Night Out With Meaning: Phoebe Driscoll

Last week Phoebe Driscoll was Night Out With Meaning’s storyteller. Night Out is about learning, connecting and reflecting. It is my hope that those who attended took away knowledge that they didn’t have before, that they met someone new or discovered something about a friend that brought them closer. And it is also my hope that there were pieces from Phoebe Driscoll’s story that made them stop and reflect about their own lives and experiences.

I certainly spent time reflecting on Phoebe’s life story. Phoebe exudes wisdom in a way that makes you feel like she’s lived it and she’s simply going to let you in on a few things she’s learned along the way. I thought about where she came from and where her life landed her based on her “gut and luck!” I love how she is entering her eighth decade and still sees work to be done around land preservation. I thought a lot about her awareness and consciousness of her place in the world, how she contributes to its betterment and how she will one day leave it. I thought about my part, what I am doing and how aware my young children are of nature and the environment. I’ll say it…we take the Wissahickon and surrounding land for granted. We can literally step outside and find ourselves on a wooded trail. And I admit, I didn’t think much about how that land was preserved – until now. Someone said this is beautiful and someone said we must take care of it and preserve it for future generations. Phoebe realized this early on and works very hard to make that a reality. Thank you, Phoebe. And thank you to Anne Standish and Nancy Venner from the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association for introducing all of us to Phoebe.

If you are interested in learning more about the outreach programs of the Watershed, check out www.wvwa.org.

The next Night Out With Meaning will be in February of 2012. More information to come shortly! Remember to invite a friend and make it a Night Out!

DVG: Holding Together in High-Wire Times

Last week I attended the Delaware Valley Grantmakers fall conference. Harp-weaver was also a co-sponsor for the event with Phillips Philanthropy Advisors. 300 funders and representatives from nonprofit organizations gathered together under the theme, “Holding Together in High-Wire Times.”

Jeremy Nowak, President and CEO of the William Penn Foundation provided introductory remarks. As the Foundation is in the midst of a strategic planning process, Jeremy shared some fundamental advice: 1) Think about innovation and ask yourself how to do something better. 2) Be willing to rethink and restructure your organization in order to save legacy. 3) Drive towards outcomes versus output.

Nadya K. Shmavonian, President of Public/Private Ventures, moderated a panel discussion on “What’s Happening” in the sector. The panel included: Patrick E. Bokovitz, Director of Chester County Department of Community Development; Virginia Frantz, President and CEO of Montgomery County Foundation, Inc.; Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Philadelphia Program Director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Jeffrey Gordon, Manager of Community Relations for PECO; Stacy Holland, CEO of Philadelphia Youth Network; and Farah Jimenez, President and CEO of People’s Emergency Center.

Here is a summary of the points discussed:

• Are there too many nonprofits too small to succeed?
• Focus on collaboration in order to solve problems.
• Narrow focus – do what you are good at: build program models; focus on operational infrastructure; convene leadership networks
• Funders and organizations should co-create outcome measures over time and take a long-term approach.
• Funders should think about policies related to capacity building – grow capacity and help attract new donors

Night Out With Meaning: November 10th

Described as "a dreamer and a doer" Phoebe Driscoll's hard work, lasting resolve and inspiring dedication to land conservation has benefited us all. She attributes who she is today to growing up on a farm, having a woman's education in the forties and fifties, a supportive husband and luck! We are thrilled to have Phoebe as Night Out With Meaning's next storyteller on November 10th.

I am thrilled to invite you to Night Out With Meaning: Women & Giving; a series of evenings for women to be inspired by the stories of women like Phoebe Driscoll.

Held at The Philadelphia Cricket Club in February, May and November, each Night Out With Meaning focuses on a topic and features a wonderful storyteller. Night Out With Meaning is for women to connect with others, to learn from extraordinary women through their stories, and to find meaning in personal giving.

The fourth Night Out With Meaning will be held on November 10th at 6:30pm. The topic is "Protecting the Land & Environment." On a personal, community and national level Phoebe has committed her married life --- what's left after family affairs --- to volunteer activism in protecting the land and environment. For thirty-six years she has served on the board of the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA).

