We are pleased to share with you remarks made by Eric Weinheimer, Forefront's President and CEO, at our rebranding preview reception on Tuesday evening, November 3. View photos from the reception here.

Thank you all for being here on this momentous occasion.

A few months ago, I had a lunch with a friend who has been a leader in our sector for years. I was looking forward to this luncheon because she is high-energy, enthusiastic, quick with a laugh, and filled with possibilities. And we always have a good time. But when I arrived, I could tell immediately that she was not her usual self. 

We sat down, and she began to unload her frustrations. She vented about the back-due payments that were owed to her organization from the State. She was exasperated. And as she finished her litany of complaints, she ended with a phrase that really stuck with me: "I am tired of being in this place."

We’ve all be there, haven’t we? We work so hard trying to alleviate poverty, close the achievement gap, clean up the environment, or do whatever our mission calls for. Too often, it seems like it has become more and more difficult to make any progress. We find ourselves increasingly spinning our wheels, not being the change that we seek. And we, too, we get tired of "being in this place."

So where do you want to be?  Where do you want your grantees to be? Your organization? Where do you want out sector to be? Where do we need to be?

Now more than ever, we need to be at the cutting edge. The landscape is shifting right under our feet; the old paradigm is fading away. We need to be out in front; not constantly reacting to change. But rather, bringing others along — new audiences, non-traditional partners — into our vision.

We need to be in the lead. We need to be seen as equal partners in finding creative and proactive solutions to these problems. We need to be provocative and trend-setters, forward thinkers.

And as we look to the future of Donors Forum, we wanted a name and brand that would call us forth in this new way of being.  A brand that is aspirational, and that holds us to a high standard of innovation, transparency, and impact.

Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please. . .it is my pleasure to introduce you to Forefront!

Forefront is grateful to the generous sponsors of our rebranding – including Lead Sponsor Boeing; Launch Event Host Microsoft; and the Chicago Bar Foundation, MB Financial Bank, and the McDougal Family Foundation.