Field Engagement

For community leadership to become a community foundation staple, momentum must be sustained. This will require a considerably more robust communications capacity than current resources permit, as well as opportunities for any community foundation to participate in the national conversation on community leadership. Community foundations need affirmation of
their efforts and evidence that community leadership is good for community foundations as well as the communities they serve. They need to know that they are not alone as they venture into new territory.

CFLeads is meeting a fraction of demand. Staff assisted in planning and delivering the CEONet retreat at the 2007 Fall Conference and produced two Conference sessions on community leadership, one of which was a double session focused on participants’ community leadership dilemmas. CFLeads is designing a session on “more than money” for the 2008 Philanthropy Summit, is serving on the Community Foundations of Canada’s 2008 conference planning committee, and has been asked to present at the Donors Forum of Wisconsin in the spring.