Overview
NCG is committed to enhancing the effectiveness and impact of philanthropy and strengthening the ties between philanthropy and its many stakeholders. The work of NCG’s Briefings & Gatherings Committee is focused on building a learning community among our members through a broad range of programs and educational events.
We also recognize that within the general membership there is an additional valuable resource for programming: our members. Through Special Briefings, groups of members may themselves initiate and conduct issues-related programming that offers grantmakers throughout the region further opportunities to learn from one another and from distinguished leaders and resource persons outside the grantmaking community. As vehicles for generating interest in various topics, shared learning, and group discussion among our members, Special Briefings have always been an important part of NCG’s services.
Any group of three or more NCG members can present a Special Briefing.
As a general rule, Special Briefings should present a range of viewpoints and encourage dialogue. These Briefings are typically informal events designed for NCG members, and are free of charge to members and their nonprofit guests. (Grantmakers who are not NCG members will be asked for a modest registration fee.) NCG provides publicity and other logistical support as detailed in these guidelines.
Purpose
The Briefings are intended to be educational in nature and not a forum to highlight or raise money for a particular organization or project. Special Briefings allow members to:
- Engage in dialogue—Share ideas and learn from each other.
- Enhance knowledge and understanding—Keep informed of changing community needs and emerging issues in the nonprofit sector.
- Keep current—Stay abreast of program trends, explore new grantmaking strategies, learn about the efforts of others.
- Hear from experts in various fields—Take advantage of distinguished scholars or experts who may be in the Bay Area.
Audience/Participants
Current and potential NCG members are the primary audience. Secondary audiences are the leadership of the nonprofit and public sectors. Briefings are intended to create neutral ground, non-solicitation meeting points for cross-sector leadership to share perspectives and understand each others’ realities and concerns on a practical level.
Scheduling
NCG is committed to assisting members in producing special briefings. In order to assist our members with an array of many different types of professional development, we must limit the number of offerings to 12 per year due to staff capacity. Fewer events are calendared for the summer months and during other holiday and vacation periods.
If interested in organizing a briefing, please contact NCG staff a minimum of 12 weeks in advance as briefing announcements need to be sent to members at least six weeks in advance of the program to ensure the maximum turnout.
In requesting support from NCG, we request that all members respect that there are over 170 foundations and giving programs, with varied interests within the membership. Therefore, NCG reserves the right to monitor and or limit the number of special briefings requested of individual foundations, corporate giving programs or individual donors.
Format/Design
NCG values the considerable evaluative feedback we have received from members on how to strengthen special briefings. To ensure a high level of educational quality, we require that briefings be designed as interactive sessions. Thus, we encourage formats that encourage dialogue and exchange as well as didactic approaches such as panel presentations. As the organizer of the session, we ask you to create a session that allows for a high degree of audience participation. The following are a few pointers and examples that provide guidance on varying formats that promote dialogue:
- Allow time for “table talk” in which participants get to dialogue with each other in small groups
- Structure time for individual reflection - can be a simple as “quick write “ exercise in which each participants gets to write a response to a question you pose about what they learned and how they plan to use it
- Allow for brief participant self-introductions with a 20-second provocative question for discussion.
- Designate half an hour for networking before or after the briefing
- Model. Th best way to ensure that audience is engaged, ready to take risks and raise provocative questions is to have speakers first take risk and raise provocative questions. If the conversation might be a difficult one, take time to do a 5-minute icebreaker to put folks at ease and create a climate for open, honest dialogue.
- Site Visit. Structure the briefing around a site visit to the field.
- Experiment. Remember that most participants have been at numerous briefings that looked and felt the same and would welcome something out of the ordinary. We wholeheartedly encourage your creativity.
If you would like additional ideas on how to design an interactive session, please feel free to contact Erik Tvede, Program Associate, Member Services etvede at ncg.org
Policies and Guidelines
The following discusses in greater detail the ways in which Special Briefings can be initiated and conducted, detailing the role of the sponsors as well as the role of NCG.
The Role of the Sponsors
Before the Briefing:
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Letter of Intent (LOI) . Download from NCG website, fill out, and return to NCG staff at least 10 weeks prior to a proposed briefing. Once received, NCG staff and its advisory committee will review proposed program and will contact lead member organizer about co-sponsorship. NOTE: NCG is limited to the # of briefings we support each quarter. Please know that not all programs will be approved if the organization has similarly covered program content in the recent past. NCG reserves the right to defer programs to another quarter based on its calendar. If approved, NCG will contact organizer and encourage them to proceed to the briefings guidelines and application as follows
- Special Briefing Guidelines & Application. Once NCG has contacted you and approved LOI, download and review application and guidelines and continue on w/ sections 3-10.
- Secure three co-sponsors. Obtain the agreement of at least two other members to co-sponsor the Briefing and to commit to attending. Identify the key contact person/lead sponsor for NCG staff.
