Registration

Location: Bayview Terrace

Breakfast

Location: Bayview Terrace

Welcome to Summer Symposium

Facilitator: Brenda Asare

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Keynote Presentation: Cross Border Philanthropy
Some of the most challenging issues of our time, and our future, are not contained to one state or country. Immigration/migration, environmental concerns, human services and life qualities - and so much more - don't stop at the border. 

Facilitator: Andy Carey, Executive Director, Cross Border Philanthropy Project. Lisa Cuestas, President and CEO, CASA Familiar

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Global Fellow Presentation: Global Philanthropy - From Potential to Progress
Central and Eastern Europe, like many other emerging regions, has made significant economic progress in recent decades, but philanthropy remains underdeveloped. Although private capital exists, cultural, legal, and structural barriers persist. The region struggles to build a values-driven mindset of social responsibility reflected in personal and business decision-making. Yet the potential is immense – crises like COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have sparked new awareness and giving behaviors. With the right tools, training, and data, the region can shift from philanthropic potential to meaningful progress.

Join us to explore how strategic investment in people and infrastructure can foster greater philanthropy outside the U.S. As global funding declines, mobilizing private capital from within the region is both crucial and urgent. The time for action is now!

Facilitator: Anna Korzeniewska, Giving Institute Global Fellow

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Roundtables

• Futurist's unite! What disrupters are ahead? Where should we speed up?  Where should we slow down?  (which will build upon a related presentation)

• Advocacy in action- How might GI organize for impactful advocacy for the nonprofit sector? 

• What's new in sales? Share winning sales strategies. (which will build upon a related presentation)

• Impact investing - what needs to be in place for a successful public, private, funder partnership? 

• Building bridges. How might we help clients meet donors where they are?

• Culture eats strategy for lunch. How to set - or what are the roadblocks to setting - KPIs, maintaining accountability and infusing the culture you’re seeking.  

Facilitator: Sharon Tiknis, Chief Client Experience Officer, Alford Group

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Breakfast

Location: Bayview Terrace

Change Management in Today's Environment
In today's volatile business environment, consulting firm leaders face unprecedented challenges - market disruptions, economic fluctuations, technological revolutions, and shifting client expectations. This strategic session provides firm executives with practical frameworks to not only navigate organizational change but leverage uncertainty as a competitive advantage. Whether you're restructuring service offerings, integrating new technologies, or adapting to changing market demographics, this session delivers concrete strategies to strengthen your firm's resilience while providing consistent, quality service to your clients and creating new business opportunities amid disruption.

Facilitator: Sharon Tiknis, Chief Client Officer, The Alford Group

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Leading Conversations with Impact
During this 90-minute program participants will explore building impactful presentations that create engaging experiences for your target audience. Developed as a collaborative experience, attendees and the facilitator will explore key elements of successful presentation, facilitation, and learning. The content will cover both in-person and virtual presentations to clients, colleagues, and large audiences. 

Facilitator: Amy Carrier, Advancement Resources

Location: Bayview Ballroom

The DEI Crossroads: Retreat or Reinvent Philanthropic Sector and Our Businesses
The US finds itself at a DEI crossroads.  Sweeping policy changes and a nervous private sector are forcing a reckoning with what diversity, equity and inclusion truly mean. The debate rages on: are we leveling the playing field or sacrificing merit? Recent Executive Orders have further complicated the landscape, particularly for nonprofits. 

Where do we go from here?  Do we double down on traditional DEI approaches, or do we need a radial reinvention?  Critics argue that current programs have failed to deliver meaningful change, while proponents warn of dire consequences if we abandon them altogether.

Join us for a frank discussion about the real-world impact of these shifts. We’ll explore the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits, businesses and individuals. This isn’t just another DEI conversation, it’s a call to action to forge a new path forward…or create a new reality.

Facilitator:Dr. Gloria Chance, CEO, The Mousai Group

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Lunch

Location: Bayview Terrace

Flawless Sales: How to Develop and Land Transformational Business
Discover how to develop and land transformational business through an in-depth case study of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Hear directly from Giving Institute members who have secured game-changing clients that revolutionized their organizations.

Facilitator: Chad Paris, CEO, Parisleaf + Panel

Location: Bayview Ballroom

How Generosity Responds to Natural Man-Made Disaster
From wildfires in Los Angeles to floods in San Diego, and from humanitarian crises in the Middle East to famine in Africa, disasters—both natural and manmade—demand urgent and strategic responses. This session explores how generosity in the philanthropic sector mobilizes quickly in times of crisis, channeling resources to meet immediate needs while also laying the groundwork for long-term recovery and resilience. Learn from sector leaders how philanthropic action evolves in response to disaster, what makes efforts effective and sustainable, and how donors and organizations can prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

Facilitator: Cheryl House, Executive Vice President, The Phoenix Philanthropy Group

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Lightening Rounds

Facilitator: Summers Hammel, Senior Consultant, Benefactor Group

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Breakfast

Location: Bayview Terrace

Exploring Trends in Challenges in Charitable Giving - The Generosity Commission Report
A conversation with David Callahan, founder and editor of Inside Philanthropy. He has written extensively on trends in philanthropy, as well as American culture, public policy and business. 

As trusted partners to the nonprofit community, participate in a fireside chat designed to unpack the complexities of today's charitable giving. The central questions guiding our conversation will be: "How did we get to where we are, and what should we do about it?" We will explore the landscape, from significant hurdles to innovative pathways for cultivating greater generosity and civic engagement. Look forward to a truly forward-thinking conversation aimed at empowering us to shape the future of philanthropy.

Facilitator: David Callahan, Founder, Editor in Chief of Inside Philanthropy

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Inspired Leadership: The Motivation, Enthusiasm, and Drive to Persevere and Succeed
An integration of Shoemaker’s messages from his books “Take Charge of Change” and “Can’t Not Do” with the concept of “Inspired Leadership: The Motivation, Enthusiasm, and Drive to Persevere and Succeed”.   This is a particularly relevant topic to Giving Institute members for a few reasons:

1. When members of our group talk about succession planning it is often pursued by business owners who no longer have motivation, enthusiasm, or drive to push forward, to lead their companies into the next phase and be poised for future growth and success. 

2. The constant changes and challenges out of DC are becoming more challenging each day as the administration’s scare tactics not only impact federal funding, but also all levels of government funding and private philanthropy.  How do we as business owners, consultants to nonprofit leaders, and partners with the country’s leading philanthropists stay positive, motivated, engaged, and continue to drive change. 

3. We are in a unique and noble profession, with opportunities to partner with nonprofits and philanthropists to change the world.  How do we persevere when the challenges and negative influences seem so daunting and exhausting.

Facilitator: Paul Shoemaker, author of "Take Charge of Change" and "Can't Not Do", Philanthropist, Social Change Agent, Nonprofit Leader

Location: Bayview Ballroom

Know & Tell: The GI SS Wrap-Up Quiz Experience!
We’ve just spent the last 2.5 days together here in San Diego! So how well do you now know your fellow Giving Institute members? Let’s find out! In this first ever (first annual?!) GI Summer Symposium Wrap-Up ‘Kahoot’ quiz, we will test your knowledge of your GI colleagues and their firms…what you’ve learned over the past few days…and our priorities for the GI in the years ahead. Be sure to have your smartphones (and quick fingers!) ready as you join your quiz masters Paul Koreen and Brenda Asare for this fun, fast-paced quiz experience.