Diversified planet: Council on Foundations pushes members to drive philanthropy.(CONFERENCE COVERAGE)

There's been no shortage of tall about diversity in the foundation world but change can sometimes be much more like turning a battleship rather than flipping a switch.

Diversity might have been the topic around much of the Council on Foundations' annual conference, "Philanthropy's Vision: A Leadership Summit" in May, but in practice, it still has a way to go to catch up if a survey of participants is any indication.

Urging foundation leaders to prove that they value diversity more than comfort, Council on Foundations (COF) President and CEO Steve Gunderson told the more than 4,000 attendees in National Harbor, Md., to collectively define its work, or it will be defined by others. It was the first time that all three of the COF's annual conferences (community foundations, family foundations and grantmakers) got together for a unified event.

Philanthropy, which comes from the Greek for "Love for mankind" must become more of a movement, as governments at all levels are "so polarized that they have become paralyzed," Gunderson said.

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"If we don't believe change is possible, we're not philanthropists," said Gunderson, who was followed by six international speakers, each representing different parts of the world.

Changes, however, might not come overnight, but instead over time like an evolution.

Maxwell King, president of the Heinz Endowments, likened life to a Petri dish. It's as if scientists are waiting 23 hours and 58 minutes until an astonishing change takes place within that dish. "Such is the history of humans on planet Earth. We've overwhelmed the Earth in which we live," said King. If everyone lived a low to middle-class life, he added, the planet would have evolved exponentially beyond its own capacity.

The Earth is expected to stabilize by about year 2200, with a population in excess of 10 billion people, King said. "We've shifted from passengers to pilots on the planet. We now have the ability to be good stewards of worlds."

During a lunch plenary, Gara LaMarche, chief executive of Atlantic Philanthropies, moderated a panel discussion about human rights, in commemorating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, said food security is becoming a human fights issue, as evidenced by food rights in places like Haiti. People should read the Declaration of Human Rights, and live by it, then it might not feel awkward to be described as a "human rights person."

Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said his organization should really be considered a domestic human rights organization. "We might as well pack it in if the ACLU becomes the civil rights wing of the Democratic Party," he said.

Kumi Naidoo of Johannesburg, South Africa-based CIVICUS, described Africa as one of the richest continents--under the ground--yet one of the poorest above the ground. As many people are dying each day from HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis as five Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said. "We need each other. We must put the rights of rich countries on part with the rights of poor countries."

More than 1,250 members participated in "Power and Promise of Philanthropy," a breakfast plenary where they first identified themselves to get an idea of who was represented at the conference, and later discussed how to increase the sector's impact. By groups of 10 working with a facilitator, table discussions yielded ideas that were reviewed and prioritized before posted instantly on large screens around conference hall.

As for increasing the sector's impact, participants selected, in order of priority:

* 22 percent, create strategic partnerships/collaborate across sectors/"Get egos out of the way";

* 15 percent, find ways to impact public policy;

* 15 percent, take risks and invite innovation while supporting excellence;

* 13 percent, share knowledge and ideas across silos and organizations;

* 11 percent, value and engage new voices (stakeholders and citizens); and,

* 9 percent, speak clearly about the value of philanthropy.

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With 2008 being an election year, discussion also focused on how the sector can make the most of the transition to a new president, with the following messages prioritized for the next president:

* 22 percent, respect philanthropy's role/philanthropic funds cannot replace government funds;

* 21 percent, bring philanthropy to the table/create a cabinet-level position for philanthropy;

* 20 percent, leverage philanthropy's expertise, flexibility and innovation;

* 15 percent, allow innovation/don't micromanage and over-regulate the sector; and,

* 10 percent, help grow philanthropy/tax code should make charitable giving a tax credit, not a deduction.

Community foundations were represented the most during the breakfast plenary, with 27 percent of those polled, followed by private or independent foundations (24 percent), family philanthropy (18 percent), other (11 percent), corporate grantmaking (7 percent), advisor/consultant (5 percent), international philanthropic organization (3 percent), and new philanthropy (1 percent). Participants were relatively evenly split from around the nation, the fewest being from the West (20 percent) and the most from the Northeast (28 percent).

Reflecting what some might say is the lack of diversity in the foundation world, and drawing some chuckles among attendees, almost three-quarters (74 percent) of participants identified themselves as Caucasian/white. About 11 percent identified themselves as African-American/black, 5 percent as Hispanic/Latino, 5 percent as Asian/Pacific islander, and 1 percent as Native American or Alaskan Native. About 3 percent reported being of two or more races and 1 percent as another racial heritage.

Many of the participants in this year's conference have worked in the philanthropic sector less than 10 years. About 34 percent reported working in the sector less than five years, and another 23 percent between 5 and 10 years. Only 16 percent said they'd been in the sector more than 20 years, and 23 percent between 11 and 20 years.

Most participants indicated they were staff (65 percent) while a quarter (24 percent) as board, and 9 percent as consultant/advisor. Of those who were staff, 37 percent were CEO, executive director or president, and 31 percent were program staff.

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