“We are in the midst of a revolution in philanthropy. While our field might not be practicing the equivalent of doctors bleeding their patients using leaches, philanthropy clearly acts very regularly without any real evidence that our actions will make a difference. However, the rise of evidence-based grantmaking is real. It might take a few  Read More »

Share your experiences, gain insights from your peers, and meet other foundation and philanthropy professionals in a relaxed, informal environment. The group discussed ways to advance your career and take on new responsibilities within your organization by earning leadership credibility by having confidence in your skills, knowing your weaknesses, and building up a team around  Read More »

Arizona Grantmakers Forum members represent a wide range of funding interests. AGF affinity groups are designed to meet the needs of a specific type of funder (small, corporate, rural) and to better address a certain issue (education, health, evaluation, professional development). As AGF has evolved, affinity groups have become the primary vehicle for member networking  Read More »

Small and Family Foundation staff gathered to discuss current projects, areas of interest, and opportunities for future collaboration. This informal discussion group allows staff from small foundations and family foundations to connect with peers to discuss topics and issues relevant to their grantmaking. Special thanks to the Chauncey Foundation and the Hickey Family Foundation for  Read More »

After a brief overview of the state of behavioral health issues in Arizona, proponents of the new Mental Health First Aid program being developed in Arizona presented. Mental Health First Aid is a groundbreaking public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Mental  Read More »

There are many benefits to a corporation in establishing a well-matched partnership with a nonprofit. This program featured two corporate funders who have experienced successful corporate-nonprofit alliances. They walked us through how the partnership started, what was involved and how they measured the outcomes. They also discussed best practices they learned in the process. This  Read More »

Brad Halvorsen, Vice President of Communications, Flinn Foundation shared proven communication techniques and strategies that can be used at any level of an organization to communicate with confidence, clarity, and precision. Topics included tips on: ° Communicating to different audiences ° Internal collaboration-building ° Representing your organization Brad Halvorsen oversees Flinn Foundation’s communications activities, including  Read More »

BUILD is a national initiative created in 2002 by the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, a consortium of private foundations. The BUILD Initiative supports state efforts to construct comprehensive early childhood development systems with coordinated, effective policies that address children’s health, mental health and nutrition, early care and education, family support and parenting programs and services  Read More »

This expert panel discussed the changes in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding priorities and what this means for Arizona’s homelessness assistance and housing programs. The panel addressed the new approaches to ending homelessness and how current systems need to change to take advantage of these new evidence-based practices. They also  Read More »

Tanya Beer is the associate director of the Center for Evaluation Innovation whose work focuses on the emerging field of advocacy evaluation. In this presentation, she discussed how the Center is working with the advocates, evaluators and funders who are committed to growing this field through collaboration. This presentation was hosted by the Arizona Evaluation  Read More »

Are you interested in learning more about the education funding collaborations that are happening in Arizona? Are you currently involved with an education funding collaboration which you’d like more colleagues to know about? Or are you working as a sole funder on something and you wish you had collaborative partners? Funders gathered to hear from  Read More »

Small and family foundation staff gathered for a roundtable discussion around strategies and processes. The group discussed collaboration and partnerships, as well as investing best practices, with good dialogue around PRIs and MRIs. Special thanks to the Chauncey Foundation and the Hickey Family Foundation for sponsoring this affinity group!!

Empathy, defined as the experience of understanding others from their perspective, can bring meaning to and curiosity about what can be a world of seemingly endless need. Empathy may be considered the “softer side of philanthropy,” so how can grantmakers use it as a tool in effective grant making? Widespread Empathy, a publication by Grantmakers  Read More »

Funders gathered to discuss the upcoming Arizona Rural Development Council (a project of Local First) Rural Policy Forum. About the Rural Policy Forum… Scheduled for August 8-9, 2013 the Rural Policy Forum will marry the successful “Linking Rural Organizations to Funders” format with a conversation on topics directly relevant to rural communities including destination marketing,  Read More »

There are four distinct generations in the workplace today. Most of us work closely with colleagues that span at least three, if not four of those generations and each generation brings their own views, opinions, and assumptions about the world to the workplace. But, despite the challenges of multiple generations in the workplace, how can  Read More »

