D2: Building Community Capacity for A Healthy Nonprofit Ecosystem
Session Designer
David Landers, Philanthropy Northwest
Session Description
Community foundations – particularly those serving communities in rural areas – play a distinct and important role in supporting a healthy community. Whether small or large, staff or unstaffed, community foundations address local challenges by embodying their area’s virtues and marshaling resources. During the past year, nine community foundations in Washington state have been part of a new effort reframing how a funder can approach capacity building. Philanthropy Northwest’s Community Foundation Initiative provided funding and technical assistance to a variety of community foundations for executing local strategies that ultimately built the capacity of a community, not a single nonprofit. The Community Foundation Initiative builds on The Giving Practice report, An Assessment of Capacity Building in Washington State, and a collaborative effort of seven Philanthropy Northwest member organizations committed to building Washington’s nonprofit sector in light of the economic downturn. Join us to discuss what community foundations are learning about capacity building, some of the unique opportunities and challenges found in rural areas, and how community foundations can be partners with private and public funders in capacity building efforts.
Conference Theme
Supporting Effectiveness
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/151/profile_e50545a75fcf475a917d7001984f3635.png "Barbara Dingfield, The Giving Practice")
Barbara Dingfield, The Giving Practice
Title
Managing Partner
Speaker Biography
Barbara Dingfield is a partner of The Giving Practice, a consulting service of Philanthropy Northwest. Prior to joining Philanthropy Northwest she was director of community affairs at Microsoft from 1994 to 1999, developing Microsoft’s national and international philanthropic programs. Prior to this, Barbara spent 7 years with the City of Seattle and 14 years as executive vice president of Wright Runstad & Co., a real estate development company. She serves on the boards of Building Changes and Partners for Our Children and on the Governance Committee of the YMCA. Barbara has a bachelor's from Swarthmore College and a master's in Economics from Columbia University.
![[photo]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7314c8fe0e75387211e4e79afc8ad478.png?d=https://proposalspace.com/images/no_photo.png&r=PG&s=50 "Norma Schuiteman, The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound")
Norma Schuiteman, The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound
Title
Executive Director
Speaker Biography
Norma Schuiteman is the executive director of The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound. She has held this position since 2004, collaborating with others to provide careful stewardship of the foundation’s assets. Prior to this, Schuiteman was a high school teacher and coach, a hospital executive team member and a consultant to numerous Midwestern community foundations. She earned her bachelor's from Calvin College, her RN from Hackley Hospital School of Nursing, a master's in public administration from Western Michigan University and nonprofit fundraising certificate from Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. She is a board member of South Sound Partners in Philanthropy and South Sound Estate Planning Council.
![[photo]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5fbef505123b0eeb5baa2997cff545b6.png?d=https://proposalspace.com/images/no_photo.png&r=PG&s=50 "Marie Sauter, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation")
Marie Sauter, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Title
Program Officer
Speaker Biography
Marie Sauter is a program officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pacific Northwest initiative, managing investments aiming to reduce family homelessness and to improve educational outcomes for low-income students. Sauter's projects include supporting a network of domestic violence agencies working to improve housing stability and a network of community foundations focused on increasing nonprofit capacity. Prior to joining the foundation in 2006, she worked in philanthropy with Social Venture Partners, Medina Foundation and Washington Women's Foundation and in nonprofit program management. She’s a graduate of Pomona College and of Seattle University's Master of Nonprofit Leadership Program.
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/127/profile_fcb392e609b2f72c6736ede8c0c158f6.png "Lawson Knight, Blue Mountain Community Foundation")
Lawson Knight, Blue Mountain Community Foundation
Title
Executive Director
Speaker Biography
Lawson Knight has served as executive director of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation since 2002. Based in Walla Walla, Washington the Foundation serves a region that spans several counties and two states. His passions are philanthropy and community and he actually enjoys fundraising. He and his wife stay busy with three young daughters. Currently, he serves on the Boards of the OSU Alumni Association and MDC Program, a financial institution of the Presbyterian Church. A graduate of Oregon State University and the University of Lyon, France in biology, Knight began his professional career in winemaking and marketing.