Gathering

One of the fastest growing affinity groups in philanthropy, the Association of Small Foundations serves trustees, staff, and consultants working with "foundations with few or no staff." Most of its members have assets of $50 million or less, and many of them depend on consulting groups to manage investments and assist with grantmaking. These consultants were well-represented at the conference as speakers, exhibitors, and general participants. As of August 2002, the Association had 2,801 members with assets totaling $47.8 billion. It is rightfully proud of a recently published membership survey assessing its constituents' levels of activities, approaches to grantmaking, board structures and practices, operations, and grantmaking foci.

Members of the Association have varying levels of experience in philanthropy; they range from novices to seasoned veterans. The annual conference took particular care to engage and serve newcomers, offering numerous "basics" workshops on legal issues, setting up new programs, proposal review, grantor-grantee relationships, and site visits. However, grantmakers at all levels of experience were served by workshops on risk analysis, scenario planning, and investment strategies. I had the opportunity to attend as a speaker on a panel about when and how small foundations might want to become involved in collaborative grantmaking.

Appropriately, ASF celebrates its members' smallness. Sessions were highly interactive and "personal" in tone. The best presentations achieved a tone of warm professionalism. The audience clearly wanted to talk and that desire was accommodated. Most sessions devoted the bulk of available time to questions and conversation.

In the thread I chose to follow through the conference's many offerings, two highlights were Katherine Fulton's presentation about "Advanced Scenario Planning" as an approach to help organizations achieve their goals in spite of changing environments; and a panel entitled, "Next in Line," in which young trustees of five small foundations talked about how they had become involved in their respective foundations' work. Strategies for engaging foundations' younger generations ranged from formal orientation weekends and classes for "associate" members who can join the board at a pre-determined age, to internships at the foundation or serving on content-specific committees.

Also noteworthy, the Association introduced its recently published Foundation in a Box, a print and electronic compilation of forms, articles, and resources for staff and trustees of small foundations. Based on a public unveiling, the Box's structure and content were thoughtfully designed with extensive board and committee involvement. I'll be eager to hear from GIA members who make use of this important new resource for the field of philanthropy.

Frances Phillips is program officer, Walter and Elise Haas Fund and co-editor, GIA Reader