There are two types of people in the room: grant makers and social investors.

FORBES: Benevolent Schizophrenia - A Tale of Donors and Investors

Grant makers feel anything other than giving without any financial return to an often highly specific cause is not what they want.

FORBES: Benevolent Schizophrenia - A Tale of Donors and Investors

When the sale of those shares is completed, the philanthropies Ms. Cargill established could become two of the wealthiest grant makers in the United States.

FORBES: This Year's Most Generous Billionaire Philanthropist Has Been Dead Since 2006

After a while, the grant makers confess to a challenge: They would like to help their grantees become sustainable, but are not sure what that exactly means.

FORBES: Benevolent Schizophrenia - A Tale of Donors and Investors

Both grant makers and investors have to learn new tricks and use new tools for connected, hybrid strategies (see this HBR thinking on combining giving and investing).

FORBES: Benevolent Schizophrenia - A Tale of Donors and Investors

Much of what the Global Philanthropy Forum does is connect donors who want to start giving to, for example, programs that help young women in South Asia, to grant makers and philanthropists who have already been active in just that sector.

FORBES: African Charitable Giving Gets A Boost With Newly Launched African Philanthropy Forum

Unlike traditional grant-makers or charitable givers, mission investors expect that the funds they invest will yield financial returns.

FORBES: Philanthropy, Now Yielding Financial Returns