"Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) is a national network of foundation professionals and social entrepreneurs who strive for excellence in the practice of philanthropy. Our mission is to develop emerging leaders committed to building a just, equitable, and sustainable society. EPIP exists to ensure that emerging foundation professionals are effective stewards of philanthropic resources and all social entrepreneurs reach their potential as leaders." – About EPIP
EPIP held its 2013 national conference in Chicago from April 4-6. The theme: lead. I was impressed with the words of Executive Director Rahsaan Harris: "We all have opportunities to make a difference in the world. Leadership doesn’t come from a job title. It isn’t conferred through an educational degree. Leadership comes from a willingness to meet today’s challenges in your community and the world at large."
Here are links to two excellent graphic recordings of the conference from Ink Factory:
One of the themes from the conference: collective leadership. Here's a slideshare on the subject from the 2010 GEO Conference and a secret sauce graphic from Leadership Learning Community.
Some favorite tweets from the conference:
"The great diversity at EPIP13 doesn't reflect foundation boards or the communities to which foundation $ are directed." – John W Rogers Jr [@lauratomasko]
Often we tackle social change in silos – but individuals don't experience life that way. Work within the gaps to bridge networks [@elizsullivan]
#Funders encouraged to value qualitative outcomes as much as quantitative. Collecting data from transient, poor is hard! [@VillanuevaEdgar]
Challenges in collective impact: "In an effort to change the system, you can't forget that the system still exists. [@nicolegulotta]
Top 5 #philanthropy strategies for #nextgendonors : 1 due diligence 2 root causes 3 impact 4 systemic change 5 peer recommendations [@church01]
"It's easier for individuals to organize without organizations." Has huge implications for the nonprofit ecosystem [@elizsullivan]
#fact Nat'l survey: 45% of young profs in the NP sector plan to leave someday. Of those, 90% said that this is due to burnout. [@danielletorain]
Daniel Lee sharing that grantees are looking like contractors to grantors more and more. Is this a good thing? [@marvinwebb]
Key lesson when supporting community alternatives to violence: Listen to the people most affected by what you are working to change [@IHRFG]
John Rogers: need dynamic leaders to insist on culture of inclusion in orgs to be welcoming to people of color. [@jaclyn0812]
Just 10% of foundation grants are focused on communities of color. Just 11% of foundation Trustees are people of color [@dcmarla]
Inclusivity = better productivity and improved decision making. Diversity in perspective is important. [@julietinla]
Mention of Atlantic article citing wealthy giving less than those w/ fewer means. Hypothesis: wealthy not regularly exposed to needs [@lauratomasko]