Serving Community Needs

Despite the fact that it had lost more than $700 million in assets from its peak--or perhaps because of it--the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation seemed a likely place to stage Ingram's first Industry Outlook dedicated to the subject of industry.

Chairing the November 21st meeting at the Foundation's state-of-the-art facilities along Brush Creek was the new head of the Kauffman Foundation, Carl Schramm. Despite its paper loss--a loss that, proportionately at least, was not at all atypical for foundations in the last few years-- the Kauffman Foundation, like the larger philanthropic community, had not a whiff of defeatism about it.

Challenges

Given that the philanthropic community has almost universally encountered difficulty raising money the past few years due largely to the decline of capital markets, the question was posed: What, other than raising money, is the industry's greatest challenge? The answers ranged widely.

Sister Sue Miller argued that the real challenge for the Sisters of Charity was not so much the decline in voluntary giving as the fact that "public moneys are being cut at the county and state level." What aggravates the problem is "people who are being cut out don't have a voice."

(front row, left to right)
Carl Schramm, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Trudi Galblum, Galblum Communications
David Francis, Francis Family Foundation
Sr. Sue Miller, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
(second row)
David Ross, Bank of America
Terry Woodbury, United Way of Wyandotte County
Sheila Kemper Dietrich, UMB Trust & Wealth Management
Mary Pat Beals, Catholic Charities
Janice Ellis, Partnership For Children
Kala Stroup, American Humanics
(third row)
Bob Dunn, Dunn Family Foundation
Cordell Meeks, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Denny Barnett, Kansas City’s Promise
Tom Dugard, Heart of America United Way
Gene Dooley, YMCA
Jerry Glazier, Sprint Foundation
Bob Miller, AMDG Foundation
David Renz, Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership
Michelle Sweeney, Ingram’s Magazine
Bill Dunn, Dunn Family Foundation
Joe Sweeney, Ingrams Magazine
Mark Litzler, Saint Luke’s Foundation (missing from photo)