Conference 2024 Breakout Sessions

Conference 2024
Breakout Sessions

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MONDAY - Session 1 (8:30 am)

LEADERSHIP:
Team Building: Overcoming Challenges with a Simple Strategy

Allison Langford, ABL Wise Consulting

Building an effective team is important in any organization. Dysfunctional teams have common characteristics, and overcoming those requires a clear strategy and leadership by example. In this session, we will discuss Lencioni’s “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” and learn a practical strategy for building healthy teams that can be applied in group decision-making and problem-solving.

1. Understand the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” (authored by Lencioni)

2. Discuss the dysfunctions and the challenges caused by each

3. Learn a technique for team building, group decision-making, and problem-solving

Audience:
Board of Directors, Executive Directors, Client Services Staff/Volunteers, Volunteers

CLIENT SERVICES
Communicate in Smart Ways: Variety that Leads to Learning and Follow Through

Dr. Kathy Koch, Celebrate Kids Inc.

In this seminar, Dr. Kathy Koch explores the importance of adapting communication styles to enhance learning and motivation. With her deep understanding of how children process information, she offers practical tips on using a variety of approaches to ensure messages resonate and inspire action. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or mentor, you’ll gain insights into how strategic communication can foster engagement, retention, and follow-through, helping kids thrive in both academic and personal settings.

DEVELOPMENT:
Grow Your Revenue Through Monthly Donor Communications

Ray Pokorny, Masterworks

A growing number of pregnancy centers around the country are increasing their gross and net income through integrated monthly donor communications that include direct mail, email, and other communications. You’ll learn the underlying philosophies and practical strategies to develop donor-focused appeals, newsletters, and gift acknowledgments to ask, thank, and report back to donors on the life-changing impact of their gifts.

Learn how the frequency of communications is related to donor retention, gift frequency, donor value, and overall donor file and revenue growth
Understand the audience reach limitations inherent to event-based fundraising and how a monthly communications program breaks through those barriers
Understand the fundraising communications cycle: ask, thank, and report back and how it is executed in a donor communications annual plan

Audience: Board of Directors, Executive Directors, Development/Marketing Staff

CLIENT SERVICES:
Women’s Sexual Wellness Part 1

Dr. Joe Malone

Dr. Joe Malone presents in a fun and engaging way the scientific answers to these and many more important questions, especially related to their application to youth and young adults. This new knowledge is meant to encourage, edify, educate, and equip pregnancy center staff’s to be able to work even more effectively with their clients!

Audience: All

SPIRITUAL:
Covering for Spiritual Warfare

Ashley Graves, Five Stone Consulting

The spiritual battle within organizations assisting women can cause fatigue and weariness. Learn practical skills to cover the organization and the team.

Define Spiritual Warfare
Learn the importance of spiritual coverage
Leave with practical skills to be implemented

Audience: All

MISCELLANEOUS:
Change the Nation Through Pro-Life Education

Nikki Schaefer, MSW Heart of a Child Ministries

Heart of a Child Ministries was the first live ultrasound education ministry in the country beginning in 2015. Since then they have presented to over 25K students, grades K-high school, using their 4S model of pro-life education – Scripture, Science, Stories, and Service. With this highly effective format, grade school children are solidified in their love for life, while over 50% of middle through high school students who have a pro-abortion stance, experience a change of heart. Attend this workshop, be inspired, and learn how you can provide this highly effective model in your communities and schools.

Learn about why Prolife Education is Essential, learn about Heart of a Child Ministries’ effective model of education, and how you can provide it in your own communities.

Audience: All

ORGANIZATIONAL:
Kingdom Business Model

Connie Coleman, Connie W Coleman

How do we grow or enhance the business side of our ministries? By looking at all of it through the eyes of a Kingdom Business Model.

This unique approach to the structure and function of your organization will help you delineate your success and catapult you into the next chapter.

This work has been written as training material and used to assist, serve, and consult many organizations in our prolife work, as well as others outside of it. “Enhance our business by looking to the original model….the Lord’s.

Audience: Board of Directors, Executive Directors

Monday, 8:30 Practice Scans

Sharlette Anderson, MHS, RDMS, RVT, RDCS

Audience:

Medical Personnel

MONDAY - Session 2 (10:15 am)

LEADERSHIP:
Encourage Resiliency: Talk, Listen, and React so Clients Grow Through Disappointments

Dr. Kathy Koch, Celebrate Kids Inc.

