Below is the agenda for the second Pacific NW Global Donors Conference, held on April 1-2, 2011 at the Red Lion:
Plenary Session: HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT DONOR STRATEGIES?The Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference will open its 2011 conference with a salient plenary on global climate change and its impacts on international development, including issues such as human rights, public health, agriculture, and food security. Panelists will reference recent efforts in Cancun at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and international climate policy; relevant climate research, projections and trends; and the rubric of mitigation and adaption strategies. Panelists will reflect on opportunities for international donors/grantmakers to invest and possibilities for partnership among affected communities, academia, business, non-profits, and donors to develop effective solutions.
Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Dean of School of Public Health, University of Washington
Michael Lazarus, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute
Terry Odendahl, PhD, Executive Director & CEO, Global Greengrants Fund
Monika B. Zurek, PhD., Program Officer, Agricultural Development Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
MODERATOR: Anne Mize, Trustee, Mize Family Foundation
WORKSHOPS (4)
PATHWAYS FOR STRATEGIC GIVING
This session is designed to provide an overview of the basics of international grantmaking from mission development to the exploration of giving strategies and methods for understanding and assessing impact. Along the way, panelists will share a variety of tools with participants to help them gain a deeper understanding of how to engage in effective international giving.
Betsy Brill, President, Strategic Philanthropy Ltd
Jennifer Astone, Philanthropic Consultant, Jennifer Astone Consulting
Peter Blomquist, Blomquist International
A GRANTMAKERS GUIDE TO MICROFINANCE
International funders have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into microfinance programs over the past three decades. The popularity of these programs increased dramatically in recent years, especially after Mohammed Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, despite the popularity of these programs, one question remains largely unanswered: to what extent do microfinance programs help alleviate poverty? Most of the metrics involved in evaluating microfinance projects center around interest rates, number of participants, and repayment rates. But the stated goals of the programs: poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment, community self-reliance, often go unmeasured. Recent analyses have suggested the reason for this is that these programs do not in fact contribute to poverty alleviation, and often have a counterproductive effect on target populations – leaving women burdened with yet another responsibility and burying families under high interest rate debt. This session will take a critical look at microfinance programs as a tool for addressing poverty. What do we know about the effectiveness of these programs from a poverty alleviation perspective, and how can funders find projects that are effective in reaching this goal? It will include a presentation the results of extensive research by Grantmakers Without Borders into the field of microfinance from an effective grantmaking perspective. It will also include a summary of microcredit’s track record, and a discussion of how funders involved in the sector could be most effective as a tool for addressing poverty.
Pete Stanga, Interim Executive Director, Grantmakers Without Borders
Lara Puglielli, Vice President of Enterprise Development, Global Partnerships
This will be an interactive session looking at the rights based perspective as it pertains to persons with disabilities, and why and how that perspective can be used to inform the grantmaking activities of any donor. While the focus of the session will be on international grantmaking, we believe similar lessons could be applied to domestic work as well.
Michael Szporluk, Senior Program Officer, Disability Rights Fund
Yumi Sera, Operations Director, Disability Rights Fund
TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO EMPOWER GRASSROOTS ADVOCATES
This session will feature two organizations that are successfully using electronic communication tools to empower grassroots advocates around the world — and funders who support this strategy. Over the past 20 years, ELAW has built a global network that links advocates in 70 countries around the world and helps them challenge environmental abuses and shape environmental policies. Through this network, ELAW delivers legal and scientific tools and assistance that grassroots advocates need to win victories for communities and the environment. Digital Democracy (Dd) works with local partners around the world to put information into the hands of people who need it most – those neglected, disenfranchised or abused. Dd emphasizes education, communication and participation to empower citizens to build and shape their own communities.
