Philanthropy Conference
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On November 16, the Yale School of Management Net Impact Club presented the third annual Philanthropy Conference. Conference co-chairs, Seanne Hanke and Sheryl Linsky, both of the class of 2009, did an admirable job of organizing this year’s conference, which attracted an audience of approximately 80 students and professionals.
Dean Podolny kicked off the day with remarks that firmly established the tie between the conference and SOM’s mission to educate leaders for business and society.
Opening speaker Courtney Bourns from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) introduced discussion on the conference theme, “Achieving Effectiveness in Philanthropy.†While it is normally the role of funders to demand more accountability from grantees, GEO analyzes how funders themselves can change their practices and evaluate themselves to better support the effectiveness of their grantees and thus to enable more positive change. Ms. Bourns description of GEO’s findings was a fitting start to the day of thought-provoking discussion.
Seven panels covered topics such as innovative models for philanthropy, funder/grantee relationships, and measuring impact. SOM alumni played prominent roles. Tim Walter, SOM’90, and Renee Jacob, SOM’00, were featured panelists, while Nancy Raybin, SOM’79, Michela English, SOM’79, and Cheryl Casciani, SOM’88, ably moderated.
The theme of democratization of philanthropy, discussed in one of the morning panels, was picked up by the keynote speaker, Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org and Yale College Class of 1998 alumnus. DonorsChoose.org is an online nonprofit that allows people to donate directly toward the purchase of classroom materials needed by public school teachers. Mr. Best described DonorsChoose.org successful attempts to harness the power of the Internet to raise awareness about inequities in education and to encourage philanthropy among people who do not consider themselves to be philanthropists. Their Blogger Challenge is an innovative way that DonorsChoose.org has been able to reach the “long tail†of values connected individuals. With a personal style and manner more befitting an online mogul than a nonprofit executive, Mr. Best confided that DonorsChoose.org — while the darling of Internet-entrepreneur philanthropists like Jeff Skoll and Bezos — has been less than successful at attracting the attention of more traditional foundations. A lively discussion ensued between Mr. Best and the audience.
Please visit the conference website to read more about the panel discussions and to get involved in next year’s event.
United Way of America, located in Alexandria, VA, is the national office of United Way. I worked in the Diversity and Inclusion department, focusing on best practices. I conducted a review of current best practices in diversity and inclusion in the private sector. I used a framework based on best practices to analyze internal human capital survey data and then highlight the key findings on diversity within the system. Using these findings, I provided recommendations on strategies to advance the organization’s diversity plan. I also identified areas for improvement of the content and imagery of the United Way’s website and recommended ways to better reflect the organization’s commitment to diversity. Additionally, I interviewed United Way and university career office staff as well as college students to develop a college recruitment strategy to attract a more diverse cohort of graduates.
My work over the summer dealt with knowledge management and training opportunities offered to local United Way organizations throughout the US. My primary deliverable involved marketing analysis of existing training opportunities through interviews with the field, focus groups, review of UWA course evaluations, and analysis of registration trends. My recommendations were presented to the senior leadership team of the United Way, and have shaped the organization’s 2008 learning and training strategies.
This summer I worked at Bank of America in the Corporate Philanthropy Department. The bank gives $200 million dollars to charity every year, yet no one knows about it! I was asked to develop a communications plan for the bank’s philanthropic efforts for internal and external audiences. I helped develop a value proposition, messaging, and marketing materials to be distributed through the local banking centers. I also helped the department strategize about ways to measure social impact. I loved learning more about how private corporations make their philanthropic decisions and I enjoyed my research on the competitive advantage of philanthropic giving.
This summer I worked at Echoing Green, a social Venture Capital fund that invests in entrepreneurial organizations with a social mission. As an intern in the strategy department, I worked on Echoing Green’s strategic plan, and also helped it evaluate the impact of its investments. The staff was great and gave me free reign to “create my own experience,†but I also really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about social entrepreneurship and investing.
The Pittsburgh Foundation is the 14th largest community foundation in the United States with over $750 million in assets under management. The Foundation supports a variety of programs in arts, education, and economic development, among other areas, with funds from over 1,000 individual trusts. As an Executive Intern, I evaluated the Foundation’s medical research grantmaking, which comprises 8% of the Foundation’s annual giving, and provided recommendations for grant administration to the Board of Directors. Through extensive internal research, field studies, and interviews, I evaluated the program’s cost effectiveness, community impact, and sustainability. I presented my analysis and recommendations to the Foundation’s Executive Team, who reviewed the material and submitted my findings to the Program & Policy Committee of the Board of Directors. The Committee will decide how to proceed with the program area, largely based on my research, at their quarterly meeting in October. I also researched board governance and strategic planning issues that guided the Board’s review of its bylaws at the annual retreat in August. Finally, I drafted a Statement of Purpose for the Knowledge Management Subcommittee of the Council on Foundations, on behalf of the Chairperson of the Subcommittee, the Foundation’s Executive Vice President.
This summer I interned at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, where I created a marketing plan for increasing engagement with owners of donor-advised funds. The Community Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country, serving a 20-town region that encompasses diverse cultures, histories, and communities with a variety of needs. With their board-mandated mission of increasing philanthropy in the Greater New Haven region, The Community Foundation is looking for novel and effective ways to reach out to community members. I researched the history of donor-advised funds, what other community foundations are doing in terms of their donor-advised funds, and compared these models to what The Community Foundation is currently using to serve their donors. Blending in my past Development experience, I offered suggestions on how to improve their program, with timelines for the implementation process, and measures in how to evaluate their progress. I presented my work to the Senior Management Team, and have been asked to return to give a presentation to the entire staff.
The 2006 Future of Philanthropy Conference was a full-day series of speaker panels which exposed students to executives with unique perspectives on innovations in philanthropy.