Pennsylvania Philanthropy Conference Sessions

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast & Registration

9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. – Opening Plenary: Benefits (and Pitfalls) of State Tax Credits for Community Foundations

Community foundations in several states have launched initiatives to enact legislation for a state tax credit for contributions to qualified community foundations. The state tax credit can provide many benefits for community foundations and donors but often requires a well-coordinated effort among community foundations across the state and with state legislative leaders. Presenters will discuss the benefits, pitfalls and planning involved to successfully lead a state tax credit initiative such as Endow Maryland which successfully enacted a permanent state tax credit for qualified community foundations in Maryland.

Speaker(s): Lara Kalwinski, Director of National Standards and Counsel, Council on Foundations; Ralph Serpe, Vice President, Development, Baltimore Community Foundation ; Barbara Taylor, Executive Director, Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania; Paula Wolferseder Yabar, Senior Vice President, Council on Foundations

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. – Development Practices and Endowment Campaigns

Operating endowments can provide stability and long term sustainability for community foundations. They can also provide resources that enable community foundation leaders to play a stronger leadership role in the community and direct resources to the most pressing issues facing the community. Developing and executing an endowment building campaign brings its own complexities and challenges and can often require a different engagement strategy with potential donors. This session will provide attendees with an overview of development best practices with specific focus on building operating endowment assets.

Speaker(s): Michael L. Batchelor, President, The Erie Community Foundation; Francis Schodowski, Associate Vice President of Advancement, Lebanon Valley College; Ralph Serpe, Vice President, Development, Baltimore Community Foundation

11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. – Community Leadership and Advocacy

Community foundations’ roles within their communities are evolving and require new forms of leadership, whether that be in identifying community problems, creating pilot programs or leading civic advocacy campaigns. As place-based anchor institutions, community foundations are increasing their role and presence as civic leaders. This session will focus on strategies, tactics and action agendas needed to support and lead initiatives that address community priorities. Participants will engage in conversations about the most effective and appropriate ways to leverage resources and create a message, target its focus, and move audiences to support or oppose an initiative or idea.

Speaker(s): Sam Bressi, President and CEO, Lancaster County Community Foundation; John Denny, Principal, Denny Civic Solutions

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. – Lunch Plenary: The Future of Community

Our future will depend upon on our shared leadership and willingness to form new partnerships capable of developing solutions and resourcing them appropriately. Community foundations will play an integral role in the future of community given their unique place within philanthropy and society.

Speaker(s): Kevin Murphy, President, Berks County Community Foundation; Vikki Spruill, President and CEO, Council on Foundations 

1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. – National Standards Review and Update

The National Standards for Community Foundations online application and process has been enhanced this year to improve the user experience and how community foundations can use them to communicate their role. Director of National Standards, Lara Kalwinski to review the online website and provide information on how to pass the review. Sample documents, most frequently asked questions, and other tips for passing National Standards will be shared.

Speaker(s): Lara Kalwinski, Director of National Standards and Counsel, Council on Foundations

1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. – Strategic Grantmaking Best Practices

The issues that emerge through our grants requests and programs present opportunities for our foundations to enhance our community leadership capacity, engage our donors and strengthen our grant making. This session will provide an overview of aspects of the grants process and the art and science of grant making. We'll review various types of grants; discuss issues one may encounter with different grant types; review ways to multiply the impact of our grants in partnership with others; and talk about how to deploy our grants in ways that promote community engagement with our foundations.

Speaker(s): Jennifer Doyle, Director of Development and Community Investment, The Foundation for Enhancing Communities; Molly Kunkel, Executive Director, Centre Foundation

3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. – Developing Your Board as Community Ambassadors

Community foundations have a significant and often underutilized force for growth at the ready: board members. Board members are often best suited to connect their community foundation to the people who can do the most to deepen its impact and grow its assets. Ambassadorship is one of the most important — yet often overlooked — roles of board members. Eliminating a few readily surmountable barriers can help all community foundation trustees thrive as ambassadors who play a vital role in increasing organizational assets and impact. This session focuses on pathways for building an active, effective corps of board ambassadors.

Speaker(s): Jane Conover, President and CEO, York County Community Foundation; Bryan Tate, Vice President & Chief Development Officer, York County Community Foundation

3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. – FASB Changes and Community Foundation Financial Best Practices

Financial best practices are a critical aspect for healthy community foundation operations. As public charities community foundations must adhere to an array of financial regulations that differ from other types of foundations. This session’s speakers will discuss various aspects of community foundation financial management and provide insight about  FASB’s proposed Accounting Standards Updates for Not-for-Profit Entities and Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities. These proposed changes will affect how community foundations manage various aspects of their finances and staff members should prepare for expected changes in foundation reporting requirements. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about these changes and ask questions of the speakers.

