Conf09Sessions

Martin Lehfeldt ’s admiration of the nonprofit sector has never detracted him from calling the sector’s attention to what he perceives to be its failings. Usually with generous praise and encouragement, but periodically with gentle wit or even sardonic anger, he has exhorted nonprofit organizations and grantmaking foundations to pursue excellence in all that they do. Martin kicks off the conference with brief reflections on his life in the charitable sector.

Monday, October 26, 8:30am-10:00AM, Opening Plenary

The Power of Policy: Supporting Policy Work for Systemic Change

Ralph Smith, Annie E. Casey Foundation and Chair, Council on Foundations

Sponsor: Triad Foundation

Private philanthropy alone cannot achieve large-scale, sustainable social change. Funders wishing to improve their impact on important issues increasingly are being advised to support advocacy and public policy grantmaking as a way to substantially enhance results and advance their missions. Ralph Smith provides compelling rationalization of the importance of public policy grantmaking—described as “one of the most powerful tools available to foundations for creating real change” —and how to measure and evaluate its impact.

Monday, October 26, 10:15-11:45 AM, Concurrent Sessions

Launch A New Initiative? Decisions, Decisions!

Specifically for trustees, but all are welcome

Donnell Mersereau, Council of Michigan Foundations.

Whether it is your own original idea or an idea brought to you by others in the community, how do you decide to go forward with a community or strategic initiative? What should trustees consider, what questions should they be asking themselves and other community members? A detailed assessment tool will be shared.

Beyond Grantmaking: Program Related Investing

Peter Dunn, Central New York Community Foundation

This session will provide a review of Program Related Investments as vehicles for community impact. The session will review the menu of PRIs, including loans and loan guarantees, within the context of a foundation’s overall investment and programmatic goals. Using the almost 20 year history of the California Community Foundation’s PRI program as a case study, the session will examine the link between PRIs and a foundation’s strategic priorities, financial capacities and the broader marketplace for the deployment of charitable capital.

Succession and Transitions: Generational Issues of Family Foundations

Meg O'Connell, The Allyn Foundation

Marianne Wilder Young, Market Street Trust Company

Monday, October 26 Lunch plenary, 12:00-1:30 PM

Community-Driven Planning: One Model for Impact

Ann Monroe, Community Foundation of Western and Central New York

and President, Western NY Grantmakers Association

Sponsor: The John R. Oishei Foundation

How does the voice of the individual and the community get represented in some of the most important questions of our day? This question was central to a project to look at what should the priorities be for health care in Western New York. Using four "personal" scenarios, the initiative aimed to gather, coordinate and amplify the voice of the healthcare user in setting long-term priorities and goals for healthcare in the region. Over 100 community meetings were held in this exemplary model of community-driven planning and civic engagement. The goals of the project were to:

promote broader, informed civic engagement in our communities;
give voice on issue priorities to those who are directly involved;
define a people-driven set of priorities which can be tracked to measure progress toward the desired goals; and
learn lessons from other places about ways to improve institutions and systems.

Learn about this model of civic engagement, useful for many different community issues. This presentation describes the general process and lessons learned from the initiative.

To participate in an actual “One Friday, Four Futures” community meeting and learn about the healthcare outcomes of the initiative, attend the concurrent session this afternoon.

Monday, October 26 1:45-3:15 PM, Concurrent Sessions

Community- Driven Planning: The Healthcare Outcomes

Speakers: Ann Monroe, Community Foundation of Western and Central New York and others

Sponsor: The John R. Oishei Foundation

Participate in an actual “One Friday, Four Futures” community meeting and learn about the healthcare outcomes of the initiative. [See Community-Driven Planning: One Model for Impact above]

Community Foundation Issues : National Standards and More
Jennifer Leonard, Rochester Area Community Foundation

Restructuring the Nonprofit Landscape: Lessons Learned
Bill Dessingue, Executive Director, Charitable Venture Foundation
Joanne Florino, Executive Director, Triad Foundation

Doug Sauer, CEO, New York Council of Nonprofits

Upstate grant makers have developed the most robust regional initiatives in Corporate Restructuring (mergers, dissolutions, subsidiaries, etc.) than any other state in the nation. The New York Council of Nonprofits has worked with many of these grant makers in cultivating nonprofit interest on this once taboo topic and developing cost-effective models for making restructuring happen. Join us as we explore the various models and have a provocative conversation on roles that funders can play.

