2022 Annual Convening Experience
Wednesday, October 19
8:30am Registration
9:00am - 9:30am Welcome
Honoring the space that’s welcoming us on these days.
9:30am - 11:00am Opening Session:
Let’s Lean In to Co Create
Brief:
We welcome everyone and we are grateful that after all our island has been through during the last few years; hurricanes, earthquakes, a pandemic, and other social inequities, you have taken on the commitment to continue strengthening and improving philanthropic practices to co-creating the present and future of the social sector in Puerto Rico.
The past few weeks have strongly reaffirmed the importance of meaningful connection, inspiration, authentic ideas and heartfelt conversations to create a more equitable Puerto Rico. This is the time to share those experiences and find ourselves in other people’s stories.
In this kick off meeting for our 2022 convening we’ll start with a workshop of why we are ready to Lean In to Co Create. We believe that it’s time to share those experiences and find ourselves in other people’s stories. We’ll have exercises to dive in and get us started Lean In to Co Create.
Topics to be discussed:
Group cohesion dynamic called “Hot Seats”. As a collective we will take responsibility for communicating, taking into consideration other people’s stories, vision and projects to contribute meaningfully to each other.
Speakers:
Glenisse Pagán & Anja Paonessa Filantropía Puerto Rico
11:00am - 12:30pm Trust-Based Philanthropy Practices
Brief:
In these times of dramatic change, as grantmakers we have a responsibility to examine our decision-making practices to see how they have contributed to systemic inequalities and how they contribute to a more just and equitable social sector. Trust-based philanthropy is based on different values and practices that help promote democracy, equity, shift power and build mutually accountable relationships.
Topics to be discussed:
Values, structures, culture, leadership, transparency and participatory grantmaking practices and concrete ways for funders to begin shifting from traditional to trust-based grantmaking. We will discuss case studies among foundations with different perspectives.
Speakers:
Alexandra Hertell Fundación Segarra Boerman
Mynor Alejandro Veliz Headwaters Foundation
12:30pm - 1:30pm Lunch
Optional Walkthru Luis Muñoz Marin Foundation Museums
1:30pm - 3:00pm Strength through Solidarity - Management Commons and the Future of Nonprofit Resource Sharing
Brief:
Fiscal sponsorship has seen tremendous growth in attention and utilization in recent years, largely in response to our national social justice reckoning, climate change, and the COVID pandemic. These forces have accelerated innovation in the field and moved fiscal sponsorship from a backwater tool for incubation of new nonprofits and temporary projects, to a new paradigm of practice, management commons, that holds the potential to fundamentally restructure our sector toward long-term shared infrastructure and more equitable access to nonprofit resources.
Fiscal sponsorship is leading the way in promoting diversity, equity, and more efficient and inclusive access to backbone services and philanthropic resources. Funders are playing a critical role in the growth of the fiscal sponsorship field. Join us for a presentation and discussion led by HASER and Social Impact Commons, a national leader in advancing and building the field of management commons, so that anyone with the will to do social good can have ready access to the resources they need to get to work.
Topics to be discussed:
Fiscal sponsorship as a legal and collective impact tool. Different models of fiscal sponsorship. Relationship between a public charity with tax exemption and a project. Responsibility of a fiscal sponsor. Administrative challenges of a nonprofit and a fiscal sponsor. Compliance with tax-exempt rules.
Speakers:
Colibri Sanfiorenzo HASER
Josh Sattely Chief Legal Steward, Social Impact Commons
Thaddeus Squire Chief Commons Steward, Social Impact Commons
3:00pm - 4:30pm Learning to Listen: Workshop to Co-Create
Brief:
Through this session, we want to encourage entities to reflect on the collective they seek to support by critically analyzing the experiences and lessons learned by Filantropía Puerto Rico (FiPR) through the “Learning to Listen” project. We will present IDEAR, a guide designed for philanthropic entities, that was inspired by the growth in membership of our organization and the transformation of the FORWARD Puerto Rico Fund aiming to sustain and support the philanthropic ecosystem, and achieve systemic change in Puerto Rico.
