The first TSC Solution Summit held in Chicago March 22-23 was a sold-out and solid success. Driven by a case study in which "Ms. Ipod is coming to your foundation in one hour" participants explored the ways in which emerging solutions will enable them to more fully deliver their value proposition.

Who is Ms. Ipod? Ms. Ipod is either your dream donor or your worst nightmare.  Besides inheriting a lot of wealth, she is a self-made successful entrepreneur who is all business, including her attitude about how she wants to handle her philanthropic giving.  Ms. Ipod is a busy woman.  Ms. Ipod calls your foundation and says she is on her way. She'll be there in an hour.  You have one opportunity to convince her you are ready to serve her philanthropic needs.  To win her business, you must be able to show her that you can: Give her access to only the information she wants, in the way she wants it, when she wants it Serve her charitable needs efficiently and effectively, without ever letting her see how difficult it may be to do so Add value to her charitable giving through your community knowledge Engage her in giving opportunities when she is ready By the way, she expects that everyone on your team can deliver this service, not just her donor services officer, or the CEO.  So, is your foundation ready for Ms. Ipod?

Carla Dearing framed  the two-day Summit with a pragmatic session which engaged participants around where the field now is with current solutions and where we can go. Providers then discussed  the strategic context in which their solutions sit.

Companies represented at the Chicago Summit were: AST Trust, B2P Commerce Corporation, Blackbaud, Collaborative Standards, Kintera, and Neulogic. Sessions were also conducted to explore integration considerations and alternative integrated systems.

The list of attendees represented foundations large and small including but not limited to Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Grand Rapids Foundation, Stark Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Fox Valley, Chicago Community Trust, and the Toledo Foundation. Titles of participants ranged from Director of Operations to Program Officer to CEO to Donor Services Officer to Vice President for Technology to Information Systems Manager. The common thread linking participants was an appreciation for the fact that a new business environment requires sophisticated solutions that community foundations can now access through their involvement with the Technology Funding Syndicate. Each participating foundation was charged with developing their own roadmap by the end of the Summit.

Based on demand, the TSC is expanding participation to 40 slots per summit.  Stay tuned for details regarding the next Solution Summit, tentatively planned for November 2005.