11:30 a.m.
Registration/Exhibit Area Opens
   

12:30 - 1:45 p.m.
Plenary Session
"Key Trends & New Technologies for Grantmakers: Promises & Pitfalls"
(Sponsored in part by the Grant Managers Network)

Featuring Martin Schneiderman,  founder and president, Information Age Associates.

Foundation leaders today are seeking ways to make more informed decisions, strengthen programs and improve the efficiency of their operations - all with limited resources. Many people believe this can be accomplished by implementing integrated information systems that facilitate networking and collaboration, knowledge management, document management and grant tracking. Is this a reality or an impossible dream? National technology expert Martin Schneiderman from Information Age Associates will explain how appropriate and effective use of technology can help grantmakers achieve these goals, highlighting best practices and new opportunities you should be considering.
   

1:45 - 2:15 p.m.
Break
(Wednesday's Continuous Coffee Break sponsored by CHS Foundation)

2:15 - 3:30 p.m.
Knowledge Management and Dissemination Concurrent Sessions 1
(Sponsored by ADC Foundation)

Choose from two concurrent sessions to help strengthen your understanding of the latest knowledge management topics and trends in philanthropy:

• Online Grant Applications: Lessons Learned. Learn how grantmakers are using online applications to streamline their operations and improve the quality of proposals. This presentation will identify the many lessons learned by the early adopters of these systems. You'll also hear what hundreds of grantseekers have to say about their experiences using different types of online applications. An in-depth case study of a global grant program will be presented that will be applicable to all types and sizes of grantmaking organizations.
  > Presenter: Martin Schneiderman, Information Age Associates.
      
• Making Sense of Technology Proposals. Grantmakers often see many grant requests to fund new and/or upgraded technology systems and resources. How do you know that the request is a reasonable and appropriate fit for a particular nonprofit - both in the amount requested and the technology solution being adopted? Experienced grantmakers will share how they approach these proposals and where to get the information and expertise you'll need to make informed decisions on funding technology. 
  > Presenters: Laura Jaeger, ADC Foundation; Kathy O'Connor, Greater Twin Cities United Way; Valerie Pace, IBM Minnesota.

3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Break
(Wednesday's Continuous Coffee Break sponsored by CHS Foundation)

4:00- 5:15 p.m.
Knowledge Management and Dissemination Concurrent Sessions 2
(Sponsored by ADC Foundation)

Choose from two concurrent sessions to help strengthen your understanding of the latest knowledge management topics and trends in philanthropy:

• Exploring E-Grants & Online Proposal Submission. Technology has always been linked with managing grants and administering information through grants databases. However, there is a much broader spectrum of possibilities for integrating technology into the grantmaking process, ranging from e-mail to the implementation of an online proposal submission system. This session will encourage your creativity and help you brainstorm ways to further integrate technology into your own grants process, whether you choose to do so gradually or in one massive infrastructure replacement. Colleagues will share their technology experience, including e-grants, followed by a roundtable discussion. 
  > Presenters: Deb Anderson, St. Paul Travelers; Shari Burt, Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation.
       
• Using Feedback from Grantees to Inform Grantmaking. Foundation and nonprofit relationships are one of the most critical keys to high-impact grantmaking. In 2003-2004, The Center for Effective Philanthropy conducted a survey of thousands of grantees of dozens of foundations about their opinions of their funders. Several Minnesota grantmakers also commissioned reports to gain insights on their own relationships with grantees. Join them for a discussion on these reports and other ways to solicit and integrate feedback from grantees.
  > Presenters: Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, The Minneapolis Foundation; Anita Pampusch, Bush Foundation; Elsa Vega-Perez, Otto Bremer Foundation.

5:15 - 6:00 p.m.
Reception
(Sponsored by The Minneapolis Foundation Philanthropic Consulting Services)
Enjoy camaraderie and connections at a cash bar and complimentary hors d'oeuvres reception following the last breakout session and prior to the Trustee & CEO Dinner.
     

