Young Philanthropist Initiative

This was a busy year for TPC’s Young Philanthropists (YPs) as their number nearly doubled in 2016. YPs (members 35 years old and under) accounted for nearly a quarter of TPC’s membership! These young women were very active on Grant Review Teams, with 65% participating and over a third of that number in leadership roles as captains, deputy captains, or finance leads. They were also active on a number of other committees including the Marketing and Communications Committee (55%) and the Membership Engagement Committee (50%).

In February, a day-long retreat was held for Fellows, which provided an opportunity for them to get to know one another and learn about each other’s personal paths into philanthropy. Fellows picked up tips on how to join and serve on non-profit boards and discussed potential ways in which they could connect with TPC members, grantees, and other non-profits, as well as grow their philanthropic skills tool-kit. Based on feedback we received at the retreat, this year we will launch an informal mentoring program between Board members and Fellows.

In April, TPC organized a Dance and Discuss event for YPs. The event was hosted by TPC member and owner of Ballroom in Boston, Lilia Weisfeldt, who taught YPs how to dance salsa and tango. We also heard from two young men about the impact that a performing arts non-profit, New England Dancing Classrooms, had on them and their academic success.

In June, we welcomed four new Fellows to TPC. These young women are motivated to learn about philanthropy and volunteer their talents to support TPC’s mission of Give.Receive.Learn. These new Fellows joined eight others from the 2015-16 cohort, bringing the total for the group to 12. Generous donations from TPC members and non-members helped to support them, putting into practice TPC’s belief in fostering the next generation of women philanthropists.

Upcoming events for YPs include professional development workshops on Saturday, September 16, and a book event on Thursday, November 2. Watch your in-box for invitations to these two events.