Speaker(s): Frances A. Aitken, CPA, Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations, Berks County Community Foundation; Rick Wittgren, Partner, BKD Advisors and CPAs 

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. – Break

Lara Kalwinski, Director of National Standards and Counsel, Council on Foundations, will be available to meet informally with Council members to discuss legal questions. 

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. – Cocktail Networking Reception

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. – Dinner Plenary: The Campaign for What Works

The Campaign for What Works is a civic campaign that aims to help the human and social service sector better advocate the importance of their work and why it matters. It supports, promotes, and highlights the importance of proven, innovative programs in Pennsylvania that provide services to those in need in a more efficient manner at less cost to taxpayers. Its members consist of a variety of organizations working together towards a common goal of improving state policy issues and processes.

Hear from Max King and John Denny about how the Campaign for What Worked came to be and the value that more Pennsylvania foundations working in a more collaborative way could hold for the state. They will discuss the Campaign and the coalition they have formed to influence policy on the state budget process.

Speaker(s): John Denny, Principal, Denny Civic Solutions; Maxwell King, President & CEO, The Pittsburgh Foundation

8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. – Breakfast & Registration

8:45 a.m. - 9:35 a.m. – Reflections and Vision: Navigating the Way Forward

The opening session will feature members of the conference working group who will reflect on the budget impasse of the past year and discuss where the opportunities lay for Pennsylvania philanthropy in encouraging a more productive pathway to State governing.

Speaker(s): Maxwell King, President & CEO, The Pittsburgh Foundation; Stephanie Powers, Senior Director for Policy and Partnerships, Council on Foundations

9:35 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. – Reviewing the National Landscapes and Pennsylvania’s Position Nationally

1. The “State of the States", most specifically examining revenue and budget environments and major fiscal issues that governors and State legislatures are facing in 2016 and beyond. The Rockefeller Institute will lay out what the policy responses are likely to be, particularly around education systems, human services, and critical infrastructure and services.
2. The “State of Nonprofits” nationally, and what threats are mounting in the face of dysfunctional governing at the federal level, which is, in turn, spurring some unprecedented posturing over States’ funding of essential services. How an already challenging situation in Pennsylvania is being exacerbated by the budget impasse will be addressed.

Speaker(s): Donald J. Boyd, Director of Fiscal Studies, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government; David Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy, National Council of Nonprofits

10:35 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. – State of the Pennsylvania Budget and Impacts of the Governing Breakdown across Sectors

The session will begin with a presentation about the Pennsylvania state budget process, the nature of divided government in the State, and its impact on the budgeting process. Attendees will hear from analysts about the budget process, implications the budget will have for local governments and the business community.

A discussion between the attendees and the speakers will be facilitated to explore with the speakers how philanthropic leaders and government officials and businesses can work together to prevent future budget delays that have negative consequences for Pennsylvania residents.

Speaker(s): Gene Barr, President & CEO, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry; Douglas Hill, Executive Director, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania; David Meyers, Director, O’Pake Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Public Service, Alvernia University

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. – Lunch and Table Discussion – What's Next for Pennsylvania Philanthropy?

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. – Impacts of the Governing Breakdown on the People of Pennsylvania

Speakers will articulate 2-3 key impacts of the budget impasse on four social issues: education, health care, workforce development, and public pensions. Each speaker will suggest specific ways that foundations can assist in mitigating the negative consequences for individuals and families.

Attendees will be encouraged to share their current actions in response to the crises in the short term, but also explore how the sector should approach the longer term prospects of repeat actions in a divided government.

This discussion will tee up the discussion that follows on “next steps” for philanthropy.

Speaker(s): Linda Blake, Executive Director, PA Workforce Development Association; Ronald R. Cowell, President, Education Policy and Leadership Center; Patrick Keenan, Policy Director, Pennsylvania Health Access Network; Katie Selenski, State Policy Director, The Pew Charitable Trusts

2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. – What's Next for Philanthropy?

The wrap-up session will engage the audience in philanthropy’s role during this impasse and action steps the sector can take in the near and far term.

Speaker(s): Jane Conover, President and CEO, York County Community Foundation