This year will be the 20th celebration of The Nonprofit Partnership's annual conference. When Nonprofit Day was started, it was a small collection of local nonprofit professionals meeting for a few hours of learning. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our annual conference, we want the event to truly reflect how it has evolved and what it represents. The pandemic took the conference away from us in 2020 but in 2019 the day had expanded to include 444 attendees, 28 sessions, 48 exhibitors and sponsors, and much more. It has become the premiere regional conference for nonprofit learning, networking and growth. As it continues to grow, we wanted a name that truly reflected its impact on the sector. Keystone is the nickname of Pennsylvania where the conference occurs and from where many of our attendees hail. More importantly, the definition of keystone is "the central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends" or more literally "a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together." That is the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits hold our communities together. The nonprofit sector is the sector within our American system on which all else depends. Without it, our social safety net no longer exists. Without the sector, things like education, the arts, environmental stewardship, and so many other vital things cannot survive much less thrive. The Keystone Nonprofit Conference is our new name and is a reflection of what our nonprofit sector means to our community. The Nonprofit Partnership's 20th annual conference will take place on October 25 and 26, 2021, both online and in person at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA.