When corporations and foundations partner as co-funders, they pool funds, resources and expertise that allow them to achieve greater impact together than they could on their own. A corporate-foundation partnership, like any collaboration, can face unique challenges, but the potential to have a more powerful impact can be a win-win situation for all involved, including  Read More »

Beginning later this year, significant health coverage provisions contained in the federal health reform law go into effect. The federal health insurance exchange – the exclusive mechanism by which Arizonans can purchase federally subsidized health coverage – will be open for business. Up to 1.3 million Arizonans (individuals, families and small businesses) are predicted to  Read More »

A comprehensive corporate philanthropy strategy has many moving parts that can impact an organization’s bottom line – including an engaged workforce. FedEx’s Director of Citizenship and Reputation, Cindy Conner, will share the innovative programs and strategies that FedEx uses to engage its 300,000 team members throughout 220 countries and territories and how that fits into  Read More »

Did you know the number one fear in the world is public speaking? This engaging session helped our members face their fears! The focus of the presentation was to provide tips and strategies for leading meetings and delivering effective and engaging presentations. The session gave advice to overcome speech anxiety and nervousness and provided resources  Read More »

Small and family foundation staff gathered for a roundtable discussion on the strategies and processes that lead to effective grantmaking. We discussed disaster relief philanthropy, ways foundation leaders vet nonprofits for grants, program evaluation measures, and more! Special thanks to the Chauncey Foundation and the Hickey Family Foundation for sponsoring this affinity group!!

Sarah Suggs, President and CEO of the O’Connor House discussed their organization’s efforts to increase voter engagement, including the Great Voter Challenge, SpeakOut AZ and iCivics. The meeting provided all interested funders with the opportunity to learn more about what is happening in the civic engagement arena in Arizona. This program was a part of  Read More »

The ability to read proficiently by third grade is vital to a child’s future academic and professional success. Literacy is a common thread among the four key skills of a 21st century student: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. We learned about the public/private collaboration, Read On Arizona; Arizona’s State Literacy Plan; Move on When  Read More »

These days our colleagues span at least three, if not four of current generations in the workplace and each generation brings their own views, opinions, and assumptions about the world to the workplace. Despite the challenges of multiple generations in the workplace, how can we leverage the unique contributions and perspectives that each bring to  Read More »

Prizes, competitions and crowdsourcing are innovative and even fun, but they require a great deal of organization, communications support and specialized technology. In this session, panelists who have pioneered into this new territory of creative funding methods: Introduced alternative forms of grantmaking and fundraising that include the general public and/or expand locus of control beyond  Read More »

Patrick McWhortor, President and CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, discussed the joint effort by his organization and Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition (PAFCO) to increase voter engagement. He shared information about their celebration of National Voter Registration Day and efforts to increase awareness of off-year elections. The meeting provided all interested funders with the  Read More »

Grantmakers face the challenge of evaluating their own practices, outcomes and impact as well as those of their grantees – and of using this information to benefit future efforts. This is your chance to look closer at your organization’s evaluation process. Join your colleagues for an informal session where you can ask AGF’s expert evaluators your burning questions.

Small and family foundation staff gathered for a roundtable discussion on the issues and processes surrounding effective grantmaking. We asked the group to provide questions or topics to discuss with other small or family foundation colleagues and provided an opportunity to share current projects and collaborations. Special thanks to the Chauncey Foundation and the Hickey  Read More »

AGF members took a break from the holiday madness for a chance to mix and mingle after work and celebrate the end of the year. Thank you to all who joined us!  

During GEO’s history of working with grantmakers to help them effectively support nonprofits and communities, they’ve discovered an interesting connection. Those grantmakers who embody practices that really help nonprofits succeed also tend to share some of the same core values in their work. Kathleen Enright, President & CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations spoke about  Read More »

Kathleen P. Enright, President and CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), was the keynote speaker at our 2013 Annual Meeting. She led a discussion regarding the connection between what we do and how we do it, and provided basic practices for a culture that is conducive to high performance. Program Materials Visit our YouTube  Read More »

Collaboration is a vital step to building successful, sustainable programs in our community, but building those partnerships effectively and successfully can be a challenge. The Professional Development Group hosted an informal, peer-learning session based on building impactful partnerships. Two articles that gave context to the discussion were “A Guide to Forming Effective Partnerships” from Boston  Read More »