|
|
|
| Forum Resource Spotlight |
Compare your regional association to other regionals across the country on a variety of topics, including membership numbers and types, budgets, services offered to grantmakers, and board characteristics.
|
| Forum Office Contacts |
Have a question for the
Forum Office?
|
|
Be Sure to Read
| |
The Center for Effective Philanthropy surveyed CEOS at large private foundations to learn more about if and how they might be engaging in practices like impact investing and negative screening.
|
| Newsletter Archive | |
Miss an issue of Forum Bits?
|
|
Network Hires
| |
Krystle Chipman and Kayla Eichamer have joined Northern California Grantmakers as Associate, Collaborative Philanthropy and Associate, Knowledge & Communications
Nathan McWhortor has joined Arizona Grantmakers Forum as its new Member Services and Communications Associate.
|
|
|
Registration Now Open for Annual Conference, PolicyWorks Institute & Drupal-Salesforce Users Group
| |
Registration is open for this summer's Annual Conference, PolicyWorks Institute, and Drupal-Salesforce Users Group Session in Baltimore, MD. Register now to attend our Network's premier networking and learning opportunities!
Annual Conference
We hope you'll join us July 21-23 for our Network's only opportunity each year to come together for skill building sessions, networking, and thought provoking discussions with philanthropy leaders.
Check out the latest version of the agenda.
Member Registration Rates (please see the "What's Included in My Registration Fee" section of the conference webpage to ensure you are registering for the correct items)
- RA CEO Pre-Conference Session: $100 (separate from conference registration
- RA Staff Pre-Conference Session: $50 (separate from conference registration)
- Conference- 1st Registration: $400
- Conference- Additional Registrations: $325
- Wednesday Only (7/22): $200
- Thursday Only (7/23): $125
- Thursday Lunch Only (7/23): $75
Please note that the pre-conference sessions for RA staff and CEOs are a separate registration fee. When combined with the conference registration fee, the total is equivalent to what registrants have paid in the past for a full conference registration and does not reflect an increase in registration price.
Drupal-Salesforce Users Group Meeting
The annual users group meeting will take place immediately following our Annual Conference on July 23 and go through July 24. The Partners Group is currently developing a draft agenda the will feature training, demos, and discussions for future enhancements to the system.
Visit our website for more details and to register
PolicyWorks Institute
This year's Institute will follow the Annual Conference on July 23 and continue until 2 pm on July 24. It is an excellent opportunity to further your RA's policy work by learning from your peers, hearing from national experts on policy trends impacting philanthropy and foundations, and strategizing on how to overcome barriers to move your work forward.
Check out the draft agenda
Although the agenda is tailored for RA staff, we understand that there may be RA volunteer leaders that have attended in the past and would like to do so again this year. There is a $100 registration fee to participate for all attendees.
Visit our website for more details and to register
Don't Forget to Book Your Hotel Room
This year's events 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.
|
|
Find Your Next Program in the Grantmaker Education Programming Directory
| |
 Looking for ideas for your RA's next great program? Search the Grantmaker Education Programming Directory to find past programs that have been successful for other regional associations in the Network. This database is easy to search and filter to help you find your next great event.
Have your own program to submit? Submitting a program is easy through our web form.
If you have any questions about the directory, please feel free to contact Dan Brady.
|
|
Christopher Johnson and Will Kauffman Lead Session at EPIP Annual Conference
| |
 Last week in New Orleans, members of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) gathered for their annual conference with the purpose of developing leaders who are better equipped to advance social change. Through the lens of social justice, the conference planned to expose conference participants to fresh ideas, provide stellar examples of emerging leaders, and create pathways to meaningful change. With that kind of energy, you had to know that the Forum Network would be there!
Christopher Johnson of Florida Philanthropic Network and Will Kauffman of Southeastern Council of Foundations teamed up with Emily Wexler of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations to lead a session titled " Learning Together in Place: Enhancing Your Impact through Regional Associations and Other Member Networks." Christopher, Will, and Emily's session helped funders understand their place as a place-based grantmaker through the value of regional associations, identify ways to further innovation, and show how impact can be enhanced by working and learning collectively with other key stakeholders.
|
|
Illinois Philanthropy Says NO to Filling State Budget Hole
| |
 On May 19, Donors Forum and some of its member foundation executives held a press conference to draw a firm boundary around the extent to which Illinois government can expect private philanthropy to fill the large state budget hole, projected to be $6.6 billion.
Foundation leaders said those looking to philanthropy for a magic bullet to make the budget hole go away would have to look in other directions.
