The Link

February 2021

We Need Your Help!

As noted in the DEI section below, the DEI Committee has launched an effort to collect basic demographic information about our membership. This is an extremely important effort: as a grant-giving organization, we hope to transform philanthropy by making collective giving more accessible to women in our community. Having comprehensive data about our membership will provide us with strong talking points for the recruitment of new members, especially when our metrics show we are becoming a more diverse group of philanthropists. As our membership grows, we can use demographic information to inform the events and strategies we develop throughout the year. Collecting demographic data will also allow us to track the efficacy of new efforts to increase and promote diversity within our organization.

Increased representation among TPC membership stands to broaden the value of our educational programming, enrich the conversations we have with one another, and foster greater equity during our grantmaking process. Having a membership that possesses a variety of lived experiences will create opportunities for TPC to grow and become stronger as a whole, while deepening the social capital of our individual members.

Please take a few minutes today to check/update your TPC profile by following these simple steps: log into your TPC member profile, click the “Edit Profile” link and simply scroll through your data, updating as you go. And thank you. Collecting demographic information from TPC membership is a crucial step toward understanding who we are as an organization, and identifying membership needs as we move into the future.

Thank You for a Whole Lot of Fun!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our first virtual social event last Thursday night. A big shout-out to Alison Yoder for figuring out the registration system and to Suzanne O’Neil, Barbara Elfman, and Jenny Morrison for their input in planning the event. TPC member Lilia Weisfeldt, owner of Ballroom in Boston, led an invigorating and instructive session in line dancing (no experience or, perhaps more important, coordination necessary). Check Lilia and her colleagues out for your next Zoom party! TPC member Tatiana Joyce hosted “Family Feud” TPC style and from all accounts was a superb stand-in for Steve Harvey, host of the popular show. One contestant said all had a terrific time with lots of laughter amidst the game’s challenges. TPC member Caroline Boeckman, while providing a demonstration of how to mix a knock-out margarita, provided some history on the difference between Tequila and Mezcal…education at its lip-smacking best. Other members enjoyed the sparkling wine tasting with Alyssa from Urban Grape. It was an excellent night to relax a bit and laugh with fellow TPC members. See details about our March social event below.

Upcoming Events, etc…

When you join TPC, you are making an investment that is magnified so powerfully. The Membership Committee is seeking your input about how we might expand this opportunity by making our membership cost structure more flexible and inclusive. To that end, we would love to hear from you. Please email your ideas to Caroline Boeckman or Kathy Dunigan.

Feb 22, 6:00 to 7:15 pm. We heard your request to continue the conversation started in the debrief sessions of the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, so we added an extra day to keep the conversation going. If you’ve participated in the Challenge, please join us for Day 22 to share how this extraordinary event has changed you. For those that haven’t had the chance to participate, we’re pleased to let you know another opportunity will be offered soon. Stay tuned!

Mar 2, 6:00 to 7:15 pm. Join us for our next Dialogue, “Absent for a Reason: The Work of Fathers’ Uplift.” We are excited to welcome Charles Daniels, the founder and ED of grantee Fathers’ Uplift, our featured speaker. Fathers’ Uplift operates on the assumption that fathers love their children, but circumstances intervene. Join us to  understand why this happens and how this groundbreaking organization helps keep men connected to their families.

Mar 10, 5:30 pm till ???. In the Urban Dictionary, “Spill the Tea” means gossip, the scoop, the news. And who doesn’t love a good gabfest with women with whom you have something in common? Join fellow members in one of three different groups that will give you the chance to share a little about yourself while learning more about what others have to say about: bookshelf favorites, self-care secrets, or small business ownership.

Grantee Impact: Neighbors in Need
Liaisons: Lisa Deschenes and Christine Kromer

For over 35 years, Neighbors in Need has fed the poor and hungry in Lawrence without question or means testing, meeting the needs of clients with respect and dignity. All food, formula, diapers, and infant supplies are provided free of charge at food pantries in Lawrence and Methuen. Access to healthy, affordable food is a public health challenge in Lawrence, where the incidence of obesity, diabetes, and premature cardiovascular disease are twice the state average, and health disparities are rooted in longstanding economic conditions in the area. (Read more…)

Member Impact: Grantees Need Your Help!

Several grantees have passed along requests for help in areas in which TPC members may have expertise or know of someone appropriate to refer. We’ve provided a summary of those needs, which span a broad spectrum of desired talent and skills, from GreenRoots, Project Citizenship, and RIA (formerly RIA House). Please review these requests to see if you might be able to help. (As a reminder, there are several opportunities for TPC members to participate on committees.)

DEI Spotlight
Diversity | Equity | Inclusion

February 1 marked the start of Black History Month. While we celebrate the stories, contributions, and achievements of Black Americans, we also reflect on our collective efforts as a country to realize the promise of racial justice. In honor of Black History Month, we are excited to share the following resources that uplift the significant and enduring contributions of Black Americans: 

• Boston Black-Owned Restaurants. A list of 50+ Black-owned restaurants and food and beverage businesses in the Greater Boston region that you can support. 
• 28 Days of Black History. A virtual exhibition of 28 works that celebrate Black legacy in the U.S.
• Engaging in Antiracism Work: During Black History Month and Beyond. An interactive webinar that uses an antiracist approach to highlight Black achievement throughout the year.
• Books by Black Authors available for sale at the local, Black-owned Frugal Bookstore:
  • Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain. A chorus of extraordinary voices comes together to tell one of history’s great epics: the 400-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present.
  • Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin. A view of Black life and Black thought at the dawn of the civil rights movement told through the words of one of the most captivating essayists and foremost intellectuals of that era.
  • Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A powerful, tender story of race and identity that traces the experience of a Nigerian woman who immigrates to the US to attend university.

DEI Committee Updates

This month, the DEI Committee held a working session to jump-start 2021 deliverables planning that includes four priority areas:

1. Updating member profiles with DEI information;
2. Evaluating the changes made to LOIs and full proposals to better incorporate DEI and trust-based philanthropy;
3. The continued development of the DEI education program; and
4. Creating a Cultural Assessment Report with our DEI consultants. 

Specifically, the Committee is initiating a campaign for members to update their TPC member profiles with DEI information, which will provide TPC with a view of our collective diversity as an organization. The Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the DEI improvements made in the 2021 LOI documents with an eye toward incorporating the feedback into the 2022 grant cycle. We will continue to support DEI education programs, including one or two additional 21-day challenges for members. Finally, the Committee will work with our DEI consultants, Dr. Rita Anita Linger and Madeline McNeely to create a Cultural Assessment Report of our grantees via listening sessions and surveys. 

Want to share feedback, ideas, or resources? Please email us directly at: diversity@thephilanthropyconnection.org.