About the Conference

Two days of education and networking!
Hear national and regional experts.

Connect with colleagues, learn best practices, share experiences!

 

Hosted by
Grantmakers Forum of New York
Western New York Grantmakers Association

With appreciation to our sponsors

 

 

 

 

Statler Hotel at Cornell University

130 Statler Drive

Ithaca, NY 14853

800.541.2501

607.257.2500

Arrangements

 

 

Primary Contact:

Grantmakers Forum of New York
75 College Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607-1009

gfny@grantmakers.org

 

 

Conference Committee:

Megan Bell, Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation
Clotilde Dedecker, Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo
Diane Hannum, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation
Heidi Holtz, The Gifford Foundation
Rachel Sherman, Market Street Trust Company
Amber Slichta, Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York

Chris Sproule, The Triangle Fund
Cecilia Stancell, The Dyson Foundation

Lisa Dahl, Grantmakers Forum of New York
Kathleen Christy, Western New York Grantmakers Association

 

Sessions

 

Conference Presentation links are posted in the Session Briefs.  Click on the Session title in the list below to go to the Brief. (Additional resources may be added. Check for updates.)

SESSIONS

 

 

  • Sunday Opening Reception

Jason Lilien, Esq., Chief, Charities Bureau, Office of the NYS Attorney General

Sponsored by Triad Foundation

NYS Charities Bureau Chief Jason Lilien updates NY funders on the state of the NYS nonprofit sector, the work of the Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization, and efforts to ease the burden of regulation on nonprofit organizations.

 

  • Catalytic Philanthropy
    Monday Keynote
    John Kania, FSG
    Sponsored by The John R. Oishei Foundation

    John Kania states that if grantmakers want to solve big social problems a new approach to philanthropy is needed, one that catalyzes real social change. Catalytic philanthropists are effective due to four distinct practices: They have the ambition to change the world; they engage others in a compelling campaign; they use all available tools no matter who owns them; and they create actionable knowledge.
    Kania kicks off the conference with inspiring words about becoming a Catalytic Philanthropist.


Presentation

Book: Do More Than Give: Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World

 

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  • Funder Partnerships: Competitive grantmaking isn't enough
    Clotilde Dedecker, Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo,
    Robert Gioia, The John R. Oishei Foundation
    Sponsored by Alesco Advisors LLC

    In a stressed economy, it becomes more important than ever to leverage a community foundation’s resources by coming together with other leaders around a common community agenda. The community foundation’s competitive grantmaking cannot make enough impact. Partnering with local private funders focuses attention on an issue and provides the seed money that demonstrates local commitment to the issue to public and private funders from outside the region. Partners can go further, though, and share staff to support the broader agenda with research, evaluation, community organizing or other joint needs. This session showcases an example of a community-private foundation partnership. Hear how they came to this decision, and discuss with them the advantages and concerns encountered.

    Presentation

 

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  • To Be or Not to Be: Nonprofits in crisis
    Mike West, Attorney, New York Council of Nonprofits
    Moderator: Cecilia Stancell, Dyson Foundation


In a tight economy, nonprofits face more difficult challenges on many fronts, and not all can succeed. Mike West tells stories about emergency close-downs of nonprofits in crisis, as well as instances where it has happened more gracefully, and what funders can do in the process. Cecilia Stancell adds the funder's viewpoint, on making grants to help close down an agency.


  • Policy Advocacy: Furthering Your Mission
    Nelli Garton, Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy, Brandeis University, trustee of Marie C. & Joseph C. Wilson Foundation
    Megan Bell, Executive Director, Marie C. & Joseph C. Wilson Foundation

    Even small foundations can participate in policy advocacy. In 2006 the Wilson Foundation funded a research grant to the National Center on Family Homelessness, for evaluating transitional housing models in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. The result is the SHIFT Study, available early 2012. The presenters will speak about the process, goals and challenges of embarking on a national research study, and how they were strategically able to pursue policy advocacy while remaining an active part of their local community. Learn how to understand data, how to disseminate it and use the data to affect change in your local community and on a national level.

