Emerging Tar Heels Leaders

What a week it's been... meetings, more meetings, getting ready for a big event next week, lots of administrative stuff- there are times when I feel like I'm running nonstop but then my schedule gives me an opportunity to do something that makes me stop and reflect. Such was the case today when I had lunch with one of my favorite nonprofits, the Emerging Tar Heel Leaders Group. They are organizing Friday lunches and inviting people to come speak about different topics. The group's mission is to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow (www.ethl.org) although I must say many of them are leaders in great positions already. It's refreshing to be around such a diverse group of folks- people who work in for profits, health care, nonprofits, technology, academia- all brought together out of a desire to get involved.
I often say that I get frustrated that there's a group of people who always do everything, and we need more people to do more-- Well, today was great indication that the future, and present, is in great hands.

Philanthrospeak??

Why did I call my blog this? There was a time when I had to think about pronouncing philanthropy right, so a term like 'philanthrospeak' is not a simple one..But it's a very fitting word and one that I've used more than a few times.. just ask a few of my staff.

A few years ago when I came over to this side of philanthropy I found that we used terms that only those in philanthropy understood. Who goes around everyday saying things like "I'm going to integrate the learnings from that grant and leverage more resources...."??

Here at TCF we have our own strange language- DOPS, GWEES, FIMS. We also talk like "we're gonna plan a TDF at BWF in RTP, maybe we should do it on TGB." A few months ago we created a new one- STANGISM (Fred). Perhaps we are trying to expand our brains..

I suppose every field has its own lingo, but for us, who try to be transparent and a connector of sorts, this can alienate us from the world instead of connecting us to it. So I have found myself saying more and more 'no philanthrospeak!"

But then ---this word also can be a good one- philanthropy can be about speaking out. And I certainly stand for that. We are doing more and more of that at TCF, and so is the world of philanthropy, ever so slowly...

It struck a chord. So there you have it.

Obama Week

What a week. Coming back to work on Wednesday almost felt like starting a new year. It's as if the nation as a whole was waiting for Tuesday, January 20th as some kind of beginning (or end?). The hope, inspiration and unity of that day was palpable- all around..Not only did we inaugurate Barack Obama as President on Tuesday but the Triangle was also hit with a few inches of snow. This meant no school, lots of excitement for my girls at home, and a day full of inauguration watching (with plenty of snow breaks in between). It gave me a chance to watch hours of it and also for much reflection.. more about that in a moment.

I'm including Obama's speech here- I'd like to have it handy. I don't think it was his best speech, but I very much liked his tone- commanding, solid and sober, which I believe was appropriate. I connected with a lot of what he said. Appreciated his reference to this nation as one made up of people from around the world...

Tuesday was also the day my 98 year old abuelo Nicolas passed away- far away in Argentina. It wasn't unexpected, but it hit me hard. I had a special relationship with my grandfather. He served as a senator many years ago for the Province of Salta, when Peron was President- and loved to discuss politics with me. I saw him last in April- in the midst of the democratic primaries- and we had some great debates!

So a week of endings, and beginnings...

Let Freedom Ring

Live from Washington DC, on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial


Bono: "Oh You Look So Beautiful!"

President (Elect) Obama: "Hello, America. Thank you for reminding us through song and performance what it is that we love about America. Welcome to the celebration of American renewal. Only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as great as we have. I won't pretend that meeting any of these challenges will be easy. Along the way there will be setbacks and false starts, but despite all of this, I stand here today as hopefull as ever that the US of America will endure- that the dreams of our founders will live on in our time. What gives me hope is what I see when I look out at this moment. A faith that anything is possible in America. And yet as I stand here today is not the stone and marble that surround us but it is you, Americans of every race and regions who came here because you believe that America can be anything it wants to be and you want to help us get there. A belief that if we can just recognize ourselves in one another, then not only will we stir hope and opportunity but maybe just maybe we may perfect our union. You prove once more that people that love his country can change it. The voices of man and women who have different stories but hold common hope. See our children climb higher than we have. Because there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change. That is how we will overcome what ails us now. Never forget hat the true character of our nation is by the right we do when the time is of need. Together we can carry forward as one people the legacy of our forefathers."

Bruce Stringsteen, Pete Seegher. "This land was made for you and me"

More to come in the days ahead..

Money, Money, Money

Yesterday I spent several hours in meetings focusing on our investments at the Foundation. There's so much going on regarding this right now, with the markets tumbling, unstable, and unpredictable.
First, I feel very grateful that at TCF we have a fantastic investment committee of volunteers who have been guiding us through the 'mess'- these guys (yes, they are all guys) have given countless hours to set up policies, develop new asset allocations, and select a new investment consultant. Little did we know that the timing for this work would be so, well, timely- on that fateful Monday, when everything seem to go haywire, I remember assembling my management team and immediately getting Chuck Leedy, one of our Investment CoChairs, on the phone, for some help (and also to get him to calm us down). We were able to move fairly quickly and react with some thought. Contributions have continued to come to the Foundation through the end of the year, and our assets, although decreasing, have not dropped as much as some other foundations.
Grantmaking has held steady, too.

The world of philanthropy out there is no fun now. My email box is full of 'war stories' shared by CEOs of foundations, articles being routed, etc. Foundations having closed due to the Madoff scandal, others who have interrupted grantmaking until further notice- a lot of anxiety and instability. It's almost as if everyone is still trying to make sense of what's happened in their own house before getting out in the world and trying to continue to meet their mission of grantmaking.

I think this period of time will test philanthropy and its values, and may make foundations really think about priorities and sustainability- some of them may have to think about cutting back some overhead expenses to continue to meet some growing, immediate demand in communities, others may want to consider collaborating with other foundations to cut costs. These are the things we are telling 'nonprofits' to consider. Why not do some of these ourselves?

Stay tuned for our latests numbers. I'll post them here when I get them from Ken..

Eating with nonprofits

Ok. Here we go, here we go, here we go (in the words of Ozomatli..)

On Tuesday we hosted one of our monthly Lunches with the President. These are great. As busy as I get, the chance to sit down for 2 hours with great organizations and some of the staff here at the Foundation is very valuable- and always inspirational..

This month the lunch was for nonprofit directors who have been in their positions for 2 years or less. A dynamo group. We talked about boards (a frequent topic), fundraising, marketing.. and of course the economy.. the economic situation has everyone worried, but I must say, this group seemed to be facing things openly, and many of these groups will thrive under their leadership.

Welcome / Bienvenidos

This is my first blog.

I've been asked by many of my younger, more hip colleagues and friends over the last few months or perhaps couple of years to do a blog.. so I have finally caved in.

I hope to set aside time to write often.

I want to talk about the work we are involved in at the community foundation- the things that get me excited, and the things that get me, well, kind of mad. I have the privilege to live in one of the best areas of the country- and get to work and know some great people, both well-known leaders and unsung heroes. I want to write about them, too.

I've often been told that I'm very open and transparent about what I do, what I think..so, let's see how this blog experiment goes! I realize that writing out in the open means talking to a different audience.

Let me know what you think. And thanks for reading.