State of the Nonprofit Community Summit
Every nonprofit leader is solving the same problems alone.
Bring the work you've been meaning to get to. Leave having moved it forward.
Spend a Saturday with nonprofit leaders from across Central Florida and beyond. We'll take an honest look at where your org stand — then you'll sit down with an expert and the right tools and move one real piece of your work forward before you head home.
In-Person: September 26 · Orlando | Virtual: October 3
I wanted to build a day that actually moves your work.
A Different Kind of Day
If you've been to a nonprofit conference lately, you know how it tends to go: a day full of good ideas, a notebook full of intentions, and a Monday that swallows all of it.
So I built this one differently. We start by taking stock of where our orgs really stands. Then we spend the day working — you bring something you've been meaning to get to, and you leave with it further along than when you walked in.
Whether we've worked together before or we're just meeting, you're welcome here. And this is the first of a seasonal series I'll host through the year, so think of September as where it begins.
Register Now — $99
How the Day Works
Three simple moves. One Saturday.
Take the Nonprofit Diagnostic before you arrive.
Answer five short questions about where your organization stands. Five minutes. I'll gather everyone's answers and show you where the field lands as a whole — so you arrive with a clear picture, and you know you're in good company.
Bring one real thing you've been meaning to get to.
The grant you keep setting aside. The board decision you've been turning over. The program you'd love a clearer read on. Pick one, and bring it.
Work it, with help, until it moves.
Instead of sitting through panels, you'll work alongside someone who's done it — using tools many of us never find the time to learn. Draft the case statement. Build a board dashboard you'll actually keep up. Find a real way to measure the program you've been wondering about.
You leave with something moved. Not just notes — progress you can point to.
Register Now — $99The Nonprofit Diagnostic
First, let's see where the nonprofit stands — together.
Most of us are doing our best with incomplete information about how we're really doing. This is a chance to change that.
Everyone who registers answers five short questions, across five areas that shape a nonprofit's health:
Funding & Sustainability
Is the support steady, and does it return?
Leadership & Governance
How's the board, and how much rests on one person?
Programs & Impact
Are we measuring what matters?
Operations & Technology
Where could the right tools lighten the load?
People & Community
How are our staff and volunteers really holding up?
Your answers stay yours. At the end, you'll see where you're strongest and where there's room to grow — and that's the work you'll bring on the day of the summit. I'll turn everyone's answers into a State of the Nonprofit report and share it with every attendee.
Watch on YouTube
From Past Gatherings
You'll be in good company.
"I walked in with anxiety about being a volunteer grant writer, but after the summit I wrote 13 grants and was able to be hired by the nonprofit instead of being a volunteer. I have attended three SONC summits."
Michelle Herpin
CHOM Ministries
Reserve Your Seat
Registration Options
Seating is limited. Register early to secure your place.
In-Person
September 26, 2026 · Orlando, FL
- Full conference access · 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM EST
- In-person · Orlando, FL
- Nova Southeastern University
- Networking & resource materials
Virtual Attendance
Saturday, October 3, 2026
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST · Attend from anywhere
- Can't travel to Orlando?
- Attend online from home or office
- Full virtual summit access
- Same content, flexible format
Community Impact
Real results for real organizations — and we're just getting started.
Nonprofits Served
Years of Experience
States Reached
Community Members
The Founder
Aretha Simons
I consult, prepare 501(c)(3)s, write grants, teach, and train — 20+ years of helping nonprofits launch, grow, and reach further. I did all of it while serving in the Navy. When I retired from the military, I built this.
I've worked with hundreds of nonprofits — small faith-based ministries to established community foundations — helping them build the funding, structure, and leadership to grow without burning out.
I founded State of the Nonprofit Community, Inc. to offer what I went without early on: a practical, welcoming home for leaders who'd rather do the work than just talk about it.