Topics to be discussed:
Filantropía Puerto Rico will present the process of the Learning to Listen project and IDEAR, the toolkit that came out of it. We will exercise to create a toolkit together and identify models, definitions, philanthropic practices and listening practices that can be used.
Speakers:
Alejandro Cotte and Lyvia N. Rodriguez Del Valle El Enjambre
4:30pm - 6:00pm Networking & Cocktails
Once a year we convene philanthropic entities working for Puerto Rico to get together, exchange ideas and, most importantly, get some face to face time. Join this end of day session where families and pets are welcome, have a cocktail (if so inclined), and come ready to engage with other grantmakers and colleagues.
Thursday, October 20
9:30am - 11:00am Funders Alignment in Response of Disaster Recovery
Brief:
As grantmakers we have the mission to continue supporting the efforts of the social sector by joining strategies, objectives and specific actions within us. The social sector has immediately mobilized to address the community’s efforts.
Just as with Hurricane Fiona, we recognize that crises on our island will continue to occur, but we must ask ourselves: how can we align funders who want to support the response to these events to develop strategic social investment, promoting equity and justice? We want to continue the conversation with our peer funders to co-create social impact strategies that will have a significant impact on our island.
Topics to be discussed:
As grantmakers, you support the efforts of the social sector. You do this more effectively by uniting strategies, objectives and collaborating with specific actions.
We are aware that natural disasters and other crisis on our island may and will continue to occur, so let’s take a moment as a collective to reflect about:
- How can we have an effective response to the organizations responding to the crisis?
- Responding to a crisis causes an extreme strain on organizations across the island, causing a ripple effect of immediate and emergent needs throughout the communities, how can we support them for the long term more effectively?
- Non local philanthropy is fueled in times of crisis, feeling a sense of urgency they supporting initiatives that spark their interest, how can we act and align to have an effective and just response?
- What would a good crisis response look like?
- What can we do to create a robust response infrastructure?
Speakers:
Glenisse Pagán Filantropía Puerto Rico
11:00am - 12:30pm Collective Reimagining
Brief:
Together we will explore how the commitment to “Collective Reimagining” can support the Filantropia network’s with generating more equitable opportunities and outcomes in Puerto Rico. During this session members of the network will explore ways to work together that address inequities and create new possibilities that lead to lasting change.
Topics to be discussed:
- Engage in meaningful conversations that inspire authentic connections and collaboration
- Build a better understanding of systemic inequities and the challenges individuals and communities in Puerto Rico are facing
- Imagine beautiful possibilities for the present and future of the social sector in Puerto Rico
- How would you describe the future that you’re working towards for PR? Exercise/group division
Speakers:
Bianca Casanova Anderson, Rachel Leonidas and José Ortiz-Pagan Pro Inspire
12:30pm - 1:30pm Lunch
Conjunt Session
1:30pm - 3:00pm Recent Outlook on Endowments
Brief:
A conversation on the effects the changing market environment has on endowments. Explore our diverse Endowment structures and Spending Policies associated with them. Let’s reflect on how to address our collective giving power.
Speakers:
Hector Gonzalez Financial Advisor
Conjunt Session
1:30pm - 3:00pm Peer Groups: Our People at the center
Brief:
As grantmakers we need to continue listening among peers in the ecosystem to share experiences, perspectives, interests and strategize together to further advance the mission and agenda for the social sector. Human resources, accounting, communications and programs, among other areas, are at the heart of our organizations. In this session we play to design a future in which all levels of our organizations are interconnected from the Philanthropy platform, to support the work ahead.
Speakers:
Dayani Centeno Torres Voz Activa
Anja Paonessa Filantropía Puerto Rico
3:00pm - 4:30pm Innovating: The why and what of Co-Creation
Brief:
This final session will focus on co-creating the future of our collective. We will share FiPR future plans and unpack the different ways we come together that inspire us to innovate the present and future of Puerto Rico.
