CSM hosts 15th annual Nonprofit Institute Conference

Nonprofit professionals from across Southern Maryland gathered April 10 at the College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) 15th annual Nonprofit Institute Conference at the La Plata Campus where participants learned about several opportunities for success in the mission of helping others.   

With new director Stephanie Rolle, CSM’s Nonprofit Institute only continues to grow in scope and mission.  

“All of you are doing such meaningful and deeply impactful work and I continue to stand in awe and honor you – especially on this day – created just for you,” CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson said.    

“In this last year, I have witnessed so many of our partnerships getting stronger, leaning into new possibilities, and achieving results that are changing lives in Southern Maryland,” she continued.   

“At last year’s conference, I shared with the attendees – many of whom I see in the room again this year – my strong commitment to leadership and community service to others because I truly believe that volunteering creates opportunities for collaboration and networking, skill-building, leadership development, and establishing important social bonds and support systems,” she said.  

The CSM Nonprofit Institute held seven listening sessions last fall with stakeholders to hear what matters most to them, Rolle said. “We’ve heard you and have crafted a plan that embraces your ideas to maintain the momentum from past successes, provide access to new pathways of possibilities, and increase mobility with new services, new ways to collaborate, elevated awareness, and educational opportunities,” she said.  

Maria McDonald, executive director of the Greenwell Foundation in Hollywood, served on the NPI panel and said of CSM’s conference – “enriched, engaged, experienced is how we must leave today’s conference. Let’s get to it.”  

“As you move through this day, I challenge you to think about how you will put your ideations in motion and how you can do so by creating access to your services for all; by building the scaffolding that sustains the momentum of your services – because in doing so, you will foster mobility for your organization, mobility for your partnerships, and mobility for those who we are all privileged to serve,” Wilson said.  

Several breakout sessions were held for nonprofit representatives across the La Plata Campus.  

The first breakout session was “AI for Nonprofits,” with Dominic Fragman, program manager of Leadership Southern Maryland, and Sybol Anderson, executive director of Leadership Southern Maryland.  

The second breakout session was “Connecting with the For-Profit Business Sector,” with Darin Nielsen, chief executive officer of ACE Consulting Group.  

The third session was a panel discussion: “Meet the Funders,” with representatives from Maryland Philanthropy Network, Charles County Charitable Trust, Rural Maryland Council, and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.   

New this year were wellness components to the conference with a quiet room, where users practiced breathing exercises in a calm and tranquil environment, and a wellness encounter where participants had their blood pressure and blood glucose levels checked.   

There were also several other presentations made during the conference, and several exhibitors were in attendance.   

To learn more about CSM’s Nonprofit Institute, visit: www.csmd.edu/nonprofit.  

To see more pictures of the conference, visit: Zenfolio | College of Southern Maryland Photos | NPI Conference April 2025