Breakout Sessions Round D 

1. Building Capacity for Social Change in Communities of Color — Taking Theory to the Ground. Based on more than 25 years experience providing capacity-building services to more than 1,000 organizations, the National Community Development Institute has developed a framework and methodology for building social change in communities of color. NCDI will present this framework and how it has played out on the ground. Grantmakers and practitioners will share their experiences applying this framework and engage participants in a dialogue about how to invest in capacity-building resources to have enduring impact in communities of color. 
   Session Designer: Beth Rosales, National Community Development Institute
   Speakers: Tonya Allen, The Skillman Foundation; Faye McNair-Knox, One East Palo Alto; Kelley D. Gulley and Frank Omowale Satterwhite, National Community Development Institute
   
   
2. Linking Grantmaking for Leadership Development to Organizational Effectiveness. Leadership is critical to nonprofit success, and foundations can play a unique role to empower leaders and help them advance their organizations’ missions. However, most leadership development programs do not consider the professional growth of a leader in the context of the organization’s capacity-building needs or priorities. How can the development of a leader and organization go hand in hand? This session will present findings from various evaluation and research studies aimed to demonstrate the connection between investments in leadership and organizational effectiveness. Panelists will explore how necessary leadership skills and competencies change depending on the organization’s lifecycle stage, the role of nonprofit coaching for leadership development and organizational capacity building, and evaluating leadership development for social change.
   Session Designer: Kate Dewey, Dewey & Kaye
   Speakers: Kate Dewey; Kim Ammann Howard, BTW informing change; Kathy Toner, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Grant Oliphant, Heinz Endowments
   
   
3. Foundation Transformation for Community Transformation: Lessons Learned from Place-Based Grantmaking. Foundations of all types and sizes are experimenting with place-based grantmaking strategies to catalyze long-term, large-scale community change. Grantmakers are coming to the same conclusions — successful place-based grantmaking requires flexibility, humility, responsiveness, a learning focus, and a dedication to engaging the appropriate stakeholders and partners. This session will explore the significant changes in foundation structure, processes, and practices that have occurred at two foundations engaged in place-based grantmaking. 
   Session Designer: Marie Colombo, Skillman Foundation
   Speakers: Carol Goss, Skillman Foundation; Prudence Brown, independent consultant; Lise Maisano, S.H. Cowell Foundation; Susan Curnan, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University  
   
   
4. Beyond Strategic Planning — Helping Grantees Make Good Strategic Decisions. Should funders require strategic planning of grantees? Or should funders help grantees consider alternative approaches to forming strategies? What is the difference between having a strategy and having a plan? This session will combine a discussion of the benefits and pitfalls of strategic planning with an overview of new approaches to formulating strategy. The session is based on David La Piana’s new book, The Nonprofit Strategy Revolution, which reports the results of a four-year research and development effort. Participants will get a sneak preview of the results and have an opportunity to discuss the ramifications of this research for their own strategic planning grant support.
   Session Designer: David La Piana, La Piana Associates
   Speakers: David La Piana, Vance Yoshida, Liza Culick, La Piana Associates
   
   Follow the links below to download session materials.
   La Piana Associates Firm Overview
   Real Time Strategic Planning
   Real Time Strategic Planning Cycle
   
   
5. Whose Story Are You Telling? Putting the Public Into the Picture. As foundations and nonprofits strive to make change while doing good, it’s crucial to connect with the priorities of the target publics served. Using recent national and local market research in the out-of-school-time area, this session highlights ways grantmakers can improve resutls by better understanding and engaging the people they serve. Strategic market research for out-of-school-time planning has helped replace assumptions with facts, built stakeholder buy-in and support, and given the ultimate beneficiaries — parents and children — a voice to express their needs.
   Session Designer: Mary Trudel, The Wallace Foundation
   Speakers: Ruth Wooden, Public Agenda; Julie Pokela, Market Street Research; James Chesire, Children Youth and Services/After School Matters
   
   
6. Reflection and Redesign: Using Learnings to Transform Strategy and Capacity. Evaluation is an essential component of strategy development and execution, both for grantmakers and grantees. Many grantmakers are now conducting evaluations to assess outcomes and impact of their work. However, transforming evaluation data into action that leads to improved results has proven to be a bigger challenge. This session will share early experiences by two foundations to become more outcomes oriented and to create an internal culture that supports learning to improve foundation strategy and results.
   Session Designer: Martha Campbell, The James Irvine Foundation
   Speakers: Martha Campbell; Don Howard, The Bridgespan Group; Fay Twersky, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
   
   
7. Social Enterprise: A Strategy for Self-Sustaining Nonprofits? Is it true that funders can help grantees become "self-sufficient" by making strategic investments in nonprofit social enterprises? Increasing numbers of funders are interested in and being asked to fund nonprofits’ efforts to develop and run social enterprises as a way to reduce their dependence on fund-raising. However, one recent study of nonprofit-launched earned income ventures revealed that few enterprises have actually made any money. Drawing on the experience of funders who have supported social enterprises over the past fifteen years and leaders of successful social enterprises, this session will highlight the pitfalls and possibilities for funders in supporting social enterprise.
   Session Designer: Melinda Tuan, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
   Speakers: Melinda Tuan; Tess Reynolds, New Door Ventures; Jim Schorr, University of California at Berkeley

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