Harnessing Your Power

One of the great things about my job as the facilitator of the Katherine Harvey Fellows is I get to hear fabulous community leaders speak and yesterday was no exception.

As someone who sits on the Board of Trustee for the Towbes Foundation and the Santa Barbara Foundation, Rob Skinner clearly fits into the category of being a philanthropist, but you might not consider him an Everyday Philanthropist.  However, his message to the group was astonishingly everyday: 

"Philanthropy isn't just about giving money, its being thoughtful about how you are going to be a catalyst for change and finding the things that energize you to be that catalyst. "

By harnessing your power to be a catalyst for change, it is no longer about how much money you can give, but about the number of people you can energize to make sure we live in an inclusive society, whatever the focus area you chose.

Rob gave the example of a school field trip where not all of the children can afford the price of the field trip.  Let's say it's the fifth grade four day trip many schools take to places like CIMI.  He said you could just reach into your pocket and help pay for the children who can't go  OR you can be energized to find a solution that eliminates this need on an ongoing basis for the school. Maybe you start an annual school wide fundraiser whose purpose is to provide scholarships to those kids who can't afford the camp and brings the school community together at the same time.

The message Rob left the group with really resonated with me because my philanthropic dollars don't go as far as I'd like, but I know I am an enthusiastic person and that I am good at finding ways to bring people into the causes I care about in a way that works for them.  I am also good at connecting people to opportunities I think they will care about thus providing them an avenue for harnessing their own power. I suddenly felt like a much bigger philanthropist!


TAKE-AWAYS:

• Where do you already harness your power by being a catalyst for change by energizing others?
• What other places could you harness your power by being a catalyst for change by energizing others?

Strategic Philanthropy for the Everyday Philanthropist

The Philanthropic Initiative considers Strategic Philanthropy a continuous cycle of assessment, strategy and implementation.  In other words, how do you go from feeling good to doing good and knowing you are?

Last week, Peter Karoff and I facilitated a panel on Strategic Philanthropy for our Katherine Harvey Fellows. Our panelists included Martha Harmon from the Santa Barbara Foundation, Laurel Anderson from Orfalea Foundation, and Erik Talkin from the Foodbank Santa Barbara County.  They did an amazing job of explaining how their organizations interpret and use strategic philanthropy.

This was high level, valuable insight being shared and it makes perfect sense for a grant maker, but what about everyday philanthropists?  I've spent the last week thinking about how everyday philanthropists can use the concept of strategic philanthropy.

One of the central ideas that came out of this session was the importance of identifying gaps in addressing community needs. But, identify the gap isn't enough.  How do you know it's a gap worth investing in?  Our panelists explained things they looked for in addition to the gap such as:

• leadership
• cross sector involvement (nonprofits, government, private corportions)
• political will
• solvability
• measurability
• community interest

This week also happened to be the week of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara Awards Luncheon. Just before the awards were given, they explained their criteria for deciding to propose an agency for an award.  This criteria sounded a lot like the list above!  

As I listened to their criteria, I realized here was a room of 300 plus everyday philanthropists actively involved in strategic philanthropy via the collective giving model that defines the Women’s Fund. These everyday women had given approximately between $250 to $2500 to be part of the vote on how to award $525,000 in funds.  These women were not grant makers they were everyday people involved in strategic philanthropy!

Besides joining the Women's Fund (which I hope you do), what are some questions you could ask when deciding to support a nonprofit:

• Does the nonprofit have a destination and not just a mission?
• Does there seem to be a synergy between the Executive Director and Board Chair or is there a sense of discourse?
• Do they collaborate with other partners?  This could be other nonprofits or with entities like government and private corporations.
• Are they aware of what else is going on in the space besides what they are doing?
• Are they creating pathways or do they just have programs?
• Do they have any plans to create any revenue stream and not just depend on donations? 

The content of this article was compiled from information provided by Peter Karoff, Martha Harmon, Erik Talkin, and Laurel Anderson at the Katherine Harvey Fellows session on Strategic Philanthropy in April 2013. 

Its Not the Subject Matter That Counts Most

Last week, Ken Saxon, the founder of Courage to Lead and our newly expanded nonprofit Leading From Within, was awarded the 2012 Man of the Year Award for his service to and impact in our community.  While I expressed what an honor it is to be working with Ken in my last post, this post is not entirely about him.

This post is about Ron Gallo's, President and CEO, Santa Barbara Foundation, speech just prior to the announcement of the award recipients.  In Mr. Gallo's speech, and I am working from memory here, he discussed that sometimes we don't take a stand because we are afraid it will be unpopular.  But, where would our community be if some of the prior Men or Women of the Year award recipients were afraid to be unpopular?  Accomplishments such as fighting for standards in Juvenile Halls and having women and minorities appointed to City Commissions might not have happened.

