The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) has redesigned its Funders Roundtable (FRT), its platform for donor engagement, to address the diverging needs of the community. The new FRT will include four programmes, according to Christen Chen, Assistant Director of Philanthropy at NVPC, each of which will cater to targeted groups of grant-makers.
The changes in format have been prompted by keen response from junior staff at foundations to deepen their knowledge and a keen interest in peer learning. These changes aim to create multilateral platforms to increase competency in strategic philanthropy, according to NVPC.
The four programmes are seminars, workshops, leading sessions and learning trips. Seminars comprise of public lectures by thought leaders; workshops provide topic specific training for mid-level grant-makers; leading sessions provide a network for foundation leaders to share knowledge; and learning trips comprise of site visits to foundations engaging in best practices.
The first FRT of 2014 will be held on 19-20 June and will be led by Katherina Roqueta, founding executive director at the Center of High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania.
NVPC hopes to see evidence of community investments through its seminars, according to Christen, and believes that its workshops will provide access to leading practices and experts and provide a platform for open and continual dialogue. The learning trips aim to provide the opportunity for partnership with industry leaders and access to leading industry practices. And finally, the leading sessions aim to surface leaders, mobilise resources and come up with innovative solutions.
The seminar for this year’s FRT is focused on impact philanthropy and how it differs from other approaches to philanthropic engagement. It will explore the key principles of practicing high impact philanthropy, discuss common myths surrounding achieving social impact, and use case examples to illustrate how donors can translate good intentions into greater social good.
The full day workshop, on the other hand, will provide a working definition of high impact philanthropy and an appreciation of how it differs from other approaches to philanthropic practice. It will also provide knowledge of how to analyse opportunities for impact and potential for impact.
*The seminar is free of cost for all who are interested in philanthropy and the social sector, and the seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in attending can find out more information on the events here.