This symposium provides an
opportunity for Connecticut leaders from all walks of life – nonprofit, philanthropic, business, religious,
academic and government – to gather, assess the conditions of Connecticut’s
nonprofit sector, identify limitations and strengths and discuss collaborative
strategies for reaching our common goals.
Philip Austin
President, University of Connecticut
Overview
In January 2004 over 250 Connecticut
nonprofit, business and government leaders gathered at the Aqua Turf
in Southington for the first State
of the Connecticut Nonprofit Sector Symposium. This annual symposium
focuses on the condition of the State’s nonprofit sector discussing
strategies that the three sectors (government, business and nonprofit)
can use to insure a brighter future for Connecticut.
The Symposium was developed by the UConn
Center for Continuing Studies in partnership with the Connecticut
Council for Philanthropy and the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits.
Welcome
Letter from Philip Austin, President, University of Connecticut.
Highlights
of the symposium included:
 Welcoming
Remarks by Krista Rodin, Dean, Center for Continuing Studies, University
of Connecticut .
A
call for tri-sector strategizing on the national level by Diana Aviv,
President and CEO of INDEPENDENT
SECTOR, a national coalition of
more than one million of America’s leading nonprofits, foundations
and corporations. Provided is a copy of
her presentation.
 Dr.
Fred Carstensen, Director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis
presented Connecticut’s Nonprofit Sector:
Value and Economic Impact, an examination of the link between
a healthy nonprofit sector and the Connecticut economy. For more information
about the CT Center
for Economic
Analysis visit their web site.
Public opinion researcher,
Christopher Barnes, Associate Director of the UConn Center for Survey
Research and Analysis, presented a survey of
500 Connecticut residents that identifies a need for the Connecticut
nonprofit sector to strengthen its communications
with the general
public.
For more information about the UConn
Center for Survey Research and Analysis visit their web
site.
 Discussion
by Dr. Claire Gaudiani,
author of “The
Greater Good,"
on how philanthropy is a driver of the American economy. Visit
Dr. Gaudiani's web
site.
The symposium was
capped by a highly anticipated panel discussion, Assessing
Connecticut Needs, Leveraging Strengths, of Connecticut
Nonprofit, Philanthropic, Government and Business
Leaders, moderated by Anita Ford
Saunders. Communication issues and common goals
between the three sectors - Connecticut government, business and
nonprofit - were the cornerstones of the panel discussion. Transcription
of presentation will be forthcoming.
Assessing Connecticut Needs, Leveraging
Strengths Panel: Robin Hogen, Vice President, Purdue Pharma; Rev. Bonita Grubbs,
Executive Director,
Christian
Community Action; Kevin Sullivan, Connecticut Senate President Pro
Tempore; Michael Bangser, Executive Director, Hartford Foundation for
Public Giving and W. David LeVasseur, Undersecretary, Office of Policy
and Management
2005 - Next Steps
Provided are attendees' comments
and suggestions for moving forward. A
2005 Symposium is being planned. Please check the web site in July for
more information or contact Linda
Friedman.
Your Thoughts
Add your thoughts for
information on the Symposium,
next steps and/or learning needs for the Connecticut nonprofit sector.
Media Coverage
Diane Weaver Dunne attended
the symposium and wrote “ Philanthropy
is Major Contributor to State
Economy” for the Hartford
Business Journal's February 9th 2004 edition to emphasize the need
for a more collaborative relationship between business, government and nonprofits.
You may also purchase
a video of
the 2004 symposium from CT-N.
Featured in our Spring
2004 newsletter.
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