In Our Own Words - from Suprotik Stotz-Ghosh

As I close out my first year as EPIP’s Chief of Staff, I am moved by the numerous ways we have put EPIP values of shared leadership, excellence, community, diversity, equity and inclusion, and learning into action. One shining example is the way we designed our staff retreat in New Orleans this October. As a fully remote organization with staff across the country, this was a rare opportunity for the full team to share physical space together to strengthen our connections and alignment. For many of us, this was our first time meeting each other in person.

Centering People in Our Process

In designing our purpose, outcomes, and process (POP) for the retreat, we integrated time for fun, reflection, breaks, long-term planning, and learning. We engaged staff to understand what steps were necessary to ensure every person felt safe and supported to convene in person with consideration to COVID-19, and we were prepared to support housing and meals for any staff member required to isolate in place if needed. Our “POP” also emphasized experiential and cultural education as a valid form of team learning and alignment. We curated outings to support local restaurants and Black-owned businesses and toured the Whitney Plantation to ground ourselves in how the history of slavery directly connects to our racial equity and justice work.

Creating Conditions to get to the Root!

We curated space for meaningful conversations to learn about each other on a deeper level beyond “what” we do in our roles. Through engaging in The Nine Whys activity, a resource from Liberating Structures, we each uncovered deep, personal motivations that fuel us in our work at EPIP. Themes like legacy-building, way-making, building people power, inter-generational healing, and liberation emerged. During our group debrief, we each spoke from a personal place about how our individual values and perspectives show up in our roles in service of EPIP's mission. As a team of mostly new staff, I was struck by the speed at which we were able to get to the roots and the interconnectedness of our identities and roles. As we each shared, the energy of the room quieted and deepened - there was an air of respect and group solidarity.

The more we affirm our own humanity and values through our internal culture work, the better equipped we are to support our members with their journeys to embody inclusive leadership and move the sector to become more just and equitable. As we prepare to rest and rejuvenate over the winter break, I am proud of the tone we set to enter 2023 rooted in a growth mindset as we move through the next phase of EPIP's ongoing expansion.

In Solidarity,

Suprotik Stotz-Ghosh

Chief of Staff, Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy

Center & bottom left photo by Cfreedom

Mural by Brandan “BMIKE” Odums

EPIP News

Cultivating a Culture of Care

As we end the year with reflections, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the devastating acts of violence our community persevered through this year including harm targeting Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ communities. Most recently we are processing and grieving the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. For those who may have been silently grieving at work this year, there is a place for you at EPIP to feel less alone.

Whether you engage in EPIP programs to develop inclusive leadership skills or connect informally with peers in our network, you are part of a community of changemakers in philanthropy invested in building a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

Our Communities of Practice are one way you can strengthen connections with peers through identity-based relationship-building, professional development, and peer coaching. Save these dates for our first quarter gatherings:

• Emerging Women of Color Network: January 24, 3 p.m. EST
• People of Color Network: March 23, 3 p.m. EST
• White Affinity Cohort: The newest cohort that launched in November will continue to meet on the second Tuesday of each month until April 11.

EPIP Winter Break

EPIP will be closed from December 23 to January 2 to make space for rest and restoration. We look forward to reconnecting with our members with renewed energy in 2023!

CHANGE Philanthropy 2023 Unity Summit!

As a proud member of the CHANGE Philanthropy Coalition, EPIP is excited to announce that CHANGE Philanthropy’s Unity Summit is set to return in 2023 in Los Angeles, CA as a hybrid conference! Mark your calendars for October 16-19, 2023.

The Unity Summit is one of the largest convenings in philanthropy. Over 1,000 participants from a wide variety of communities come together to expand their individual and institutional practice to advance equity with an intersectional lens. At the most recent 2021 Summit, over 65% of attendees were BIPOC, over 20% were part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and 14% identified as having a disability. Through this convening, we seek to create space for all attendees to participate as thought leaders and philanthropic activists.

Click here to receive updates on the call for session proposals and more as planning continues!

The Latest in Philanthropy

Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge and Fund Announcement

Native Americans in Philanthropy recently announced a first-of-its-kind pledge and fund that allows philanthropy to directly invest in Native American Tribes who are conserving and protecting ancestral lands and waterways in the United States. Native American peoples have long held sustainable practices and knowledge critical to a healthy environment. This pledge and fund will go a long way in providing much-needed coordination, support, and funding directly to Tribally led conservation work. Click here to learn more.

