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When community foundations are asked how they assess their community impact (outcomes), most will describe what they do to achieve impact (outputs).  Understanding and quantifying the impact of community foundations that work in multiple topical areas, with multiple partners and grantees, can be a daunting task. This session will allow the audience to hear from Laurie Ellen Paarlberg, PhD, who has begun to address this challenge especially in the aspect of community leadership.

Special 30th Anniversary Announcement: Don't miss this! We have some very excited news to share.

Sixty percent of non-profit professionals report that they don’t use data to make decisions. Organizations are good at collecting data but don't know what to do with it, so we help them package it in a visually appealing way (dashboards, reports, infographics) and then train their staff on how to tell their story with data.

An extension of the “Introduction to Local Impact Investing” session, this workshop will help foundations and corporations understand the broad set of tools they can use to deploy impact capital, including PRIs/MRIs, loan guarantees, direct lending, integrated capital (loans and grants), and loan loss reserves. Learn how philanthropic investors are using these tools to address critical community issues and to identify specific gaps (e.g., needed infrastructure, cross-sector leadership, flexible investment capital, and effective policy).

All foundations can advocate by educating lawmakers on issues of importance to philanthropy, but there’s still uncertainty regarding the nuances and details that distinguish advocacy from lobbying. Hear from national partners as they share issues from the field in the ever-changing policy landscape. Learn how to support and strategize around initiatives that are most important to your community by exploring some of the tools of advocacy through the work of your peers.