August 15, 2024
In partnership with the Mennonite Health Services Association, Lutheran Services in America is able to offer this workshop on planned giving, co-sponsored by Everence and MHS Association. This webinar is free to all attendees.
The workshop is led by fundraising expert Bryan Clontz, founder and president of Charitable Solutions, LLC. Bryan is well known in fundraising circles and Charitable Solutions is one of the go-to leaders in continuing education.
August 13, 2024
In part 2 of our two-part series on artificial intelligence and fundraising, we take a deep dive into the ongoing journey of AI integration within organizations, particularly focusing on its implications and opportunities in the fundraising sector. Join us to discuss the evolution of AI technologies like predictive and generative AI, with an emphasis on their potential to enhance donor experiences through precision, personalization, and efficiency. Additionally, we will address common concerns and questions regarding AI, such as privacy, ethical considerations, and the fear of job displacement, reassuring attendees that AI’s role is to augment rather than replace human capabilities.
The session aims to equip attendees with practical insights on leveraging AI responsibly to optimize and innovate in their operational and strategic endeavors, ultimately driving more informed and effective fundraising practices. The webinar aims to equip attendees with practical insights on leveraging AI responsibly to optimize and innovate in their operational and strategic endeavors, ultimately driving more informed and effective fundraising practices.
August 13, 2024
Join us for part 1 of a two-part webinar where we will outline the critical role of AI in shaping the future of nonprofit fundraising and societal well-being. During this webinar, we’ll explore the urgent need for innovation in the sector, driven by the increasing competition not only for funds but for meaningful connections in a digitally saturated environment.
We’ll address the “Generosity Crisis,” highlighting how AI’s influence on societal behaviors like decreased civic engagement and trust can adversely affect charitable giving. Learn about the need for a shift towards responsible and beneficial AI, with a focus on ethical practices that prioritize long-term human and societal welfare over immediate technological advancements. The presentation calls for nonprofits to lead in establishing frameworks for AI that are ethical, transparent, and ultimately beneficial, urging the sector to adopt AI governance policies that reinforce trust and accountability.
This two-part webinar features renowned AI expert Nathan Chappell, one of the world’s foremost experts on the intersection between artificial intelligence and philanthropy. Nathan serves as Senior Vice President of DonorSearch AI, where he leads AI deployments for some of the nation’s largest nonprofit organizations.
June 24, 2024
Join the Lutheran Information Technology Network (LITN) on July 31 at 4 p.m. ET for an informative Tech Talk webinar on cybersecurity stack. LITN will discuss vendors solutions and options to implement security solutions to protect against cyberattacks. The session will be facilitated by Harry Vijayakumar, CIO of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. The session will address staffing, process, and security technology stack, including endpoints, monitoring, data loss prevention, and vendor effectiveness.
June 7, 2024
Alesia Frerichs sits down with Kendra Davenport, the president and CEO of Easterseals and host of the On Board with Leadership podcast. In this conversation, Alesia shares her recent experiences visiting various human services organizations in Ohio, the essential role of nonprofits as training grounds for future leaders, and the importance of finding purpose in one’s work.
Together, they explore the challenges and rewards of the nonprofit sector, the vital role of mentorship, and strategies for maintaining balance and avoiding burnout. Plus, Alesia and Kendra share their favorite reads and discuss the value of strong female leaders.
Watch now! You can also listen to the episode and read the transcript.
March 24, 2025
The 2025 Lutheran Information Technology Conference will take place at the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, Washington.
This three-day event will feature presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and networking
sessions on various IT topics. The conference aims to foster collaboration, innovation, and learning among the LITN members and to strengthen the LITN network and mission.
The conference will include networking opportunities all within walking distance, including:
Fee: $200/person ($100 for guests/vendors)
Deadline: June 20, 2025
The registration fee covers the conference materials and meals at sponsored events. Guests and vendors are welcome to join the Sunday welcome reception and the Monday dinner for an additional fee of $100 per person.
