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-Creative Funders Explore Their Art and Craft- Each month, meet some of the most creative, resourceful, and risk-taking funders in the country. These individuals are creating a new kind of philanthropy, shifting from the transactional to the transformational.
Episodes
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Creative, high-impact philanthropy is practiced by donors of all types - foundations, donor advised funds, social venture funders, and collective giving organizations. We visit with Sandy Cook, a leader at Impact100 Metro Denver, one of several hundred womens collective giving organizations around the country. Find out why Impact 100 Metro Denver invites nonprofits to step back and consider what they need to make significant shifts in how they work. Sandy shares examples how investing in nonprofits' unglamourous infrastructure needs, such as redesigning space, and buying trucks and equipment, helps organizations achieve exponentially more impact.
https://impact100metrodenver.org/
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Sandy is a board member of Philanos, an international network of collective giving organizations with a mission to strengthen collective giving and promote informed impactful grantmaking. Following a career in academia and a role as partner with Hewitt Associates (now AON Hewitt), Sandy’s “second career“ has been philanthropy - particularly collective giving. She is a founding member of the Women’s Giving Alliance in Jacksonville, Florida. At Impact100 Metro Denver, Sandy is a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the DEI task force..
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Galvanized by a statewide landscape scan revealing deep concern for the future of Maine's young people, the board of the Emanuel and Pauline A. Lerner Foundation shifted from a portfolio of annual grants, to a laser-focused, multi-year commitment to a cohort of groups to raise youth aspirations. The Lerner board and staff also focused their own time in building relationships with grantee partners. Executive Director Don Carpenter shares how this big bet inspired the Lerner Foundation board to transform its philanthropy.
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Don Carpenter, executive director of the Lerner Foundation based in Portland, Maine, has more than 30 years of senior management experience dedicated to relationship-centered leadership. Don has dedicated his life to the business of relationship building through the creation of innovative student-centered youth development organizations that empower young people to thrive. He believes that relationships – not programs - change people's lives.
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Galvanized by a statewide landscape scan revealing deep concern for the future of Maine's young people, the board of the Emanuel and Pauline A. Lerner Foundation shifted from a portfolio of annual grants, to a laser-focused, multi-year commitment to a cohort of groups to raise youth aspirations. The Lerner board and staff also focused their own time in building relationships with grantee partners. Executive Director Don Carpenter shares how this big bet inspired the Lerner Foundation board to transform its philanthropy.
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Don Carpenter, executive director of the Lerner Foundation based in Portland, Maine, has more than 30 years of senior management experience dedicated to relationship-centered leadership. Don has dedicated his life to the business of relationship building through the creation of innovative student-centered youth development organizations that empower young people to thrive. He believes that relationships – not programs - change people's lives.
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Many foundations want their favorite grantee partners to expand their sources of support. But fewer take an active role in helping partners become more sustainable. The Pascale Sykes Foundation connects partners with many kinds of organizations working in the same field. Jackie Edwards shares how the relationships that result have led to greater coordination, synergy, and to new revenue streams.
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Jackie Edwards serves as Vice President of Strategic Engagement at the Pascale Sykes Foundation. With a deep understanding of the many challenges faced by disadvantaged, low-income families, Ms. Edwards has been a steadfast and outspoken advocate for more than 30 years.
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
What opportunities emerge when a foundation focuses more deeply? Caroline Wertz of the Scheidel Foundation shares how she spent more time with a smaller number of grantee partners, and engaged them in conversations. Deep listening allowed Caroline to understand challenges that were common to several organizations working in the same field, and identify gaps. This opened the door to opportunities for collective impact, and systems-level change. The journey all started with focusing.
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Caroline Wertz is Senior Director of Programs at the Scheidel Foundation, which supports college success for underrepresented students, and advances the field of integrative cancer care. In her prior positions, she focused on providing capacity building, leadership coaching, and training to help community-based nonprofits become more effective and sustainable.
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
The John Gogian Foundation began its philanthropy by supporting individuals and families. As staff learned about challenges facing grantee partners and the field, it shifted its entire approach. Hear how listening deeply to nonprofit partners transformed the way a foundation worked - from supporting programs to strengthening organizations.
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Lindsey Stammerjohn served as executive director of the John Gogian Family Foundation, where she developed deep, long-term relationships with leaders of partner organizations. For a dozen years, Lindsey provided training and capacity building to the foundation’s key partners, convened them and built a networked community, and encouraged peer learning and mutual support. Ultimately, Lindsey and the foundation strengthened their partners’ long-term sustainability. Lindsey retired in the fall of 2021; the relationships and trust she nurtured is a legacy that will endure for many years. Exponent is deeply grateful to Lindsey for serving as a teacher, guide, and mentor to many philanthropic leaders around the country.
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
The John Gogian Foundation began its philanthropy by supporting individuals and families. As staff learned about challenges facing grantee partners and the field, it shifted its entire approach. Hear how listening deeply to nonprofit partners transformed the way a foundation worked - from supporting programs to strengthening organizations.
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Lindsey Stammerjohn served as executive director of the John Gogian Family Foundation, where she developed deep, long-term relationships with leaders of partner organizations. For a dozen years, Lindsey provided training and capacity building to the foundation’s key partners, convened them and built a networked community, and encouraged peer learning and mutual support. Ultimately, Lindsey and the foundation strengthened their partners’ long-term sustainability. Lindsey retired in the fall of 2021; the relationships and trust she nurtured is a legacy that will endure for many years. Exponent is deeply grateful to Lindsey for serving as a teacher, guide, and mentor to many philanthropic leaders around the country.
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Working on health access and economic development on the Texas - Mexico border, Bonnie Gonzalez uses her mentoring and coaching skills to help community members fulfill their goals, and realize their full potential. Hear how a foundation leader plays a mentoring role to build capacity and leadership in her community.
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Bonnie was named founding chief executive officer for Knapp Community Care Foundation in late 2013. KCCF invests in prevention/wellness, direct health services, health related education and behavioral health. Bonnie has been involved in public and higher education, health care, and public nonprofit work throughout her career. She is currently on the board for Philanthropy Southwest, advisory board for Western Governor’s University-Texas, and Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
A small foundation with four staff amplifies its work by engaging dozens of community members from all walks of life - government, business, civic, and nonprofit. Diane Brown explains how she and colleagues structure the work of volunteers, and make participation meaningful and fulfilling. As an example, the foundation collaborated with nonprofits and city leaders to establish a social purpose grocery store in a neighborhood without access to fresh food.
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Bio: A life-long resident of the Binghamton NY area, Diane Brown has been involved in nonprofit and community service for over 40 years. Currently she is chair of the board of New York State Habitat and has led the Community Foundation for South Central New York since 2006.
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Michael Weinberg reflects on what he learned working in a successful advocacy coalition over several years, and shares tips for how foundations of any size can lay the ground to catalyze significant policy-level change on issues they care about.
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Bio: Michael Weinberg is a Policy Officer at the Thornburg Foundation. His previous roles include program evaluation manager for New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee, public school teacher, and principal. Michael earned his doctorate in education from the University of New Mexico and lives in Albuquerque with his wife and two teenage daughters.
Michael's blogs: