In response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Fund for Shared Insight has made the necessary decision to postpone its 2020 Shared Insight Gathering, which had been scheduled for May 18-20, in Baltimore.* Foremost on our minds is the health and safety of the funders and nonprofits we work with, our Fund for Shared Insight partners, and all our communities. We also express our care and concern for those here and around the globe already hardest hit by the impacts of the virus and, especially, for the most vulnerable among those we serve.
Like many of you, we at Shared Insight have been watching the news unfold and are following public-health guidance closely. We see social distancing as critical to slowing the pandemic, and will be joining efforts to #FlattenTheCurve by not convening in May.
Here’s what Shared Insight is up to instead:
- The Shared Insight Gathering is postponed, not canceled! It will be held in Baltimore next year, March 8-10, 2021* with a similar lineup of fantastic speakers and programs to foster inspiration, learning, and community-building around high-quality feedback loops and listening to the voices of those least heard. Our many grantee partners and other nonprofits eligible to attend will receive updated invitations and information. All funders interested in listening and feedback are again invited to join and should watch for updates.
- To maintain the momentum the feedback community continues to build, Shared Insight is moving ahead with plans for a virtual learning series to launch in the coming months. We will host webinars, publish blog posts, and share resources online — all featuring key content to support and inform organizations’ ongoing feedback journeys.
If you are a nonprofit already registered for the May 2020 event and you booked travel through Shared Insight’s agent, Laura, there is nothing you need to do. We will be in contact with you to confirm cancellations, and there will be no costs or fees related to any changes made to travel or hotel arrangements for nonprofit staff attendees.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and to our partners for continuing to work with us to advance our shared goals around listening and feedback. We also want to thank our meeting planners, sponsors, featured speakers, and all of those who are pitching in to design Gatherings that are inspiring and productive.
We encourage all of you to take care of yourselves and one another as we move through these challenging and unpredictable times. We will be providing updates about the March 2021 Gathering and the new virtual learning series, which we expect will offer valuable support and community during the coming months. Through the series and related communications, we will share resources and collect the best thinking about how during this crisis we can continue to serve, honor, be most responsive to, and partner with the people and communities at the heart of our work.
*UPDATE, January 2021: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fund for Shared Insight has canceled the Shared Insight Gathering that was originally scheduled for May 2020, then postponed to March 2021.
Please note this news item, originally posted on March 16, had been updated to include new information.