Gregg Behr, The Grable Foundation

Gregg Behr is the Executive Director of the Grable Foundation, based in Pittsburgh, PA, helping to advance high-quality early childhood education, improved teaching and learning in public schools, and robust out-of-school time support. In this interview, he discusses this family foundation's grantmaking practices, the importance of being very present in the community, and responsive to the community leaders, and the need to get back to the basics with respect to effective grantmaking. We also discuss the unique characteristics of the Pittsburgh community, and how philanthrophy has been a true driver of change in the city over the past few decades. 

Caroline Whistler, Third Sector Capital Partners

Caroline Whistler is a Co-Founder of Third Sector Capital, and leads the San Francisco Office. Third Sector serves as a trusted advisor that leads governments, high-performing nonprofits, and funders in building collaborative Pay For Success initiatives. They are shifting the paradigm of how governments contract social services.  They are leveraging private capital, saving government and taxpayer dollars, and connecting performance outcomes to actual, measurable social returns.

In this interview, Caroline provides a clear and in-depth look at the Pay For Success field, what they have achieved thus far, and what can be accomplished in the future. This is a helpful primer for anyone who is trying to learn more on the PFS subject. Caroline's energy and passion about Pay for Success is infectious! 

Rick Williams, Sobrato Family Foundation

Rick Williams is the CEO of Sobrato Family Foundation, which is focused on supporting the Silicon Valley region. In his role, Rick helps lead the members of the foundation through a priority setting process and strategic planning around their philanthropic investments. Rick discusses the unique qualities of working in Silicon Valley, how they are responding to the community, and how they are trying to build a thriving nonprofit sector through innovation, impact, and partnerships. He also addresses the challenges and opportunities in alleviating poverty and creating more economoic opportunity for communities.  

Dr. Emily Gustafsson-Wright on the Potential of Social Impact Bonds

Dr. Emily Gustafsson-Wright is a fellow at the Brookings Institution. She helped publish a report in summer 2015 with some of her colleagues entitled "The Potential and Limitations of Social Impact Bonds: Lessons From The First 5 Years of Experience Worldwide." Here we discuss exactly what a Social Impact Bond is, how it functions, and its potential ramifications for funding social service projects in the future. SIBs have only been around for 5 years, but they are already gaining a lot of attention, with potential investors ready to get involved in the game. So it is important to analyze what is working and what needs to be improved for the future. 

Carrie Morgridge, The Morgridge Foundation

As Vice President of The Morgridge Family Foundation, Carrie Morgridge has learned what works and what doesn't when it comes to giving. She argues that in order to ensure meaningful and lasting change, a gift must be more than simply a grant of money. The giver must assess whether the program is the right fit, work hand-in-hand with the key leaders on strategy, develop a plan for making the endeavor sustainable, and ensure that their gift can be leveraged to have a bigger impact on the community. By sharing real-life stories of how this hands-on approach to giving has transformed lives including her own, Morgridge inspires others to believe that they can also make a difference in their community, no matter the size of their gift. The most important message is that we all get involved in some way. This is an inspirational and informative conversation

Kathy LeMay on Putting Humanity in Philanthropy

Kathy LeMay is the founder, President, and CEO of Raising Change, an organization that raises capital to advance social change agendas and increase philanthropic Participation.  Today she joins Philanthropy Hour to discuss the movement of humanity in philanthropy. She shares how her Generosity Plan helps steer individual givers towards finding their inner-inspiration and purpose. Everybody has the power to become a philanthropist. We must all "do what we can, with what we have, where we are." Kathy shares her own experiences of working with the victims of rape and genocide in war-torn Yugoslavia. She uses that experience to teach others that we all have an issue that motivates and drives us, and we can all put our talents to good use to make a difference. The act of philanthropy is more than just giving money, it is about becoming a more humane and connected person.  It is a powerful message. 

Lisa Duran of Grassroots Grantmakers and Erin Barnes of ioby on Place-Based Grantmaking and Community Action

Lisa Duran is the Executive Director of Grassroots Grantmakers in Denver, CO. Erin Barnes is a co-founder of ioby (In Our Backyard) in NYC. Together, they discuss models for community grantmaking, and empowering local citizens to take action within their own communities. This is a highly relational form of grantmaking, highly personal, and highly intimate, where people are taking action on issues that they are passionate about in their own backyards. The transformative effect that the micro-level initiatives have is felt on the communications, on local governmental agencies, and on the citizens, who feel empowered to create change. This hyper-local philanthropy is sparking a movement across the country, where the best examples of making change happen is on our city streets. Listen to these leaders discuss the dynamics of community grantmaking, as well as the upcoming On The Ground event taking place this year in Brooklyn on October 12- 15.

Carl Terzian on the Value of Relationships and Service

Carl Terzian has run Carl Terzian Associates PR Firm for over 46 years, which has grown to one of the largest boutique agencies in the country.  Today he reflects on his own life and successful career. He explains the networking model that makes his PR firm unique, the front and backside of the business card, the value of service to others, and the importance of networking and creating meaningful relationships. He discusses leadership, philanthropy, and supporting the nonprofit community. He demonstrates that a person's career is more than just a resume or a business card, it is a reflection of their values and belief system. Carl is truly an embodiment of the phrase "doing well by doing good." This interview is a good summary of Carl's work and mission. 

