Arabella Advisors

Arabella Insights: Women, Philanthropy and the Future of Wealth

Arabella Admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:02:51 +0000

Women are positioned as never before in history to make a huge difference in philanthropy, not only with our time and compassion, but also with our money. Women’s impact on philanthropy has already been extraordinary, and we know there is much more to come as women increasingly control wealth in American and around the world. As women’s wealth and influence grows, organizations that want to engage them in philanthropy will have to shift their approaches to address women’s unique interests and leadership styles.

Recently, I spoke with several leaders in engaging women in philanthropy – including Ruthie Ackerman, Shannon Farley, Randy Hustvedt, Michele Ozumba, Sondra Shaw-Hardy, Martha Taylor, and Jackie VanderBrug – to discuss what the coming shift of wealth to women means for the future of women in philanthropy. Shannon, Michele, and Jackie also joined me for an Arabella Insights webinar that highlighted ways that wealth managers, advisors, and others can help women accomplish their philanthropic goals.

During a rich hour-long discussion, we covered topics ranging from the importance of a sense of community among women in philanthropy to the blurring of the lines between philanthropy and investing with the emergence of impact investing.

A key theme that emerged form this discussion was that women take a more relational approach to philanthropy than their male counterparts, preferring to learn from one another and network in community. Women are also becoming bolder and more strategic in their giving in large part due to the emergence of these opportunities to connect with and learn from their peers.

Another key issue we discussed is the role that impact investing – using return-seeking investments to accomplish philanthropic goals – is playing as women seek the best solutions to address societal challenges. By using a gender lens to identify investment opportunities that benefit women and girls, investors are generating both social and financial returns.

We also covered a variety of other critical topics in the webinar, including two groups of women in philanthropy that warrant special attention: women of color and millennial women. I encourage you to view and listen to the entire conversation to learn more about these issues. I also encourage you to engage in the conversation by sharing your thoughts and questions below.

View this Webinar

Generating Impact and Returns

Arabella Admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:04:43 +0000

Across the country, innovative investors, social entrepreneurs, and donors are using return-seeking investments to accomplish their philanthropic goals. From equity investments in companies aiming to make the world greener to low-cost loans that bring businesses, schools, and even groceries to underserved communities, impact investors increasingly generate philanthropic impact and financial returns at the same time. How do they do it? The four briefs below explore examples of impact investing in each of our four home cities: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

Download the New York Report (433 KB)
Download the San Francisco Report (425 KB)
Download the Chicago Report (423 KB)
Download the Washington, D.C. Report (434 KB)

Impact 2012: What the Experts Say About Making a Difference in the New Year

julie — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:18:25 +0000

To help philanthropists pursue their goals more strategically in 2012, we gathered key insights from leaders we know. Impact 2012 captures the insights of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and 11 other prominent leaders from the public, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors.

Download Impact 2012 (802 KB)

How Funders Can Help America’s Veterans

Arabella Admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:17:04 +0000

After more than 10 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, our returning service members and their families need a wide range of support services, from counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse to higher education and jobs placement. This teleconference explored the critical role funders can play in helping connect grantees that provide needed services with veterans and their families.

Our speakers included:

Barbara Van Dahlen, Founder and President of Give An Hour
Eric Weingartner, Managing Director at Robin Hood
Catharine Grimes, Director of Corporate Philanthropy at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
Eric Greitens, Navy SEAL, author of The Heart and the Fist and CEO of The Mission Continues

Moderated by Wayne Farmer, Managing Director, Arabella Advisors

Listen

Right-click and “Save As” to download the MP3 file.

Big Ideas from the Spring Conference Series

Arabella Admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:26:42 +0000

Few donors have time to attend all of the important philanthropy conferences that take place each spring across the country and around the world. So, in May 2011, we brought highlights of major conferences directly to donors.

The recently combined Arabella-Blueprint team covered current key topics in philanthropy and peered into the field’s future. Our own Lucy Bernholz, Bruce Boyd and Eric Kessler provided updates and insights on the big ideas being discussed at major conferences including the Skoll World Forum, Global Philanthropy Forum, Council on Foundations, Summit Series, Jewish Funders Network and more.

Listen

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Waiting for Superfunders: How Donors Can Leverage K-12 Education Reform

Arabella Admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:44:17 +0000

In this teleconference, we spoke with leading education experts about how funders could help improve America’s schools during a time of economic recession and rapid change and promote innovative reform.

Listen

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Embracing the Journey From Good to Great: A Portrait of the Nation’s Largest Hunger Relief Network

Arabella Admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:57:24 +0000

Funders and philanthropic intermediary organizations are often looking for ways to assess the capacity of a broad swath of nonprofit organizations to inform the Design, Inc. of capacity-building initiatives. Beginning in 2009, Blueprint Research + Design, Inc. worked with the national office of Feeding America to develop and implement a customized member capacity assessment tool (CSAT). This report captures the findings from that work, as well as recommendations for the national office, for members, and for funders. Blueprint Research + Design, Inc. was acquired by Arabella Advisors in 2011.

Download Full Report (1.3 MB)

Supporting Innovation in Education

Arabella Admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:43:38 +0000

As America’s schools continue to struggle, donors have taken the lead in encouraging innovation and offering support to educators and students. This brief details challenges, trends, and opportunities for philanthropists to make a lasting impact and help prepare kids for the future.

Download Issue Brief (1.1 MB)

Building Fields for Policy Change

Arabella Admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:00:56 +0000

This report, published with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, demonstrates how funders can improve their policy strategies by integrating some of the core elements of field building. It provides illustrative examples and identifies tools and best practices for funders to strengthen their fields of interest. This report was produced by Blueprint Research + Design, Inc., which was acquired by Arabella Advisors in 2011.

Download Full Report (613 KB)

Border Crossing : Working across sectors for social purpose

Arabella Admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:58:47 +0000

This paper for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation explores three cases of philanthropic funders working to effect change by embracing “sector agnostic” strategies that harness private and public sector forces, in addition to nonprofits. It was produced by Blueprint Research + Design, Inc., which was acquired by Arabella Advisors in 2011.

Download Full Report (823 KB)