Philanthropy Northwest (PNW), the regional association of grantmakers for the six state region comprised of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, held its annual conference in Coeur d'Alene, ID last week. Approximately 200 community, corporate, private and public funders comprise PNW's growing community.
The conference agenda covered a wide range of important issues that have implications for both funders and their nonprofit partners. Rasmuson Foundation staff attended and shared Alaskan perspectives and experiences as co-presenters for several sessions.
One of the key buzzwords over the past few years has been "sustainability". Its the discussion of how nonprofits can strengthen their ability to build and maintain the necessary systems (people, partnerships, financial resources, policies, etc.) to build a reputation and brand that allows one to survive and thrive over time.
To that end, Larry Clark and Michael Oxman of MissionWise presented a very interesting session entitled "The Role of Foundations in Grantee Copyright, Trademark and Licensing Efforts". The premise is simple: many nonprofits possess intellectual assets (including trademarks, patents, and copyrights) that represent potential sources of revenue. Often times, these organizations are unaware of this untapped potential and the risks that are involved in not protecting their intellectual property. The session discussed both the different forms of intellectual property and how to assess, protect, and capitalize on an organization's intellectual property.
Within the context of social enterprise, considering the application of intellectual property to mission and programs aids organizations in identifying untapped opportunities to achieve stronger outcomes.
Have any Alaskan nonprofits devised an approach to identifying, protecting and monitoring their intellectual property assets? If so, please share!
Would you consider an organized learning opportunity for intellectual property to be beneficial for your organization?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
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1 comments:
This sounds like a very interesting, practical, and much-needed workshop for nonprofits of all kinds. Given the current economic crisis, more public sector organizations must begin to consider topics such as social enterprise and IP, particularly as they begin to look for ways to diversify their revenue stream and, in some cases, generate earned income. Without a fundamental understanding of new ways to build capacity and achieve long-term sustainability, it will likely be difficult for many nonprofits to maintain their fiscal health for the tough times ahead, and ultimately, be able to grow and prosper long into the future.
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