Fall Conference brochure 2026

SARC FALL CONFERENCE October 21 & 22, 2026 Regina, Saskatchewan Are you an executive director, senior manager, or board director?

Join us for two days of professional development and networking opportunities for leaders in the nonprofit sector!

OUR VENUE: THE ATLAS HOTEL

To book accommodations:

4177 Albert Street Regina, Saskatchewan

Call 306-586-3443 or 1-844-586-3443 and mention block code 102126SAR when making your reservations to receive the group discount rate of $154.95.

You can also email your reservation request to groups@atlashotel.com.

CONFERENCE AGENDA OCTOBER 21, 2026 09:00 AM

Registration Begins check in and visit the Exhibitors and Vendors

10:30 AM

Opening Remarks

11:00 AM

Opening Keynote

12:00 PM

Lunch and Exhibitors/Vendors

5:30 PM Cocktails

01:00 PM

Concurrent Sessions

6:00 PM Dinner Program to follow

02:45 PM

Concurrent Sessions

04:15 PM

Day One Ends DISCOVER AND ENJOY OUR EXHIBITOR/VENDOR AREA! VISIT THEM THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON OCTOBER 21 TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, AS WELL AS MAKE CONNECTIONS, ASK QUESTIONS, AND SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER

OCTOBER 22, 2026 07:30 AM

Breakfast

08:30 AM

Concurrent Sessions

10:15 AM

Concurrent Sessions

11:45 AM

Lunch

12:45 PM

Closing Keynote

2:00 PM

Conference End

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Hornoi Leasing!

OPENING KEYNOTE OPENING KEYNOTE -- OCTOBER OCTOBER 21 21 @ @ 11:00 11:00 A.M. A.M. READING BETWEEN READING BETWEEN THE THE MINDS MINDS A Practically Playful Approach to Decoding Our Differences

What if ‘common sense’ was never actually common at all?

Despite our best intentions, we don’t always get one another. As we each think, experience, and interpret the world through our own unique lens, it’s surprisingly easy for wires to get crossed, assumptions to take hold, and friction to find its way into even the strongest teams.

This keynote will help you untangle and unmuddle your messaging. Through a Practically Playful blend of strategy, storytelling, and hands-on learning, neuroinclusion specialist Kristin Light invites you to take an insight-rich, lively exploration of how our minds work (and misfire) together. You will gain practical tools for navigating different communication styles, support mental well-being, and create psychologically safe environments where people and performance thrive.

With her unique approach and distinctly engaging style, Kristin brings a refreshingly real (and relateably fun!) look at how our brains, biases, and beliefs shape the way we work; bridging the gaps between us with a fresh, funny, and deeply moving take on what it means to really see each other (and ourselves) in a curious new light.

This keynote is a celebration of UNcommon sense: the ideas, perspectives, and possibilities written into the margins of the stories we’ve always been told. By demystifying our differences, we can revel in the unexpected, the unconventional, and the undeniable power of welcoming every genre of brilliance.

Speaker: Kristin Light https://kristinlight.ca/

CONCURRENT SESSION #1

OCTOBER 21, 2026 1 : 0 0 - 2 : 3 0 P. M .

A: HOW TO BUILD A FUNDRAISING PLAN AND NOT GO NUTS OR BURN YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM OUT! Many Saskatchewan nonprofits didn’t intentionally become dependent on one or two major funders — it happened gradually.

Now, funding agreements and contract renewal cycles can set the pace for the entire organization.

EMILY BOCKING BRAZEN FUNDRAISING

Diversifying revenue is common advice, but trying to do everything at once — a gala, grant applications, crowdfunding, sponsorships — can quickly overwhelm an already-stretched team. This practical session offers a different approach: building a realistic fundraising plan based on the staff capacity you actually have.

Explore four promising revenue channels for Saskatchewan nonprofits — community foundations, corporate sponsorship, monthly giving, and local business partnerships — and learn how to sequence your efforts so you can build one channel well instead of five poorly. We’ll also identify common fundraising activities that consume significant staff time without delivering meaningful returns.

You’ll leave with a one-page fundraising plan draft you can take back to your board and begin putting into action.

B: LEADING THROUGH CHANGE: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR EVERYDAY LEADERSHIP Change is a constant in today's workplace, from staffing and funding changes to new initiatives, leadership transitions, and evolving service needs. In this interactive session, you will explore practical strategies for leading employees through change with greater confidence and less resistance.

Using the ADKAR Change Management Model, you will learn simple, effective tools to build awareness, encourage buy-in, strengthen communication, and support employees throughout the change process. Through interactive activities, group discussions, and realistic nonprofit scenarios, attendees will leave with practical templates, conversation tools, and resources they can immediately apply within their own teams.

AMANDA DAHL BOOST CONSULTING

CONCURRENT SESSION #2

OCTOBER 21, 2026 2 : 4 5 - 4 : 1 5 P. M .

A: AI WON’T LIVE ON THE SHELF: BUILDING RESPONSIBLE AI PRACTICE IN A CANADIAN NONPROFIT AI policy is different from most policies. You cannot write it, approve it, put it in a folder, and look at it once a year. AI tools change quickly, and so do the risks.

