Twenty years ago, I attended my first philanthropy conference as a new program officer. I was also new to philanthropy, a sector I had only recently discovered, and I remember arriving eager to absorb as much as I could.
I certainly learned a great deal. But what has stayed with me all these years is how warmly I was welcomed. People generously shared their knowledge and experiences, made introductions and helped me find my place in a new field. Some of those colleagues became dear friends and people I continue to learn from today.
I have attended more conferences than I can count since then, and I continue to value both the insights they offer and the energy I draw from being in community with colleagues. There is something powerful about gathering with people who understand both the privilege and challenges of this work, while bringing experiences and perspectives different from our own.
That feels especially important right now.
Shifting federal policies, funding disruptions and growing pressure on many of the communities and values our sector supports are forcing difficult choices for philanthropic leaders across our region. Some of the hardest questions we are facing don’t have a simple answer or a playbook. They require us to listen to one another, learn from different experiences and build trust to navigate uncertainty together.
Throughout my career, I have seen how relationships make us better at this work.
One of my first assignments as a program officer took me to New Orleans in the summer of 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. I joined national and regional funders working to understand how we could respond meaningfully to communities that had experienced tremendous loss.
Over several months, we listened, shared what we were learning and worked together to determine where each of our respective organizations could be most useful. We coordinated and complemented our funding in ways that reduced complexity for overwhelmed grantees. It was my first experience seeing collective action and pooled resources put into practice, and it taught me early in my career the importance of relationships and trust.
I see that same principle at work across Philanthropy Northwest today.
Our network spans six states with distinct histories, geographies, cultures and communities. Being part of a regional network gives us an opportunity to learn across those differences and to see our own work from a broader perspective. It also creates relationships we can turn to when circumstances change, difficult questions arise or our communities need us to respond differently.
Finding Belonging in Place
For all of us at Philanthropy Northwest, those relationships are closely connected to a sense of belonging and to our value of place.
At the 2018 Philanthropy Northwest conference in Boise, a learning tour was made available to conference attendees to visit the Minidoka National Historic Site, one of the incarceration camps where Japanese Americans were held without due process during World War II.
My own grandparents were among those incarcerated.
This offering was personally affirming, and it also reinforced for me the importance of understanding the history of the places where we gather, including histories that have too often been overlooked or left untold.
Today, our conferences continue to be shaped by the people, communities and places of our region. Our members bring the questions and experiences that shape our conversations, while local leaders and communities help us understand the history, culture and context of the place where we gather.
I’m looking forward to continuing that tradition in Anchorage this October. Alaska’s vast geography, diverse communities and distinct cultural context invite us to experience our region from a different perspective. We will gather on the homeland of the Dena’ina people and learn from Alaska Native knowledge and leadership, as well as funders and community partners working across housing, environmental conservation, arts and culture and other issues shaping communities throughout the state.
What We Build Together
PNW26 will be my third conference as CEO of Philanthropy Northwest, and one of the things I have come to appreciate is how truly member-driven these gatherings are. Our staff creates the structure, but the substance comes from our colleagues doing the work across our region. The questions you bring, the experiences you share and the relationships you build are what make these gatherings meaningful. I continue to believe deeply in the value of being together. There is a different quality to the conversations that happen when we have the time and space to be fully present with one another.
That feels particularly significant during our 50th year. Past and present board members who helped shape Philanthropy Northwest into the values-driven organization we are today will be with us in Anchorage, alongside longtime members and many people experiencing this network for the first time. In fact, more than half of those registered so far are first-time attendees.
If you are among them, I hope you find peers navigating questions and challenges similar to your own. I hope the people and places you encounter expand your perspective and offer ideas you can carry back to your work. Most of all, I hope you experience the same sense of belonging, joy and community that I found at my own first philanthropy conference twenty years ago.
