Get Out And Give Back

[WASHINGTON LIFE]  GET OUT AND GIVE BACK: TALKING “CATALYTIC” PHILANTHROPY

The fall 2009 Stanford Social Innovation Review featured “Catalytic Philanthropy” which is an idea created by Mark R. Kramer as the “cross-sector collaboration among philanthropists, businesses, nonprofits and the public sector to create lasting, high-impact change”.  This was also recently chosen as the topic for the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s (CFNCR) annual meeting at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on June 23.

The meeting began with highlights from the first annual report of the Neighbors in Need Fund by the CHNCR president, Terri Lee Freeman.  The fund has provided assistance to the district’s underserved population since 2008.  Freeman declared that “No one wants to be poor, homeless, underemployed or unable to care for their children,” which provided a strong argument for the board of trustees to approve $1 million for the fund, plus another $300,000 anonymous matching gift to invest in higher quality education and workforce development opportunities for those in need.

The featured keynote speech was Aaron Hurst, president and founder of the Taproot Foundation which provides assistance to non-profits.  He saw a huge gap in the vision and capabilities of non-profits and launched the “Reimagining Service” study to determine if volunteer service really made a difference.  The study found that if non-profits use 50 or more volunteers and have an effective volunteer management program, then it could be in the top 11% of non-profits that outperform the remaining 89% in every measurable category.

Following the speech, there was a panel of professionals to discuss their passion for philanthropy and how it can make a difference.  The panel featured Jane Lang, Devin Schain and Sam Parker, the Chairman of the Prince George’s County Planning Board and member of the Community Foundation.  He challenged all county residents to remain engaged and involved in community development and stated that the key to sparking a public engagement movement was to “envision the end state, believe in and embody that vision, and embrace it.”

Read this Washington Life article to learn more about the wonders of philanthropy.



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