NAMI Alliance Day precedes the general attendance portion of NAMICon and is designed specifically for NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates. Presented and developed by NAMI National’s Alliance Relations, Development, and Field Governance (ARDFG) Department and in partnership with internal and external stakeholders, this day is dedicated to supporting the great work taking place across the Alliance.

In 2023, NAMI Alliance Day was held in-person in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Wednesday, May 24^th, and preceded the NAMI Convention (May 25^th - 27^th). 

NAMI Alliance day is for Boards, Volunteers, Development Directors, Education/Program Managers, Executive Directors, Public Policy Managers, and Walk Managers.
 
This event provided attendees the opportunity to:

• Meet members of the ARDFG team.
• Network with NAMI colleagues from across the country.
• Learn about NAMI 10X, a plan that involves 10 key shifts in how we do things across the Alliance.
• Hear from several NAMI National departments and teams including advocacy, programs, governance and more.
• Gain practical tips, tools and takeaways to help build and/or strengthen your organization’s capacity.

 

Thank you for all you do to strengthen the Alliance and advance NAMI’s mission.

 

Sessions

 

NAMI 10X - A Fireside Chat 

NAMI 10X refers to 10 recommended shifts that will position NAMI to better serve NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates and that strengthens the Alliance. This fireside chat provided attendees with the current and future status of NAMI 10X. 

Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, NAMI National
Annette Gantt, Chief Field Relations Officer, NAMI National
Moderator: Cathryn Nacario​, CEO, NAMI San Diego

Presentation Slides
 

Volunteers: How to Gain, Train & Retain 

How do you gain volunteers? How do you train volunteers? How do you retain volunteers? In this introductory session, we will go over the steps on how to attract the best volunteers from all areas of your community for everything from your NAMI Board to NAMI Programs to your NAMIWalks event…and keep them! 

Mary Sorensen, Director, Field Resource Development, NAMI National   
Morgan Sills, Senior Manager, Field Resource Development, NAMI National 

Presentation Slides
Handout: Your Sphere of Influence
Handout: Volunteer Recruitment
Handout: Linkedin Prospecting
 

The Space Between: How NAMI State Organizations and Affiliates Can Offer Programs in Underserved Communities 

NAMI comprises over 700 organizations across the United States, and even that is insufficient to service every community in the country. Given the proliferation of mental health awareness in the past few years, NAMI’s recognition has also received a similar increase. So how can NAMI provide programs and support within those areas lacking a NAMI organization? 

Fortunately, there are options available to both State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates. The Field Governance & Membership team will provide insight – based on the NAMI Governing Documents – on how NAMI Organizations can broaden their reach. 

David Binet, Director, Field Governance & Membership, NAMI National 
Sabrina Harris, Senior Manager, Field Governance & Quality Assurance, NAMI National 
Jacquelyn Walsh, Senior Manager, Field Governance & Quality Assurance, NAMI National 

Presentation Slides
Handout: New Affiliate Formation Quick Reference
Handout: NAMI Signature Support Groups

Ready, Set, Launch: A New Toolkit to Help NAMI Organizations Plan for their Future  

NAMI’s Field Capacity Building (FCB) Team has been hard at work with field leaders to develop robust tools and resources that are responsive to the organizational capacity needs of the Alliance. We are excited to launch one such tool that is focused on Strategic and Action Planning that aims to meet NAMI State Organizations and Affiliates where they are and help them thoughtfully engage in a planning process with their stakeholders. During this session, we will provide a brief overview of the FCB team’s work and how it supports the Alliance; share the Strategic and Action Planning toolkit and how we engaged the field in our work; and review how NAMI organizations can use the toolkit to plan for their futures.  

Sheel Pandya, National Director, Field Capacity Building, NAMI National 
Ashley Pollowitz, Senior Manager, Field Capacity Building, NAMI National 
Dr. Sherrie Vaughn, Executive Director, NAMI Kansas

Presentation Slides
Handout: Strategic Planning & Action Planning Roadmap
Handout: Field Capacity Building Regional Model 

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Using Innovation to Expand NAMI’s Reach Through Awareness, Education and Partnership  

NAMI’s work in cross-cultural communities, with youth and young adults, and in workplaces across the country continues to grow. Much has been learned about the importance of understanding the needs of communities and organizations when we connect with them. This session will feature innovative practices in meeting people where they are, strategies for developing high impact resources, initiatives, and partnerships and sharing our collective wisdom on best practices to expand our reach.  

Darcy Gruttadaro, Chief Innovation Officer, NAMI National
Dawn L. Brown, Director, Cross-Cultural Innovation & Engagement, NAMI National 
Jennifer Rothman, Director, Youth & Young Adult Initiatives, NAMI National 

Presentation Slides
Handout: Black/African Ancestry College Student Engagement 
Handout: Black/African Ancestry Male Mental Health
Handout: Cross-Cultural Innovation & Engagement
Handout: Chai & Chat
Handout: Compartiendo Esperanza
Handout: FaithNet
Handout Maniwala
Handout: Early Warning Signs of Mental Health Conditions
Handout: Initiating a Conversation about Mental Health Concerns
Handout: Pre-event Questions for Employee Engagement & Skill Building
Handout: Sharing Hope
Handout: Youth & Young Adult Resources

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Building Relationships to Sustain, Retain and Gain Donors across All Sectors 

The saying in fundraising is People Give to People. But how does that translate into dollars for your programs and projects? We’ll discuss how to talk about the impact of your work and hone your elevator pitch for different audiences – individual donors, grant funders and corporate partners. 

Jessica Edwards, Chief Development Officer, NAMI National 

Presentation Slides
Handout: Donor Scenarios 
 

NAMI Education Programs and NAMI Leader Training: Everything You Want to Know and More 

Members of the National Education team will share updates on NAMI education programs, training opportunities and newly created resources for outreach. Join us as we debut and discuss the new virtual training event, the Program Directors Learning Expo.

Teri Brister, Chief Program Officer, NAMI National
Susan Caban, Director, National Education Programs, NAMI National
Anita Herron, Senior Manager, Family Education Programs, NAMI National
Nikki Rashes, Senior Manager, Programs & Digital Learning, NAMI National
Jessica Howell, Outreach Manager, NAMI National 

Presentation Slides
Handout: NAMI National Education Team Directory 
Handout: Community Outreach & Implementation Guide 

 

Where Does NAMI Stand on That? Setting NAMI Policy Positions and Priorities 

Ever wonder how NAMI decides what public policy issues to speak out on? In this session, you will learn about what goes into designing a NAMI-wide policy position, how we tackle new and emerging policy issues, and most importantly, how you can have a voice in the process. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of the input opportunities for NAMI’s policy positions and priorities as well as best practices for getting input into their own state and local-level policy priorities.  

Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer, Government Relations, Policy and Advocacy, NAMI National
Jennifer Snow, National Director, Government Relations and Policy, NAMI National 
Stephanie Pasternak, Director, State Affairs, Government Relations, Policy and Advocacy, NAMI National

Presentation Slides
Handout: NAMI Advocacy Across the Alliance 

 

Thank you to those who participated in NAMI Alliance Day!