At this special dinner event, seasoned foundation leaders known for their ability to create exceptional results with innovative grantmaking will share their reflections on risk-taking, building the staff-trustee relationships and leading a board of trustees/directors to excellence. Featuring Karen Bohn, trustee, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation and Minnesota Community Foundation; Ellis Bullock, executive director, Grotto Foundation; Gloria Edin, trustee, Initiative Foundation and Women's Foundation of Minnesota; and John Kostishack, executive director, Otto Bremer Foundation. Moderated by Judith Healey, a national expert on foundation governance. 

The Trustee & CEO Dinner has become an annual MCF tradition, providing local foundation leaders the rare opportunity to join their colleagues for an evening of networking and reflection on their unique roles and responsibilities. Attendance is limited to foundation trustees/board members and the most senior foundation and grantmaking staff.
   

For conference registrants not attending the Trustee & CEO Dinner, gather together with your colleagues to dine at a local restaurant, then follow it up by attending a play, going to a gallery or networking in a local pub. This is a great opportunity to spend an informal evening with old acquaintances and meet new colleagues. For a PDF listing local restaurants and cultural activities, click here.
     

7:15 a.m.
Registration Opens

7:30 - 8:45 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

• Affinity Group/Member Network Breakfast Meetings
  (Sponsored by The Marks Group at UBS Financial Services, Inc.)
  Network over continental breakfast with your peers to discuss specific issues and interest areas. Scheduled groups include:
  • Early Childhood Funders Network. 
  • Grantmakers in the Arts.
  • Health Care Grantmakers.
  • Joint Affinity Groups (JAG).
  • MCF Communications Network.
        

• Coffee With MCF 
  Join MCF for a cup of coffee as we welcome new members and new staff and trustees of current member organizations to our community of grantmakers. We also welcome non-members who are interested in MCF membership to join us as well!

As executive director of the Theatre Communications Group in New York City, Ben Cameron directs the national service organization for the American nonprofit professional theater. Before joining TCG in 1998, he served as senior program officer at the Dayton Hudson Foundation and manager of community relations at Target Stores. As a former member of the Minnesota community of grantmakers, Cameron will bring insights to the conference theme "Philanthropy On Purpose" through his new perspectives on philanthropy through a national lens.
   

10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Break
(Thursday's Continuous Coffee Break sponsored by Bremer Banks)

10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Choose from four hands-on, interactive sessions featuring local case studies and top experts:

• The Itasca Project: Shaping Minnesota's Future Today. Dozens of the most influential business and political leaders in the Twin Cities have joined a coalition called the Itasca Project to push for a coordinated, regional economic-development strategy for the metropolitan region. The McKnight Foundation is playing a key role in providing administrative and funding support for the effort for the first few years. Come hear from several Itasca Project leaders about the purpose of the initiative, its ambitious long-term goals, and what it has accomplished so far.
  > Presenter: Charlie Zelle, Jefferson Bus Lines.
     
• Politics & Philanthropy: Working Toward Change and Impact. There's a growing interest among nonprofits and grantmakers to increase civic engagement and political participation. A group of local funders - Headwaters Foundation for Justice, Otto Bremer Foundation and Women's Foundation of Minnesota - have created the Democracy! Fund to increase political participation among disenfranchised communities. Hear about the motivations, experiences, successes, surprises and insights gleaned from this initiative.
  > Presenters: Mark Lindberg, Otto Bremer Foundation; Carol McGee Johnson, Women's Foundation of Minnesota; Steve Newcom, Headwaters Foundation for Justice.
     
• Corporate Giving, Corporate Ethics & Corporate Citizenship: Making the Link. Terms related to current views of business in society abound: "corporate social responsibility," "triple bottom line," "corporate community investment," are among those being used to define expectations about how a business should conduct itself - particularly in an era of ethics lapses and scandals in corporations. Several Minnesota leaders in corporate philanthropy and ethics will lead a discussion on how companies can demonstrate ethical corporate citizenship through leadership and action in corporate community involvement. 
  > Presenters: Ron James, Center for Ethical Business Cultures; Carolyn Roby, Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota.
     
