At the beginning of the Covid-19 shelter-in-place guidance, I went up and down the staircase of my 13-floor Brooklyn apartment building, slipping notes under people’s doors, assessing need, collecting offers of help, and navigating different levels of technological savvy to create and moderate an online discussion list for building residents to stay in touch with each other.
Read MoreLast week, over 200 foundations signed a pledge calling upon philanthropy to loosen restrictions on nonprofit partners amidst the mounting uncertainty of COVID-19.
Read MoreI’ve spent a lot of time these past few weeks sitting at my dining room table staring blankly at my computer and wondering “what matters” in the coronavirus era?
Read MoreThis is a moment of great anxiety, and in my work with small and mid-sized nonprofits and social enterprises, everyone is on edge.
Read MoreFor the last two weeks, I have been picturing Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner right off the cliff – and in particular I am feeling the moment he looks down and notices the ground beneath him is missing.
Read MoreWomen of color leaders are guarding a dirty little secret: Our work is eroding our mental, physical, and emotional health.
Read MoreAs a young executive director, I once flew across the country to meet with a new funder. I had spent weeks preparing for the meeting, in hopes of building a relationship that would lead to ongoing support and dialogue.
Read MoreAbout two years ago, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation launched the Sterling Network NYC as an exploration into the power of networks to catalyze system-level change around economic mobility at the intersection of racial equity.
Read MoreToday, the Headwaters Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and The Whitman Institute announce the launch of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, a five-year, peer-to-peer funder initiative with the goal of bringing greater vulnerability, transparency, and humility to philanthropy.
Read MoreOver the last two years the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation has launched a network, grown our grantmaking, joined several national funding collaboratives, been a founding member of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, created an evaluation system, redecorated our office, brought on new board members, updated our website and started a blog.
Read More‘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.
Read MoreOne of the core tenets of the Schusterman Fellowship, a program for leaders creating meaningful change in the Jewish community, is that for participants to develop as leaders, they need to feel a deep sense of trust with others in their cohort.
Read MoreWe’re excited to announce today the newest Sterling Network Fellows. The Sterling Network was launched in October 2017 to build a network of systems leaders, working together to enhance economic mobility across New York City.
Read MoreRecently we have been starting our meetings with potential grantee partners by talking about where the Foundation’s money comes from. And a lot of it, you’ll be surprised to learn, has to do with…sewing machines!
Read MoreWhere we left off in Part 1, I told you about the design of the Flexible Funding Impact Survey (FFIS) LINK used to test where grantee partners invested RSCF general operating grant dollars—and how those investments impacted their organization capacities. Today, I’m diving into our findings. I am pleased to report that…
Read MoreI’ll never forget the day I secured my first general operating grant.
I was a young, over-my-head development director for an immigrant rights nonprofit, and yes, we partied hard once we received the news.
Read MoreThe world is experiencing profound and rapid change. To keep pace with the growing complexity of our planet, the way we work together must change as well.
Read MoreWhat makes for great relationships between funders and their nonprofit partners? We at The Whitman Institute (TWI) have always believed that it starts with respect, authenticity, and honesty across power differentials in ways that build trust over time.
Read MoreHot enough for you? We are having a typical sweaty summer here in New York City – on a recent July weekend the temperature hit 100 both days, and most of my conversations have been about how miserably hot and humid it is, or else about the movies I’ve seen to escape into air-conditioned darkness.
Read MoreTell us a bit about your professional background, and what led you to Fund the People.
Rusty Stahl (RS): I came into the field through a year-long fellowship at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. Ever since that experience, I’ve been thinking about how the sector could do a better job of increasing awareness and recruitment of diverse young Americans into nonprofit careers.
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