SSIR Picks: Upcoming Conferences

Many noteworthy conferences will be taking place in the upcoming months for nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible businesses. Here are some of our top picks through April. Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) staff will be at these events as either exhibitors or attendees, so please stop by and say hello!

Visit our Events Page to view a complete list of SSIR Picks.

February

Social Entrepreneurship Day
February 25, 3-5 p.m.
Stanford University, California
Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation and Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship Program co-host Social Entrepreneurship Day. The event kicks off with a discussion on financing social enterprises with panelists from the Skoll Foundation, the Draper Richards Foundation, and Good Capital. Next on the agenda is a fair showcasing social entrepreneurs from around the world and their technology-based applications in the areas of health, education, and financial services. Social Entrepreneurship Day is part of Entrepreneurship Week at Stanford, Feb. 24-Mar. 3.

Council on Foundations Family Foundation Conference
February 25-27
Baltimore, Maryland
“Building Communities” is the theme of this year’s Family Foundation Conference, which features workshops, keynote speakers, networking, and site visits throughout Baltimore. Attendees can choose from five tracks: foundation basics, board governance, management, grantmaking, and thought leadership. Speakers include Congressman Elijah E. Cummings and Robert Egger, founder and president of DC Central Kitchen.

March

The Center for Effective Philanthropy Conference
March 8-9
Chicago, Illinois
This conference, themed “Assessment to Action: Creating Change,” will focus on the challenges foundation leaders face as they make changes within their foundations to achieve social outcomes. Designed for CEOs, trustees, and senior executives at grantmaking foundations, the event features speakers including Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton; and Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Board Chair Greg Avis. Conference attendees will receive the Spring 2007 issue of SSIR, which contains “Luck of the Draw,” an article co-authored by CEP’s Executive Director Phil Buchanan.

2007 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
March 27-29
Oxford University, England
This international conference draws together social entrepreneurs, thought leaders, policymakers, corporate representatives, financiers, philanthropists, and students from more than 40 countries. Among the speakers: Jeff Skoll, founder and chairman, Skoll Foundation and Participant Productions; Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of Grameen Bank; Dr. Larry Brilliant, executive director, Google.org; and Bill Drayton, CEO and chair, Ashoka. Conference attendees will receive the Spring 2007 issue of SSIR, which contains “The Case for Definition,” an article co-authored by Skoll Foundation’s President and CEO Sally Osberg.

April

Socially and Environmentally Responsible Supply Chains: Making the Business Case
April 3, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Stanford University, California
Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation and Global Supply Chain Management Forum host this one-day event to help organizations improve their bottom line through social and environmental practices. Corporate and nonprofit leaders, policymakers, and academics from Wal-Mart, Starbucks Coffee, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Nike, and other organizations gather to share best practices for creating sustainable supply chains that can improve business performance. SSIR magazine subscribers save $30 on registration.

8th Gathering of the Social Enterprise Alliance
April 17-19
Long Beach, California
The annual conference of the Social Enterprise Alliance brings together mission-based organizations, foundation and corporate representatives, and management assistance providers committed to pursuing financial sustainability through social enterprise. The event provides access to information and tools to help these organizations improve their business practices. Speakers include Tony Deifell, chief strategist and founding board member, KaBOOM! and Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the board of governors, Leader to Leader Institute.

2007 Council on Foundations Annual Conference
April 29-May 1
Seattle, Washington
This year’s theme is “Philanthropy and the Challenges of Our Time: Making a Difference at Home and Around the Globe.” The conference aims to “create a sense of momentum, possibility, and even urgency around four of the most pressing issues facing our world: poverty, the environment, disaster preparedness, and relief and health.” Featured speakers include Brian Gallagher, president, United Way of America; Melinda Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Greg Nickels, mayor of Seattle.

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