Programs

SUMMARY

HIGHLIGHTS


Annual Meeting
Over 125 DVG members gathered at the National Constitution Center on January 11, 2006 to celebrate the association’s 18th annual meeting.  Following the business meeting, attendees heard from Maxwell King, President of the Pittsburgh-based Heinz Endowments.  King spoke about the need for the philanthropies to provide the risk capital for our sector, and identified four key principles that he feels should heavily influence the decision-making of foundations and nonprofits: (1) Emphasis on results rather than good intentions; (2) Primacy of collaboration; (3) Efficiency; and (4) Innovation and risk-taking. King closed by remarking on the subject of ethics and accountability, which has been at the forefront of much dialogue in the philanthropic community over the past several years.  “Ultimately,” King said, “philanthropy is not about good intentions, but about doing good. It is about solving real problems that affect real people.”

Annual Conference
DVG’s 18th annual conference, “Architects for Impact: Assessing the Blueprints for Change.”  Held on October 11, 2006, the event offered over 200 attendees a chance to reflect on how we in the social sector - both funders and nonprofits - can increase our impact and identify ways to better assess our effectiveness in achieving community change. Opening keynote speaker Bill Strickland, President and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, gave an inspiring address that began with the story of his personal journey to transform his own life, as well as that of the Pittsburgh neighborhood where he grew up, by using art as the catalyst for change. 

During the panel discussion that followed the networking break, moderator Helen Davis Picher, Director of Evaluation and Research, William Penn Foundation posed questions such as:  How have other community stakeholders been engaged in the conversation on change? How does your organization decide what programs or grants should be assessed?  Do you require the same level of assessment for all grants? Responding were panelists: Denise McGregor Armbrister, Executive Director, Wachovia Regional Foundation; Nelson Carrasquillo, General Coordinator, CATA Farmworkers Support Committee; Cindy Guy, Research Manager, Annie E. Casey Foundation; and Frances M. Sheehan, President/CEO, Brandywine Health Foundation. 

Following lunch, speaker Alberto Ibargüen, President of John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, spoke about his foundation’s new approach as “transformational grantmaking”.  Reflecting on the foundation’s lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Ibargüen urged his fellow funders to not just to focus on need, but to focus on opportunity where there is need; and instead of acting as a proxy for government, act as a prod to make government do their job.

Increasing Regional Grantmaking Effectiveness Series
With support from the Ford Foundation, DVG held a series of three programs in 2006 designed to introduce topics that will increase the influence and impact of our members throughout the region. Kicking off the Increasing Regional Grantmaking Effectiveness Series on February 15, 2006 was a luncheon program titled “Investing In Mission: Program and Mission-Related Investments for Foundations.”  Featuring Luther M. Ragin, Jr., Vice President, Investments at The F.B. Heron Foundation, the session explored how foundations can expand their “philanthropic toolbox” by using tools such as Program-Related Investments (PRIs) to maximize their resources and increase impact. 

Thesecond session, entitled “Realizing the Promise of our Youth”, was a day-long convening where funders gathered to learn about the supports, skills and connections needed by our youth to increase their chances for success. Held on May 3, 2006 at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, this session brought together DVG members for a conversation with national and regional experts and youth representatives about the critical issues facing young people as they transition into adulthood. Co-sponsored the United Ways of the Delaware Valley, the day featured the keynote presentation, “The Ready by 21 Challenge: Ensuring that Every Young Person is Ready for College, Work, Life, by Dr. Karen Pittman, Executive Director of the Forum for Youth Investment.  

The final program in the series, titled Rebuilding Confidence in the Nonprofit Sector.” took place on September 12, 2006 at Bryn Mawr College and featured Paul C. Light, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at the Robert Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.   Light discussed the results of a new study on American’s confidence in charitable organizations, which revealed that while overall confidence in the sector is up following a low point in September 2002, Americans continue to have serious reservations about the performance of charitable organizations. He cited four key issues within the sector that we all should be thinking about: Quality of the Workforce; Aging of the Workforce; Capacity of Organizations; and Public Confidence.

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 2006 series focused on the demographics, population trends and service organizations in specific Philadelphia neighborhoods, including the Asian and African populations in West Philadelphia, the Latino populations in South and North Philadelphia.

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, Community Development) 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 Branding Corporate Giving Programs and Family Governance.

In late 2006, the Community Development Funders launched a pilot grant data mapping project in partnership with The Reinvestment Fund. The project is being designed to help funders develop a more comprehensive picture of how grantmakers are focusing and leveraging their investments. Data will be mapped both geographically and by issue area so that grantmakers can begin to have a clearer understanding of how funding in being directed.

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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