Tuesday, May 5, 2015
A message from PNY President Ronna Brown, published originally in the New York PhilanthroPost Monthly May 2015 edition.Philanthropy New York members are an immensely diverse set of funders with programmatic interests ranging from local youth development to international democracy-building, and everything in between. When we plan our Annual Meeting, we strive to create an exciting event that provides inspiration and relevant insights for every member, regardless of their foundation’s focus.
Many members fund initiatives and programs outside of the United States. With the recent devastation in Nepal, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, civil unrest in Syria and LGBTQ discrimination in Russia, among numerous other critical issues, we thought now would be the perfect time to focus on international grantmaking.
We are excited to see the full-to-overflowing RSVP list for the Annual Meeting. “Global Perspectives, Universal Connections” will focus on cross-border philanthropy and practical learning that all grantmakers, regardless of their funding areas, will be able to apply to their work. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof will lead a discussion with Leymah Gbowee, President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa and 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, and United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson. We’re also bringing back the “PHIL Talks” session, which will feature inspirational presentations, in rapid-fire succession, from three leaders changing the world on a global scale.
The inimitable Darren Walker of Ford Foundation will moderate this year’s PHIL Talks, which will feature:
- Avila Kilmurray, Director, Policy & Strategy, Global Fund for Community Foundations
- Carolyne Achieng, Mentor Mother Team Leader, Muhoroni Sub County Hospital, mothers2mothers
- Rana Sabbagh, Executive Director, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
The presentations will be preceded by our annual business meeting (open to all members) and followed by a reception with our speakers.
Seating is already extremely limited, and we are quickly approaching the maximum number of attendees we can accept for this event. Please register now, because an RSVP will be required for admission.
We would like to thank JPMorgan Chase for its very generous hosting of this critical dialogue. We hope to see you there.
Best Regards,
Ronna