For Immediate Release

CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY SEMINAR, HIGHER IMPACT: IMPROVING FOUNDATION PERFORMANCE, WILL BE HELD MARCH 17-18, 2005 IN SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Independent Sector President Diana Aviv, Boston Globe Investigative reporter Michael Rezendes, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation CEO Carol Larson among foundation leaders on the program

Cambridge, MA: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Independent Sector President Diana Aviv, Boston Globe investigative reporter Michael Rezendes, and David and Lucile Packard Foundation CEO Carol Larson will be among the speakers at the Center for Effective Philanthropy's March 17-18 seminar, Higher Impact: Improving Foundation Performance, in San Francisco.

The two-day seminar will include speakers from inside and outside the foundation field, and explore key dimensions of foundation performance and impact. The seminar will feature sessions on strategy development, performance assessment, governance, and leadership. It will also highlight new Center for Effective Philanthropy research, including the first public report on results from Phase II of the Center’s landmark Foundation Governance Project, which includes a survey of more than 600 trustees of 55 foundations.

"Our objective is to challenge and inspire foundation leaders to seek higher levels of performance and to utilize data, wherever possible, to inform better decision-making," said Phil Buchanan, Executive Director of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. "This session will focus both on practical, pragmatic tools and approaches for improving foundation performance as well as higher-level discussions of questions such as how to provoke change within organizations and how foundations can earn the public trust."

The national seminar is sponsored by the James Irvine Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, the California Endowment, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, and the Stuart Foundation. It is being planned in coordination with Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) and a discount is available for NCG members. Early-bird registration ends December 15.

In addition to Newsom, Aviv, Rezendes, and Larson, other confirmed speakers and session moderators include:

• Jeff Bradach, co-founder and managing partner of The Bridgespan Group
• Paul Brest, president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• Kristen Burns, president of REDF (formerly The Roberts Enterprise Development Fund)
• Jim Canales, president and CEO of the James Irvine Foundation
• Sarah Di Troia, associate director of the Center for Effective Philanthropy
• Katherine Fulton, partner of the Monitor Group and president of the Monitor Institute
• Barbara Kibbe, vice president of program effectiveness at the Skoll Foundation
• Patricia Kozu, vice president, finance & administration at The F.B. Heron Foundation
• Kathy Merchant, president and CEO of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
• James Phills, Jr., co-director of Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation and faculty director of the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, and associate editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review
• Mark Smith, president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation
• Sylvia Yee, vice president of programs at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY

The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a nonprofit organization focused on providing management and governance tools to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance. The Center received initial funding in 2001 and is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information on the Center's work, including its research publications and assessment tools, see www.effectivephilanthropy.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT

Julia Allison at (617) 492-0800 x214 or juliaa@effectivephilanthropy.org