Taproot Foundation Executive Director Rob Acton Kicks Off Kansas City's Nonprofit Solutions Conference

Kansas City, Mo., October 21, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The Nonprofit Solutions Conference is the region’s largest nonprofit industry conference where nearly 400 nonprofit staff and board members, civic leaders, funders and businesses gather to network, learn and grow.  The two-day conference (October 21 & 22, 2013) provides opportunities for sharing innovative ideas, understanding issues specific to the sector and exploring new trends in nonprofit leadership, as well as networking and creating professional connections.

The 2013 conference coincides with Pro Bono Week (Oct. 20 – 26), a global celebration of the pro bono ethic across all professions using their talents to make a difference. Throughout the U.S professionals annually donate over $15 billion in pro bono services to support organizations in need.  The mission of the Taproot Foundation, founders of Pro Bono Week, is to lead, mobilize and engage professionals in pro bono service that drives social change.

Robert B. Acton, Executive Director, Taproot Foundation NY, kicks off the conference with an overview of challenges and opportunities facing the nonprofit sector.  His message to Kansas City organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit, is that it takes audacity to change the world and effective management to follow through. With effective pro bono programs local companies, funders and nonprofits can make a bigger impact in serving pressing community needs.

The Nonprofit Solutions Conference is presented by Nonprofit Connect a membership organization that links all people in the Kansas City nonprofit community to education, resources and networking so organizations can more effectively achieve their missions.

Nonprofit Connect fosters best practices and collaboration in managing nonprofit organizations, links nonprofits and funders to achieve mutual goals, connects businesses to organizations needing their services, recognizes nonprofit sector leadership, and promotes goodwill for the organizations that strengthen our community.

About Taproot

Since 2001, Taproot Foundation has proven that pro bono service is a viable and reliable tool for strengthening nonprofit organizations. Today, Taproot continues to lead nationally by acting locally, and seeks to build a pro bono marketplace that, like philanthropy, is large, accessible, professional and transparent. By taking lessons learned from our award-winning Service Grant Program and applying them to our innovative new program areas, we work to stimulate the supply of pro bono resources through our corporate Advisory Services practice, as well as demand for these services by giving nonprofits the tools and training that sets them up for successful pro bono engagements. Our work has evolved to include thought leadership and international field-building, convening global leaders in the social sector to guide the design and direction of the pro bono movement while focusing on infusing a pro bono ethic into business professions, professional schools, companies and nonprofits in communities across the country and around the world. Visit www.taprootfoundation.org to learn more.

About Pro Bono Service

Pro bono--short for pro bono publico, "for the public good"—refers to professional services delivered without expectation of a fee to organizations serving the social good. It is both a form of support for community organizations as well as an increasingly core part of the ethic of business professionals from design to HR and technology, who believe that high-quality professional services are too important to only be available to those who can afford them.