By Elaine Gast Fawcett on behalf of ASF
ASF member Lindsey Stammerjohn (R) and ASF board member Juanita Garcia
When it comes to learning about important issues and moving the needle in the right direction, convening is a low-cost and high-impact leadership tool you can’t overlook. In fact, many consider it to be a funder’s most underrated. In part 2 of a 2-part series on convening, hear how an ASF member foundation uses convening to reach its goals. Read part 1 here.
The ASF member John Gogian Family Foundation and executive director Lindsey Stammerjohn began convening grantees in 2010 as part of a capacity building initiative. They recognized common struggles that many grantee partners shared, and chose convening as one way to address these needs while connecting the organizations to one another.
At its first gathering of grantees, Stammerjohn sat in the back of the room. “We wanted our grantee partners to drive the process, and tell us if gathering as a group was valuable to them,” she says. “It became apparent quickly that we needed to have a clear purpose for convening. We had to do more than get everyone together for doughnuts and coffee.”
