Events

On February 16, 2011, AFP-Charlotte Chapter will have a panel of foundation leaders who will help us understand how they like to be wooed. They will answer such questions as:

• What are the best ways for organizations to introduce themselves to foundations?
• How important is it for organizations to understand the mission of a particular foundation prior to initiating a relationship?
• Why does the "boiler-plate" approach not work?
• What makes one organization's project stand out from all of the others?
• What are some of the most common mistakes committed by grantseekers, and how can they avoid those pitfalls?

Our panel discussion will be moderated by Sharon Harrington, JD, CFRE, director of development at the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at UNC Charlotte. Our panelists include:

Thomas W. Lawrence, III – Tom began his career in the general services group of McGladrey & Pullen in Richmond, VA before moving to Charlotte, NC in 2000 to take a position with Arthur Andersen in its Family Wealth Planning division. In 2002, Tom joined the Levine family as Chief Financial Officer. He oversees the personal finances, tax compliance and investment portfolio management for the family and its Foundation. In 2008, Tom took a larger programmatic role with The Leon Levine Foundation as a Vice President before becoming its first Executive Director in 2009.

Ellison Clary - Ellison is director of Charlotte Community Relations for BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina. He assumed that position in September 2010, after operating Ellison Clary Comprehensive Public Relations for more than seven years. Clary has worked as a reporter or editor at The Charlotte News, The Charlotte Observer, The Hickory (NC) Record, and the Tuscaloosa News, among others. He has also done PR work for Carolina Power & Light (now Progress Energy) and Bank of America.

Jay Everette - Jay is Senior Vice President and Community Affairs Manager for Greater Charlotte for Wells Fargo, and an officer of the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation. In 2010 the Foundation awarded over $10.3 million in grants to non-profit organizations in the region supporting programs in the areas of education, community development, health and human services and arts, history and culture. Prior to his current role in philanthropy, Jay worked in marketing, brand management and corporate communications for Wachovia.