To register for the event, click here. I look forward to sharing the Night Out With Meaning with you!

Latest Edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal

The fall edition of the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal was released yesterday. This edition is focused on innovations in public health, healthcare and healthy food.

Continuing their new focus on theme-based editions covering pressing social issues, this issue introduces readers to alternative and innovative ideas and strategies for dealing with the persistent problems facing our region’s and nation’s health and healthcare system.

Included in this edition, is my latest philanthropy column. Both philanthropy and health are individually undergoing profound transformation with much debate privately and publicly. No doubt the result has been and will be a dramatic change in how each field is practiced. This column is about the confluence of these two sectors as it relates to the financial support received by health providers and organizations from foundations and other non-government funders. Here is a quick link.

Hunger Symposium

Today I attended Philabundance's Hunger Symposium. The harsh reality is that more people are struggling to get by and put food on their table. According to the literature from the Symposium, in 2010, 21 million people lived in working-poor families. This translates into nearly 9.6 percent of all American families living below 100 percent of poverty have at least one family member working. One of the most common misconceptions is the assumption that if someone is hungry, that means they do not have a job and are living on the streets. What most people don’t understand is that anyone can experience hunger. It is a silent epidemic that affects 49 million Americans. The Symposium provided a forum to look at the challenges related to food access. Philabundance brought in speakers like Mari Gallagher to better understand the obstacles. Here are some notes:

- When kids aren't in school they stop accessing food programs making summer the most difficult for parents.

- The people being served by food programs need to be involved in the solution. Families who are poor are savvy on how to survive.

- Collaboration is key between the government and nonprofits.

- Why some programs are underutilized: lack of marketing, lack of access, bad previous experience, stigmas around program.

- The original assumptions behind food banks: surplus food would always be available; existing networks of food pantries are ideal distributors; hunger was manageable and could be solved with a robust economy. All of these assumptions have been proven wrong.

- New strategy worth testing: combine nonprofit food banking with a grocery store; maximize SNAP (food stamps) benefits and cash purchases; provide a dependable and reliable supply; provide food free of charge. This is all about promoting self-sufficiency through choice and maximizing food assistance benefits.

PSIJ Health Edition Launch

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal welcomes you at an informational evening to celebrate the launch of the fall special Health Edition of Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal (PSIJ), which will be available for online viewing during the reception. The first publication dedicated to social innovation in the Delaware Valley, PSIJ focuses on the Philadelphia region’s current and emerging leaders of social entrepreneurship, nonprofit organizations, foundations and social sector businesses, and on the principles they have developed to create, manage and promote social change. For more information on PSIJ, visit www.philasocialinnovations.org. The launch event takes place on September 26th from 4:00pm until 7:00pm at the Radisson/Warwick Hotel, 220 South 17th Street in Philadelphia. The session's keynote speaker is Dr. G. Terry Madonna who is the Director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. RSVP, not required but preferred, to tine@philasocialinnovations.org.

Become a Smart Donor

Have you ever given to a nonprofit organization and were not entirely sure how your contribution was used? Are the nonprofit organizations you support in line with what you value? If they are not, have you asked yourself, why? Do you know what a 501(c)(3), a donor advised fund and a private foundation are? Have you made contributions when catastrophes occur like the earthquake/tsunami in Japan and were not sure how to provide meaningful support? If you have asked yourself these questions, then please join this discussion with other interested donors and learn the basics of becoming a smart donor. I will be teaching three classes through the Mt. Airy Learning Tree in October. Click here for more information and to register for the class.

Do More Than Give

Do More Than Give by Crutchfield, Kania and Kramer is about catalytic philanthropy. The idea behind catalytic philanthropy starts with two main premises:

1. Donors have something valuable to contribute beyond their money. The clout, connections, business know-how, and political savvy that foundation leaders, business executives, and many individual donors possess are key resources in advancing causes – resources that nonprofits often lack.

2. We all inhabit an increasingly complex and globally interdependent world that is changing with unprecedented speed. Although social and environmental problems have been with us throughout human history, today’s challenges are of a whole new order.

