WINGSForum Agenda

Plenary speeches

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II
Chairman and CEO, Ayala Corporation
The Challenges of Asian Philanthropy in the 21st Century

Anuradha Mittal
Executive Director, The Oakland Institute
The Role Philanthropy Can Play in Progressive Policy Making

Dr. Juree Vichit-Vadakan
Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, Thailand
Socio-Cultural and Political Dimensions of Giving in Thai Society (PPT presentation)

 

Concurrent session descriptions

A full report for WINGSForum and the satellite meetings is due in January 2007. Below you will find PowerPoint and PDF files for download of various presentations.

Track 1: Organisational capacity building and sustainability

Building a sustainable knowledge management system for the philanthropic community
Description:
To address the concerns and questions of international participants, this session will focus explicitly on the process, executive decisions, and collaborative work required for building an interactive peer community. It will illustrate how to establish effective workflow rules throughout a network of diversified users, how to empower each staff member to manage web content without any prior programming knowledge, how to enhance member services with integrated software products such as SharePoint, Content Management, and Listservs, and how to develop effective management strategies for collective work across an expansive network. This session will challenge participants to explore innovative approaches of using new technologies to dramatically re-define the way international philanthropic organisations work together and leverage their collective resources.
Moderator: Denise Shephard, Collaborative Standards, USA
Presenters:
Ellen Barclay, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, USA - PPT presentation
Fernando Rossetti, Grupo de Institutos, Fundações e Empresas (GIFE), Brazil - PPT presentation

Sustainability and growth: Ensuring the future viability of grantmaker support organisations
Description:
Sustainability and growth are challenges for every organisation. However, these issues are of unique concern for grantmaker support organisations tasked with balancing the needs of specific member organisations, membership as a whole, and sometimes even the sector in general. In the face of these demands, sustainability and growth of grantmaker support organisations call for distinct strategies and tactics.

This session will provide insights and suggestions for thinking through the financial, human and member-related sustainability issues in grantmaker support organisations (serving foundations, community foundations, and corporates) and propose ideas to help promote their future viability.
Moderator: Caroline Hartnell, Alliance Magazine, UK
Presenters:
Marge Barro, League of Corporate Foundations, Philippines
Liam O'Dwyer, Philanthropy Ireland
Elmer Lighid, International Council on Management of Population Programmes, Malaysia
PDF handout (Alliance magazine article on SAGA)

Governance and board development
Description:
Raising and maintaining standards in good governance and sound institution-building processes remain a challenge for both emerging as well as established grantmaker associations in all parts of the world. Our learnings from previous discussions, a WINGS survey, and a Peer Learning Event all indicate the need to develop an understanding and appreciation of board development processes that help to:

• Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the association's members, its board and its staff in terms of their respective leadership responsibilities, authority and accountability
• Define, attract and nurture good leadership in volunteers
• Look into different strategies to get the most from a board (thus helping the board perform)
• Enhance strategic planning and programme evaluation processes as tools for effective governance

Moderator: Mathias Lubega, East Africa Association of Grantmakers, Uganda
Presenters:
Monica Mutuku, East Africa Association of Grantmakers, Kenya - PPT presentation
Oman Jiao, Association of Foundations, Philippines - PPT presentation
Martin Lehfeldt, Southeastern Council of Foundations, USA

Competing interests
Description:
The session will examine how the interests of member organisations can conflict with the mission of its grantmaking association and how such conflicts can be resolved. Philanthropy Ireland has recently undertaken some major changes and one of the many issues it had to address was how to balance its own mission to promote philanthropy with the need for some of its members to secure new funds. In many cases these members were seeking to build relationships with the very same wealthy individuals and large corporations targeted by Philanthropy Ireland.