Presentation


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  • Risk and Change: Assessing your strategy
    Kathy Goldfarb-Findling, The Allyn Foundation
    John Merino, Gebbie Foundation
    Sponsored by Gebbie Foundation

    Billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett says, “If you succeed in everything you’re doing in charity, you’re attempting things that are too easy.” Foundations in pursuit of solutions to complex problems are able to take risks that government and the private sector can’t. If you wish to change a system or a perspective, then risk becomes a huge part of the equation. These risks take various forms: risk of failure, risk of losing grant funds better used elsewhere, or the risk of actually doing damage. So how do grantmakers decide when a risk is worth taking? Does this conversation change if the funder is a private foundation or a public charity that raises funds (such as a community foundation or federated fund)? Do board and staff have different opinions about risk? Join a discussion about creating an organizational culture that allows for risk taking –how one defines risk, how one assesses risk and how one manages risk to achieve high impact, change based philanthropy.

    Presentation

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  • Generations in Transitions: Family foundation issues
    Dori Kreiger, Association of Small Foundations
    Moderator: Christine Sproule, The Triangle Fund
    Sponsored by Market Street Trust Company

    What's on your mind? What keeps you up at night? Join other family foundation members to talk about family foundation issues, family dynamics, legacies, and generational transitions.

 

 

  • Vital Communities: The Talent Dividend
    Lee FIsher, CEOs for Cities
    The more educated a city’s population, the more robust its economy will be! But producing more college-educated citizens is rarely found in any city’s economic development plan. CEOs for Cities calculated the Talent Dividend—increasing educational attainment, measured by raising the four-year college attainment rate by one percentage point in each of the 51 largest metropolitan areas, would be associated with an increase in per capita income of $124 billion per year for the nation.
    Lee Fisher, President and CEO, CEOs for Cities, suggests promising policies and practices that are associated with moving people up the education pipeline and increasing the number of college graduates, for significant community improvement.

    Presentation

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An interactive workshop exploring issues on diversity in philanthropy!

Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble

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  • Small Grants, Big Impact
    Janis Foster Richardson, Grassroots Grantmakers
    Sheena Solomon, Rosamond Gifford Foundation
    Sponsored by Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation

    Grassroots grantmaking focuses on strengthening and connecting resident-led organizations and their leaders, to improve communities. Funders involved in this type of grantmaking combine modest grants with technical assistance, training, leadership development and convenings. Many funders have found that grassroots grantmaking programs are highly cost effective, yielding results that are more significant than the grant size would have suggested. Janis Richardson will address how to ensure that your small grants are as powerful as possible. Sheena Solomon will share lessons learned in the Southside Initiative in Syracuse, as well as information about the impact of small neighborhood grants programs.

    Presentation

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  • Beyond the Buck: More for Mission
    Christa Velasquez, Sr. Fellow, Institute for Responsible Investment, Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Harvard University, and Advisor, PRI Makers Network
    Paul Hogan, Vice President, John R. Oishei Foundation, and member, More for Mission

    Christa Velasquez, formerly Director of Social Investments at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, describes the continuum of Program Related Investments (PRIs), the rationale for using them, and gives the national perspective and trends on this form of philanthropy.

    Paul Hogan describes how one NY funder has used PRIs to advantage. The John R. Oishei Foundation currently places nearly 4 percent of its $280 million asset base in PRIs. The Oishei Foundation has made loans to organizations such as Meals on Wheels, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Upstate New York Transplant Services and Artspace Buffalo. They also have provided loan guarantees for the Darwin Martin House and the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora.

 

 

Research finds that many grantmakers believe investing in organizational capacity building helps leverage the impact of philanthropic resources. Funders are realizing that stronger nonprofit organizations can lead to greater program impact. But how do you know if your funding is making a difference? How do you evaluate capacity building grants?
Peter York describes one evaluation process, the steps funders can take to evaluate their efforts, to generate knowledge, to find what works, for whom, and in what circumstances, for greater accountability, and to compare capacity-building strategies.

Presentation

 

 

 

 

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QUESTIONS?

Contact Lisa Dahl or call 585.232.2380.

   

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