Concurrent Sessions Round A

Concurrent Sessions Round A – Monday, March 15, 2010
10:45 am – 12:15 pm

Defining and Tracking Grant Outcomes
(Emerging Issues/Special Topics)
The Center for What Works is launching a grantmaker toolbox to help create a common language and understanding of impact and outcomes for the field, helping grantmakers to better define what information they need from grantseekers. Learn how to approach outcomes measurement and communicate expectations effectively with grantees. Also learn how to alter the application process and help your foundation look across its own strategy and portfolio. Examples from the field will be presented. You will walk away with ideas for next steps and practical tools and resources.
Presenter: Debra Natenshon, CEO, The Center for What Works

Fiscal Sponsorship and Intermediary Grantmaking: A Trap for the Unwary
(GM: Basics and Beyond)
Foundations are often tempted to use “fiscal agents” or financial intermediaries to avoid a variety of different legal requirements. If not structured with care, these arrangements can backfire and cause multiple legal problems. Attendees at this session will learn how to use fiscal sponsorships correctly and stay out of trouble.
Presenter: John Edie, Director, Exempt Organizations Tax Services, PricewaterhouseCooper

New to the Field: Grants Management Basics
(GM: Basics and Beyond)
Whether you are new to the field of philanthropy or new to grants management, effective and efficient grantmaking is essential to meeting and advancing your organization’s mission. This session will focus on the grants management role, core processes, management tools, legal compliance, data integrity, and types of foundations. Join us to gain practical information and tools that are designed to broaden your knowledge, discover best practices, and network with your peers to learn effective ways to support this critical function within your organization.
Presenters: Teresa Crawford, Grants Manager, Frey Foundation; Rebecca Martin, Associate Director, The Getty Foundation

Social Media for Community and Public Foundations
(Technology)
Web 2.0 and other state-of-the-art tools can enrich your organization's grantmaking process for a surprisingly low cost and with little effort. Does this mean you should implement these tools? This session will help provide an understanding of whether and how Web 2.0 technologies might be appropriate for your organization. We will provide an accessible and informative overview for novice and geek alike, putting trendy tools in perspective and focusing on ways social networking systems can be used in grantmaking. Our session will include a discussion of best practices in deploying social networking tools in a grantmaking setting and other potential low-cost, free, or otherwise easy-to-use technologies to benefit your grantees and reduce your workload.
Presenter: Lisa Rau, Chief Executive Officer, Confluence

You Want to WHAT? Effecting Change and Building Support for Streamlining
(Streamlining Grantmaking Practices)
You know your application, monitoring, and/or reporting practices are cumbersome to yourself as well as your grantseekers, but how do you build support within your organization for change? During this interactive workshop, participants will use Project Streamline's "Guide to Streamlining" to understand and share experiences about the phases of streamlining, including: Explore the Need, Build the Case, and Identify Opportunities. You will also hear from colleagues who have been through this process and lived to tell the tale. If you are just beginning a streamlining process or in the middle of one, this workshop is for you.
Presenter: Jessica Bearman, Principal, Bearman Consulting

MicroEdge - Evaluation of the Grants Management Internal and External Workflow Processes
(Exhibitor Session)
In the midst of an unstable economy, grantgivers are looking to evaluate strategies on managing a more efficient and effective grantmaking workflow process. Gain helpful insight on how to streamline your daily tasks with cost-effective ways to manage your grants management capabilities in GIFTS. Discover shortcuts and timesaving features that can be beneficial to both the grantgiver and grantseeker.
Presenters: Anna Cellini, Product Manager, MicroEdge; Jill Zurborg, Senior Product Specialist, MicroEdge