Monday May 5, 2008
| Maxwell King Tells Foundations: Step up to the Challenge  Maxwell King, outgoing Council chairman of the board,
urged foundations to work “bigger and bolder” and to
leverage philanthropy’s strength” to help solve society’s
problems. Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of
Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit, King told the
audience that unlike government and politics, which is
focused on public perception and image-making, or the
business world, which is concerned with profits and
short-term results, philanthropy can and should focus on “helping humanity move forward.” “The philanthropic
sector doesn’t have to make a profit or gain a vote to make
things happen,” King said.
King was preceded by the chairs of the 2008
Philanthropy Summit Planning Committee, Council
President and CEO Steve Gunderson, and six international
speakers representing different regions of the world. The
audience also saw a short video by PBS journalist Roger
Rosenblatt. Aptly titled The Fifth Estate, (the first three
referring to the seats of political power and the fourth to a
free press) Rosenblatt urged foundations to “wield as much
power as possible to benefit the common good.” Calling all CEOs: Go Boldly to Find New, Creative Ways to Meet Societal Needs  As former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s policy director, Geoff Mulgan understands the importance of reaching out to and working with different constituencies.Mulgan, director of
the UK-based Young Foundation (a unique organization
dedicated to social innovations), was the keynote speaker
during the CEO and Trustee Summit. He discussed the
importance of blending pragmatism and risk-taking,
challenging the foundation CEOs and trustees present to be
bold, creative, and invest in new ways to meet society’s
pressing needs. “If you see a problem, your first duty is to
act—not tell others to act,”Mulgan told the audience.
Urging foundations to be doers rather than only funders,
Mulgan offered the following advice: don’t be afraid of
innovation, work with humility but then move to analysis
and data, collaborate with entities in other countries, and
take the long view (“what would you wish you would have
done years from now?”). “This is the best time to be in
philanthropy,”Mulgan said, “with more resources and
money than any time in history.”First Lady of Mexico Helps Hispanics in Philanthropy Celebrate 25th Anniversary  Margarita Zavala, First Lady of Mexico, keynoted the
Hispanic s in Philanthropy (HIP) 25th anniversary celebration
yesterday morning and helped HIP launch a new
initiative called “Our Children/Nuestros Hijos.” Zavala
noted that the campaign is being launched to address the
tragedy of children traveling alone to the US to reconnect
with their parents. Every year, she said, thousands of children
cross the border; last year 45,000 were deported and
nearly half were unaccompanied. She went on to tell the
stories of two young children whom she called the “lucky
ones”—they were reunited with their parents, but only after
going through traumatic experiences and being caught by either Mexican or US authorities. Zavala expressed
gratitude for the Council opening “this space to talk about
important issues, like the focus of the morning.”
Also on hand for the celebration was Gara LaMarche,
president and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. LaMarche
praised Hispanics in Philanthropy saying the organization is
not just a “conglomeration of those who have common
interests and share a culture, but it is also an organization
with a mission of social justice.” He lauded HIP for its
demonstrated capacity to leverage philanthropic resources. Download complete Philanthropy Today for more news, updates and information about Philanthropy's Vision: A Leadership Summit [pdf]. |