Strategic Partnerships session featured top players from across Douglas County with a focus on building mutually beneficial relationships, while the Strategic Philanthropy session offered insight into the donor mindset and current trends in charitable giving across the county.

A keynote speaker closed out the day at 2 p.m., though DCCF had not publicly released that speaker's name ahead of the event. Tickets covered breakfast, lunch, networking, and access to the keynote in addition to the three chosen sessions.

Community partners listed for the event include Douglas County, the City of Castle Pines, the Town of Castle Rock, Sterling Ranch, and CORE.