By Allan R. Clyde, Executive Editor, Foundation News & Commentary

The Council on Foundations 2006 Family Foundation Conference—themed From Principle to Practice: Navigating Your Course—was held January 29–31 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. More than 600 attendees participated in the conference's preconference activities, plenaries, concurrent sessions and site visits. The conference aimed not only to increase awareness of the Stewardship Principles (http://bestpractices.cof.org/family) created by the Council's family foundation members, but also to improve performance and accountability by family foundations through interweaving those principles throughout the conference programming.

Following a welcome from Al Castle, the 2006 family conference committee chair and executive director and trustee of the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, the Sunday opening plenary breakfast began with a traditional Hawaiian chant led by Kaleo Trinidad, instructor of Hawaiian chant and dance at the Kamehameha Schools. Reflecting the state's reverence for sense of place, the chant translates: "Fragrant with blossoms is my home of scarlet blooms enveloped in mist. There indeed is that which I yearn for. My desire is for your arrival. And indeed, we have all arrived together-meeting together with warmth, with love, with affection, with aloha."

Polynesian Voyaging Society President Nainoa Thompson gave a moving plenary address using a power point presentation of personal photos and historical art images to recount his participation in a major voyaging effort in 1978 from Hawaii to Tahiti. Many shed tears as Thompson championed the value of leadership and giving back through reflecting on the setbacks and victories of that journey symbolizing the cultural revolution to which he has dedicated his life—reclaiming the past and giving dignity back to Hawaiian children by teaching them their ancestry. "Through my father's blindness, I understood the value of vision—knowing your destination, what it looks like, the path you must take and who you serve. You've got to hold leadership together. All you have is core values. Community needs to be built—not around race and geography—but core values…We will become what we teach our children."

Sunday's lunch plenary, Thinking It Through: What Implementing the Stewardship Principles Means to Different-Sized Foundations, saw participants grouped according to size for facilitated discussions exploring the challenges and opportunities of undertaking specific practices to strengthen performance. Categories for discussions included board governance, management and family legacy.

Monday's breakfast plenary featured Steve Case, co-founder of America Online, who in 2005 launched Revolution, a company that seeks to drive transformative change by shifting power to consumers. Case, who also chairs the Case Foundation, spoke on Blending Business and Philanthropy to Achieve Social Good. The plenary made history, as it was the conference's first simulcast. "Changing the world is not a part-time job," said Case. "Foundations need to connect with and can learn from the business sector…Philanthropy 1.0 hasn't done well enough. The systems need an upgrade—a jolt of Internet-style inclusiveness…To move forward on social goals, foundations must work with the private sector. The business of business includes social engagement." During the plenary Q&A, one question received via the Internet asked of important foundation lessons learned from the private sector. Case responded, "Setting and aligning priorities; attracting talent; measuring results; and, if you realize you're not making advancements, making course corrections."

Watch a webcast of Case and Council on Foundations President and CEO Steve Gunderson on Charting a New Direction for Philanthropy at http://www.cof.org.

In Monday's lunch plenary, attendees networked with like-minded colleagues for lively roundtable discussions on topics including creative ways to involve children in philanthropy, breaking down barriers to grantee success, the power imbalance in grantmaking, tackling homelessness, supporting the arts and arts education, international grantmaking, and grantee governance and accountability.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Executive Director Jeff Trandahl's Tuesday breakfast plenary address focused on the role of government relations in philanthropy. Trandahl had a 20-year career on Capitol Hill, most recently as Clerk of the House, the second-highest constitutional official in the House of Representatives.

In a strange twist of fate, the plenary occurred on the same day as investigations into the Red Cross' handling of Hurricane Katrina funds were announced. "The bad news today, combined with the previous stories…bring foundations a negative impression on the Hill," said Trandahl. "Those articles suggest a public perception and policy discussion that things are broken. Every foundation in this room can be affected by policy decisions based on what are seen as failures."

Trandahl went on to offer these tips on relationship building with government officials:

1. Have relationships with local, state and national leaders. Help your personal ties and relationships with representatives translate for the foundation by formally meeting to explain how and why it does what it does. ("And your foundation may not feel it needs that relationship nurtured, but the Council on Foundations does.")
2. Make your first visit one to relay good news, not to mediate a crisis. ("Congress tends to overreact in times of crisis—it has a fear of loss of power and control. That's the worst possible environment for getting calm, rational policy created.")
3. Know your elected members' staff and their individual responsibilities, and keep the relationships current. ("It's five times more effective to go to D.C. and meet with staff, versus meeting with the constituent case workers in the home districts.")

