TITLE : Grantmaking as partnership: going beyond the dollars
CITY : Chicagoa1 , NM
DATE : Sunday, November 09, 2008
TIME : 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
PRICE : $75.00
 
Grantmaking as partnership: going beyond the dollars

As grantmakers grapple with the question of how to achieve maximum return on their investments, an increasing number are starting to view the grantee relationship as a partnership. While the partnership involves much greater reporting and accountability by the grantee, there are numerous benefits to treating grantmakers as partners. 

This unusual session will explore some of the hidden perks that come with a funding partnership that goes beyond the dollars.  We will look at ways in which a funding partnership can be used to:
  • Open the door to other private, government and foundation funders
  • Increase your profile and visibility in the community through joint public relations messaging
  • Obtain technical assistance and other helpful add-ons to the base grant
  • Secure loans and other types of assistance needed by a cash-strapped organization
  • Build much needed political and community support for your programs
To provide a diversity of perspectives, this session will consist of two consecutive panels speaking for an hour each.  Each panel will consist of one grantmaker and 2-3 grantees who will discuss a number of innovative features of the grantmaking relationship.  This session is designed for fundraisers of all levels.

Speakers on first panel:

Howard Nochumson
Executive Director
Washington Square Health Foundation

Mr. Nochumson is the first Executive Director of the Washington Square Health Foundation, and this February marks his 20th year in that position. Washington Square is one of the oldest health care conversion foundations in the country. Since its inception it has progressed from a hospital based giving model to an expansive public health and community based grant maker. To promote collaboration among funders, Washington Square established and initially funded the Donors Forum Health Care Affinity Group with Nochumson as its first chairperson. In addition, Nochumson has been instrumental in developing several RWJ Local Initiative Funding Grants for Chicagland not for profits. Mr. Nochumson earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Illinois, where he was a University of Illinois Graduate Fellowship recipient. He has published numerous articles in the fields of education and philanthropy and has participated in various presentations and seminars, most recently in two panel presentations dealing with collaborative funding.
The Washington Square Health Foundation grants funds that promote and maintain access to adequate healthcare for all people in the Chicagoland area regardless of race, sex, creed or financial need.

LauraJane Hyde
Chief Executive Officer
Gilda's Club Chicago


LauraJane Hyde has served as Chief Executive Officer of Gilda's Club Chicago since August of 2006 and as Executive Director since October of 1999, having joined the organization in July of 1998.  Prior to that, she was the Director of Donor Development for the Chicago chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  She began her development career at The Northwestern Memorial Foundation, and her post-college career with the Chicago White Sox.  She has more than 15 years experience in nonprofit development and administration.  LauraJane has represented Gilda's Club Worldwide at a number of conferences and on various task forces, and she serves on the boards of the Magnificent Mile Charitable Foundation, HELP
(Help Ease Local Poverty), and the River North Association.

Toren Flink
Executive Director
LaCasa (Lake County Council Against Sexual Assault)

Toren has held her current position as Executive Director of LaCasa for 15 years. Prior to her position with LaCASA, she was the Executive Director of A Safe Place, a shelter for abused women and children.  For her leadership skills, The United Way of Suburban Chicago named Toren Executive Director of the Year in 1996.  Toren has a BA degree and completed advanced coursework in social work at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Speakers on second panel:

Spruiell White
Senior Program Officer
The John D. and Catherine T. Macarthur Foundation


Mr. White joined the Foundation as a Program Officer in 1995, and was promoted to his current position as Senior Program Officer in Human and Community Development in 1998. Prior to his arrival at the Foundation, Mr. White served in a number of executive leadership positions for the Chicago Jobs Council, the United Negro College Fund and Urban League affiliates in San Francisco and Seattle. He is a founding member of Chicago Blacks in Philanthropy and a board advisor to the Illinois Ethnic Coalition and the Center for Impact Research. Mr. White has served as a mayoral appointee to the Private Industry Council and the Empowerment Zone Coordinating Council. He received his undergraduate degree in English literature from Luther College, and his Masters in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.

Robin Snyderman
Housing Director
Metropolitan Planning Council


A native of the Chicago area, Robin Snyderman assumed the position of Housing Director at the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) in 1998, where she works on housing reform and creation throughout the region. Prior to her work at MPC, Robin worked for 10 years with San Francisco’s Mission Housing Development Corporation, developing and providing supportive housing for formerly homeless adults.  Robin recently completed her term as Chair of the City of Evanston’s Housing Commission, and is currently a  Board Member of the Illinois Housing Council and Interfaith Council for the Homeless, a Trustee of the National Housing Conference and a 2002 fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago.  In 2006, she completed Harvard University’s Executive Education Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, which is run out of the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Toby Herr
Founder and Director
Project Match


Toby has worked with Project Match since 1985 to support low-income families in a range of areas, including welfare-to-work, workforce development, and community development. Prior to Project Match, Ms. Herr spent nine years working in Cabrini-Green as an elementary school teacher.  She received her M. Ed. from the Erikson Institute.  She is currently a research associate at the Erikson Institute, as well as a trustee. During 1994-1995, Ms. Herr served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, providing technical assistance to its four-state Post-Employment Services Project and to designated Head Start Family Service Centers.  In 2006, Toby was named a Champion of the Public Interest by Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), a Chicago-based social law and policy center, in recognition of her twenty years of leadership.

Robert E.Wordlaw
Executive Director
Chicago Jobs Council


Robert was appointed Executive Director of the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC) in December 1995. In this capacity, he oversees CJC’s advocacy, applied research, public education and capacity-building initiatives to reform public policies that impede gainful employment for people in poverty. Before joining CJC, Bob served 17 years as Executive Vice President of The Neighborhood Institute where he successfully planned and administered employment preparation, skills training, and economic development programs aimed at moving people out of poverty. Prior to that, he was Director of a west side office for the City of Chicago’s Department of Human Services and staff consultant for a Washington D.C. based community development consulting firm.  He received his BA degree from Goddard College (Plainfield, VT) and in 1995 completed a one-year fellowship program at Roosevelt University.

Dinner menu

The menu for this session is a three course gourmet dinner that includes:
  • Watercress and arugula salad with poached pears, gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinaigrette
  • Pan seared chicken with a lemon-parmesan crust, and covered with a rustic tomato sauce
  • Shiitake jasmine rice
  • Vegetable lasagna
  • Roasted yukon gold potatoes
  • Broccolini and carrots tossed with parsley butter
  • Assorted chef specialty sweets