Cheryl Coon, Executive Director, The Coon Family Foundation
Bern Johnson, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide
Emily Jacobi, Digital Democracy
REGIONAL BRIEFINGS & LUNCH
The Pacific Northwest Global Donors conference will provide participants with a unique experience to connect with regional experts on pressing issues in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East/North Africa, and Eastern Europe. This breakout lunch session will give attendees a chance to network with other funders with experience and/or an interest in the region, as well as a chance to hear from experts about top opportunities for funding and key resources for information. Whether you have made a variety of grants to a region or are just starting to think about funding in a specific region, this will be an exciting opportunity to learn more and interact with a network of your peers.
WORKSHOPS (4)
GETTING REAL ON EVALUATION
There is increasing demand from foundations and other donors for measurement and evaluation of the outcomes and impact of donor funds. This increased demand has placed a huge burden on NGOs and other grantees to invest in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to capture data and information required by their funders. Donors, however, are not always clear about their purpose, resulting requesting much more than is needed or is ever put to good use. As such, donors seem to be over-requesting M&E reporting and under-utilizing the results that they get. The problem is that many donors have not systematically though through their monitoring & evaluation needs as they lack the framework and tools that can help guide them in doing so.
Elvis Fraser, Deputy Director, Impact Planning and Improvement, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Patricia Patrizi, Principal, Patrizi & Associates
REFORESTATION THROUGH MISSION RELATED INVESTING: A CASE STUDY
This session will provide a successful case study about how The Swift Foundation is using mission-related investing in partnership with the Guayaki Yerba Matte Company to promote reforestation and provide sustainable livelihoods for indigenous peoples in the Atlantic Forest region of South America.
Dana Lanza, CEO, Confluence Philanthropy
Sonja Swift, Trustee, Swift Foundation
Raul Pommares, Managing Director, Springcreek Advisors
Chris Mann, CEO, Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products
FUNDING HUMAN RIGHTS: A DONOR’S GUIDE TO LASTING IMPACT
Designed to get donors thinking & talking about need for and impact of human rights approaches in international funding strategies. Support for “frontline” activism (grassroots/locally-led) will be emphasized.
Betsy Brill, President, Strategic Philanthropy
Tony Tate, Africa Program Officer, Fund for Global Human Rights
Cynthia Ryan, Principal, The Schooner Foundation
YOUTH/ARTS AND CULTURE: VITAL APPROACHES TO IGNITING THE POWER OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND BEST PRACTICES FOR FUNDERS WHO WANT TO PLAY IN THIS FIELD
There are an estimated 1.1 billion young people ages 15-19 in our world today. That’s one out of every six people on the planet. According to UN reports this age group is the most vulnerable of any to the negative impacts of HIV/AIDS, drugs, poverty, violence, discrimination, and sex trade. In this workshop you will hear stories from the field that illuminate the particular challenges youth face and their remarkable resilience in spite of extreme hardship. You’ll learn how arts and culture play an integral role in developing youth programs that engage young people with depth and sustainability. And you’ll also learn about a burgeoning group of social artists across the world—change makers from diverse cultures that are using arts and culture-based practices to deepen the effectiveness of their youth organizations, schools, health clinics, social service organizations, and community initiatives. We will also delve into key questions for funders in this field. What are reasonable and realistic goals for working with youth, and how can one go about assessing the impact of the work? What are the challenges and successes in bridging cultural differences? What have we collectively learned about the perspective Westerners need to bring to this work to be both respectful and empowering of those we are trying to support? And finally, how might seeing oneself as part of a larger ecology help funders develop a most effective funder/constituent relationship?
Bill Cleveland, Center for the Study of Art and Community
KEYNOTE SPEECH: Greg Carr
Greg Carr is leading a bold philanthropic venture to restore Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, which was once described as the place “where Noah left his ark”. The Carr Foundation has committed $40 million dollars over 30 years to protect and restore the park’s ecosystem, and to help develop an eco-tourism industry in the communities surrounding the park. By reintroducing animal species (elephants, hippos and other bulk grazers) to the land, creating jobs within the park, funding schools and health clinics and training local farmers, the Carr Foundation (in its partnership with the government of Mozambique) has embarked on an ambitious restoration effort.
