2016 Annual Conference - Learning Labs, Conversation Cafés, & Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bars
Learning Labs, Conversation Cafés, & Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bars
Concourse Level
Your Annual Conference experience won"t be complete without taking in a Learning Lab, Conversation Café, or Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar. Visit the Concourse Level throughout the conference for these 30 minute sessions featuring new ideas and peer-to-peer discussions.
Keep the conversation going! Visit the Conference Hub to ask questions of presenters and go in-depth on a topic following a Learning Lab, Conversation Café, or Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar demonstration. You can also relax, recharge your device, and check in with your team at home via a virtual office space.
Sunday, April 10
10:15–10:45 a.m.
Learning Lab: Scholarship and Student Support Trends with Scholarship America
The world of college affordability and the challenges it presents to today's college student is rapidly changing. Join Scholarship America to learn about higher education financing trends, innovative scholarship and educational support programs for students and public and private financing trends affecting college affordability.
Conversation Café: The Art of Partnership with J.P. Morgan
This session will highlight the building blocks of an effective investment committee/investment manager relationship. We will explore the idea that moving toward an outsourced CIO or partnership model allows nonprofits to take a more systematic and functional approach to governance, policy making and member selection.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Assessing Your Private Foundation's MDR Environment with Moss Adams
How are you managing your minimum distribution requirements? Do you know what it will take to reduce your excise tax burden to the lower 1% rate? Join us as we demonstrate our Private Foundation Planning Analysis tool which is capable of peering up to 20 years in the future to help you better manage MDR as your investment and donor mix evolve.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: How Not for Profits Benefit from PEOs with TriNet
Navigating HR, employee benefits, payroll and risk management can be a challenge for any not-for-profit. TriNet explains how your not-for-profit can benefit from professional employer organizations (PEOs) and meet those challenges head on.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Streamline Your Workflow and Boost Productivity with Meeting Pool
We will arm you with a legion of ready-to-go apps that will help you streamline your workflow and reduce the amount of manual processes. The result? A measurable difference in the way you manage your life and work giving you more time to do the things that really matter.
Conversation Café: Measuring "Net Positive Impact" of Public Companies with UBS
Most foundations measure the impact their programs have on society and environment. But few know the impact companies have in their stock portfolios. Dr. Dinah Koehler explains how UBS is developing methodologies to measure the "net positive impact" companies have across climate change, water, human health, and food sustainability.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Advancing Shared Leadership through Technology with BoardEffect
The work of Foundation boards is complex, demanding, and high-stakes. Boards convene on a regular meeting cycle, deliver on a recurring set of annual responsibilities, and continuously work to refresh and strengthen themselves as strategic assets to the communities they serve. Learn how technology can enhance the board's ability to operate in this mission-critical environment of shared leadership.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Tips & Tricks to Get to Know Your Mobile Devices Inside & Out! with Meeting Pool
It's time to take full control over your phones and tablets, and get to know how to use them! In this hands-on session, you are in control – become a mobile ninja!
Learning Lab: Best Practices for Engaging NextGen in Your Philanthropy with J.P. Morgan
This session will focus on how to engage and equip the next generation ("NextGen") as it relates to philanthropic giving, board fiduciary responsibility and the investment portfolio.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Apps for Work/Life Balance with Meeting Pool
Achieving the perfect work life balance may be difficult, but you can surely get some help from apps that will allow you to free up time to do more of what you want, whether it may be for work or for life. Find more time in your schedule now with these apps.
Learning Lab: Catalyzing Communities: The Future of Convening - New Possibilities of Purpose and Place with Covision
Creative use of collaborative engagement methodologies enable you to facilitate inclusive, convergent, dialogue-based processes with 100's and even 1000's of stakeholders; in one room or spread out across multiple locations. Join us to explore the future of convening communities to tap their collective intelligence and co-create equitable solutions to complex community problems.
