We invite leaders of nonprofit organizations to join us each quarter for a brown-bag lunch discussion about issues, ideas, and concerns in the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

The meetings are a time for us to “talk shop” and move beyond the usual conversation between foundations and nonprofit organizations.

Each session focuses on a particular topic, announced on this website in advance. Guests will learn a little about GMA and a lot about their peers’ perspectives on important issues.

Attendance is limited to seven organizations with one representative per organization, preferably the executive director or director of a major program.  The lunches are held in GMA’s ninth floor conference room at our 77 Summer Street offices.

Advance registration is required.

Next NPO Conversation: Wednesday, June 11

Please call Judy Sneath, tel. 617/391-3084 by June 6 to reserve your spot.

 

Topic for Conversation:   From Mission to Program

GMA Foundations’ recently-released Grants 2013 report gives a snapshot of our clients’ $37 million grants portfolio.  In light of the 50thanniversary of President Johnson’s proclaimed War on Poverty, the report focuses on human services and efforts to lift individuals and families out of poverty.

We would all agree that we have not yet ‘won’ this war, but how have our tactics changed?  Poverty alleviation is complicated; the causes of poverty vary decade by decade, place by place, yet the impact on lives is eerily familiar. We are interested in hearing about how your mission-driven organization tailors and adapts programs to meet today’s specific challenges.

Please join GMA’s associates for a guided lunchtime conversation with a small group of leaders from the non-profit sector.  Although this is an opportunity for us to get to know one another, we’ll talk primarily about the connection between theory and reality, mission and program. 

Come ready to tell us about how your organization’s mission or theory of change informs your programs, your learning and your funders’ expectations.  We’d like to hear about how you stay focused, how you adapt to meet your community’s needs, and what funders should know.

Although we could talk for days about this and related topics, we’ll stick to our schedule! These are some of the questions that will frame our conversation:

  • Whether yours is a long-established, evolving organization or a young, singularly focused one, what central ideas and theories guide your work?  Do you have a written theory of change or logic model with specified benchmarks/indicators/results for measuring your impact or do you rely on your gut instincts or community feedback to measure changes?
  • How do you know you are actually making a difference?  Do you gauge population-level changes?
  • How do funders influence how you get from mission to programs?  What are the funding challenges unique to being, or not being, a multi-service organization?

Please bring your experiences, ideas and a brown bag lunch to GMA on Wednesday, June 11 from 12n to 1:30pm.   We’ll provide refreshments and dessert.

Registration required. Please call 617/391-3084 by June 6.  We look forward to our conversation.