Monday Gala Reception, 5:30-7:30pm
Andrew Dickson White House, Cornell campus

Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities
Dr. William Dietz, Centers for Disease Control
Sponsors: Wegmans Food Markets; The Greater Rochester Health Foundation
Host: NY Council for the Humanities

Dr. Bill Dietz speaks about the effect on communities of unhealthy behaviors of residents, recommendations for change, and how funders can help, to increase social, medical and economic well-being of community residents.

Join your colleagues for marvelous food and fine beverages in this beautiful Victorian mansion of Andrew Dickson White, cofounder and first president of Cornell University, and home of the Society for the Humanities.

Tuesday October 27, 8:30-10:00 AM, Plenary, Ballroom B

Investing in Capacity: Stage-based Nonprofit Lifecycles
Susan Kenny Stevens, national consultant

Sponsor: Rosamond Gifford Foundation

Based on principles from the award-winning book, Nonprofit Lifecycles: Stage-Based Wisdom for Nonprofit Capacity, this session will establish the hand-in-glove relationship between a nonprofit's capacity and its ability to deliver mission and services. In addition to presenting a user-friendly definition of "capacity," the session will explore capacity as a "stage-based" rather than one-sized dynamic. Seven stages of nonprofit capacity will be presented with related capacity-building strategies appropriate for each stage.

Tuesday, October 27, 10:15-11:45 AM, Concurrent Sessions

Women in Philanthropy
Christine Grumm, President & CEO, Women's Funding Network
Moderator: Kathryn Thomas, Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley
Sponsor: The Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation

Interested in supporting programs for women and girls? This session focuses on the importance of investing in programs for women and girls, the impact on communities of doing so, and the current trends of women's funds in philanthropy.

Philanthropy 2.0 Basics
Cynthia Pacia, Rochester Area Community Foundation

Don Matteson, The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation

Come learn about web 2.0 tools; what they are and how you could potentially use them to communicate with your grantees, board members, or donors. Participate in an interactive discussion and see examples of what is being done across the country using Internet technologies such as blogs, wikis, Facebook and Twitter. You will also hear from Donald Matteson, senior program officer at The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, on how they are currently exploring the use of these technologies and Cynthia Pacia, philanthropic associate at Rochester Area Community Foundation and featured young professional blogger for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle’s online edition, on how she is using these Internet technologies to build relationships within the community.

Embracing Failure: Learning from your grantmaking
James Knickman, NYS Health Foundation, former Vice President, Evaluation and Research, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Lindsay McClung, Grants Manager/Program Officer, Rosamond Gifford Foundation
Moderator: Heidi Holtz, Program Director for Community Grantmaking, Rosamond Gifford Foundation

Even with the best of due diligence, and the best of intentions, not all grants are successful. As good stewards of the dollars entrusted to our care, this can be tough to accept, but of course it comes with the territory. Instead of fearing these failures, which might impede those leaps of faith that can sometimes lead to enormous successes, how can foundations embrace and learn from grants that just did not pan out? Some foundations publicly acknowledge those mistakes, sharing openly with their donors and the community their intent and outcomes. Others have systems in place that not only evaluate grantee reports, but also their own systems and staff interactions. These internal and external tools enable an open discussion about sharing of mistakes and failures in a similar way that successes are shared. Lessons can be learned from failures within an organization but if systems are not in place to openly share these learnings, those lessons get lost. Presenters in this session will provide some examples of failures as opportunities for growth and improvement.

Tuesday, October 27, 12:00-1:30 PM, Closing Plenary

Sustainable Economy/Sustainable Communities
Professor Stuart Hart, Cornell Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise;

Aaron Bartley, PUSH Buffalo

Sustainability’ often is defined as making personal or societal decisions that improve economic opportunity and community well-being while preserving the natural environment for future generations. Professor Hart suggests that it is possible to have 'sustainable' competitive enterprises that also raise the quality of life for the poor; respect cultural diversity; and conserve the environment. Hart maintains that business can and should do this. How can philanthropy contribute?

Aaron Bartley describes an exemplary program that addresses both the environmental and economic issues of low-income neighborhoods in Buffalo. PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing) Buffalo is rehabilitating abandoned houses, while training workers in green building techniques. Bartley received an Echoing Green Fellowship in 2005, naming him one of the world's "best emerging social change entrepreneurs,” for his plan “to empower the urban poor of Buffalo’s West Side to revitalize their neighborhood, gain home ownership, and stimulate the local economy.”

Grantmakers Forum of New York,75 College Avenue, Suite 311, Rochester, NY 14607-1009
ph. 585.232.2380 fax. 585.232.8413 email. gfny@grantmakers.org