Independent Sector’s 2009 annual conference – “Challenging Times, New Opportunities” – kicked off today in Detroit, Michigan with a thought-provoking panel discussion examining the key trends and opportunities that will define the social sector for the next ten years. The panel was moderated – quite skillfully, given the scope of the topic and the diversity of voices on the panel – by James Canales, CEO of the James Irvine Foundation, with whom La Piana just published a report on the very same topic.

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In conjunction with the release of our new report, I am really excited that we are launching a blog where you can participate in discussions about the future of the sector. This tool is part of our yearlong effort to create a dialogue about where the sector is going. NonprofitNext grows out of an initial research grant from Fieldstone Alliance and a later investment by the James Irvine Foundation, which is particularly interested in how these issues play out in California.

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