My very first official engagement with CAGP was at this year’s 25th National Conference on Strategy Philanthropy in Winnipeg. In a nutshell – I was both impressed, and relieved. Let me unpack that statement a little.
I have never been to a CAGP conference. In fact, until 2 years ago I had not idea what the acronym CAGP stood for. With just one CAGP conference, I have become a groupie and a donor. Let me tell you why:
While my experience was different than most, I clearly recall my first CAGP Conference. Of course, it doesn’t date back 10-15+ years as with many who may be reading this; just five years, but what was unique for my experience was that my history with CAGP was just 8 days long, and I was now the leader of this organization. This was going to be my foreseeable future.
Conferences are a funny thing.
They exist in a number of dimensions at once.
For people new to a profession, a job, or to a community - they are an entry into another world. Often overwhelming and seemingly complex, but if the conference team does their job right – that person leaves with new knowledge, connections that could help achieve new goals, and comfort knowing that new heights can be conquered.