- Check your calendar. Set a date for the event with the speakers and your co-sponsors. It is advisable to check with the NCG staff first to avoid conflicts with other grantmaker events. Ten weeks’ lead time is recommended so that announcements can be mailed eight weeks ahead of time. We realize that occasionally this timetable will not work, when, for example, you suddenly learn that an important out-of-town speaker will be available. We will make every effort to accommodate a shorter timeframe, but cannot guarantee it.
- Provide written text for announcement/flyer. Provide NCG staff with the speakers’ contact information (names, addresses, phone, fax and email) and enough information about the speakers, their organizations, and the topic to enable staff to write an announcement for the NCG newsletter and prepare a flyer. A one- to two-paragraph content description followed by three to four bullet points outlining what will be covered/learned is a typical format. Also, please indicate, for tracking purposes, which categories your Briefing falls into -- download application which lists categories by areas of interest, target populations, and types of support.
- Speaker Confirmation. Write a confirming letter to the speakers regarding date, time, and location of the Briefing using the attached template, and enclose a copy of the Briefing announcement.
- Inform speakers about the Briefing. Inform the speakers about the goals of the Briefing, the nature of the audience, and the logistics of the session. If the Briefing will include resource people from nonprofit organizations, the co-sponsors should alert them to the fact that it is not a fundraising session, though they are welcome to bring material about their programs and talk about their organization in the context of the conversation. Also be clear about any honorarium or expense reimbursement, as it is the responsibility of the co-sponsors to negotiate and cover these expenses.
- Guests. If you so decide, nonprofit and public agency representatives can also be invited as audience members -- for their own information and to enrich audience discussion. Note that it is the general expectation of NCG members that the audience will consist of grantmakers only, so if nongrantmakers are invited, the invitation should include a note to that effect. (When we format the announcement, we include a statement of our non-solicitation policy.)
- Attendance. Check with staff regarding attendance level, and if it appears to be low, be willing to call other NCG members you believe may be interested.
- Costs. The co-sponsors are responsible for duplication and distribution of handouts; meals provided (lunch or dinner); and for the cost of the venue, if complimentary space is not available.
At the Briefing:
- A person in charge. Have someone at the Briefing be in charge of the progress of the session, including: introducing and thanking the speakers and the event’s organizers, keeping the speakers on schedule, and facilitating the conversation and questions. Also, if technical equipment is to be used, be sure to bring a "techie" along to ensure the smooth operation (e.g., laptop and LCD projection equipment). The person in charge should also make sure the session ends on time or, with the agreement of the audience and the facility, continues longer.
After the Briefing:
- Summary. In order to extend the audience reached and usefulness of a session, we highly recommend that one of the sponsors write a short review of the Briefing. NCG staff can provide a summary of the evaluations returned by participants to assist in this task. NCG will print the review in our Newsletter and may also post it on our Website, when appropriate.
- Thank you notes. Sponsors are responsible for following up with the presenters with thank you notes.
The Role of NCG and its Staff
NCG staff will provide the following assistance.
- Briefings Kit. NCG will provide you with a packet of information, including: Guidelines; current NCG calendar of educational offerings; sample Briefing announcement.
- Venue. NCG will arrange for the location of the Briefing. We will make every attempt to find space free of charge at one of our member locations.
- A/V equipment. We will make arrangements for any audio/visual equipment required.
- Publicity. We will put an announcement in the NCG Newsletter and on the NCG Website, if enough notice is provided, as well as prepare and circulate a flyer announcing the Briefing. We will also publish your summary of the Briefing in the Newsletter and post it on the NCG website.
- Tracking RSVPs. NCG staff will take RSVPs -- including name, organization, phone number and email address -- and will communicate with the co-sponsors’ key contact person on registrations as the Briefing date draws near.
- Registration, nametags, and roster. NCG staff will collect non-member fees, prepare and distribute name badges and rosters, and will be on site at the beginning of the Briefing to register and welcome participants. NCG will also update sponsors with an accurate list of attendees, no-shows and walk-ins post briefing.
- Evaluations. In order to gauge the effectiveness of the Briefing, and to inform the Briefings & Gatherings Committee of interests and reactions of members, NCG will send evaluations by email to all attendees immediately following the Briefing, and will forward the responses to the co-sponsors.
- Briefings Database. In order to help inform the Briefings & Gatherings Committee of patterns or gaps in offerings, NCG staff will track information on Briefings, especially by categories: areas of interest, target populations, and types of support.
- Costs. NCG will cover the costs of printing and mailing flyers; preparing name tags and rosters; providing light refreshments (coffee, beverages, snacks--co-sponsors should pay for meals over and above these refreshments); and A/V equipment if not provided by the presenters or available at the selected venue.
The application and the above guidelines are available for download on the Special Briefings Application Page.
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Next Special Briefings
The Challenge of Summer for Disadvantaged Youth
Understanding the Challenges Facing Men and Boys of Color
Please contact Erik Tvede if you have further questions or need assistance with Special Briefing preparations.
If you are interested in sponsoring an NCG Special Briefing:
Special Briefing Cancellation Policy
Out of consideration for staff planning and anyone who might be on a program waiting list, we ask that registrants notify NCG staff at least 3 business days prior to an event should they need to cancel their participation.
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