A large group of people are standing in two lines facing towards each other inside; deep in conversation.
Advocacy | October 19, 2022
Weitz Insights
A pile of lanyards and piles of name cards sit on a table. Two hards are also holding name cards.
A group of 10 people are gathered around a table with a teal tablecloth posed for the photo inside the Venue at Highlander. Six people are seated and four are standing behind them.
Two people wearing masks are side embracing.
Two people are seated at a table with a teal table cloth and are backlit by large windows.
One person in focus is sitting at a table looking off camera. Other people are seated at the table with their backs to the camera.
A closeup of a burger, condiment cup, and fries by Best Burger.
The people wearing masks are seated at a table and are in conversation with each other. The person on the right has their hands up, gesturing as they speak.
One person is seated at a table and person is standing to the right. Both are looking at the phone in the seated person's hands.
A large group of people are seated at various tables in front of the large window inside The Venue at Highlander. A couple people stand in the background. All are looking towards the front of the room (camera right).
Six people make their way through the food line, collecting burgers, toppings, chips, drinks, etc. from the long table.
Robia Qasimyar (left) and Danielle Ohlman (right) are smiling, seated at the check-in table with a laptop and name cards in front of them.
César Garcia (left) and Crystal Sierra (right) stand smiling at the camera in front of the light blue, dark blue, and yellow balloon structure.
A large crowd is gathered inside The Venue at Highlander. Most are seated at tables with others standing along the exterior walls of the room. The back wall is made mostly of windows and is letting in bright light.
Two people are in conversation. The person speaking is facing the camera and gesturing with their hands; the other person has their back to the camera. out of focus are other people in the room.
Two people are facing towards each other and are in conversation. The person on the right is wearing a mask and is holding a blue paper fan; the person the left if speaking and gesturing with their hands.
A person is outside The Venue at Highlander swinging a bubble wand in one hand and holding the bubble container in the other. Bubbles are floating around. An outdoor Connect 4 and a group of people are out of focus in the background.
Groups of people are gathered on the brown deck outside The Venue at Highlander; some are in conversation and others are using bubble wands.
Two people are on The Venue at Highlander deck. The person on the left has a bubble wand and is holding it in the air. The person on the right is watching them - holding a closed bubble wand in one hand and gesturing with their other hand.
Emily Nguyen (left) and Alexzia Plummer (right) stand between two tables and are looking off camera.
A group of people at three different tables are all seated and looking towards the front of the room (camera right).
A DJ stands smiling with their hands on turntables in front of them. A laptop sits on a stand to the right and they are wearing headphones.
Two people are in conversation. The person speaking is facing the camera and gesturing with one hand and holding a soda can in the other; the other person has their back to the camera. Out of focus are other people in the room.
Two people are facing each other and shaking hands in front a table. There are some other people around them engaged in other conversations.
Alexzia (right) is smiling and standing in front of a balloon structure with three other people (left).
Three people are standing on The Venue at Highlander deck with their arms around the back of each other and smiling at the camera.
Two people are shaking hands; one person is smiling and facing the camera and the other person has their back towards the camera. A person on the right is facing them and smiling.
Two are embraced in a side hug and are smiling at the camera.
Three people are standing in front of the light blue, dark blue, and yellow balloon structure. The person on the left has their pointer finger touching the sunglasses they are wearing.
Two people are standing, looking at each other, and shaking hards; the person on the left has their back to the camera and the person on the right has their front towards the camera.
Four Weitz Family Foundation team members stand smiling facing the camera in front of the yellow, light blue, and dark blue balloon structure. From left to right: Alexzia, Emily, Danielle, and Robia.
Power Sharing | August 25, 2022
Our First Grantee Gathering
This blog is estimated to take 3 minutes to read.
Connection and collaboration. Throughout my nearly two years at the Weitz Family Foundation, these two words consistently came up in conversations our team had with grantees, especially when we asked what they were presently seeking. There were—and still are—so many organizations that sought to maximize positive community impacts by identifying other nonprofit partners, finding ways to enrich and complement each other’s efforts.
This got us thinking—why don’t we bring everyone together in one room? Our team discussed the possibility of not only offering an opportunity for our grantees to network with one another, but also a chance for us to celebrate the meaningful work organizations have done and continue to do. We were determined to see this idea through, so we organized our first-ever Grantee Gathering that took place last month at The Venue at Highlander!
We envisioned hosting a casual, daytime event where grantees could have fruitful conversations as well as relax and enjoy themselves. Intentional networking questions were featured on the back of name tags to inspire collaboration between organizations and connection between individuals.
A delicious lunch was served by local favorite, Best Burger. Desserts included ice cream, cookies, and popsicles. Several lawn games—giant Connect 4, anyone?—were set up outside for people to enjoy on the patio, where some folks also used the large bubble wands we had available on our mindfulness swag table. Our team took a few minutes for an informal presentation to introduce Dani and Emily as our newest members, share some brief information about our applications, and express our gratitude. A colorful summer theme—featuring our new brand!—certainly contributed to the room’s vibrant energy, as did incredible balloons from Evergrace Creations, DJ Scottie Pigeon’s music, and beautiful photography thanks to M. Julie.
Our team was thrilled to hear from so many attendees—both directly and through our follow-up survey—that they enjoyed the space to gather and grow their networks. One person wrote:
I had an incredible experience networking with other professionals and organizations. I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed, casual environment. I felt as though I could truly connect with folks without feeling like I was under scrutiny to act or look a certain way under the guise of “professionalism.” Everyone was kind, cheerful, yet still focused on the goals we all are looking to accomplish at our respective organizations.
As a people-centered foundation, we were pleased to hear/read many comments like this that noted how the approachability and casual nature of our Grantee Gathering fostered feelings of friendliness and ease. We aim to take suggestions attendees made to inform events we may host in the future!
I shared this while I spoke at the event, but it was overwhelmingly lovely to see over 160 representatives from more than 100 of our grantee organizations together. The room was brimming with innovators and visionaries, with passionate people who pursue positive change. A community of connection and collaboration. Frankly, it made me emotional.
There is endless potential to transform our community into a more equitable place to live. Let’s inspire each other to be better and do better work—I know you can, I know we can. We must—and we will.
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