Developing and Managing Relationships with Grantmakers: the Inside Scoop

Join the Philanthropy Club in October!

By cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with funding influencers and decision makers, you may open new doors to sources of collaboration and support. Join Forefront and The Philanthropy Club on Tuesday, October 1 as we share relationship management best practices that will help advance your organization’s cultivation and stewardship strategies – resulting in deeper relationships with funders. Forefront Members Suellen Burns of the Driehaus Foundation and Crystal Robinson of the Siragusa Family Foundation will provide a candid setting for you to share ideas and experiences. Bring your questions!

Session Speakers:

Suellen Burns, Senior Program Officer, Driehaus Foundation

Suellen has been a professional in the arts, environmental, and urban planning fields for over 25 years. She manages the Driehaus Foundation’s two Arts and Culture funding programs and contributes to its Built Environment and Economic Opportunities for the Working Poor programs. Prior to joining Driehaus, Suellen held program, development, grantmaking, and senior leadership roles with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Arts Bridge, Friends of the Chicago River, and Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. She holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MS in Leadership and Policy Studies from DePaul University. She is also an adjunct faculty member for DePaul’s Graduate School of Public Service.

Crystal Robinson, Program Officer, Siragusa Family Foundation

Crystal worked in the nonprofit sector until transitioning to philanthropy in 2017. With prior experience as Assistant Director at the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management at North Park University and Development Associate at Horizons for Youth and Development Director at Our Lady of Tepeyac High School, she now oversees grantmaking in the Foundation’s primary giving areas of arts learning, education, and health. Crystal has a MS in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University. She received her Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance in 2014, and is a member of Chicago Women in Philanthropy, Exponent Philanthropy, and the National Center for Family Philanthropy.