We wrestled with whether or not to move forward with Philanthropy Plugged In in light of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 situation.
On Monday, Indiana University made the decision to cancel the symposium easier. At Indiana University, as at several universities and businesses across the country, all travel outside the state is suspended for several weeks and we are discouraged from scheduling events with more than 100 attendees. Sad as we are not to see you in Chicago, we know, as one speaker mentioned, that this is the right thing to do.
While this is disappointing news, WPI is developing a plan to more fully leverage the Women Give 2020 study and the symposium themes in ways that, with your help, will disseminate the content more broadly.
We may lose the opportunity to create community together in Chicago but we will repurpose the content and provide templates for you to engage with it and discuss it in the communities you create locally and with your constituents.
We are looking at podcasts, webinars, perhaps a Facebook live stream for the research release, and maybe video, too, over the next few months. It seems fitting given our theme of technology, gender, and giving to explore moving the big ideas from the symposium and the Women Give 2020 report to the digital space.
Next steps:
- Please connect with us on social media if you have not already – Facebook, @WPIInsights on Twitter, and the WPI site on LinkedIn. We will promote the content via social media and encourage you to stay connected.
- We had hoped to introduce the new WPI director, Jeannie Sager, at the symposium. Instead, please meet her through the Lilly Family School blog and on LinkedIn. One of the symposium themes is that women create community online and offline. Connect to Jeannie to keep in touch with all things symposium and WPI-related.
We are making lemonade out of lemons and the future is sweet.
With appreciation for your interest in the symposium and support of women’s philanthropy,
The WPI team