As you may or may not know, I am new to the philanthropic sector. Less than five years into my career, I found a place with a wonderful group of talented individuals at Philanthropy Ohio. The past five years have been a challenging journey in finding where I belong. During my time in college, I was lucky enough to be inspired by community building and philanthropy.
Every bright-eyed youth dreams of making a difference or changing the world. My contribution was determined to be community-centric and charitable at heart. Upon meeting the team, I was moved by the genuine character, compassion and dedication each person at Philanthropy Ohio had, leading and equipping Ohio philanthropy to be effective partners for change in our communities. Although a bit overwhelmed with the importance of our work, I was eager to contribute to the mission and learn how we help our members reach their goals.
We prepared for months leading up to the conference to make this annual convening a meaningful experience for our members. I knew my job was to assist in making this project a reality, but what transpired exceeded my expectations.
With my new camera and tripod ready, I strolled into Philanthropy Forward. Although nervous, I had a pep in my step, ready to learn and connect with the industry's best and brightest. I was most excited to capture the best moments among members and share the impact of Philanthropy Ohio’s work.
The first plenary on Monday had me glued to my seat and my notebook open to furiously take notes. Journalism and storytelling are important pillars of my identity and passion in life. Hearing the panelists discuss the future of stories and address how creative media outlets support new ideas and carry the voice of communities across Ohio made me eager to hear more. Their constructive conversation on the future of journalism and how philanthropy is paving the way for a more representative and information-driven ecosystem in the state left me inspired and keen for the remainder of the conference.
As the opening plenary session ended and the room of professionals cleared out, I noticed attendees were friendly and inviting. Previously, my only communication with a majority of the attendees at the conference was through email. It was delightful to be welcomed with open arms at each session. Whether I was introducing the speakers of the breakout sessions or listening in as a new attendee, nearly everyone was shaking my hand and asking my name, my background and how I got into philanthropy. This would be a common trend.
As the conference went on, the atmosphere of the groups became lighter and more intentional. Remarkable conversations and constructive discussions grew from nearly every breakout session over the next two days. It was a welcome relief to start recognizing Philanthropy Ohio members and chatting with conference attendees as we floated from plenary to breakouts to dinners.
It was nice to grab dinner with a group of attendees and staff after each long day of thought-provoking lessons and knowledge-building. Across from the hotel was a popular dining hall experience, and we were fortunate enough to experience a challenging game of trivia along with our meals. Much to the chagrin of our group, none of us could beat the local trivia masters. There’s always a next time, and I’ll be brushing up on my trivia to prepare.
After that particularly devastating trivia defeat, the next conference day had me on my toes.
We began our offsite tours once the afternoon rolled around on the second day. When choosing the tour, I was torn between all three. Although I have a passion for art and a curiosity for housing innovation, I was tasked with accompanying the tour for personalized educational learning at the Butler Tech Natural Science Center.
Not only did I leave with a super cool engraved rock, but our tour group also got to hear from two incredibly passionate high school students who attend this school under student-centered personalized learning programs from engineering to veterinary medicine to anything in between. Our tour group was mesmerized by the drive and dedication the two students who acted as tour guides had for their particular studies, as well as how thankful they are for their teachers at Butler Tech for providing them with the tools needed to achieve their goals. It was an eye-opening experience to see this type of education style take effect on this group of young people. It inspired me to want to see more of this education accessible across Ohio. Knowledgeworks did an excellent job informing our tour group of the statistics of this learning style. If I could write an entire book about it, I would.
Before I could chat up my colleagues after the tour group returned to the hotel, we had to jump on another bus to head to the highlight of the night for me: the highly anticipated Philanthropy Awards ceremony. The atmosphere, the band, the venue, the bites and the brews were all in harmony that evening. Members and philanthropy professionals gathered under one roof at the historic Woodward Theater in the Over-the-Rhine district of Cincinnati. Surrounded by the elegant beaux-arts style architecture of the venue, attendees happily enjoyed the conversation leading up to the ceremony. With the quartet winding down, it was time to celebrate the five Philanthropy Award winners and watch each one accept their award for achievements and express gratitude with their speeches. It was truly heart-warming to hear Connie Hawk’s acceptance speech, accompanied by an entourage of supportive professionals cheering on Connie and her accomplishments.
The evening was fantastic, and I gained so much knowledge from the Philanthropy Ohio team about the impact or strength of the philanthropic industry, the passion of the people and, most importantly, how much work goes into creating these experiences.
Wednesday marked the final day of Philanthropy Forward ’24. From a young professional's perspective, it’s a wonderful experience to wake up with a head full of ideas and inspiration for projects for the future of our work. To kick off the last day, I joined our Emerging Leaders Peer Group for breakfast in the market at the hotel. It was refreshing to hear the stories and backgrounds of individuals new to philanthropy, like myself. The variety of experiences had everyone engaging in friendly conversations across the room. I was glad I could relate to this group of professionals for the first time since joining six months ago.
The closing plenary followed the half-day of breakout sessions, and before we knew it, Philanthropy Forward ’24 was over. I could say the key takeaways were the ideas, inspiration and issues thought leaders brought to the conference, but truly, what I gained from the conference relates to this Maya Angelou quote: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
It’s been a month since this experience, but I still feel joy from our impact on the attendees. I still feel the warmth of community members welcoming me to their groups. I still feel the pride of a job well done and the lingering inspiration of the learning and skill building. I’m proud to be a part of a community that advocates, leads and equips Ohio philanthropy to be an effective partner for change in our communities.
I look forward to expanding my network and creating memorable experiences next year at Philanthropy Forward ’25 in Cleveland!
Alyssa Donahey
Associate, Communications & Membership
Philanthropy Ohio
Philanthropy Ohio’s blog is meant purely for informative discussion of topics, practices and viewpoints in philanthropy. We collaborate with various members, funders, consultants, philanthropy-serving organizations and Professional Partners to bring you quality content. Guest authors are partners in our collective vision for a just and vibrant Ohio through impactful philanthropy. Statements on this blog reflect the author’s personal opinions and do not necessarily fully represent the opinions, policies, practices, values and mission of Philanthropy Ohio. This blog may contain testimonials, opinions and real-life experiences of members. However, the experiences are personal to those particular members and may not necessarily represent all members or Philanthropy Ohio.