In March, Council on Foundations’ president and CEO Vikki Spruill participated in WINGSForum 2014 in Istanbul. Spruill (pictured) served as a plenary speaker with Ian Bird, president of Community Foundations of Canada, providing remarks on the conference’s theme, ‘the power of networks’.

Spruill outlined long-term efforts to build capacity at the Council to make sure that members can connect easily to each other in order to advance common efforts. With over 65 years of rich history, the Council is known for operating in a certain way, so it can be difficult for members and the field at large to connect new possibilities with the history and traditions of the past. (Credit Ahmet Ersoy for WINGS)

‘Change can be quite difficult,’ said Spruill, a current WINGS board member. ‘However, it is a challenge worth meeting because the stakes are too high and the issues the Council is working to advance require our best and collective thinking and action.’

What has resulted is the transformation of the Council into a membership association focused on increasing knowledge and building community. Spruill explained the Council’s efforts as seeking to improve the whole of philanthropy by creating a stronger network that brings together a wide variety of stakeholders, including foundations, government, business and multilateral institutions. Spruill believes that ‘the more we collectively operate as a part of a holistic philanthropic network, the closer we will come to working together to create a just and globally prosperous society’.

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