Two years ago this week I launched Tactical Philanthropy. Over that time I’ve been absolutely stunned by the way that the blog format has allowed my writing to spread so far and so fast. I am also deeply humbled by the incredible energy and intelligence of the members of the thriving Tactical Philanthropy community. I’ve learned far more than I’ve taught, so I’m deeply in debt to all of you.
Today I’m happy to announced the first offline event for our Tactical Philanthropy community: The Tactical Philanthropy Forum. This will be the first in a series of events — first in the San Francisco bay area and then hopefully across the country — that will feature some of the great thinkers and doers in philanthropy. Like everything that happens on this blog, these will be participatory events. I encourage you to join the discussion, jump on in and see what we all can learn.
I’ve set aside 20 tickets to the event at 50% off the regular cost of $20 for readers who register through this post. In the next couple days, email invites will be going out and I expect the event to sell out quickly. These 20 seats are being set aside for my regular readers. Thanks for checking in on the blog every day! This event wouldn’t be the same without you. Just use the code tpreader to score one of the 20 seats I’ve reserved for you.
And now the details for the first Tactical Philanthropy Forum:
When: November 19, 2008 at 6:00pm – San Francisco, CA
The Tactical Philanthropy Forum is a regular gathering of the thinkers and doers who are building a new and better social sector. This event will feature a conversation with Paul Brest, president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Bill Somerville, president and founder of the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. Sean Stannard-Stockton, author of the Tactical Philanthropy blog will act as moderator.
The conversation will examine the tradeoffs between a philanthropy driven by strategic, big picture issues and a grassroots approach to giving that focuses on funding outstanding individuals. Paul Brest is the author of the newly released book Money Well Spent: A Strategic Guide to Smart Philanthropy. Bill Somerville is the author of Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker. Sean Stannard-Stockton is director of tactical philanthropy at Ensemble Capital Management, author of the Financial Times column On Philanthropy and a member of the World Economic Forum’s council on Philanthropy and Social Investing.
Like all Tactical Philanthropy Forum events, the conversation will center on real world applications and is designed for a cross-disciplinary audience. Anyone and everyone interested in a new and better social sector are encouraged to participate. Both social sector professionals and individual donors will enjoy the evening’s event. All attendees are asked to follow a strict policy of non-solicitation.
Please join us beginning at 6:00pm for wine and hors d’oeuvres. Both authors will be available to sign copies of their books immediately following the conversation. Please arrive early enough to allow time to clear security at the main entrance.
The event is being held in the main conference room of Hanson Bridgett, LLP, 425 Market Street, 26th Floor, San Francisco, CA. Hanson Bridgett, LLP is a full service law firm with a mission to help sustainable businesses succeed and foster the growth of the sustainable business community overall.
I hope to see you there!