October 27-28 New York City

Session Information and Resources

Resources shared during the conference are provided after each respective session description.

Resources Shared: Opening Plenary Remarks by Clara Miller. (Nonprofit Finance Fund)

Breakouts Round A

1. Build vs. Buy: Knowing When to Give the Right Kind of Money. There are two fundamental roles funders can play. There are buyers--those who provide revenue to pay for current programs and service delivery--and there are builders--those who finance the process of growth and change for an organization. Understand the impact of this critical distinction on how money is structured and deployed.
   Speakers: George Overholser, Nonprofit Finance Fund; Maria Blair, Rockefeller Foundation; Marc Johnson, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
   
   Resources Shared: Building is not Buying. (Nonprofit Finance Fund)
    
2. What’s Debt Good for, Anyway? Nonprofits use debt extensively, and more funders than ever are starting to make program-related investments. This session will look at the role of debt in the nonprofit world, traditional uses of debt, when it is appropriate for a nonprofit to take on debt, where unmet need still exists, and what funders should know if they are going to use debt to good effect as a tool for “banking” in the social sector.
   Speakers: Ruth Salzman, Russell Berrie Foundation; Lori Chatman, Enterprise Community Loan Fund; Shari Berenbach, Calvert Foundation; Dudley Benoit, JP Morgan Chase
   
   Resources Shared:
   Lending to Nonprofits. (Calvert Foundation)
   Working with Financial Intermediaries. (JP Morgan Chase)
    
3. Increasing “Net Grants”: Issues in Application and Reporting. When you give a grant, how much of it goes to pay for the cost of grant application and stewardship? What is the true "net" value of the grant for the organization you're supporting? Learn about a body of research that illustrates how grantmakers and grantees alike are "drowning in paperwork and distracted from purpose", and hear from grantmakers who are working to streamline processes to reduce the burden on grantees.
   Speakers: Jessica Bearman, Project Streamline
   
   Resources Shared:
   Drowing in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose. Challenges and Opportunities in Grant Application and Reporting. (Project Streamline)
   Full Report; Summary
    
4. Strategic Conversation 1: Whole Enterprise Finance: Continuing the Opening Plenary Discussion. This session will offer attendees the opportunity to continue the conversation that began in the opening plenary. 
   Conversation leaders: Ben Cameron, Doris Duke Foundation; Frank DeGiovanni, Ford Foundation
   
   Resources Shared:
   Conversation Notes
    

End-of-the-day Debrief
Gather with your colleagues to begin to process what you’ve learned and help identify common themes that are emerging from the sessions. This facilitated conversation will focus on the question:  Based on what we’re learning, what actions can the field take to advance learning and practice on these issues?
Moderator: Andrea Levere, Corporation for Enterprise Development

Reception: 5:30-6:30pm

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28

Breakouts Round B

1. Assessing the Impact of General Operating Support. There is a nagging question that is a real barrier to the wider use of general operating support in philanthropy: How are we going to evaluate it? This session will explore the ways grantmakers approach evaluation of general operating support.
   Speakers: Kathleen Enright, GEO; Brenda Solorzano, Blue Shield of California Foundation; Shawn Mooring, The Philadelphia Foundation
   
   Resources Shared:
   Evaluation of the 2006 Community Clinic Core Support Initiative: Baseline Report (Blue Shield of California Foundation)
   
   Sustaining California’s Safety Net through Core Support Funding (Blue Shield of California Foundation)
   
   General Operating Support Vol. 2: Assessing the Impact (Grantmakers for Effective Organizations)
    
2. Mission-Related Investing. How can mission-related investing benefit nonprofits, and what are the potential pitfalls? Join a discussion to explore how funders can expand impact through thoughtful and effective mission-related investing.
   Speakers: Melinda Tuan, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; Luther Ragin, F.B. Heron Foundation; Charly Kleissner, KL Felicitas Foundation
   
   Resources Shared:
   Mission Related Investment Continuum (FB Heron Foundation)
   
   Resources for Mission Investors (Urban Investors)
   
   Philanthropy's New Passing Gear: Mission-Related Investing (Rockfeller Philanthropy Advisors)
    
