By Todd Cohen

The philanthropic community needs to do a better job spreading the word about the work they do, says the head of the Council of Foundations.

"We have to be more open, accountable, transparent, visible," Dot Ridings, president of the national group, told about 60 foundation officials from throughout the Southeast at a recent workshop in Charlotte, N.C. "We have to talk more about where we are and what we do. We have to take risks."

Ridings, a former newspaper publisher, says foundations need to "find opportunities to celebrate philanthropy."

The problem, she says, is that the public and the news media "don't know a lot about this."

To address what she believes is a widespread lack of knowledge about philanthropy, Ridings has launched a series of workshops for foundations officials, aiming to improve their skills in working with lawmakers and the news media.

The workshop, the second in the series, was co-sponsored by the Council on Foundations and the Southeastern Council of Foundations. The first workshop was held in Philadelphia.

At the Charlotte event, Ridings said the role of foundations is changing. Foundations are becoming more assertive, strategic and professional.

"We ought to be involving ourselves in public policy issues," she said.

She also predicted "a lot more specialized grantmaking," as well as a "tremendous opportunity to bring new wealth into charitable giving."

Technology will play an increasingly important role in foundation work, she said, as will the need to play a more catalytic role in bringing about change.

"We have an opportunity to be strategic, not just charitable," she said.

Todd Cohen can be reached at
tcohen@mindspring.com