Every 4^th Tuesday of the month, different members of our EPIP St. Louis community will lead monthly discussion on a particular topic or article. Grab a friend, bring your lunch and come prepared to meet new people and discuss ways to move the sector forward. EPIP St. Louis will provide snacks and deserts. 

Collective Impact Convening Teach-Back

 July 23rd, 12:00 - 1:00 pm @ Incarnate Word Foundation

This month we are joined by Katie Kaufmann, Director of Ready by 21 St. Louis, & Rachel D'Souza Siebert, Founder & Principle of Gladiator Consulting. Katie & Rachel attended the 2019 Collective Impact Convening which brought "together funders, backbones, partners, and community members for cross-sector dialogue and peer learning to tackle complex issues in the collective impact field."  Read about the Convening below and come hear about learnings we can apply to our St. Louis context:

"The Collective Impact Forum, an initiative of FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, invites you to attend the field’s premier annual collective impact convening on May 14-16, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. The 2019 Collective Impact Convening builds on the success of the 2018 convening in Austin that sold out in advance and attracted more than 700 funders, backbone leaders, and other collective impact community partners.

Highlights of the 2019 Collective Impact Convening include:

• Plenary speakers Liz Dozier (Chicago Beyond), Efrain Gutierrez (Obama Foundation), Michael McAfee (PolicyLink), Michelle Morales (Mikva Challenge), john a. powell (UC Berkeley Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society), Rye Young (Third Wave Fund), and Tiffany Yu (Diversability) 
• Featured short talk speakers Maria del Socorro Pesqueira (Healthy Communities Foundation), Helene D. Gayle (Chicago Community Trust), Alicia Lara (United Way Worldwide), Rami Nashashibi (Inner-City Muslim Action Network), Nicholas Pearce (Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management), and Carmita Semaan(The Surge Institute) 
• More than 40 how-to sessions, case study sessions, and tool sessions on topics such as community engagement, equity, leadership, use of data, sustainability, and systems change
• Local site visits to explore collaborative social change in action in Chicago
• Opportunity to interact with a diverse audience of funders, backbone leaders, and other collective impact community partners from across the United States and around the world" 

Prior to our conversation, please read the Water of System Change, an article authored by social impact experts via FSG. 

About the Facilitators: 

Katie Kaufmann is the Director of Ready by 21 St. Louis, a collective impact initiative focused on aligning efforts and improving outcomes for children and youth across St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County.  Katie is a product of public K-12 education and began her career as a middle school math teacher in St. Louis City.  Prior to Ready by 21 St. Louis, Katie worked in the non-profit world looking at systemic issues of quality and access to opportunities. Katie earned her BA in American Studies and Math from Wells College in Aurora, NY and has certificates in 5-9 Math and Nonprofit Leadership and Management from UMSL.  Katie is a wife and mother to a two-year-old and serves as an elected member of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School Board

Rachel D'Souza-Siebert, MPPA is at her best when she's reimagining, rebuilding and risk-taking. In 2008, Rachel left for-profit retail leadership for the nonprofit sector.  She started her nonprofit career with Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis and enhanced her skillset as the founding Director of Development at St. Louis Language Immersion Schools. Rachel's ability to cultivate relationships, earn trust and drive results contributed to her success in her former roles. Rachel is a passionate advocate for collaboration, racial equity, justice philanthropy and community/ movement-centered fundraising. Since founding Gladiator Consulting in 2015, Rachel has worked with Funders, Executive Directors, Board Committees and Development staff of grassroots/grass-tops organizations to reimagine strategy, fund development and partnership for the unique challenges that face our community.

Rachel earned her BA with honors from Loyola University Chicago and then went on to complete a Master's Degree in Public Policy Administration and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Missouri - St. Louis.  In 2012, the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored Rachel with their inaugural Outstanding Young Professional Award. She is also proud alumna of FOCUS Leadership St. Louis Class 38. Rachel sits on the board of the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and volunteers with American Heart Association, City Garden Montessori School, and the Community Builders Network. Rachel lives in the Shaw neighborhood with her husband, two young children (who always keep her on her toes!) and a Westie named Mowgli.