Message from the President & Executive Director


DVG builds stronger communities by increasing the impact and effectiveness of philanthropy. This new mission statement for DVG grew out of our year-long strategic planning effort, which was completed in July 2006. This statement articulates our vision to enhance DVG’s role as a philanthropic leader in order to serve as a catalyst for positive change in our communities and, along with four strategic goals, provides us with a guidepost for our work over the next several years.

The planning process affirmed that our primary purpose remains to enhance our members’ ability to be effective grantmakers in order to achieve their strategic goals.  What’s new is expanding the context for our work by considering how we can more effectively partner with others in our region to create positive change in our communities.  This new positioning for DVG reflects the challenges facing our region and the philanthropic sector at large, while thinking more broadly about how we can best serve our members, both current and potential, in these changing times. 

Following the plan’s adoption mid-year, the work of implementation began immediately. The DVG staff established several new working groups to assist us in advancing two new high priority initiatives – Research and Communications – as well as boosting the impact of two of our core business activities – Programming and Membership Recruitment. The Board assessed the configuration of its committee structure and began making the changes that will allow them to focus on their key areas of responsibility: enhancing governance practices and building DVG’s financial and staff capacity in order to support the organization’s measured and sustainable growth.

hile crafting our new strategic plan and launching its implementation accounted for much of our collective activity in 2006, the on-going business of serving our members continued, which meant presenting over 40 educational and networking programs, facilitating numerous meetings among our affinity groups, hosting our annual conference, and welcoming six new organizations to the DVG membership.

From the completion of the strategic planning process to the beginning of its implementation, 2006 represented a period of extraordinary support and engagement by the DVG Board of Directors, and we would like to thank each of them for their time and commitment. The members of the Strategic Planning Committee were the linchpin that carried the process to fruition, and we would especially like to acknowledge the dedication and leadership of committee chair Beth Feldman Brandt.  Our members, nonprofit partners and community leaders also played a critical role in shaping the plan by contributing their ideas by answering surveys, attending Town Hall meetings, and participating in focus groups and interviews.

Our deep appreciation especially goes to those organizations that are supporting our new vision for DVG by contributing additional funding to implement the plan’s initiatives.  Our ability to set a course for DVG’s future and work toward our goals would not be possible without the support of these organizations:

ACE INA Foundation      
Claneil Foundation                    
Connelly Foundation      
Genuardi Family Foundation: 
The Lenfest Foundation  
McLean Foundation        
The Philadelphia Foundation
Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation

We strongly believe in the ability of our community of grantmakers to make a critical difference in the future of our region and are excited about the new opportunities this plan presents for expanding our role as a vital voice and resource for philanthropy in the years to come.