On November 16, the Yale School of Management Net Impact Club presented the third annual Philanthropy Conference. Conference co-chairs, Seanne Hanke and Sheryl Linsky, both of the class of 2009, did an admirable job of organizing this year’s conference, which attracted an audience of approximately 80 students and professionals.

Dean Podolny kicked off the day with remarks that firmly established the tie between the conference and SOM’s mission to educate leaders for business and society.

Opening speaker Courtney Bourns from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) introduced discussion on the conference theme, “Achieving Effectiveness in Philanthropy.” While it is normally the role of funders to demand more accountability from grantees, GEO analyzes how funders themselves can change their practices and evaluate themselves to better support the effectiveness of their grantees and thus to enable more positive change. Ms. Bourns description of GEO’s findings was a fitting start to the day of thought-provoking discussion.

Seven panels covered topics such as innovative models for philanthropy, funder/grantee relationships, and measuring impact. SOM alumni played prominent roles. Tim Walter, SOM’90, and Renee Jacob, SOM’00, were featured panelists, while Nancy Raybin, SOM’79, Michela English, SOM’79, and Cheryl Casciani, SOM’88, ably moderated.

The theme of democratization of philanthropy, discussed in one of the morning panels, was picked up by the keynote speaker, Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org and Yale College Class of 1998 alumnus. DonorsChoose.org is an online nonprofit that allows people to donate directly toward the purchase of classroom materials needed by public school teachers. Mr. Best described DonorsChoose.org successful attempts to harness the power of the Internet to raise awareness about inequities in education and to encourage philanthropy among people who do not consider themselves to be philanthropists. Their Blogger Challenge is an innovative way that DonorsChoose.org has been able to reach the “long tail” of values connected individuals. With a personal style and manner more befitting an online mogul than a nonprofit executive, Mr. Best confided that DonorsChoose.org — while the darling of Internet-entrepreneur philanthropists like Jeff Skoll and Bezos — has been less than successful at attracting the attention of more traditional foundations. A lively discussion ensued between Mr. Best and the audience.

Please visit the conference website to read more about the panel discussions and to get involved in next year’s event.