Mr. Gallo pointed out that wherever one chooses to get involved,  "It is not the subject matter that counts most, but rather the energy, the ingenuity, the commitment and the compassion one brings. "

TAKEAWAYS:

1) Sometimes I wonder if our town has lost the art of civil discord.  What are we not speaking up for because we are concerned about having unpopular views?  I am a strong supporter of Early Childhood Education for the underserved, but some of my friends feel those parents should not have had their children in the first place.  Do I do enough to honor their view while still making a case for these children who are members of our society or do I just politely end the conversation and ask about their child's last sports game?

2) Sometimes I have friends on a committee for a cause that is not high on my radar of importance.  I'd like to be sharing my volunteerism with these friends and connecting with them over committee meetings and other related social events, but I have to remind myself that my time is precious and I need to keep focused on the causes most important to me rather than on which of my friends are on the committee.

3) And while my friends and I do not always have the same priorities on how we give our time, and sometimes we do, I want my friends to feel supported and encouraged in whatever cause they pick because as Mr. Gallos says, "Its not the subject matter that counts most, but the energy, the ingenuity, the commitment and the compassion one brings."

This year's Man of the Year, Ken Saxon, did have to take a stand on an less popular issue.  He took a stand that community leaders cannot continue to expect nonprofit leaders to make the change we want from them if we do not give them the capacity to keep from burning out, if we do not invest in their personal development, and if we do not help them to maintain their soul with the role in a field where there will never be enough resources to feed the last child, or house the last homeless person.

What I've Been Up To

"With deep alignment of personal convictions with community purpose, applying ones knowledge and skills becomes irresistible.  There is a sense of acute purpose that stretches far beyond one's individual interests."

- Peter Karoff

This quote represents to me everything about why anyone is driven to be philanthropic.  I've had the pleasure of being introduced to and working with Peter Karoff over the last few months.  Peter founded The Philanthropic Initiative over 20 years ago.  TPI is a nonprofit organization that serves as an ally to donors who aspire to effective philanthropy, and promotes philanthropy through research, and education.  I can't believe how lucky Santa Barbara is to have Peter as an active member of our philanthropic community.

Peter and I are now working with a nonprofit called Leading From Within.  Leading From Within has been offering high quality leadership development and renewal through its Courage to Lead program for almost five years.  It was founded by another amazing community resource, Ken Saxon.  In the last six months Ken and I have expanded the organization to three programs which includes:

• Courage to Lead - now in its fifth year, a leadership development and renewal program for mid to late career nonprofit leaders
• Emerging Leaders Program - a new program for leadership development for the next generation of nonprofit leaders
• Katherine Harvey Fellows - a 12 year old leadership development program for future community leaders from diverse professional backgrounds run in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation

It has absolutely been my pleasure to work with and learn from these aspirational gentleman who have given decades of their time to making our communities a stronger place through the gift of their time to their thoughtful, reflective approach to their passion for learning.

While my blogging has and will slow down, I look forward to sharing the many lessons of philanthropy with you as we launch our programs in January of 2013.  

What Makes a Vibrant Community?

Last week I went to an event on the seven aspects of vibrant communities at the Santa Barbara Foundation.  What does vibrant communities mean?  Vibrant communities are places where:

1. ARTS AND CULTURAL EXPRESSION are encouraged and celebrated

2. LIVING & DYING WITH DIGNITY are community values

3. LIFELONG LEARNING is encouraged and available

4. SAFETY is both a community and a personal responsibility

5. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT is considered a duty

6. SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH is cultivated

7. PROTECTION OF OUR ENVIRONMENT and HISTORICAL PLACES is a shared value that benefits human health and our local economies.

This is the briefest of overviews.  More information on defining vibrant communities is available on the Santa Barbara Foundation web page.

So what does this mean to you and me?

Takeway #1:

It takes all kinds of efforts from people like you and me to make our community vibrant.  In fact, the foundation states that the “correct” approach can, and should, emerge from all sectors (nonprofits, faith community, business, informal alliances, families, etc) and from people who hold very different points of view.   

This means that our varied passions all add up to something that is greater than it's parts.  My passion is early childhood education.  My husband's passion is providing support to families with cancer.  I have a friend whose passion is nature and preservation and some of my friends give their time, talent and treasure to the art museum.  No matter what your area of philanthropic passion, your contribution is important in creating a truly vibrant community.

Takeaway #2

This type of vision and leadership always inspires me to help make our community stronger and gives me hope that its possible.  It helps me see the big picture and where my efforts fit in more clearly.

Takeaway #3

I like that this is a framework and leaves room for the “it depends” mentioned in my last post.  It is designed to evolve over time as community issues shift.

I need to give the disclaimer that I am doing a small marketing contract for the Santa Barbara Foundation.  However, my contract does not relate to this post and I have been a follower and admirer of the foundation, as a community member, for several years.

