CNE’s 8th Annual Philanthropy Day Luncheon
Monday, November 9th, 2015
with Keynote speaker Jennifer McCrea
Monday marked CNE’s 8th annual Philanthropy Day celebration. Another sold-out crowd of more than 400 philanthropists, nonprofit professionals, business leaders and elected officials packed the room to celebrate the amazing contributions the philanthropic sector has made to our community.
The opening remarks, by Executive Director Cristine Nardi and Host Committee Co-chair Chris Noland, noted that nonprofits are here for us – building a strong community and putting the “quality” in our quality of life. And CNE is our collective way to invest in nonprofits that invest so much in us.
Keynote speaker, Jennifer McCrea then took the podium and motivated both philanthropists and nonprofit practitioners, alike. Some key takeaways included:
- Donors are a nonprofit’s philanthropic partners in creating change. They bring more than just financial resources to a cause, but can open networks, share expertise, and lend talent to solve large community problems.
- Individuals have a complicated relationship with money because of the value system associated with money. When we replace the values of scarcity, power, and control with courage, justice, and change – these relationships evolve from transactional to transformative.
- We need to focus on our goals, which are the changes we hope to make in the community, not the financial cost of creating these changes.
And the thought that seemed to resonate deeply was that this work is a challenge of the head, the hands and the heart. We should be mindful that the work is what restores us and gives us the courage to continue.
Thank you to NBC 29 and The Daily Progress/Charlottesville Tomorrow for great coverage of the event.
We thank The Rimora Foundation and Wells Fargo for their sustaining support of this event. Their partnership makes Philanthropy Day possible.
Photography generously provided by Eze Amos Photography.
Imagine, for a moment, a community where…
Robert, who has experienced multiple life traumas, receives the ongoing support and mental health counseling he needs to get him back on medication to manage his PTSD. No longer is he doing drugs and he holds a part-time job.
Imagine a community where….
Shawn, a 50-year old local man who has been homeless several times, has been able to find stable housing and, after 3-months of a rental subsidy, he now has a full-time job, pays 100% of his rent and is safely housed.
Imagine a community where….
Residents, of any age and any income, can deeply engage with art of all forms – whether films, photography, painting, music, or theater – and, through it, enrich their lives and connect with their friends, neighbors and even those they’ve never met.
Imagine a community where….
An elderly woman who lives alone on a limited income is able to eat food that she can prepare at home and store for bad weather days when she can’t make it out of the house. This food provides her nourishment until she gets her next social security check.
Imagine a community where….
Destiny, an at-risk high school student, gets the coaching she needs on managing homework, developing social skills, and envisioning her future. After earning her high school diploma, she says, “Now I feel like I can be better.”
Imagine a community that….
Puts collaboration and the people that need services FIRST, WITH NONPROFIT THAT LEAD THE WAY. That’s us. That’s you and me. That’s our community. It’s both how we practice, and it’s who we aspire to be.
In this community, our nonprofits are an economic driver too. They provide good, stable jobs for our friends and neighbors, spends dollars in our local economy and generate revenue that is reinvested back into the community.
Philanthropy Day is CNE’s annual community celebration of giving that has as its goal to educate, motivate and inspire the philanthropist in all of us. Philanthropy and nonprofit work has an incredible transformative power in our nation and Philanthropy Day honors and celebrates this unique American tradition. As part of this event, CNE hosts a luncheon with a nationally-recognized guest speaker to provide new insights, strategies and perspectives on social innovation & effective philanthropy.
Each year Philanthropy Day draws a sold out crowd of over 400 philanthropists, business leaders, nonprofit professionals and elected leaders.