Conversation Café: The Art of Partnership with J.P. Morgan
This session will highlight the building blocks of an effective investment committee/investment manager relationship. We will explore the idea that moving toward an outsourced CIO or partnership model allows nonprofits to take a more systematic and functional approach to governance, policy making and member selection.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Advancing Shared Leadership through Technology with BoardEffect
The work of Foundation boards is complex, demanding, and high-stakes. Boards convene on a regular meeting cycle, deliver on a recurring set of annual responsibilities, and continuously work to refresh and strengthen themselves as strategic assets to the communities they serve. Learn how technology can enhance the board's ability to operate in this mission-critical environment of shared leadership.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Tech and Solutions: Note Taking and Capturing Data – Speech and Handwriting Recognition with Meeting Pool
Are you still taking notes by hand with pen and paper? Let's change that – we"ll share with you some options for note taking on your mobile devices with speech and handwriting recognition features. Let's go paperless!
Conversation Café: Equivalency Determination Made Easier with NGOSource
Leaders in global philanthropy are aligning. To centralize their efforts on equivalency determinations (EDs), they"re using NGOsource, a joint project of the Council on Foundations and TechSoup. NGOsource revolutionizes how EDs can serve not only individual foundations but the sector as a whole. As the repository grows, members benefit by gaining access to other members" EDs through a streamlined, efficient process. The result: more funds directly supporting nonprofits on the ground across the globe. Come learn about how NGOsource makes equivalency determination easier both for grantmakers and their grantees.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Leveraging Technology to Tell Your Impact Story with MicroEdge
The world of philanthropy is transforming; gone are the days of random giving and checkbook philanthropy. Giving organizations need to be more strategic, transparent, and collaborative to ensure that every dollar given is aligned with your organization's key priorities and is making an impact. Learn how to leverage technology and go beyond tracking dollars and number of grants to tracking, monitoring, and assessing results via GIFTS Online with Blackbaud Outcomes to tell your organization's full impact story.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Top 10 Apps-on-the-Go: Tech Solutions for the Traveling “Road Warrior” with Meeting Pool
This session will unveil 10 top apps that will come in handy and help with productivity, travel arrangements, conference calls, scheduling and more. You"ll sigh with relief from a stress-less work environment and an easier daily life at home.
Monday, April 11
Learning Lab: Saving Money for Mission with Purchasing Point
PurchasingPoint, administered by the National Human Services Assembly, is a discount program based on $24 billion in annual purchasing by some of the nation's largest nonprofits. Learn how you can save an average of 33% annually through discounts with everyday vendors for office supplies, shipping, travel, technology, food service and more.
Conversation Café: Helping Students Succeed in Higher Education with Scholarship America
Foundations play a key role as funders, community change agents, philanthropic advisors, and contributors to policy/advocacy initiatives. All of those roles are required to address the challenges of higher education access, affordability and completion for students. Participate in a discussion on how Foundations can help students overcome barriers and advocate for solutions to make college more affordable.
Conversation Café: Creating Culture Change: A New Frame for Human Services with Purchasing Point
Be part of a dynamic conversation on a groundbreaking research communications project that uncovers the hidden barriers to public support for human needs. Learn how we can create a cohesive voice for human services to build public understanding of the sector that will encourage more vibrant civic participation.
Conversation Café: Family Foundations as Collaborators with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
Despite the buzz about collaboration, many family foundations don"t see themselves in this role. This session will explore the challenges – and distinctive advantages – facing family foundations looking to collaborate. Tips for realizing the promise of collaboration will be discussed, based on a recently released report from the Johnson Center. Printed reports will be available for attendees.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: How Not for Profits Benefit from PEOs with TriNet
Navigating HR, employee benefits, payroll and risk management can be a challenge for any not-for-profit. TriNet explains how your not-for-profit can benefit from professional employer organizations (PEOs) and meet those challenges head on.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Advancing Shared Leadership through Technology with BoardEffect
The work of Foundation boards is complex, demanding, and high-stakes. Boards convene on a regular meeting cycle, deliver on a recurring set of annual responsibilities, and continuously work to refresh and strengthen themselves as strategic assets to the communities they serve. Learn how technology can enhance the board's ability to operate in this mission-critical environment of shared leadership.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Using LinkedIn to Your Foundation's Advantage with Meeting Pool
You can build a high-performance branding platform through LinkedIn, connecting you to its 330 million members. You can grow your foundation and volunteer base by integrating LinkedIn into fundraising, board of directors, marketing, and PR efforts for immediate and long-term impact throughout your community.
Learning Lab: Ask the Experts: Accounting and Tax Issues with Moss Adams
Do you have questions on how to interpret certain areas of your financial statements, Form 990 or 990PF? Maybe you have questions related to the PATH Act or whether UBIT applies to a particular situation. During this informal Q&A session, you"ll have the opportunity to ask our professionals any accounting and tax questions related to your Foundation.
