CFLeads 2023 Fall Forum
At the end of October, CFLeads hosted over 70 community foundation CEOs and board members in Fort Myers, Florida who came together to explore how community foundations are “Leading Through Change.” We heard from incredible content experts including Dr. Danielle Allen, Dr. Tiffany Manuel, and Dr. Gail Christopher.
The theme of this year’s Fall Forum, “Leading Through Change,” highlighted community foundation leadership in addressing the pressing issues our communities face today, including democracy, local journalism, racial healing, and economic mobility. Attendees from all backgrounds and experiences came together to engage in meaningful conversations, share ideas, and seek solutions to some of the most critical challenges of our time.
Powering Change Through Data-Driven Initiatives: Cincinnati’s Innovative Strategy
In October, we continued to be inspired by community foundations leading economic mobility work in their communities through our new economic mobility webinar series. In this second webinar, Powering Change Through Data-Driven Initiatives: Cincinnati’s Innovative Strategy, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation shared how they used data to determine a target population for their grantmaking and how to begin to measure community impact. The foundation also discussed how to work with board members in understanding systems-level outcomes.
Thank you to our wonderful speakers:
- Meghan Cummings, Vice President, Civic Advancement, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- Rasheda Cromwell, Vice President, Community Strategies, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- Denisha Porter, Executive Director, All-In Cincinnati & Senior Advisor to the CEO, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- Ann M. Schwister, former Greater Cincinnati Foundation board member and Procter & Gamble Senior Executive
Connecting Communities in the Americas: Promoting Local Economic Growth
In October, community foundations from across the Americas gathered to discuss how they can promote economic mobility in their regions. Participants heard from Central New York Community Foundation on its impact investing program and Fundación del Empresariado Yucateco (FEYAC) of Mexico on their PICIP program for integrative community development.
Growing community foundations come together in Kansas
CFLeads was pleased to be part of the 2023 Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations, hosted by the Kansas Association of Community Foundations! Mary L. Thomas, Len Bartel, and Sterling Speirn connected with community foundation leaders and staff across the country!
Mary and Len hosted a session on working across sectors to advance collaborative impact along with Scott Marquardt, President, Southwest Initiative Foundation. The session explored the building blocks for doing collaborative work in a thoughtful, inclusive way to create lasting positive change. Participants learned how to leverage tools like the Framework for Community Leadership and the Community Leadership Assessment Tool to build strong cross-sector partnerships that lead to community impact.
Additionally, Lisa Schalla, CCA Project Director, led a breakout session for participants who were looking for ways to engage the board in feeling closer to the impact that they are helping to create. Participants practiced a hands-on activity to collectively identify five dimensions of impact that are easily communicated to their stakeholders.
- CFLeads is hiring! We work remotely in communities across the U.S., and are excited to expand our team. Learn more and apply today.
- Apply for the Executive Leadership Institute for CEOs 2024 cohort by November 17.
