Donors Forum of Chicago
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Donors Forum of Chicago
The Donors Forum of Chicago is an association of Chicago-area grantmakers. The Donors Forum provides leadership, education, research, and action on behalf of philanthropy and nonprofits in the region.
The Donors Forum provides workshops [2], programs and professional development opportunities throughout the year for grantmakers, development professionals, trustees and others in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Members, Associate Members and Forum Partners have opportunities to network, collaborate and share information. Donors Forum research reports, including Giving in Illinois and the Directory of Illinois Foundations, provide insight on local and statewide philanthropic issues and trends. The Donors Forum also serves as an advocate, working to raise awareness and visibility of the sector among policy makers and to engage nonprofits and funders in the political process.
The Donors Forum introduced the Preserving the Public Trust Initiative [3]to help nonprofit organizations - including grantmakers - take specific, concrete steps to ensure adherence to high ethical standards and strong governance principles. An important part of the Public Trust Initiative is the Illinois Nonprofit Principles and Best Practices [4]. The principles cover a wide range of important issues - including board governance, legal compliance, responsible stewardship, and communication - and go beyond the federal, state and local laws. The best practices are specific steps organizations can take to implement the principles.
The Donors Forum Library [5]is the Midwest’s largest collection of resources on philanthropy. A cooperating collection of The Foundation Center, the Library holds more than 3,000 volumes focused on grantmaking, fundraising and nonprofit management. The Donors Forum also operates four Philanthropy Centers [6] at suburban libraries: College of DuPage Library [7], Schaumburg Township District Library [8], Prairie State College Library [9] and College of Lake County John C. Murphy Memorial Library [10] to bring fundraising and nonprofit management resources to organizations in the western, northern and southern suburbs.
