During Tuesday morning’s plenary session, IDEO Managing Partner and Chief Creative Officer Paul Bennett noted that "philanthropy is about people and their stories." That sentiment perfectly describes Monday morning’s standing-room-only concurrent session, "Storytelling to Share Family Values."

The discussion began with the personal stories of panelists Caroline Cummings Rafferty, Julie Fisher Cummings, and Eileen Rockefeller Growald. The audience then listened raptly to three moving conversations—including one between a lesbian mother and her young daughter and another between two daughters and their father with Alzheimer’s. These had been recorded by StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit that offers Americans an opportunity to record, share, and preserve their stories. To say that the crowd was disappointed when StoryCorps Founder and Executive Director David Isay didn’t have time to play additional taped conversations is an understatement.

Several other concurrent sessions grabbed people’s attention as well. Laura Malone, director of gift planning for the American Endowment Foundation, was among those who singled out "The Second Most Important Conversation to Have with Your Kids" as a favorite because of the topic’s importance.

As the panel’s moderator, The Minneapolis Foundation Client Services Officer Robyn Schein, noted in a post on the Council’s RE: Philanthropy blog, "For some parents, talking about wealth ranks right up there with the birds and the bees as important but dreaded conversations to have with your kids…. So the purpose of the session was to provide parents, grandparents, and staff working with philanthropic families with tips and tools to get over their fears and talk effectively about wealth and giving. "

Another popular session was "Art Works," which tackled the important issue of why family foundations should support the arts. The reason, according to Museum of Modern Art President Emeritus Agnes Gund, is simple: "The arts affect change, and they can affect it everywhere." Karen Brooks Hopkins, president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, added that "Arts are us as human beings at our best.... Why wouldn’t we make a small investment in this field."

Benna Wilde, managing director of Prince Charitable Trusts and the panel’s moderator, added in a RE: Philanthropy blog post that there are a number of important reasons for supporting the arts, including that "tens of millions of Americans participate in arts activities every year" and the arts "generate billions of dollars in consumer spending."

With more than 100 new members of Congress this year, and a number of key issues on the horizon, the session "Legislative and Regulatory Update" drew an interested crowd. Attendees took careful notes and asked questions about a variety of challenges facing the nation’s lawmakers. With the top two seats on the important House Ways and Means Committee now held by Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Sander Levin (D-Mich.), it comes as no surprise that "Michigan is now a very important state," said Andrew Schulz, the Council’s vice president, Government Relations and Public Policy.

Schulz urged all Council members, including those from the Wolverine State, to attend Foundations on the Hill March 8-9 in Washington, D.C., to educate their members of Congress on the issues most important to the philanthropic sector.