According to Do More Than Give, there are 6 practices which can be employed by donors who really want to make an impact in the issues they care about.

1. Advocate for Change: Systemwide change is rarely achieved without a range of advocacy efforts including raising awareness, educating the public and lobbying.
2. Blend Profit with Purpose: Social entrepreneurs are finding that business models that blend profit with purpose can scale up to address social problems more rapidly and sustainably than traditional nonprofits. Catalytic donors are learning to tap into the power of business as an engine for advancing the greater good.
3. Forge Nonprofit Peer Networks: This is about forging partnerships and relationships – nonprofits, corporations, foundations working together across a spectrum in order to achieve collective impact that no single organization could ever deliver alone.
4. Empower the People: Don’t treat individual community members as recipients of charity. Instead view them as essential participants in the process of solving problems for themselves. Solicit individuals for ideas and involve them.
5. Lead Adaptively: There is an important skill to learn and use – the ability to see changes and opportunities in their environment and to orchestrate the activities of key players to advance their cause.
6. Learn in order to Change: This is about building systems that enable donor and grantees to learn about what’s working and what needs to be fixed in real time in order to advance a cause. As a result, they build learning organizations.

The Philanthropy Column

The latest edition of The Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal has been released! The Summer edition focuses on Partnerships Toward Collective Social Impact; Community Impact Strategies; and Generational Leadership Targeting Social Entrepreneurs. It also includes my first Philanthropy Column which explores and better defines the growing industry of philanthropic advising. I asked fellow advisors in the Greater Philadelphia area to weigh in on the profession and share their views on the changing needs and interests of their clients. I would love your feedback on the article so please feel free to comment!

First Loan to a Kiva Borrower

I just made my first loan through Kiva (www.kiva.org). I lent money to a woman farmer named Maricel. Marciel lives in the Philippines and is married with 2 children. Her oldest child is only 5 years old. She is a farmer working in Sta. Josefa, Agusan del sur. She has been growing rice for 5 years. She earns 5,000 PHP per month doing this farming. She requested a loan of $250 to purchase seeds, fertilizers and other farm inputs. In the future, she hopes to improve her business and be able to sustain her family. 8 people lent Marciel the money she needs and my loan put her at $250.

Marciel came to Kiva through Field Partner, Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), based in Bohol. In addition to providing credit for its clients, CEVI provides savings, insurance, and training through regular cluster group meetings.

The processes to register, to view profiles of borrowers and to actually make a loan were seamless. Kiva asks for lenders to "tip" them with each loan in order to help pay for the costs of providing infrastructure. This tip is optional. They do not take a piece of the loan as it goes directly to the borrower.

This service is a great way to get started in microfinance. Kiva makes it easy to select the sector focus of your loan - their featured loans are group loans, housing loans and agriculture loans. There are currently over 1300 loans available. Kiva provides a profile of the borrower, information on the Field Partner and the use and terms of the loan. All Field Partners are rated for their ability to cultivate and support borrowers.

This initiative is about giving a hand up to entrepreneurs working towards better lives for themselves, their families and their communities.

Bolder Giving: Great Teleconference with Diane Feeney

I participated in a teleconference call today sponsored by Bolder Giving and featuring Diane Feeney. Diane's father is Chuck Feeney, the co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers. Mr. Feeney donated his entire business interests to Atlantic Philanthropies and ensured that the foundation would pay-out in his lifetime. Diane and her family set up the French American Charitable Trust (FACT), to fund social justice causes in the U.S. and France. The foundation's focus is funding community organizations and grassroots groups, directly helping people and organizations who suffer from social inequality.

Influenced by her father, Diane guided her family's foundation to pay-out assets in her lifetime. After having donated $54 million to social justices causes, FACT will soon close its doors.

The call was hosted by Anne Ellinger, co-founder of Bolder Giving. The mission of Bolder Giving is to inspire and support people to give at their full potential. Diane described the conversation she and her family had to decide to pay-out the assets of the foundation. She talked about how surprised she was at the 5% minimum pay-out requirement of U.S. foundations AND the fact that the 5% has in some instances turned into a cap. Diane fully believes in the "giving while living" philosophy. Her family made the decision for two reasons: First, they wanted to apply as much money to their programs of interest and second it was a great way for the family to come together and they did not want to open it to the next generation.