The Edgewater Hotel
2411 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121
Reservation Deadline: August 22, 2025
The hotel rate is based on the LITN Conference room block and varies based on room type. To make a reservation, use one of the following methods:
The Lutheran Information Technology Network (LITN) is a group of IT leaders from Lutheran organizations who work together to further each other’s mission by collaborating, learning, and optimizing IT solutions. Formed in 1999, LITN has grown to include members from across the country and provides educational opportunities, more advantageous relationships with vendors, and other benefits for its members. LITN works closely with Lutheran Services in America to build relationships with non-IT executives from other Lutheran Services in America organizations.
Questions about the conference or registration? Please contact Kim Roque.
April 26, 2024
Registration is now open for the 2024 Lutheran Information Technology Network conference, the premier networking and educational conference for information technology professionals at Lutheran nonprofit organizations. The conference will be held September 15–17 in Chicago, Illinois.
The LITN conference is your place to network with your peers and learn from experts on how to respond effectively to our current environment. From expert topical presentations to in-depth networking opportunities, the conference is designed to give you the connections, tools, and resources you need to navigate the new IT normal. Conference sessions will focus on what’s top of mind for information technology professionals, including security, artificial intelligence, managed pay, vendor assessment, user training, VoIP and cell use, KPIs, certification, and much more.
Interested in registering? The registration fee is just $100 per person!
The registration fee for members covers all of the conference materials and meals at sponsored events. If you have guests who would like to attend, they are welcome to join the welcome reception and the dinner at Top Golf for an additional fee of $50 per person. The registration deadline is August 15, so be sure to register soon!
View conference programming.
This year’s conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois. LITN has arranged a conference block with discounted room rates at the Residence Inn Chicago O’Hare. The hotel offers spacious suites with kitchenettes and free Wi-Fi. With an on-site fitness center, basketball hoop, pickleball court, complimentary full American breakfast and airport shuttle service, you’ll be able to relax and recharge.
The special rate of $139-149 is based on booking through the LITN Chicago Conference room block and varies based on room type. To make a reservation by phone, call 848-375-9000 and reference group code LIT. To book online, please visit:
7101 Chestnut St, Rosemont, IL 60018
Hotel Reservation Deadline: August 15, 2024
The conference will be hosted by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, a founding member of LITN, and will be held at the LSSI offices in Des Plaines, Illinois (less than a mile from the hotel).
The Lutheran Information Technology Network (LITN) is a group of IT leaders from Lutheran organizations who work together to further each other’s mission by collaborating, learning, and optimizing IT solutions. Formed in 1999, LITN has grown to include members from across the country and provides educational opportunities, more advantageous relationships with vendors, and other benefits for its members. LITN works closely with Lutheran Services in America to build relationships with non-IT executives from other Lutheran Services in America organizations.
Questions about the conference or registration? Please contact Kim Roque.
March 25, 2024
Across the country, health and human services agencies are seeing increased demand for behavioral health services for children, youth and families, older adults, people with disabilities, refugees and New Americans, as well as employees. Whether you are considering how best to meet behavioral health needs in your organizations and/or communities or are interested in understanding how to effectively refer individuals to community partners for services, this virtual forum will provide insights and resources. You will have a chance to hear from:
The discussion will:
March 20, 2024
The Lived Voices Fellowship, a program within the Lutheran Services in America Faith, Families and Communities Partnerships Initiative (a collaboration with ELCA World Hunger), is a transformative leadership development experience designed to amplify the unique perspectives and experiences of people who have navigated public systems (e.g. anti-poverty programs, child welfare, public housing) and are poised for expanded leadership in their organization and/or community.
February 20, 2024
A four-part Strength & Service Series virtual workshop.
You are invited: Join us for a new four-part series hosted through the Faith, Families and Community Partnerships Initiative — a collaboration between Lutheran Services in America and ELCA World Hunger. Built on the seminal work of scholar and practitioner Dr. Shawn Ginwright, our expert facilitators, Dr. Denicia Carlay and Shannon Scott, will guide us through the practice of healing-centered engagement. The workshop series is designed to support the application of the practice through the four dimensions or “pivots” necessary in our work to improve outcomes for children, youth, families and communities.
This workshop series is designed to support staff at any level of leadership in applying healing-centered engagement in their work. In the words of Dr. Ginwright, it takes practitioners beyond trauma-informed care responses to a “more holistic approach to fostering well-being.” Additionally, it recognizes the ways in which “trauma and healing are experienced collectively” to support improved well-being for families and communities.