Conversation Café: Free Online Training Modules on Legal Rules for Private Foundations with Learn Foundation Law
Learn Foundation Law offers free online training modules that present the legal rules that guide how private foundations engage in charitable activities. These trainings feature a program officer named "Maya" who guides participants through topics such as advocacy and lobbying, expenditure responsibility, and electioneering. The trainings are available at http://www.learnfoundationlaw.org/.
Conversation Café: Discretion, Non-Discretion, No Direction? Too Many Investment Consulting Terms! with Mason Advisory Investment Services, Inc
Investment professionals often confuse simple concepts with confusing double-speak and industry jargon. Is your consultant "independent" but they are offering their own products? This Idea Café is intended for foundation and endowment leaders who would like to discuss the various ways that investment professionals work with their clients.
Conversation Café: Growing Talent in Your Community with NCAN
As Tom Friedman often writes, "Average is over." In the global information economy, the success of the places we call home is directly related to education levels of their residents. Let's talk about how places from metropolitan areas to small towns can educate more people beyond high school.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Advancing Shared Leadership through Technology with BoardEffect
The work of Foundation boards is complex, demanding, and high-stakes. Boards convene on a regular meeting cycle, deliver on a recurring set of annual responsibilities, and continuously work to refresh and strengthen themselves as strategic assets to the communities they serve. Learn how technology can enhance the board's ability to operate in this mission-critical environment of shared leadership.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: How Not for Profits Benefit from PEOs with TriNet
Navigating HR, employee benefits, payroll and risk management can be a challenge for any not-for-profit. TriNet explains how your not-for-profit can benefit from professional employer organizations (PEOs) and meet those challenges head on.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Improve Your Life with Wearable Technologies with Meeting Pool
From Google Glass to FitBit to the new Apple Watch, users are depending more and more on these technologies to better their lifestyle both professionally and personally. Join us to learn more about this trend and how it can improve your quality of life.
Learning Lab: Catalyzing Communities: The Future of Convening - New Possibilities of Purpose and Place with Covision
Creative use of collaborative engagement methodologies enable you to facilitate inclusive, convergent, dialogue-based processes with 100's and even 1000's of stakeholders; in one room or spread out across multiple locations. Join us to explore the future of convening communities to tap their collective intelligence and co-create equitable solutions to complex community problems.
Conversation Café: Measuring "Net Positive Impact" of Public Companies with UBS
Most foundations measure the impact their programs have on society and environment. But few know the impact companies have in their stock portfolios. Dr. Dinah Koehler explains how UBS is developing methodologies to measure the "net positive impact" companies have across climate change, water, human health, and food sustainability.
Conversation Café: Let's Talk About Diverse Asset Managers with The Raben Group
While foundations have led numerous diversity efforts, an often-overlooked sector in diversity discussions is asset management. The Diverse Asset Managers Initiative is an effort to increase the absolute number of diverse-owned asset management firms utilized by institutional investors; in this Café we will discuss challenges foundations face and best practices for moving the needle on investment manager diversity.
Conversation Café: Family Foundations as Collaborators with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
Despite the buzz about collaboration, many family foundations don"t see themselves in this role. This session will explore the challenges – and distinctive advantages – facing family foundations looking to collaborate. Tips for realizing the promise of collaboration will be discussed, based on a recently released report from the Johnson Center. Printed reports will be available for attendees.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Let Us Help You Make Incredible Happen! with CyberGrants, Inc.
Come see how CyberGrants can automate and streamline every step of your grantsmaking process -- from pre-appoval to applications to payout to impact reporting.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Cybersecurity - A Clear and Present Danger with PFK O'Connor Davies
Today's more frequent and pervasive IT security breaches, the heightened regulatory environment and increased sensitivity and awareness to privacy, underscores the importance of a strong system of internal controls to mitigate the risks of cyberattacks and data breaches. Foundations are a prime target for cyber criminals, either because of their financial position and/or because of the political or social issues they support. This session will explore these risks, examine the various current cyber threats and discuss key steps to protect the foundation against Cyber threats.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Streamline Your Workflow and Boost Productivity with Meeting Pool
We will arm you with a legion of ready-to-go apps that will help you streamline your workflow and reduce the amount of manual processes. The result? A measurable difference in the way you manage your life and work giving you more time to do the things that really matter.
