FCCP’s 2010 Annual Spring Convening

Shaping a New Decade of Civic Participation Through Innovation and Collaboration

May 18th-20th at the Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Please join colleagues from across the country at the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation’s (FCCP) annual spring convening – Shaping a New Decade of Civic Participation through Innovation and Collaboration. During our three days together we will explore an array of interconnected issues and strategies that are transforming the national civic engagement landscape. We’ll use a state-based lens to deeply examine how investments in infrastructure, communications and new collaborative efforts are building stronger organizations and creating powerful new networks.

The Midwest’s rich political history and penchant for innovation will inform our conversations and provide a backdrop for discussions. Come be a part of this thought-provoking convening which will help fuel our important work ahead!

Please note that the Pfister Hotel has sold out of rooms May 17-20. FCCP has identified the following lodging alternatives:

• Aloft Milwaukee Downtown ($159 per night, located about 8 blocks from Pfilster Hotel)
• Astor Hotel (located about 8 blocks from the Pfister Hotel)
• Knickerbocker on the Lake (standard room)

Agenda

Tuesday, May 18th

2:00 – 5:00pm    Redistricting (Pre-Convening Session) Free but pre-registration is required. You may register for this meeting when you register for the convening.

Join us for a special session hosted by the Joyce Foundation and FCCP. This intensive gathering will examine the importance of redistricting, review a timeline for state redistricting processes, survey how reform opportunities are playing out across the country, and explore strategies and models for effective funder engagement.

6:00 – 8:30pm Opening Dinner
Welcome: Anne Summers, Brico Fund
Speaker Introduction: Allison Barlow, FCCP Co-chair
Opening Remarks: Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (MN)

Wednesday, May 19th

(FCI Meeting: 7:15 – 8:30)

8:00 – 8:30am   Breakfast

8:30 – 9:00am  Welcome and Convening Overview
Deb Ross, Executive Director, FCCP

9:00- 10:30am   Progressivism, Populism and Power: Civic Engagement and Social Change in the Midwest
The Midwest was the birthplace and has often been the intellectual vanguard of movements for change and reform in U.S. history. Is the region building a 21st century progressivism – or something else entirely? In light of dramatic economic dislocations and demographic shifts, what does social change look like now in the Midwest? This plenary session will spotlight the new agents of change and exciting initiatives that offer models of innovation for other regions of the country.

Moderator: Scott Nielsen, Consultant, McKay Foundation

Speakers:
• Stephanie Chang, APIAVote Michigan
• Sheila Cochran, Milwaukee Area Labor Council
• Matt Rothschild, The Progressive

10:30 – 10:45am   Break

10:45 – 12:15pm   You Are Here: Our Cultural and Political Moment
Tea Party... Coffee Party... Keg Party... the political climate certainly sounds festive! But we know it contains dramatic challenges. What are the dynamics shaping the current political moment? Will the under-represented constituencies FCCP members have sought to engage in recent cycles feel invited to make their voices heard in November 2010? Join us for a provocative look at the dangers and opportunities in 2010, and what the role of nonpartisan foundations and our grantees can and should be in this important time.

Moderator: John Kowal, Ford Foundation

Speakers:
• Maria Teresa Kumar Petersen, Voto Latino
• Eric Ward, Center for New Community
• Drew Westen, Westen Strategies and Emory University

12:15 – 1:15pm Lunch
Remarks: Laura Qinn, Catalist

1:15 – 2:45pm Stoking the Embers: Reaching Drop-off Voters in 2010 and Beyond
The passion and participation seen in the historic 2008 election has not carried over to recent elections. How has the current political environment affected voters' interest? What new – and renewed – nonpartisan strategies are likely to reignite civic engagement enthusiasm, especially in under-represented communities? Join us for an exploration of the civic engagement landscape for 2010 and beyond.

