Sherry Quam Taylor works with business-minded Nonprofit CEOs who want to scale their organizations’ budgets by 2-5X but need larger amounts of general-operating revenue to do so. The organizations Sherry works with want to reduce dependence on government, earned,or contracted revenue and increase unrestricted revenue from investment-level donors.

To achieve this, Sherry helps leaders align their organization's charitable revenue initiatives with their business, programmatic, and strategic growth opportunities. This is the step that most skip! It ensures the fundingchallenges are solved at the root of the issue and attracts investment-level donors that get this!

As a result of learning her methodology, Sherry’s clients know how to fund their Strategic Plans and add 7-figures of gen-ops revenue to their bottom line. But, mostly, her CEOs can confidently know their development departments and board have transformed into high-ROI revenue generators, aligned their hours with dollars, and broken free from the limitations of transactional fundraising.

Sherry attributes the success of her business to her passion for modeling radical confidence to the future CEOs in her house-her two teenage daughters.

Diane H. Leonard, GPC, RST isaGrant Professional Certified (GPC), Approved Trainer of the Grant Professionals Association, and a Registered Scrum Trainer.

Diane began her career as a Program Officer for a state-wide grantmaking organization and she continues to serve as a reviewer for a variety of grantmaking organizations. Since 2006, when she formed DH Leonard Consulting, Diane and her team have secured more than $104.5 million dollars in competitive grant awards and Diane has personally trained more than 70,000 nonprofit professionals.

When not working with her team, Diane can be found in the 1000 Islands, out for a run, or drinking a strong cup of coffee.

International Auctioneer Champion, Shannon Mays, travels the United States captivating audiences with her limitless energy, communication skills and infectious smile. She has raised millions of dollars in the for profit and not for profit industries. With over 30 years of experience, she brings a long list of attributes to the table. As a leader in the industry, she is an instructor for World Wide College of Auctioneering as well as the Professional Ringmen’s Institute (PRI) and also conducts one-on-one instruction. As a consultant, she travels coast-to-coast conducting seminars and educational training events for organizations as well as herpeers. Shannon is among less than 5% of the nation’s auctioneers with her certification from the Certified Auctioneer’s Institute and the Benefit Auction Specialist designation that few auctioneer’s nationwide have attained.

Shannon is a full partner of Raising Paddles, a fundraising consulting and auction firm providing services to hundreds of charities throughout the Midwest. Raising Paddles strives to serve the fundraising world through a commitment to increasing awareness and revenues for their clients.

Joey Goone

Joey’s Mom, Jodi, started Utopia 20 years ago out of the family living room. In 2014, a few years after Jodi’s untimely passing, Joey left his career as a financial planner to help run the business and honor his Mom’s legacy. Jodi’s unwavering positivity and commitment to make a difference in the world lives on through Joey and the team he leads at Utopia.

Joey believes that each challenge we encounter is an opportunity, and the more challenges we accept, the more opportunity awaits. The only thing that’s guaranteed in life is uncertainty, so we must lean in with earnest curiosity and commit to learn and grow individually and as a society.

Fueled by that curiosity and passion, Joey is working to transform Utopia from a small entertainment business into a global, purpose-driven organization. His vision for the company is to “help those who help the world.” He is doing that by leveraging two decades worth of event management and technical production expertise to help nonprofits build meaningful and lasting connections with their donors and other important stakeholders.

Today, Utopia has 20 employees and a nationwide presence. Joey and the team create event experiences and video stories that help organizations connect with people who care about their mission. The ultimate goal is to leave the planet better than we found it by helping people who have dedicated their lives to helping the world. Since 2020, Utopia has helped over 200 nonprofits raise more than $30,000,000.

David Webb

David is an experienced business professional and educator who is committed to helping businesses help the world. His belief that business can be a force for good began during his undergraduate studies at Saint Louis University. It evolved through his work as a management consultant, information technology professional, entrepreneur, graduate student, and university administrator and instructor.

After a decade of learning the ins and outs of business in the corporate sector, David went back to school to earn a master’s degree in sustainability. He then spent another decade developing and teaching courses and professional programs in business and sustainability for undergraduates, graduate students, executives, and community leaders at WashU.

On his journey from corporate professional to sustainability educator, David discovered the powerful links between industry, education, and community. He now works to help individualsand organizations make similar connections so they can build sustainable organizations thathave a positive impact on the world.

As the Director of Business Development for Utopia, he helps nonprofits create meaningful event experiences and video productions that connect them with donors and other important stakeholders who support and enable their work.

Maryanne helps nonprofit leaders master the art of influence so they can ask for and receive all they want, need and deserve without feeling rejected, ineffective or pushy.

Maryanne Dersch spent thirty years working in the sector helping organizations communicate more effectively. From those experiences she authored, Courageous Communication: Why codependence is making your nonprofit brand boring and what to do about it. She hosts The Influential Nonprofit podcast and the annual Donor Attraction Forum virtual event.

She’s known for her love of ultra-high heels, extra-large Diet Cokes, and short karaoke rotations.

Kiersten Hill has almost 2 decades of experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. She has raised over $20 Million for Nebraska nonprofit organizations and worked to better train and equip nonprofit leaders and Boards of Directors.

She is a rising thought leader on LinkedIn and frequently speaks to nonprofit groups and other organizations about marketing, fundraising, board development and organizational change. This year alone, Kiersten has presented in-person and virtually for more than 50 webinars and 8 nonprofit conferences. Kiersten’s energetic and authentic presentation style keeps nonprofits coming back for more.

Kiersten, her husband Chad and their teenage son Cooper live in Seward, Nebraska, with two large dogs and one tiny cat. She has passions for leadership, networking, fundraising and nonprofit organizations.

Kathy shares her 25+ years of nonprofit expertise to engage impactfully with your donors and hit breakthrough fundraising numbers like never before! Create an exciting proposal to attract new corporate partnerships. Learn how corporations can become lifetime partners. Upgrade your corporate partnerships to much larger donations by having an omni-channel strategy. Start today. Secure yournonprofit's future for life.

Maria Bryan is a nonprofit marketing and messaging strategist. She helps nonprofit leaders tell impactful stories that do no harm and plan marketing with intention. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector, a master’s degree in public administration, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place.

Erik Rubadeau is an experienced digital strategist, online fundraiser and non-profit technology specialist. Erik is currently the CEO of Yeeboo Digital, a data driven, full-service online fundraising and technology agency.

Erik is driven to help nonprofits unlock their capacity, free up precious time and generate increased revenue through technology adoption.

With over 15 years of cross-functional digital fundraising, marketing, mobile, design, analytics and web devexperience, Erik provides expert insight and strategic direction on a wide range of client programs.

Erik has had the great fortune of working with a wide variety of amazing nonprofit organizations in the US and Canada, including Doctors Without Borders, Covenant House International, Operation Smile, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Care and many other amazing organizations.