Throughout Foundation Week the Alliance team attending the event will be conducting interviews and opinion polls to gauge people’s thoughts and feelings about individual sessions, the themes covered and the week as a whole and then sharing them with you through this blog in the form of posts, audio files and videos.
As a small team, however, there is a limit to how many people we can physically speak to. As we want to hear the views of as many people as possible we created this section of our blog site. Below you have the opportunity to share your views on the conference, the sessions you have been to and the issues they have raised.
We looking forward to reading your comments.
* Please note: we are also producing a comprehensive post-conference report and some of the opinions expressed below may be used in that report.
Alliance magazine at Foundation Week 
Looking forward to hearing! Any philanthropists or foundations that are looking to collaborate and communicate progress to supporters, please join us at iGivingWorld.
Feeling the conference “buzz” already. We are slowly but surely getting there! Have you made sure that you are able to see at least one of the really exciting documentaries that are listed in the programme?
It would be interesting to hear debate and dialogue between private/foundation leaders and EU DG representatives as the EU remains the largest donor in Europe. In particular, dialogue on coordination of funding priorities within the public and private sectors could be useful.
It has been a very inspiring experience so far, saying that from an `outsiders` point of view beeing a researcher. I was very impressed by the emensively and well-thought strategic work foundations are doing to disseminate their important work into policies and the public. However, let me add one idea. It might be helpful to bring in the idea of “evidence-based action” into projects at the very beginning, not at the very end. Both sides can learn from each other to develop the quality of actions in the field to an even higher level, when cooperating in a tandem or better, a three-partner partnership of foundations, practinioneers and scientists.
I whish you the best for your future activities.
Beate Kuepper
Institute of interdisciplinary Resreach on Conflict and Violence
Peace and Security Funders Group Meeting
On Tuesday and Wednesday the US Peace and Security Funders Group held one of their regular meetings here as part of the EFC week, jointly with European equivalents. I found it really useful, and so did many others – in fact, by the end there was a general consensus that we Europeans needed our version of the Peace and Security Funders Group, a network at the European level. Highlight: the group sessions where we sat in a circle and discussed a topic, with someone starting us off with a short presentation. I was in one on the narrative round terrorism. Brilliant to hear some amazing contributions. We stopped only because we had to – it was obviously only the start of a conversation that is going to continue over months if not years, at least I hope so. Lowlight: slides containing incomprehensible collections of boxes denoting the EU Security architecture. Masochistically I even feel that has benefit – I’ve learned something – how complex it all is, and that we need help if ever we engage with it. Best thing was talking to others and learning how they do things – and blowing our own trumpet, of course, always nice. Hope this is the start of something continuing and useful.
This is my second EFC conference. It’s incomparably better than last year in terms of the venue, choices of sessions and numbers of participants. The organisers have done a great job. The EFC is helping to project a more serious and professional sector on a European stage.
Apparently, we are in the ‘Capital of Europe’ here in Brussles. I found that hard to imagine but I must confess to being British which may have something to do with it. I actually enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the European institutions, its decision making process and to meet EU officials. Slightly more bizarre was the fleeting appearance of the President of the European Council with an entourage of aides and TV cameras though sadly he didn’t have the cavalry guard that accompanied the Italian Prime Minister’s visit to the EFC in Rome last year.
Dear alliance blogging team,
I really appreciated reading your comments and conclusions on that many sessions, which really helps to reconsider or at least have a chance to follow the sessions I was not able to attend.
However, I am still missing your Blog on the session “Building philanthropic infrastructure – sexier than you think”, which was a great and packed session. I am sure many of us would be interested to get your coverage as well and it would be important to diffuse the messages of lthe livels debate on the session as it is that important for further developing the field.
Dear Tim,
Thank you for your comment.
You can find our coverage of the “Building philanthropic infrastructure – sexier than you think” session here:
As a late comer to this site, I will like to know how the idea of philanthrophy evolved. What lessons have those who give learned from those who take. Is this the best way to organize society?