FPN Webinar
Creating Order From Chaos: Lessons on Philanthropy's Role in Disasters

Co-Hosted With Southeastern Council of Foundations

June 28, 2012
10:00 - 11:00 am ET

Who Should Attend: Any staff or board members of grantmaking organizations interested in philanthropy's role in disasters. This webinar is open to FPN members and members of the Southeastern Council of Foundations only.
Cost: No charge.
To Register: Register Online.
Presenters: Katie Ensign, Senior Program Officer, Jessie Ball duPont Fund; Gus Heard-Hughes, Director of Initiatives, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham; Paul Kennedy, President, Walker Area Community Foundation; Jera Stribling, Executive Director, Alabama Giving and Executive Director, Joseph S. Bruno Family Foundation.

For decades, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund has responded to the needs of communities and nonprofit organizations beset by disasters, human and natural alike. Traditionally, the Jacksonville-based Fund has limited its disaster grantmaking to the relief stage, supporting those who provide immediate relief to people in need, and had little experience with recovery and rebuilding.

All of that changed in April 2011, when a rash of tornadoes ripped through Alabama, leaving 248 people dead and $1.1 billion in property damage. The intensity and magnitude of this disaster demanded a different type of support to friends and colleagues.

Through the weeks and months that followed, as Jessie Ball duPont Fund staff worked beside colleagues in Alabama, they realized that they did not know enough about how public and private systems work, about where, when and how they intersect, or about organized philanthropy's proper role. In the past year, they have learned a lot. To help document what has been learned, and to provide thoughts for others' reflection, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund has prepared a guidebook - "Creating Order From Chaos: Roles for Philanthropy in Disaster Planning and Response."

In this FPN webinar, co-hosted with the Southeastern Council of Foundations, we'll hear from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and leaders of several Alabama foundations about key lessons they learned as they worked together to respond to the devastating tornadoes and to figure out how they could be most effective in helping communities recover from the disaster. Although philanthropic dollars will often flow quickly in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, after the spotlight fades there's still much critical work to be done, and philanthropy is an important partner in that work. To quote from a letter by Jessie Ball duPont Fund President Sherry Magill in the introduction to the Fund's "Creating Order From Chaos" guidebook:

During the past year, we learned a great deal about organized philanthropy's proper role following a disaster. No doubt, we must be prepared to fund immediate relief. But that stage ends quickly. To help individuals and communities raise the capital they will need to recover and rebuild, we must be communicators of accurate information, for individuals, for the media, for mayors, church and civic leaders. If communities have not built the necessary infrastructure for receiving public and private capital designed to rebuild a community - housing is among the greatest needs - philanthropy must lead the effort to build that infrastructure. If communities have this infrastructure, philanthropy must coalesce around communicating with state and federal legislatures to move capital quickly to communities.

Please join us for this special webinar to hear some fresh, firsthand lessons from your grantmaking colleagues about the challenges and opportunities for philanthropy when a disaster strikes.

Read This Before the Webinar

About the Presenters

Katie Ensign is senior program officer for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, a position she has held since June 2010. She previously served as president of Florida Philanthropic Network, and before that she worked as vice president of programs at the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville. Katie also serves as a trustee of the Marie C. & Joseph C. Wilson Foundation, a private family foundation based in Rochester, NY, that works to catalyze effective, holistic approaches to end family homelessness. She is a graduate of Denison University.

Gus Heard-Hughes joined the staff of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham as director of initiatives in 2011, where he works on sustainability for the national Communities Putting Prevention to Work effort. He also is the liaison for tornado recovery efforts locally and across the state. Gus formerly worked with Heifer International and is involved with the Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network.

Paul Kennedy is president of the Walker Area Community Foundation, dedicated to the nurture and advancement of that Alabama county. Previously he served as project coordinator, USDA - NRCS, assigned to the Cawaco RC&D Council, building on his experience as a district conservationist and consulting forester. He received his B.S. in forestry from North Carolina State University. Among other certifications, Paul is a Registered Forester for the State of Alabama.

Jera Stribling has served in foundation leadership positions and provided direction for nonprofits in the southeast for 20 years. She currently serves as executive director of the Joseph S. Bruno Foundation, as executive director of Alabama Giving, a statewide network of foundations and corporate giving programs and as a trustee of a family foundation. Jera has consulted with community and family foundations and businesses on board training, communications, organizational development and strategic planning. She previously served as executive director of the Alabama Power Company Foundation and worked in marketing and corporate communications at Alabama Power and Duke Power Company.