B03: Supporting Beneficiary Feedback Loops
Track
Learning for Improvement
Session Designer
Melinda Tuan, Fund for Shared Insight
Session Description
Does your foundation support grantees that do direct service work? Have you considered asking for beneficiary feedback and thought, “That sounds great in theory, but what am I supposed to do to in practice to support feedback loops?” Do you want to hear the relatively simple steps that some nonprofits have taken to collect and use feedback from the people they serve? If your answer to any of these questions is “Yes!” then join this session. Speakers, including a core supporter of the Fund for Shared Insight and two participating grantees, will explain how they’ve built a practice of listening and started collecting beneficiary feedback, discuss what was easy and hard in the process, and share key lessons learned. In small groups, you’ll share hurdles your organization or grantees face in making feedback a regular occurrence and then come together to brainstorm real-time suggestions from speakers and peers to devise possible solutions to these barriers. You will leave with ideas for fostering more openness between and among foundations and grantees and how to get started in this work.
Session Designers
Melinda Tuan, Fund for Shared Insight
Speakers
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1072/profile_9799ea5b208f2e2b2755e3a238ce41dd.png "Arelis Diaz, W.K. Kellogg Foundation")
Arelis Diaz, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Biography
Arelis is a program officer for the Office of the President at Kellogg. In this role, she is responsible for identifying and nurturing opportunities for affecting positive systemic change within communities, and executing programming efforts that are aligned with the organizational direction. She leads corporate responsibility efforts and special initiatives of the president and CEO, on behalf of the organization. Arelis formerly served as a program officer working with Kellogg’s Education & Learning and Family Economic Security teams. Before joining Kellogg in 2010, she had a 15-year career in the Michigan public school system, serving most recently as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and human resources.
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1074/profile_7ffc62022bbcd70583c81c902d82507a.png "Tess Reynolds, New Door Ventures")
Tess Reynolds, New Door Ventures
Biography
Tess Reynolds has served as the CEO of New Door Ventures since 2003. Under her leadership, New Door has tripled in size and revenues, and received several awards for its program effectiveness and community impact. Tess has over 20 years of leadership experience in the technology industry where she worked as business unit general manager, vice president of marketing, and management consultant. She has also served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. An immigrant from the Philippines, Tess holds a B.A. in Economics-Honors from the Ateneo de Manila University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
![[photo]](https://8ca84662c5b8f0cff50d-4baaaf97d63fd7b01243e1b1c57f0cc1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1075/profile_cc841cc2a4e3a5eadc241c581fb71ccd.png "Sam Schaeffer, Center for Employment Opportunities")
Sam Schaeffer, Center for Employment Opportunities
Biography
Sam Schaeffer is the Executive Director and CEO of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), a New York-based nonprofit corporation that provides employment services to men and women with criminal convictions. Mr. Schaeffer joined CEO in 2009 to replicate the program in jurisdictions beyond New York City. Over the last five years he has led the expansion of CEO to nine new cities, including four offices in upstate New York as well as three in California and two in Oklahoma. Sam graduated with a B.A. from Reed College, Phi Beta Kappa.