Wit and Wisdom — Allied Giving: My Give Out Story
This post originally appeared on Next Gen Change Agent, the blog of Nakisha Lewis, the EPIP Boston Co-Chair and Program Manager at the Schott Foundation for Public Education. 
I grew up in an immigrant community that was steeped in the tradition of collective responsibility where I learned to take care of those around me and to always look for opportunities to support others. In my early years I used my time and talent as an organizer working to transform my community. Now as a philanthropic practitioner I have the privilege of working with foundations and individual donors to support some phenomenal organizations and have come to see firsthand how important it is to financially support the people, issues and movements we care about. And so although I am not independently wealthy, I have developed my own personal philanthropy and am committed to giving to the causes that advance my values.
EPIP & LaPiana Consulting Explore “Doing Good in the 21st Century”
Doing Good in the 21st Century
On April 4-6, more than 250 early-career social sector professionals gathered in Chicago, IL to explore new paradigms of leadership at the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) National Conference. La Piana Consulting was there to launch a joint project with EPIP aimed at examining what “doing good” means in the 21st Century and how the sector can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
Continue readingCareer Coaching through EPIP
EPIP is pleased to announce the re-launch of of our career coaching program through the Effective Leadership Career Program (ELCP). Members can read through full coach bios and contact coaches directly for appointments through Member Connect (login required).
All coaches are able to provide coaching sessions over the phone, and, in some cases, via video or in-person.
To get you started in thinking about the value of coaching, we have some resources for you, courtesy of Amina Dickerson:
Practices That Matter – Project Streamline Takes Stock
Grantmakers want their grants to support nonprofits missions, but burdensome application and reporting practices get in the way. In fact, the cumulative impact of the philanthropic sector’s requirements undermines nonprofit effectiveness, causing grantseekers to devote too much time to seeking funding (often without payoff) and reporting on grants (often without benefit) to the detriment of their mission-based work.
After five years, Project Streamline – a field-wide effort led by the Grants Managers Network – has taken stock of how far streamlining has come. In a just-released report, Practices That Matter, Project Streamline documents how a lack of feedback and a mismatch between foundation values and practices lead to persistent issues that waste grantseeker time and cause unnecessary aggravation.
The report doesn’t just point out problems – it also suggests streamlining steps that matter most. Find out how well you’re doing by taking the “How Do You Line Up” quiz, and get no-nonsense advice from Ask Dr. Streamline.