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. Read more

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: Read more

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.  Read more

Post-racial America?! A week before the 2013 @EPIPNational Conference in Chicago, Dr. Emmett Carson was the Clinton Scholar in Residence at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas. During that week, he examined the implications of philanthropy’s perceptions of a ‘post-racial America’, and further posits reflections on the civic engagement of African American males. As usual, Dr. Carson’s voice challenges colleagues to examine our roles and commitment to authentic social change. Below is an excerpt Dr. Carson’s essay, Foundations and the Fallacy of Post-Racial America: African American Men and Civic Engagement. Please read it and share. We are interested in your thoughts.  Introduction Of all the questions of discrimination and prejudice that still exist in our society, the most perplexing one is the oldest, and in some ways today, the newest:  the problem of race.  Can we fulfill the promise of America by embracing all our citizens of all races.…  In short, can we become one America in the 21st century? With these words, former President Bill Clinton announced his intention to lead the American people in “a great and unprecedented conversation about race.” His hope was to create One America in which every citizen, regardless of race, recognizes their shared dreams and has access to equal opportunity.  Shared dreams and equal opportunity are the avenues through which citizens become engaged in the civic life of their communities, allowing strangers to become neighbors, strengthening the social fabric of America’s civil society.  Without question, the most visible example of the nation’s progress on race […] Read more

(If you are an EPIP member and need access to the free ticket for members only, please email Kate Seely at [email protected] for that. Or find it on my Member Connect profile by clicking here. Once you register on Eventbrite, you will receive a link to access the webinar.) Join us for our monthly webinar focused this month on Impact Investing. We’ll be talking with Catherine Covington of EPIP Bay Area and RSF Social Finance. RSF is a pioneering non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. Register here. Webinar Description: Many of us have heard about “Impact Investing”, but what is the current state of this relatively young field and who is getting their hands dirty in it?  What would the philanthropic field look like if foundations’ grant dollars and endowment dollars were distributed and invested using a similar set of values and goals? Foundations have the opportunity to play a critical role in catalyzing the movement of more dollars into the field of impact investing by putting portions of their philanthropic capital, that is, their endowments, into mission-related investments, but this is easier said than done for most foundations.  This webinar is for anyone who is curious about the field of impact investing and will include examples of pioneers in the field that will hopefully spark conversations within your own organization! Read more

EPIP Members are invited to attend An Intimate Conversation with LA Mayoral Candidates Wendy Greuel & Eric Garcetti presented by The Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce...

Read more

This post originally appeared on the YNPN-Chicago Blog.  On April 5th and 6th, I had the pleasure of attending the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) National Conference here in Chicago.  The EPIP Executive Director, Rahsaan Harris, invited me to join as one of the Board Chairs of YNPN Chicago.  I was very excited about participating in this event because of the insights I would gain from future philanthropic leaders and the new information I could share with the YNPN member base to build our programming and partners. For those of you not familiar with EPIP, they are a similar in purpose to YNPN although their programming is specific for up and coming leadership in the philanthropic sector.  Currently, there is not a chapter in Chicago but there was an announcement that they are going to explore that option this year.  Very exciting! Here are three main take-a-ways/reflections as “The Mole” for the nonprofit sector: Read more

This post is authored by Paul Bachleitner, the Joint Affinity Group Project Director, as a part of the EPIP-JAG blogging partnership “Wit and Wisdom.” It’s dreadfully easy to get lost beneath the big tent of the Council’s annual conference. This is one reason why the JAG partners and other affinity groups like EPIP hold their conferences before, during, and afterwards. We help you recharge your racial and social justice mojo. But if you don’t have a stout boat to navigate the flood of activities, they can soak you like a philanthropalooza tsunami. How do you ride the wave? It’s exciting to be sure. But staying on top of the constant stream of activities and multiple locations can be challenging. Read more

EPIP San Diego is taking happy hour to the beach! Thursday, May 2, 6:00 p.m. JRDN at Tower 23 723 Felspar Street, San Diego, CA 92109 Don’t miss this monthly gathering of San Diego’s emerging leaders in philanthropy. Read more

Special Program for EPIP Members! See. Hear. Speak: Communicating with Authenticity Friday, June 28 10:30 AM – Saturday, June 29 1:00 PM The San Diego Foundation 2508 Historic Decatur Rd, San Diego, CA 92106 Most people perceive communication as a means for transmitting information, but it is so much more than a simple exchange of knowledge. Communicating with authenticity generates opportunities to transform relationships and paves the way to creating intentional spaces for learning and discovery. In this two-day workshop, Meenakshi Chakraverti of Public Conversations Project will help us explore the art of dialogue and lead us through experiential learning activities. Learn more… Read more