EPIP Unites at the Unity Summit is a one day gathering in Washington, DC designed specifically for EPIP members. It is planned for Friday, June 6th between 9:00AM – 5:00PM, one day before the Unity Summit is scheduled to take place. We invite you to submit ideas for sessions that will speak to the EPIP membership, while also keeping in mind our participation with other JAG members at the Unity Summit on the following day. For more information on the Unity Summit, visit our website at: http://www.epip.org/2014-national-conference/ EPIP Unites has 2 Program tracks: Track 1: “Measuring a Leader” – Professional Skill-Building How can we develop the skills necessary to be effective leaders? This track corresponds with EPIP’s Measuring a Leader skill set checklist. For more information, please visit: http://www.epip.org/our-leadership-moments/measuring-a-leader/ Possible topics for exploration: • Leadership and management training • Communication in professional settings and public speaking • Strategic and analytical-skill development • Self-evaluation Track 2: “Doing Good” – Knowledge Development How will the social sector adapt to meet 21st century challenges and opportunities? This track corresponds with EPIP’s “Doing Good in the 21st Century” project developed together with La Piana Consulting and from a generous grant from the Blue Shield of California Foundation. More information can be found at: http://www.epip.org/doing-good-in-the-21st-century/ Possible topics for exploration: • Innovation in the social sector • Solutions to social, racial, gender and health inequities • New technology and new methods for applying these technologies • Methods for cross-sector collaboration • Generational shifts We are looking […] Read more

The following post was authored by Riki Wilchins, Executive Director of TrueChild.  Join Riki and EPIP for a fully discussion of this and other issues related to gender theory on our upcoming webinar on Wednesday, February 12th.

Those of us who studied Judith Butler, postmodernism and gender theory at school may wonder if it has anything to teach us about philanthropy. As one young program officer confided to me, "I studied all this stuff in college, but I've always had to keep it totally separate from my foundation day job." 

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By Shauna Nep, Social Innovation Manager, The Goldhirsh Foundation and member, EPIP-LA

In philanthropy, we are working each day to make the world a more open, inclusive, and participatory place. A place where marginalized voices are heard and smart solutions that work rise to the top. But, we have lagged behind in modeling the behavior we want to see in the rest of society.  With some notable exceptions, the way we as philanthropic institutions currently engage is not only inconsistent with our current values, but also behind the times in which we live. 

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Webinar – 10 Reasons You Should Be Using Social Media

July 10, 2013 

 

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 8 – 9:30 am What does it take to be a leader of social change in the 21st century? Is the way the sector currently structured conducive to your career goals and aspirations? Is work-life balance important to you? If so how do you find balance when the pressures inherent in wanting to change the world always demand more. Join this wide ranging discussion about leadership in the 21st century and what you need to personally succeed. Sarah Brooks Coaching will be there to help us examine why we constantly feel the need to work at a breakneck pace and will provide a tool to help you think about your next steps to help you achieve your career goals this year. All attendees will be eligible for a free one hour follow-up coaching session with Sarah.  Learn more about Sarah here. We will send all attendees an article to read and a worksheet to fill out and bring with you. In the meantime check out this video  on what your peers think it will take to succeed in the 21st century. Read more

The following blog post was authored by Esther Kang, of the Durfee Foundation and EPIP-LA. “I just believe that the interesting time in a career is pre-success, what shaped things, how did you get to this point?” – Steve Martin Before The Durfee Foundation and EPIP LA, I was a fresh college graduate who had just moved to San Francisco with two suitcases and the kindness of friends who let me stay with them. Finding a job? Pfft, easy. I did have THREE internships and TWO jobs while I was in college. Like a typical millennial, I googled, idealist-ed, monster-ed, and sometimes even bing-ed nonprofit jobs. Based on the job descriptions and insiders’ tips, I quickly realized that I had to build a stronger foundation since I was competing with those holding graduate degrees or years of experience for entry-level positions. This led me to two retail jobs, one on-call position, and two more internships at nonprofit organizations. At one point, these were simultaneous. On slim paychecks, I reveled in a few key farmer’s market purchases and adopted the minimalist lifestyle of 90’s cartoon characters’ with multiples of the same outfit. Aside from two interview outfits, I had five black turtlenecks, five dark wash jeans, one dark brown riding boots, and two white Converse sneakers. Before interviews, I’d always listen to two songs from the movie Rocky to ease my nerves: The Final Countdown and Eye of the Tiger. Every week, I scheduled a coffee or phone call with professionals […] Read more

