Environmental Grantmakers Association - 25th Anniversary Retreat
The Fall Retreat will be the capstone event of the 25th anniversary year. It will provide time for funders to reflect on what environmental philanthropy has accomplished and where it and the broader environmental movement are heading.
This year special emphasis is being placed on media and technology, and how they are being used effectively to address environmental issues and create lasting change. Register here.
25th Anniversary Keynote – Annie Leonard, Co-Director, The Story of Stuff Project and Special Guest
The Story of Stuff, produced by Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios, is a 20-minute cartoon that has become a 250,000 person movement. The Story of Stuff Project uses its community and storytelling to tackle issues like cap and trade, bottled water and the Citizens United case. Through the Project, community members are supporting each other in making changes - large and small - that have upended how we think and act. Annie has dedicated nearly two decades to investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues. Prior to creating and releasing The Story of Stuff in December 2007, she worked with the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), Health Care Without Harm, Essential Action and Greenpeace International. She currently serves on the boards of GAIA and Public Citizen, and has previously served on the boards of the Public Citizen, Grassroots Recycling Network, Environmental Health Fund, Global Greengrants India and Greenpeace India.
Other Media and Technology Sessions:
Adopting, Adapting and Winning
The Keystone XL pipeline fight, the battle for the future openness of the Internet, and the Occupy Wall Street movement have brought millions of activists into the streets, both literally and via social media. If technologies that inspire citizen action and support self-organizing have made the rules of engagement obsolete, what does that mean for environmental leaders who still need to work with lawmakers and regulatory officials in traditional advocacy roles? Is it possible to see the big picture sharply and craft controlled strategies that engage a predictable base? Or do we need to embrace chaos and prepare to work in entirely different ways, from the streets to the halls of government? We’ll kick off this session with a dynamic, multi-media look at how environmental allies in the Internet policy world weaved advocacy approaches together, got everyday people to care about the dry, wonky-sounding Stop Online Piracy and Protect Intellectual Property Acts (SOPA/PIPA), mobilized thousands of citizens, had an unseemly amount of fun—and won. Three environmental leaders will then make the case for their own strategy models, discuss how environmentalists can adapt both familiar and emerging forms of advocacy to achieve change, and draw specific examples from their own involvement in Occupy Wall Street, Keystone XL, community-based efforts to change clean energy ownership rules, and national climate policy.
Moderator: Helen Brunner, Director, Media Democracy Fund
Speakers: Farhad Ebrahimi, Trustee Chair, The Chorus Foundation; Anthony Giancatarino, Researcher, The Center for Social Inclusion; Felice Stadler, Director of Climate and Energy, National Wildlife Federation
Changing the Green Economy Conversation: Tools for Effective Communications
The opposition voice on the green economy is vocal and has sounded a loud and persistent negative drumbeat. But efforts are underway to create a more effective conversation on the green economy and to better support the field advocating for green economy policies and investments. A landscape scan by Spitfire Strategies revealed what messages are working, what communications elements have led to regional wins, and how the opposition is making its case. What is needed to succeed in changing the narrative, however, is a stronger foundation for strategic communications, including more consistent messages, compelling stories and coordinated rapid response efforts. The panel will address several key questions: Are a national shared message platform, story bank and rapid response system the key communication infrastructure systems? What are the challenges to designing, implementing, maintaining and growing these systems? What and who is needed to create a stronger echo and develop the stories to bolster messages that resonate with key audiences and counter the opposition? How can we capitalize on the local connections of regionally focused nonprofits and the broader reach of national organizations to disseminate stories through existing and new communications channels? The panel will also highlight green economy communications goals, qualitative audience research, and emerging thoughts on language that is most likely to resonate with top audience targets.
Moderators: Michelle Knapik, Program Director, Surdna Foundation Danielle Lewis, Vice President, Spitfire Strategies
Speakers: Cheryl Dericotte, Director of Strategic Growth, Green for All; Jim Young, Associate Director, Program Development, Blue Green Alliance
Strategic Communications – Reaching the Middle - The Press, the Public and Critical Environmental Issues
This institute will explore communications related to the environment and how philanthropy can help support efforts to reach the public with a special focus on Broadcast news, and print journalism. Using current examples from the news including fracking, energy and coal and atmospheric policy this workshop will explore how funders and their grantees can work more effectively with broadcast and other media to ensure that compelling environmental stories are told which raise awareness and motivate viewers to action. Session will be highly interactive with strong focus on the role foundations can play. This session will focus on best practices in conveying complex environmental stories to the public and will include examples of excellent visual tools used to communicate topics like regional watershed preservation, habitat
corridors, air pollution, etc. will be shared.
Advancing Your Cause Through Social Media & Civic Engagement
Sponsored by Funders Committee for Civic Participation
There is no doubt that social media has transformed the way that advocacy and activist groups organize and mobilize their audiences. But in this rapidly evolving landscape, what do funders need to know to ensure that grantees are utilizing the best tools and strategies available to advance their cause? Join us for a de-mystifying overview of the social media landscape, explore the core principles that guide successful social media efforts, and learn how environmental groups and others are employing social media to engage people, build movements and win change. Be sure to bring your laptop or smartphone because you just might leave this hands-on Institute with your own personal Twitter account!
Participants: Martin Kearns, Green Media Toolshed (invited) Annie Leonard, The Story of Change.
