Leadership & Governance

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Leadership & Governance

Philanthropy Institute: Skills for Emerging Practitioners (Summer 2017)

July 31, 2017 to August 1, 2017
9:00am to 5:00pm
PDT
Seattle

This comprehensive, two-day educational program was developed by experts in the philanthropic sector, and facilitated by seasoned practitioners. Philanthropy Institute: Practical Skills & Strategies for Emerging Practitioners (formerly known as Best Practices): is the field’s standardized orientation for individual members who have recently joined the philanthropic sector. The curriculum is designed to provide a historical overview of the sector, a sense of the philanthropic landscape in the Pacific Northwest and Nationally, and an overview of foundation governance and grantmaking. Please register early: the last four workshops have sold out. 

Introducing Philanthropy Northwest's New CEO

April 2017 |

After an extensive national search with an impressive slate of candidates, Philanthropy Northwest is pleased to announce that Kiran Ahuja will be our next CEO. Ahuja brings more than two decades of public service and nonprofit sector leadership experience, including senior positions in the Obama administration, to our six-state network of foundations and corporate giving programs. In her new role, beginning June 19, she will lead one of the oldest regional associations of philanthropists in the country, joining us at a critical time for the sector and our communities. She looks forward to traveling throughout our region in the summer and fall — culminating in a special reception at our 2017 Annual Conference in Vancouver, Washington.

Scrum Techniques for Cross-Team Collaboration & Communication

April 2017 |

Internal communications pose a significant challenge for organizations with growing teams, expanding services and complex collaborations. Philanthropy Northwest has all of the above, with the additional time zone quirks of our six-state membership network and national consulting team. As part of my ongoing work to help improve our internal communications, I've been leading staff through an experiment in Scrum, "a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value." I first learned about Scrum during my earlier career as a consultant in the tech industry, where it's a widely-used technique in software development, consulting and delivery. But I've long thought that this technique has a lot to offer the nonprofit sector, too, where teams need to constantly generate and reprioritize ideas as we learn more about their impacts on our communities.

Meyer Memorial Trust Announces Leadership Transition

April 2017 |

Doug Stamm, president and CEO of Meyer Memorial Trust and a member of Philanthropy Northwest's board, has announced his plans to leave the foundation in 2018. Stamm has earned a national reputation in the philanthropic sector for his strategic exploration of innovative ways to invest a foundation’s endowment, beyond grantmaking, to further both mission and our financial goals. Most recently, he is perhaps best known for his and the trust’s work to address and dismantle deep disparities and inequities in Oregon. During his leadership, Meyer redesigned its programs to ensure a more flourishing and equitable Oregon, became an early adapter and sector leader in mission related investing and undertook initiatives to tackle longstanding problems in education, affordable housing and the Willamette River. A national search will begin this summer to find Meyer’s next steward. Stamm plans to take a short break before pursuing opportunities to advance equity and inclusion in the independent sector.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Series, Session 1: Unconscious Bias

April 6, 2017
12:00pm to 1:30pm
PDT
Online

Raising philanthropy's awareness of unconscious bias allows us to rethink the ways in which we approach hiring, strategy, inclusion and organizational culture. As organizations, we talk a lot about the value of inclusion, but our unconscious beliefs can get in the way of us actually "being" and "doing" inclusivity and equity. This is a first in our four-part Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) web series.

The 2017 Foraker Leadership Summit

April 3, 2017 to April 4, 2017
All day
Anchorage, AK

Alaska nonprofits, like others around the country, face funding cuts from government and other threats to their sustainability. This year’s conference will take a fresh look at how organizations can increase their resiliency and take steps to assure they can successfully carry out their missions. The event takes place April 3-4, at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage.

How We Fund Scientific Research

March 2017 |

How can philanthropists amplify the impact of their investments in scientific research and accelerate medical cures? Regardless of one’s motivations, strategic philanthropic investments in biomedical research require a careful consideration of the philanthropist’s priorities and an understanding of the current state of research to achieve satisfactory results, if not substantial ones. Apex Foundation recently joined efforts with the Milken Institute Philanthropy Advisory Service Institute to undertake a landscape analysis of current and best practices and produce a primer for funders that addresses the challenges that come with supporting scientific research in academic institutions. The 38-page report, Giving Smarter Guide for Funding Scientific Research, walks prospective funders through the process with a series of questions and key takeaways.