W4: Pre-Conference Session: Scaling Impact: The Grantmakers' Role
Session Designer
Emily Wexler, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Session Description
There is significant research on the nonprofit life-cycle, and also a growing body of evidence about key practices that enable high performing nonprofits to scale their impact. However, there is far less information regarding the role of grantmakers in supporting these nonprofits -- and existing information often contradicts how traditional philanthropy operates. As a result, GEO initiated a collaborative research effort with Taproot Foundation, Ashoka, TCC Group and Social Impact Exchange to identify the parallel practices and actionable tools that grantmakers can use to support nonprofits as they move through periods of transition in their organizational life and grow their impact. Attend this interactive session to get a sneak peak at early insights emerging from the research and engage with other attendees about how it applies to your own work. This discussion-based session is free to all conference attendees, but advanced registration is required.
We recommend that you read the first paper in Scaling What Works' Reframing the Conversation series: "What Do We Mean By Scale?" prior to the session, found here:
Conference Theme
Scaling Impact
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/186/profile_14a38579c02341d39d1ed6cdc2d97805.png "Meghan Duffy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations")
Meghan Duffy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Title
Manager of Special Initiatives
Speaker Biography
Meghan Duffy is the manager of special initiatives at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. In this role, she currently oversees the implementation of the Scaling What Works initiative as well as other organizational priorities. Prior to joining GEO, Duffy served as director of special projects for San Diego Grantmakers, a regional association of funders. In six years with SDG, she managed a variety of projects, including conferences, communications and organizational technology.
Duffy has over thirteen years of experience in the philanthropic/nonprofit sector. She has served on the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative Allocations Committee and the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation Grants Committee. Before moving to California, she was development director at the Mautner Project, a national nonprofit LGBT health organization. She has also worked in fundraising and outreach for the Victory Fund and the Feminist Majority Foundation, and as a consultant specializing in writing and research for several other community organizations. Additionally, Duffy has taught sociology as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland.
Duffy earned her master’s in sociology at the University of California San Diego. Her graduate research focused on institutional philanthropy, and she has published an article on elite groups and social change. She holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of Maryland.
![[photo]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c85757bd6f44eb1a11729b88fde143fc.png?d=https://proposalspace.com/images/no_photo.png&r=PG&s=50 "Nancy Murphy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations")
Nancy Murphy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Title
Senior Advisor, Social Innovation
Speaker Biography
Nancy Murphy joined GEO in July 2010 to direct GEO's Scaling What Works initiative. She came to GEO after consulting with organizations working in health, wellness and sustainability including KaBOOM!, Children’s National Medical Center and Campo Kumeyaay Nation, among others.
Nancy brings 20 years of experience in communications, public policy and partnership building. In previous positions, she served as senior vice president for the Case Foundation, working on the global clean drinking water crisis, and led the corporate responsibility practice for the global communications firm, APCO Worldwide. There, she managed grantmaking and strategy development for their client, The UPS Foundation. She has also served as policy director for the National Youth Leadership Council and as a program officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Nancy currently serves on the boards of Taproot Foundation and the global nonprofit, Pact.