Resiliency is critical for overcoming life’s inevitable challenges, and in this seminar, Dr. Kathy Koch shares key strategies to encourage it in kids. By learning how to effectively talk, listen, and respond to disappointments, parents and caregivers can help children not only recover but grow stronger through setbacks. Dr. Kathy offers practical tools to build emotional resilience, ensuring kids develop the perseverance and problem-solving skills they need to navigate life’s ups and downs with confidence.

CLIENT SERVICES:
Community Collaboration in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Karolyn Schrage, Choices Medical Joplin

Whether a voiceless victim in the womb or a victim of human trafficking Pregnancy Medical Help Centers are excellently postured to respond. But we don’t have to do it all. We can keep on mission while collaborating with others in our communities to network with life-saving services that allow us access to the hearts of many who are suffering in a world of sexual exploitation, the commercial sex industry and those trapped in human trafficking.

Learn how to join forces with anti-trafficking networks in your community or start an active coalition initiative and lead the way.

Audience: All

DEVELOPMENT:
Creating a Tool Box for Strategically Engaging the Church

Bob Hershey, Care Net

Good preparation is essential to good church engagement; it helps you to be focused and use limited resources wisely. Knowing why a church will respond and optimizing the aspects of your center’s ministry that coincide with the church’s ministry, along with a well-thought-out presentation, are essential components of the church engagement process.

Explore ideas for a strategic church engagement plan
Create a blueprint to build out your plan
Discover keys to unlock passionate hearts
Work your plan

Audience: All

ABORTION RECOVERY:
Using Emotional Research to Help Her Heal

Dr. Jeffrey J. Pauls, Vitae Foundation

Vitae Foundation’s latest Emotional Research study, “No Regrets?” (conducted in 2023-2024) took a deep dive into abortion healing. In this breakout, Jeff Pauls, Ph.D. will reveal the psychological motivators that drive, or prevent, women from seeking help after an abortion to help you reach even more hurting women.

Understand grief patterns after an abortion;
When, where, and how do women experience regret;
What drives women to seek help;
Identify how to help more women seek healing;
Learn what ideal abortion-healing support respondents of the study wanted;
Utilize messaging strategies to reach women who have been impacted by abortion.

Audience: All

FATHERHOOD:
Engaging and Retaining Fathers

Jonathan Clark, Advice and Aid Pregnancy Centers

With the rise of fatherhood programs in Pregnancy Help Centers, many questions surround integrating dads into the services we provide and seeing dads successfully transfer from the peer counseling room into a parenting program. This breakout session teaches attendees to examine their various “touch points” with dads by showing how Advice and Aid Pregnancy Centers leverage their time with dads to create meaningful ministry moments.

Understand touch points for working with fathers
Learn strategies for engaging fathers in various touch points
Understand how engagement drives better retention in programming

Audience: Executive Directors, Client Services Staff/Volunteers, Volunteers

ADOPTION:
Adoption in the Counseling Room

Sydney Raydo, Lifeline Children’s Services

This presentation covers the topic of adoption, and how to present it as a life-affirming option. Many women that we work with in crisis pregnancies see adoption as abandonment, and we are passionate about equipping resource centers to educate women on all options, shedding light on what adoption is, and what it is not. To equip volunteers, social service staff, and resource centers to talk about adoption. The hope is that when working with abortion-minded women, we know how to present adoption as a viable option.

Audience: Client Services Staff/Volunteers

ABORTION PILL REVERSAL:
APR

Tracie Shellhouse, MCLC, LAS Heartbeat International

Learn about chemical abortion and the Abortion Pill Reversal process that can offer women a second chance to choose life. Learn how to support those seeking to reverse their abortions and gain a deeper understanding of the hope pregnancy help centers offer to clients, a generation of unborn babies, and families in their local communities and around the world!

Monday, 10:15 am Practice Scans

Sharlette Anderson, MHS, RDMS, RVT, RDCS

Audience:
Medical Personnel

MONDAY - Session 3 (3:15 pm)

LEADERSHIP:
Communicate in Smart Ways: Variety that Leads to Learning and Follow Through

Dr. Kathy Koch, Celebrate Kids Inc.

CLIENT SERVICES:
Beneath the Surface…Human Trafficking in Our Backyard

Karolyn Schrage, Choices Medical Joplin

Human Trafficking affects individuals and communities worldwide – no community is exempt! It is both a criminal act and a human rights violation. The impact on the health of our clients can be enormous. It is widely recognized as an emerging healthcare priority.

Pregnancy care providers are well-positioned to identify and assist individuals in the commercial sex industry and those being trafficked. Learn the key role you may have as a front line life-responder.

