Forefront

Special Events: Fostering A Diverse Donor Base To Enhance Social Impact
2023-02-07 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Chicago)
Advancing the culture of philanthropy.

This session will address how nonprofit and corporate leaders can further advance the culture of philanthropy by fostering intentional relationships with diverse donors and stakeholders that will elevate more attendee engagement and funding support from diverse donor bases to enhance social impact in our Chicagoland communities.

Speakers:
Erin Daly, Manager of Special Events and Memorable Experiences, The Anti-Cruelty Society
Rosemary Matzl, Vice President of Community Affairs, ITW
Lissette Huertas, Senior Manager, Events, United Way of Metro Chicago
Brent Rolland, Event Producer/DJ, Fig Media

Moderators:
Caitlin Hagerty, Development Associate, Rush University Medical Center
Alexandria Walker, Moderator, Philanthropy Club of Illinois

Check out the Philanthropy Club 2023 Program schedule.

Forefront Member Orientation (Virtual)
2023-02-08 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Forefront hosts a relaxed conversation for current and prospective Members to learn more about Forefront’s resources and to meet others in the Forefront community — your statewide association for nonprofits, grantmakers, public agencies, advisors, and allies. This free orientation will give you a chance to meet our Librarians and other Forefront staff. This is a great opportunity to ask questions or share an idea with your peers, while learning how Forefront can help you achieve your mission. This orientation is open to current and prospective members of Forefront.
Topics covered include:

Library reference and research services
Peer Skill Share
The Impact Capacity Assessment Tool (iCAT)
Member & Peer Networks
Policy and Advocacy

This is a virtual event. Zoom instructions will be included in your Eventbrite confirmation email.

Donor Advised Funds and Endowments Series: Part 1 - What Are They?
2023-02-16 09:30 - 11:00 | Zoom
In this two-part series, Forefront will host panel discussions intended to educate sector leaders, fundraisers, and decision-makers about Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) and Endowments, and the related policy landscape. People that want to learn more about how these tools might or might not benefit nonprofits and the people they serve should attend Part 1.
People that want to additionally understand related policy implications, pros and cons, and the debate around these tools at the federal and state levels should attend Part 2, which will be held at a later date.

Part 1 will include discussion and Q&A:

What are DAFs?
What are endowments?
How do DAFs and endowments benefit nonprofits, communities, and people in IL?
How can nonprofit organizations build a DAF or endowment to provide a source of revenue for general operations capital projects?
How can Illinois entities that manage DAFs participate in the current national study on DAFs that may inform public policy?

Part 1 Panelists:

Julianne Buck, Executive Director, Community Foundation of Grundy County
Rose Jagust, Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
Brittany Kienker, DAFRC/National Study on Donor Advised Funds Team
Molly Rand, Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Chicago Community Trust

Register here for Part 1

Coming later in Spring 2023 – Part 2 (date TBA), which will include:
– What are the current public policy implications/debates around DAFs and endowments?
– Endow IL Tax Credit Update + how to get involved
– Federal policy and regulatory updates
– Part 2 Panel is slated to include, Ianna Kachoris, Chicago Community Trust; Regina Bell, Michigan Council on Foundations; Mathew Evans, United Philanthropy Forum, and/or other experts

Breaking Down Barriers: Moving Toward a More Diverse and Inclusive Board That Can Explore Equity and Anti-Racism
2023-02-17 09:30 - 12:30 | Zoom
What’s holding your board back from achieving real diversity and inclusion, or even talking about it? How do you start to discuss equity and anti-racism and reflect it in your governance?
Your board may struggle with starting or maintaining the process of achieving meaningful and lasting diversity and inclusion. Whether you face challenges with recruiting the right talent, heightening their engagement, building an inclusive culture, and/or retaining and preparing diverse candidates for leadership roles, you know that you need to do something different to reach your goals focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
In this workshop we will discuss some of the structural, cultural, and emotional barriers that exist on boards when it comes to building greater diversity and inclusion. We will walk through the steps to breakthrough these barriers along three dimensions for sustainable board diversity and inclusion. Through exercises and peer discussion, we will explore how to:
• Make the case for equity, diversity, and inclusion on your board
• Understand the barriers to greater diversity and inclusion that may exist on your board
• Identify how to breakthrough these barriers and who should lead the process
• Explore an approach to action planning for real board diversity and inclusion and a path to explore equity and anti-racism
Facilitator:
Rena Henderson Mason, Bold Agenda. Rena is a trusted advisor to mission-driven board and staff leaders, helping them shape their boards for high performance and tell their unique stories. She is a ICF-Certified Coach and BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer with extensive training in high performance coaching, board development and group process facilitation. She has coached Board Chairs and Executive Directors/CEOs through a range of organizational challenges including growth, leadership transitions, strategic alliances, restructuring, turnaround and crisis.
REGISTER HERE

Introduction to Project Budgets
2023-02-22 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Are you ready to start fundraising for your project or idea, but don’t know what and how much to ask for? If preparing a budget for your foundation grant is holding you back, come learn the basic elements of how to draft a project budget with confidence.
This class will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to generate a standard project budget for a foundation proposal. We will discuss:

The basic components of a project budget including income and expenses
How to estimate the realistic cost of a project
What other financial documents you may also need to submit with your proposal

Candid is hosting this event, in partnership with Forefront. Access to the recording will be provided to registrants of the live training. Upon completion of your registration, you will be receiving an email from our webinar platform, GoToWebinar. The email will contain your unique link to the live webinar.
REGISTER HERE.

Forefront Forum: 'Time Management for Mortals' - A Book Discussion
2023-02-22 13:00 - 15:00
New Year, New You? What’s on your to-do list? What are you going to accomplish this year?January can be stressful! Hi, Suzy Lee here, Forefront’s Program Director. I picked up this book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, in preparation for my annual flurry of well-intentioned yet stress inducing goal setting. As I was reading it I couldn’t stop thinking about how relevant it was to my work, not just my personal life. Wanting to see if others feel the same way, I am organizing this book discussion for our Forefront Community. We’ll meet in-person, have small group discussions touching on the questions below (and more), and follow that with some light refreshments and an opportunity to catch up with colleagues.– Where in your life or your work are you currently pursuing comfort, when what’s called for is a little discomfort?– Are you holding yourself to, and judging yourself by, standards of productivity or performance that are impossible to meet?– In what ways have you yet to accept the fact that you are who you are, not the person you think you ought to be?– In which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel like you know what you’re doing?– How would you spend your days differently if you didn’t care so much about seeing your actions reach fruition?
This event will be held in-person at the Forefront Conference Room, 200 W Madison, 2nd Floor.
REGISTER HERE

2023 Foundations on the Hill (FOTH)
2023-02-27 08:30 - 2023-03-01 16:00
Join Forefront in Washington, D.C. for the 2023 Foundations on the Hill (FOTH), an annual advocacy opportunity for grantmakers and philanthropy serving organizations (PSOs) to meet with their federal lawmakers.
From February 27 to March 1, 2023, foundation leadership and staff members from around the country will convene to talk with our legislators and policymakers in our nation’s capitol about the unique and vital role that charitable giving plays in America.
Forefront has scholarships available to community foundations wishing to attend the 2023 Foundations on the Hill. To find out more about eligibility and availability, email publicpolicy@myforefront.org.
For more information, see the FOTH page on our website.
REGISTER HERE.
