The 2011 Conference on Philanthropy opened Thursday in Chicago with conference Chairman Scott Farnsworth advising attendees to "start a big ideas page," in our notebooks. He added, "If you can take away one really big, killer idea and one incredible relationship," the conference will be a roaring success.
Advisors in Philanthropy (AIP) President Alan Pratt introduced keynote speaker Peter Karoff, founder of The Philanthropy Initiative, to the crowd of about 180 attendees.
Speaking about "integrity, accountability and the translation of what you know, who you are, into the practice of philanthropy," Karoff said that the "roles of actors in philanthropy" are "still evolving." What philanthropy "does best is unlock capacity…untouched capacity resides within you."
Why Are You Here?
Karoff said there was always a catalyst that got advisors involved with donors. He asked the group of advisors: "What event is the major reason why you're in this room?"
One attendee noted that it was, "an article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy," years ago, about "Rockefeller fund advisors" who said "nobody's talking to the donors."
"My wife's sudden death," said another attendee, left him, "feeling that traditional estate planning failed to allow her to leave an enduring imprint on the world."