The foundation is currently in the process of closing. Anne asked Diane about whether the family will stay connected despite not having the foundation. Diane responded by saying that the process has been positive and actually brought her family together. She is going on to start a giving program with her sister once the foundation is fully closed. Diane is personally interested in women's economic development and it will be the focus her future work.

One of the attendees asked Diane about her own identity once the foundation is closed. The fact that she has found her next step and still has her own personal giving has helped her, but she believes it is important to not solely identify with the donor part of one's self.

Another attendee asked about the impact of closing the foundation on their grantees. They funded about 30 organizations each year over 10-15 years. They informed the grantees 4 years ago about their plans to pay-out the assets of the foundation. They shifted their grant focus a bit and ensured that the grantees had fundraising plans in place. They made two-year grants to help grantees diversify and strengthen their fundraising capacity and capabilities.

I turned the conversation towards impact investing. Diane's foundation did not make many investments, but she does see value in aligning investing with the mission and supporting overall grantmaking.

It is always interesting to hear a person's story and experiences. It was an inspiring conversation taking a different look at the level of gifting, the timing of pay-out and the fundamental philosophies which guide gifting.

Night Out With Meaning, May 4, 2011

Thank you to those who attended Night Out With Meaning on May 4, 2011. A special thank you to Marjorie Margolies for sharing her story! I received many emails of gratitude for the opportunity to hear Marjorie's story and be surrounded by thoughtful women.

Marjorie weaved her experiences as Congresswoman, broadcast journalist, adoptive mother, Director and Deputy Chair of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference On Women and her recent role as founder and president of Women's Campaign International - a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing participation of women in political, market and civic process in 20 countries.

I received a request to create a Facebook Group to better connect with other women in the room and to continue the conversation. Here is the link to join: Night Out With Meaning.

I look forward to inviting people to the next Night Out in November 2011!

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal: Spring Edition

The Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal edition “Innovations in Education” featuring over 50 local, regional, and national authors/experts, will be released on April 7 after their public launch in partnership with Young Involved Philadelphia at WHYY at 5:30. RSVP now! Invitation Link.

If you want to receive the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal Editions please subscribe by going to this link.

This edition of the Journal also features a new columnist...ME! There is much happening in the world of philanthropy. There is a wider emphasis on strategy and a greater focus on impact. The notion of using today’s money to solve today’s problems is becoming more accepted. And the infrastructure to support the transfer of capital to social and environmental causes is changing dramatically. I will explore these topics and more in a regular column for the Journal focusing on philanthropy.

Japan and Catastrophic Gifting

We've all been captivated and struck by the devastation in Japan. Glued to our televisions and computers we can't help but watch and read the many stories of destruction, humanity, science, and faith. There are so many calls for donations to nonprofit organizations to provide humanitarian and infrastructure support. I thought it would be good to remind everyone of some best practices as it relates to catastrophic gifting.

The Council on Foundations, in collaboration with the European Foundation Centre, published a post-9/11 guide called "Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations." The guide is a helpful resource in determining how to respond to disasters, whether they be natural or man made. Here is a summary of the guide's "Eight Principles of Disaster Management".

1. Do no harm. Make sure that the response isn't going to create more problems. Aid groups, more than anything, request cash rather than goods and services.

2. Stop, look & listen before taking action. Make sure that you understand the specifics of the disaster. While the immediate response to the disaster is gratifying, one lesson learned from 9/11 was that many aid decisions were made in haste and failed to take into account long-term needs.

3. Don't act in isolation. Coordinate efforts with other groups.

4. Think beyond the immediate crisis to the long-term. What will be needed in six months? A year?

5. Bear in mind the expertise of local organizations. Some of the most effective global aid organizations have longstanding relationships with local leaders and NGOs in the affected countries that have enabled them to respond quickly and effectively to the crisis.

