Post-conference Reflections

It was a great week for Philanthropy Ohio! We held our first conference as Philanthropy Ohio, in Columbus and frankly, it exceeded my expectations!  But what made it so very special to me was listening to your stories about the work you do.

Since joining the organization in January, I’ve been so impressed by the work you, our members, do to impact the nonprofit community, and you are truly making a difference for the causes you care about.

Philanthropy Ohio is stronger as an organization, and our communities and state are stronger, because of your work… the work of your foundations, your corporate giving programs, your organizations and of our individual philanthropic members, who are all actively involved in giving and grantmaking.

This year we’ve spent time thinking about what it means to be a membership organization and how to best serve you, our members. We are listening to you. We are listening, learning and conducting valuable research and it is helping us determine what programs, services and networks are not only helpful but meaningful to you.

This conference is a perfect example.

You told us you wanted us to incorporate an adult learning model. You wanted it to be more interactive, with programs at a higher level, more innovative, with conversations at a national level. And in emails, notes and on the conference survey, you told us you really enjoyed it.

Our mission is to provide leadership and to enhance your ability to fulfill your charitable goals and we do this by striving to be the leading voice and premier resource for philanthropy in Ohio. Keep talking to us, keep telling us how we are helpful and how we can be more helpful.  We are listening!

Ohio Celebrates National Philanthropy Day

Philanthropy Ohio and more than 100 communities across the country – including several in Ohio – are celebrating National Philanthropy Day this month, sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and its local chapters. Setting aside one day to celebrate how Americans give back to their community began in 1986, when then-President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation officially recognizing November 15 as National Philanthropy Day.

Here in Ohio, the celebrations hosted by regional AFPs occurred throughout the month at events that recognized local individuals, companies and foundations for their philanthropic activities. We offer our congratulations to two Philanthropy Ohio members received awards from the AFP of Greater Cleveland: Sherwin-Williams received the corporate leadership award and The Cleveland Foundation received the foundation leadership award.

Philanthropy Ohio celebrated philanthropy during  the annual conference on November 14, when we presented awards to two individuals and two organizations:

Brian Frederick, president/CEO of the Community Foundation of Lorain County, received the Ohio Philanthropy Award, our life-time achievement award for outstanding service;

Cara Dingus Brook, president/CEO of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, received the Emerging Philanthropist Award; and

The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation received the Innovation Award for their work on the Cleveland Plan.

We think all philanthropists deserve recognition for their dedication to the causes and organizations to which they donate, whether they give $25 or $25 million. Thanks to their gifts our state and nation are stronger and healthier places in which to live and work.

Claudia Y.W. Herrold

Head back to school . . . at Philanthropy Forward ’13!

As we head toward the Labor Day weekend, almost all K-12 and post-secondary school students are back at their desks, with new teachers, new classes and content, new pencils and computers. While we here at Philanthropy Ohio don’t organize our programs and workshops to align with an academic year calendar, this is the time of year we gear up for our major, statewide learning and networking event, Philanthropy Forward ‘13.  We hope all of you who are interested in being more strategic and effective in your charitable giving – whether through individual checkbooks or through organizational grants – will head to our annual conference – our “school” – on November 12 -14.

What can you expect at this year’s gathering? Well, we have new teachers to help you become better at what you do. If you’re a corporate funder, you’ll spend a day with Bea Boccalandro as she explains how you can make a quantum leap in your company’s impact. If you’re a trustee or CEO, Commonfund Institute expert William Jarvis will show you how the latest lessons from investment success can lead to better performance for your endowment.  Interested in youth philanthropy? Wondering how you can build a network and mobilize others to impact your cause? Need to focus on tightening up internal controls?  All these topics – and more – are courses at the conference that will increase your knowledge and help you get smarter and build skills. Isn’t that what school’s all about?

What will you attend this year? Check out all 35 courses and register before September 1 – that’s Sunday! – to be entered in a great prize drawing and save on registration fees.

Claudia Y.W. Herrold

Why choose Philanthropy Forward ’13?

With the dozens – perhaps hundreds – of philanthropy-related learning and networking opportunities you can attend, why should you choose Philanthropy Ohio’s annual conference? We asked some of our members that very question and here’s what they said:

It’s the perfect place to reconnect and refresh.

It’s very high quality content yet very cost effective.

The networking opportunities, engaging site visits and in-depth analysis of issues make the conference very special.

A great opportunity to share ideas and lessons learned with colleagues regarding the day-to-day challenges in our jobs.

Superb networking and learning opportunity.

I brush up on core skills I need to do my job more effectively.

Our conference, November 12 – 14 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown (a brand-new, high-tech treat in and of itself!) is packed with sessions designed by philanthropy for philanthropy, thanks to a very successful call for sessions we issued this year (a first for us). We’re also excited to bring Van Jones to the conference for a funders’ only reception and then a keynote open to nonprofits and the wider public.

Yet, we haven’t packed the schedule so tightly that you won’t have time to connect with colleagues – because we know that adult learning comes in informal settings as well as in classroom training. One of the new ways to connect is through our Wednesday lunch “job alikes” where you’ll sit down with others who do the same work as you, who share the same interests and challenges, for open space discussion about whatever is on your mind. And, our host event is at the beautiful statehouse, where we’ll also be honoring some friends of philanthropy.

Head on over to philanthropyforward.org  to find out more about the content and schedule. And, be sure to check out the incentives we’re offering to those who register early this year. You can also listen to more reasons your colleagues are registering for the conference . Ready to register? Go online to register with a credit card or download the PDF to send a check.

I’m looking forward to seeing you at Ohio’s largest gathering of people engaged in philanthropy!

Claudia Y.W. Herrold

Philanthropy Ohio Opens Nominations for 3 Awards

We’re very excited to announce the creation of two NEW awards that we’ll present this year, in addition to our traditional Ohio Philanthropy Award, which we’ve given out for several years. Nominations for all awards are due no later than September 13, giving our board time to review the submissions and make decisions. We’ll present the awards during lunch on November 14, at our annual conference in Columbus.

The is our “life-time achievement” award, which we first presented in 2004. Nominees for this award should have made outstanding contributions to philanthropy and can be either an individual, an organization or group of individuals or organizations demonstrating:

• Long-standing leadership in advancing philanthropy;
• Creativity in responding to societal problems; and/or
• Significant positive impact on philanthropy.

Our NEW Emerging Ohio Philanthropist Award will recognize someone who – regardless of age – has engaged in philanthropy for the first time during the last few years, either in a career path or as a private individual, and shows amazing potential by demonstrating:

• Exemplary leadership in advancing philanthropy;
• Engagement beyond a single community;
• Creativity in a philanthropic endeavor or project; and/or
• Significant accomplishment in a short period of time.

Our other NEW award is the Ohio Philanthropy Innovation Award. It will celebrate a catalyst who has moved Ohio philanthropy forward through an innovation in the last few years, someone whose idea led to positive change in how the philanthropic sector operates, thinks or impacts communities.

You can find out more about the awards, download the nomination forms and learn how to submit nominees online.

Who will you nominate for this year’s awards? Yourself, a co-worker, a donor, an organization? Don’t put it off, get started with the process today.