Speaker Series

On January 23, 2008, Alliance for Justice (AFJ) and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) jointly hosted a Speaker Series event titled Countdown to November: Foundation Support for Election-Related Advocacy.

The event, held in Washington, DC, drew a dynamic audience of over 40 participants who heard from a diverse panel of speakers on how funders can support nonpartisan, election-related activities in the upcoming election cycle, and how such support enhances the effectiveness of long-term policy advocacy. The panelists included: Meg Gage, President and Executive Director of the Proteus Fund; Marjorie Fine, founder of The Linchpin Campaign, a project of the Center for Community Change; Joe Szakos, former funder and Executive Director of the Virginia Organizing Project, and Jesse Boateng, who served as a representative of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation. The panel discussion was moderated by Nan Aron, President of Alliance for Justice. AFJ hosted the discussion as part of its Foundation Advocacy Initiative to inform grantmakers of funding strategies currently being used to support election-related activities, as well as how funders themselves can become involved in collaboratives involving election-related advocacy.

During the discussion, the panelists emphasized the important role foundations play in supporting nonpartisan election-related activity, not just at the federal level but also for state and local initiatives. In addition to touching on issues ranging from new technology to get out the vote efforts, panelists also emphasized the significance of nonprofits working to increase collaboration among diverse individuals and groups. Immediately following the discussion, the panelists participated in a question and answer session in which multiple audience members from the foundation community and beyond provided feedback and contributed to the dialogue on the vitally important topic of election-related advocacy.

AFJ is pleased with the success of the event and looks forward to future partnerships with grantmaking communities to maximize our ability to support the critical advocacy work of funders and funder groups around the country.

» To hear the full audio clip for this event, click here
» For more information, or for future sponsorship opportunities, please e-mail FAI@afj.org