BPP LEARNING COMMUNITIES

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Seventh Learning Community - Brownsville
Border Community Foundations: Sustainability for Community Impact

Rancho Viejo Resort
Brownsville, Texas
June 27-29, 2006

FOCUS:

The VII Border Philanthropy Partnership Learning Community formally launched Phase II with the theme of "Sustainability for Community Impact." Buildinig on the learning acquired in Phase I, BPP partners used this gathering to renew our commitment to and passion for the key Border Philanthropy Partnership goal - improved quality of life for low-income border families and communities. Part of this celebration entailed building our collective vision for the future of border community philanthropy and the impact border community foundations wield on improved quality of life in the communities they serve. To help us think about this vision, we engaged in provocative dialogue around "the future of community foundations" assisted by Lucy Bernholz, renowned author of On the Brink of New Promise. Our workshop sessions focused on several different "building blocks" of sustainability for community impact, tailored to the needs and interests of our diverse group of community foundation partners. Distinguished keynote speakers, Carolyn Milne, Executive Director of the Hamilton Community Foundation and John Davies, President of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation shared their experience in shaping the vision of leadership for their foundations. Our learning community rounded out by new opportunities for peer interaction and learning, renewal of personal and professional commitments, and cross-border exchanges around Phase II program issues.

CRITICAL QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED:

• What might the border community foundation "movement" look like in 2025?
• Why is "sustainability for community impact" critical for the future of border community foundations?
• What are the fundamental building blocks of border community foundation sustainability?
• How does our programmatic work contribute to sustainability and community impact?

DAY ONE: Tuesday, June 27, 2006

1:30 - Session for Texan Community Foundations Texas Grantee border community foundations and funders met with the Houston Endowment and Meadows Foundation

4:30 - Official Opening & Envisioning the Future of the BPP with Robert Dunn, President of the Synergos Institute, Irv Downing of JP Morgan Chase and Board Chair of the Brownsville Community Foundation, Shari Turitz of the Synergos Institute and Lucy Bernholz

6:00 - Opening Keynote Address - Tackling Poverty Together; The Story of the Hamilton Communiy Foundation and How it is Living its Vision for Improved Quality of Life in the City of Hamilton, Canada with Carolyn Milne, Executive Director of the Hamilton Community Foundation

7:00 - Dinner & Late Night Movie (optional) Special Screening of documentary 'Letters from the Other Side' directed by Heather Courtney (75 min with Spanish subtitles).

DAY TWO: Wednesday, June 28, 2006

9:15: Expressing Our Committment to Growing Philanthropy in the Border Region

10:00 - A BPP Dialogue on the Future of Border Community Foundations

Lucy Bernholz, Blueprint Research and Design Inc. and Mapi Rubio, Independent Consultant, building on the framework of On the Brink of New Promise: The Future of US Community Foundations, led the group through a provocative examination of trends at the national, regional and global levels that may affect the future of border philanthropy.

1:00 - Lunch & Roundtable Discussions on Immigration

2:30 - The Building Blocks of Sustainability Breakout Sessions

• Future of Philanthropy's Tool Kit led by Lucy Bernholz
• Border Community Foundation Sustainability led by Vivian Blair and Dottie Reynolds
• Executive Leadership Track led by Shannon St. John

DAY THREE: Thursday, June 29, 2006

8:00 - Post Phase II Roundtable Discussions & Breakfast

9:30 - Real Time Consulting Sessions, Facilitated by Ann Tartre, The Synergos Institute

11:15 - Under Fire: the Critical Role of a Community Foundation in the Face of Crisis - The Case of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF); Its History and How it Came to Positioned As A Key Community Respondent to Hurricane Katrina with John Davies, President, BRAF

12:30 Reflections and Wrap-Up

Participant's Resource Book
Executive Summary of the meetings proceedings
Full Notes and Proceedings

The seventh Learning Community of the Border Philanthropy Partnership was held in Brownsville, Texas on June 27th-29th, 2006. More than eighty participants convened to mark the formal launch of the BPP into Phase II and to discuss the theme of “Sustainability for Community Impact”.

During three days, participants focused on the task of building a collective vision for the future of border community philanthropy and its impact on the improvement of quality of life in border communities. During various sessions and workshops, BPP members considered various national trends and forces, as well as opportunities, which may impact of the future of border community philanthropy. Keynote speakers inspired participants to take initiative on tackling tough problems with their stories of shaping a vision of leadership for their own community foundations.

Finally, as the BPP launches forward into its second phase, the question of what will happen Post-Phase II was on everyone’s mind. The emerging consensus among BPP members is that there is a strong desire to continue the BPP beyond Phase II. The newly-formed BPP committees have taken up the task of determining what shape the BPP will take beyond Phase II to ensure the sustainability of its work along the US-Mexico border.