FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:        Patty Murray 732-322-9392
PCW Contact:           Marge Smith  609-213-5673

DECEMBER 23, 2019 – PRINCETON, NJ – As the 2020 keynote speaker for the annual Princeton Community Works conference, Dr. Randal Pinkett will inspire more than 500 nonprofit and volunteer attendees with lessons learned as an entrepreneur, speaker, author, scholar and community servant.

“The work being done by nonprofit staff, volunteers, board members and leaders is something that I deeply admire, encourage and celebrate, especially as today’s charitable organizations are constantly challenged to do more with less,” says Dr. Randal Pinkett, who infuses his personal commitment to community service with his business mission. As CEO of BCT Partners, Dr. Pinkett works extensively with nonprofit organizations assisting them with research, analytics and training.

“Hyper-accelerated change and diversification are fundamental shifts in our society that all charities need to embrace and leverage to build communities and be competitive today and in the future. While these shifts create challenges, they also create opportunities. I will share insights on how nonprofits can identify and leverage opportunities to grow and expand their impact,” adds Dr. Pinkett, who holds five academic degrees from Rutgers University, MIT and Oxford. Dr. Pinkett is the first African-American student to receive a Rhodes Scholarship at Rutgers University, which is just one of the numerous academic and professional honors he has earned.

Vision 20/20: Together We Can Build Community

More than 500 nonprofit staff members, board members, volunteers and leaders from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York will come together on Monday, January 27, 2020, to make important connections, learn best practices and further their missions at the annual Princeton Community Works Conference.  The event will take place at Princeton University, at the Frist Campus Center, from 5 pm to 9:15 pm. 

“We offer a wide range of workshops based on what nonprofits tell us they need. Our experts understand the challenges of the nonprofit world and offer practical suggestions on how to address them. The hope is that attendees will leave with the information, tools and techniques that will enable them to be even more effective in making their visions a reality. As we enter this new decade, we all need 20/20 vision so we can move forward and together build our community,“ says Marge Smith, who started Princeton Community Works with that mission more than 20 years ago.

The conference includes networking activities, an inspirational keynote address, boxed dinner, and choice of two workshops from 26 topics designed especially to meet the needs of nonprofits. Learn more about the event here.

“Throughout the evening, structured networking is built into the schedule so that individuals can make connections by having meaningful conversations about what they are doing to build community,” adds Smith, adding the size of each workshop varies depending on the interests of the participants.  Every effort is made to give individuals their preferred workshops.

The price of the event is $35 before December 31, 2019, $40 through January 20, the last day for online registration. Walk-ins on the night of the event are welcome. Scholarships also are available.

Princeton Community Works hosts this event thanks to collaborative partners with Princeton University, Princeton Rotary, numerous expert speakers and more than 100 dedicated PCW volunteers.  

2020 Workshop Sessions

The 2020 workshop sessions cover a range of topics that are important to nonprofits and volunteer organizations including: volunteer recruitment and management, building an effective board, cultivating leaders, diversity and inclusion, fundraising and friend-raising, youth projects, legal and accounting issues, strategic planning, measurement and metrics, meet the media, meet the grantors, grant writing, social media, event planning, storytelling, and many more.

Full details on the workshops are available here.

PCW Conference Attendees Say:

Individuals leave Princeton Community Works feeling inspired by the workshops as well as the other attendees, who surround them with positivity that is energizing. Here’s what they say:

• Most valuable four hours I spent this year!
• The professionalism of the workshop leaders was impressive.
• I can put what I learned to use immediately.
• Seeing all these people doing such great things was exhilarating.
• It was great to see so many people with similar issues. I don’t feel so alone.
• The contacts I made were worth the price of admission.
• Increased my motivation for what I do.
• Inspirational and practical.
• Speakers were candid, informative and open to questions.
• Liked learning different perspectives from other nonprofits.
• Great presenters offered concrete, practical advice.
• Would like to attend 3 or 4 sessions, not just 2.
• Gave me the opportunity to be thoughtful about my job – being effective, positive and
  passionate!

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