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This is the final of four blog posts from Joan Kasprowicz and Diana Katz, co-founders of the Giving Circle of HOPE (GCH) at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, celebrating its 10th anniversary this season.Word spread that the organization funded by the GCH was operating with a new automated volunteer management program. Questions arose. “Why can’t we expand the use of this application to all the organizations that provide volunteer rides? How about the Elder Villages that are sprouting all over the County? They could use this too!”
This is the third of four blog posts from Joan Kasprowicz and Diana Katz, co-founders of the Giving Circle of HOPE at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, celebrating its 10th anniversary this season.Once philanthropists cross the line into strategic philanthropy, it is truly a transformation. They acquire a panoramic view of the needs in the community and of the organizations that are working to meet those needs. Many nonprofits are so focused on their mission and so overworked; they do not see the connections that they can make, the gaps in service that may exist, or even the new technologies that they can use. Many times, the GCH can.
This is the second of four blog posts from Joan Kasprowicz and Diana Katz, co-founders of the Giving Circle of HOPE at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, celebrating its 10th anniversary this season.During the early years (2004-2006) of the Giving Circle of HOPE, the Human Services Coalition of Fairfax County morphed into the nonprofit coalition NonProfit NoVA, an affiliate of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. The GCH joined that coalition with the intention of learning even more about the nonprofit world that we were funding and the service projects that we were supporting. The relationships we built there were instrumental in giving us valuable insights into the potential impact of our giving.
This is the first of four blog posts from Joan Kasprowicz and Diana Katz, co-founders of the Giving Circle of HOPE at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, celebrating its 10th anniversary this season.In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a buzz about a new trend in philanthropy: collective giving. It was best exemplified by giving circles: groups (mostly women) who pooled their money and decided together how to give it away. They were at their core grant-making groups that were grassroots in nature. Giving circles caught the attention of researchers and foundations because they increased the donor pool and were contributing to the tune of $100M a year to philanthropic causes!
The Giving Circle of Hope (GCH) was one of those giving circles, a small group of like-minded friends who wanted to make a difference. Formally launched in 2004, the GCH had as its mission to “help people in need in Northern Virginia,” with goals to increase volunteerism and philanthropic giving, build community, encourage self-sufficiency, and to build a network that is a catalyst for positive change. The latter turned out to be a prophetic choice of words.
This is the third post reviewing the book ”Why Philanthropy Matters: How the Wealthy Give, and What It Means for Our Economic Well-Being” by Zoltan J. Acs (Princeton University Press 2013)In “Why Philanthropy Matters”, Zolton Acs explains how American style capitalism has developed, evolved, and fueled philanthropy. He describes the history and evolution of American capitalism, from the masters of commerce in colonial America, to the industrial revolution of the late 19th century, to the “managerial economy” of the early and mid-20th century, to the “entrepreneurial economy” of today. In doing so, Acs answers the question “Why did the information revolution happen in the US?” The short answer is this:
This is the second post reviewing the book ”Why Philanthropy Matters: How the Wealthy Give, and What It Means for Our Economic Well-Being” by Zoltan J. Acs (Princeton University Press 2013)A core idea from ”Why Philanthropy Matters” is that the classic arc of American capitalism starts with opportunity. Only then does it move to entrepreneurship and innovation, wealth creation, and ultimately philanthropy. This cycle of American-style capitalism has endured for centuries. Acs is fascinated with the question of why does capitalism flourish here? He believes it is because American policies, laws, and societal structures have not only made it possible but encouraged it. Indeed, our institutions are fundamentally different from the rest of the world in this regard.
This is the first post reviewing the book ”Why Philanthropy Matters: How the Wealthy Give, and What It Means for Our Economic Well-Being” by Zoltan J. Acs (Princeton University Press 2013)Zolton J. Acs makes a persuasive and scholarly case that American philanthropy is essential to American-style capitalism because it continuously revitalizes our economy and invests in the middle class.
Acs has spent a considerable portion of his professional career studying entrepreneurship in the US and Europe and has the ammunition to back up this theory with good evidence. He starts with a discussion of the Giving Pledge, reprinting word for word several pledge letters written by such philanthropists as David Rubenstein, Peter Peterson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett, George Kaiser, and David Rockefeller. One of the primary repeating themes you find in those letters is at the core of Acs’ book – the idea that philanthropy is intended by those who engage in it to create new opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs, and in doing so, becomes essential fuel for American capitalism.
This is the second and final post on “Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity” by John Kania and Mark R. Kramer from the January 21, 2013 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review.Generally speaking, community based nonprofits fight an uphill battle. From their perspective, there are never enough resources or opportunity. They must relentlessly prove the value of their isolated impact to potential donors in order to win funding in the first place. And more often than not, they act alone.
Enter “collective impact,” stage right. According to Kania and Kramer, cross sector collaborations are discovering something rather unexpected. From the perspective of the collaborative, there are enough resources, opportunities, and solutions to achieve real, lasting change. And here is why:
This is the first of two blog posts on a recent article in Stanford Social Innovation Review entitled “Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity” by John Kania and Mark Kramer of FSG.Since their important article in the spring 2011 issue of Stamford Social Innovation Review on collective impact, John Kania and Mark Kramer of FSG have further clarified the elements of successful cross-sector coalitions addressing complex social issues. In this most recent article on the topic, Kania and Kramer focus on one such element in particular: Emergence.
Today’s guest post comes to you from Elizabeth Murphy, president of Leadership Fairfax.I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership in effective philanthropy in this fast-changing world. Who is showing us the way in terms of personal giving?
In the DC area, we don’t have to look far to find philanthropist David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group. He has done tremendous and effective giving in our area – notable examples include the National Archives, the Kennedy Center (he funded the new organ in the Concert Hall and an expansion to the building), the National Park Service for the restoration of the Washington Monument after the earthquake, and to the Smithsonian. I’m impressed by the specificity of his gifts, and by his quick and enthusiastic nature – he clearly loves giving his money away, and I love hearing what his latest project is going to be. The institutions that have been the recipient of his largess are surely fortunate, and, no doubt, there are hundreds more waiting for his return phone call.