Continue reading for more on this work
|
|
What Do You Stand For?
| |
 Nina Stack, President of Council of New Jersey Grantmakers, latest guest blog post for The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, highlights Stand for Your Mission, a national coalition of groups including the Forum, National Council for Nonprofits, BoardSource, and Alliance for Justice, the tools and resources it provides, and why public policy is an important piece of a board's work.
Read Nina's full post
|
|
Florida Philanthropic Network Launches Two Member Affinity Groups
| |
 Florida Philanthropic Network has announced the launch of two new member affinity groups:
- Florida Women's Funding Alliance
- Funders Together Florida
The Florida Women's Funding Alliance seeks to transform the lives of women and girls through FPN members' collective voice and resources. The group will convene, connect, educate, leverage, and elevate Florida's women's funders in order to elevate and empower leadership, expertise, and investments in women's issues. Read more about this new group.
Funders Together Florida, is a partnership between FPN and the national Funders Together to End Homelessness (FTEH). Funders Together Florida will be FTEH's first statewide affiliate. The group will be comprised of members of both FPN and FTEH who are interested in working collectively to prevent and end homelessness in Florida through leadership, education and policy; strategic communication and grantmaking; and the effective promotion and replication of promising practices in their communities and across Florida. Read more about this new group.
|
|
|
|
|
D5 Highlights CMF's Diversity Discussion and Assessment Tool
| |
 In a recent guest blog post for D5 Debbie McKeon, Senior Vice President of Member Services at the Council of Michigan Foundations, reveals the genesis of CMF's successful Is Your Foundation Leveraging the Power of Differences? Discussion and Assessment Toolkit.
A longtime leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, the Council of Michigan Foundations, along with the Forum Network, is a coalition member of D5, a five-year coalition to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy.
Read Debbie's full post at the D5 Blog
|
|
NNCG Announces New Webinar Series on Philanthropy Consulting
| |
Please consider sharing this opportunity with your members.
Based on the groundbreaking Spring issue of The Foundation Review, the first edition dedicated to the practice of philanthropy consulting, the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG) is presenting a series of seven webinars that will dive deeper into many of the publication's article topics.
This series is co-sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, The Foundation Center, Learn Philanthropy, Northern California Grantmakers, and The Foundation Review.
NNCG members can register at no cost and non-NNCG members can receive a multi-webinar discount.
Learn more about the series and how to register
|
|
Resources from Recent Programming
| 
Public Policy Round Robin
Tuesday, May 12
During the call we heard from Michael Remaley of Philanthropy New York and Karen Freeman of Southern California Grantmakers, about their work on implementation of the OMB Uniform Guidance.
Listen to the recording
New RA Staff & CEO Orientation Webinar
Monday, May 18
This orientation webinar for new regional association staff and CEOS provided an opportunity to learn more about the Forum Network, what regional associations of grantmakers are, and how to connect with the Network of over 200 fellow regional association staff.
Watch the recording and download the slides
State Fiscal Policy Trends - What's Hot? (Grantmakers Welcome)
Wednesday, May 20
This webinar highlighted the latest state fiscal trends impacting philanthropy, nonprofits, and those they serve. Nick Johnson, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, discussed state issues of importance and Doug Schenkelberg, Donors Forum, shared their work to mobilize foundations and nonprofits to protect state funding.
Watch the recording and download the slides and registration list
|
|
White House Announces Week of Making June 12-18, 2015
| |
Last year, President Obama hosted the first-ever White House Maker Faire and issued a call to action that "every company, every college, every community, every citizen joins us as we lift up makers and builders and doers across the country." Maker-related events and activities can inspire more people to pursue careers in design, advanced manufacturing, and the related fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and possibly take their creations to the next level and become entrepreneurs.
This summer, the White House will celebrate a Week of Making from June 12-18. The week will coincide with the National Maker Faire in D.C., featuring makers from across the country and will include participation by several federal agencies.
Find out more about this opportunity and ideas to get involved
|
|
Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Programming
| 
Public Policy Round Robin
Tuesday, June 9: 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
|
Forum Network in the News
|  Recent media mentions of regional associations around the country:
Donors Forum: Foundation Leaders: Philanthropic Investments Can't Close IL Budget Gap and Charities Stretched To The Limit (coverage of a recent press conference)
Philanthropy West Virginia: West Virginians Raise Nearly $750,000 Benefiting 24 Counties in West Virginia (quotes President and CEO, Paul Daugherty)
Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers: As Loudoun growth slows, philanthropic groups look for solutions (coverage of a recent WRAG event)
|
|
Highlights from RA Blogging
| 
Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers:
|
|
Upcoming Events
| 
|
|
Forum Office Contacts
|
 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.
|
 | |
Courtney Moore, Member Services and Operations Manager  Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers |
|
|
|
|