Moderator: Adrianne Shropshire, New World Foundation

Speakers:
• Rudy Lopez, Center for Community Change
• Greg Moore, NAACP Voter Fund
• Frank Smith, Donor Advisor
• Amy Young, Women’s Voices. Women Vote

2:45 – 3:00pm    Break

3:00 – 4:30pm   Concurrent Sessions

1. Integrated Voter Engagement in Action: Building Power for Midwestern Communities
Permanently shifting the political landscape so that ideas become real policy solutions requires an integrated approach to issue advocacy and nonpartisan electoral politics. Voter engagement and issue organizing must constantly feed each other to create continuous opportunities to engage voters. This session will focus on innovative strategies and current policy fights using case examples. Presenters will candidly talk about the role of collaboration and the civic engagement file in building success and barriers that get in the way.

Moderator: Molly Schultz Hafid, Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock

Speakers:
• Tim Ewing, Fair Wisconsin Education Fund
• Dan McGrath, Take Action Minnesota
• Anne Sayers, Wisconsin League of Conservation

2. Game Changer or Game Over? What's Next for Fair Courts and Justice after Citizens United?
What will happen to federal and state judicial elections now that the recent Supreme Court Citizens United vs. FEC decision has overturned the laws stipulating limits on corporate campaign spending? Is this free speach at its best or are we inviting more special interest groups to influence federal and state judges. This session explores how the landmark decision may radically alter the judicial election process and could be a central litmus test issue for the confirmation of the next Supreme Court Justice.

Moderator: Tom Hilbink, Open Society Institute

Speakers:
• Bert Brandenburg, Justice at Stake
• Mike McCabe, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
• Sarah Walker, 180 Degrees

4:30 – 4:45pm    Break

4:45 – 6:00pm    Agitate, Educate, Organize: Engaging Young People in our Democracy
YouTube videos, text messaging, poetry, music, community gardening…it’s not how Grandma got things done. Join us for an innovative session about how young people communicate to mobilize for action. Learn about the constituencies and communities we are not reaching, and what we can do better to foster a sustained commitment to civic engagement in a new generation.

Moderator: Naomi Jackson, Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Speakers:
• Melanie Benesh, Voces de la Frontera
• Brian Brady, Mikva Challenge
• Jayme Montgomery-Baker, The League of Young Voters Education Fund
• Joshua Winters, MPIRG

6:30 – 8:00pm   Reception at the Mason Street Grill (located inside the Pfister Hotel)
Speaker Introduction: Lynde Uihlein, Brico Fund
Remarks: Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton (WI)

Thursday, May 20th

8:00 – 9:00am    Breakfast

9:00 – 10:30am   It Takes a Table to Build a Movement: Organizing for Change
We understand that winning usually involves building a coalition to aggregate and express power. However building coalition after coalition around single issues is neither efficient nor effective in pushing a broad agenda for change: today’s partners are not always there tomorrow and today’s battles are not building to tomorrow’s wins. In recent years, state-based organizers and advocates have been organizing themselves through tables that reach across issues and constituencies to advance policy change and strengthen infrastructure for the future. Join us for diverse perspectives what works and what doesn’t in this vibrant new social change arena.

Moderator: Cuong Hoang, Mott Philanthropic

Speakers:
• Linda Honold, Wisconsin Voices
• Kevin Looper, Our Oregon
• David Rogers, Oregon Voices chair / Partnership for Safety and Justice
• Kerry Schumann, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters

10:30 – 10:45am   Break

10:45 – 12:15pm   Working Together for the Common Good: Innovative State and National Funding Collaborations
Some of the toughest work we do is that which we do together. Despite (or perhaps because of) its challenges, in the end, collaboration is usually worth it. Ultimately, our work as individuals and as a community is often stronger when we venture into what can be rocky terrain. What does it take to make a collaboration succeed? What are the perils – and opportunities? This conversation will explore two important collaborations that have amplified the impact of work on the ground: the Funders Census Initiative and the Midwest Democracy Network.

Moderator: Bill Vandenberg, Open Society Institute

Speakers:
• Kelly Bates, Access Strategies
• Larry Hansen, Joyce Foundation
• Leah Rush, Midwest Democracy Network

12:15 – 12:30pm   Close

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