Its a Wrap!
More than fifty PSO staff and volunteer leaders gathered for the PolicyWorks Institute in San Francisco following our Annual Conference. The Institute is the annual opportunity for those working in advocacy and policy to come together to strengthen their policy muscles through exchange and learning from their peers and experts in the field.
The packed day and a half Institute included sessions on state and federal policy issues, navigating the current environment and how we engage our board and members in policy work. This year we welcomed several of our new national PSO colleagues to the Institute and will continue to work to integrate them into our longstanding programming and meet their specific needs.
One of the most vibrant discussions and exchange happened during a presentation by Joe Grady of Topos Partnership on framing our issues in this new political environment. We were also fortunate to have the wisdom of leaders like Fred Ali from the Weingart Foundation and Wendy Garen from Ralph Parsons Foundation. Most importantly, we highlighted the strength of the network through the contribution of our members.
Additional great content was presented by our colleagues including Eric Weinheimer, Alexis Anderson-Reed, Emily Katz, Debbie McKeon, Rob Collier, Claudia Herrold, Remy Trupin, Michael Remaley, Daranee Petsod, Alfonso Wenker and Seyron Foo as well as volunteer leaders Bill Engel from the Union Foundation and John Mullaney from the Nord Family Foundation. We closed out the Institute with an amazing panel on how we forge new partnerships between philanthropy and the media in turbulent times which featured John Diaz from the San Francisco Chronicle; Ethan Lindsey with KQED Public Media and Laurel Rosenhall with CalMatters moderated by Mike Smith, Director of Communications, James Irvine Foundation. The content and conversations were rich and the motivation and learning vital to building our skills and energy around policy work.
In an effort to ease the conference length and to encourage additional volunteer leaders to be part of the 2018 PoilcyWorks Institute, we are moving the Institute to be adjacent to Foundations on the Hill so mark your calendars! The 2018 PolicyWorks Institute will be held March 11-12 and 2018 Foundations on the Hill will be March 12-14 in Washington, DC.
Special thanks to the 2017 PolicyWork Planning Committee -Seyron Foo, Southern California Grantmakers, Chair; Kari Boutell, Iowa Council of Foundations; Bill Engel, The Union Foundation; Theresa Jacks, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers; Michael Remaley, Philanthropy New York and Ellah Ronen, California Community Foundation.
See Who Attended
Did you register for this year's Institute? Check out who else was in San Francisco! Remember to update your profile with a picture and up-to-date contact information. You must be logged into the site to view the roster as an attendee of the Insitute or a member of the Forum to access the event roster.
See the registration list
Photos
Check out some photo highlights from the event.
Please use #PolicyWorks17 for any social media posts around the conference.
Questions?
Please contact Matt Hennessy (202-759-6920) with any questions about the event.
Schedule at a Glance
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
2:00 - 6:00 pm: Registration Open on 25th Floor
2:30 - 3:45 pm: PolicyWorks Institute Opening
3:45 - 5:00 pm: Navigating the Road Ahead
5:00 - 6:00 pm: Reception
6:30 pm: Dine Arounds
Thursday, July 20, 2017
7:00 am - 3:30 pm: Registration Open
7:30 - 8:00 am: Breakfast
8:00 - 10:00 am: The Insiders Perspective on Key Federal and State Policy Issues
10:15 - 11:15 am: Framing Our Issues in the New Political Environment
11:15 – 11:45 am: Break/Grab Lunch
11:45 am - 12:45pm: Policy Peer Community: Strategies that Work
1:00 - 2:15 pm: Laying the Groundwork for Action
2:30 - 3:30 pm: Philanthropy & Media: Forging New Partnerships in Turbulent Times