Previous Summits

Since 2004, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and the McCormick Foundation have convened summits of leaders in philanthropy, academia, government, the corporate sector, and the news media to discuss vital issues in philanthropy.

Philanthropy and Organizational Effectiveness (2007)

The participants discussed frankly the issues and challenges of accountability, assessment, and evaluation, often termed “organizational effectiveness.” These include a vital need to identify the challenges and strategies for making assessment achieve its promise of improving the practices of nonprofit organizations and ensuring a positive return on investment for grantmakers.

Read the highlights in Expecting Too Much? Promising Too Much? Assessing Accountability for Grantmakers and Their Recipients (PDF).

Philanthropy and Leadership Transition (2006)

Passing the Torch (PDF) summarizes the themes and discussions of the third philanthropy summit, which addressed challenges of and strategies for identifying and fostering emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector.

Building Bridges between the Media and the Philanthropic Sector (2005)

Representatives from the media—including senior executives and philanthropy beat reporters from the nation’s largest and most influential newspapers—joined attendees from the nonprofit sector and academia for a healthy debate on the media coverage of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations.

Philanthropy and the Media (PDF) summarizes the summit, which was convened in cooperation with the Indiana University School of Journalism.

Identifying Challenges and Opportunities in the Philanthropic Sector (2004)

The first philanthropy summit addressed compelling issues in philanthropy. In attendance were 15 chief executive officers or trustees from large nonprofit organizations and associations, 17 CEOs or board members from large organizations, and 4 faculty members from nonprofit management programs. Read about the summit in Challenges Facing Philanthropy (PDF).