Learning Lab: Measuring "Net Positive Impact" of Public Companies with UBS Asset Management
Most foundations measure the impact their programs have on society and environment. But few know the impact companies have in their stock portfolios. Dr. Dinah Koehler explains how UBS is developing methodologies to measure the "net positive impact" companies have across climate change, water, human health, and food sustainability.
Conversation Café: Creating Communities Resilient to Environmental Change with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Creating communities resilient to sudden and prolonged environmental change is something no one organization can do. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has funding and toolkits helping citizens, emergency managers and other decision makers with timely information. Learn about these resources and share your communities" needs and efforts to support resilience.
Conversation Café: Fostering Transformation of Local and Regional Food Systems in Cities and Rural Communities with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
It is increasingly recognized that greater attention needs to be paid to an array of supply chain challenges that will address the growing demand for local food from urban consumers, including large institutions. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the nation's largest funder of local food efforts, is partnering with over 15 foundations on a new initiative to support coordination of supply chain activities. This session will introduce this new three-year effort and provide insight as to how other foundations can become involved.
Conversation Café: NTIA's Community Connectivity Initiative with the National Telecommunications and Information Agency
Broadband connectivity is essential to local priorities in health, education, economic development, and more. NTIA's BroadbandUSA Program is creating a new assessment tool to support local planning efforts for broadband access, adoption, policy and use. Learn more about this Initiative and how it can support your current and future investments.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Cybersecurity - A Clear and Present Danger with PFK O'Connor Davies
Today's more frequent and pervasive IT security breaches, the heightened regulatory environment and increased sensitivity and awareness to privacy, underscores the importance of a strong system of internal controls to mitigate the risks of cyberattacks and data breaches. Foundations are a prime target for cyber criminals, either because of their financial position and/or because of the political or social issues they support. This session will explore these risks, examine the various current cyber threats and discuss key steps to protect the foundation against Cyber threats.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Let Us Help You Make Incredible Happen! with CyberGrants, Inc.
Come see how CyberGrants can automate and streamline every step of your grantsmaking process -- from pre-appoval to applications to payout to impact reporting.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Apps for Work/Life Balance with Meeting Pool
Achieving the perfect work life balance may be difficult, but you can surely get some help from apps that will allow you to free up time to do more of what you want, whether it may be for work or for life. Find more time in your schedule now with these apps.
Tuesday, April 12
Learning Lab: Hedge Funds or Private Equity or Neither? with Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc.
Are Hedge Funds and Private Equity appropriate for your portfolio? What does your Committee think? Have you invested in these alternatives? Independent researchers have uncovered some interesting and eye opening data. Join this Learning Lab to hear more information about this important and timely topic.
Conversation Café: Expanding Who's at the Table with Covision
What are the limits to how many people can be part of a solution-seeking conversation? Can we break through those limits and make more people contributors to the dialogue and owners of the solutions? Discuss the future of convening communities to tap the collective intelligence, think together, and co-create equitable solutions.
Conversation Café: Let's Talk About Diverse Asset Managers with The Raben Group
While foundations have led numerous diversity efforts, an often-overlooked sector in diversity discussions is asset management. The Diverse Asset Managers Initiative is an effort to increase the absolute number of diverse-owned asset management firms utilized by institutional investors; in this Café we will discuss challenges foundations face and best practices for moving the needle on investment manager diversity.
Conversation Café: Growing Talent in Your Community with NCAN
As Tom Friedman often writes, "Average is over." In the global information economy, the success of the places we call home is directly related to education levels of their residents. Let's talk about how places from metropolitan areas to small towns can educate more people beyond high school.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Assessing Your Private Foundation's MDR Environment with Moss Adams
How are you managing your minimum distribution requirements? Do you know what it will take to reduce your excise tax burden to the lower 1% rate? Join us as we demonstrate our Private Foundation Planning Analysis tool which is capable of peering up to 20 years in the future to help you better manage MDR as your investment and donor mix evolve.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: The AmericaServes Initiative: Integrating Community, Coordination, and Technology to Best Serve Veterans, Servicemembers, and Their Families with The Institute for Veterans and Families at Syracuse University
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University's (IVMF's) AmericaServes initiative addresses the persisting challenge that exists for veterans and military families in navigating the myriad of resources available to them. In partnership with community-based providers and the technology platform Unite US, AmericaServes organizes a local network of services, resources, and care for veterans, servicemembers, and their families. The result is improved coordination and measurement among providers and a seamless service delivery experience for the military connected members they serve.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Top 10 Apps-on-the-Go: Tech Solutions for the Traveling “Road Warrior” with Meeting Pool
This session will unveil 10 top apps that will come in handy and help with productivity, travel arrangements, conference calls, scheduling and more. You"ll sigh with relief from a stress-less work environment and an easier daily life at home.