Cradle to Career - A Road Map to Education Reform

Special thanks to Lois Mitchell, Orfalea Foundations President for her help with this post.

 

I recently learned a new term, “Cradle to Career.”  I learned this term from Lois Mitchell, Orfalea Foundations President, when she mentioned to me that she was attending a convening in the Washington, D.C. area on the topic. The convening, put on by Strive, was titled, The New Normal: Building Cradle to Career Education Partnerships to Support What Works for Kids.  It was also the launch of the National Cradle to Career Network, and included speakers from the federal government.  At the event, leaders from regional place-based efforts across the country worked toward developing plans to build civic infrastructure that creates the underlying framework and systems necessary for creating and sustaining systems of learning where every child is successful, every step of the way.

“Cradle to Career” is the perfect term for this because we hear a lot about:

• the importance of Early Childhood Education on impacting a child’s future academic success,
• the dire state of our K-12 program, and
• that we are not only not preparing students for college, but that we aren’t fostering enough innovative thinkers to compete in the global market. 

Additionally, the White House web page  on education reform addresses these same three focus areas.

At the convening, the group committed to actions, including specific next steps for strengthening progress in this area.  One of the tools reference during these discussions and customized by various regional, collaborative initiatives was the following “Roadmap”

I know, I know you can't read it.  I exhusted my blogging abilities trying to bring this in so you can see it.  So let me explain, the items in gray above the time line are academic milestones, the items in blue below the time line are social/emotional milestones and the years on the time line in gray are key transition year.  Too see this roadmap better click here and then in the upper right hand corner click the plus sign to blow it up.  Sorry I wasn't able to bring it in better here.

I am brushing the surface of understanding the complex concepts behind this roadmap, but a few things strike me as impactful about the convening Lois attended and the concepts on which it focused:

TAKEAWAY #1:

The fact that there is a national collaborative effort working with the same framework, or Roadmap, gives me hope that our nation can succeed at improving education.  Call me a structure junkie, but its similar to my feelings about the Millennium Development Goals.

TAKEWAY #2:

The fact that the Roadmap covers 1) academic milestones, 2) social/emotional milestones, and 3) key transition years also impresses me and further strengthens my sense of hope.

TAKEAWAY #3

There are leaders in our community, like the Orfalea Foundations, Santa Barbara Foundation,  J.S. Bower Foundation, First Five, and Hutton Foundation that are leading the charge in working with this Roadmap and are making serious investments in it.  The existing efforts underway weave school districts, non-profit agencies, service providers, government, business, families, higher ed, and other public-private partners into a supportive safety net focused on strengthening families, neighborhoods and students ability to succeed.  In the recent Santa Barbara Foundation newsletter, Lois was quoted as saying, “Santa Barbara has the resources, expertise and passion to improve education.” I am proud to be living in a community where such focus and investment is being made. More on what our community is doing to improve education to come in future posts. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

An earlier post on Education Reform 101 and What You Can Do included actions to help support Education Reform.

Local Weekly Non-profit Highlights

We are fortunate to not only live in a place as beautiful as Santa Barbara, but to live where there is a deep commitment to community and where so many non-profits are doing such great work.  Thanks to Noozhawk.com for doing a wonderful job covering non-profits.  This is just a sample of what stood out to me.  Check out their site for more complete coverage.

Rotary Clubs, Direct Relief Step Up for Southern Sudan
from  noozhawk.com
Direct Relief International (DRI) is one of my favorite non-profits in Santa Barbara.  It is the largest international aid organization in California and for those of you that thought they were just disaster relief, you have another thing coming to you.  Check out their website to learn how much more they really do.

Direct Relief International Receives 100% Efficiency Rating 
 from Noozhawk.com
I just stated above how much I like DRI and this is just more proof of what a great organization they are.


Efforts to Close Achievement Gap Begin with Three Local Schools
from noozhawk.com
Education reform is one of my top issues.  I believe, thanks to the leadership of some amazing people in this town, that Santa Barbara County is one of the leading counties in the nation addressing education issues.  You will see much more on what we are doing locally to address this issue.


Impact Grants Awarded by Santa Barbara Foundation
from EdHat.com
Another thing that makes Santa Barbara great is the Santa Barbara Foundation.  The positive impact this community foundation makes is astounding.  Be sure to check out their new website!


Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation Community Leaders Luncheon
from Noozhawk.com
The best part of having your own blog is you get to promote the organizations you think the mostly highly of.  The Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation is one of those organizations.  I was lucky enough to attend this luncheon and was very impressed with the student speaker.  I only wish my 12 year old could have heard Marissa's story of how much resilience and perseverance it took for her to make her way to college.  Read her story here.

Barbara Ben-Horin New SBMA Director of Development
from The Independent
Lastly, I include this article because I know Ms. Ben Horin and for my numerous friends involved with SmArt Families, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art is fortunate to have such an accomplished and sophisticated development director.