Blurb about why Forefront rocks, caption for photo

The Philanthropy Club of Illinois (Phi Club) was founded in the early 2000’s by Gus Wilhelmy, the co-founder of the Safer Foundation. Now a peer network of Forefront and still 100% volunteer driven, Phi Club continues to level the playing field in access to funding for all Illinois-based nonprofit organizations by offering no-cost programming on topics related to effective and sustainable fundraising, featuring funders and other subject matter experts. Phi Club is forever indebted to Richard Gage, Jennifer Holmes, and Key Montgomery for their leadership and service in carrying out Gus’ vision.

Today, Phi Club hosts monthly meetings from February to November (typically via Zoom at 9:00 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month), and welcomes any and all philanthropic professionals to join.

Sign up for the next session by visiting our event calendar, or view past sessions on Forefront’s Phi Club YouTube playlist.

Meet the 2026 Moderators

Kate Spelman, Co-Lead

Jessica R. Harris, Co-Lead

Bill Lynerd

Carlos Garcia Leon

Ndidi A. Okakpu

Lisa Villani-Gale

 

Past Convenings

Visit out YouTube page for recordings of past convenings.

To stay informed about upcoming Philanthropy Club events and receive our email alerts, or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer moderator, please email Suzy Lee at [email protected].

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