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As part of philanthrophy's efforts to be more accountable and more effective, Meyer Memorial Trust has been engaged in a new level of self-reflection, self-evaluation and strategic planning for the last few years.
While the size and nature of Meyer Memorial Trust means we will never have the global influence of a Gates or Rockefeller or Ford Foundation, we have nonetheless set a rather ambitious goal for ourselves. We strive to be a national model for regional foundations. We want to do that not only through our grants programs, but through all the work that we do.
One way our newly articulated ambitions and efforts have been visible to those outside our office is through our increased emphasis on and efforts at communication. While we always considered communication a priority at the Trust and we were the first foundation to have a website in Oregon, new technologies and tools enable us to communicate more frequently and in a variety of new and fun ways.
Two years ago we redesigned our website from the ground up and added a number of interactive features. We also began writing more often and informally to you, giving you a look further inside our organization, attempting to dissolve barriers that naturally arise between foundations and those whose work we exist to support.
So here's why we think 2007 will be the best year yet... We have other several other communication and outreach efforts under development that we will be launching during this. While some activities are not quite ripe for announcing, we are excited today to unveil the first of our 2007 communication and outreach programs.
We'll describe the bigger picture to you in a message coming soon, but we want to open this new phase today by announcing our first gathering. (We're calling them "gatherings" because we haven't found another word that quite captures what we have in mind... we intend that these will take on a wide and unpredictable variety of forms; they won't be the usual "talking heads" kinds of events usually referred to as workshops, conferences, trainings, or panel presentations.)
Our intention in these gatherings is to demonstrate that one important role for a national model for a regional foundation is to offer times and spaces and other resources that enable and empower nonprofit organizations in our region become the best they can be. Which means they need to have access to the best information, tools, and inspiration available.
We begin on March 9th with a look at Communicating in the age of New Media. Our first session will look at some big picture communication issues in this new era, with particular emphasis on video as a tool. We will follow up with other related topics over the following months. We hope you will come be part of this exciting new venture.
We're also making it possible for 100 individuals from nonprofit organizations to attend a very interesting and exciting event on the evening of March 10th to witness and participate in an example of nonprofits using multimedia in new and exciting ways... to raise awareness and funds, motivate action and behavior, and so forth.
Here are the particulars:
Communicating in the Age of New Media
Friday, March 9th
Noon to 5 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre (home of Film Action Oregon)
4122 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland OR 97212
Price: No charge, but please bring a nonperishable food item for Oregon Food Bank.
Hosted by Meyer Memorial Trust
Bring your own brown bag lunch, the popcorn and drinks are on us!
This event will include a Media That Matters film festival on food and sustainability...
Register for the March 9th event here. After registering, you'll receive an email confirmation. Please print your confirmation and bring it to the event. If you also want to attend the March 10th event, please see instructions below*
Unmasking New Orleans: The Frontline of Sustainability
part of a multimedia convergance to foster sustainable building
Saturday, March 10th
8 p.m. to midnight
Audio Cinema
226 SE Madison St.
Portland OR 97214
Price: $20 adults, $10 students, but free to first 100 nonprofits, see *below
Hosted by From the Bottoms Up
MMT has purchased 100 tickets to this event, which we see as complementing our March 9th gathering by serving as an example of communicating the work of an organization and cause in unexpected and imaginative ways. These tickets will be provided at no charge to nonprofits that attend the March 9th gathering.
*MMT has 100 tickets to offer to 501(c)(3) organizations, one per organization. Since our supply is limited, nonprofits who wish to send a representative to the March 10th event should request a ticket as soon as possible. First come, first served. To request a ticket, email Marie, MMT's Director of Communication & Learning with the Subject Line Tickets, and in the body of the message include the name of your 501(c)(3) organization and the name of the person who will be attending the March 10th event Please note that others will be able to attend by purchasing tickets, you don't have to fly solo... For more information on ticket purchase, contact From the Bottoms Up.
If you have any questions, it might be a good idea to post them as a comment below so the answers can be shared among us all...
So we hope you are as excited by these developments as we are. And for sure, we hope to see you there on March 9th. (We've reserved the large theater, so we have lots of room).