Learning Lab: Best Practices for Engaging NextGen in Your Philanthropy with J.P. Morgan
This session will focus on how to engage and equip the next generation ("NextGen") as it relates to philanthropic giving, board fiduciary responsibility and the investment portfolio.
Conversation Café: My Brother’s Keeper Success Mentors Initiative with U.S. Department of Education
My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) is a national and local effort to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by young people, including boys and young men of color, with the goal of helping all young people to reach their full potential. MBK’s Every Student, Every Day campaign is specifically focused on helping the estimated 5 to 7.5 million students who are chronically absent each year. The MBK Success Mentors Initiative is the nation’s first-ever effort to reach and support our highest need students by scaling an evidence-based, data-driven mentor model. Over the next three to five years, the initiative aims to reduce chronic absenteeism by connecting over one million chronically absent students with caring, trained, school-linked personnel. These “Success Mentors” include coaches, administrative staff, teachers, security guards, educators, AmeriCorps members, tutors, after-school providers and others. Meet Department of Education officials overseeing this initiative.
Conversation Café: Saving Money for Mission with Purchasing Point
PurchasingPoint, administered by the National Human Services Assembly, is a discount program based on $24 billion in annual purchasing by some of the nation's largest nonprofits. Learn how you can save an average of 33% annually through discounts with everyday vendors for office supplies, shipping, travel, technology, food service and more.
Conversation Café: Discretion, Non-Discretion, No Direction? Too Many Investment Consulting Terms! with Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc.
Investment professionals often confuse simple concepts with confusing double-speak and industry jargon. Is your consultant "independent" but they are offering their own products? This Conversation Café is intended for foundation and endowment leaders who would like to discuss the various ways that investment professionals work with their clients.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: The AmericaServes Initiative: Integrating Community, Coordination, and Technology to Best Serve Veterans, Servicemembers, and Their Families with The Institute for Veterans and Families at Syracuse University
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University's (IVMF's) AmericaServes initiative addresses the persisting challenge that exists for veterans and military families in navigating the myriad of resources available to them. In partnership with community-based providers and the technology platform Unite US, AmericaServes organizes a local network of services, resources, and care for veterans, servicemembers, and their families. The result is improved coordination and measurement among providers and a seamless service delivery experience for the military connected members they serve.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar: Tips & Tricks to Get to Know Your Mobile Devices Inside & Out! with Meeting Pool
It's time to take full control over your phones and tablets, and get to know how to use them! In this hands-on session, you are in control – become a mobile ninja!
LEARNING LABS
Back by popular demand we are providing interactive Learning Labs. You can develop your skills while engaging with your peers and learning from the experts. The labs are small and intimate and designed to create a comfortable and casual environment for a presentation on a specific topic. These sessions are presented in 30 minute learning segments. More than 12 different Resource Partners have prepared presentations on a variety of topics for your choosing.
Conversation Cafés
Three Conversation Cafés will be present on the concourse level of the International Ballroom. These specialty discussion areas will be set in the comfortable setting of a coffee shop. Pre-determined topics related to philanthropy will be facilitated by Resource Partners to encourage peer-to-peer group discussions. This allows for philanthropic leaders such as yourself share best practices and take away new ideas. Facilitators will provide an overview of a project or initiative and why it has been or can be successful.
Tech-KNOWLEDGY Bar
Thirty (30) minute learning segments that focus on technology and the future of technology in the field of philanthropy. The power of technology can help you streamline information, gather data, and connect to stakeholders. Technology sessions will be very hands-on, and you are encouraged to bring your mobile devices. Be prepared for an interactive experience. Each presentation will have a small discussion format and host eight to ten guests.