2022 Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations

Please join your community foundation colleagues in person or online for the 2022 HYBRID Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations.

Travel for some good old-fashioned networking and professional development to embrace peers you have missed and make new acquaintances or stay at home and explore what modern technology has to offer to help you remain remote yet meet new and old friends virtually while learning in the comfort of your home/office. Dive into the deep content live (whether you are in person or remote) and, in addition, listen to all recording at your convenience later during the year. From “blind-dates” and group discussions for the online attendees to interactive sessions connecting both audiences --- there are plenty of fun ways to bond, learn, and grow! The West and the East, the North and the South come together to network and share experiences with others just as passionate about community foundations!

Over the years, the Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations, hosted by the Kansas Association of Community Foundations in partnership with various USA-based organizations, has gained national recognition and developed a genuine grassroots support from a variety of entities across the country turning into a collective effort, establishing a history, philosophy, and traditions that community foundations have come to rely on, respect, and trust. We appreciate and welcome support from those who care about community philanthropy and invite community foundations and other visionary organizations and individuals to make a gift to sustain the Conference – the peer-learning and growing together.

The Conference is tailored but not limited to small-staffed and volunteer-led community foundations in rural, small urban, and suburban America. It is designed to meet the needs of both new and seasoned board members and staff in practical training to enhance skills in all major areas of community foundation management. We welcome all board members and other volunteers, executive directors and other staff of community foundations from the USA and beyond.

2022 theme is “Amplifying Impact.” Community foundations are in a unique position to “amplify” impact in their communities. Through equitable grantmaking, socially responsible impact investing and entrepreneurial ecosystem building, as well as connecting multiple community capitals to strategies, community foundations unlock and root wealth locally for greater impact and social return. The 2022 Conference Theme, “Amplifying Impact,” will dive into some of those sustainable practices learning from the experiences of community foundations operating in rural, urban, and suburban contexts - to create a conference that combines the basic building blocks of operations with programs and investments across the field to inspire and encourage community foundations of all sizes and locations to keep “amplifying”.

From local to national, and back again, this conference provides a menu of retreats, deeper dives and sessions to give every attendee a rich blend of ideas, programs, tools and networks to better position community foundations to do this important work in rural, small urban and suburban communities. This year’s theme will frame 3 days of 24 concurrent sessions, 3 plenaries, 6 deeper dives, and 6 retreats on topics related to: asset development, legal aspects, governance, communications and marketing, finance and operations, programs, public policy and advocacy, and leadership.

The Conference developed rural, fundamental, and intermediate/advanced tracks to fit the diverse learning needs of attendees and provide a powerful platform for the exchange of knowledge and practical solutions. Best practices, and know-how are shared to help increase a foundation’s capacities and impact in the community.

2022 continues offering a session by assets size bringing topics pertinent to each group and providing an opportunity to learn and network with those who are “in the same boat”.

Last year, nearly 500 participants from 226 community foundations representing 39 states, and 7 other countries: Germany, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Romania, Bahamas, and Brazil, attended the Conference enriching the experience of all attendees. The Conference has the capacity to welcome even more participants. Don’t keep this Conference a secret. Please share it with others who might benefit from this opportunity designed by the National Advisory Group comprised of community foundation practitioners in the United States.

Conference Buzz though the years:
“This is the most comprehensive conference for CFs that I am aware of.”“I did not have high expectations for online conference platform, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was great and the moderators made sure you knew what to do. I felt just as engaged as I would in person.”“This is, full stop, one of the most important events of the year.” Curious what your peers are saying about the Conference? Watch this short Video and a few clips. The format of the Conference has evolved to a HYBRID to accommodate diverse needs, budgets, and schedule capacities of community foundations expanding the reach of the Conference and making it more equitable while preserving its DNA: a deep practical learning, concrete ideas to walk away with, valuable connections, and know-how from those who do the community foundation work day-to-day. Choose from the following two options:

In-Person Conference registration rate: $699 per person (includes meals, in-person receptions, conference retreats, deeper dives, concurrent sessions, plenaries, and networking, as well as access to sessions recordings for a year);
$199 KACF Member’s Rate (if you are a KACF Member, contact KACF for the special registration code).

Online Conference special registration offer:The online option has a lot of advantages: 1) discounted rate 2) no need to spend on travel, hotel, and per diem 3) an opportunity to include more board members and staff 4) save time and engage at your own pace: attend as many live sessions and networking events as your schedule accommodates and watch the rest later 5) Covid-19 safety.
$399 per person (includes online access to live streaming of conference retreats, deeper dives, concurrent sessions, plenaries; participation in online chats, group discussions, and “blind dates”; access to recordings for a year);
$135 KACF Member’s Rate (if you are a KACF Members, contact KACF for the special registration code).

Conference Registration Deadline is September 23, 2022
https://kacf-annual-conference.com/home.html