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| Forum Resource Spotlight |
New RA Staff & CEO Orientation Webinar Monday, May 18
2-3 pm ET
Join the Forum Office for an orientation webinar for new regional association staff and CEOS. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what the Forum Network is, what regional associations of grantmakers are, and how to connect with the Network of over 200 fellow regional association staff.
Register Now
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| Forum Office Contacts |
Have a question for the
Forum Office?
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Be Sure to Check Out
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This new report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy shows that most nonprofits receiving funding from large foundations collect and use information about their performance, yet many want to gather additional - or better - data.
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| Newsletter Archive | |
Miss an issue of Forum Bits?
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| Network Hires | |
Grace McDaniel joins Philanthropy West Virginia as Executive Assistant.
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Join us in Baltimore July 21-23 at our Annual Conference
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 We hope that many of you are planning to join us for our Network's Annual Conference July 21-23 in Baltimore, MD. This conference is the key opportunity each year for regional association staff to come together for skill building sessions, networking, and thought provoking discussions with philanthropy leaders.
Program Highlights
We are excited to have David Grant, author of The Social Profit Handbook, as our opening keynote and for our closing keynote, Teresa Younger, CEO and President of the Ms. Foundation for Women.
An agenda will be available next month but our conference planning committee is working on sessions covering these topics:
- Maximizing the learning potential of your programs
- Gathering data trends on philanthropy
- Member engagement tracking
- Diversity, equity, inclusion programming
- Future of web technologies
- Philanthropic investing for social innovation
- Share your bests
There will be pre-conference sessions for RA CEOs and staff on Tuesday, July 21. The CEO session will be start in the morning with a dinner the night before and the staff session will start with lunch on the 21st. All other attendees will join us at the opening reception before the conference officially opens on Wednesday, July 22.
Registration
Registration is not yet available but will be open in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for an announcement in your inbox!
Hotel
This year's conference will be at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Baltimore. Book your room at the discounted rate of $169 a night online or by calling 1.800.Kimpton and ask for 2015 Forum Annual Conference. Our group code is 17401002373.
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Hot Topics for RA Staff Members
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 What's on the mind of your fellow regional association staffers? We've looked back across the first quarter at the resources most frequently accessed by the Forum Network to compile our list of hot topics for regional association staff members.
Policy was big at the outset of 2015 with lots of eyes finding their way to our collections of public policy committee charters and policy tools. Members were also looking inward to benchmarking tools like the Characteristics Report, member surveys, and board dashboards.
If you have anything you'd like to add to these resources, such as new sample documents developed by your regional, contact Dan Brady.
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Latest Additions to the Forum Website
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 Membership Profile Form
Sample membership profile sent at renewal time for members to edit/complete shared by Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.
Board & Committee Dashboards
Newly updated with samples from Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania.
RA Affinity Group Policies
Newly updated with an Affinity Group Annual Planning Form and Affinity Group Roles & Responsibilities from Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers .
Many thanks to Emily Baron, Elisabeth Hyleck, and Craig Weinrich for sharing!
Have a resource to share? Send to Dan Brady for uploading.
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Submit Your Best Program of Q1 to the Grantmaker Education Programming Directory
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 What was your regional association's best program of the first quarter? Have you added it to our programming directory?
Submitting a program is easy through our web form.
If you have any questions about the directory, please feel free to contact Dan Brady.
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A Newcomer's Take on the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Meeting
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Guest post by Tiffany Langston, Multimedia Manager, Philanthropy New York
"How many of you have been in your job for less than a year?" I sheepishly raised my hand along with two others in the room. We receive an enthusiastic round of applause. What everyone else, outside of those from my organization, didn't know, was that not only was it my first year on the job, but it was also my first year working in the philanthropic sector, period.
On April 9, the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers hosted the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Regional Associations Meeting. The Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, Delaware Grantmaker's Association, the Forum, Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, Philanthropy New York, Philanthropy West Virginia, and the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers all convened at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey. We connected with colleagues, celebrated our 2014 accomplishments, discussed goals and strategies for the coming year, and brainstormed solutions to concerns and struggles unique to regional associations.
