Family Conference Receives Rave Reviews

When Sharna Goldseker, director of 21/64 and vice president of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, agreed to chair the 2011 Family Philanthropy Task Force, she made it crystal clear that she wanted to blaze new trails and break new ground. In other words, she said, "I don’t want this to be the 2011 version of the same old conference."

From the opening moments of the conference—when CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien noted that "ultimately what connects everyone in this room is passion"—it quickly became clear that Goldseker had accomplished her objectives.

"The opening plenary set the tone for candid and thoughtful dialogue about our work, and proved both how much we can learn from each other and how hungry we are for these types of opportunities," said Christine Elbel, executive director of the Fleishhacker Foundation. "Both the knowledgeable Katie Couric and the splendid closer, Tim Shriver, provided valuable resonance and inspiration in their unscripted comments about the passion they have for their philanthropic and nonprofit work."

Laura Malone, director of gift planning for the American Endowment Foundation, singled out the plenary speakers as well but also appreciated "the willingness to collaborate among the attendees... there was a lot of young, dynamic energy that reassured me that family philanthropy is not a 'dying trend.'"

"My family foundation members and I really enjoyed this conference. We thought the plenary sessions were great, and we could tell that great attention had been paid to all of the details," noted Fred Daniels of the Daniels Foundation. "We will carry many new ideas back to the rest of the board, and we look forward to next year."

Anna Doherty, marketing manager for DonorsChoose.org, was busy staffing her company’s booth in Family Central, so she didn’t get to attend a lot of sessions. However, she was impressed with those she did experience. "We got a chance to attend the breakfast and lunch plenary sessions on Monday, both of which were very well designed and well thought-out," she explained. "I was really impressed with the caliber of speakers, and I know the conference attendees were very impressed as well."

Just hours before the conference concluded, Council President and CEO Steve Gunderson told attendees, "We are building many bridges at this conference," he said. "Family philanthropy, and all philanthropy, is positioned for growth in size, in service, and in the diversity of giving structures.... For me, it remains an incredible professional honor and personal privilege to walk these bridges with you."