This guest post was authored by Danielle Vabner.

I still remember the day my family relocated to the quaint New England town of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. It was a sticky summer day in July of 2005. Sandy Hook was the epitome of the “suburbs”: beautiful, spacious homes, endless amounts of trees, and friendly residents. To many, it was the ideal place to raise a family.

 

Read more

by Caitlin Fisher, co-chair of EPIP Boston I’ve spent the past few years learning about network theory and communities of practice in my role as deputy director of the Prime Movers fellowshipprogram at Hunt Alternatives. For those unfamiliar with this concept, a community of practice by definition it is a group of people informally bound together by shared expertise and passion for a joint enterprise — and it promises to radically galvanize knowledge sharing, learning, and change...

Read more

If you attended the final plenary of the JAG Unity Summit on Friday, June 7th, then you had the opportunity to participate in a live poll with Rahsaan Harris and your fellow JAG friends and colleagues. We extend our thanks to everyone who participated in the poll and we hope the following thoughts and ideas will inspire you to action.    Rahsaan asked the audience if they understood the term “intersectionality”. Eighty-four percent (84%) responded “yes”, and sixteen percent (16%) responded “no”. When asked “what one word describes the key barrier to intersectional action and collaboration?”, respondents answered with a variety of words, many choosing “fear” and “ego(s)”. Some other answers included: scarcity, pride, money, resources, ignorance, selfishness, competition, misunderstanding, and greed. Finally, we had many interesting and unique responses to “Use six words to describe the potential of JAG’s future work”. There were so many great phrases, we will re-print them all here: new paradigm for power, allocation, representation intersectionality interracial power cooperation success inclusion connecting leaders to infiltrate and disrupt COF is JAG. JAG is COF opportunity for all to reach potential powerful and vast and equity focused unity struggle unity; the struggle continues infinite opportunities to connect powerful communities radical transformation underlying notion “charity”/philanthropy overcoming fear thru repeated effective interaction collaboration shared fate deep impact cross sectoral Inclusive collaboration, shared vision, analysis of equity shared vision, power, change, engagement, authenticity & freedom collaboration across identities to create equity Prosperity is possible for all! from many one equal […] Read more

Highlights Check out our Eventifier and Storify pages, which capture highlights from the JAG Unity Summit. We especially love this one put together by our friends at the Women’s Funding Network.   Follow the conversation on social media #JAGUnity2014 for the 2014 JAG Unity Summit #EPIPleaders for EPIP’s Measuring a Leader framework   20 Years of JAG Watch the JAG video that played at the Summit, highlighting 20 years of advancing equity together Read more

We interviewed Bob Pullin, Chief of Digital Engagement with the Ford Foundation, to learn more about their new, innovative Un-Survey and the thinking and technology behind it. 1. Please provide a brief professional description of yourself. I’m responsible for digital engagement for the Ford Foundation, focused on using technology to help build relationships with our core audiences mostly through the web site and social media. Prior to coming to Ford I worked on technology strategy, design management and information architecture at a small design and technology company called Corsair. At Corsair we worked with a few philanthropy clients including Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation. 2. On the Ford Foundation website, there is something called the Un-Survey. What is it about? The Un-Survey is one part of the research for our website redesign. It is intended to help us continue to build empathy with our audiences and give us a better understanding of kinds of information they want from us. The Un-Survey is giving ideas for content and functionality to offer in the next version of the website that we wouldn’t have thought of without it. 3. What kind of thinking went behind the development of the Un-Survey? The Un-Survey was conceived as an experiment to see if we could turn the traditional survey model on its head in a productive way. Instead of us asking our Web visitors questions, we’re inviting them to ask us questions. Our hope was that this will unearth what’s most important to our partners, peers and others—without our preconceived ideas leading the way. […]

Read more

In philanthropy, we’re sometimes a step (or two) removed from our nonprofit partners doing such incredible work in the community. But building strong connections to support and champion our grantees is actually at the core of our values as philanthropy professionals. That’s why we are thrilled to partner with the One Percent Foundation to launch the very first EPIP Los Angeles Giving Circle. Please join us on Wednesday, June 18th for a special launch party to learn more!...

Read more

We want to see you in Washington DC June 6 – 8 because we are one community. Being My Brother’s Keeper is an expression of agape love. The Greek word agape, to treat with affectionate regard, refers to self-giving and selflessness. This love helps you empathize with others, allows you to see their humanity, and inspires you to fight for their well being. It helps you realize… I am, because you are (Ubuntu). That is the spirit of UNITY. The JAG partners are gathering because we recognize each other’s struggles and we work to ensure each other’s success. I am an heterosexual African American male and I recognize what challenges and privileges that brings. To make a just and equitable world, I must be willing to fight for the future of my gay Latina sisters, my trans Asian American brothers, and all others. That’s why we can’t rest until the Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram are home safely (#BringBackOurGirls). We should push for comprehensive immigration reform (#CIR) and for the right of all to marry who they love (#marriageequality). We should cheer efforts to bolster Black male achievement (#mbk). That’s why our gathering in Washington DC is important. You don’t want to miss it. #EPIPleaders Rahsaan Harris, PhD   Read more

May 21, 2014

EPIP Webinar: Strengthening Nonprofit-Funder Partnerships 

Read more

In an effort to help EPIP members gain value from the experience of professionals in the field, EPIP has started a new interview series. Blog readers will be able to learn valuable lessons from leaders in the field. The fourth interview in this series is with Mari Kuraishi, Co-Founder and President of the Global Giving Foundation.

Read more

The folks at NTEN are offering EPIP members free access to a couple of their recent webinars: Leaders Leveraging Wireless: 10 Ways to Lead by Leaving Your Desk and How to Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly. During Leaders Leveraging Wireless, Mobile Citizen’s Michelle Warner and Kecia Carroll demonstrated how nonprofits can use wireless technology or Internet access to enable programs, stay connected to key stakeholders, or to work more efficiently–from anywhere. In How to Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly, MSDS’s Niki Hammond and Ross Berenson give the lowdown on the pros and cons of mobile apps vs. mobile websites vs. responsive design, and walk you through the process of ensuring that your website is mobile-device friendly. We invite you to use codes “WEB-LLW” and “WEB-MWMF” to access these recordings free of charge. Let NTEN know what you learn. Share your comments below. Read more