6. Find out how prospective grantees operate. Know what approach you are supporting before you make a grant.

7. Be accountable to those you are trying to help. In addition to internal accountability- determining if the grant was spent as it was supposed to be by the recipient organization- funders need to also engage their grantees in a process that assesses social impact.

8. Communicate your work widely, and use it as an educational tool. Share your experience with boards, other grantmakers, the media, community groups, public officials and international organizations.

I also just read a great summary from Guidestar as it relates to catastrophic gifting and have included a link here. They call it their "Tips to Giving to Disaster Relief and Recovery."

The best piece of advice when gifting during a catastrophy is to research the organization and make sure the gift is restricted to the disaster for which you are supporting.

Some nice press

harp-weaver LLC was just featured in Chestnut Hill magazine, Life on the Hill. It provides a good overview of services provided and bit about the path that got me here. The article starts on page 39. I would welcome feedback and comments! Here is the link.

ImpactBase

ImpactBase is a new online search tool, created to bring greater information and efficiency to the marketplace for impact investing funds.

The database provides investors, funds, foundations, family offices and other wealth amangers an efficient and organized mechanism for finding the information needed for the impact investing. Users can search for funds that may fit with their impact investment interests and objectives. It is a global platform which allows users to search across asset classes, impact themes, geographic targets, fundraising status, assets under management, and other parameters. Fund managers are able to upload information about their fund(s) and gain some exposure to a community of interested investors and the advisors who serve them.

This is a much needed component to building out the infrastructure to support iimpact investing as an asset class. Check out ImpactBase.

Valentine's Day...Love Shared

Today is Valentine's Day. It is a day meant to celebrate love shared. On this Valentine's Day I write about loved shared between two sisters - Abigail and Aimee Sandler.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story today on the front page of the Health section. Written by Stacey Burling, the story is about Aimee's Bulletin, which is inspired by the life of Aimee Sandler. This law took effect because of the love and dedication of her sister, Abigail.

Aimee was mentally disabled living in group-home. She got very sick in 2006 and that set off a conflict between Aimee's family and the home's administrators. It was then that Abigail raised the question as to who has legal say if families disagree with care providers.

Aimee's Bulletin clarifies how Pennsylvania laws affect decision-making for group-home residents near death who can't make choices. Abigail fought tirelessly for this and since Aimee's Bulletin has been signed she is dedicated to spreading the word to families that the Bulletin exists and that they have the ability to make decisions for their loved ones.

The Philadelphia Inquirer story can be read here.

Night Out With Meaning: Building a Family

Last night I hosted Night Out With Meaning; a series of evenings for women to be inspired by the stories of women like Sue Badeau.

Surrounded by 35 women, Sue told her family's story through pictures and metaphors. She shared her experiences of adoption, foster care, and the unlikely, but powerful decision to welcome 3 terminally ill children into her family. It was an emotional and inspirational evening. Night Out With Meaning is about learning, connecting and reflecting.

Sue gave each of us a shell and talked about its imperfections and beauty a wonderful metaphor for her 22 children as she told a story about each of them. I have been thinking about her family's journey and their unexpected destination. I have been thinking about choices and fate. I have been thinking about permanence and what a lovely concept it is. I have taken that concept of a permanent family for granted. I have been thinking about unconditional love. One of the biggest takeaways for me hearing Sue's story is that when she encountered something she didn't think was right, she listened to her call to action. Thank you, Sue and thank you to Chelsea, Joelle, SueAnn, Florinda, and Renee. More information on the Badeau family can be found at www.badeaufamily.com.

Consider this an early invitation to you and a friend for the next Night Out With Meaning held on May 12, 2011. The topic of interest is "Empowering Women". I have lined up a truly interesting woman to talk about her journey which started with being the first single, American woman to adopt internationally. Marjorie Margolies joins as our storyteller. She is founder of Women's Campaign International (WCI). Marjorie started WCI in 1998 to help increase the participation of women in political and democratic processes around the world "to make sure there were more women at the table." Marjorie is an Emmy winning journalist, a former Congresswoman, an advocate for women, and a teacher.

