Led by Suzanne Friday, Counsel for the Council on Foundations and Brad Ward, Director of Community Philanthropy, this workshop was flexibly organized to ensure that participants' broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities were addressed. Suzanne provided technical and practical understanding of complex rules and regulations, while Brad delivered on the most pressing issues and topics in the community foundation field.
Throughout the day, sessions were curated with the help of insight gleaned from the Council's top-notch legal team that interacts with nearly 2,000 foundation leaders each year, as well as trends spotted by our broader team, including the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, a supporting organization of the Council.
With each session, there was time for questions and a deep exploration of the answers. This workshop was open to any board or staff member from any community foundation that is eager to dive into the legalities of our business model and unlocking the truth to effective management and leadership of a community foundation.
Thanks to Philanthropy Southwest for co-hosting this event with the Council on Foundations.
SAMPLE AGENDA
Specific topics were defined in advance of the workshop according to ideas submitted by attendees. This event was designed to be time sensitive and relevant to current issues. The format was discussion-oriented, question and answer-based learning.
9:00-10:00 a.m.—Registration and Networking
10:00-10:30 a.m.—General Overview of New Rules and Developments for Community Foundations
Suzanne will discuss any new rules or regulations that have become effective this year, as well as some of the new tax regulations from Congress and how these may affect community foundations.
10:30-11:45 a.m. — Session 1
Deep dive into pressing topics and issues identified by attendees. For example, past topics have included DAFs, scholarships, giving circles, and agency funds.
12:00-1:00 p.m.—Working Lunch with Q&A
1:15-2:30 p.m.—Session 2
Deep dive into pressing topics and issues identified by attendees. For example, past topics have included fund type, administration fees, corporate donors, and grantmaking in economic development.
2:45-3:30 p.m.—Session 3
Community foundation pot pourri. Issues can range from specific topics to staff and administrative, technical or general, and board governance. Attendees will help shape the agenda on topics to explore and issues to address.
3:30-4:00 p.m.—Wrap up and General Q&A
