Nonprofit Essentials

Managing a nonprofit’s mission means managing its money — but nonprofit accounting isn’t just business accounting with different vocabulary. It requires a unique understanding of fund restrictions, program allocations, compliance, and how to tell your financial story to donors, boards, and funders alike.

This 90-minute session will demystify the fundamentals of nonprofit accounting, helping you better understand the structure of nonprofit financial statements, how to track restricted vs. unrestricted funds, and what financial metrics really matter. Whether you’re new to financial oversight or seeking a better grasp of the numbers you report each month, this session will equip you with tools and insights to manage your mission with greater confidence and clarity.

Led by Dr. Ben Angelo, Assistant Professor of Accounting at Ball State University, this interactive session will blend clear explanation, hands-on examples, and practical tools designed for executive directors, board members, and emerging nonprofit leaders alike.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Interpret key nonprofit financial statements (Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, etc.) and understand what they reveal about organizational health.
2. Differentiate between restricted and unrestricted funds, and understand the importance of fund accounting in day-to-day operations and reporting.
3. Apply core budgeting and tracking practices that align with nonprofit compliance, grant requirements, and board expectations.
4. Identify the key financial indicators (e.g., liquidity, revenue mix, overhead ratio) that matter most to funders and boards.
5. Ask better financial questions — as a leader, board member, or partner — to strengthen fiscal transparency and strategy.

Cost: $25

Facilitator:

Ben Angelo, assistant professor of accounting, earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Purdue University. Ben has a unique and diverse professional background. Ben has worked as an auditor specializing in non-profits, he has worked in the treasury department at Purdue University, he has worked as a managerial accountant in the Office of the Provost at Purdue University, and he has performed tax and consulting work in his own practice.

Ben teaches government and non-profit accounting. Ben has previously taught managerial accounting at Purdue University, where he repeatedly won the “Distinguished Teaching” award. Ben incorporates his professional experience into the classroom to provide relevant and practical examples to students.

Ben’s research interests include academic and educational research. Ben is interested in how companies use voluntary disclosures to shape the market’s perception of firm performance. Ben is also interested in writing academic cases that engage students and provide the analytical skills they will need in order to be successful.

Session Description:
In today’s mental health-aware workplace, leaders are called to embody both empathy and clarity—leading with heart and backbone. This 90-minute session offers practical tools and reflective dialogue to help leaders navigate the tension between compassion and accountability. Participants will explore how to set boundaries without losing connection, respond to emotional challenges with integrity, and foster a culture of psychological safety while maintaining clarity of expectations. Through vignettes, guided exercises, and peer exchange, leaders will leave with renewed confidence to lead with both courage and care.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify key principles of compassionate accountability and understand how they apply to leadership in emotionally complex environments.
2. Practice communication strategies that balance empathy with clarity when setting expectations, giving feedback, or navigating difficult conversations.
3. Develop a personalized leadership approach that supports mental health awareness while maintaining team performance and psychological safety.

Cost: $25

Facilitator:

Dr. Beth Trammell is a licensed psychologist, author, speaker and advocate for growth promotion. In addition to her clinical psychology practice, Dr. Trammell also serves as Professor of Psychology at Indiana University East as well as the university’s Director of the Master of Mental Health counseling program. She specializes in communication and behavioral strategies related to connection, parenting, coaching and education. Dr. Trammell’s years of clinical and practical experience perpetually influence the specialized trainings she leads throughout the country. Rooted on the premise of ‘Make Words Matter’, Dr. Trammell blends the science of psychology with our contemporary culture to illuminate everyday bias while sharing better ways of communicating for authentic and productive interpersonal connections.

This panel will bring together local leaders from business and government who have experience supporting nonprofits—and who are willing to share candid insights on what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to sponsorship requests.

This session will explore

1. What makes a nonprofit’s sponsorship request compelling
2. How you evaluate potential partners
3. Common mistakes to avoid
4. What nonprofits can do to move beyond transactional asks and into sustained collaboration

Cost: $25

Panelists:

Stephen Brand, Delaware County Commissioner

Kelli Huth, Associate Vice President for Community Engagement at Ball State University

Will Isaacs, Wealth Strategies

Rob Keisling, External Affairs Manager for Indiana Michigan Power

Dan Ridenour, Mayor of the City of Muncie

Connections open the door to bigger conversations, but they must be earned. Corporate sponsorships are more than a funding source – they are strategic partnerships that provide resources, credibility, and momentum for nonprofits. This session will share practical tips and techniques to help you use your connections to build sponsorships that are clear, mutually beneficial, and positioned for long-term impact.

This session will explore

1. Awareness (what sponsorships look like today)
2. Understanding (what’s hard for small organizations)
3. Application (a doable set of techniques you can walk away and use)

Cost: $25

About Our Facilitator

Juli Metzger is owner of The JMetzger Group, a boutique strategic communications company, specializing in writing. She’s worked with clients like the George & Frances Ball Foundation, Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity, the 8twelve Coalition, Heart of Indiana United Way, Meridian Health Services and YWCA Central Indiana, on executive leadership, marketing, fund development and strategy. She writes for Forbes.com on topics of higher education, college access and workforce on behalf of Lumina Foundation. Juli previously was Associate Lecturer for the School Journalism and Strategic Communication at Ball State University. Juli, who holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in information and communication sciences, was inducted into the journalism school’s Hall of Fame in 2024. Over a 30-year career as a journalist, she was editor of three newspapers and president and publisher of three others including as Executive Editor for Digital at the Indianapolis Star. A Muncie native, she worked in newsrooms in Indiana, Ohio, Vermont and Louisiana before returning to her hometown in 2005. Juli is board president of Project Leadership, whose mission is to move students to and through college or another post-secondary experience. She is Chair of the Indiana Youth Institute Board of Directors. Juli lives in Yorktown with her husband, John. They have two adult children, both Yorktown High School and Ball State University graduates.