2025 Conference Planning | Professionals in Christian Philanthropy

Second Keynote Speaker

Please rate your level of enthusiasm for each possible speaker below, with 10 being the highest.

Timothy Dalrymple – President & CEO of Christianity Today(Required)

Topic: Given his role at CT we would need to explore what is top of mind for him, but he has an interesting perspective.

Ruth Padilla DeBorst – Professor of World Christianity at Western Theological Seminary(Required)

Topic: Global shifts in justice, how justice connects to the Great Commission

Josh Kwan – President of The Gathering | Legacy PCP member(Required)

Topic: He’s been a grantmaker and now leads a community of principals. What has he been learning in that seat? What are the challenges, opportunities, gaps? What would it help grantmakers to understand about principals?

Ryan Skoog – Co-founder of Venture (venture.org) | Author of Lead with Prayer(Required)

Topic: We could ask him to do two things: 1) speak about research showing the importance of prayer and its absence in many Christian organizations, and/or 2) lead us in various forms of prayer (Josh Kwan said he did this for The Gathering and it was powerful).

James K.A. Smith – Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University(Required)

Topic: Spiritual formation. Being still in a noisy world; “You are what you love, not what you think.” Needs fleshing out.

Please rank the same speaker options in your order of preference, with your first choice on top.

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Timothy Dalrymple
Ruth Padilla DeBorst
Josh Kwan
Ryan Skoog
James K.A. Smith

Any comments on the speakers?

Main Stage Session Ideas

We have roughly 3 hours for main stage sessions. This doesn’t count keynotes, table discussions, or other quick presentations like first-person talks. Usually these sessions are feature PCP members as panelists, interviewers and/or interviewees, or single speakers.

Topic: Collaboration among funders(Required)

Nuts & bolts. How to get your board on board. Challenges, opportunities. Different types of collaborations. What has it made possible that otherwise wouldn’t have been?

Topic: Due diligence(Required)

How do other foundations do this? Financial health, governance structure, future sustainability, etc.

Topic: Fred Smith interviews a principal(Required)

David Weekly? Trevor Rees-Jones?

Topic: Something new that foundations are trying?(Required)

Something not fully tested; the jury’s still out. A panel of EDs.

Topic: Strategy(Required)

How does our community think about risk, and make decisions around that? (Where they’re looking to partner; financial risk.) How are people building, executing, and assessing strategy?

Topic: Ways to honor and show gratitude to grantees; how to build community among grantees(Required)

We talked about Chelsea & MIGMIR, as well as Susan Dobkins at Vista Hermosa Foundation

Please rank the same session ideas in your order of preference, with your first choice on top.

To reorder the list, click on the arrows and move each item. Please put the entire list in order.

Collaboration among funders
Due diligence
Fred Smith interviews a principal
Something new that foundations are trying
Strategy
Ways to honor and show gratitude to grantees

Any comments on the main stage topics?

Breakout Session Ideas

Topic: Having hard conversations(Required)

How do you say no to a potential grantee? How to stop funding someone you’ve partnered with for a long time? Etc…

Topic: Human-centered design in philanthropy

Could be done with Nathan Mallonee (PCP member at Michael and Susan Dell Foundation).

Topic: Investment and management of the endowment of a foundation(Required)

Topic: Nuts & bolts on succession planning for partners, and walking with them through that(Required)

Topic: Preparing the next generation of foundation leadership(Required)

How leaders have prepared for succession. Forming relationships with the board. We talked about Kelsie Salarda at First Fruit to be involved here.

Please rank the same session ideas in your order of preference, with your first choice on top.

To reorder the list, click on the arrows and move each item. Please put the entire list in order.

Having hard conversations
Human-centered design in philanthropy
Investment and management of endowments
Nuts & bolts on succession planning for partners
Preparing the next generation of foundation leadership

Any comments on the breakout session topics?

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