Event Details
Thursday, April 23, 2026
10:00AM – 12:00PM PT
Online via Zoom – This gathering will not be recorded
The Difficult Decision of Dissolution: Lessons From a Closing Organization
With the current landscape presenting real challenges for nonprofits, organizational leaders are being called to think more carefully than ever about the future of their organizations. In a previous Executive Director Gathering, we explored the importance of scenario planning – a critical tool for any leader navigating uncertainty.
Dissolution planning is one scenario worth understanding, but the lessons it surfaces go far beyond that single outcome. The process of thinking through how an organization winds down reveals profound insights about communications, stakeholder relationships, and maintaining trust with your community. How do you keep donors informed during a period of instability? How do you communicate difficult news to staff, volunteers, and the people you serve without losing their confidence? How do you protect your organization’s reputation even when circumstances are outside your control? These are not questions reserved for organizations in crisis, but rather are questions every leader should be prepared to answer.
Consider how firefighters train for worst-case scenarios not because they expect every call to be catastrophic, but because that preparation makes them sharper, calmer, and more effective in every situation they encounter. The same principle applies here. Walking through the mechanics and communications of a potential dissolution (even as a purely hypothetical exercise) builds the kind of organizational clarity and leadership muscle that pays dividends every day. You will come away with stronger messaging frameworks, deeper relationships with your stakeholders, and a clearer sense of what your organization truly values and stands for.
We are thankful to be joined by Elizabeth Stokely, the Executive Director of Global Washington, a valuable organization that will unfortunately be closing this June. We are currently seeing Global Washington navigate the closure process with grace and with the best interests of their members and community in mind. We look forward to you joining us for this important information.
Cost
This gathering is free to attend.
Who Should Attend
All executive directors, board chairs, organizational leaders, and those serving in similar roles are welcome.
Accessibility
Captioning: We will have automated captioning enabled.
Interpretation: Please indicate during registration if you have an interpretation request. Typically, we need at least two weeks in order to schedule an interpreter.
Visual Descriptions: Presenters will include visual descriptions of themselves and the slides to give a person who is low-vision, blind, or calling in without video a sense of space and place.
If you have additional accessibility requests, please let us know when you register.
About the Speakers
Elizabeth Stokely, Executive Director
Elizabeth has over 17 years of global development experience across a variety of sectors and dozens of countries. She has a deep commitment to cross-sector collaboration for social impact, with a proven track record of mobilizing over $60 million through partnerships with organizations such as Mastercard, USAID, and MetLife. As Director of Strategic Partnerships at Accion International, Elizabeth led a diverse portfolio of global partners for over 7 years, attracting investments in and shaping initiatives focused on financial inclusion, small business development, women’s economic empowerment, and climate resilience. In 2018, she helped secure the largest grant in Accion’s history. Prior to Accion, Elizabeth managed sales and operations at a multi-billion-dollar supply company and led community development programs with the Peace Corps in Loja, Ecuador and Fulbright in Cali, Colombia. At the Inter-American Dialogue, a Western Hemisphere focused think tank, Elizabeth also developed education policy research and grants for a regional network of experts, policymakers, and civil society organizations dedicated to improving education quality throughout Latin America. Elizabeth is Founder and Principal of Stokely Consulting, LLC, a mission-driven management consulting firm. She holds an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business, a BA in International Studies and Spanish from Dickinson College, and is fluent in Spanish.
Thanks to Our Partner
Presented by Nonprofit Association of Washington in partnership with the Washington Office of the Secretary of State.
Questions? Check out the event FAQ page or contact Nonprofit Association of Washington
Phone: (855) 299-2922 x108
Email: [email protected]