When: 7:30am on April 3rd
Where: Redwood Shores Ballroom in the Hotel Pullman
Take a look at the breakfast sessions provided by fellow Global Philanthropy Forum guests. We encourage you to attend these intimate and valuable table talks.
It’s Not Hopeless: Transforming Citizens to Advocate Powerfully on Climate Solutions, Ending Poverty, and Other Global Issues
Sam Daley-Harris, Civic Courage
Sam Daley-Harris founded Civic Courage, wrote the book Reclaiming Our Democracy, founded the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS and coached Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) for its first 7 years. David Bornstein wrote in the New York Times: “Interviewing RESULTS and Citizens Climate Lobby volunteers, I’m struck by how many have had the same experience: a kind of revelation at the power they wield as citizens.” Sam will discuss the theory of change that helps citizens experience clarity on the power they wield as citizens.
Building Societies that are More Open, Accountable and Inclusive: Sharing Global Good Practices in Social Accountability & Participatory Democracy.
Christian Steiner, Helvetas USA
For many disadvantaged groups, in particular women, local political participation is the most important means to influence decision making and make their communities thrive. International development must aim to improve interactions between citizens, local civil society, the private sector and the state. This can be done by raising awareness of rights and responsibilities, strengthening civil society in their role as partners and mediators, and supporting public institutions in delivering quality public services. The water sector is an excellent entry point for social accountability, which in turn is instrumental in making water services work. Yet, participatory democracy principles can help increase the performance and accountability of about any sector such as education, health, agriculture or waste management. Join the breakfast discussion and share your lessons learned, good practices, and questions.
Why Some Donor Collaboratives Succeed—and Others Don’t
Ava Lala and Alison Morse, Geneva Global
Collaboration is the key to doing good well—and nowhere else is that more apparent than in philanthropy. But it’s easier said than done. From Geneva Global’s experience in creating, incubating, and managing nearly 15 donor collaboratives, we’ve learned first-hand what works and what doesn’t. Drawing on our recent experience setting up and managing the Girls First Fund—a donor collaborative of over 11 prominent funders focused on ending child marriage—we’ll share best practices and discuss common challenges donor collaboratives often face. We’ll invite participants to share their own lessons learned and pose questions to the group for how to make the most out of their strategic partnerships.
Mapping the Landscape of Political Influence in the US
Joe Dougherty, Dalberg Advisers
Using public data and a machine-learning approach, the Leadership Now Project and Dalberg Advisors mapped the “democracy market” to identify the scale and role of political actors — public charities, private foundations, political committees, and candidates — and the flow of funds among them. This effort sheds light on threats to democratic function and viable solutions for reform.
Storytelling with Dignity
Emily Kaiser, George Kaiser Family Foundation
As donors, we want to know that our investments are making people’s lives better. We’re naturally drawn to stories that evoke an emotional response. This encourages grantees to tug at the heartstrings in hopes of loosening the purse strings. But we have a responsibility to pause and consider whether this type of storytelling is ethical. For example, can a child consent to having her image and story publicly shared? How can we as donors encourage responsible storytelling that prizes dignity and respects the communities we aim to serve? Please join me for a breakfast discussion on changing the language of giving.
Grantmaking in China and Other Challenging Countries
Jessie Krafft, Charities Aid Foundation USA
This breakfast session would bring individuals together to discuss grantmaking in China and how attendees are each managing compliance with the Overseas NGO Law in China that was implemented in January 2017. Additionally, the group could discuss other challenging countries to exchange ideas and solutions for continuing operations in those countries.
Driving Collaboration in the Citizenship Education Ecosystem
Mehrdad Baghai, High Resolves
The Composer is the innovative result of unparalleled collaboration among five founding provider partners, recognized as being among the best-in-class in citizenship education: High Resolves, Facing History and Ourselves, iCivics, Generation Citizen, and Peace First. With the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Omidyar Network, this syndicate has been developing an innovative digital platform to search, create, deliver and share powerful sequences of citizenship education, informed by the latest insights from learning science. The breakfast session will include a brief demo of the platform followed by a discussion around why and how this collaboration has been so fruitful.
How Philanthropy can Help Resolve the Immigration Crisis
Harriette Rothwell, Pionero Philanthropy
In this session, we welcome differing perspectives regarding how Philanthropy can help alleviate immigrant flows south of the border. A variety of angles shall be discussed from internal and international perspectives.
Women of Conscience: Catalyzing Change by Amplifying Women’s Voices Post-Conflict
Elizabeth Silkes, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience
Women’s leadership and peaceful societies are inextricably linked: One cannot exist without the other. While this fact is well-documented, women in countries emerging from conflict are too often excluded from reconciliation and peace building processes; the vast majority of peace agreements signed from 1990 to today include no female signatories. The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is working to change that. This breakfast table talk will center on the organization’s new “Women of Conscience” campaign, which amplifies the voices of women in conflict and post-conflict settings, equipping them to act on their bold visions and spark tangible, lasting change in their communities.
Fake News, Disinformation, and the Challenge of Social Trust
Kristin Lord, IREX
Fake news, rampant disinformation spread by social media, and manipulative influence campaigns threaten democracy and undermine civic trust in countries around the world. This session will explore ways for societies to fight back — and how to make citizens part of the solution.
How ‘Dark Money’ is Undermining Democracy, Women’s and LGBTI Rights – and What We Can Do About It
Mary Fitzgerald, openDemocracy
The rights of women and LGBTI people are coming under increasing threat in many countries across the world. Many of these ‘campaigns’ appear to be grassroots; from organised opposition to marriage equality, to blocking laws against gender based violence and campaigns aimed at preventing access to healthcare services and education for women and girls. But the truth is many of these initiatives are financed and supported by powerful, global networks – often whose sources of funding are not public. And they often serve to undermine the democratic fabric of societies, and close down civic space. openDemocracy has broken a series of stories about how these dark money-funded networks operate, and what can be done to strengthen democracy in the face of this challenge. We recently broke a story of how $50m has flowed from a number of US-based organisations to ‘family values’ campaigns in Europe, many of which are linked to European far-right parties expected to make big gains in elections next month. This meeting will brief participants about our research and upcoming stories, and discuss how we reframe the narrative on these issues globally.