RECEPTION: Network with conference participants and speakers over appetizers and beverages.
PLENARY SESSION: FOOD SOLUTIONS BY AND FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
Contrary to the messages financed and propagated by big agricultural firms, small-scale farming for local markets can both feed us all and cool the planet. There is a growing global movement that is emphasizing an environmentally-sustainable approach rooted in traditional knowledge, ecologies and technologies. The 2008 report from the UN-led International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) clearly shows the benefits of locally adapted, diverse agriculture, and encourages governments and global policy makers to support small-scale farming across the world rather than industrial approaches. The recently published State of the World Report 2011 also highlights innovations that will allow billions of people to feed themselves, while restoring rural economies, creating livelihoods, and sustaining the natural resource base on which agriculture depends.
By funding scientifically endorsed and locally applicable farming methods, grantmakers can help de-bunk the myth that industrial agriculture is the only way to feed the world, and support the global movement for local food systems at the same time. This plenary will look closely at the findings of the IAASTD report, the sustainability issues raised by food growing strategies, and an example of the challenges and opportunities facing women farmers in West Africa – in short, what works, what doesn’t, what to support and what to avoid.
Sara Mersha, Program Director, Grassroots International
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Senior Scientist, Pesticide Action Network North America
Sarah Hobson, Executive Director, New Field Foundation
Fatou Batta, West Africa Director, Groundswell International
WORKSHOPS (4)
INCLUSION & ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN FUNDING MARGINALIZED GROUPS
While funding for international causes continues to grow and reach more marginalized communities, many donors struggle with how to include and be accountable to communities that embrace different values and development ideals. This panel and group discussion will explore innovative practices with respect to structures, principles and practices that create stronger partnerships and a higher level of trust between donors and their grantee partners. All participants will receive a complimentary publication, A Grantmakers Guide: Strengthening International Indigenous Philanthropy.
Jennifer Astone, Philanthropic Advisor, Jennifer Astone Consulting
Evelyn Arce, Executive Director, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples
Yumi Sera, Operations Director, Disability Rights Fund
CLIMATE JUSTICE: WHERE HUMAN RIGHTS AND LIVELIHOODS MEET THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
This session will be designed to educate the audience about the concept of Climate Justice, namely including poor and marginalized communities in climate change discussions and supporting grassroots/community-led actions to slow climate change and adapt to it. It will also present examples of how funders can effectively support grassroots involvement in policy processes, fund innovative solutions on the ground, and help communities build their institutions to better monitor and respond to the impacts of climate change and the corresponding global response.
Terry Odendahl, PhD, Executive Director & CEO, Global Greengrants Fund
Elmer Lopez Rodriguez, Instituto para el Desarrollo Rural
Sonja Swift, Trustee, Swift Foundation
GAINING TRUST AND TRUE PARTNERSHIP ON THE GROUND: TARGETING THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
How can we, as funders and philanthropists, reach those who have no voice and tackle pervasive problems, such as human trafficking? The American Himalayan Foundation (AHF) and Foundation for the People of Burma (FPB) bring years of experience and expertise working with local partners to do just that. We propose a session that will engage participants to consider how to work with local organizations, gain trust and forge true partnerships. Using models developed by AHF and FPB, we will show how these on-the-ground partnerships in Nepal, Thailand and Burma/Myanmar are successfully preventing trafficking from happening in the first place, protecting those who have been rescued and providing education and training so those most vulnerable can lift themselves out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
Therese Caouette, Executive Director, Foundation for the People of Burma
Eileen Moncoeur, Program Director, American Himalayan Foundation
MARKETPLACE CREATIVITY: CORPORATE-NGO COLLABORATION
Private/non-profit partnerships are playing a larger role in a variety of global development efforts. The panel will discuss how corporate knowledge and skills can be leveraged to advance individual and community development overseas. Principles and practices of collaboration will also be reviewed. Long-term solutions demand collaboration between government, business and civil society. Come learn about leading efforts to achieve cross-sector partnerships.
