Programs

SUMMARY

HIGHLIGHTS


Annual Meeting
Over 100 members were in attendance at Philadelphia’s Independence Visitor Center on January 13, 2005 to celebrate DVG’s 17th Annual Meeting and Networking Event. The official business meeting where the membership elects officers and directors was followed by remarks from Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey spoke eloquently about the transformative power of philanthropy and the need for grantmakers to more effectively collaborate in order to address the root causes of our most intractable social problems. As grantmakers, she said, we must consistently ask ourselves: What are our strengths, our core capacities, beyond the dollars we can deploy? Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey concluded by advising grantmakers to work together, not to shy away from difficult or controversial issues, and to stick with problems until solutions become clear, momentum has been established and progress has been made.

Annual Conference
What factors have moved some metropolitan areas to regional solutions and how can funders and practitioners demonstrate leadership in crafting and implementing these solutions?  These pivotal questions framed the dialogue at DVG’s 2005 Annual Conference, which took place on October 27 at the Gregg Conference Center at the American College in Bryn Mawr.  Over 225 regional grantmakers and nonprofit leaders attended the event, STEP UP! Taking Charge of Our Region’s Future, where they heard case studies on successful collaborations from other regions and reflected on the roles each of us can play to promote the long-term well-being of our region and its residents. A lively morning dialogue was moderated by Jeremy Nowak, founding director of The Reinvestment Fund, and included panelists: Erika Poethig, program officer at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Kathleen Cerveny, program director for Arts and Culture at the Cleveland Foundation; Eric Rigaud, director of TouchDC; and Thomas Morr, president and CEO of Select Greater Philadelphia. Following lunch, attendees heard remarks from Feather O. Houstoun, president of the William Penn Foundation. Houstoun spoke about William Penn Foundation’s strategic approach to grantmaking and encouraged funders to think of ways we can more effectively and efficiently identify those issues where collective action is possible.

Public Policy & Accountability Program Series
Accountability for grantmakers and legislative issues impacting the nonprofit sector continued to be major themes of DVG’s programs and communications in 2005. DVG held a series of events to educate members about public policy initiatives that may affect their work, as well as programs designed to build their knowledge and understanding around key elements of good governance practices in philanthropy. Key programming included:

n "Secure in Our Foundations: Sarbanes-Oxley for Grantors and Grantees" with Carl “Tobey” Oxholm, DVG member and Drexel University General Counsel

n "A Funder’s Guide to Supporting Advocacy: Rules for Private and Public Foundations" with Abby Levine, Counsel at the Alliance for Justice in the Foundation Advocacy Initiative and the Nonprofit Advocacy Project

n “Building Strong and Ethical Foundations”- Co-sponsored by DVG and Council on Foundations featuring  COF staffers Janne Gallagher, Vice President and General Counsel;  Diane Canova, Director of Government Relations; and Dorothy Ridings, President and CEO.

n Panel on the Nonprofit Sector Field Hearing - Co-convened by DVG, the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, the Nonprofit Center at LaSalle University, and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania

In addition to this programming, DVG also launched a new Good Governance section of its public Web site (http://www.dvg.org/knowledge/goodgov.htm) to provide information and resources to help grantmakers understand the standards of accountability for philanthropy and the core values and actions necessary for effective governance.

Immigration Series
Even before immigration surfaced as a key issue on the national political stage, DVG members were seeing the impact of new immigrants and refugees in our communities. To address these emerging issues, DVG launched a series of programs to highlight the needs, as well as the strengths and contributions, of these new populations in our region. The goal of the series was to provide members with an opportunity for meaningful dialogue to enhance their awareness about key immigration issues and ultimately help them make better informed funding decisions.

The first session in the series featured representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau who offered an overview of the regional immigrant population based on the American Community Survey, a new nationwide survey designed to provide communities with a fresh look at how they are changing. Presenters at the second session held in November addressed some of the trends, neighborhoods, challenges and assets of local immigrant populations.  The series will continue in 2006 with a focus on the demographics, population trends and service organizations in specific Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Affinity & Peer Groups
DVG continued to provide forums for dialogue among several subgroups within our membership who come together for knowledge sharing around a specific funding area (Arts & Culture, Education) or to share best practices based on their type of grantmaking organization (Corporate Donors, Family Foundations, Health Conversion Foundations).  While many of these Affinity and Peer Group meetings took the form of roundtable discussions, some addressed specific issues, such as Best Practices on Employee Volunteer Programs and Family Governance.

In addition to these ongoing peer conversations, DVG established a new affinity group for Community Development Funders and partnered to co-convene meetings for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and Lesbian and Gay Issues Funders Group.

Speakers
Through DVG’s wide array of programming - such as Critical Dialogues, peer exchanges and issue-based meetings - members also had the opportunity to hear from these prominent speakers:

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