On February 24-26, 2025, nonprofit leaders, changemakers, and community advocates from across the state gathered in Austin for the 2025 Texas Nonprofit Summit. This year’s theme of Navigating New Horizons Together resonated deeply as organizations continue to adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape. In an era of change and uncertainty, nonprofits play a vital role in guiding our communities toward a brighter future. The Texas Nonprofit Summit provided a space for leaders to come together, share diverse perspectives, and form meaningful partnerships. The challenges facing the sector—from shifting funding sources to evolving community needs—require collective solutions. By working together and embracing innovation, we strengthened our impact and moved toward lasting change for Texas communities.

Throughout the Summit, our keynote speakers shared powerful insights on how nonprofits can embrace change, foster collaboration, and drive impact.

• Ann Mei Chang, CEO of Candid – In her session, Future Proofing Your Nonprofit, Ann Mei explored how data, technology, and innovation can help organizations adapt to a changing world and ensure long-term sustainability.
• Sonal Shah, CEO of The Texas Tribune – Sonal’s keynote, Advocacy in Action: Our Mission Moment, underscored the critical role nonprofits play in shaping public policy and using advocacy to advance their missions.
• WyKisha Thomas-McKinney, Owner & Lead Consultant of The Mission Mentor Group – WyKisha’s talk, Rivals to Allies: Harnessing the Power of Collaboration to Conquer Common Threats, highlighted the transformative power of collaboration and how even the most unlikely partnerships can drive meaningful change.

We are incredibly grateful to all of our presenters who shared their knowledge, strategies, and best practices across a wide range of topics. From leadership development to fundraising strategies, and from community-centric philanthropy to nonprofit advocacy, attendees had the opportunity to explore the sector’s biggest challenges and opportunities. Some of the relevant topics covered included:

• Leveraging technology to increase nonprofit impact
• Building sustainable funding models in a changing economy
• Strengthening nonprofit boards for better governance
• Human-centered approach on managing change
• Collaborative strategies to tackling community challenges

One of the most powerful moments of the Summit was Texas Nonprofit Strong Day at the State Capitol on Wednesday, February 26. This day gave nonprofit leaders a platform to amplify their voices, share their needs, and engage directly with policymakers. We extend our deepest thanks to United Ways of Texas for co-hosting this important event and to the Center for Nonprofits & Philanthropy for providing fresh and relevant data on the nonprofit sector to share with legislative representatives.

As we reflect on this year’s Summit, we are filled with hope and inspiration for the future of Texas nonprofits. The connections made, ideas exchanged, and commitments forged at this gathering will propel our sector forward as we continue navigating new horizons together. The 2025 Texas Nonprofit Summit would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. A heartfelt thank you to:

• Presenting Sponsor: Amplify Credit Union
• Supporting Sponsors: Moss Adams, Urgensee, and UT Austin’s RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs 

The 2023 Texas Nonprofit Summit marked an exciting return of OneStar’s flagship event. The conference, themed RE:engage, invited attendees to explore sector issues as they relate to today’s ever-evolving Texas landscape. Sessions were focused around building momentum and leaning into the vast possibilities for social change.

The conference kicked off with high-energy keynotes from Tracy Spears and Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew. We closed out the opening plenary with getting up, moving, and connecting with Forklift Danceworks. Attendees were offered a variety of breakout sessions and deep dives designed to induce collaborative strategy, strengthen leadership, and build the adaptive capacities of our organizations. On day three, nearly 125 attendees headed to the Texas Capitol to participate in our first Texas Nonprofit Strong Day. Information sessions educated attendees on the ways in which government impacts their work and how they can be empowered to advocate on behalf of the Texas nonprofit sector.

With more than 350 attendees, we drew a statewide crowd of nonprofit leaders and supporters who came to both learn and celebrate the strength and impact of the Texas nonprofit sector. Our sponsors, including Texas Mutual, NRG, UFCU, and the RGK Center for Philanthropy & Community Service, were critical in enabling such a great three-day education experience. Thank you to our engaged attendees for showing up making this year one of deep connection and innovation.