Impact Investing

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Marie LeBlanc

By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator

This week, the Nonprofit Quarterly published an article about the Council on Foundations’ new CEO, Vikki Spruill, and her official introduction to the organization. NPQ’s Rick Cohen discusses a few key points of Spruill’s statement, including her “upbeat perspective on the societal significance of philanthropic innovation” and the need for philanthropy to assess its own value in the large society. However, Cohen also points out that “she [Spruill] and her colleagues have to remember that the vehicle for the delivery of philanthropy’s collective value is the nonprofit sector.”

How do the philanthropy and nonprofit sectors work collaboratively to achieve the goals mentioned by Spruill, and act as “investors, innovators, leaders, and partners” in society? As a bridge between these communities, the Catalogue for Philanthropy aims to increase the connections between (primarily) individual philanthropists in the Washington area and the regional nonprofits that most need their support. We use the moniker Catalogue for Philanthropy, but our main ‘clients’ are nonprofits. We recognize that small nonprofits in the area often do the most innovative, important, and thankless work, and yet also have a difficult time connecting with individuals who share their vision.

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Teaming Up: Black Benefactors & the Catalogue (Part II)

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Spur Local

By Tracey Webb, Founder, The Black Benefactors

In January, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation published the report, “Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color,” which confirmed something that I already knew: African Americans are more inclined to give than other races. I know this because philanthropy and charitable giving have been mainstays of the African American community for centuries.

In my previous GoodWorks post, I shared how my giving circle, The Black Benefactors, used the Catalogue to identify a grantee for our Black History Month grant awards. In doing so, I learned that we were in the minority. Although many of the nonprofits featured in the Catalogue serve low-income and under-represented communities — often which include African Americans — the majority of donors who use the Catalogue to identify nonprofits to support in the DC region are white. With the help of The Black Benefactors, I hope this will change.

Now that we know African Americans are more likely to give, there are two issues that are essential: ensuring that our giving is strategic to achieve maximum impact, and making sure that we’re represented as volunteers and board members with nonprofits that serve communities of color. It’s important that the clientele served by nonprofits see staff, volunteers, and board members who look like them. The Catalogue is an ideal vehicle to address these issues.

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New Ownership

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Julia Cain

Last week, we linked to several lessons on philanthropic work offered up by Katie Couric of ABC News and Ann Friedman of the SEED Foundation (among other women leaders) in The Atlantic. This week, MSNBC reports that “Women exert new influence on philanthropy:”

“Women are taking ownership,” said Andrea Pactor, associate director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University, which has found that female-headed households are more likely to give to charity than male-headed households; and that in nearly all income groups women give more than men.

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In The News …

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Julia Cain

Do Schools Challenge Our Students: What Student Surveys Tell Us About the State of Education in the United States (Center for American Progress): “Consider, for instance, that 37 percent of fourth-graders say that their math work is too easy. More than a third of high-school seniors report that they hardly ever write about what they read in class [… and] 72 percent of eighth-grade science students say they aren’t being taught engineering and technology.” Moreover, “students from disadvantaged background are less likely to have access to more rigorous learning opportunities.” Read the full report right here and check out this interactive state-by-state map of student engagement.

Fairfax considers first charter school (Washington Post: Virginia Schools Insider): “More than 100 parents, teachers and activists turned out Tuesday night for an informational meeting about the Fairfax Leadership Academy, which would be the first charter school in Northern Virginia if it?s approved by the county school board in October […] Proponents of the Fairfax Leadership Academy say that the charter school model, which allows for more flexibility and experimentation than a traditional public school, will give the county a new way to attack that stubborn [achievement] gap.” We talked about the approval of the first Montgomery County charter school last July; what do you think about a new charter in Fairfax?

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Lessons Learned

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Julia Cain

From last week’s “Leading women offer lessons for work in philanthropy” in The Atlantic:

Katie Couric, special correspondent for ABC News and cancer advocate: “To really pour yourself into something, you have to be moved by it.”

Laurie Tisch, president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund: “The lesson I learned is about patience and about agreed upon measures of success … You’ve got to be flexible with grantees. They also have to be honest with you.”

Ann Friedman, board chair of the SEED Foundation: “I would make a plea, if you are on a board and you have a passion and you want to fund something … please also give unrestricted donations to that non-profit. It’s how they turn the lightbulbs on.”

What do you have to add, both for nonprofits and for those that support them?

In The News …

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Julia Cain

What’s Driving College Costs Higher? (WAMU): Just days before student loan rates are set to double for millions of Americans, President Obama and congressional leaders haven’t reached an agreement on legislation to keep those rates at 3.4 percent. The debate reflects the growing concern over the debt burden many take on to get a college education. About two-thirds of bachelor’s degree recipients borrow money to attend college, and collectively, student debt has topped $1 trillion […] The average college senior in the U.S. now carries $25,000 in student loan debt at graduation. Those figures rise when graduate degrees are figured into the equation.” We’ve written about the briefing at the White House on College Affordability before and highlighted some of our nonprofits that are dedicated to college affordability. What needs to improve besides interest rates?

