In advance of next week’s conference, CEP Board Member Crystal Hayling has been sharing via short videos her excitement about the event and what she hopes to take away from the sessions. Her videos are below.
These videos are also available on CEP’s YouTube page.
CEP is pleased to announce that Chris DeVita, President of The Wallace Foundation, will be joining our Board of Directors this May. The press release is below.
April 19, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
M. Christine DeVita, President of The Wallace Foundation, Joins the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Board of Directors
Cambridge, MA— M. Christine DeVita, president of The Wallace Foundation, has been elected to a three-year term on CEP’s Board of Directors beginning May 2011.
An attorney who joined The Wallace Foundation in 1987 and became its president in 1989, DeVita has overseen the foundation’s transformation from a collection of small family funds into one of the country’s largest foundations with assets of more than $1 billion.
During her tenure, DeVita has pushed the foundation to maximize its impact. She led its transition from project-focused grantmaking to targeted strategies that combine program, communication, and evaluation expertise. DeVita has also emphasized building and broadly sharing the foundation’s knowledge. A well-respected foundation leader, DeVita is committed to using data to make better decisions in grantmaking.
Wallace’s approach to philanthropy has been profiled in the book Creative Philanthropy by Helmut Anheier and Diana Leat (Routledge, 2006), and in two CEP research publications, Aiming for Excellence at The Wallace Foundation (2009), and More than Money: Making a Difference with Assistance Beyond the Grant (2008).
“We are thrilled that Chris DeVita is joining our board,” said CEP President Phil Buchanan. “Under Chris’ leadership, The Wallace Foundation has become a model for using data to assess and improve its performance.”
DeVita, who retires from The Wallace Foundation in June, joins a Board of Directors whose other members include Board Chair Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Michael Bailin, former president and CEO of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; Crystal Hayling, former president and CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation; Christine James-Brown, president and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America; James Knickman, president and CEO of the New York State Health Foundation; Patricia Kozu, managing director of finance and administration at the National Employment Law Project; Kathryn Merchant, president and CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation; and Nadya Shmavonian, president of Public/Private Ventures.
Alyse d’Amico is vice president—programming, communications, and development at the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
CEP is extremely pleased to announce that Michael J. Fox will speaking at our May 10-11 conference in Boston. The press release is below.
March 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
MICHAEL J. FOX TO SPEAK AT CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY’S (CEP) MAY 10-11 CONFERENCE
Acclaimed Parkinson’s Disease Research Leader, Actor, and Author to Address Fellow Foundation Leaders
Cambridge, MA – Michael J. Fox, founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, acclaimed television and film actor and bestselling author, will be among the speakers at CEP’s May 10-11, 2011 conference in Boston. The conference, Better Philanthropy: From Data to Impact, is exclusively for CEOs, senior executives, and trustees of large foundations.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation has funded over $230 million in research to speed development of breakthrough treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s disease. It was founded by Fox in 2000 following the 1998 public disclosure of his diagnosis, in 1991 at age 30, with young-onset Parkinson’s disease.
The Foundation has forged a new model for driving research that pushes basic discoveries closer to the clinic, with an urgent focus on outcomes, collaboration and open-source science, and a mandate to continually identify, prioritize and develop the high-priority research targets most critical to therapeutic relevance for patients. Business and philanthropy leaders have taken notice, and the Foundation has been held up as an exemplar of the new breed of nimble, strategic and fast-moving disease research funders. In a 2008 profile, The New York Times called The Michael J. Fox Foundation “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world.” The Foundation is also among those highlighted in the forthcoming book by Tom Tierney and Joel Fleishman, Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results.
“Michael J. Fox will share with our audience his passion, personal commitment, and data-driven, results-oriented approach to philanthropy,” said CEP President Phil Buchanan. “We are absolutely delighted that our conference will be the venue for him to connect with his fellow foundation leaders.”
“Over the years, many of us have watched him on TV and in the movies, admiring his tremendous talent as an actor,” said Buchanan. “Today, we also admire his bold and unwavering commitment to medical research that has the potential to benefit millions.”
Fox will address conference attendees at a dinner on May 10 celebrating CEP’s 10-year anniversary. Other speakers at that dinner include William and Flora Hewlett Foundation President Paul Brest and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey.
More information about CEP’s conference is available here.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY
The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) is a nonprofit organization with the mission is to provide data and create insight so philanthropic funders can better define, assess, and improve their effectiveness – and, as a result, their intended impact. This mission is based on a vision of a world in which pressing social needs are more effectively addressed. It stems from a belief that improved effectiveness of philanthropic funders can have a profoundly positive impact on nonprofit organizations and the people and communities they serve. CEP received initial funding in 2001 and has offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California. For more information on CEP’s work, including its research, publications, and assessment tools, see www.effectivephilanthropy.org.
ABOUT THE MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON’S RESEARCH
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today. The Foundation has funded more than $230 million in research to date. For more information, see www.michaeljfox.org.
Alyse d’Amico is Vice President – Programming, Communications, and Development at the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
Over the course of CEP’s nine and half year history, many CEP staffers have taken time off to participate in activities that they are passionate about, but don’t necessarily relate to their jobs – from contributing to public art projects, to providing sign language and interpretation services, to joining in international volunteer projects. So it was not out of the ordinary when Ron Ragin (currently a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) asked to take a few days off to participate in a concert in LA. We all knew Ron had a passion for music (as previously discussed on this blog), but we didn’t know that he sang a solo in “Baba Yetu,” composed by Christopher Tin and featured in the popular video game Civilization IV. Last night the composer was awarded a Grammy for “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s),” and we couldn’t be more proud of Ron and his many accomplishments – both within and outside of philanthropy.
Check out Ron’s performance here:
For more on Ron’s experiences as a program officer and advocate for the arts, see his guests posts here.
Just a few days remain to take advantage of early bird registration rates for CEP’s May 10-11, 2011 Boston conference Better Philanthropy: From Data to Impact. Our early registration rates end Tuesday, February 1.
Our conference is open only to foundation CEOs, trustees and senior leadership and attracts the top philanthropy leaders and thinkers in the country.
The event will provide an opportunity for thoughtful philanthropic leaders to slow down and talk about one of the central issues facing philanthropy: how can we make a bigger impact? We focus on the practical uses of data—that is, how to use data to make better decisions.
But as any foundation leader knows, getting the right data is only part of the equation – the ability to implement changes, build buy-in, and inspire staff are crucial components of effective leadership. That’s why we are pleased to announce that Linda A. Hill, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, will be one of our closing plenary speakers. Professor Hill will discuss her new book Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives of Becoming a Great Leader and apply the book’s guiding pricinciples to the practice of philanthropy.
Other confirmed speakers include:
We keep our conferences small so that attendees find ample opportunity to interact with their peers.
Attendees of the 2009 conference gave the event the highest ratings in CEP history. Among their comments:
You can find the full list of our speakers, attendees, conference schedule, and travel information on our website.
Sign up today and secure your early bird registration rate.
Alyse d’Amico is Vice President—Programming, Communications, and Development at the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
