2017 Agenda

Plan to arrive early to take advantage of this time to network with colleagues and visit with our sponsors who provide professional services to philanthropy and nonprofits.

Welcome & Opening Remarks

• PAUL DILORENZO, President, Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia; Senior Director for Strategic Consulting, Casey Family Programs

• SIDNEY HARGRO, Executive Director, Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia

Keynote Speaker

• DeAMON HARGES, Board Chair, Grassroots Grantmakers; Faculty, Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute at DePaul University; and cofounder, The Learning Tree

Hailing from Indianapolis and known as the “Roving Listener,” artist and storyteller DeAmon Harges will speak about how he uses the principles and practices of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) to bring together neighbors and institutions to achieve a shared vision for stronger communities.

Activating Vision, Voice and Values for this Moment

Session Leader
• DAVID BRADLEY, Co-Founder, LiveConnections

Drawing on the imagery of the iconic American “front porch” as a unique gathering place where neighbors come together to discuss important issues in their community, we will together dive into a deeper discussion about the themes introduced by the morning speakers. We are collectively wrestling with times that call on both philanthropies and non-profits to respond with new investments and new strategies. In this town hall-style session, we will have the chance to share examples of new approaches and ask questions of the speakers (and each other) about how our actions in this moment can best embody the values we articulate.

Further building on themes of Vision, Voice and Values, attendees will choose from three interactive workshops that will offer ideas and techniques to empower your work.

• Shared Vision: Getting to the Heart of Community Engagement

Weaving together highly diverse individuals and networks can spark creativity, uncover intersections and reveal common ground that can lead to groundbreaking solutions to community challenges. In order to foster truly thriving communities, we need to push the boundaries of our traditional circles to engage the widest possible range of stakeholders to create and sustain positive change. Using a human-centered design model, participants will learn the principles and practices that empower cross-sector partnerships built on trust, collaboration, and inclusion, and can lead to a shared, multi-faceted vision for the community.

Workshop Leaders:
Elizabeth Murphy, Director, and Kacy O'Brien, Director of Programs, Creative New Jersey

• Storytelling as Leadership

This interactive presentation will use the basic concepts of storytelling to craft a personal narrative that serves as a leadership tool.

Telling stories leads to a deeper human connection. Use a story from your life to help with your professional communication goals. We'll work with you to strategize what story to tell and
how to lead with it -- whether your goal is to build a team, get funding, or advocate for your organization.

Attendees will leave with the skills to use their authentic voice to cultivate a narrative that best represents who they are as a person, a leader, and the vision they stand behind.

Workshop Leader:
Hillary Rea, Founder, Tell Me a Story

• Inclusive Conversations: Connecting Values, Culture & Identity

Understanding that many of our communication challenges with colleagues, funders, grantees, clients and others are due to differing cultural norms, this session will examine the connection between values and cultural identity and how it affects our work. Participants will explore personal social identities - such as race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and gender – and through a process of critical self-reflection, assess their social location in relation to others and help identify communication challenges. Using active listening, participants will begin to uncover personal values and learn how to recognize bias that may influence decision-making or result in missed opportunities for trust-building and impact.

Workshop Leaders:
Hillary Blecker and Susanna Gilbertson, Co-Founders, The Blue Door Group

In this final session, three members of our community will share personal stories about how the principles of Vision, Voice and Values have influenced and inspired their work to create positive change

• Miss Nandi Muhammad
• Chinwe Onyekere
• Omar Woodard

Final Thoughts

• SIDNEY HARGRO, Philanthropy Network