As a network of peers, the best thing that PCP has to offer to our members are the members themselves. The wisdom, experience, probing questions, and humility gathered in our community is extraordinary. Though we work in widely varied places and report to our own trustees and principals, we are colleagues. We turn to one another for insight, problem-solving, and support. We help each other to understand and avoid common pitfalls, we learn from and challenge one another, and we look for ways to collaborate together.
Learning Communities are the ideal places for this to happen. These are smaller groups that convene around a shared interest, question, professional characteristic, funding priority, and more. We have four types of learning communities, and you can learn more about the current offerings of each, how to get involved, or how we can help you start a new one by clicking on the links below:
Cohorts are small groups comprised of PCP members who share a professional characteristic, such as their experience in the field, their role or purview, or another characteristic that affects the challenges, questions, and opportunities they face in their work. Cohorts are facilitated by experienced PCP members, and each group decides together their schedule, topics, and each meeting's agenda. Cohorts meet monthly for one year.
Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups that focus on grantmaking in a particular area, whether geographic, issue-based, or anything else. Group members collaborate in a variety of ways, with each CoP determining what its purpose and goals are. CoPs meet at whatever interval group members want.
Learning Circles are groups that meet together for a handful of times to go through a book, presentation, article, or other resource together. These groups offer members an opportunity to discuss practical applications and implications from content relevant to grantmakers.
Working Groups are temporary groups that convene to work together on a specific project or question. One group developed a survey instrument and report related to an important issue that faces grantmakers, and another is working to define a commonly-used but poorly-understood term in a way that will better serve grantmakers and nonprofit leaders.