After listening to each other and immersing ourselves in lean in and co-create, we will unpack the different ways of coming together that inspire us to innovate the present and future of Puerto Rico. This last session will emphasize the importance of co-creating the future of the social sector as a collective. Most importantly, as a network of changemakers on our island, we will outline best practices to co-create, inspire, mobilize and build transformation together.
Topics to be discussed:
The projections of Filantropía Puerto Rico. The present and future of the social sector. Best practices to co-create as a collective.
Speakers:
Glenisse Pagán and Anja Paonessa Filantropía Puerto Rico
5:30pm - 7:30pm A party with our network!
Glenisse Pagán
Filantropía Puerto Rico
Executive Director, Filantropía Puerto Rico
Glenisse was born, raised and lives in Puerto Rico where she leads a multi-passionate life learning, teaching, challenging others and being challenged. She also loves technology, nature, adventure, but above all, she lives to inspire people to take action and to help them find their purpose.
Anja Paonessa
Filantropía Puerto Rico
Anja Paonessa
Membership & Operations Officer, Filantropía Puerto Rico
Bianca Casanova Anderson
Pro Inspire
Bianca Casavoca Anderson
Co-CEO, ProInspire
Bianca Casanova Anderson, educator, nonprofit leader, and social justice practitioner, with expertise in interpersonal communication, racial equity facilitation, and human development. As an educator for almost a decade, Ms. Anderson found her passion for human-centered change in the classroom. She built a unique background by cultivating inclusive learning environments that center relationships, uplift marginalized voices, and disrupt racism. As the founding Director for the Dallas-Fort Worth site of the Center for Racial Justice in Education, she trained and advised over 3,000 community leaders and educators around the nation in effective racial equity policies, practices, and procedures.
In 2021, Bianca was promoted to Co-CEO, where she supports nonprofit organizations and foundations by leading a portfolio of training programs and services that center race equity and leadership development.
Most importantly, Bianca loves people. She lives and leads through a lens of radical love, deep inquiry, and transformative justice. She is committed to creating spaces where every person feels safe, smart, and significant.
Rachel Leonidas
Pro Inspire
Rachel Leonidas
Senior Communications Manager, ProInspire
Rachel Leonidas is a marketing and advancement professional, with a decade of experience in elevating brands, engaging donors, and managing programs for non-profit organizations on a range of issues including closing the achievement gap to addressing food insecurity in school-age children.
Rachel joined the ProInspire team in March 2021 and proudly serves as the Senior Communications Manager. Prior to ProInspire, Rachel spent six years impacting education in the public charter school sector with a career highlight of helping to establish Washington DC’s first school-based My Brother’s Keeper program at Paul Public Charter School.
In 2016, Rachel directed her experience to raise awareness and resources, to help families still rebuilding from the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Her campaign resulted in over seven successful impact trips rendering medical support and establishing a sustainable food ecosystem for nearing schools in the remote regions of Les Cayes, Haiti. In 2019, Rachel moved to southern Africa and spent a year living and working on similar projects in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Rachel holds a Bachelor’s and Master of Arts in Communication and Public Affairs from Columbus State and Bowie State University respectively. Rachel is also an educator who teaches interpersonal, intercultural, and public speaking courses to first-generation college students.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Rachel grew up in a bustling household with eight siblings. She is a proud Haitian-American whose humble upbringing keeps her grounded and committed to the work of accelerating equity.
José Ortiz Pagán
Pro Inspire
José Ortiz Pagán
Consultant, ProInspire
José Ortiz-Pagán is a Puerto Rican multi-disciplinary artist and cultural organizer residing in Philadelphia. Ortiz-Pagan creates platforms to question, activate, heal, and consider alternative options for a hopeful future. The use of visions, rituals, crafting, gatherings, games, installations and more serve as strategies to consult and activate community power while negotiating their cultural presence in the context of the transitional and migratorial.