Audience: All

DEVELOPMENT:
Engaging Volunteers in your Fundraising Strategy

Suzanne Cronkhite, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri

Do you need more fundraisers on your team, but don’t have the staffing? Do you have a healthy number of volunteers, but they say, “I can’t fundraise”? You will leave this course with action steps on empowering your volunteers with the tools they need to fundraise alongside your staff.

Develop a volunteer fundraising strategy that incorporates well-defined job descriptions for fundraising roles
Provide training for volunteers on fundraising techniques and equip them with the necessary tools to instill confidence in their new roles
Incorporate volunteer-driven fundraising into the comprehensive communication/fundraising strategy for your upcoming fundraising initiative

Audience: Development/Marketing Staff

CLIENT MARKETING:
Dual Wielding in the Marketing Arena: Build & Fight against the Goliaths

Jacob Barr, iRapture.com

In this workshop, participants will dissect and compare their website with the opposition’s based on key metrics, then receive strategies to close the digital gap and potentially outperform the opposition online. This is a hands-on guide to gaining a competitive edge in the digital arena to understand which variables impact who shows up on Google and how to compete for traffic.

Audience: Executive Directors, Development/Marketing Staff

MEDICAL:
Cybersecurity and How it Relates to HIPAA

Missy Clifton, Learning Is Created

This session discusses introductory cybersecurity fundamentals, and how they are related to the HIPAA Security Rule. Takeaways include how to implement certain security settings, how to recognize if you are experiencing a cyber-attack, and what to do in the event they experience a cyber-attack.

Identify cybersecurity fundamentals
Understand how these relate to the HIPAA Security Rule standards
Determine if you are experiencing a cyber attack
Actions to take in the event of a cyber attack

Audience: Board of Directors, Executive Directors, Medical Personnel

CLIENT SERVICES:
Faithful Foundations: What is Your Organization Building On?

Annette Torno, BrightCourse

Root your organization in Christ’s unwavering truths. Explore Biblical foundations to fortify your own and empower others’ spiritual growth and organizational strength.

To understand the importance of listening to and following Christ’s teachings as the foundation for wisdom and resilience in life and organizations
To explore the potential challenges and trials faced by individuals and organizations rooted in Christ, and how they can stand firm amidst adversity
To develop strategies for integrating biblical truths into decision-making processes and daily operations, fostering a culture of wisdom and stability within the organization
To apply the principles of building on a firm foundation to personal spiritual growth and organizational development
To evaluate personal and organizational practices to ensure alignment with Christ’s teachings, fostering resilience and longevity in faith and mission

Audience: All

FATHERHOOD:
Mission: I'm Possible

Michael Zaretzky, Pregnancy Help Center

Pregnancy Centers need to prepare and equip male volunteers and staff to stand on the frontline, engaging fathers who may be abortion-minded or abortion vulnerable. To do this properly three individuals must be considered; the father, the child, and the man we have waiting in our centers to offer compassion, hope, and help. Two out of three of these individuals are not our choice. It becomes easy to see how important the chosen Fatherhood Champion is to every man who thinks it impossible to be a good father or the child who is thought to be impossible. This breakout is designed to give confidence, skills, and insight to the men who are willing to meet each challenge and situation that arises. This would be impossible if he were on his own, but with God, the Fatherhood Champion along with both the father and the child can change perceptions from “Impossible” to “I’m possible” in all circumstances.

Fostering and maintaining feelings of purpose and fulfillment in male staff and volunteers
Fatherhood Champions understand and embrace the key roles they play
The importance of fathers to both the mother and child and vice versa
Key points that should be covered in life-affirming conversations with fathers
Increase men’s compassion and hope through the strengthening and sharing of one’s own faith

Audience: Executive Directors, Client Services Staff/Volunteers, Volunteers

Monday 3:15 pm Practice Scans

Sharlette Anderson, MHS, RDMS, RVT, RDCS

Audience:
Medical Personnel

Special Note about Session #4 on Monday at 4:10

Session #4 is a round-table discussion and does not require registration

TUESDAY - Session 1 (8:30 am)

CLIENT SERVICES:
Transformative Care: Cultivating a Trauma-Informed Approach in Pregnancy Help Services

Stacey Chik, Life on Belay

Embark on a transformative journey with our session where we delve into the profound impact of trauma and equip pregnancy help professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to foster an environment of genuine understanding, compassion, and healing.