Getting the right blend between building a philanthropic giving culture while recognising the necessity for some support/member organisations to build their donor bases is neither a science nor an art, it is business.
Moderator: Natalya Kaminarskaya, Russia Donors' Forum
Presenters:
Liam O'Dwyer, Philanthropy Ireland
Pavlína Kalousová, Czech Donors Forum
CJ Callen, Northern California Grantmakers, USA
PPT presentation - conflict of interest

Track 2: Raising awareness/communicating about the field

Bridging and building indigenous focused philanthropy
Description:
Indigenous Peoples comprise approximately 350 million individuals in more than 90 countries around the world. They make up nearly 90% of the world's cultural diversity with over 80% of the remaining biodiversity located within Indigenous territories. Indigenous communities are often the most impoverished and underrepresented group within their respective country, including the US. There is a need for the international philanthropic community to develop and implement an ethical framework of sustainable development through community foundations that protects ancestral communities and provides opportunities for community capacity building.

This session will present an overview of the contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities worldwide and will present learnings gained by philanthropy through working with Indigenous communities to build their capacity.
Moderator: Gerry Salole, European Foundation Centre, Belgium
Presenters:
Catherine Brown, Philanthropy Consultant, Australia - PDF presentation
Evelyn Arce-White, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, USA
Henrietta Marrie, The Christensen Fund, USA

Engaging new wealth in philanthropy
Description:
The fast growth of economies in traditionally poor countries is opening new opportunities in the development of philanthropy globally. Individuals with new-found wealth have made significant philanthropic gestures in China, Mexico and Russia. How best can this new wealth be tapped and individuals in these countries be inspired to give?

This session will present statistics that show the potential for philanthropy in several countries with fast-growing economies, such India, Russia and Brazil. It will also explore patterns of new development, and consider whether Western "philanthro-capitalism" should be promoted in these countries or traditional forms of giving be allowed to prevail.
Moderator: Olga Alexeeva, Charities Aid Foundation, UK
Presenters:
Natalya Kaminarskaya, Russia Donors' Forum - PPT presentation
Marcos Kisil, Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS), Brazil - PPT presentation
Priya Viswanath, Charities Aid Foundation India - PPT presentation

Best practice/examples of corporate giving
Description:
Beyond Giving...Sustaining: This session will be a showcase of successful practices from various organizations that have successfully integrated CSR into their business operations. From purely philanthropic practices, we move towards a more sustainable and mutually beneficial approach of providing business solutions to social problems – interventions by businesses and corporations aimed at addressing societal problems wherein profit generation and development go hand in hand by incorporating CSR. Through business case presentations, the participants will gain insights on how they can operationalize CSR in their respective areas of operations in a more sustainable and system-wide manner.
Moderator: Caroline Hartnell, Alliance Magazine, UK
Presenters:
David Boyd-Thomas, UBS, Hong Kong
Chit Juan, League of Corporate Foundations, Philippines
Zuzana Bartosova, Czech Donors Forum

Learning to give: teaching philanthropy in school
Description:
Learning to Give is an educational project for students aged 5 to 18 designed to infuse the teaching of philanthropy into the core curricula of schools. Philanthropy is broadly defined as "giving, serving, and private citizen action intended for the common good." For the past nine years, the Council of Michigan Foundations has developed Learning to Give into a comprehensive set of teaching resources which are freely available at www.learningtogive.org.

This session will introduce the Learning to Give educational resources and share the cultural lessons learned from a new partnership with the Beautiful Foundation in South Korea. An open discussion will encourage ideas around how to share this program of learning with children around the world.
Moderator: Donnell S. Mersereau, Council of Michigan Foundations, USA
Presenters:
Derrick Feldmann, The LEAGUE Powered by Learning to Give, USA - PPT presentation
Won Soon Park, The Beautiful Foundation, Korea - PPT presentation

Emerging patterns within new philanthropy
Description:
New philanthropy, high engagement philanthropy, venture philanthropy...This session attempts to chart and analyse key patterns emerging in North America and Europe within this rapidly evolving field. Initially a US-based phenomenon, Europe is innovating classical US venture philanthropy, experimenting with a wider spectrum of funding types. Corporations with global philanthropic agendas have entered the field, with subsequent implications for community foundations, NGOs and traditional foundations that wish to connect with their charitable agendas. For many "new philanthropists" their involvement in high engagement philanthropy is motivated by a desire to build and participate in community.