George Durham, Nonprofit Technology Program Manager, Microsoft Global Community Affairs
Jackie Liao, Manager, Community Investments, Public Affairs, Starbucks Coffee Company
Scott Morris, Senior Vice President and General Counsel,Trilogy International Partners
LUNCH: ISSUE-BASED FOCUS TABLES
Meet other funders who are funding the same issues as you!
WORKSHOPS (4)
TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT: WHAT’S NEW IN THE TOOLBOX?
With the advent of digital media and social technology, an organization’s ability to create, disseminate, and engage with people has dramatically increased. This increase also raises a host of questions that we will address in the session. Such as…How will the cell phone (now four billion accounts worldwide) advance human and social development? What other leading edge information technologies are emerging to address poverty, advance human rights and improve the environment? How can social media connect and empower people?
Scott Macklin, Associate Director, Masters in Communications in Digital Media Program, University of Washington
Microsoft—research and applications
LEGAL ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL GRANTMAKING
This topic will help the conference attendee evaluate the methods best suited for them to make international grants and donations. The session will help the donor understand the different options available – gifts or grants to U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations, donations to “friends of” organizations, donor-advised funds, and direct cross-border grants. For each approach, the session will deal with the regulatory framework and requirements. For example, equivalency determinations and expenditure responsibility for international grants will be addressed. Additionally, the session will discuss ways to comply with the anti-terrorist financing laws, including Executive Order 13224 and the USA PATRIOT ACT.
The format of this session will be in an educational lecture format utilizing practical case-studies suitable to questions and answers. It will be geared to all levels of international donors and grant makers.
Kirstin Humann Thompson, Stoel Rives LLP
FUNDING PEACEBUILDING: LESSONS FROM THE GRASSROOTS
Grassroots communities and women-led organizations from the Global South are offering vivid and inspiring examples of how root causes of conflict in their societies can be addressed through programs that work at the intersection of gender, human rights, media, economic and environmental justice. IDEX, the Global Fund for Women and the Channel Foundation will draw upon such examples to illustrate that successful and lasting solutions are in fact, possible.
Rajasvini Bhansali, International Development Exchange: IDEX
Katrin Wilde, Executive Director, Channel Foundation
Shalini Nataraj, Vice President for Programs, Global Fund for Women
IS THIS REALLY A PARTNERSHIP? FINDING NEW MODELS OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN DONORS AND GRANTEES
In this session we will share what we have learned about forging partnerships and collaboration in international development and philanthropy. Central to our intent will be to wrestle with the questions and challenges surrounding partnership and collaboration: what are the assumptions when we deploy these terms? Are donors prepared to listen to the voices of grantees in the field? We will do this through the sharing of some of the models of partnership and collaboration that we have employed in our work at iLEAP and The Foundation for the People of Burma. We expect to bring in the actual voices of those working in community development in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Dr. Britt Yamamoto, Executive Director, iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service
Therese Caouette, Executive Director, Foundation for the People of Burma
CLOSING SPEAKER: Margaret Larson
Introduction: Mauricio Vivero, Executive Director, Seattle International Foundation
Host, New Day Northwest, KING-5 TV Seattle. Former NBC foreign correspondent, news anchor for the Today show and Dateline NBC reporter, and reporter/news anchor at KING-TV in Seattle.
Margaret formed a communications consulting practice in 2003 for international nonprofit organizations including World Vision, Mercy Corps, PATH and Global Partnerships, creating videos and online content to serve humanitarian causes.
Her aid-related work has taken her to southern Lebanon, the Kosovo crisis, Afghan refugee camps one week after the launch of the US bombardment, the most recent Iraq ground war, the South Asian tsunami and its one-year anniversary, the depths of the African AIDS pandemic, maternal/child health programs in India and Asia, and the child soldier crisis in northern Uganda.