Liberatory Coaching Interest Meeting - Dec. 14

Join ABFE for an “Interest Meeting” on December 14 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. ET to learn about an opportunity for anyone who identifies as a Black Women in Philanthropy to engage in Liberatory Coaching Sessions in 2023. ABFE will be hosting this meeting along with Erika Totten. Click here to register.

Black Women Leaders in Philanthropy - Dec. 19

Join Nellie Mae's final #EdEquityTalks of 2022 on Black Women Leaders in Philanthropy happening December 19 at 4:00 p.m. ET. This is a conversation for everyone and is a space for all who are committed to manifesting a world in which equity and justice are centered-- a society in which we all thrive. Click here to learn more and register.

ABFE's 2023 Harambee Conference

Save the dates for the nation’s largest gathering of Black professionals in philanthropy! ABFE's Annual Harambee Conference will happen in Raleigh, North Carolina from April 12-15, 2023. Stay tuned on ABFE's website for more announcements - including a Call for Ideas and registration information in the new year.

GEO 2023 Learning Conference

GEO's 2023 Learning Conference, happening in Washington, DC from May 22-23, is designed to expose participants to cutting-edge practices in equity-informed, community-driven grantmaking while giving them the knowledge and tools to apply learning in all aspects of their work. The conference will offer a range of perspectives and new ideas to go beyond the basics and support grantmakers in engaging in more intentional learning practices both inside and outside of their organizations. Click here to learn more.

What We’re Reading & Listening to:

• Dispatch from #ForumCon22 - What Emerging Leaders Want You to Know: reflections from EPIP’s workshop, “Emergent Leadership in Hybrid Times,” hosted by Laura Collier and Elyse Gordon at the United Philanthropy Forum Conference.
• Native Americans in Philanthropy’s Member Education Session on Moving Philanthropy Beyond Land Acknowledgments.
• Introductions to the latest cohort of Marguerite Casey Foundation’s Freedom Scholars, a group of scholars leading research and engaged in organizing that advances a racial and economic justice agenda.
• 2022 Compensation & Benefits for Philanthropy-Serving Organizations
• Building Resilient Organizations: Maurice Mitchell talks with Cyndi Suarez of Nonprofit Quarterly.
• Giving Big: The Impact of Large, Unrestricted Gifts on Nonprofits - Results from Year One of a Three-Year Study of MacKenzie Scott’s Giving.
• How do we ensure that the largest transfer of generational wealth in history will be put to charitable use?
• Reimagining Philanthropy to Build a Culture of Repair
• Network Weaving for Equitable Wellbeing
• Rest is Resistance: A MANIFESTO

Missed last month's newsletter? You can now access our newsletters on our website!

Have something new on your reading list or a resource you'd like to share with the EPIP community? Let us know at [email protected] and we may include it in a future newsletter.

Job Board

Looking for a new opportunity?

The positions below are just the beginning! Check our Job Board for more opportunities from around the country:

• Director of Finance and Operations, JustFund - Remote
• Director of Product, JustFund.Us - Remote
• Director of Marketing and Communications, JustFund - Remote
• Senior Director, Knowledge Management and Learning, Arabella Advisors - Washington, DC
• Senior Treasury and Fund Accountant, Arabella Advisors - Washington, DC
• Recruiter, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Princeton, NJ/New York, NY/Washington DC
• Learning Associate (Part-time, time-limited), The California Wellness Foundation - Oakland or Los Angeles Area
• Human Resources Associate, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation - Los Altos, CA
• Climate Justice Program Officer or Senior Program Officer, Foundation for Louisiana - Remote/ Louisiana
• Donor Relations Officer, Foundation for Louisiana - Remote/ Louisiana
• Communications Associate, Programs, Schott Foundation for Public Education - Fully Remote
• Director of Advocacy, Midwest, Arabella Advisors - Chicago, IL
• HR Associate, Arabella Advisors - Chicago, IL
• Managing Director, Client Development (Midwest Region), Arabella Advisors - Chicago, IL
• Senior Impact Assessment and Learning Officer, The James Irvine Foundation - San Francisco or Los Angeles

Log in to your member account or join EPIP today to explore more opportunities on our Job Board using filters and special features!

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