Khan Academy to Headline Philanthropy Leaders Summit

The Moonridge Foundation’s 5th Annual Philanthropy Leaders Summit will be held as a virtual summit on Friday, Sept. 18 in place of its regularly scheduled in-person event. The summit is a gathering for corporate funders and family foundations, along with local, statewide, and national philanthropists to hear about the latest trends and best practices in giving. Knowing the importance of connecting and inspiring, attendees will hear from dynamic speakers about crisis philanthropy and strategic giving.

Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone anywhere, will headline the event. With more than 106 million registered users from around the world, the content and mastery learning platform has been localized into more than 40 languages. Khan holds three degrees from MIT, an MBA from Harvard, was profiled by 60 Minutes, recently conducted a “Homeroom Session” with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and is recognized as one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

As one of the most efficient leaders to use charitable donations to achieve the greatest social impact, Khan will be sharing insights and learnings from founding the Khan Academy in 2005 and how philanthropy has transformed his efforts, leveraging technology and metrics to achieve success.

Also speaking is Emary Aronson and Susan Sack from Robin Hood. Known as the expert within crisis philanthropy, Robin Hood has been finding and creating the most impactful and scalable solutions to lift families out of poverty in New York City for over 30 years. Many leading philanthropists and civic leaders contact Robin Hood when a crisis occurs.

Aronson, Chief Knowledge Officer and Senior Advisor to the CEO, manages the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which was originally organized to address the needs of those affected by 9/11. It has since been activated after Superstorm Sandy, and about six months after COVID-19 to support low-income New Yorkers directly affected by the pandemic.

Sack, Managing Director of Real Estate, developed Robin Hood’s capital grant initiative to provide funding and technical advice to community partners for their real estate needs. To date, the initiative has helped build, lease, and renovate more than 2 million square feet of space for programs funded by Robin Hood.

Also speaking at the virtual summit is an impressive lineup of Nevadan leaders: Jeremy Aguero, Principal Analyst at Applied Analysis, will report on the landscape of corporate philanthropy in Nevada while also providing economic updates through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phil Satre, Chairman of the Board of Wynn Resorts, Ltd., the owner and operator of Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Macau, Wynn Palace, Cotai, and Encore Boston Harbor in Everett Massachusetts will share how his philanthropy has evolved in 2020 personally, professionally, and as a member of the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force. Stay tuned for other special speakers to be announced!

This event is made possible by Sponsors and Collaborative Partners: Nevada Goldmines, NV Energy, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, City National Bank, Nevada Business Magazine, Renown Health, PBS Reno, The Abbi Agency, Wells Fargo, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada and Dickson Realty.

Stay up to date on the Philanthropy Leaders Summit on Facebook @PhilanthropyLeadersSummit and follow the hashtag #PLSReno2020 to join the conversation on Twitter.

About Moonridge Group: Moonridge Group, a philanthropy consulting firm, provides guidance to help funders achieve the greatest social impact. The experienced team at Moonridge Group works with corporate funders, individual philanthropists, and Family Foundations in Nevada and California. Founded in 2011 by one of Nevada’s leading social entrepreneurs, Julie Murray, Moonridge Group has successfully advised many organizations including Bennett Family Foundation, San Manuel Casino, Milagro Foundation, Westgate Hotel & Casino, Hard Rock Lake Tahoe, Cirque du Soleil and their ONE DROP Foundation, NV Energy, Paragon Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, NS8 Cyber Security, The City of Las Vegas Mayor’s Fund, Jameson Fellowship, Nevada Medical Center, the Greater Good Council and Nevada Corporate Giving Council, to name a few. For more information about Moonridge Group, please visit moonridgegroup.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.