Continue reading
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CA RAs Announce Real Cost Project Collaboration
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Northern California Grantmakers, San Diego Grantmakers, and Southern California Grantmakers have launched a new joint initiative, the Real Cost Project, to increase the impact of philanthropy across California. Created by funders for funders, the Real Cost Project aims to support foundations, individual donors, corporations, governments, and community leaders as they adapt their grantmaking to strengthen outcomes. All three regional associations are excited to take a leadership role in this growing national conversation through this year-long initiative.
Learn more about this work
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Philanthropy Northwest Launches Momentum Fellowship
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Philanthropy Northwest has launched the Momentum Fellowship, a program designed to prepare professionals from underrepresented communities, particularly communities of color, for successful careers in the philanthropic sector.
Philanthropy Northwest will host this program, and fellows will be placed at host foundations across their region for 18-24 month full-time positions. Momentum Fellows will receive professional development, networking, and mentoring opportunities in addition to substantive work experience at their host foundation.
Read more about the fellowship program
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David Biemesderfer, Board Chair of the Forum and the President & CEO of the Florida Philanthropic Network discusses the power of the Forum Network to advance philanthropy and the recent success of Foundations on the Hill on The Center for Effective Philanthropy's blog.
I recently wrote a post for the CEP blog about the power of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers - the Forum Network - to advance philanthropy across the field. That power of the Forum Network, the largest network serving philanthropy in America, was on display again in March when nearly 200 representatives of foundations and other philanthropic organizations converged on Washington, D.C. for Foundations on the Hill. The event is the one time each year when the philanthropic sector gathers together in the nation's capitol to provide a collective voice for philanthropy with federal legislators and other policymakers. People from 31 states held more than 260 meetings with House and Senate members to tell their personal stories about the value of philanthropy in their states and districts, and to highlight important federal policies that can strengthen and grow philanthropy.
Bringing together this collective voice could not have happened without the Forum Network, which is comprised of 33 regional philanthropic associations with a combined membership of more than 5,500 organizations. Aside from bringing their significant logistical muscle to make all those meetings happen, the Network's regional association members know the local stories about philanthropy that resonate with legislators, and they know the philanthropic leaders who can best tell those stories.
Continue reading
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Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Programming
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Hot Topic: Working on health care policy issues with members (RA Staff Only)
Monday, April 27: 1-2 pm ET
During this call you will have the opportunity to talk about the current status of your initiatives on this topic and your opportunities/challenges.
Please register in advance
Friday, May 1: 1-2 pm ET
During this informal call, you will have the opportunity to talk and strategize with your peers about how to make your government relations committees more effective.
Please register in advance
Public Policy Round Robin
Tuesday, May 12: 2-3 pm ET
These monthly calls are an opportunity for regional association staff to exchange information on policy work, both legislative and administrative.
Please register in advance
New RA Staff & CEO Orientation Webinar
Monday, May 18: 3-4 pm ET
Join the Forum Office for an orientation webinar for new regional association staff and CEOS. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what the Forum Network is, what regional associations of grantmakers are, and how to connect with the Network of over 200 fellow regional association staff. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions directly to Forum Office staff and each other.
Please register in advance
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Resources from Recent Programming
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Communications Round Robin - Social Media Now
Tuesday, March 31
The Forum hosted this call for RA staff to find out how they're using social media now, what works and does not work for regional associations, and what new trends are on the horizon.
Read a recap
Public Policy Round Robin
Tuesday, April 14
Monthly calls for RA staff to exchange information on policy work. This month's call featured a short discussion with Claudia Herrold about how Philanthropy Ohio is taking a broader look at tax reform on the state and federal levels.
