AI & Us

I…composed a song about Cooper and Hudson, my two rescue ‘corona-kitties.’ Drafted a weeklong itinerary for an upcoming trip to Panama.

Reparations, Not Charity

When Aria Florant, cofounder of Liberation Ventures, told her audience at the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ 2022 national conference that “[the project of] reparations needs to shock the system, needs to disrupt White supremacist narratives, close the racial wealth gap, and build a culture of repair,” a question that arose for us was: How can we bring the insight and promise of the reparations movement to philanthropy, and how do we best use philanthropy to support the work of reparations?1

Do You See What I See?

Do you see what I see? Yes. And no.

As a nonprofit leader, here’s why I practice the ‘Joy at Missing Out’

I used to love being “on the scene.” I wanted to go to every New York City nonprofit professional meeting, conference, gala – both to see and be seen.

Let’s Address the Real Reason Great Fundraisers Are in Short Supply

“We need a unicorn.”

Reflecting on a long year, and hoping you'll "Take 10"

It's been a long year. I seem to say it every year despite the fact that they're really all the same length.

BIPOC Leadership, Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Foundation, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leadership Learning, Liberatory Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Leaders, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Trust-Based Philanthropy, Hybrid Work, Burnout, NYCPhilip LiDecember 14, 2022COVID-19, community, challenges, equity, expertise, Networks, Foundation, Funding, foundation, grantmaking, Grants, governance, grantee, Holidays, philanthropy, charity, impact, inside philanthropy, mission driven, time, miscommunicating, justice, social justice, racial injustice, workers, work, New York City, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., hybrid, anti-leadership, quiet quitting, inflation, burnout, covid/rsv/flu, recession, relationship building, vaccination require, vaccination requirements, Take 10, year end, holidays, new yearComment

Staying the Course: The Need for Mission-Driven Spending in Turbulent Times

It is board meeting season in philanthropy, and on many board agendas is the important decision of how much to pay out in the coming year.

How Holiday Travel Has Me Thinking About Board Service

‘Tis the season…to be on the move. It’s that time of year when so many of us travel to be with our families and friends for the holidays.

Socially Awkward: Reflections on Gathering in the New Normal

Socially awkward. That’s how I captured my feelings at the closing of an in-person convening a few weeks ago.

How to Tend to Your People AND Your Organization When Staff Struggle

While there are many ways one can describe liberation, in its simplest terms, liberation is the experience of wholeness, freedom, justice, and thriving.

I’m not feeling a barbecue this Fourth of July

At the end of almost every week, I find myself reflecting on how hard this past week was.

Opinion: The next generation of nonprofit workers are demanding more for themselves, and we should support them

They should be set up to do meaningful work that helps repair the world, while still living whole, happy, joyful lives.

Setting up your nonprofit the way you play with LEGOs

I’ve had a Harry Potter LEGO castle in the corner of my living room for about a decade.

Pandemic Reflections, Two Years On

COVID-19. It feels like it became COVID-20, then COVID-21, and now COVID-22.

Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Foundation, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Leaders, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Trust-Based PhilanthropyPhilip LiMarch 21, 2022COVID-19, community, Covid-19, racial injustice, social and systems-level change work, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Trust-Based Philanthropy, democracy, leadership, pandemic, Foundation, foundation, Funding, grantmaking, grantee, Grants, governance, Genral Operating Grants, human rights, philanthropy, charity, philanthropic sector, social justice, New York City, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., money, impact, Endowments, New Year, NYC, nonprofit leadership, organizations, power, social impact, nonrofit, social change, board members, expertise, equity, trust, systemic racism, time, trust-based philanthropyComment

Opinion: Nonprofit leaders, like everyone else, are scared and tired during these difficult times

I have had the word ‘grace’ rattling around my brain a lot these days.

A Leadership Lesson from Ukraine

In 1990, I traveled to the USSR including Ukraine, which was still a republic of the Soviet Union (and St Petersburg was known as Leningrad).

Getting to Know You Series: Meet Marissa Martin of The Advocacy Institute

Elisabeth Rapport (ER): Tell me a bit about your professional background and what led you to The Advocacy Institute.

Chronicle of Philanthropy, Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Face Plant, FFIS, Foundation, Getting to Know You, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Trust-Based PhilanthropyElisabeth RapportFebruary 15, 2022Foundation, pandemic, racial injustice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, COVID-19, community, charity, democracy, Endowments, Funding, leadership, funding collaboratives, foundation, Covid-19, equity, Networks, Getting to know you, General Operating, Genral Operating Grants, expertise, New Year, New York City, human rights, philanthropy, philanthropic sector, impact, time, social justice, grantmaking, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., Sterling Network NYC, Social Network Analysis, social and systems-level change work, money, Racism, systemic racism, Asian Americans for Equality, anti-Asian Racism, nonrofit, NYC, Grants, grantee, organizations, power, post covid, board members, social impact, governance, social change, Trust-Based Philanthropy, trustComment

The genetic code linking violence toward Asian Americans and the murder of George Floyd

Prejudice against Asian-Americans is nothing new. Sadly it is as American as apple pie and Jim Crow.

Covid-19, Economic Mobility, Foundation, Leadership, New York City Leadership, Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropic Sector, Philanthropy, Post Covid, Racial Equity, Robert Sterling Clark, Social Justice, Sterling Network NYC, Trust-Based PhilanthropyRev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, President of Auburn Seminary and Cathy Kim, Board Member, Asian Americans for EqualityFebruary 7, 2022anti-Asian Racism, Asian Americans for Equality, pandemic, racial injustice, Racism, grantmaking, grantee, power, peace building, philanthropic sector, philanthropy, impact, post covid, Prejudice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Networks, New Year, NYC, New York City, New York City Leadership and Professional Development Directory., nonrofit, COVID-19, community, democracy, equity, Foundation, governance, social justice, Sterling Network NYC, leadership, human rights, organizations, social impact, trustComment

A nonprofit thought leader’s resolutions for a new year: To follow and to fail

Although the New Year came in without much fanfare, amidst the pandemic and uncertainty, I did make a few resolutions that will guide how I do my work and live my life this year.

A New Generation of Foundation Leaders Need to Act Like Community Organizers, Not Gatekeepers

I am feeling something like hope these days. After many dark months and unthinkable trials, New York City is seeming more like itself again, or maybe like a wiser version of itself.

135 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10065

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They should be set up to do meaningful work that helps repair the world, while still living whole, happy, joyful lives.

135 East 64th StreetNew York, NY 10065

135 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10065