Family Foundation Staff Convening

9:30am – 10am – Event Check-In & Peer Networking
You are encouraged to arrive in time to enjoy open networking with Michigan family foundation colleagues! Coffee and continental breakfast will be served.

10am – 10:30am – Welcome and Introductions
While officially kicking off the day, all attendees will be invited to introduce themselves and their organizations, creating new peer connections across the CMF community of philanthropy.

10:30am – 12pm – Opening Session
“Strategic Conversations & Strategic Choices in the Context of Family Dynamics”
Many family foundation peers are exploring big ideas, opportunities and future directions, from spend-down and growth decisions to exploration of engaging non-family in core decision making to debating movement toward more trust-based philanthropy practices. How are foundations wrestling with considerations like these and many more? What is the role of staff? How do the dynamics of the family (donors) impact strategy and planning? We’ll explore the answers to these questions together – and highlight core tools and resources to support such critical conversations – with time for smaller group reflection.

12pm – 12:45pm – Lunch Break and Networking
Enjoy a break and mid-day meal while continuing to connect with your peers.

12:45pm – 1:45pm – Roundtable Discussions (Choose One)

Option 1: “Naming Our Foundation’s Appetite for Risk”
Especially in the current context of federal administration actions and an overall transforming sector, some family foundations are finding themselves unclear on how much appetite for risk the foundation truly holds vs. risk aversion. We’ll discuss what it takes to navigate uncertain times as foundation staff, and how to help your board and team come to greater clarity as an organization.

Option 2: “Managing the Complexities of Family Dynamics”
Whether staff of family foundations are engaging with the original living donors of the foundation or the generations that followed, or both, the role of staff requires diplomacy and tact, a high EQ (emotional intelligence) and a shared understanding of boundaries. We’ll discuss strategies to succeed in this space, with an invitation to share your own challenges and successes.

Option 3: “Compliance and Other Critical To-Dos / The Operations Checklist”
Foundations can find it challenging to continually remain compliant with legal requirements and maintain the operations of a strong, successful organization – especially lean foundations. Working from CMF’s compliance worksheet as an actionable resource, we'll discuss essential requirements and streamlining supports related to board governance, finances, human resources and more.

1:45pm – 2pm – Snack and Stretch Break
Enjoy a short snack and stretch break before our closing session.

2pm – 3pm – Closing Session
“The Policy Landscape for Family Foundations”
With the support of CMF’s Policy Team, we will engage in a deep dive on the current policy landscape specifically through the lens of family foundations. We’ll also look ahead to anticipated policy activity and legislation that may impact family foundations and their communities and priorities, and we’ll explore how you can deepen your engagement in policy/advocacy, both for lean foundations and large foundations.

3pm – 3:15pm – Concluding Remarks
We will re-cap the day and the resources we’ve identified throughout our time together and preview future opportunities to connect.

3:15pm – Optional Happy Hour
We welcome attendees to join in an optional happy hour at Lansing Brewing Co., a 5-minute drive from our meeting space.

CMF continues to prioritize the well-being of members, staff, partners and communities. The following measures reflect our in-person event health and safety procedures:

• Any registrant who is feeling unwell, who has tested positive for an illness in the 10 days prior to the event or who is showing symptoms and awaiting test results is asked not to attend.
• If a registrant is unable to attend due to illness, they are invited to transfer their registration to another individual within their organization or CMF can refund the registration if there was a cost. Please notify CMF via [email protected] with a request to transfer or refund your registration. 
• All attendees will be invited to wear one of three color-coded lanyards to indicate to other attendees their personal comfort with in-person interaction: red (greet from six feet), yellow (elbows only), green (high-fives permitted).
• CMF staff will have hand sanitizer and extra masks available at the event.