Each workshop will address one of the “Four Pivots” and will include interactive activities that strengthen the ability to apply the practice in our respective work and efforts, through a safe and collegial peer-to-peer environment. The workshops will also include group reflection, along with the engagement of outside experts and perspectives. The Four Pivots include:
Register today for each workshop session and join peers on this journey to understanding and applying healing-centered engagement!
Session #1: Presence
Held on Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Session #2: Awareness (feat. the National Indian Child Welfare Association)
Held on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 (recording available below)
Most non-American Indian / Alaska Native people educated in the United States are not familiar with the overt government policy goals and practices that formed the basis of the hundreds of years of forced assimilation of Native peoples, including systemic, widespread removal of Native children from their families and communities. Corporations and the nonprofit sector were also contributors to and active participants in colonization and the implementation of federal Indian policy.
Learning about the strategic intent and milestones of these policies and their impacts on Native children, their families, and tribal nations is an important step towards understanding the structural change necessary to truly embrace tribal sovereignty, honor tribal self-determination, and support community healing. Beyond employing this structural analysis lens, “mirror work” will also allow us to “get underneath the hood” as Dr. Shawn Ginwright says, “and explore our motivations, fears, dreams, and insecurities with a sense of curiosity.”
Session #3: Vision (feat. the Frameworks Institute)
Held on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 (recording available below)
Advancing equity for children, youth and families requires making key shifts in how we think, talk and mobilize partners. Topics like health and housing, education, and poverty—which have long been viewed through the narrow lens of personal achievement or failing—must be reframed as shared responsibilities and accompanied by calls for collective action grounded in our shared Lutheran values.
The FrameWorks Institute is a non-profit research organization that uses social science to develop framing strategies that mission-driven organizations and communities can use to productively shift public discourse and build public will for social change.
Join this webinar to explore some of the communications challenges that social change advocates are up against, as well as evidence-based framing strategies we can all use to change narratives and advance polices, practices and system changes that strengthen health and opportunity for children, youth and families.
Note: Participants will have multiple opportunities to write, reflect, discuss and provide input into a forthcoming Framing Guide. As with all sessions in this Advancing Equity series, participants are encouraged to bring their own lived experience to the dialogue.
Session #4: Connection – The Essential Role of Housing Stability for Strong Families
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET, Wednesday, December 11, 2024
In this pivotal fourth session of our series, we will delve into the profound relationship between housing stability and family well-being. Recognizing that safe, secure housing is foundational for fostering strong families, this workshop on the Essential Role of Housing Stability for Strong Families, will examine how power dynamics and policy decisions impact housing accessibility and stability within our communities.
We will explore the ways in which lived experiences inform our understanding of equity and community healing, challenging us to rethink our approaches to leadership and support.
This session aligns with the “Connection” pivot of Dr. Shawn Ginwright’s healing-centered engagement framework. We will focus on building transformative relationships that empower families, foster community resilience, and create pathways to sustainable housing solutions.
Dr. Denicia Carlay currently serves as co-founder and co-CEO of Village is Possible. Denicia is a community healer, complex trauma survivor, scholar, practitioner, and village keeper. Denicia roots her practice in love and restoration of inner light. She specializes in embodied, healing centered engagement with children, youth, and families. Denicia has served foster care and juvenile justice impacted youth in various capacities as a social worker, consultant, clinician, and facilitator in the field of child welfare for 16 years. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership in social justice, licensure in clinical social work, and pupil personnel services credential, but with all these degrees and things Denicia just hopes to someday be the “hood mama” for her entire village and anyone in need of community.
Shannon Scott is the founder of Our Lived Experience (OLE) and J8 Consulting. Her experience includes both U.S.-based and international not-for-profits. Shannon began her career in education as a teacher with Teach For America and continued her work in education reform in the Teach For All network. She was the founding Leadership Development Officer at Teach For Malaysia and launched the first leadership development continuum for Teach For America’s work in the Mississippi Delta. For the last six years, she’s run a national leadership development fellowship in child welfare, working in 15 different states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Shannon deeply values adult learning and leadership development.
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