| 9:00 | 10:00 | 10:15 | 11:30 | 1:15 | 3:00 | 4:00 |

10:00 - 10:15 AM

Welcome from the City of Seattle

Rick Du Pree, Office of the Mayor

On behalf of Mayor Paul Schell and my colleagues in the Strategic Planning Office of the City of Seattle, I'd like to take just a few minutes to welcome you here today to this important conference.

The Mayor and the City Council have pointed us toward the goal of helping community-based organizations throughout the city build capacity. One vehicle to accomplish that goal is to introduce our community partners to business and entrepreneurial strategies. Discussions like the ones you are having today are important to all of us who care about effective services to communities in need here in Seattle.

I would like to take the opportunity of being here with you this morning to mention a little bit about what we have been doing in the Strategic Planning Office. Our point person for this effort is Mark Pomerantz. Many of you already know him. He will be here throughout the day, so I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to get to know him if you haven't already done so.

Our program has three elements:

1. We do a lot of information sharing. Through meetings with people all over the city on a daily basis. And through convening groups to move the social enterprise agenda ahead whenever it is appropriate for us to do so. Among other efforts, we have been convening the Seattle Social Enterprise Consortium -- a group of ten agencies with deep interests in effective social entrepreneurship.
2. Through linking of technical resources. One major way we do this is through our website at http://www.cityofseattle.net/planning/HS-CBSE.htm. We have also supported the creation of the Nonprofit Assistance Center that is just getting underway in Seattle -- a very welcome project of several local foundations.
3. And we are experimenting with linking investors to nonprofits with entrepreneurial proposals. Our first Social Investors Forum will take place on May 13 right here at Seattle Town Hall. The Social Enterprise Consortium has been working for months to put this project together.

I don't want to take too much time away from your program. Again, I bring you warm wishes for the success of this meeting from Mayor Paul Schell. We at the city are grateful to the University of Washington, Seattle University, and The Evergreen State Society for organizing this interesting program. Good luck with the rest of the day!

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"Executive directors and board members need to attend. Even agencies with a track record of earning income realize we are facing new leadership and governance demands. Those people running organizations will benefit from this focus on entrepreneurial experiences."

- Peter Donnelly, President, Corporate Council for the Arts