As part of his career José has developed and orchestrated various community based projects around Philadelphia including La Sombrilla Block Party, part of the Heat Response project in South Philly which sought to understand how art could bring solutions to heat impact, A Solitary Procession in which he collaborated with artists, activists and organizations to create a ritual that allowed local folks to mourn their loved ones in dignity. This process resulted in Ortiz-Pagan creating a large-scale suit called “El Vinculo” to play the role of a spirit of death walking across the city of Philadelphia. Currently he is working with Taller Puertorriqueno in the initiative Memorializing Fairhill, which seeks to create a series of monuments celebrating the history of activism and struggle in the Fairhill neighborhood.
Most recently, Ortiz-Pagán was selected to be the recipient of the Artworks grant given by the Philadelphia Foundation & the Forman Arts Initiative which recognizes the work of community based artists.
As a curator José Ortiz-Pagan has been responsible for projects that include; Portales, the most recent survey of work of the renowned artist Samuel Lind, and which focuses on the juncture between his spiritual framework and how it impacted his local culture of his local community in Loiza, Puerto Rico.
His artwork has been featured in several exhibitions including; Atolón, a solo show at the Art Gallery of the Sagrado Corazón University in Puerto Rico, The Trienal Poligráfica in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the International Printmaking Biennial in Taiwan ROC, the Bronx Latin American Biennial, among others. In addition to his studio and curatorial practice, Ortiz-Pagán has been a lecturer at Temple University, the Barnes Foundation and Haverford College.
Alexandra Hertell
Fundación Segarra Boerman
Alexandra designs, implements, and directs all strategic components of the Segarra Boerman Foundation, Inc. Alexandra practices trust-based philanthropy, worked as a grantwriter for Beta-Local, and held a Fordham University fellowship to design and develop curriculum of environmental law for a public school in NYC.
Mynor Veliz
Headwaters Foundation for Justice
Mynor Alejandro Veliz
Chief Financial Officer, Headwaters Foundation
Networker, broker, spreadsheets guru and finder of best prices on anything, anywhere. Mynor (AKA Alejandro) brings more than a decade of progressive experience in financial stewardship, accounting leadership and operations management within the health and medical services sector. He has been consistently recognized not only for his financial acumen but also for his ability to apply a collaborative, modern leadership style to get employees fired up about their mission and working together in new and collaborative ways. Originally from Guatemala, Mynor holds a bachelor’s degree in business finance, a master’s degree in business administration and he is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Leadership Development Program. An avid long-distance runner and world traveler, Mynor lives in Missoula with his wife, daughter, and son.
Hector González
Financial Advisor
Héctor Gonzaléz, CPA, CFA
Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch in San Juan
Héctor González currently works as Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor for Merrill Lynch in San Juan where he specializes in providing investment advice for nonprofit institutions and affluent investors.
He has been actively involved in the Puerto Rico Certified Public Accountants Chapter, where he has served in several committees and in the board of directors. Additionally, Héctor served as Treasurer of Habitat for Humanity from 2009 through 2011. Blending his passion to serve Puerto Rico and his interest for the arts, Héctor chaired the audit committee for the School of Fine Arts and Design in Puerto Rico from 2015 to 2017.
In 2016 he was invited and currently serves on the development committee of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation, where he collaborates in the strategy and execution for fund raising efforts. On December 2017 he joined the Board of Asesores Financieros Comunitarios where he currently serves in its executive committee. He frequently visits high schools and universities in Puerto Rico where he facilitates a dialogue on the importance of financial planning, government finances, socially responsible investing, strategic philanthropy and the interplay among these.
On 2020 he was awarded the distinguished CPA in community service award and in that same year he was also selected among thousands of nominees to the Global volunteer award of Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Colibri Sanfiorenzo
HASER
Colibrí Sanfiorenzo-Barnhard
HASER, Executive Director
Colibrí has a background in ecology and administration. For the past 13 years, she has worked in the nonprofit sector with community groups that develop education, conservation, and cultural grassroots actions in Puerto Rico. She is co-founder of HASER. Her background in action-based field ecology research, and her experience with diverse community groups have shaped her vision for social change in Puerto Rico, which focuses on understanding that just and equitable actions done at neighborhood level can cause meaningful global change.