County officials, nonprofits fear domestic violence funding cut due to Congressional gridlock (Gazette): “Prince George’s County officials and advocates for domestic violence victims said they are worried that gridlock in Congress could jeopardize essential services to victims and their families […] nonprofit and government organizations in Prince George’s County received $4 million in VAWA funding last year, through a total of 91 federal grants.” County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks says that “the largest impact will be to the outreach and support efforts for victims, particularly in the Latino community.” You can learn about, and support, nonprofits in Prince George’s right here.

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Teaming Up: Black Benefactors & The Catalogue

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Spur Local

By Tracey Webb, Founder, The Black Benefactors

During a recent convening in Washington, DC that focused on issues impacting the black community, a panelist stated, “Black people are more philanthropic than other communities, but we’re not strategically philanthropic.” After reading that comment on Twitter, I thought back to the many conversations I’ve had with my peers who echo the same sentiment. As the founder of The Black Benefactors, a giving circle that provides grants and support to nonprofits that serve the African American community in the DC region, I hope that my giving circle will address this issue, and to date, we have.

How we give back is simple: Members pool our monies and time, and then we decide collectively where to give them away. Since 2007, we’ve granted $11,500 to six organizations that provide mentoring, youth development, college readiness and the arts. Research has shown that members of giving circles give more, give more strategically, and are more engaged in their communities. Specifically, research found that giving circle members are more likely to conduct research to help decide which nonprofit to support, support general operating expenses in addition to or instead of specific programs, check organizational performance data, take into consideration cultural differences and race, class and/or gender when making funding decisions, and make multi-year gifts. These are all hallmarks of strategic giving, and we incorporate these practices into our own grantmaking. So how does the Catalogue for Philanthropy fit in to this?

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In The News …

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Julia Cain

DC hasn’t reached universal pre-K (Greater Greater Washington): “Just a few years after setting a goal of “universal” pre-kindergarten, DC education officials claim they reached it. But many parents are still getting turned away at their local schools. Do we really have universal pre-K? Local auditors and independent reports conclude that the answer is no. The problem is worst east of the Anacostia, but reaches all wards,” write Celine Tobal and Ken Archer. The audit finds that at least 50% of Pre-K programs in all Wards have waiting lists; Ward 5 is the lowest with 52%, while Wards 1 and 3 are around 88%. Wards 2 and 7’s current programs are both well over 100% capacity too.

75% of Young Adults Gave to Charity Last Year, Study Finds (Chronicle of Philanthropy): “… a new survey of more than 6,500 people ages 20 to 35 shows they are inclined to give and are more than willing to ask their friends and relatives to do the same when they feel passionately about a cause.” About 75% of those surveyed gave to a charity last year and 63% volunteered with a nonprofit in that time; the vast majority of those did their giving online. “What we found is that there is a continuum of involvement that starts with communicating, then moves on to volunteering and leadership roles,” says Angela White, chief executive of Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates. […] “They want real responsibilities and an opportunity to put their skills and expertise to work.”

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The Importance of a Story

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Marie LeBlanc

By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator

Sometimes, words on a page just aren’t enough. The Catalogue for Philanthropy exists to make connections between caring citizens and worthy community causes, and generally relies on the words and images of our print catalogue and website to accomplish that mission. However, sometimes even the most moving words and images don’t make the same impact as a face-to-face interaction. Yesterday, the staff of Catalogue’s Corporate Portal Partner Anybill had the opportunity to meet with a Catalogue nonprofit leader from the Dance Institute of Washington and hear about the organization’s work in person.

As the Catalogue continues to roll out the Corporate Portal (a work-place giving tool featuring the Catalogue’s community of “One of the Best” nonprofits), we’re planning speaking events with our nonprofits leaders to build excitement and energy around giving through the Portal. Anybill employees participated in our first Brown Bag Lunch event, which featured the Dance Institute’s Founder and Artistic Director Fabian Barnes. Hearing Fabian’s words about the impact of dance on his own life, as well as the lives of his students, made an impression on the staff of Anybill. Fabian’s own journey — “I went from being at-risk to being on the great stages of the world” — shows the positive impact that engagement in the arts can have on youth, and the importance of continuing to support arts programs for students.

The Corporate Portal and associated programming allows both companies and nonprofits to create more meaningful connections, benefiting both sides. Companies can identify a common cause around which to unite and support — increasing employee engagement and satisfaction. Nonprofits benefit from that support and the opportunity to develop a wider network of supporters — volunteers, board members or donors. We look forward to seeing the partnership between Anybill and DIW grow during the coming months!

The Catalogue encourages all nonprofits to take note of the impact of personal interactions with donors and other stakeholders — seek out those opportunities and take advantage of them to the max, reflecting about the best way to share your organization’s story and establish an emotional connection with your audience, whether one person or a hundred people.