Letter from the Co-Chairs

NFG has a new look!

Yes, this remains very much your association. But as the scope of NFG’s work and membership has grown in depth and breadth over the past 10 years, we felt that it was time to update our logo and tagline to reflect our growth. We would like to take this opportunity to communicate the concept behind the design. The overlapping circles represent the various audiences – including community partners, colleague funders and policymakers – with whom we work, and the value each constituency brings to our organization. The circles also represent the diverse, but connected, grantmaking programs and approaches that we support. The shades of green reflect our connection to grass roots, and our belief in the power of renewal and community change. Insert note re: tagline.

With the development of a new logo, NFG is poised to launch a major membership recruitment campaign. With oversight by chair Maria Mottola, and the Board and Membership Development Committee, we will mail more than 3,000 recruitment packets to potential members, identified by the board and current members, whom we believe would benefit from NFG membership. We ask that you continue to encourage your colleagues interested in this work to become involved in our programs.

NFG has been hard at work on other activities during the past few months. We would like to thank the many people who worked diligently to make the NFG -sponsored activities during the Council on Foundations Chicago meeting so successful. Thanks to our members’ commitment of time and talent, our Sunday reception and program, and pre-conference working group sessions were a huge success. The Rural Funders Working Group session received great press coverage in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Good job everyone!
Final preparations are underway for the Nov. 1 - 3, 2002, NFG conference: A More Perfect Union: Charting a Strategy for Economic Justice, Part II. Under the leadership of conference chair Peter Beard, of the Fannie Mae Foundation, the fall conference will have a somewhat different format. The conference planning committee has developed two day-long training institutes in addition to the regular concurrent workshops. The institutes will focus on leadership development /civic engagement strategies and strategies for funding public policy. In addition to well-known grantmakers and policymakers, experienced community leaders will be strongly represented. On Friday, Nov. 1, the Rural Funders Working Group will hold its annual Fall Rural Funders Forum. This day-long meeting will examine the future of public policies that support rural communities and their residents. Veteran grantmakers, along with policy researchers and practitioners, will focus on philanthropy’s response to current rural policy issues and identify strategies for developing and supporting those policies. Please begin making plans now to join us in Washington, D.C., Nov. 1 – 3, 2002.

Progress continues with the New Wealth Philanthropy program. The project focuses on family foundations that have or could potentially have an interest in supporting community-based activities. NFG is committed to developing a set of tools, resources and information that will assist these foundations in developing grantmaking strategies to make informed funding decisions. The first step on the road to developing these tools has been organizing listening tours around the country to clearly understand the interests and needs of the foundations and to effectively involve these foundations in developing the resources. One listening session was held at the Family Foundations conference in New Orleans earlier this year, another in Cleveland, and two were held in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Finally, we want to thank each of you for your support throughout this year. We hope that you are enjoying your summer; relaxing, rejuvenating and recharging the batteries in preparation for an exciting fall!

NFG BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2002 NOMINATIONS

It’s that time again. Five new members will be elected to the NFG board of directors at its next meeting in November. NFG has a 15-member board, with five elected each year to a three year term. It is very much a working board. Members are expected to prepare for and attend three board meetings each year, participate in fund raising and membership recruitment, and contribute with committee service. The board is seeking individuals who reflect the diversity of the NFG membership and who are committed to building a strong organization that can effectively serve the interests of our members. The nominations committee selects a slate of candidates who will bring to the NFG board a diverse set of experiences to continue building and strengthening the organization.
NFG members may nominate themselves or another NFG member with the concurrence of that member. Nominations must be accompanied by a brief biographical profile that details the nominee’s current work and past experience that directly relates to the work of NFG. A statement of why the individual is interested in becoming an NFG board member should also be included.
Nominations will be accepted through Sept. 15, 2002. They should be sent to the NFG office at One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036 or emailed to Spence@nfg.org.

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