Donors Can Benefit from Peer Insights

I just returned from the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Council of Foundations at The Homestead. Members from 14 Southern states included foundations of all kinds -- community, corporate, family and health conversion. The big takeaway from the experience we shared over several days is how fulfilling it is to learn with one's colleagues rather than to "go it alone."

We learned the basics, of course. The legal updates were top quality. The accuracy of economic forecasts remain to be seen, but they were well presented.

Site visits to local environmental sites and amenities provided a chance to think about someone else's issues. Sessions on neighborhood-based philanthropy, dropout prevention and school choice were thought-provoking. A demographer sorted through the facts (vs. the myths) of immigration and put it into historical context.

I always look for the unexpected at these conferences. This year, it was an address by Ron Clark, Disney's 2001 Teacher of the Year who has performed near-miracles with students in North Carolina and Harlem. To call him vivacious would be to call Katrina a bad storm. Ron thrilled, inspired and awed as he demonstrated through his presentation antics how he inspires the most difficult students to want to learn. It is no wonder that Oprah hyped his book into number one status, behind Harry Potter. Great teachers can make a positive difference in our children's future, no matter how bleak that future may seem. Our schools need to re-discover what great teaching is, and by the thousands teachers are visiting Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta to see for themselves.

Most important, friends who see each other year after year bond and find common ground in the issues faced by Southerners. One felt warmth, acceptance, reassurance and understanding. I return renewed, motivated and inspired by the field of philanthropy.

For those who have family foundations and donor advised funds, I strongly urge you to become a member of the Southeastern Council of Foundations, or of one of the other Regional Associations of Grantmakers, or of the Council on Foundations. While one can learn from reading books and studies, there is no substitute for learning together.

Robert Thalhimer