The session focuses on empowering teams to navigate with sensitivity and insight, the nuanced ways in which trauma can manifest. Participants will gain valuable insights into developing trauma-informed practices that prioritize empathy and respect. Join us as we embark on a collective journey toward excellence in care. Understanding Trauma is not just a training; it is a transformative experience that will empower your team to make a lasting positive impact in the lives of those you serve.

Grasp the complex nature of trauma and its various manifestations in clients seeking pregnancy-related assistance
Develop a deep understanding of the principles of trauma-informed care and its application in a pregnancy help setting
Gain practical skills for creating and maintaining a supportive and empathetic environment that fosters healing and trust
Learn strategies to empower staff with the ability to recognize and sensitively respond to trauma-induced behaviors and needs
Cultivate an organizational culture that consistently demonstrates compassion and respect, and that contributes to positive, long-term outcomes for clients

Audience: Executive Directors, Client Services Staff/Volunteers

DEVELOPMENT:
Unlocking Organizational Excellence: Harnessing the Power of a Strategic Operating System

Jeremy Aranda, Life on Belay

People and time are your most precious resources and every minute counts in your role as an executive director. This session is crafted for leaders like you seeking to achieve rapid, sustainable organizational transformation. Discover who discipline in a proven framework focuses on strategic planning, streamlines operations, and enhances decision-making capabilities. We’ll dive into real-world examples of leaders who have quickly integrated these strategies to drive impact, improve team alignment, and dramatically cut down on wasted effort. This isn’t just about theoretical gains; it’s about real results—increased clarity, accelerated growth, and tangible impact. Join us and unlock your potential.

Accelerate Operational Efficiency: Understand how an operating system can streamline your processes, allowing you to spend more time on strategic growth and less on day-to-day operations

Enhance Decision-Making: Learn how to leverage data-driven components to make quicker, more effective decisions that align with your organization’s long-term goals.

Drive Team Alignment and Accountability: Explore strategies to enhance team cohesion and accountability, ensuring that every team member is aligned with your organization’s vision and objectives.

Achieve Measurable Outcomes: Focus on how to implement an operating system in a way that yields measurable outcomes, reducing inefficiencies and boosting operational success.

Understand the Process: Delve into the step-by-step process of implementing an operating system within your organization, including how to customize the framework to fit your specific needs and culture.

Audience: Board of Directors, Executive Directors

SPIRITUAL:
Come to Jesus, Encounter His Presence, Serve His Purpose, Trust His Plan

Annette Torno, BrightCourse

LEADERSHIP:
Encourage Resiliency: Talk, Listen, and React so Clients Grow Through Disappointments

Dr. Kathy Koch, Celebrate Kids Inc.

ORGNIZATIONAL:
Protecting your centers assets: Your physical asset and people assets.

Kirk Thomas, Johnson Witkemper Insurance

The course will focus on what is needed to protect the physical assets of the center such as buildings, contents, vehicles. Also, the people assets of the center such as the employees, volunteers, and board members. Will talk about the things that a center needs to do as they offer more medical services to their clients. Will talk about risk mitigation and some easy steps to reduce common claims that happen at the center. Will look at claims examples and educate participants on how they can be better prepared when they experience a claim.

Make sure participants have all their assets properly insured: Their physical assets and their people assets
Some things participants can do before a claim happens
Being properly prepared when a center experiences a claim
Special occurrences that every executive director should be aware of that would require additional needs for specialized insurance
Checklist that you can follow for each insurance renewal

Audience: All

CLIENT SERVICES:
Women's Sexual Wellness Part 2

Dr. Joe Malone

The Science of Sex: How did women find themselves going against their sexual nature in our culture? What are the biochemical and anatomical differences between females and males? How and why do males have a different bonding response than females? Why is the female sexual response different from males? What do females crucially need to know about males and themselves sexually? How can young women best align with their design? Dr. Joe Malone presents in a fun and engaging way the scientific answers to these and many more important questions, especially related to their application to youth and young adults. This new knowledge is meant to encourage, edify, educate, and equip pregnancy center staff’s to be able to work even more effectively with their clients!

Audience: All

CLIENT SERVICES:
Change is Here: How Adapting Shows Care

Renae Kitchin, Found and Woven

In a world of ever-changing narratives and expectations, it can be overwhelming to navigate what we want to do versus what we need to do. It is easy to choose familiarity and stay in our comfort zones but join us as we explore how being willing to let go and lean into new approaches, can create new doors for ministry and effectiveness. Discuss the pros and cons of change and explore a real-life case study on how a ministry has navigated significant change in the last 5 years.