At the conclusion of the session, participants should have a clearer understanding of what is encompassed under the umbrella of "new philanthropy": its evolution in Europe and development of a European identity; the motivations of new donors and the impact of high engagement models on giving and volunteering; and the goals and behaviour of major corporations embarking on global giving agendas.
Moderator: John Harvey, Grantmakers Without Borders, USA
Presenters:
Ruth Jones, Social Venture Partners International, USA
Peter Hero, Community Foundation Silicon Valley, USA
Rob John, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and European Venture Philanthropy Association, UK - PDF presentation

Track 3: Developing an enabling environment

Building capacity for public policy and government relations
Description:
Although the legal framework enabling advocacy and public policy for civil society organisations may vary among countries, this is a critical function for effective grantmaker associations. Elected officials need to hear from the charitable sector about issues affecting their constituents. NGOs can provide valuable information that helps legislators and regulators make informed policy decisions.

This session will cover the factors involved in helping associations build capacity for public policy work. Representatives from organizations active in advocacy will discuss their experience and will offer helpful lessons for colleagues as well as challenges to expect. The session will include "how to" information as well as present some examples of successful public policy initiatives.
Moderator: Filiz Bikmen, Third Sector Foundation of Turkey
Presenters:
Valerie S. Lies, Donors Forum of Chicago, USA
Natalya Kaminarskaya, Russia Donors' Forum
Fely Rixhon, Associations of Foundations, Philippines

Can a grantmaker support organisation help to create a movement?
Description:
This session will use Community Foundations of Canada's (CFC) social justice initiative and the Czech Donors Forum government relations work as case studies to explore the roles that grantmaker support organisations can play in moving an agenda forward among their membership. Using facilitated dialogue among participants, the session will consider opportunities such as building on the work of leading edge member foundations, the possibility of building a shared agenda among member foundations, and the power of outside recognition. Also to be explored: challenges such as where we get our "authority", restrictive legislative and regulatory environments, the need to sustain commitment to what is long-term work, and member foundation capacity.

Moderator: Christopher Harris, The Ford Foundation, USA
Presenters:
Monica Patten, Community Foundations of Canada
Pavlína Kalousová, Czech Donors Forum - PPT presentation

Supporting community philanthropy: nationally, transnationally, and globally
Description:
The session will explore the relationship between the development of infrastructure in various regions and consider opportunities for the future. It will first look at what infrastructure is, how and why it was created, current areas of focus and what philanthropy might want or need from its support organisations or associations. Built around a set of questions to panelists about the kind of relationships support organisations have with their constituents/members, participants will then consider similar questions in small groups. The session moderators will close with gathering stories and themes from the discussion that will not only support their research into infrastructure for philanthropy, but will also offer practical insights and examples to participants.
Moderators: Lucy Bernholz, Blueprint Research & Design, Inc., USA / Gabriel Kasper, Monitor Institute, USA
Presenters:
Monica Patten, Community Foundations of Canada
Janet Mawiyoo, Kenya Community Development Foundation

External communication strategies and tools
Description:
This session will discuss issues in communicating philanthropy in a changing environment and feature examples of communication strategies, including the different actors and layers involved. GIFE will present its perspective on communication for the third sector in general, as well as for grantmaker support organisations more specifically. The session will also show a video developed and used by the East Africa Association of Grantmakers as an effective tool in promoting community philanthropy.
Moderator: Magdalena Ciobanu, Romanian Donors' Forum
Presenters:
Fernando Rossetti, Grupo de Institutos, Fundações e Empresas (GIFE), Brazil - PPT presentation
Monica Mutuku, East Africa Association of Grantmakers
Caroline Hartnell, Alliance Magazine, UK

Working with government/partnerships with government
Description:
This session will explore the different positioning/relationships between the foundation world/third sector and governments around the world. It will also touch on the remit and limitations of the different institutions that regulate foundations/third sector in different countries around the world, and WINGS member relations with those bodies (e.g. IRS and tax; UK Charity Commission and broader remit).