EMILY BOCKING BRAZEN FUNDRAISING

In Canada, organizations also have to think about privacy laws, charity rules, human rights obligations, funder expectations, and Indigenous data governance.

That means AI policy has to become practice. It needs to show up in how staff use tools, what information they share, when human review is required, how decisions are documented, and how organizational values are protected when the work is moving quickly.

This session will explore how policy and practice work together. Participants will leave with practical steps for building a responsible AI practice that supports staff, protects community trust, and reflects their organization’s values.

B: HAPPILY EVER AVERAGE: A CANDID REFRAME OF PROMISE, POTENTIAL,AND THE QUEST FOR YOUR BEST We all have days when everything seems to fall into place - but what happens when those exceptional moments become the standard we expect of ourselves? In this engaging and thought-provoking session, award-winning mental health speaker Kristin Light explores the hidden cost of constantly striving to be our "best."

Through humour, storytelling, research, and lived experience, participants will examine how the expectations we place on ourselves shape our well-being, satisfaction, and sense of success. Attendees will leave with practical insights and a renewed appreciation for embracing life's ordinary moments with greater self-compassion and perspective.

KRISTIN LIGHT

CONCURRENT SESSION #3

OCTOBER 22, 2026 8 : 3 0 -1 0 : 0 0 A . M .

A: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR NONPROFITS

JACQ BRASSEUR IVY + DEAN CONSULTING

This session will explore the role board directors play in the community and how the community perceives the role of board directors.

You will come away from this session with strategies for meaningful community engagement as board directors.

ERIN CRISFIELD IVY + DEAN CONSULTING

B: WHAT TO DO WHEN THINGS GO WRONG: RESPONDING TO COMMON NON-PROFIT GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES Governance isn't for the faint of heart. Even the best nonprofit boards face challenges. In this interactive session, we'll walk through some of the most common (and consequential) governance mistakes in the non-profit sector. Learn about early warning signs, gain practical tips and resources to help you respond wisely to common challenges, and identify preventative measures and best practices to strengthen your board before things go wrong.

AMY ANDERSON PRAXIS CONSULTING

CONCURRENT SESSION #4

OCTOBER 22, 2026 1 0 : 1 5 -1 1 : 4 5 A: EFFECTIVE NONPROFIT MEETINGS This session will explore strategies to ensure your board and committee meetings are focused and efficient. We will discuss how to keep meetings on track and focused on high-level strategy (rather than operational execution), wise practices for chairing meetings and capturing minutes, how to utilize in-camera sessions, and much more!

JACQ BRASSEUR IVY + DEAN CONSULTING

B: MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE: PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYERS Mental health concerns can present complex challenges for employers, particularly when balancing legal obligations, employee well-being, and organizational needs. This practical session will provide you with a clear understanding of your responsibilities under the duty to accommodate and how to confidently navigate mental health-related workplace situations.

You will learn when the duty to accommodate may be applied, how to recognize when an employer has a duty to inquire, and where the legal limits of accommodation exist, including what constitutes undue hardship. The session will also explore the accommodation process, including the roles and responsibilities of both employers and employees, the appropriate use of medical information, and practical approaches to managing accommodation requests and return-to-work situations.

Finally, this session will examine common workplace challenges involving attendance, performance, and behavioural concerns where mental health may be a factor. Through practical guidance and real-world examples, attendees will gain strategies for reducing organizational risk, making fair and defensible decisions, and understanding when discipline or termination may still be appropriate.

AMY GIBSON MLT AIKINS

Closing Keynote Presentation October 22 @ 12:45 p.m.

Seeing the System Clearly: Leadership, Culture, and the Human Impact of Decision-Making

Every policy, process, and decision has a human impact. But from inside an organization, it can be easy to miss how systems, culture, and communication shape the experiences of the people we support.

Drawing on both lived and professional experience, Kelsey will provide this thoughtprovoking closing keynote inviting leaders to look beyond policies and procedures to examine how organizational culture, communication, and everyday decisions influence trust, dignity, and outcomes.

Leaders will be challenged to think differently about the systems they oversee while gaining practical insights they can apply immediately.

This motivational session will leave you inspired — because the strongest organizations are built on systems that truly work for people.

Kelsey Sobiak Kelsey Sobiak is a speaker and advocate whose work focuses on the real‑world impact of systems, communication, and leadership on the people they serve. With both lived and professional experience in support services, she offers a rare dual perspective that brings clarity to how decisions shape human outcomes.

Kelsey has contributed to national policy development and uses her systems‑level perspective to help organizations strengthen clarity, accountability, and consistency.

She is known for delivering honest, thought‑provoking presentations that inspire leaders to build cultures where people feel safe, respected, and supported.

Registration: SARC Members - Early Bird Conference & Banquet $548 Conference Only $459

Other Organizations - Early Bird Conference & Banquet $589 + GST Conference Only $500 + GST

SARC Awards Banquet ticket: $78 + taxes

Early Bird Rate in Effect Until September 21 at 5:00 p.m.!

Professional Development for Nonprofit Excellence sarclearningcentral.ca

SARC Now Offers Digital Credentials!

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