3. Leveraging the Balance Sheet to Deliver Financial and Program Innovations. In recent years, new financial products and services have emerged to strengthen the "whole nonprofit enterprise." Hear about the creation of new equity investment products, how earnings generation can support research and product innovation, and other investment strategies.
   Speakers: Barbara Kibbe, Monitor Institute; Jeremy Nowak, The Reinvestment Fund; Debra Schwartz, McArthur Foundation; Eric Walker, PATH
    
4. Strategic Conversation 2: How Do We Deploy Philanthropic Money in Ways that Strengthen the Capacity of Nonprofits to Achieve Impact? This facilitated conversation will explore the full range of financial and analytical tools in use by grantmakers and nonprofits to strengthen enterprises and thereby improve the chances that they will succeed in achieving their missions.
   Conversation Leader: Vince Stehle, Surdna Foundation; Karen Whalen, W.K. Kellogg Foundation  
   
   Resources Shared:
   Conversation Notes
    

Breakouts Round C

1. Capital Aggregation. What is are the benefits and attributes of aggregating capital before launching business plans? What are the implications for how grantmakers and nonprofits operate in order to take advantage of such collaborations? This session will highlight The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's recent pilot effort to support the significant expansion of three high-performing organizations -- joined by 19 co-investors and raising $120 million -- as well as recent research by REDF.
   Speakers: Cynthia Gair, REDF; Woody McCutchen, The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; Darcy Bradbury, Nurse-Family Partnership
   
   Resources Shared:
   Out of Philanthropy's Funding Maze (REDF)
   
   A Progress Report on the EdnaMcConnell Clark Foundation’s Growth Capital Aggregation Pilot (Edna McConnell Clark Foundation)
    
2. Fighting the Government Revenue Trap: A Massachusetts Case Study. Government funding can be a mixed blessing for nonprofits. Understand the problems frequently associated with government funding. Explore how grantmakers can best support nonprofits that rely heavily on government funding and encourage government to change contracting practices that discriminate between for-profit and nonprofit funding. 
   Speakers: Elizabeth Keating, Boston College; Michael Weekes, Providers' Council; Geeta Pradhan, The Boston Foundation; Gregg Behr, Grable Foundation
   
   Resources Shared:
   Financial Health of the providers in the massachussets human service system (DMA Health Strategies)
   
   Passion & Purpose: Raising the Fiscal Fitness Bar for Massachusetts Nonprofits (The Boston Foundation)
   
   Fighting the Government Revenue Trap: A Massachusetts Case Study (Handout)
    
3. How Can We Expand Impact? The Challenge of Scaling Nonprofits. The natural tendency for nonprofits (and encouraged by funders) is to grow or do something new, but in many cases this approach can create problems. Do all nonprofits need to grow? And if a nonprofit can and should grow, what is the best means to do so? This session will explore the challenges and implications imposed by growth and the investment nonprofits need for successful growth.
   Speakers: Edward Skloot, Duke University; William Foster, Bridgespan Group; Paul Bradley, ROC USA; Kirsten Moy, Aspen Institute
   
   Resources Shared:
   New Pathways to Scale for Community Development Finance (Aspen Institute)
   
   Introduction to Aspen Scale Institute (Aspen Institute)
   
   Perspectives on building Funding Models to Support Organization Scale (Bridegspan)
   
   Introduction to Resident Owned Communities (ROC USA)
    
4. Using Investments to Expand Impact. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is taking a critical look at its investment approach and considering how the foundatin's investments can better align with its grantmaking strategy. The foundation's investment approach will provide a common set of key considerations, practical tools, and effective practices to help guide and bring consistency to investment decisions. Come to this interactive session for an early unveiling of the foundatin's investment approach and share your feedback and experiences to help inform Gates' approach moving ahead.
   Speakers: Andrea Levere, CFED; Lalitha Vaidyanathan, FSG Social Impact Advisors; David Bley, Greg Ratliff and Nicole Trimble, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
   
   

Lunch and Closing Plenary

What are the key insights we gained from this conference? What might we do next to advance this important issue? This interactive session will tap the wisdom of the group to create a collective understanding of key insights from the conference and to present a plan for next steps for the field as well as specific actions NFF and GEO could take, in partnership with others, to advance the agenda.
Moderator: Andrea Levere, Corporation for Enterprise Development