Josh Sattely
Social Impact Commons
Josh Sattely
Chief Legal Steward, Social Impact Commons
Josh believes all social good initiatives deserve turnkey and equitable access to the nonprofit infrastructure they need to thrive. Josh manages the legal affairs of Social Impact Commons and works with our organization members to craft practical solutions to meet their evolving legal needs. Immediately prior to Social Impact Commons, Josh led the multifamily housing and nonprofit program at the NH Community Loan Fund and before that, spent 10 years providing legal support to TSNE MissionWorks (f.k.a. Third Sector New England), the first and one of the largest fiscal sponsors in the nation. Josh earned his Juris Doctor at Vermont Law School and LLM in Commerce and Technology at the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Thaddeus Squire
Social Impact Commons
Thaddeus Squire
Chief Commons Steward, Social Impact Commons
Thaddeus has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit management field, focusing on arts and cultural heritage. Following government relations work for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he went on to found Peregrine Arts, a multi-arts producer, and Hidden City Philadelphia, among other curatorial projects. His significant work in nonprofit resource sharing began in 2010 as founder of CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia, the first comprehensive fiscal sponsor focusing on arts and heritage, which manages more than 120 independent organizations. Thaddeus’s creative practice is focused on systems design for nonprofit resource sharing, in particular practices based in commoning and commons management principles. His work is grounded in the fields of American Pragmatism, Common Pool Resource Economics, Cooperative Management, New Localism and the Applied Behavioral Sciences. Additionally, he has deep expertise in the history of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, nonprofit management, fine and performing arts, heritage preservation, and museum sciences. Thaddeus holds degrees from Princeton University, the University of Leipzig (J. William Fulbright Fellowship), and the Mendelssohn Conservatory of Music & Theatre.
Dayani Centeno Torres
Voz Activa
Dayani Centeno Torres
Voz Activa
Dayani is a licensed professional relationist in Puerto Rico. She has specialized her practice in communication for social change and community outreach strategies, supporting both businesses and non-profit organizations.
In addition to attending her public relations practice, Dayani leads the organization Voz Activa, which supports community projects focused on solidarity economy and citizen participation. From Active Voice facilitates dialogue processes aimed at the transformation of groups and organizations. To do this, it uses tools from Theory U, Strategic Doing and Nonviolent Communication, among other methodologies that facilitate listening and collaboration.
Centeno Torres with several certifications in Theory U from the Presencing Institute at MIT, and is the only Caribbean graduate of the Ecosystem Leadership Program of the Presencing Institute (Germany, 2019), a global training program on systemic change.
She is part of the Latin American team of Theory U in Spanish, through which she has connected with projects and agents of change in the region. He also belongs to the board of directors of the Institute for Agroecology in Puerto Rico.
Lyvia N. Rodríguez Del Valle
El Enjambre
Lyvia N. Rodríguez, El Enjambre
Lyvia has 26 years of experience in issues of environmental justice, the right to the city, housing and land tenure in self-managed settlements, through participatory planning-action techniques, community work and intersectoral collectives and alliances, as the basis for managing Public politics.
