The inaugural Moving Mountains Conference was a great success!

It was great to have nearly 50 attendees representing 33 organizations join us for the first ever Moving Mountains Conference (MMC). Feedback from the attendees:

• “[T]hank you for putting together the Moving Mountains conference! It was great to get together and network with other outdoor nonprofit professionals, and I really enjoyed the breakout sessions.” 
  
• “It was great meeting so many new people from such a range of outdoor nonprofits. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
  
• “A big thank you to you too for pulling together such an impactful group and agenda! I am really impressed with how quickly this came together and am looking forward to future iterations of MMC!”
• “It was a great inaugural conference, we came away with some fantastic learnings, lots of new connections, and the rejuvenation that comes with taking a big step out of our working routine to spend some time in the Rockies. “

Check back here later for our 2024 dates!

A first for the outdoor industry, the Moving Mountains Conference (MMC) is expressly focused on professional development for outdoor recreation industry nonprofit leaders. In 2024, we will again convene for skill building, information sharing, networking and more. 

The 2023 event was 10 AM-4+ PM on June 7th, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado (meeting room 109, with breakouts in 108) and adjacent to The Big Gear Show.

Registration was only $50 and sessions focused on real ’nuts and bolts’ topics to help outdoor industry nonprofits thrive. 

2023 SCHEDULE:

• 10 AM-10:50 AM – Opening remarks and Keynote by Conor Hall, Director, Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office – The Strategic Role of Nonprofits in the Outdoor Recreation Industry
• 11 AM-11:50 AM – Breakouts
  •  Development: Chez Chesak, Executive Director, Outdoor Writers Association of America, “Launch a Planned Giving Program (in a Minimal Amount of Time)”
  • Marketing/PR: LeAnn Schmidt, Director of Partnership Development, Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation – “Public Relations 101“
• 12 PM-12:50 PM – Boxed Lunch: Nathan Musgrove, Founding Partner, Excelsior Accounting – “Do’s and Dont’s of Cash Flow Management” 
• 1 PM–1:50 PM – Affinity Hour: break out into small, moderated, groups for roundtable discussions around specific topics, such as:
  •  Selecting the right CRM (led by Rachel Franchina, Executive Director, Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals)
  • Executive Directors Support Group (led by Dana Watts, Executive Director, Leave No Trace)
  • Mental Health and Wellness in Youth Programs (led by Libby Hunter of Adventure Crew)
  • Nonprofit ‘Beef’ Session – an open forum to bring your questions, frustrations and (most importantly) solutions (led by Chez Chesak, Executive Director, Outdoor Writers Association of America)
• 2 PM–2:50 PM – Breakouts
  • Development: Chez Chesak, Executive Director, Outdoor Writers Association of America, “Identify, Track and Secure Corporate Partners”
  • Marketing/PR: Rebecca Maguire, Owner, Rebecca Leigh Designs LLC, “Design 101”
  • Management: Garnet Moore, Director of Standards and Regulatory Affairs, Climbing Wall Association, “How to Say ‘No’ – and Get More Done”
• 3-3:50 PM – Closing Keynote “Bright Future Ahead, A Panel Discussion on Nonprofit Leadership,” a panel presented by the Colorado Nonprofit Association
• 4 PM – ‘No-Host’ happiness hour and networking at 5280 Burger Bar (500 16th St Mall), in their private dining room

ATTENDING NONPROFITS:

• Adventure Crew
• America Outdoors
• American Fly Fishing Trade Association
• Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE)
• Big City Mountaineers
• Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
• Bluff Lake Nature Center
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver
• Climbing Wall Association
• Colorado Blackpackers
• Colorado Nonprofit Association
• Colorado Outward Bound School
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife
• Colorado Search and Rescue Association
• Excelsior Accounting Services
• Friends of Colorado Avalanche Information Center
• Friends of Dinosaur Ridge
• Leave No Trace
• Lost Paddle Events
• New Treks
• New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA)
• Open Roads
• Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
• Outdoor Writers Association of America
• Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation
• Protect Our Winters
• Rocky Mountain Field Institute
• Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
• Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports
• Suffer Better
• Tall Ships America
• The Colorado Trail Foundation
• The Wright
• YMCA

FOUNDING PARTNERS of the MMC are:

• American Fly Fishing Trade Association
• Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education
• Climbing Wall Association
• Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office
• Lost Paddle Events
• Outdoor Writers Association of America
• Tall Ships America
• The Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals

So please save the date and join us in Denver on June 7th for the MMC (and stay for The Big Gear Show too)!

PLEASE GET TO KNOW OUR SPONSORS: