Leadership Roundtables

The Forbes Funds sponsors Leadership Roundtables, providing a forum for community leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities affecting the nonprofit sector in Pittsburgh and nationally. Here, nonprofit executives interact with leaders from government agencies, foundations, and other organizations to explore pressing regional issues. The results of research projects completed under the auspices of The Tropman Fund for Nonprofit Research often provide important background information for these forums.

Please check our Announcements to learn more about registering for our next Leadership Roundtable.

Recent Roundtables:

2006 Nonprofit Summit On March 7, 2006, approximately 1000 people convened from across Western Pennsylvania for the an electronic town meeting design to engage the region's nonprofit organizations as a sector, a sector with its own priorites and voice about advancing the area's third renaissance.

Download a Copy of the Participant Guide ( PDF File PDF 826 K )

Annual Nonprofit Research Conference and Awards Ceremony (November 2, 2005) (held at Robert Morris University, Moon Township Campus, and hosted in cooperation with the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne University's Nonprofit Leadership Institute)

Download a copy of the 2005 Tropman Reports ( PDF File PDF 1 MB )

Nonprofit Marketplace On June 15, 2005, The Forbes Funds and Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania hosted the Nonprofit Marketplace -- an event during which hundreds of people had an opportunity to meet with more than 50 local vendors and consultants offering services to nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofit Executive Directors' Retreat On June 9, 2005, The Forbes Funds, together with the Institute of Politics, hosted a forum during which 30 executive directors of local nonprofit agencies met with the governor's staff, state legislators, and county officials to discuss candidly matters ranging from public contracting with nonprofits to public perceptions about nonprofit effectiveness.

Pittsburgh Nonprofit Summit

On April 25, 2005, more than 1200 people gathered at the David Lawrence Convention Center for a day-long conference entitled "Nonprofits as Agents of Change: Leading Our Region's Next Renaissance." Information about the Nonprofit Summit, held annually, and hosted by Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, is available on-line at www.pittsburghnonprofitsummit.org.

Download a copy of "A Generous Gift" ( PDF File PDF 151 K )

Annual Nonprofit Research Conference and Awards Ceremony (October 14, 2004) (held at the University of Pittsburgh and hosted in cooperation with the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, and Duquesne University's Nonprofit Leadership Institute)

Download a copy of the 2004 Tropman Reports. ( PDF File PDF 4 MB )

"Building the Faith: Strategies for Building the Capacity of Faith-Based Organizations and Congregations serving Allegheny County"

(May 2004): Melanie DiPietro (Buchanan Ingersoll); Kevin Kearns (University of Pittsburgh); Ronald Peters (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary); Fay Morgan (North Hills Community Outreach); Saleem Ghubril (Pittsburgh Project); Myrna Zelenitz (East End Cooperative Ministries); Julie Sulc (Pew Charitable Trusts); Rick McKinney (REST Philadelphia); Ernest Morris (Black Clergy Network of Philadelphia).

Download a copy of the publication distributed to attendees at this Roundtable. ( PDF File PDF 1 MB )

"Look Here! The Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders" (February 2004) (hosted in cooperation with the Coro Center for Civic Leadership): Paul Light (Brookings Institution and New York University); Shelly Cryer (New York University); Susan Hansen (University of Pittsburgh); Carolyn Ban (University of Pittsburgh); Sara Chieffo (Carnegie Mellon University); Suzanne Walsh (Heinz Endowments); Evan Frazier (Hill House); Daniel Horgan (America's Promise); and Michelle Pagano Heck (WQED Multimedia).

Download a copy of the publication distributed to attendees at this Roundtable ( PDF File PDF 734 K )

Annual Nonprofit Research Conference (October 2003) (hosted in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, Robert Morris University's Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, and Duquesne University's Nonprofit Leadership Institute)

Download a copy of the publication distributed to attendees at this Roundtable ( PDF File PDF 1007 K )

"The Future's Not What It Used To Be: Pittsburgh's Evolving Nonprofit Sector," (September 2003) (hosted in cooperation with the Institute of Politics at the University of Pittsburgh): Diana Aviv (Independent Sector); David LaPiana (LaPiana Associates); Carol DeVita (The Urban Institute); Kate Trimble (Coro Center for Civic Leadership); Marc Cherna (Allegheny County Department of Human Services); Jim Denova (Benedum Foundation); Karen Feinstein (Jewish Healthcare Foundation); Peggy Harris (Three Rivers Youth); and Don Block (Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council).

Review local research about the Pittsburgh region's nonprofit sector.

"Pittsburgh's Civic Leadership Revolution" (June 2003) (hosted in cooperation with the Coro Center for Civic Leadership): Suzanne Morse (Pew Partnership for Civic Change); Stacey Abrams (City of Atlanta); Saleem Ghubril (Pittsburgh Project); Bill Strickland (Manchester Craftsman's Guild); and 18 young local leaders.

Download a copy of the publication distributed to attendees at this Roundtable ( PDF File PDF 84 K )

"Ethics and Accountability in the Nonprofit Sector" (February 2003) (hosted in cooperation with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh): Evelyn Brody (Chicago-Kent College of Law); Kevin Kearns (University of Pittsburgh); Joyce Rothermel (Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank); Larry Palmer (Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General); Peter Madsen (Carnegie Mellon University); Penina Leiber (Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel); Linda Dickerson (Dickerson & Mangus); Sharon McDaniel (A Second Chance); John Stahl-Wert (Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation); and Rick Lowe (Project Row House, Houston).

Review information about ethics and accountability.

"Finding Our Voice: Advocacy in the Nonprofit Sector" (December 2002) (hosted in cooperation with the Institute of Politics): Mark Rosenman (The Union Institute at the University of Pittsburgh); Robert Smucker (Charities Lobbying in the Public Interest); Elizabeth Boris (The Urban Institute); Allen Kukovich (Pennsylvania Senate); Esther Bush (Urban League); Jim Roddey (Allegheny County Chief Executive); Lavera Brown (NAACP); Larry Davis (University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work); and Joseph Geiger (PANO).

Review information about advocacy and lobbying.