Philanthropy Ohio
Biennial Conference
September 16 - 18, 2015
The Westin Cincinnati
CALL FOR SESSIONS
Do you have ideas for conference sessions that will move the field of philanthropy forward? If so, we want to
hear from you! We’re looking for interactive, participant-focused sessions, led by the presenters you want to
hear from most, exploring key topics and strategies that have been successful in creating positive change in
communities. We’re also encouraging sessions that include “nuts and bolts” skill-building to help attendees
become more effective in their daily work.
Session proposals that align with the following thematic areas will receive priority consideration in the
selection process:
SHIFT - New Ideas & Perspectives
Philanthropy efforts that illustrate a shift in thinking and new actions applied to existing or new
challenges and opportunities. Examples include social investing, entrepreneurship,
unrestricted grantmaking, data use, design thinking, pay for success, social impact bonds, new
markets tax credits and diversity, equity & inclusion efforts.
Collective Impact
Public/Private partnerships to leverage resources and create sustainable change. Examples
include collaborative projects that feature a common agenda, distributed decision-making,
openness, transparency, and shared measurement.
Public Will
Philanthropy that fosters community engagement and empowerment enabling community
members to become the drivers of their own sustainable development. Examples include
place-based efforts, civic sabbaticals and fellowships supported by philanthropy.
BOLD Philanthropy
Philanthropy that embraces risk-taking and disruption and does not fear failing forward.
Next Generation Philanthropy
Engaging, preparing and advancing the next generation of philanthropists and philanthropy
professionals.
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Eligibility and Deadline:
Philanthropy Ohio members and eligible non-members may submit session proposals (see Membership
Eligibility). Session presenters are not limited to Philanthropy Ohio members or eligible non-members, and
content experts and leaders outside the philanthropic sector are welcome and strongly encouraged. We do ask
that members and eligible non-members serve as session organizers and as the point of contact for
Philanthropy Ohio staff.
Proposals should be submitted via email by March 27, 2015 to Deborah Aubert Thomas at
daubertthomas@philanthropyohio.org. Upon receipt you will receive acknowledgement of your submission.
The Philanthropy Forward Conference Advisory Committee will review and select sessions to be included in the
final conference program. Session organizers will be notified regarding selections by April 17.
Audiences
Attendees at Philanthropy Forward ’15 will represent a diversity of job functions and constituencies (listed
below). Many attendees come with the goal of strengthening “nuts and bolts” skills in one or more of the core
competencies (knowledge, capabilities and areas of expertise fundamental to effective grantmaking
organizations) listed below. We also know that attendees like to have an opportunity to engage in thinking
about “big picture” issues and strategies, and encourage proposal focused on the thematic areas previously
described on page one.
Job Functions:
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CEO
Program Officer
Trustee
Finance and Investments
Resource Development
Grants Management
Communications
Constituency:
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Community foundations
Public charity grantmakers
Private and family foundations
Corporate funders
United Ways
Giving Circles
Individual Donors
Federated Funds
Core Competencies:
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Public Policy
Finance and Investments
Governance
Grantmaking
Management
Communications
Resource Development
As you develop your proposed session, please keep the following in mind:
 What are the essential conversations we should be engaging in to help move the field of philanthropy
forward? What are the innovations and breakthroughs you’d like to explore at the conference? Who
are the leaders you’d like to hear from on these topics?
 Consider the audiences and core competencies listed above as you design your session and consider
session leaders/discussants/panelists. Identify and list the primary learning objectives for the session
you propose.
 The committee encourages session proposals that include perspectives from different types and sizes
of organizations. New and emerging voices – both within and outside the field – as well as presenters
representing different geographic, ethnic and gender experiences are appreciated.
 “Nuts and bolts” skill building sessions that help attendees become more effective in their daily work
are also encouraged.
 Session presenters/leaders should not exceed four people (including the moderator).
 Session titles and descriptions should closely match content covered in the session description. Please
submit proposals that are fully considered and formulated.
 Some sessions will be designed as “deep dives” into complex content (2 ½ hours), while others will be
fast-paced, shorter events (60 - 75 minutes). Be sure to indicate your desired session length in your
proposal.
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Session Organizer and Presenter Costs
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Session organizers and presenters who are Philanthropy Ohio members and eligible non-members are
generally expected to pay for their own travel and accommodations and can register for the full
conference at the early-bird Philanthropy Ohio member rate of $520.
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Presenters who are not eligible for membership (nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, etc.)
invited by organizers to participate in sessions selected by the conference advisory committee will
receive complimentary registration and conference meals on the day of their session. Other costs such
as travel and lodging must be covered by session organizers, as needed.
Session Organizer Responsibilities
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Ensure that presenters are able to attend Philanthropy Forward ‘15 and present at the session upon
selection.
Make any necessary refinements based on recommendations of advisory committee and staff.
Finalize session format and agenda, in writing.
Provide Philanthropy Ohio with contact information, bios and photos for each proposed session
presenter.
Prepare presenters/moderators via conference call(s) with Philanthropy Ohio staff.
Identify appropriate supporting materials for conference website (e.g. pre-conference preparation
materials, background reading(s) and handouts).
Identify audio visual equipment and room set up needs.
Register for and attend Philanthropy Forward ‘15.
We look forward to hearing from you! Should you have questions please contact Deborah Aubert Thomas,
Vice President, Programs & Learning at daubertthomas@philanthropyohio.org or 614.224.1344.
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Philanthropy Ohio
Biennial Conference
September 16 - 18, 2015
The Westin Cincinnati
Session Proposal Form
1. Session Information
Title
Session Length
____ 2 ½ hours (Deep Dive)
____ 75 minutes
____ 60 minutes
____ Other - please explain: ______________________________
Session Description
Descriptions should be 3 – 4 sentences and clearly articulate what attendees can expect from your
session. Be creative, fun and action-oriented in your description. Philanthropy Ohio reserves the right
to edit the description, if selected, in consultation with the session organizer.
Learning Objectives
By participating in this session, participants will:
1. _____________________________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
2. Session Organizer and Presenters
Names, titles and organizations will be posted online and in the conference brochure upon selection, so
please ensure accuracy. Up to four session presenters, including a moderator, may be identified.
Session Organizer (you):
Full Name: _________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Organization: _______________________________________________________________________________
Address, City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Role in this session: In addition to serving as the session organizer, will you moderate/facilitate this session?
Serve as part of a panel discussion, etc.? _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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Session Presenter (if applicable)
Contact Information
Full Name: _________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Organization: _______________________________________________________________________________
Address, City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Session Presenter (if applicable)
Contact Information
Full Name: _________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Organization: _______________________________________________________________________________
Address, City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Session Presenter (if applicable)
Contact Information
Full Name: _________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Organization: _______________________________________________________________________________
Address, City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Session Presenter (if applicable)
Contact Information
Full Name: _________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Organization: _______________________________________________________________________________
Address, City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Please see Session Organizer and Presenter Costs section on page 2 for details.
3. Format and Audiences
Indicate what formats you will integrate into your session design. Select all that apply. (See
attached Session Format Ideas, pages 7 - 9, for brief descriptions of each.)
____ Point/Counterpoint
____ IdeaLab
____ Fishbowl
____ Spectagram
____ Speed Geeking/Rapid Demos
____ World Café
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____ Pair Talk
____ Explain, Exercise, Debrief
____ Buzz Groups
____ List building
____ The Chaordic Stepping Stones
____ Panel Discussion
____ Other : Please describe ______________________________
Specifically describe how you will engage your audience during your session (i.e., will you ask
questions to engage them, are there table discussions, etc.?).
What types of attendees will your session attract? Please check all that apply:
Job Functions:
____ CEO
____ Program Officer
____ Trustee
____ Finance and Investments
____ Resource Development
____ Grants Management
____ Communications
____ Other: ______________________________
Constituency:
____ Community foundations
____ Grantmaking public charities
____ Private and family foundations
____ Corporate funders
____ United Ways
____ Giving Circles
____ Individual Donors
____ Federated Funds
Will your session address any of the following
core competencies? * If so, please check:
____ Public Policy
____ Finance and Investments
____ Governance
____ Grantmaking
____ Management
____ Communications
____ Resource Development
* knowledge, capabilities and areas of
expertise fundamental to effective
grantmaking organizations
Thank you for your submission. Please
contact Deborah Aubert Thomas,
Vice President, Programs & Learning
daubertthomas@philanthropyohio.org or
614.224.1344.
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Philanthropy Ohio
Biennial Conference
September 16 - 18, 2015
The Westin Cincinnati
Session Format Ideas
Recognizing that adults learn in different ways, greater variety in format and presentation styles will be the
norm throughout the conference. Sessions will not only provide content on a given topic, but include time for
interaction and discussion, and offer participants actionable strategies, tools and resources.
Philanthropy Ohio staff is ready and willing to help you design sessions that will be as interactive and engaging
as possible. Contact Deborah Aubert Thomas (614.224.1344 or daubertthomas@philanthropyohio.org) if you
need assistance.
Understanding How Adults Learn
Below are seven principles of adult learning which, if integrated into your planning, will ensure successful
attendee engagement: *
1. Learning is fundamentally social.
 Successful learning is often socially constructed and can require unlearning old ways.
2. Knowledge is integrated in the life of communities and the connections we maintain.
 Learning is about optimizing our connections to people within our communities of purpose
that matter to us. It’s about building and maintaining person-to-person connections that build
value.
3. Learning is an act of participation.
 The motivation to learn is the desire to become an accepted member of a community of
practice. It’s about building and maintaining person-to-person connections that brings value.
4. The depth of our learning depends on the depth of our engagement.
 We glean knowledge and retain more information from active participation in many different
situations and activities. The more we are actively involved, the more we learn.
5. Engagement is joined at the hip with empowerment.
 We perceive our identities in terms of our ability to contribute. Engage us and we feel
empowered.
6. Exclusion for active participation equals failure to learn.
 Learning requires access and the ability to contribute. Fill a conference with one-way lectures
and you increase learning failure.
7. WIIFM (what’s in it for me) is critical.
 We want to learn subjects that have immediate relevance to our work. If we don’t get WIIFM
quickly at the beginning of the presentation we disconnect and lose attention.
*excerpted from Velvet Chainsaw Midcourse Corrections, March 14, 2012. These and other great resources can
be found here.
From Understanding to Application
How can you structure a session that ensures real learning takes place? While this is not an exhaustive list of
formats, following are several approaches to consider:
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Point/Counterpoint
A lively exchange between panelists that includes and engages the audience. Panelists debate on a topic that
lends itself to divergent viewpoints. The debate is facilitated by a moderator, who calls on the audience
throughout the debate to provide questions for panelists to discuss.
IdeaLab
Participants consider ideas and solutions to core questions or challenges on a specific topic or theme. These
sessions begin with several discussion leaders offering their ideas on an element of the session’s theme. At the
conclusion of the presentations, each leader adjourns to a table, to be joined by participants for an intimate
exchange. The small group discussions are followed by a large group discussion to identify common threads
and key take-aways for participants.
Fishbowl
Four to five chairs are arranged in an inner circle, forming the “fishbowl”. The remaining chairs are arranged in
concentric circles outside the fishbowl. A few participants are selected to fill the fishbowl, while the rest of the
group sits on the chairs outside the fishbowl. One chair is left empty. The moderator introduces the topic and
the participants start discussing the topic. Any member of the audience can, at any time, occupy the empty
chair and join the fishbowl. The discussion continues with participants frequently entering and leaving the
fishbowl.
Spectagram
This is an interactive whole group exercise that helps highlight the range of perspectives in a group. There is a
tape on the floor with agree on one end and disagree at the other.
Agree|--------|-------- |Disagree
The moderator asks a somewhat controversial question and directs participants to take a stand on the
spectrum. The moderator then interviews people at different points on the spectrum about the opinions they
hold. This process creates a shared experience while demonstrating the range of opinions in a community. It
can serve as an anchor for additional conversations.
Speed Geeking/Rapid Demo’s
Presenters do a five-minute presentation/demonstration for a small audience. After five minutes, the audience
moves on to the next demo/presentation. This repeats throughout the session. This format is a great way to
see many short demos in a row with advantages for both sides: presenters refine their pitch through
repetition; the audience moves from demo to demo, efficiently using their time while exposing themselves to
different concepts.
World Café
The tables are set like a small café with 4-6 people per table. A conversation is put forward, with attendees
spending 20 minutes at a table. At time’s end, a host is chosen to stay behind and summarize the conversation
to the next group that comes to sit at the table. The other people move on to different tables and another
round of conversation happens. At the conclusion of three rounds, the conversations are collected.
Pair Talk
Facilitator poses a question and asks attendees to pair up to discuss their responses/perspectives. Facilitator
asks a few people to report back on their responses.
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Explain, Exercise, Debrief
 Walkthrough: Show how to do something, how it was done or explain a concept. Exercise: Have
everyone actually practice with the content that was just given to them (while you wander around and
help people one on one or add to their discussions). Debrief: lead a discussion of where people got
stuck, what parts were fun/hard/frustrating, and what things people learned, or realized they want to
learn. Show people’s individual work, rather than your own, to the group to help explain your insights
and observations, and as way to invite them to share theirs. The elements can be of different time
increments (15/15/15 or 10/20/15 minutes) or longer.
Buzz Groups
 Buzz Groups are small groups of two to six people that discuss a specific topic. It could be a topic posed
by the lecturer or one that a member of the group suggestions. They can be used several times for
short periods within a specific education program.
List building
 Ask a question to the group and build a list from your participant’s knowledge from these questions.
Having big sheets of paper and markers or a chalk board will be very helpful for eliciting input from the
group. Here are a few types of lists you’ll want to think about making to help participants learn in a
participatory way
o Brainstorm – example: brainstorm all types of “tactics” you can think of
o Harvesting – example: after working in small groups, ask for examples
of what each group learned about a particular topic
o Maximize/minimize – example: “What makes a good story?” followed by,
“What hinders good story-telling?” to build participants’ understanding
of story-telling.
The Chaordic Stepping Stones
 Steps are intended to create generative structures, structures that allow a group to create together,
without stifling creativity and the emergence of new ideas and new ways of doing things. Each step or
section of the conversation is activated by key questions that the group reflects upon and answers.
The steps or sections are- Need/ Purpose/ Principals/ People/ Concept/ Limiting Beliefs/ Structure/
Practice/ Harvest. Here is a link to detailed instructions for the process: The Chaordic Stepping Stones
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