Events

Financial Stewardship for Nonprofits: Interpreting Financials, Cash Flow Strategy & Scenario Planning

Date: Wednesday, October 14
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM *Refreshments served from 12:30 PM-1:00 PM*
Location: America’s Second Harvest,1380 Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31405
Facilitator: Luella M. Sanders, AVP, VyStar Credit Union

Audience:

• Executive Directors / CEOs
• Board Members (especially Treasurers or Finance Committee members)
• Program Directors with budget responsibility
• Emerging nonprofit leaders without formal finance training

Registration:
Pre-registration required due to space limitations.
United Way Learning Circle Workshop Registration Form

Description:
In today’s unpredictable funding environment, nonprofit leaders must make informed financial decisions with limited resources and increasing demand for services. This hands-on workshop equips executive directors and board members, especially those without formal finance backgrounds—with practical tools to strengthen financial stewardship. Participants will review the three primary financial statements—income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement—and learn how to interpret them in real-world contexts. The session will also cover cash flow forecasting, helping leaders understand the timing of revenue and expenses and anticipating shortfalls before they become crises. Through guided exercises, participants will explore scenario planning techniques to navigate uncertainty, assess financial risks, and make strategic budgeting decisions with confidence. Emphasis is placed on practical monitoring tools that support transparency and accountability. By the end, participants will leave with customizable templates, stronger financial insight, and the confidence to lead with clarity, resilience, and foresight.

Learning Objectives:
Gain a clear understanding of the three primary financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement) and how to use them in decision-making

Key Outputs:

Participants will:

• Build practical skills in cash flow forecasting and managing revenue timing gaps
• Apply scenario planning techniques to prepare for financial uncertainty and shifting funding streams
• Strengthen board-level financial oversight and decision-making confidence, especially for non-financial leaders

About Facilitator(s):
Luella Sanders is an accomplished leader with more than 30 years of experience in accounting, finance, and community engagement. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Regional Community Engagement at VyStar Credit Union, where she oversees strategic philanthropic initiatives supporting Military, Youth, and Community programs, with a strong emphasis on advancing organizations that serve the ALICE population.

A dedicated advocate for education and nonprofit leadership, Luella has been an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College since 2007, shaping the next generation of business and community professionals. She also lends her expertise to numerous boards, including Over the Moon Diaper Bank, DEEP Center, the South Bryan Advisory Council for the Bryan County School System, and the United Way of South Bryan County Advisory Board.

Luella’s regional leadership extends to her roles as the 2026 American Heart Association Go Red for Women Program Chair and the 2026 Leadership Southeast Georgia Team Chatham Program Chair. She is also a proud 2025 graduate of Leadership Southeast Georgia.

Driven by service and a passion for strengthening communities, Luella Sanders is widely recognized as an influential educator, advocate, and regional leader across Southeast Georgia.

From Data to Action: Using Community Needs Data to Strengthen Nonprofit Programs and Funding

Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Location: United Way Effingham Service Center, 711 Zitterour Drive, Rincon, GA 31326
Facilitator: Holly Lang, Public Goods Group

Audience:

• Program Managers & Directors
• Development / Grant Writers
• Strategy, Impact, or Learning staff
• Executive Directors shaping programs and funding strategy

Registration:
Pre-registration required due to space limitations.
United Way Learning Circle Workshop Registration Form

Description:
Data about community needs is abundant, but for many nonprofits, knowing where to find it, how to interpret it, and how to put it to work is its own challenge. This session is designed to close that gap. Participants will learn how to identify and use publicly available data to tell a more compelling story about the communities they serve, with practical guidance on where local, state, and federal information lives. The session will also explore how organizations can strengthen their own internal data, build it into an ongoing program and funding strategy, and use it to measure and communicate impact over time. Whether you’re a data newcomer or a seasoned analyst, you’ll leave with a clearer picture of how community data can sharpen your programs, deepen your partnerships, and strengthen your case to funders.

Learning Objectives:
Understand how to find and interpret publicly available community needs data relevant to their organization’s work, including where federal data has limitations and how state and local sources can fill gaps

Key Outputs:

Participants will:

• Learn how to use community data to identify and communicate shared outcomes across housing, health, and basic needs
• Explore strategies for strengthening internal data and using it to track and demonstrate program impact over time
• Apply a practical framework for translating community needs data into stronger program design, partnership narratives, funding proposals, and impact reporting

About Facilitator(s):
Holly Lang is a health economist and the founder of Public Goods Group, a consultancy that helps government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private companies understand and respond to the needs of the communities they serve. With more than two decades of experience focused on low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable populations, she has authored more than 150 economic and community health needs assessments across diverse markets. Her partnership with Community Catalyst produced the nationally recognized model for conducting CHNAs through a health equity lens. A former federal policy advisor and consumer advocate, Lang brings a rare ability to make dense data legible and actionable for practitioners, policymakers, and communities. She holds a master’s in health economics, policy, and management from the London School of Economics, where she graduated with distinction and received the Brian Abel-Smith Prize for her work around poverty.