Professional Development

  Are you curious about where you and your staff of community foundation professionals can develop the latest core competencies required to administrate, lead, and advance your community foundation? Join Council staff Brad Ward and Daniela Rodriguez-Ranf, as well as Judy Sjostedt, faculty…

Members, View the Recording Community Foundations around the country recognize that they must deploy capital beyond financial assets to improve their regions. At the same time, our community leadership has grown frustrated by the pace of change. Most of these leaders have come to understand that…

As the 2018 Career Pathways cohort approaches their final learning session in November, the Council on Foundations is eagerly preparing for the 2019 program.  We are anticipating a transformative year with a new group of powerful, dynamic, and talented leaders that are ready to hone their…

It's a Wrap! Leading Together 2019 was a gathering of leaders in philanthropy and other influencers in business, government, and academia. For three days, the field came together to connect, learn, and share with one another.  We also used Leading Together 2019 as an opportunity to…

By now you have heard the news that Vikki Spruill has accepted a position at the New England Aquarium and in June will return to the ocean conservation community, where she has deep roots. Our board president, Javier Soto, is leading the Outreach Committee, which will gather input from the…

Editor’s Note: As our Summer 2017 Intern Class wraps up, we asked Communications Intern Meghan Ervine to track down past interns and see where they are now and what they gained from the Council internship experience. Details on the Council’s Fall 2017 internship opportunities and how to apply can…

Three years ago, I met Charles Story at the Grants Managers Network annual conference in San Diego. He was a featured panelist on a session about Extreme Management — successfully leading teams in constantly changing organizational environments. I was so impressed with his insights that we would…

The Council on Foundations opened its Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas, this week with a special address from President George W. Bush. He talked about the current work of the George W. Bush Institute and its Military Service Initiative, which ensures post-9/11 veterans and their families…

Workshop for the Carolinas, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia Region Led by Suzanne Friday, Counsel for the Council on Foundations, this workshop is flexibly organized to ensure that your broad legal questions for administering funds, grants, and community foundation activities are addressed. Suzanne…

Evaluation and philanthropic learning are essential to driving social change. Here are five trends to look out for in 2017 – and likely beyond: 1. Integrating Evaluation into Strategy In the philanthropic, nonprofit, and public sectors, and more recently with socially oriented businesses, demand…

Members, View the Recording The webinar explores the success factors and goals for building a donor base committed to operations. A range of strategies are used dependent on your community market, donor base, and resources required, but expanding your admin support builds value beyond the immediate…

As preparation for winter holidays begin earlier and earlier, the Council wants to provide an important resource for your year-end fundraising and grantmaking activities. The IRS provides a wealth of resources on charitable contribution deductions. While I’d enjoy writing details about each of them…

The Council on Foundations is pleased to announce the application period for its flagship leadership development program, Career Pathways, is open now through October 31, 2016. Through Career Pathways, the Council seeks to increase the number of candidates from diverse backgrounds in the leadership…

Hello, and welcome to New York City. I want to thank you for coming to our second annual Summit focused on finance and endowments. For many years, the Council on Foundations has helped our foundation members understand important issues related to the management and practice of the great work you do…

Stephanie Bell-Rose is the Senior Managing Director and Head of the TIAA Institute. The Council on Foundations’ 2016 Endowments and Finance Summit is just around the corner – Sept. 28-30 – and as co-chair of the convening's working group, I strongly encourage you to register for it! I personally…

Now that August has begun and this is my last week at the Council, I look back and think it’s crazy that I started this internship only two months ago. I had never heard of the Council before I applied here, and I didn’t know what a foundation was or did until I arrived. Needless to say, I was a…