The Link

June/July 2020

Why I’m A Member

“Community, equity, and social impact are values that I hold dear. After seeing these values mirrored within TPC and directly feeling the impact of TPC members’ collective philanthropy as an alum grantee [Doc Wayne Youth Services], I excitedly joined TPC to both learn from and contribute to this supportive and inclusive community. I joined to broaden my perspective and deepen my understanding of philanthropy as well as seek out multigenerational female connections. I was further compelled given there has never been a more important time to contribute to making the world a better place, dismantle systemic inequities, and strengthen proven philanthropic models through a diverse lens of perspectives.”(Rebekah Roulier, Member since May, 2020)

For Those Who Missed It…

We are pleased that nearly 250 women participated in the virtual Grant Awards & All Member Meeting on May 28. By all measures, it was a great success. We invite you to watch the event if you haven’t already, and to share the link with friends who may be interested in learning about us and what we do.

Please also complete the annual member survey if you haven’t already. The survey gives you the opportunity to tell us how, or if, you would like to get more involved with TPC. It takes just a few minutes to complete and is due by Friday, June 19.

Summer Virtual Dialogues Are Underway!

The Membership Engagement Committee has planned a series of educational events for this summer. Though we can’t meet in person, we can at least be connected to other members and see, via Zoom, whether we can still recognize one another. The June 16 Dialogue, Trust-Based Philanthropy, will be followed by two additional reading and small group discussions that will dive into these topics:

July 15: Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Communities of Color

August 5: Through the Lens of Funders

Mark your calendar now and watch your inbox for more details about each and be sure to register early!

Help Wanted: Marketing and Public Relations

We are still pinching ourselves after learning we received a Cummings Foundation grant. One of the benefits is that we now have funds earmarked for marketing and public relations. But, we don’t have a lot of expertise in this area so are putting out the call to those of you who have the skills, time, and interest in helping brainstorm and ultimately develop and implement a plan to spread the word about TPC. Please email: cwakeham@thephilanthropyconnection.org if you’d like to help or learn more about this opportunity.

DEI Spotlight
Diversity | Equity | Inclusion

This month we are proud to echo TPC’s Statement of Solidarity and Action that was released on Friday, June 5. If you have not yet read it, you will find it here. 

We hope that The Statement of Solidarity and Action is viewed as a marker of TPC and its members’ dedication to actively working to eliminate structural inequalities and strive for racial justice in their personal, professional, and philanthropic communities.  

The DEI Task Force is committed to rigorously bringing a DEI lens to help shape the organization’s strategic plan, grant-making system, and member engagement and education. We will challenge all of us to meet the goals of building an authentic community that works together to address the systems, structures, and behaviors that contribute to racial inequity.  

The Statement shared a number of resources for self-education, which can be found here. In support of this list, we’d like to offer the articles below. Members have overwhelmingly agreed that DEI is an area for growth within TPC; the articles below discuss the rationale and ideals behind the principles of DEI, which are very critical to the work of the Task Force.  

Times are heavy, but please know that the DEI Task Force is committed to continuing these discussions. If you’d like to further engage in conversations about, or take action with us toward addressing, racial equity, white supremacy, police brutality, or our personal and philanthropic roles in committing to anti-racism, please contact us directly at: Diversity@thephilanthropyconnection.org. 

Young Philanthropist Initiative

Last month we told you about our Fellowship program, and this month we are tickled pink to introduce you to the five new, dynamic young women who were selected from a group of 21 applicants. We introduced them during the May 28 event, and now invite you to meet them and get to know a little bit about each by reading their bios.

We are excited to welcome them into our membership and look forward to their contributions in the coming year.