Concurrent Sessions Round G

Concurrent Sessions Round G – Wednesday, March 17, 2010
10:45 am – 12:15 pm

How to Hold a Webinar
(Technology)
Do your review committees or board convene from long distances? Or is it just hard to get them all together for an hour? Do you hold trainings for your grantees? Do wish you could just show someone how to fill out your application form? These are good purposes for online meetings. They have numerous advantages over physical meetings, such as scheduling ease, convenience, lower cost, and recordability. But a webinar is not just a conference call with pictures. Henry Bromelkamp’s company depends on webinars for meetings and trainings and customer support. Come learn from him and his staff how to plan, execute, and evaluate a webinar using the principals of distance learning. If your board is accustomed to meeting in Fort Myers, now they can stay home in Michigan, and they don’t need to know you’re in Puerto Vallarta.
Presenter: Henry Bromelkamp, President, Bromelkamp Company

International Grantmaking and the IATI Standard
(Emerging Issues/Special Topics)
Attendees at this session will be briefed on an information standard aimed to improve accountability and the effectiveness of international grants. The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), a collaboration of donors, multilateral agencies and foundations is developing a standard for electronic publication of detailed information about international grants. The standard will be agreed on during 2010. The aim is to make all international grant information publicly available online in an open format, to improve transparency and accountability of grants, and especially to ensure that the intended beneficiaries have access to information about grants aid in their community. The session will look how this initiative relates to other initiatives to make information more transparent and accessible (such as Grantsfire and the work of the Foundation Center); whether the emergence of a standardized way to define and report aid information could benefit foundations and their grantees; and how greater transparency will lead to more effective use of foundation funding. This session will also consider whether and how foundations might get involved in helping to shape the aid information standard so that it can meet the needs of grantmakers and grantees.
Presenter: Owen Barder, Director, aidinfo

Minimum Due Diligence Required to Make a Grant
(Streamlining Grantmaking Practices)
This session will provide specific information about the minimum due diligence requirements to make a grant to both U.S. and non-U.S. entities. The distinction between the basic legal requirements and other fact-finding activities will be discussed. Primary emphasis will be on determining and documenting the tax status of an entity in a streamlined manner with respect to both effort and paperwork.
Presenter: Pam Foster, Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, Rockefeller Foundation

PRIs 101: The Basics of Making a PRI
(Emerging Issues/Special Topics)
What are PRIs and how might they fit within your organization’s grantmaking strategy? Attendees at this session will learn the basics of making a PRI such as why and how they’re made, what the charitability language should look like, how PRIs and returns on investment are monitored and tracked, and how PRIs and their returns are accounted for in the general ledger, financial statements, and 990-PF over the years of the PRI’s life. Participants will also learn the language of PRIs as well as the range of ways PRIs can be used.
Presenter: Christa Velasquez, Director of Social Investments, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Talking the Talk: Communication Skills for Grants Managers
(Professional Development)
In today’s world, philanthropy professionals must also be strong communicators. Session participants will learn to communicate more effectively with a variety of key stakeholders including grantees, board members, senior management, community leaders, elected officials, and the media. The session will address how and when to use different types of communications approaches and tools, including the Internet. Non-verbal communication and unintended messages/consequences will also be addressed. The presentation will be very interactive, with participants asked to share their own experiences, frustrations, challenges, and success stories regarding communicating with key stakeholders. Attendees will leave this session with strategies and tools to increase the visibility of their grantmaking efforts; improve their working relationships with managers, colleagues, and grantees; and ensure that the messages they wish to communicate get through to their intended audiences.
Presenter: Lynn Stekas, Senior Consultant, Changing Our World

Foundant – Why Online Applications Don’t Solve All of Your Problems
(Exhibitor Session)
Accepting online applications has become a very hot topic and is becoming more commonplace in the granting community. However, it is important to realize what problems online applications solve and what problems they don’t. We will discuss this and other issues that may be addressed with a more complete online grants management system.
Presenter: Daren Nordhagen, President, Foundant Technologies