Council on Foundations conference wrap up

Just in case you could not attend this year’s Council on Foundations gathering in Atlanta, my colleagues, Michael, Erich and I were there and have shared some the highlights with you below.

There were lots of interesting panels and speakers – too many to be a part of every conversation I wanted to hear, but the good news is that Council on Foundations (COF) and Tactical Philanthropy both did a great job of assembling a diverse team of bloggers to share thoughts on various speakers, panels, and issues raised at the conference.

In addition to hearing from leaders like Rep. John Lewis, former President Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg (videos of their speechesare available online), Michael and I were able to attend and participate in discussions on everything from partnering with the U.S. government to how Foundations can and should leverage online tools for good.

Aside from the great formal activities, COF also provided lots of opportunities for informal conversations on issues that affect different affinity groups and cross-sections of the philanthropy world. On the Social Citizens blogthis week, I discuss some of my thoughts on one such conversation coming out of my time with Millennials involved in Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and others - the need for intergenerational volunteer initiatives to provide mentorship and learning opportunities that will benefit nonprofits, Millennials and Boomers. I also had a chance to share my thoughts on the conference from a first-timers perspective on the Council on Foundations blog in an interview with Michael.

Lastly, there was a flurry of great discussions from the conference taking place on Twitter. Michael (@msmith79), Erich (@broksas) and I (@kivie) all tweeted. You can check out the discussion by searching for #COF09 on Twitter. In the meantime, I asked my colleague Michael to offer his Top 10 tweets from the conference below…

Clinton: foundations should focus on low cost, high impact prjcts, ie 28mm peeps don't have bank accounts- gateway to financial scrty #coc09 (during President Clinton's Plenary Speech)

Rana Zincir: how do we move beyond funding orgs in the East to building civil society, philanthropic spirit, diaspora giving, etc... #cof09 (during Panel: Philanthropy in the Arab World: Progress and Pitfalls Since 9/11)

Rosen: US govt wants $ to flow into mideast for humanitarian and natl security. USG needs philan to help expand reach. #cof09 (during Panel: Philanthropy in the Arab World: Progress and Pitfalls Since 9/11)

Bloomberg ends his remarks by quoting gone w the wind- the pundits may predict the worse but frankly my dear I don't give a damn. #cof09 (during NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Plenary Speech)

Bloomberg: in God we trust, everyone elese bring data. Founds must rely on data to ensure impact. #cof09 (during NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Plenary Speech)

Barnes: the whitehouse refers 2 efforts 2 cut budget as Project Dave (sorkin film) from when murray comes in and helps the prez cut $ #cof09 (during White House Domestic Policy Chief Melody Barnes's Plenary Talk)

Rattray: when funding online organizing tech is cheap, but it only works if you fund people to cultivate and mobilize. #cof09 (during Panel: Connecting Communities for the Common Good: Organizing Online)

Kohn: obama is making organizing sexy, but everyone can't do it - organzing is not sharing info online its helping peeps build power. #cof09 (during Panel: Connecting Communities for the Common Good: Organizing Online)

Enista:mobilze engages youth online to set their own agenda- they say Postoffice is best govt inst & tach savvy is their best quality #cof09 (during Panel: Connecting Communities for the Common Good: Organizing Online)

Lewis: Time for foundations to get in the way, get into trouble, push, speakout. Share ideas with reps often. #cof09 (during Congressman John Lewis's Plenary Speech)