Saving the World in Study Hall, NY Times OpEd from Sunday

This OpEd piece by Nicholas Kristof was especially appropriate after last week's Council on Foundations' Summit. Kristof's blog highlights some options for student activist work. These topics are on my mind often these days not only because of the Summit (where EPIP really rocked the house), but as we head into the presidential elections, with Obama as a potential presidential nominee who recognizes the potential of the next generation of leaders.

**more on the millenials, the issues they face and how this manifests into their politics here.

EPIP and New Voices of Philanthropy have joint COF conference coverage. Check on some of the great posts covering the action.

Dispatches from the COF Conference by Trista Harris, New Voices of Philanthropy

Philanthropy 2.0 coverage by Brittany Buckingham, Gates Foundation

Leadership for the New Generation and What's in Your Mission? from Jasmine Hall Ratliff, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A New Generation of Foundation CEOs by Athena Adkins, Travelers Foundation

I am Next Gen from Trista Harris, New Voices of Philanthropy

How Media Impacts Life Outcomes of Black Men and Boys by Tracey, Black Gives Back

Social Justice Philanthropy, Where is the Movement? from Melissa Johnson, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

Jollification in the Caribbean from Trista Harris, New Voices of Philanthropy

Live from Philanthropy 2.0...

with Nora Burton, Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation
and winner of $20 Good Card for Network for Good, soon to be going to PAWS!

The best event/meeting/moment so far:
I got a Next Generation Scholarship to come here. I'm staying in somebody else's room to be here. I just feel really supported by the community. It's not only more established leaders supporting the next generation, it's the next generation supporting the next generation.

And I just get inspired by seeing all these leaders, wondering what I can do to step it up.

What does Philanthropy 2.0 mean to you?
To be honest, the idea of 2.0 is new to me. It's crazy. TechSoup, Second Life. Is it fun? Is it work? It's crazy.

Linetta J. Gilbert, senior program officer at the Ford Foundation, 2008 recipient of the Robert W. Scrivner Award, and founding supporter of EPIP, takes the stage to say a few words:

"When Rusty first approached me and asked about an affinity group for young people, I was certain of the need but not sure of who would come--this is truly a blessing to see everyone here, so turn the music back up. We're just so proud to be a supporter."

Live from Philanthropy 2.0...

Amid the lights and sounds of a session hall turned dance club, the next generation of philanthropists assembles to celebrate a revolution in giving: Philanthropy 2.0. With my back to the speakers, I'm reminded of the maxim attributed to Emma Goldman:

A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.

Live from Philanthropy 2.0...

with Chandler Bazemore, Northstar Fund

The best event/meeting/moment so far:
I think it’s this. This is the end of the day. Let’s relax and have a good time.

What does Philanthropy 2.0 mean to you?
It’s really about taking it to the next level. Our parents were 1.0. The next generation is 2.0.

Live from Philanthropy 2.0...

with Crystal Dundas, Wachovia Regional Foundation

The best event/meeting/moment so far:
I really enjoyed hearing Sherece West. Having gone through being a leader at a young age, she was so very genuine.

I also liked the lunch plenary today. One thing I would like to see is quality education talked about as a human right.

What a scene? Has the Council on Foundation ever seen neon lights, disco balls and lots and lots and lots of laptops? NO. This year has bene a real important showing of Next Generation reps, voices and passions... And, how Rusty Stahl, Executive Director at Emerging practitioners in Philanthropy really knows how to really 'MC'..! This is an incredibly inspiring experience for me-- in particular--being a first attendee at a COF Summit. I feel welcomed and wanted, and I feel like at age 21, I really know that this is the place, and the field, and the community for me. I am meeting my partners and my peers and being thoroughly inspired along the way by the Baby Boomers and the Traditionalists of the field. Its a melding of ideas and tactics and tools. And, the ham-bloggers and Next Gen-tini drinks dont harm, right?

Everyone enjoy. Its not everyday that this kind of community comes together under the umbrella of iPods and Flat Screen TVs...

Live from Philanthropy 2.0...

The best event/meeting/moment so far:
"The luncheon plenary really broadened the debate around human rights. The call to action to think more strategically around human rights, the kinds of partnerships we want to build, was inspirational. The chicken lunch--not so much..."

Live from Philanthropy 2.0...

with Lindsay McClung, Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation

The best event/meeting/moment so far:
"Philanthropy 2.0 and I’m not just saying that. It’s not that I don’t feel welcomed. It’s just doesn’t grab my attention. I need something that I can actually apply. I feel like it’s just talk sometimes. It’s so top-down sometimes. It doesn’t grab me. I need more applied knowledge—examples of what other places are doing."

What does Philanthropy 2.0 mean to you?
"A new way to transfer knowledge"

Live from Philanthropy 2.0

...with Melissa Johnson, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

The best event/meeting/moment so far:
"The session on Next Generation CEOs...varying perspectives, all hopeful and connected to the conversation about leadership.

What does Philanthropy 2.0 mean to you?
"energy, fresh perspectives, change on the fast track"

I blinked and the first day of the COF Summit passed by me. Milano Harden summed up the day well when he said at the EPIP late-evening gathering that it was at once "overwhelming and like a homecoming." At the first COF annual conference I attended in 2005, people were so excited that emerging leaders filled a table of 10 and tonight no less than 90 people cycled through the EPIP late-evening gathering. The Summit is being held at the Gaylord Resort in National Harbor, Maryland (check out a map here - yes, even cab drivers here don't know where it is exactly).

EPIP, Resource Generation and 21/64 organized a Generational Leadership track of programs that, if the first day is any indicator, will indeed provide insight into the challenges and opportunities that the sector faces in the next few years, energize both ends of the spectrum to continue to talk about these issues and serve to provide a forum for identifying next steps for our field. Read about one EPIP emerging leader salon at the New Voices of Philanthropy blog. New Voices also has a blog about how Media affects young black men, a session coordinated by the Association of Black Foundation Executives.

Tactical Philanthropy provides insight into how other attendees here at the Summit are thinking about philanthropy, including as a result of a Super Shuttle ride from the airport.

Enjoy the links to other blogs and stay tuned for more. For those not at the conference, email jen (at) epip (dot) org and let us know what you want to know more about from the Council on Foundations' Summit!

Hi everyone,



The Summit - and the generational leadership program track within it - is upon us, and i want to thank Trista Harris and everyone else who volunteered to blog on this site and on New Voices of Philanthropy!



Along with Taij (Resource Generation) and Sharna (21/64), I am guest blogging on Tactical Philanthropy to cover the Summit, so check that out as well (a post from me went up today about how the Summit will attempt to "flatten" the Foundation world ala Tom Friedman).



I believe this Summit will usher in the beginning of a new inter-generational era in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. The issue of enerational change in have been simmering - the conversation is everywhere in the nonprofit world, but funders are just beginning to get their heads around it, and to gear strategies and grants to address.