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What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Have to Stay in Vegas: CFP Charity Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area (PFNCA) Honored by CVENT

Written by Jared Cohen, President & CEO of the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area

Last month, I attended a global conference in Las Vegas for CVENT, a McLean, VA-based company that specializes in meetings, events, and hospitality management technology.

The Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area (PFNCA) uses CVENT’s software platform to manage its wellness and educational programs. We started using the platform four years ago, about 18 months after I arrived as President & CEO. When I was hired in this role, I was tasked with reversing years of operating losses and righting this special “ship” that helps people slow the progression of Parkinson’s Disease. In short order my team and I executed a turnaround and began planning for growth.

We were challenged in the areas of data management, program evaluation, marketing and more. Our migration to CVENT was a building block for our turnaround and subsequent growth. Since CVENT is such a big part of how we manage our service to the community, I decided to apply for one of the awards they present annually. To my happy surprise, we were named a finalist in our category, which was called The Achiever.

Other finalists in this category included:

  • Wolters Kluwer N.V., a Netherlands-based global information services company serving legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and healthcare markets with operations in 180 countries, 18,000+ employees and revenue of $4.7B USD in 2018.
  • Morningstar, Inc., a global financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States with 4,000+ employees. It provides an array of investment-research and investment-management services. In 2018, Morningstar had $1B in revenue.

At the time we applied for the award, PFNCA had a staff of 4 full-time employees and revenue of about $1M.

PFNCA provides more than 240 exercise and vocal cord strengthen programs each month at no cost for people fighting Parkinson’s. Programs are provided at 24 locations in 33 cities/towns in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

PFNCA also uses CVENT for its PFNCA’s Parkinson’s Pointers Lecture Series and our annual educational conference. Parkinson’s Pointers is a lecture series where people gather in various locations for a presentation and question and answer session by a physician or other person that specializes in Parkinson’s. Powerful practical information is shared in a positive setting. Lectures are live streamed to the locations and refreshments are served.

At an awards dinner on July 9, the lights dimmed, an announcer shared our award category and the finalists while a video was projected on large screens. I was so honored just to be a finalist. The Emcee opened an envelope and read “…and the winner is…” He continued, “Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area!”

Here is a video of the big moment.

PFNCA President & CEO Jared Cohen (center) accepts award from CVENT CEO & Founder Reggie Arggarwal (left). They are joined by PFNCA Medical Advisory Board Member Dr. Zoltan Mari

PFNCA President & CEO Jared Cohen (center) accepts award from CVENT CEO & Founder Reggie Arggarwal (left). They are joined by PFNCA Medical Advisory Board Member Dr. Zoltan Mari

I was overwhelmed with happiness. It had been a long journey for PFNCA. From board conversations questioning long term organizational viability to receiving an award while competing against global corporations with revenues in the billions. Our turnaround wasn’t only because of CVENT, but sometimes you have to take a chance on a new way of doing business and see how it goes. The CVENT platform, designed for event professionals, now manages all aspects our non-profit direct service work.

PFNCA?s CVENT Award displayed at its Silver Spring, Maryland office next to the 2018 Honorable Mention Award it received for the Center for Non-Profit Advancement?s AIM Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Management.

PFNCA’s CVENT Award displayed at its Silver Spring, Maryland office next to the 2018 Honorable Mention Award it received for the Center for Non-Profit Advancement’s AIM Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Management.

Do you know someone with Parkinson’s? PFNCA’s next Parkinson’s Pointers lecture will take place on September 12, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Fernando Pagan of Georgetown University. His topic will be Advances in Treatments for Parkinson’s. This program will be live streamed to about 30 locations. There is no cost to attend but registration is required because many sites fill to capacity.

PFNCA is a local independent organization that is not affiliated with any of the several national organizations that focus on Parkinson’s. The organization’s annual awareness and fundraising program is called Walk Off Parkinson’s and will take place September 22, 2019 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The program includes lectures by physicians, exercise demonstrations and an inspiration walk that culminates with a lap on the field at Nationals Park. To learn more about Walk Off Parkinson’s visit www.walkoffpd.org

To learn more about PFNCA, please visit www.parkinsonfoundation.org

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