#gdc10

On March 19-20, over 180 participants, speakers and volunteers gathered in downtown Seattle for the first-ever Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference.

The conference, called “Pathways for Strategic Giving,” included plenary sessions featuring Kavita Ramdas, President of the Global Fund for Women, and Bill Gates Sr., Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Participants shared strategies with their peers in lively workshops ranging from “Conflict Resolution, Peace and Human Security” and “Building Sustainable Assets for the Poor” to “Pathways for Global Giving” and “Monitoring and Evaluation Strategies that Make a Difference”.

Ramdas opened the conference with a passionate defense of the importance of small grants, risk-taking, and the great outcomes that can be born from modest beginnings. Plenary speakers John Harvey from Grantmakers Without Borders encouraged us to listen to grantees, and Betsy Brill helped us hone our missions. Gates Sr. closed the conference by suggesting that attendees do research, choose an issue, talk to each other, and work with the organizations represented at the conference. He ended by suggesting that “Knowledge is not a finite resource; neither is compassion.”

Positive feedback on the refreshing and energizing nature of the conference has been pouring in. One participant commented that “[the conference] was small enough to get to know folks and large enough to show a movement brewing up.”

Below is the agenda for the inaugural Global Donors Conference held on March, 2010 at the Red Lion.

Friday, March 19: 6-8 p.m.

Registration open - cocktails and hors d'oeuvres until 6:30

Meet and Greet—Networking activity

Keynote Speaker: Kavita Ramdas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Fund for Women

Saturday, March 20: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Registration open – coffee and pastries

Plenary: “Strategies for Effective Global Giving”

John Harvey, Executive Director, Grantmakers Without Borders, will begin the session with the “anatomy of a global donor” exploring attributes necessary for effective international giving.

A panel will follow of several experienced grantmakers describing their how they have developed their global giving strategies and best practices learned along the way.

Panelists: Linda Mason, Co-Founder ,Pangea; Bill and Paula Clapp, Founders, Global Partnerships and the Seattle International Foundation; Erik Schultz, Arthur B. Schultz Foundation

Break and networking

Breakout Session #1: (confirmed speakers listed)

Global Issues Workshops: 

Building Sustainable Assets for the Poor: Erik Schultz, Arthur B. Schultz Foundation; Jason Henning, Global Partnerships, Daniel Radcliffe, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Cheryl Senson, Director, Washington Cash

Gender and Empowerment: Angelika Arutyunova, Regional Director for Europe and the Former Soviet States, Global Fund for Women; Jensine M. Larsen, Founder, World Pulse

Access to Education: Julia Bolz, Journey with an Afghan School/ Founder, Ayni Education International; Julie Shaw, Executive Director, Global Education Fund

The Practice of Giving Workshops:

Pathways for Global Giving: John Harvey, Grantmakers Without Borders; Mauricio Vivero, Seattle International Foundation5. Advocacy as a Change Strategy: Nikhil Aziz, Executive Director, Grassroots International; Chet Tchozewski, President, Global Greengrants

Seeing for Yourself: How to Make a Site Visit: Christine Doerr, Pangea; Jennifer Anderson-Bähr, Executive Director, Mountain Community Resources; Joshua Machinga, Director, Common Ground, Kenya

Lunch and optional informal Roundtable Sessions

Breakout Session #2: (confirmed speakers listed)

Global Issues Workshops: 

Towards a Green Food System: How Sustainable Agriculture Can Save the Environment and Feed the World: Nikhil Aziz, Executive Director, Grassroots International; Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director, Oakland Institute; Joshua Machinga, Common Ground, Kenya

Disaster Relief and Recovery: How can we help communities recover? Prepare for the next disaster?John Harvey, Grantmakers Without Borders

Conflict Resolution, Peace, and Human Security: Katherine Magraw, Moderator, Director, Peace and Security Funders Group; Stephanie Smith, Compton Foundation; Sanam Naraghi Anderlini,International Civil Society Action Network

The Practice of Giving Workshops:

Working At the Grassroots: Pete Stanga, Executive Director, Foundation For Sustainable Development (former Executive Director, IDEX); Chet Tchozewski, President, Global Greengrants; Dr. Joye Hardiman, AAKEWO

Monitoring and Evaluation Strategies That Make a Difference: Therese Caouette, Faculty Associate,Thammasat University, Thailand, Professor, Seattle University; Mary Kay Gugerty, Professor,University of Washington

Program Related Investing: Peter Berliner, Managing Director, PRI Makers Network

Break and networking

Plenary: Putting It All into Context (or Creating a Roadmap)

Betsy Brill, Founder and President of Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd. will discuss the goals and techniques involved in creating a mission for your global giving - a point of view from which subsequent grantmaking can be defined and implemented.

Closing and Exhortation: Go and Change the World 

The first ever Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference will kick off with Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, giving a plenary address Friday evening, March 19, followed by a full day of plenary and workshop sessions on Saturday, March 20.

Join us as we explore how to establish and deepen our commitment to international philanthropy. The conference will:

Provide information on key issues and practical skills in global grantmaking

Identify strategic pathways to address the root causes of poverty and other human rights issues

Link the growing community of global philanthropists in the region.

William H Gates Sr, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has confirmed his participation in the PNW Global Donors Conference. Gates guides the vision and strategic direction of the Foundation and is an established leader on issues of reproductive and child health.

Gates mirrors what many at the Conference will be — individuals who have perhaps focused mostly on domestic philanthropy for many years but have turned their attention to the larger world.

He’ll answer the question: How can philanthropy address the great challenges of the global community at this time in history?