Hello from the road!
I’m headed to North Carolina this week to begin my tour of the southeastern U.S. First stop, Raleigh! I’m holding a visioning session for local grantmakers, in partnership with the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers. Then I meet with grantmakers in Winston-Salem and Greensboro before heading to Nashville to close out the week. I’m so looking forward to hearing great ideas from everyone about how the Council can best serve the field of philanthropy now and into the future.
Some questions, themes and hopes that I heard these past couple of weeks around Reimagining the Council include:
- Hope: that the Council will continue to grow and strengthen philanthropy nationally so that more money is available to fund important causes.
- Hope: that we will pay attention to price and try to reach smaller foundations with lower cost conferences and services.
- Question: How do you serve and represent your various members in a way that meets their needs and stages of organizational lifecycle while also not attempting to be all things to all people?
- Theme: the importance of cross-sector collaboration as well as collaboration within philanthropy.
With your help, we will address this input as we clarify the Council’s value to the field, assess the role we’re best positioned to play, as well as determine what are the most important benefits of being part of the Council community.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. What have you found valuable about your involvement with the Council? How can we support you into the future? Attend a visioning session, join me for an upcoming teleconference, schedule a call or reply to this email to share your ideas.
In the meantime, check out the list of existing Council benefits that are available exclusively to members. You might be surprised and excited by the current programs and services we offer!
Until next week,
Kathleen
President & CEO
Council on Foundations
