Our 2023 Annual Convening Expand to Align: Collective Action was a complete success thanks to the engagement of our amazing network! This year we asked you to come ready to imagine how we could build equity for Puerto Rico through collective action. Our main goals were to think through how to expand and align philanthropic efforts moving forward, and yes, we came out of our convening with so many inspiring possibilities for philanthropy on the island. We had many guest speakers from sectors ranging from Academia to public service agencies and also had the highest attendance from our network membership in the audience.

Reuniting so many voices and perspectives was key for co-creating tangible pathways towards collective action. We delve into expansion by considering many points of views besides our own. We then had the courage to consider what is possible through alignment rooted in critical and strategic thinking. And, together, we immersed ourselves into imagining what’s possible when it comes to taking collective action in the philanthropic sector moving forward.

During the first day of our convening, we looked at the historical context that led us to the current socio-political landscape of Puerto Rico. We traced the history of natural disasters management to analyze this past decade through a critical perspective that might allow us to tap into useful trends and break away from the not-so-successful ones. During the second day, we were led by the question of how to envision expanding philanthropic efforts with the collective. We engaged in strategic thinking, thoughtful discussions and hands on exercises that allowed us to explore how to build collective efforts to strengthen the philanthropic sector.