Interfaith Funders Winter 2012 Membership Meeting
Feb. 29 – March 2, 2012
Safety Harbor Resort – Tampa, Florida
105 N. Bayshore Dr., Safety Harbor, FL 34695
Overall Theme: A Southern Angle on the State of the Field
Wed., 2/29
12:00 Lunch Informal self-pay lunch for early arrivals.
1:30 Welcome and Introductions – Ned Wight, UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
Faith Reflection – Mary Sobecki, the Needmor Fund
1:45 Highlighting a Southern Angle on the State of the Field
1:45 Context setting
State of the Field Census
a. Orientation to the project: Randy Keesler and Molly Schultz Hafid, IF Research Team (5 min)
b. Introduction and Overview: Special attention to Organizing in the South – Brad Fulton (15 min)
What's Going On in the Region? Chris Kromm, Institute on Southern Studies (15 min)
Discussion (25 min)
2:45 Networking Break (with sodas and cookies)
3:15 State of the Field Strategic Thinking
1. Overview of Strategic Thinkers Interviews – Rich Wood (10 min)
What are a cohort of key organizers thinking about what’s new and exciting about organizing? what’s problematic?
2. Dialogue with Southeast Network leaders – Rich Wood facilitates
Responding to the themes raised by Chris, and organizing landscape shown by Brad:
Haley Grossman, DART Training Center
Denise Collazo, PICO National Network
Gerald Taylor, SE Industrial Areas Foundation
Ana Garcia-Ashley, Gamaliel Foundation
What’s going on in the region: Issues, struggles, and the political “moment.” Illustrate with one key issue and a
place-based story. What’s on the ground? What’s been their successes, and challenges in the SE context? (5
minutes each: 20 minutes)
Haley – Florida: jail/prison and education.
Ana – Georgia: immigration – black/white/brown, urban/suburban, prisons.
Denise – Louisiana: prisons, and Florida Statewide ballot measure, civic engagement and voter suppression.
Gerald – North Carolina: statewide work on foreclosure, military families. New Bottom Line.
Facilitated Dialogue: Rich (15 minutes)
What lies ahead for organizing in the region - Trends, dangers, strategic opportunities.
What’s the vision for their work, especially in the South?
3. Open discussion and Wrap-Up (40 minutes) Rich guides the group through a continued look at the themes
5 min: Concluding moment – Focus for funders: how do these visions and realities call out for reshaping funding
priorities?
4:45 – 5:15 Break and Networking
5:15 – 6:30 Welcoming reception onsite (snacks and beverages)
Brief presentation and some conversation with local leaders of FAST (a key St. Petersburg DART organization)
focusing on the local specifics and their upcoming action.
7:30 Dinner in Tampa/Ybor City Spanish/Cuba cuisine at the Columbia, a 1905 landmark restaurant.
Thurs., 3/1
8:30 Continental Breakfast
9:00 Faith Reflection
9:30 State of the Field of Institution Based Community Organizing - Revealed!
IF Researchers: Dr. Rich Wood, University of New Mexico and Brad Fulton, Duke University
9:30 Session 1: Organizing and...Religion, Race, and Class
10:30 Break with more coffee and fruit
10:45 Session 2: Organizing Activity: Scope, Strategies, Finances, Communications.
12:00 Lunch – soup and salad bar (one-to-ones encouraged)
1:00 Session 3: Institution-based Community Organizing’s Strategic Position Today
3:45 Break with soft drinks and cookies
4:00 Interfaith Funders Membership Meeting for members and prospective members.
Friday March 2: Interfaith Funders Board Meeting 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Feb. 29 – March 2, 2012
Safety Harbor Resort – Tampa, Florida
105 N. Bayshore Dr., Safety Harbor, FL 34695
Overall Theme: A Southern Angle on the State of the Field
Wed., 2/29
12:00 Lunch Informal self-pay lunch for early arrivals.
1:30 Welcome and Introductions – Ned Wight, UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
Faith Reflection – Mary Sobecki, the Needmor Fund
1:45 Highlighting a Southern Angle on the State of the Field
1:45 Context setting
State of the Field Census
a. Orientation to the project: Randy Keesler and Molly Schultz Hafid, IF Research Team (5 min)
b. Introduction and Overview: Special attention to Organizing in the South – Brad Fulton (15 min)
What's Going On in the Region? Chris Kromm, Institute on Southern Studies (15 min)
- Issues, struggles, and the political “moment”
What lies ahead - Trends, dangers, strategic opportunities
Growing center of political gravity, changing demographics
Key backlash/conflicts – immigrations, schools, voting rights
Discussion (25 min)
2:45 Networking Break (with sodas and cookies)
3:15 State of the Field Strategic Thinking
1. Overview of Strategic Thinkers Interviews – Rich Wood (10 min)
What are a cohort of key organizers thinking about what’s new and exciting about organizing? what’s problematic?
2. Dialogue with Southeast Network leaders – Rich Wood facilitates
Responding to the themes raised by Chris, and organizing landscape shown by Brad:
Haley Grossman, DART Training Center
Denise Collazo, PICO National Network
Gerald Taylor, SE Industrial Areas Foundation
Ana Garcia-Ashley, Gamaliel Foundation
What’s going on in the region: Issues, struggles, and the political “moment.” Illustrate with one key issue and a
place-based story. What’s on the ground? What’s been their successes, and challenges in the SE context? (5
minutes each: 20 minutes)
Haley – Florida: jail/prison and education.
Ana – Georgia: immigration – black/white/brown, urban/suburban, prisons.
Denise – Louisiana: prisons, and Florida Statewide ballot measure, civic engagement and voter suppression.
Gerald – North Carolina: statewide work on foreclosure, military families. New Bottom Line.
Facilitated Dialogue: Rich (15 minutes)
What lies ahead for organizing in the region - Trends, dangers, strategic opportunities.
What’s the vision for their work, especially in the South?
3. Open discussion and Wrap-Up (40 minutes) Rich guides the group through a continued look at the themes
5 min: Concluding moment – Focus for funders: how do these visions and realities call out for reshaping funding
priorities?
4:45 – 5:15 Break and Networking
5:15 – 6:30 Welcoming reception onsite (snacks and beverages)
Brief presentation and some conversation with local leaders of FAST (a key St. Petersburg DART organization)
focusing on the local specifics and their upcoming action.
7:30 Dinner in Tampa/Ybor City Spanish/Cuba cuisine at the Columbia, a 1905 landmark restaurant.
Thurs., 3/1
8:30 Continental Breakfast
9:00 Faith Reflection
9:30 State of the Field of Institution Based Community Organizing - Revealed!
IF Researchers: Dr. Rich Wood, University of New Mexico and Brad Fulton, Duke University
9:30 Session 1: Organizing and...Religion, Race, and Class
- Assessing the impact of individual and institutional diversity among organizations.
10:30 Break with more coffee and fruit
10:45 Session 2: Organizing Activity: Scope, Strategies, Finances, Communications.
12:00 Lunch – soup and salad bar (one-to-ones encouraged)
1:00 Session 3: Institution-based Community Organizing’s Strategic Position Today
- Generational Shift? In Network direction, staff composition, leadership?
Engaging grassroots leadership
What issues and at what level?
Organizing Outcomes (turnout, media, and meetings with political officials)
- More on the Strategic Thinker Interviews – Rich Wood
3:45 Break with soft drinks and cookies
4:00 Interfaith Funders Membership Meeting for members and prospective members.
Friday March 2: Interfaith Funders Board Meeting 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.