EPIP-NY Event: Tapping the Crowd to Solve Social Inequity

January 22nd

With generous support from the Surdna Foundation, our EPIP-NY chapter partnered with Housing Works Bookstore Cafe to host a fascinating panel discussion on crowdfunding for social change.  The distinguished panel explored a number of issues in the emerging field and left attendees with a deeper understanding of crowdfunding’s current impact, and its potential for the future.

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By Nicole Rose Nieman, 2013 Emerging Leaders International Fellow, Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, The Graduate Center, CUNY “What is the role of philanthropy in the 21st Century?”  A friend challenged me before I left my home country, South Africa, for a semester fellowship in New York City this past fall.  I came to this global epicenter of philanthropy for a fresh perspective on the role and relevance of ‘the love of humankind’ in an increasingly complex, dynamic global society. Like many before me, I quickly fell in love with the vibrant, unique and dynamic NYC. However, I have been unable to shake certain parallels that emerged so strongly with my beloved South Africa, namely gross inequalities that fall predominantly along racial lines. Not so different Unlike my home country, where violent crime dictates where you can and should not go, I found a new freedom of movement in New York’s city center.  However, I was quickly warned where beyond those bounds I would need to be accompanied, even in daylight.  As in cities the world over, freedom of movement, for residents and non-residents alike, is restricted along the lines of affluence and race. Even at a glance it was obvious.  The way the metro lines deteriorated the further up from Manhattan you went, who used the metro and who climbed out where, where resources were allocated and what it cost to access them, etc.  Beneath the shiny surface, these divides appeared well-devised, or at least well-maintained by a powerful set […] Read more

Earlier this year I wrote about how intentionally collaborating across generational and hierarchical boundaries is not just a nice, collegial thing to do: it is a necessity. The fact is that there are dozens of generationally-specific leadership development networks (mostly geared at Millennials) but very few networks that provide serious cross-generational dialogue and problem -solving around the full pipeline of nonprofit talent and intergenerational leadership issues. 

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Thursday, January 30, 2014 11:45 am – 1 pm Note: We had a wonderful event, thank you everyone for attending. Ann was kind enough to post her presentation on her blog. Memos and metrics, emails and texts, newsletters and reports: Is your organization suffering from information overload? We consume 34 gigabytes, or 100,500 words, of information every day. Our brains are overwhelmed and struggling to keep up. Data visualization–or dataviz–is one of the strongest weapons against information overload. Colorful diagrams, well-designed charts, and engaging infographics are easy to digest and fun to share. Dataviz can get your colleagues to pay attention to your organization’s most important data. Dataviz can captivate and catalyze your supporters. And dataviz can improve your communication power with pretty much every audience you’re hoping to inform or sway. So get started! On January 30, 2014, Innovation Network’s Ann Emery will lead an EPIP brown bag titled “Dataviz for Philanthropists: How to Communicate Better with Charts.” She’ll start by setting the stage: What is dataviz? Why do our brains crave images over text? We’ll also discuss how you can use charts to communicate information better during your Board meetings; in your annual reports, newsletters, and mailings; and through your group’s social media channels. Next, Ann will share simple strategies for improving any chart–like reducing clutter, adding a Twitter-like headline, and using colors to emphasize your most important points. We’ll conclude with hands-on practice, focusing on before-and-after remakes from foundations and affinity groups like yours. Want to get […] Read more