Earlier this month, in advance of the German Fundraising Association Congress, CFRE International hosted an invitation-only symposium entitled The Public, the Personal, the Philanthropic: German-American Perspectives on Giving and Engagement. The event drew 30 attendees representing such diverse organisations as WWF Germany, the Jewish Museum Berlin, the Max-Planck Society, and media leader Fundraiser Magazin, to name just a few. The Mercator Foundation in Berlin hosted the symposium, which was organised by CFRE Board member Becky Gilbert, CFRE.
Kimberly Marteau Emerson, an attorney and civic leader whose husband John B. Emerson serves as the US Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, was the symposium’s first speaker. Her many accomplishments include service as a member of the International Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch. An address by Dr. Gregory R. Witkowski, Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, followed Mrs. Emerson’s remarks. The focus of Mrs. Emerson’s speech was historic German influences on American philanthropy, while Dr. Witkowski’s talk reflected his research on philanthropy and giving as builders of social trust in the German Democratic Republic (former East Germany).
The symposium is one of CFRE International’s many efforts to strengthen a global philanthropic sector based on best practices in ethical fundraising.
