FSG

Philanthropy is embodying a powerful shift: ❌From being at the center of social change efforts ➡️ To working in close partnership with the broader ecosystem of stakeholders necessary to sustain lasting change. In our latest piece, Chris Carlson, Neyat D., John Harper, and Fay Hanleybrown describe how funders are increasingly acting as a facilitator, connector, and learner in a larger ecosystem of actors working to create lasting, systems-level change. They share rich examples and stories from many funders in our community including: Natrona Collective Health Trust, Texoma Health Foundation, Houston Endowment, Danville Regional Foundation, Greater Washington Community Foundation, The California Endowment, Headwaters Foundation, and the Katz Amsterdam Foundation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eV6CmbsA #philanthropy #foundation #socialimpact #strategy

August is around the corner! Say hello to the FSG team at the following events next month ☀️ Aug 15: AZ Impact for Good Conference | Mesa, Arizona | Speaker: John Harper, CEO Aug 21-23: 2024 Black & Latino Economic Summit | Tampa, FL | Attendee: Ryan De Souza, Director Aug 26-28: PolicyLink Equity Summit | Atlanta, GA | Attendees: Courtney Williams Robertson, Director of Programs & Partnerships; Fay Hanleybrown, Managing Director and Head of US Consulting; John Harper, CEO; Kendra Berenson, Director; Scotland E. Nash EdD, ACC, Director, Talent Rewire; Talia Alongi, Associate Director, Talent Rewire If you’ll be at any of these convenings, please feel free to stop by and say hello to our team! 👋

Summer is a wonderful time to get a head start on planning for the fall and beyond. In a few months, many of our corporate social impact partners will be deep in reflection, evaluating the past year’s initiatives, and preparing for the upcoming year. To support corporate social impact leaders, we've compiled a list of helpful reflection questions to help guide the planning process. These include questions like:  ❓What have you learned since your last strategy refresh? ❓Where have you adhered to or adjusted your strategy, and why? ❓Have these shifts led you closer to or further from your vision and mission? Read more: https://lnkd.in/eTqn7UFH

ICYMI: Collective Impact Forum leaders co-authored this important op-ed on why philanthropy needs to double down on supporting multisector place-based partnerships. 📣 The Fearless Fund ruling in June is the latest in a wave of judicial and legislative actions, divisive rhetoric, and cultural shifts that jeopardize equity-building initiatives across the country. Place-based partnerships are crucial in advancing equity at a local level. Thank you to Inside Philanthropy for sharing this important op-ed co-authored by FSG’s Jennifer Splansky Juster and Aspen Forum For Community Solutions (AFCS)' Cindy Santos, and Monique Miles. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eKdB3dat

Exciting opportunity to join the FSG Asia team as a Senior Consultant 👇

Love seeing this photo of the FSG team from the #JFFHorizons Summit this week! 📷 The team loved attending many discussions about centering economic mobility in the future of work and connecting with so many like-minded changemakers. Thank you to Jobs for the Future (JFF) for hosting!

What are the peak learning moments in your career?   When I reflect on times of formative career growth, they are often linked to experiences working with corporate peers on complex social issues. Whether it was improving safety conditions in Bangladeshi garment factories or converting the good intentions of US volunteers into greater impact for society, building practical solutions was always improved by leveraging the range of knowledge, skills, and lived experiences from a mix of trusted peers. It was also reassuring to know that I wasn’t alone as I confronted these thorny societal challenges.   Today, as part of my role at FSG, I get to contribute to our communities of practice and build learning spaces like the Purpose Studio for corporate changemakers. As I do this work with my incredible colleagues, I draw on a set of principles informed by my prior experiences, and I’ll share a few here:   1.    Define a clear purpose for why you’re working together and what you hope to learn as a group that you would have a harder time learning alone.   2.    Invite participants based on their relevant experience not just their titles so they are strong contributors and it’s a positive experience for them and everyone else.   3.    Set the stage to increase the spirit of collaboration over competition which allows participants to feel safe and be vulnerable—great ingredients for learning.   4.    Create a sense of commitment to the collective outcome of the learning experience and to each other.   5.    Allocate more time than you think necessary for networking and relationship building to enhance the ongoing learning among peers beyond the collaborative experience.   What matters most to you when you’re designing a learning community? Use the comments below to add to this list. Happy learning! Nikhil Bumb Georgina Eckert Chirlie Felix Lakshmi Iyer Njideka Ofoleta Mikayla Redding Maria Marta Habich Lolita Castrique-Meier Allison Kaika Diana Blankman Roberts Patricia Mae Doykos, PhD Manan Shah Jessica Daly Josette Gbemudu Reema Jweied-Guegel Jeana Wirtenberg Erin Byrne Dan Grimm

Funders across the country are embracing the power of ecosystems for social change. Philanthropy is embodying a powerful shift from being at the center of social change efforts to working in partnership with the broader ecosystem of stakeholders necessary to sustain lasting change. This is more than a shift in power between funders and grantees, but a strategic redistribution and application of power, including the power of others, across an ecosystem to create change. Join FSG and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) on August 20 from 2:00-3:15PM ET to explore this topic further. We are holding an interactive discussion with funders who are advancing community leadership and supporting the capacity of entire ecosystems to create change.   Panelists: ⭐John Harper, CEO, FSG ⭐Joshua Hearne, Program Director and Senior Program Officer, Danville Regional Foundation ⭐ Jessica Kaczmarek, Initiative Director, Priority Communities, The James Irvine Foundation ⭐ Marcus Walton, President & CEO, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)   Register here: https://lnkd.in/eKGA945p

For philanthropy to succeed, all strategies must address disability. That’s why Collective Impact Forum’s latest podcast episode is so important. The episode, moderated by FSG Associate Director Miya Cain, delves into conversation with three philanthropic leaders who are each dedicated to advancing disability justice: Rebecca Cokley, Program Officer of U.S. Disability Rights, Ford Foundation; Ryan Easterly, Executive Director, WITH Foundation; and Sandy Ho, formerly Program Director, Disability Inclusion Fund, Borealis Philanthropy, and currently Executive Director, Disability & Philanthropy Forum. Give it a listen 📣 https://lnkd.in/g7H_TmZB

I am excited to attend the Horizons 2024 summit in DC next week with so many FSG colleagues including Fay Hanleybrown, Nikhil Bumb, Kimberly Shin, Ulises Trujillo Rivera, and George Zaninovich, MURP. Looking forward to transformative discussions on how our economy, educational, employment, and wealth building opportunities must be available to all.  Reach out if you'll be there, I'd love to connect! #JFFHorizons #HorizonsOnLinkedIn #FSG #economicmobility