• Taking Stock of Foundation Investments: What's the Outlook? Now that we are in an economic recovery, how do we position our foundation's investments purposefully for the short- and long-term? What payout levels are "responsible," and how do we get there? What effects may current federal legislative and regulatory proposals have on investment policies? A group of foundation investment experts will shed light on these and other critical investment issues. 
  > Presenters: Rod Boren, Jerome Foundation; Jeffrey Slocum, Jeffrey Slocum & Associates; Connie Thompson, Bush Foundation.
  > Moderator: Andrew Turner, Turner Family Foundation.
     
• Purposeful Communications Strategies for Action! Communications is not about moving information - it's about getting something to happen. People generally assume they need media - more space in newspapers, more air time on the radio and TV - to get more information out. The usual approach is to generate as much publicity as possible to close a presumed "Information Gap." In this session you'll learn how creative, effective media techniques can be easily applied, and how mass media and a foundation's own resources can be integrated to increase the power of both. 
  > Presenters: Michael Goldberg and Dick Brooks, Action Media.

The accountability of nonprofits and grantmakers continues to be challenged in the media and Congress. In this Annual Meeting luncheon program, Daniel Johnson, executive director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation and chair of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, will facilitate a dialogue with Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch and Emmett D. Carson, president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation and chair of the Council on Foundations, on how the grantmaking community can help uphold the public trust in our charitable institutions. They'll look at how MCF can build on the leadership it showed on these issues a decade ago by creating the Principles & Practices for Minnesota Grantmakers.

(Note: Non-member conference participants are welcome to attend the Council's Annual Meeting of Members).
  

2:15 - 2:30 p.m.
Break
(Thursday's Continuous Coffee Break sponsored by Bremer Banks)

2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Choose from five hands-on, interactive sessions featuring local case studies and top experts:

• Doing Good While Avoiding Wrong: Foundation Ethical & Legal Issues. What are the legal issues causing the most concern for foundations in this era of public and government scrutiny? Mary E. Probst, Of Counsel for Leonard, Street and Deinard, will highlight the top five legal issues your foundation should pay attention to in the coming year, and outline steps you can take to ensure you're on the right path of responsible, transparent grantmaking. This session will use examples and discussion to explore the interplay among legal requirements, ethical concerns, "best practice" recommendations and public perceptions of the top issues facing foundations today. 
  > Presenter: Mary E. Probst, Leonard, Street and Deinard.
     
• Creating Effective Funder Collaborations That Make a Difference. Most grantmakers would agree that as individual organizations, few have the resources to effectively impact some of the most stubborn, entrenched and complex community issues. How, then, can grantmakers have a greater collective impact on the challenging issues of our times? In this session you'll hear from several funder collaborations on what compelled them to come together; how their joint efforts are structured, staffed and funded; and what progress they've made. 
  > Presenters: Lynn Haglin, Northland Foundation; Saanii Hernandez, Hispanics in Philanthropy.
  > Facilitator: Emil Angelica, Wilder Center for Communities.
     
• Beyond Principles & Practices: Leadership for the Future. How can we continue to make the Principles & Practices for Minnesota Grantmakers relevant in today's world? Are there new strategies we can develop to ensure confidence in our field as it undergoes intense scrutiny from the media and government? Can we or should we hold ourselves publicly accountable for our practices? Join MCF board members for a stimulating conversation to discuss and define the next steps that MCF and its members should take to be purposeful in upholding the public trust beyond the Principles & Practices. Are self-assessments or peer reviews in our future? 
  > Moderator: Daniel Johnson, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation and MCF board chair.
     
• Finding Ways to Support Equality & Equity Without Funding Politics. Come hear how several funders have managed to support issues related to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community without funding political organizations. 
  > Presenters: Eric Anderson, The Minneapolis Foundation; Monica Bryand, Headwaters Foundation for Justice; Rick Jung, Gill Foundation; Matthew Nelson, American Express Minnesota Philanthropic Program.

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