2009 Council on Foundations conference

Event 2009 Council on Foundations conference: Philanthropy’s Place Today and Tomorrow
Date 4-6 May
Venue Atlanta, USA
Organizer Council on Foundations

When I attended the Council on Foundations conference two years ago as one of the first bloggers to be issued media credentials, my presence was clearly an oddity. At this year's conference, it seemed that social media had finally gone mainstream with the Council launching their own blog and using Twitter. As with all conferences, the best part of the Council on Foundations gathering is the conversations in the hallways, but with Twitter usage high among attendees, many of those ‘hallway conversations’ happened on Twitter while sessions were still in progress.

In spite of the economic crisis, interest in international philanthropy seemed greater than ever. There was an extensive list of sessions devoted to the mechanics of international grantmaking, such as the use of intermediary organizations. The progress of new technological platforms, such as the Council on Foundation and TechSoup Global's centralized repository initiative to help foundations give overseas in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, was also featured. One session, Building Philanthropy BRIC by BRIC, dug deep into the areas of private giving and the growth of civil society in Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The projected declines in international philanthropy did not seem to deter the attendees. Many sessions were well attended and the question was not how reduced assets would hurt giving, but how foundations can do more. How do we capitalize on the new philanthropic models? How do we leverage technology and human capital to increase our impact? How do we create partnerships in a world that has redefined the concept of ‘community’?

While attendance was down at this year's conference, this seemed to be a function of tight travel budgets rather than a lack of enthusiasm for the conference. The explosion of real-time coverage on blogs and Twitter allowed some foundation employees to follow the conference from home.

Government officials had high visibility, as the financial crisis seems to have opened an opportunity for more collaboration between foundations and government. Michael Bloomberg and Bill Clinton were both featured speakers and Obama advisers seemed to pop up every other session. However, we all know that talking about ‘cross-sector collaboration’ is a lot different from achieving it. Or, as Case Foundation employee Kristin Ivie wrote on the Council's new blog, ‘we know that working with Uncle Sam may not always be sunshine and lollipops’.

The most remarkable statement by a government official came from Representative John Lewis, a hero of the civil rights movement. Lewis riveted the crowd with stories from his youth. Then, in a sharp turn from the normal government demands for more foundation accountability, he told the gathered foundation leaders: ‘It is time for the foundation community to get in trouble! Be creative! Be daring! Speak up! Speak out! You won't get arrested, you won't be beaten, you won't go to jail! Push!’

The thundering applause for Lewis's comments was good to hear. But whether foundations will be willing to ‘get in trouble’ in pursuit of public good remains to be seen. By the 2010 conference, I hope we have a couple of examples of ‘trouble-making’ foundations.

Sean Stannard-Stockton is author of the Tactical Philanthropy blog www.tacticalphilanthropy.com
Email sean@tacticalphilanthropy.com 
Dien Yuen of Give2Asia contributed to this report.

For more information
www.cof.org