Hello fellow Giving Institute members, 

Happy Fall! It has been a very active first couple of months of our 2025-26 Giving Institute year with contributions from so many, and I am pleased to share here a number of key developments. 

First, as you will have seen in the new GI Exec announcement in September, I am thrilled that Angelique Grant (The Inclusion Firm) and Lauren Sheehan (DonorPerfect) have accepted my invitation to join our Giving Institute Executive for the coming year as Members-At-Large. Angelique and Lauren bring perspectives from firms of different size, focus and tenure with The Giving Institute, and will be great assets to our Executive. Welcome!

Next, after several years of outstanding leadership of the Membership Committee, Kate Roosevelt (Campbell & Co.) is passing the torch to new Co-Chairs Carla Willis (Washburn McGoldrick) and Dan Gross (OneCause). Kate has played an instrumental role in growing membership during a very dynamic period; with nearly 80 current members, our 5-year goal of growing to 70 was achieved several years early! A huge thanks to Kate for her leadership, and to Carla and Dan for now stepping in the role. 

Looking ahead, with our current GI/GUSA 5-year strategic plan wrapping in 2026, we are excited to be launching our next strategic planning process now. Lee Ernst (JGA) has accepted the leadership mantle for this process and will be sharing more at our November meeting. Thank you, Lee! 

Speaking of our November meeting, this Fall’s Co-Chairs Johnny Cooper (Cooper Coleman) and Matt Beem (Kinetic) – with support from PEC Co-Chairs Jim Bush (Winkler Group) and Leya Simmons (BetterUnite) and the PEC – have a terrific program shaping up for us in Chicago on November 6-7. Highlights include a keynote by Nathan Chappell (Virtuous) focused on AI and curiosity; A fireside chat with Andrea Saenz (President & CEO, Chicago Community Trust) who is generously joining us to discuss the complexities of our current fundraising environment; plus GI ‘signature’ roundtable and lightning round sessions. Thank you to all, with special thanks to Tammy Weinman (Kinetic) for keeping things moving in the right direction. If you haven’t already registered, now is the time!  

And finally, and perhaps most excitedly – early planning for the Summer Symposium 2026 is taking shape! Following our routine, our GI Exec has met to identify the plan…IE review suggestions on future locations from this year’s Symposium, consider what part of the country makes sense relative to past years, and also note where we have enthusiastic members keen to lead the charge. I am excited to share that we are planning for Kansas City, MO for GI SS 2026! We anticipate this taking place the week of Jul 27. And, an early huge thanks to Kansas Citian Janell Johnson (Kinetic) for agreeing to serve as a Co-Chair! Additional details, dates and the opportunity to get involved in the Planning Committee coming soon.

Momentum. Together. Our themes for the year are already shining brightly during these first few months. I can’t wait to be together in November to accelerate our momentum even further. 

Regards, 
PK