T.J. Cook of CauseLabs on Using Technology to Improve Humanity

As the CEO of CauseLabs, TJ Cook explains how technology can save the world by re-connecting us to the human element. Before you can solve anybody's problems, you must first gain a deeper understanding of the people you work with, their culture, environment, and challenges. TJ explains that the designers and strategists of CauseLabs are doing more than just building technological platforms, they are bridging relationships. They are acting as partners in this shared journey towards improving lives and repairing the world. CauseLabs is truly a tool for social impact. 

Jerr Boschee and the Passion of Social Entrepreneurs

Jerr Boschee is a pioneer in the field of social enterprise. He is the author or editor of six books, including Boschee on Marketing, The Social Enterprise Sourcebook, and the award-winning Migrating from Innovation to Entrepreneurship: How Nonprofits are Moving toward Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency.

In this encompassing podcast, Jerr discusses the social enterprise field, the difference between social enterprise and social innovation, and what constitutes a successful social entrepreneur. He touches on many different subjects that he has addressed throughout his career, including the problems with nonprofit organizations, innovations in the private sector, and why the millennial generation is so well equipped to become great innovators and leaders. Jerr reflects on his career, the state of the sector as it now, and why he is excited for the future. This is a really wonderful conversation. 

Kevin Lynch on a Social Entrepreneur's Journey

Kevin Lynch offers a different take on the state of the social enterprise sector. He discusses some inherent issues in our capital system, which detracts from funding truly impactful nonprofit organizations. He addresses some of the confusion surrounding the emerging Benefit Corporation structure and the B Corp certification mark, and how it can adversely effect nonprofit funding. Kevin also explains the Privilege Economy, a subject of his previous essays, which ties into the Invisible Capital of the marketplace, and how it effects everything we do. 

Glen Galaich, The Philanthropy Workshop

As CEO of The Philanthropy Workshop, Glen Galaich discusses the workshop model for developing well-informed thoughts and frameworks for grantmaking. He explains the TPW model in depth, while providing his own insights into philanthropy, what makes a good philanthropist, and the spectrum of giving. This is an excellent interview full of keen insights into the problems and solutions for social change.

 

 

Kate Otto, The Everyday Ambassador

Kate Otto is the founder of the Everyday Ambassador movement, and author of the book by the same name. Her experiences both in global and in local health services have given her a breadth of knowledge on a broad range of subjects. She is a great resource for the issues of the day, and how to address some of the world's most complex problems. In this interview, Kate discusses the Everyday Ambassador movement, the importance of human connection, and every individual's ability to express our own humanity and grace. Check it out! 

Sara Konrath on Empathy and Altruism

Dr. Sara Konrath directs the Interdisciplinary Program on Empathy and Altruism - or iPear - a research lab which focuses on empathy and related traits. In this interview, Dr. Konrath discusses her research, specifically on how empathy corresponds with philanthropy and charitable giving. It is an interesting look at how donors connect with organizations, how we can increase giving in the future, and inspire a higher level of empathy. 

Rusty Stahl and the Talent Philanthropy Project

Rusty Stahl is the Founder and CEO of Talent Philanthropy Project, an organization committed to inspiring Foundation and grantmakers to fund and nurture developing talent and leadership in the nonprofit field. He is helping to build a movement around talent investing. Today, Rusty joins us to talk about the deficit of talent investing, and how grantmakers can leverage the impact of their philanthropic dollars by supporting and nurturing the community of change makers and social leaders.  

Michelle Greanias on Grants Management

Michelle Greanias joins the Philanthropy Hour today to talk about the Grants Mangers Network, the importance of effective grantmaking, and what organizations can do to improve their practices. This is a different side of philanthropy that we don't explored often, but an effective grant management system and administrative functions is equally important to good philanthropy as anything else. This is a really informative interview. 

Jed Emerson on Impact Assets and Blended Value

As a thought leader and author on many books dedicated to Impact Investing and value creation, Jed Emerson has extensive experience leading, staffing and advising funds, firms, social ventures and foundations pursuing financial performance with social/environmental impact. In this incredibly informative interview, Jed discusses ways to improve traditional investment and performance metrics with a broader focus on social impact goals and blended value. He talks about the ways that they are currently applied, and what the future holds for impact investing.  This is a can't miss interview!

Paul Vandeventer, Community Partners on Civic Engagement

Paul Vandeventer is actively involved in many various civic initiatives in the Los Angeles region, specifically in the collaboration of social agencies, philanthropic foundations, corporations, and governmental agencies.  He actively promotes a holistic model of engagement, and the need to engage all stakeholders around a shared clarity of purpose. He writes and speaks extensively on networks, partnerships, and civic engagement.  In this interview, he addresses those very issues, and particularly how they relate to the Los Angeles region. 

Katie Kerr on B Lab and B Corporations

Katie Kerr, Director of Communications for B Lab, discusses exactly what a B Corporation is, how companies can gain certification through the B Impact Assessment, and how a generation of social entrepreneurs is using business as a force for good in the world. B Corp certification is to sustainable business what LEED certification is to green building or Fair Trade certification is to coffee. Today, there is a growing community of over 1,000 Certified B Corps from more than 30 countries and 60 industries working together toward 1 unifying goal: to use business as a force for social good.