In education philanthropy, we share a collective sense of urgency to find the appropriate solutions to mitigate the achievement gap. Yet, we each concentrate our time on pursuing distinct but complementary missions. How many of us find ourselves wishing we could team up with other organizations to share collective learning and coordinate our efforts?

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This post was authored by Kris Putnam-Walkerly and originally appeared on her blog, Philanthropy 411 Blog, on 2/11/15 at http://putnam-consulting.com/philanthropy-411-blog/8-resources-for-new-foundation-ceos/

 

My previous blog post shared 5 mistakes to avoid if you are a new foundation CEO and new to philanthropy.  One mistake is not being willing to learn about your new role and field. Below I share eight resources that can help you in your role. In addition, nothing beats getting advice from seasoned foundation leaders, or if needed retaining a coach or advisor to help you.

 

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This blog post was authored by Lelia Gowland, co-chair of the Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans (EPNO). We invited Lelia to introduce EPIP members to EPNO after we learned about their work and discovered synergies among our respective missions and values. 

As a native New Orleanian, I’ve benefited from philanthropy and witnessed the way it transforms communities. Post-Katrina, my mother was fortunate to have a job and friend’s home to return to after our home was destroyed. 

During one trip to our flooded home shortly after the storm, my mother and I noticed a parked Red Cross van advertising free hot meals and pulled over to thank the volunteers for coming.  The warmth and generosity of spirit they demonstrated has me tearing up a decade later as I write this.

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During a recent visit to the Southeastern Council of Foundations Annual Meeting EPIP Executive Director Rahsaan Harris came across friend and colleague Elizabeth (Betsey) Russell, who was launching her first book – Other People’s Money ­– a mystery set in the heart of the foundation world. While fiction isn’t something we usually read in conjunction with philanthropy, it made us wonder: can fiction about foundations make readers think about foundations differently? What about the foundations themselves? We caught up with the author to get her take. You recently wrote a book called Other People’s Money. Can you give us a brief synopsis? Sure! Other People’s Money is the story of Katie Nelson, a program officer in Atlanta’s largest foundation. She really wants the foundation to fund a Latina health clinic, but meets strong opposition from the board. She begins to work closely with one particular younger board member (yes, romantic interest) to help revamp the clinic’s proposal, but then the whole clinic burns to the ground, killing a woman who was trapped inside. Everyone thinks it was a hate crime, but Katie senses something different. The more she explores, the more she realizes that many of the people she trusts are not who they seem. Eventually, she finds her own life in danger. Where did you get the inspiration for this book? I’ve been writing for foundations for 25 years, but always in the nonfiction/professional communications vein. I got my first taste of foundation fiction when I wrote some hypothetical […] Read more

This post was originally published on Philanthropy411 and was authored by Kris Putnam-Walkerly.   The Foundation Review has issued a Call for Papers for an issue focused on philanthropy consulting. The March 2015 themed issue, co-edited by the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers,  will explore quality, trends and impact in a significant component of philanthropic practice. Abstracts of up to 250 words are due by May 15, 2014. If a full paper is invited, it will be due by August 15, 2014 for consideration for publication. Papers are invited on topics including, but not limited to: Scope and scale. To what extent do grantmakers and funder networks retain consultants, and for what purposes? Role. Why do foundations hire philanthropy consultants? What are the roles of philanthropy consultants? How do roles vary by grantmaker type, size, lifecycle? Value and impact. What value have grantmakers recognized from engaging philanthropy consultants? What impact have consultants had on the work of funders and the philanthropic sector as a whole? Quality and effectiveness. What constitutes quality in philanthropy consulting? What are the characteristics of effective consultants and consulting engagements? Capacity. How does the field of philanthropy support or invest in philanthropy consulting? What efforts exist to ensure diversity within the consulting field and to support career pipelines for future consultants? Trends. What trends do we anticipate in the field of philanthropy in the U.S. and globally, and how can consultants add value?, will explore quality, trends and impact in a significant component of philanthropic practice. I am the […] Read more

By Sharon Rice, Director of Community Relations, Generocity, and Steering Committee Member, EPIP-Philadelphia

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”   –Lao Tzu

My first job out of graduate school was as a therapist for children in foster care.  One day, I had a conversation with a client that changed my life forever. 

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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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Navigating Shifting Sands:  What We Can All Learn From Jewish Charitable Giving

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

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This post was authored by Alison Hastings.  Alison is an urban planner, a food system thinker and a people person.  She's also an EPIP member in Philadelphia.

There’s no denying that we’re in the midst of the holiday season and earnest end-of-year donor appeals from many nonprofit organizations.  Of all of the holidays, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. 

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Following is a guest post from Jen Bokoff, Director of GrantCraft, a service of the Foundation Center in New York and the European Foundation Centre in Brussels. Follow her on Twitter at @grantcraft and @jenbo1. When I started work as a program officer at a small private foundation, I had my street smarts, book smarts, and experiences as my compass. There were articles here and there about fascinating trends in philanthropy, some meetings on special topics with other grantmakers in the region, and I followed some doers and shakers in the field on Twitter to hear their 140 character snippets of wise words. What I didn’t have, however, was a toolkit for how to be a thoughtful funder. I didn’t have a go-to resource, and therefore grappled with issues that arose in the course of our foundation’s work that were as simple as, “How do I say no?” and more strategically geared like, “Is our partnership with the government similar to that which other funders experience?” Over time, these questions were explored and answered with my team, but it would have been nice to also learn from the experience of other, more seasoned funders. If only I had known about GrantCraft. Read more