2009 Annual Meeting - Peak performance, big success!

The Philanthropy Roundtable concluded another great gathering of donors and thought leaders in philanthropy

Session descriptions:

Friday, Oct 2
Business and Philanthropy: Joining Forces to Defend Their Freedom?
“There is a major cultural schism developing in America,” Arthur Brooks wrote in the Wall Street Journal in April 2009. “The new divide centers on free enterprise—the principle at the core of American culture.” The past year has seen an array of efforts—some well-intentioned but others operating under the guise of “crisis”—that have undermined the independence of the private sector in America, whether for-profit business or not-for-profit philanthropy. Increasingly, both sectors have been targeted for greater oversight by policymakers and interest groups. Furthermore, the perceived “deep pockets” of both sectors have become ever more attractive to a public sector desperately looking for quick budget fixes and in need of long-term revenue streams. At stake is not just the traditional autonomy of business and philanthropy. Equally at risk is their inventiveness, flexibility, and creativity in employing experimental approaches to addressing social needs. What lessons can business and philanthropy learn from one another? What strategies should they adopt? And what challenges will confront them both in the coming debates over increased regulation and oversight? A panel of experts will identify the parallel threats that both sectors face—and the opportunities for cooperation in the months and years ahead.
Arthur C. Brooks, president, American Enterprise Institute
Linda Childears, president, Daniels Fund
Katie Loovis, director, Business and Society programs, Business Civic Leadership Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Sue Santa, vice president for public policy, Philanthropy Roundtable (Moderator)

Friday, Oct 2
Is the Charitable Sector Becoming Too Dependent on Government?
The Obama administration has announced plans to substantially increase federal funding for a wide variety of federal programs to promote volunteerism, community service, and nonprofit innovation. A number of these programs will be “public-private partnerships” funded in part by matching grants from foundations, corporations, and other donors. This expansion of public funding for voluntarism is a bipartisan tradition: both the Clinton and the George W. Bush administrations strongly supported such initiatives. Is there a danger that governmental activity will expand too far into the nonprofit and social enterprise sector? Are public-private partnerships good for philanthropy? Is America well-served by the Corporation for National and Community Service? Will federal funds strengthen—or weaken—the charitable sector? Grappling with these and similar questions will be Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector, and Fr. Robert A. Sirico, president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.
Diana Aviv, president and CEO, Independent Sector
Fr. Robert A. Sirico, president, Acton Institute [bio]
William A. Schambra, senior fellow, Hudson Institute, and director, Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal (Moderator)

Friday, Oct 2
Blogging, Texting, and Tweeting: A Guide to New Media Messaging for Donors
From YouTube and Facebook to Twitter and WordPress, new media tools are changing the way the nonprofit sector communicates. Some of these tools are very useful for transmitting a message to the world, engaging the communities donors serve, and tracking philanthropic impact. Others, however, are not worth the time, effort, or resources. Peter Mitchell, architect of the newly re-launched Alliance for Charitable Reform (ACR) website, will illustrate how ACR is using new media to carefully promote its message. Andrew Solomon will speak from his experiences at the MacArthur Foundation about how donors can best use new media to participate in public policy discussions. At this session, experts will help donors think through the most effective ways to harness new media to accomplish their philanthropic goals.
Andrew Solomon, vice president of public affairs, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Peter Mitchell, creative director, Mercury
Ian Wilhelm, senior writer, Chronicle of Philanthropy
Sue Santa, senior vice president for public policy, The Philanthropy Roundtable (Moderator)

Saturday, Oct 3
Talking About Giving: Defending Private Philanthropy in the Current Economic Climate
Lately, some activists and policymakers have claimed, with increasing vehemence, that foundations are not adequately serving the public and its priorities. They advocate various changes designed to make foundations more responsive to direction by government and activist groups. The argument is that foundation funds are in some way “public money,” thanks to foundations’ federal tax exemption and the charitable tax deduction. Foundations, they argue, should be required to spend more of their funds to aid the poor and reduce inequality. Government has a right to oversee the governance and operations of foundations, and direct grantmaking to what it deems public purposes—or so the theory goes. How can foundations respond to these challenges? The Roundtable will also present the findings of its recent public opinion research in order to illustrate the power of a strategic message that can shift dialogue, challenge perceptions, and, ultimately, direct policy.
Joanne Florino, executive director, Triad Foundation
Heather Higgins, president and director, Randolph Foundation
John Tyler, general counsel, secretary and chief ethics officer, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Suzanne Garment, visiting scholar, Center on Philanthropy, Indiana University, and president, Suzanne Garment Inc. (Moderator)

For more information, please contact Patrice Lee .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 202-822-8333.