2009 Nonprofit Town Hall

On March 17th, over 300 nonprofit leaders and supporters convened in downtown Indianapolis for the second annual Indiana Nonprofit Town Hall. The event was hosted again this year by Leadership Ventures and Indianapolis ORG Magazine with support from the United Way of Central Indiana, the Indianapolis Foundation, and the Indiana Grantmakers’ Alliance.


Two prominent national speakers and a panel of local grant makers set the context for the day, challenging participants to collaborate, enhance efficiency and increase innovation. “Conversations” were the theme of the day, featuring roundtable discussions of over thirty (30) strategies for cutting costs and maximizing resources. Participants assembled with colleagues to begin creating plans for building partnerships and alliances moving forward.

The most mentioned and unique idea from the day was the potential for an umbrella organization for the nonprofit sector, a nonprofit “chamber of commerce” type organization to provide structured opportunities for collaboration, sharing costs, and advocating on behalf of the sector. Further conversations on many of the Town Hall topics and ideas are being planned.