International expert agrees to join MCF's Board.

Peter Hero, international philanthropy expert and senior adviser to the USA's Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), has agreed to join the Board of Melbourne Community Foundation (MCF) after taking part in week-long activities to mark the foundation's 10th anniversary.

As part of his visit to Australia, Peter Hero was a guest speaker at a number of functions and workshops aimed at highlighting the benefits of community foundations to Australian professional advisors, corporates, community groups and donors. He also participated in the Board's two day annual retreat.

Mr Hero is credited with growing SVCF's assets from US$7 million to over US$1.6 billion, making it the fourth largest community foundation in the US, one which now distributes up to US$3 million a week in grants.

The success of SVCF has been its ability to create a charitable strategy and engage corporations in their communities in ways that never seemed possible before, such as bringing together like-minded people to tackle social issues.

Mr Hero also has extensive experience in international community foundation development and is a frequent guest lecturer at Stanford Business School. His writing on community development and philanthropy has been published in the United States and Europe.

Such was the success of the visit and as a measure of how impressed he was with MCF's progress over its first decade, he has agreed to join the Board and continue to contribute to the foundation's development.

Needless to say the Board is delighted with the decision as it will give MCF continued access to international expertise and contacts.