Alliance Online - September 2006

Adding to the stock of knowledge about social change philanthropy

Allan Paulson

EVENT 2006 Grantmakers Without Borders Annual Conference
Date 8-10 June
Venue San Mateo, California
Organizer Just Giving: Global Social Change Philanthropy

Just Giving: Global Social Change Philanthropy was the theme of Grantmakers Without Borders’ (Gw/oB’s) sixth annual conference in June, which attracted 200 individual donors, foundation staff and trustees, and global south activists. The event also saw the first face-to-face meeting of the 25-strong Meso-American funders group, which spent a day planning how it can effectively support members’ individual and collective efforts in southern Mexico and Central America.

One of the aims of the conference was to add to the stock of knowledge about the practice of social justice philanthropy. In one well-attended session, participants reviewed a draft for a common grant proposal format for international projects, as well as research about the desirability of implementing such a common format. The response, on both cases, was overwhelmingly positive, encouraging this work to proceed. Findings from a Gw/oB study, to be published later this year, of grantmaker responses to the Indian Ocean tsunami and other natural disasters was the focus of another session, while a session on the ‘Benefits and Challenges of Working Through International Intermediaries’ generated much passionate discussion and concern about the gatekeeping role large NGOs are increasingly playing. In a practical vein, several foundation officers shared their hard-earned best practice about planning and making site visits.

Many attending the conference were concerned about US overseas giving after 9/11, and especially the effect of anti-terrorist measures in the Patriot Act, Executive Order 13224 and the US Treasury Department’s voluntary guidelines. A panel that included Rob Buchanan (Council on Foundations), Dr Laila Al-Marayati (KinderUSA), Dale Needles (Global Fund for Women) and Julie Shaw (Urgent Action Fund) discussed the differences between the documents and foundations’ responses to them. One of the things that emerged from the discussion was that many foundations are choosing not to follow the voluntary guideline on list checking of grantees.

As usual at Gw/oB conferences, there were many global south participants representing both NGOs and international foundations. In addition to participating in most sessions, they took part in a number of sessions specifically organized for them to debate questions of concern to them from their perspective.

The needs of individual donors also received special attention. The first day featured a number of sessions designed specifically for them, and a special reception to showcase three models of giving circles that are catalysing the efforts of individuals. Not only was individual donor participation the highest it has been since the first conference, but, out of all the participant groups, individual donors’ evaluations reported the highest degree of satisfaction with the conference as a whole.

At the annual meeting, Gw/oB Director John Harvey explained the organization’s transition to a membership dues organization to provide a stable funding base and a greatly expanded array of member services. As of June, only paid members and organizations have been able to access most of Gw/oB’s services. One of the first of the new services will be a web-based Donor Knowledge Center, which is currently being designed by Member and Donor Services Coordinator Katie Ulvestad and a volunteer working group.

All in all, it was a high-energy conference with good sessions and plenty of opportunities for networking. Its success was borne out by conference evaluations. All of those who completed the evaluations rated the conference either excellent or good.

Allan Paulson is a founder of Pangea, a Seattle-based international donors’ circle. Email arpconsult@mindspring.com

For more information visit www.grantmakerswithoutborders.org

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