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BPP LEARNING COMMUNITIES
The Role of Border Community Foundations in Improving
Quality of Life for Low-Income Families
III Learning Community Notes and Resources
Camino Real Hotel
El Paso, Texas
November 3-5, 2003
Sessions below have been linked to individual session notes and relevant resources
Questions to be Addressed:
- How do we define quality of life along the US/Mexico Border?
- What strategies can Community Foundations use to improve quality of life in the border region?
- What is the unique "value added" of Community Foundations in border communities
- How can Border Community Foundations effectively demonstrate the value of their role with Non Profit Organizations partners?
Monday Morning, November 3, 2003
PRE-LEARNING COMMUNITY: FUNDER & COMMITTEE MEETINGS
8:30am - 10:30am Funders Meeting
10:45am - 11:45am Committee Meetings
Monday Morning, November 3, 2003
Visions of Improved Quality of Life Along the US-Mexico Border, Camino
Real Hotel
2:30-4:45pm Breaking the Ice
This session was an opportunity to get to know colleagues from across the border, express expectations for the meeting, and share visions of the US/Mexico border region.
4:45-6:00pm Building Our Common Vision for the Partnership
Session Leaders: Robert Sogge, Inter-American Foundation and Linetta Gilbert, Ford Foundation
Session leaders presented the history and rationale of the partnership. The final version of the Framing Document was presented and discussed.
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Brick By Brick: Defining The Partnership
1:15pm - 2:15pm Lunch and Welcome
Janice Windle, El Paso Community Foundation; Bob Stark, New Mexico Community Foundation; José Manuel Mascareñas, Mascareñas Foundation; Carmen Rodriguez, Border Women's Development Fund and David Winder, Synergos Institute
2:15pm - 2:50pm Keynote Address
Ramon Daubon, Vice President for Programs, Inter-American Foundation. Quality of life, social justice and citizenship: What are the roles and responsibilities of community foundation leaders? Session followed by question and answer period.
5:00pm Sunland Park, New Mexico Site Visits. Organized by the New Mexico Community Foundation, participants choose one of two site visits: La Clínica de la Familia (to explore promotoras work on health and empowerment issues) or Tierra Madre (to visit with members of an ecologically sustainable self-help affordable housing community).
7:30pm Community Awards Dinner
Ardovino's Desert Crossing Restaurant, The New Mexico Community Foundation honored their non-profit partners in Sunland Park.
Tuesday, November 4, 2003
TOOLS FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE; Sessions were held at El Paso's Clinica La Fe
10:00am Plenary Session
Building Community Leadership and Non-Profit Capacity in Low-Income Border Communities: A Challenge to Community Foundation Action Salvador Balcorta, Executive Director Clínica La Fe. Reflecting on his organization's history, Balcorta outlined a strategy for bottom-up community-building with a focus on the unique role community foundations can play in the development of a strong non-profit sector serving low-income communities.
11:30am - 1:15pm MORNING ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS:
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION PROGRAMS
Roundtable discussions were led by grant makers chosen for their long and proven experience in their respective fields. Every grant maker briefly discussed lessons learned and outlined opportunities for creating community change. The community foundation partner will provided non-profit perspectives on challenges and opportunities, as well as practical examples of work in the field. The roundtable structure allowed for in-depth peer exchange of ideas and best practices
1. SUPPORTING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Cindy Sesler Ballard, Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth; Irene Oliver-Lewis, Court Youth Program (New Mexico CF Partner). Participants explored the challenges and opportunities of youth philanthropy and youth programming.
5. BOARD MEMBER DEVELOPMENT SESSION PART 1 - This 2-session track with special consultant Denise Cavanaugh was customized to meet the special governance issues facing the U.S. and Mexican border community foundations.
1:15pm - 2:45pm LUNCH and Keynote address by Christine Grumm, Women's Funding Network
How Can Community Foundations Support Programs for Women? Christine Grumm, Women's Funding Network and Refugio Arrieta, special guest
3:00pm - 5:15pm AFTERNOON ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS: COMMUNITY FOUNDATION STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE
The afternoon roundtable discussions were designed to facilitate participation and peer learning.
2. BUILDING COMMUNITY AND BRIDGING LEADERSHIP: HOW CAN CONVENING BE USED TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE?
Javier Vargas, Fundación Vamos; Patricia Sinay, Community Investment Strategies. The board president of one of Mexico's most successful foundations was joined by an experienced border practitioner to lead a discussion of how to go BEYOND grant making to create positive community change.
3. BALANCING DONOR SERVICES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Bob Stark, New Mexico Community Foundation; Virginia Kemendo Martinez, El Paso Community Foundation. Moderated by Nelson Colón, Community Foundation of Puerto Rico. Participants in this roundtable considered how to make donor services and community partnerships complementary activities of successful community foundations at all levels of development.
4. BOARD MEMBER DEVELOPMENT SESSION PART 2
This 2-session track with special consultant Denise Cavanaugh was customized to meet the special governance issues facing the U.S. and Mexican border Community Foundations.
7:30 pm Reception,
10th Floor, Historic Cortez Building, 310 N. Mesa Street Hosted by El Paso Community Foundation and Mascareñas Foundation
Wednesday, November 5, 2003
PEER CONSULTING, PEER LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
9:00am -10:00am Synergos staff outlined progress made to date, described challenges encountered and suggested second year priorities. Judy Harper and Shari Turitz
10:00am - 10:15am Communication in the Border Philanthropy Partnership
Silvia Siller unveiled the new Border Philanthropy Partnership web site and described its interactive uses for internal and external communications.
10:15am -11:00am Where have we been and where should we be headed?
Sylvia Peregrino, BPP evaluator, discussed the BPP evaluation process to date
11:15am - 1:00pm Continental Lunch and Real-Time Peer Consulting
Each table discussion featured experienced grant makers and/or community foundation practitioners. Please come prepared with questions and real-life community foundation challenges!
1:00pm - 2:00pm KEYNOTE ADDRESS: JODY KRETZMANN - COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS: UNIQUE INSTITUTIONS FOR COMMUNITY ASSET BUILDING.
Jody Kretzmann took up from where he left off at the 2nd Learning Community, answering the following two questions: "Why are community foundations uniquely positioned to catalyze existing and build new community assets? How do community foundations serve as effective community catalysts and leaders?"
2:00pm - 2:15pm CLOSING REMARKS
Virginia Kemendo, El Paso CF; Mike McCoy, the Meadows Foundation, and David Winder, Synergos Institute.