The session will also profile the consultation and campaigning processes between associations and their governments, discuss how associations can take a pro-active stance on regulation and self-regulation and review the role of the media in foundation/third sector relations.
Moderator: Monica Patten, Community Foundations of Canada
Presenters:
Steve Gunderson, Council on Foundations, USA
David Kenworthy, Community Foundation Network, UK

Track 4: Accountability and effectiveness

Getting to good policy: A practical guide for foundations
Description:
With the increasing complexity of regulations, demand for accountability and sophistication of donors, foundations must not only be professional in their approaches to all their work, but also ready to handle any situations that arise. Support organisations can play an important role in providing guidance and examples of good practice to their members.

This workshop will examine the role of policy and highlight some practical approaches, including the Policy Guidelines and Template Manual, a toolkit developed by Community Foundations of Canada. This has been a key resource for foundations in the early stages of their development. Additionally we will look at best practices from the US and Australia. Resources from both countries have been developed as ways to educate Foundation Board members on the importance of accountability and the establishment of solid policies to guide their work.
Moderator: Beatrice de Durfort, Centre Francais des Fondations
Presenters:
Jane Humphries, Community Foundations of Canada - PPT presentation
Nancy Roberts, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, USA - PPT presentation
Michael Liffman, Asia-Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment, Swinburne University, Australia

Principles of accountability for international philanthropy: Collaboration, learning and member service
Description:
The session will explore themes and issues of accountability in international philanthropy based on a new resource developed through a nearly two-year long joint initiative of the US-based Council on Foundations and the European Foundation Centre. The session will consider what grantmaker accountability to multiple stakeholders means in an international context, focusing on core principles and examples of good practices that flow from them. In addition, the session will highlight the process by which two WINGS membership associations collaborated successfully to produce a useful guide for their members.
Moderator: Connie Higginson, American Express Foundation, USA
Presenters:
Noshir Dadrawala, Centre for the Advancement of Philanthropy, India
Janet Mawiyoo, Kenya Community Development Foundation
Gerry Salole, European Foundation Centre, Belgium

Implementing grantmaker principles: self-assessment tools
Description:
In 2006 the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers (Forum) published its new, multi-level self-assessment tool to help grantmakers assess how well they are implementing their principles and practices, and more generally how they are addressing issues of compliance, accountability, transparency, and effectiveness. As part of the development process, the Forum did a scan of other self-assessment tools currently in use, including ones from the UK and Canada.

During this session, Forum President Ellen Barclay will present the elements of the Forum's self-assessment tool, and will moderate a discussion on how this and other tools are being used in different countries. All panelists will then discuss how these tools can be adapted for use in other cultural contexts.
Moderator: Ellen Barclay, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, USA - PPT presentation
Presenters:
Clare Brooks, Community Foundation Network, UK - PPT presentation 1   PPT presentation 2
Jane Humphries, Community Foundations of Canada - PPT presentation

Developing grantmaker principles/standards
Description:
Participants in this session will learn how associations have developed principles or standards that can guide the grantmaking activities of their members and serve as a framework to identify best practices. Three perspectives will be offered: developing principles that apply to all members; developing standards for community foundations; and developing principles for corporate grantmakers.
Moderator: Barry Smith, Synergos Institute, South Africa
Presenters:
Bill King, Minnesota Council on Foundations, USA - PPT presentation
Burkhard Küstermann, Initiative Bürgerstiftungen, Germany - PPT presentation