As an independent nonprofit, the Center will expand its reach and execute more ambitious programs, bringing together donors and foundations from across the nation.
For the past three years, the Center for Civil Society has offered training programs, conferences, and online thought-leadership resources to help principled nonprofit organizations have more efficacy and impact. Launched as a program of AmPhil, the Center has stood on the front lines of the fight to restore American civil society, serving thousands of nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and donors.
Today, the Director of the Center for Civil Society, Joe Garecht, announced that the Center has itself become an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, approved by the IRS as a public charity.
“We are grateful for the amazing work of the partners and consultants at AmPhil, who had the foresight to launch the Center in 2021,” said Garecht. “Today, with their support, we have become an independent nonprofit, which will allow us to serve even more organizations and build bigger, more ambitious programs, supported by a wide array of donors and foundations from across the nation.”
“The Center for Civil Society is the solution to an ongoing need among American charities and voluntary associations,” said Chris Kuetemeyer, CEO of AmPhil. “So many organizations are looking for impartial training programs and conferences, free of the ideological agenda driving so many professional and trade associations in our sector. We are proud to have launched the Center, and excited to see where it goes!”
C4CS: Mission and Vision
The Center for Civil Society (affectionately known as “C4CS”) has a simple mission: to strengthen civil society by conducting programs and activities that increase the knowledge and efficacy of America’s nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations, and individual donors.
C4CS’s vision is to renew the American culture of generosity, fellowship, and liberty, and restore our once healthy society, so all can fully realize the joy of vibrant communities. Achieving this renewal will rest on effective leadership from dynamic and thriving local associations and nonprofits.
The Center already impacts thousands of nonprofit leaders and fundraisers each year through its programs, which include:
- Online training programs, including master classes and webinars, all connecting frontline fundraisers and nonprofit staff with experts in strategy and development;
- In-person events, including the Center’s marquee annual event, the Givers, Doers, & Thinkers Conference, which will be held this year in Malibu and focus on educational reform;
- An annual Fundraising Fellowship program helping early and mid-career fundraising professionals perfect their craft; and
- Numerous publications, including Civil Thoughts and Philanthropy Daily (an online journal of news and principled opinion on all things charitable).
The C4CS Team
The Center for Civil Society has brought together an outstanding and influential team to help lead its efforts. As an independent nonprofit, the organization is led by a board of directors consisting of:
- Tom Riley, President of the Connelly Foundation
- Pete Peterson, Dean of the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University
- Bridgett Wagner, Executive Director of the Feulner Institute at the Heritage Foundation
- John Coleman, Managing Partner at Sovereign’s Capital
- Liz Palla, Executive Partner at AmPhil
- Matt Gerken, Partner at AmPhil
- Josh Owens, Partner at AmPhil
In addition to the board, the Center boasts three Senior Fellows, including Jeremy Beer (Cofounder and Executive Chairman of AmPhil), Doug Schneider (Partner at AmPhil), and Jack Fowler (former Publisher of National Review, and Senior Director at AmPhil).
The Center’s staff is led by Joe Garecht, Director of the Center, who has over 25 years of nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience. Joe is assisted by Caitlin Nocera, Director of Events, Lorna Bernhoft, Senior Writer and Managing Editor of Philanthropy Daily, and Austin Detwiler, Editor in Chief of Philanthropy Daily.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the Center’s mission, vision, and new nonprofit status,” said Jeremy Beer, Senior Fellow at the Center and host of the Center’s Givers, Doers, & Thinkers Podcast. “We’re looking forward to bringing together thousands of nonprofit leaders, academics, and philanthropists in the coming years, continuing our work to bolster philanthropy and, in the process, strengthen our nation’s civil society.”