Alejandro Cotte
El Enjambre
Alejandro Cotte, El Enjambre
Community social worker with 26 years of experience, with a PhD in Social Policy from the UPR. He has researched and published on the politics of violence and crime, and on community organizing. Together with other professionals and community leaders, he has successfully forged institutions, projects and drafted bills.
| Name | Organization Name | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darryl Chappell | Darryl Chappell Foundation | Chairman & CEO | [email protected] |
| Laura López | Fundación Ángel Ramos | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Rubiam Martínez | Fundación Ángel Ramos | Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Keila López | Fundación Ángel Ramos | Grants Manager | [email protected] |
| Yarelis Pagán | Fundación Ángel Ramos | Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Yadira Valdivia | Liberty Foundation | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Carlos Rodríguez | Flamboyan Foundation | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Vanessa González | Flamboyan Foundation | Senior Managing Director, Programs | [email protected] |
| Enery López | Flamboyan Foundation | Director, Products | [email protected] |
| Verónica Colón | Fundación Mujeres de Puerto Rico | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Zulnette García | Fundación Mujeres de Puerto Rico | Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Lydia Figueroa | Fundación Triple-S | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Natalia Irizarry | Fundación Banco Popular | Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Proviana Colón | Fundación Banco Popular | Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Francisco Chevere | Fundación Banco Popular | Senior Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Mary Ann Gabino | Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico | Senior Vicepresident | [email protected] |
| Alexis Ortiz | The Andrew Mellon Foundation | Senior Program Associate, Office of the President | [email protected] |
| Sofía Martínez Álvarez | Fundación Titín | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Hazel Colón Vázquez | Fundación Titín | Programs Director | [email protected] |
| María Cristina Moreno | Fundación Titín | Directora de comunicaciones | [email protected] |
| Jacqueline Rodríguez | Fundación Titín | Asistente Administrativa | [email protected] |
| Paula Fournier | Fundación Titín | Donations and Grants Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Kinyta Smalls | Peter Alfond Foundation | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Elena M. Colón | Fundación Intellectus | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Alejandra Hernández | Kresge Foundation | Environment Fellow | [email protected] |
| Joe Evans | Kresge Foundation | Portfolio Director | [email protected] |
| Elba N. Rivera Molina | MCS Foundation | Exceutive Director | [email protected] |
| Nadia Elokdah | Grantmakers in the Arts | Vice President & Director of Programs | [email protected] |
| Edwin Torres | Grantmakers in the Arts | President & CEO | [email protected] |
| Suheily Chaparro | Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades | Program Officer | [email protected] |
| Sonya Canetti | Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Dalila Rodríguez | Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades | Program Officer Assistant | [email protected] |
| Jesús Barriera | Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades | Program Officer Assistant | [email protected] |
| Colibrí Sanfiorenzo | HASER | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Josh Sattely | Social Impact Commons | Chief Legal Steward | [email protected] |
| Thaddeus Squire | Social Impact Commons | Chief Commons Steward | [email protected] |
| Alejandro Cotte | El Enjambre | Co-Founder | [email protected] |
| Lyvia N. Rodríguez Del Valle | El Enjambre | Co-Founder | [email protected] |
| Bianca Casanova Anderson | Pro Inspire | Co-CEO | [email protected] |
| Rachel Leonidas | Pro Inspire | Senior Communications Manager | [email protected] |
| Luis Ortiz Pagán | Pro Inspire | Consultant | [email protected] |
| Alexandra Hertell | Fundación Segarra Boerman | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Mynor Alejandro Veliz | Headwaters Foundation for Justice | Chief Financial Officer | [email protected] |
| Héctor González | Financial Advisor | ||
| Dayani Centeno Torres | Voz Activa | Public Relations Consultant | |
| Glenisse Pagán | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Executive Director | [email protected] |
| Anja Paonessa | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Membership & Operations Officer | [email protected] |
| Richard Córdova | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Project Manager | [email protected] |
| Karla Vargas | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Communications & Grants Officer | [email protected] |
| Luis Soto | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Comunications & Operations Coordinator | [email protected] |
| Joel Franqui | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Action Dialogues Coordinator | [email protected] |
| Christina Jaen | Filantropía Puerto Rico | Annual Convening Coordinator | [email protected] |
| Emmanuel Mercado | Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción | ||
| Paola Cabrera Piña | Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción | ||
| Aris Class | Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción | ||
| Gabriela Carrasquillo | Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción | ||
| Magli Berdecía Figueroa | Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción | ||
| Jean M. Cruz Marzán | Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción | ||