Listen to the recording
Quarterly Policy Webinar: Moving Affinity Groups to Policy Work
Wednesday, April 22
During this webinar with Mark Sedway of The Giving Practice, we reviewed Ask the Right Questions: A Toolkit for Funder Groups Working on Public Policy and heard from members of regional associations (RA) that are engaging in RA affinity group policy work.
Watch the recording and download the toolkit, presentation slides, and registration list.
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Applications for 2015 American Express NGen Fellows Program Due May 1
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Looking to take your career to the next level? Learn and grow with a cohort of peers through Independent Sector's American Express NGen Fellows Program, a year-long leadership development program.
The American Express NGen Fellows Program gives emerging nonprofit and philanthropic leaders, age 40 and under, an exceptional opportunity to strengthen their capacity for future impact. Over the course of twelve months, Fellows collaborate with other talented NGen leaders, interact with established social sector leaders, and contribute to Independent Sector's work on nonprofit and philanthropic impact and leadership.
Applications for the next cohort are due by May 1, 2015. Apply now
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Exponent Philanthropy Accepting Applications for Next Gen Fellows Program & Master Juggler Executive Institute
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Exponent Philanthropy is now accepting applications for two of its peer learning programs:
2015 Next Gen Fellows Program
The Next Gen Fellows Program is an exclusive 6-month training fellowship for individuals roughly 18-35 years old who are involved in all types of foundations as trustees or staff. Participants will gain the competence and confidence to lead - in their foundation, in their community, and in their field. They'll return to their foundations ready to ask thoughtful questions, make meaningful contributions, and strengthen their giving. Download the brochure
2015 Master Juggler Executive Institute
The Master Juggler Executive Institute is a 6-month leadership development program for foundation executives. This peer-learning experience combines world-class training with executive coaching and is limited to a small group of senior foundation staff to provide an intensive and customized learning experience. Download the brochure
Exponent has also provided a messaging packet with key information and sample newsletter and social media announcements.
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Forum Network in the News
|  Recent media mentions of regional associations around the country:
Council of Michigan Foundations: Nonprofits study law changes, including expansion of liability protection to paid directors (quotes President & CEO, Rob Collier)
Florida Philanthropic Network: Florida children missing out on insurance coverage (coverage of a FPN briefing on the issue)
Southern California Grantmakers: Surf's Up: Why Southern California Philanthropy is Taking Off (features President, Chris Essel)
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Highlights from RA Blogging
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Upcoming Events
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FOR REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Monday, April 27, 1-2 pm ET: Hot Topic: Working on health care policy issues with members. Conference Call. Register to participate.
Friday, May 1, 1-2 pm ET: Hot Topic: Strengthening RA government relations committees. Conference Call. Register to participate.
Tuesday, May 12, 2-3 pm ET: Public Policy Round Robin. Conference Call. Register to participate.
Monday, May 18, 3-4 pm ET: New RA Staff & CEO Orientation. Webinar. Register to participate.
July 21-23, 2015: Forum Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD. Save the Date!
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Forum Office Contacts
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 Dan Brady, Communications Manager (202-521-9161)
- Contact Dan with questions about the Knowledgebase, content management, listservs, social networking, and online content strategy.
Courtney Moore, Member Services and Operations Manager (202-888-7428)
- Contact Courtney for general information about Forum membership and services, regional association contact information, conference and teleconference logistics, member surveys, and orientation for new regional association staff. Courtney is also the main contact for regional association staff updates.
- Contact Mary with questions about grantmaker education, public policy, organizational partnerships, and special projects such as the Essential Skills and Strategies for New Grantmakers.
Val Rozansky, Director of Knowledge Services (202-888-7430)
- Contact Val with questions about the Forum's Knowledge Management Initiative, KM system partnerships, membership databases, and all issues relating to technology and electronic communications.
- Contact Erin with questions about the Forum's public policy work including protecting the charitable deduction, building capacity of regional associations to engage in policy, and the PolicyWorks for Philanthropy initiative.
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Courtney Moore, Member Services and Operations Manager  Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers |
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