Steve Gunderson closed the conference with a luncheon plenary address on the legacy of families and family philanthropy as well as the opportunities that await them in the future. One such opportunity is defining the role and character of philanthropy—especially to those unfamiliar with foundations. "While society's needs grow, government's response appears to shrink. Therefore, our future is likely to present us with greater need than we have seen in at least three, perhaps four, generations. One danger is that some will believe philanthropy should take up what the government has left behind, shifting costs and assigning a government-like role to foundations. We are not like government. We are more like families…But if there is danger here, there's also opportunity—to increase the power and visibility of our rightful role, bringing creativity and change to causes and communities desperate for transformation…If we do not know ourselves, we simply cannot serve others…And for others to know us, we must first know ourselves."

Throughout the conference, Gunderson stressed the importance of participation in Foundations on the Hill (http://www.foundationsonthehill.org) on March 15. "Who is the face of philanthropy," asked Gunderson. "The news suggests it's Red Cross, Getty and political foundations. If that's who they think we are, that makes our job urgent. If you're scared of going to Capitol Hill, bring a friend. Bring your mayor, city counselor, school board superintendent—have all of them come with you as the face of philanthropy." Foundations on the Hill is co-sponsored by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and the Council on Foundations (http://www.givingforum.org).

One of the site visits made during the recent conference was to the low-income housing project, Kuhio Park Terrace/Kuhio Homes. The family service agency Parents And Children Together (PACT) has been a member of this project since opening its doors for business in 1968.

PACT's mission is "to promote and support healthy individuals, families and communities by creating opportunities for them to identify and address their own strengths, needs and concerns and successfully realize their potential." One manifestation of the values embedded in that mission is the new community playground, which conferees got to tour during the visit.

Several years ago, through a culturally driven "talk story" process, members of the two resident associations on campus made known their wish to build an age-appropriate playground for their children. The process encourages sharing personal stories to make a point. And, while it can be time consuming, it has proven to be an effective way to engage families and individuals. The community playground project involved a number of organizations and businesses—both local and national.

Once funds for the project were raised—including those from resident-led efforts—a one-day event was organized and 100 volunteers built the entire structure on December 3, 2005. Two weeks later, the playground opened to the community. An important part of the playground is a mural facing the play area with the phrases, "Peace be with you," "Be Safe," "Respect Your Neighbors" and "Please Take Care of Our Home." PACT's Community Teen program created the mural with the assistance of the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Art to Go project.

Interesting facts about the Kuhio Park Terrace/Kuhio Homes:

• It is the largest public housing project in Hawaii
• Approximately 3,500 individuals live there
• It has not been renovated in 40 years
• Rent for one to five bedroom units are based on income
• The three largest ethnic groups are Samoans (45 percent), Micronesians (35 percent) and Native Hawaiians (20 percent)

In addition to their administrative offices, a number of PACT programs are located on campus at the Community Resource Center. They include the Early Head Start/Head Start Program, the Family Centers, the Technology Center, the Economic Development Center and the Community Teen Program.

For more information, visit http://www.pacthawaii.org.

The site of the conference networking event, sponsored by the conference Host Committee, was the newly expanded Honolulu Academy of Arts (http://www.honoluluacademy.org). The academy, one of the finest arts institutions in the country, is a classic Hawaiian-style building where interior and exterior spaces are interconnected to showcase the island's natural beauty and climate. The museum's collection spans arts from the Americas to Asia, and, of course, Hawaii. In addition to traditional leis, attendees were treated to a blend of traditional and contemporary Hawaiian art, food and music.

Order a CD of the audio from more than 30 of the conference concurrent sessions and the plenary speeches for just $40. Visit: http://int2.cof.org/conferences/family2006/CDOrderFormNEWEST.pdf.

Hawaii has a centuries-old track record of identifying problems and crafting solutions through family philanthropy. For more on this history, read Al Castle's Foundation News & Commentary feature "Philanthropy in Paradise" at http://www.foundationnews.org/CME/article.cfm?ID=3409.