Audience: All

TUESDAY - Session 2 (10:15 am)

LEADERSHIP:
Lead to Thrive: Let the Good Things Grow 2.0

Laura Fogle, Options Pregnancy Clinic

To help ministry leaders individually, and team members together, move from striving to thriving, with a positive team culture focused on helping each member to walk in their specific and team gifts and strengths. Learning how to build upon strengths will transform the team and its ability to have a long-lasting impact for generations, resulting in true thriving ministry throughout.

Audience: Executive Directors

CLIENT SERVICES:
Advocacy & Handling Disclosures

Heidi Olson / Geony Rucker, Value Unconditional

At this interactive breakout, participants will discover powerful strategies for supporting and responding to those experiencing crisis. Attendees will gain practical tools that can be easily implemented following the training and will engage in a personal reflection on body language, words, and facial expressions when providing advocacy. Attendees will also consider the importance of self-awareness, boundaries in advocacy, and empowerment-based models of care. “

Become better equipped to verbally & nonverbally respond to disclosures of

victimization in a trauma-sensitive way

Explore how neurobiology impacts behavior and decision-making
Consider language that may cause harm, trigger PTSD and how to avoid it
Gain tools for self-regulation, signposting, and empowering those we seek to

serve

Audience: Executive Directors, Client Services Staff/Volunteers, Medical Personnel, Volunteers

CLIENT SERVICES:
Breaking the Broken: Mindset Training

Rob Kendall, The 180 Program

God calls us to care for the “least of these”, but what does that mean? We spend billions fighting the effects of poverty, but are we winning? Are we really making a difference or does our service actually make things worse? God had a Plan for our service. There is a way to serve that represents His heart. In Breaking the Broken: Mindset training, you will see God’s Plan to recover, rebuild, and restore what is broken. Learning how poverty affects those we serve and by understanding the “why” we can watch our clients flourish into who God created them to be by changing the way we serve.

Audience: All

CLIENT MARKETING:
Marketing: Strategic, Social, SEO: How to Craft an Organic Marketing Plan on Social Media and Google

Emily Schmeidler, Choose Life Marketing

Budgets are essential for putting your message in front of people when they need you most. But the long game played on social media and through SEO helps lay the foundation for your long-term success in reaching abortion-determined women. Learn to create an actionable plan that helps you succeed for years to come.

Learn how to adjust your marketing strategies to reach abortion-minded women in this ever-changing landscape
Learn in-depth research about what social platforms are best for your center
Learn best practices for keyword strategy and how it affects long-term marketing
Learn how SEO and social media can work together to create lasting impact

Audience: Executive Directors, Development/Marketing Staff

DEVELOPMENT:
Programs Analysis & Improvement 101

Nathan Mayo

Conferences fill your head with ideas for improving or replacing existing programs. But where do you start?

This session walks you through a deliberate process that will help you analyze your existing programs and craft a confident strategic plan to implement what you’ve learned. Learn techniques to evaluate existing programs, create alternatives, focus your approaches, identify barriers to change, manage change, execute with excellence, and anchor the new programs into your culture.

CLIENT SERVICES:
Mastering Phone & Online Practices to Reach This Generation

Brandon Monahan, Heritage House ’76

Understand generational differences in technology-based values to seamlessly connect with clients. Learn to avoid misunderstandings and missed opportunities with phone-based best practices for client interactions. To learn how to implement the best phone-based strategies for client interactions.

Audience: Executive Directors, Client Services Staff/Volunteers

DEVELOPMENT:
Toward a Pro-active Press Strategy

Bryce Asberg, Helping Hands Pregnancy Resource Center

This workshop will provide attendees with an understanding of how to relate to the press on behalf of Pregnancy Help Organizations. Participants will be challenged and equipped to craft a pro-active, rather than reactive, media strategy. In addition, participants will learn the basics of doing press interviews, including filtering requests for interviews. This course is accessible, and designed to equip any attendee to start engaging with the press even if they have no experience.

Participants will learn what a pro-active strategy is and how it benefits centers
Participants will learn how they can put a proactive strategy into practice
Participants will learn the basics of conducting media interviews.”

Audience: Board of Directors, Executive Directors, Development/Marketing Staff

LEADERSHIP:
Be A Confident Communicator

Wally Long, The Pregnancy Care Center, Aurora

During this session, Wally will present tips on how to overcome the fear of public speaking and be a confident communicator. To become more confident speaking in front of other people

Audience: All