Kate Seely is the Director of Field Operations with EPIP. She is a leadership development enthusiast, a believer that honest communication and authentic leadership are the underlying keys to any sustainable change we endeavor to effect in this world.  As I have grown in my career over the past 10 years, I have thought a lot about what it means to make change and have learned what I feel are a few valuable lessons. The part that I’m interested in is the personal part, that part that we so often push below, which is so crucial to how we each approach this work. We come at this work with different backgrounds, identities, upbringings, beliefs, inclinations, all of which color how we approach our work and whether we feel fully invested in it. The research on generational shifts shows that work has become more personal with our generation, with individuals feeling committed to causes as opposed to a certain organization or company. EPIP has always placed value on creating a safe space for people of color to talk about identity. Moreover, we believe that we should cultivate space to authentically discuss how identity relates to an individual’s impact, both in the larger world and within our workplaces. As a white girl interested in racial dynamics, racial equity, and deeply engaged with cultures other than my “own,” I have always sidled up to the conversation, not knowing exactly how to engage in the conversations, but wanting oh so badly to do so. […] Read more

This post is by Akira Barclay, EPIP member and former EPIP-NYC steering committee member. It was first featured on the Giving in LA blog. African-Americans have a rich history of philanthropy...

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Thanks to our conversation with Lynn Alvarez and Karin Berger Stellar at EPIP LA’s Spring Leadership Salon, we now know where philanthropy is headed. But do you know where your career is headed and how to get there? Let EPIP LA’s Summer Leadership Salon guide you! Join EPIP LA at our upcoming summer leadership salon: Defining Your Own Leadership: How to Develop a Personal Mission Statement Rosetta Thurman, Co-Author of How to be a Nonprofit Rockstar, will lead a fun, self-discovery workshop that will guide you through a linear, three-step process to complete a personal mission statement that will forever change the way you work, lead and live your life. This process will give you a clear outline of what’s most important to you, what you would like to achieve and who you would like to become, to lead you to a more rewarding life and career. In this session you will: Read more

This post originally appeared on Next Gen Change Agent, the blog of Nakisha Lewis, the EPIP Boston Co-Chair and Program Manager at the Schott Foundation for Public Education.  I grew up in an immigrant community that was steeped in the tradition of collective responsibility where I learned to take care of those around me and to always look for opportunities to support others. In my early years I used my time and talent as an organizer working to transform my community. Now as a philanthropic practitioner I have the privilege of working with foundations and individual donors to support some phenomenal organizations and have come to see firsthand how important it is to financially support the people, issues and movements we care about. And so although I am not independently wealthy, I have developed my own personal philanthropy and am committed to giving to the causes that advance my values. Read more

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...

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