I sit on the plane flying north from Oaxaca, Mexico, the place I called home for 5 years. The place where I began my career, became an adult, built something from the ground up, and began my own journey of finding truth. I peer out the window to the west, with views of the vast Oaxacan valley, of Monte Albán, the ruins from where the Zapotec people protected this valley for hundreds of years, and am reminded, once again, of the wisdom that exists in this place, the warmth, the invitation, the ancient history of a people so proud. I have been on a journey since leaving Oaxaca in 2006, one filled with peaks and valleys, one that can be best described as a journey of finding my heart. We started an organization 11 years ago, an organization that continues to grow and prosper, that continues to inspire and to challenge all of us involved. We are working in a deeply entrenched system trying to do our part in addressing the myriad challenges of poverty, oppression, individualism, greed. We are interested in choice and opportunity, in dignity. Read more

Tuesday, April 8, 2014 8 – 9:30 am

As a town that is always on the go we are all looking to maximize our personal and professional efficiency. Join the conversation so we can trade our best tips on working smarter in every aspect of our lives...

Read more

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Grab your lunch and come mingle with your fellow changemakers. There is a lot going on in our fair city right now, take a few minutes to pause and connect. Join us for a networking lunch at Roti. Sign up now so we know to save you a seat. Read more

This post was originally published on GrantCraft’s blog, and was authored by Jen Bokoff, Director of GrantCraft and EPIP member. We think it’s extremely useful information in preparation for the JAG Unity Summit. Don’t forget to register, if you haven’t already. Space is limited. 

TIPS FOR “NETWORKING” AT A CONFERENCE by Jen Bokoff

I’m asked all the time how I approach networking at conferences. To be completely honest, “networking” can feel like a dirty word to me because it connotes the transactional business card swap where success is defined by the number of cards in your conference tote bag. Instead, I like to label networking done correctly as “connecting,” where success is defined by the quality of interactions and the potential for sincere follow up.

 

Read more

February 26, 2014

EPIP/Public Allies Webinar: Social Impact Bonds 101 

Read more

“This is now. Now is, all there is. Don’t wait for then; strike the spark, light the fire.” ~Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī As I noted in a blog post in late 2013, I am currently immersed in a year-long master’s program, a Master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS). Its progressive approach to leadership and sustainability make it one of the only master’s degrees of its kind in the world. I was attracted to MSLS because of the focus on authentic leadership—leadership that believes innately in goodness, leadership that values individual contributions towards collective impact. MSLS is currently developing their thinking around social sustainability as well, which further enhanced the leadership framework. This leadership approach is one of shared responsibility and co-creation, one of deep trust. It promotes the cultivation of environments that encourage risk-taking and value courage and organizational shared vision. This approach acknowledges that all of these factors contribute to an individual’s commitment to an organization and values the individual contributions that each person brings to an organization, and works to support that individual’s success, both personally and professionally. We recently had a reflection session on our first semester, where we explored the capacities, skills, and ways of thinking that a sustainability leader needs to develop and employ, all things that we had been exploring for the previous five months through group work, inspiring workshops, theoretical lectures, and personal exploration. My mind immediately went to EPIP’s Measure of a Leader. The two frameworks are markedly different, yet they […] Read more

Webinar – From Gender Theory to Gender Transformative Giving: Reconnecting Race, Class and Gender

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 

Read more

Thursday, March 6, 2014 6 – 7:30 pm Note: Thanks to all who attended for a few pieces of advice from our HR experts, check out EPIP DC’s March Newsletter. Do you love your job?  Do you hate it?  Either way, how are you preparing for your next job?  How do you prepare for a job that is somewhere between assistant/associate and VP/president?  What should you be doing now?  Who should you be talking with, and how can you look for opportunities to get the most out of your current job?  Come hear from HR experts, as they explain what exceptional mid-level candidates are doing, the best/worst job interviews they ever conducted, and time-tested career advice for whenever you transition jobs. Speakers Kristen Conte, former VP for Finance and Operations, Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation Holli Rivera, President, Intentional Philanthropy Alyssa Piccirilli, Manager of Administration, Public Welfare Foundation Dawn Godaire, SPHR, Director of Human Resources, Heart Rhythm Society Read more

By Sharon Rice, Director of Community Relations, Generocity, and Steering Committee Member, EPIP-Philadelphia

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”   –Lao Tzu

My first job out of graduate school was as a therapist for children in foster care.  One day, I had a conversation with a client that changed my life forever. 

Read more

Dear EPIP Friends and Colleagues, Recently I was in a conversation with other parents about whether or not it was our responsibility to place our kids in diverse schools. Many of us agreed on the importance of teaching our kids to appreciate the diversity of cultures and languages in our society as well as how to work, play and live with people who may seem different. Regardless of their backgrounds, kids in a diverse school all work together towards the same goals: learning a lesson, storming the castle during recess, or enjoying a lunchtime meal. As I reflect on that conversation, I am reminded of the upcoming JAG Unity Summit and its purpose of creating shared strategies for advancing equity, assessing equity work and developing a new vision and plan for collaboration. Like those pre-K kids, we can work together, regardless of our backgrounds, to achieve the same goal of ensuring that our work in philanthropy moves toward more equity and inclusion so that all of the communities we serve have the same chance to succeed in life. I hope that you will join your fellow EPIP members in Washington, DC this spring for the JAG Unity Summit. EPIP will have our own day of programming on June 6th, so you’ll still have a chance to meet new voices in philanthropy and reconnect with old friends in the field. Be sure to stay for the rest of the Summit so you can spread your network and ideals for a new […] Read more