"Productizing" Social Impact Investing

I have been researching and meeting with people involved in social impact investing and I am convinced that this emerging asset class is about to take-off. Social impact investing aims to solve social or environmental problems while generating financial profit. These investments in social enterprises come in many forms – but what has been typical is a private equity structure. The investments range from producing a return of principal capital to offering market-rate or even market-beating financial returns.

A growing number of individuals, families, foundations and pensions believe that the assets set aside for investment should be invested in such a way that supports and complements their philanthropic work and values.

There are organizations and companies in the field who are taking steps to add some infrastructure so that this investment opportunity can be more readily consumed.

Investors Circle is a network of social impact investors who collaborate on deals. They are making strides in adding some infrastructure to this growing segment of the market.

Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) is in the process of creating a data engine that contrasts - and quantifies - the tangible social benefits of these investing opportunities in addition to a more traditional benchmark to gauge financial return. The data engine is set to launch in February.

There is also BLab, which is a Philadelphia-based organization supporting the emergence of the B Corp - B stands for Benefit - this is a formal structure for a social enterprise.

In November of last year, JP Morgan, Rockefeller Foundation and GIIN produced a report called: Impact Investments: An emerging asset class. The report estimates significant market opportunity for impact investment over the next ten years. After analyzing selected segments of five sectors - urban affordable housing, rural access to clean water, maternal health, primary education, and microfinance - serving the population at the "base of the economic pyramid," the authors identify a potential profit opportunity between $183 and $667 billion and a potential investment opportunity between $400 billion and $1 trillion in the next decade for just these segments of the impact investing market.

This is real innovation in philanthropy and something to keep an eye on as the infrastructure continues to grow.

Next Billion

I love to explore. I love seeing where one Google search takes me. I love how watching one TED talk by the founder of the Acumen Fund, Jacqueline Novogratz, leads me to find NextBillion.net. In their words, Next Billion is a website and blog bringing together the community of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise. It is a discussion forum, networking space and knowledge base for individuals and organizations interested in the "next billion". Their goal is to highlight the development and implementation of business strategies that open opportunities and improve the lives of the world's approximately 4 billion low-income producers and consumers.

Next Billion bases itself on creating business models that engage low income communities as producers and consumers. While development aid and political reform are essential components in poverty eradication, successful business models can sometimes tackle development challenges more quickly and effectively than government and aid mechanisms.

Next Billion uses the term BoP, an acronym for "base of the (economic) pyramid." This term was first introduced by Professors C.K. Prahalad and Stuart Hart in their 2002 article, "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid." It has come to designate not the poverty but the potential of the world's poorest citizens as entrepreneurs, employees and discerning consumers. It also refers to the approximately four billion people whose incomes are less than $3000 per year (PPP), based on analysis done at the World Resources Institute.

The site has a blog, research, news and career links all related to this idea of
bringing smart enterprise to low income communities so that they become self-sustaining. I have tagged this site on delicious and am following it on LinkedIn and Twitter. Seems like a great resource.

Night Out With Meaning: Women & Giving

I am thrilled to talk about and promote Night Out With Meaning: Women & Giving; a series of evenings for women to be inspired by the stories of women.

Held at The Philadelphia Cricket Club in February, May and November, each Night Out With Meaning focuses on a topic and features a wonderful storyteller. Night Out With Meaning is for women to connect with others, to learn from extraordinary women through their stories, and to find meaning in personal giving.

Come to one or all of the Nights Out With Meaning and invite a friend so you can continue the conversation!

The second Night Out With Meaning will be held on February 10th at 6:30pm. The topic is "Buidling a Family." Sue Badeau joins as our storyteller. Sue has been working as a child welfare professional for over thirty years. Sue sees a world where every child, regardless of the circumstances or place of birth, race religion, ability or disability has an opportunity to grow strong, deep roots with a family.

The cost of Night Out With Meaning is $65 for dinner including two glasses of wine. To register and pay, go to the Night Out With Meaning page on the harp-weaver website.

Night Out With Meaning is hosted by harp-weaver the firm I recently founded to help individuals and families with their personal giving. I look forward to sharing the Night Out With Meaning with you!