Foundation Initiatives ->Partners in Philanthropy ->Objectives and Accomplishments May 9, 2008 Future Fund Social Capital IMPACT Greensboro K for Kids Teen Grantmaking Council Partners in Philanthropy Thanksgiving Fund Housing Initiative Objectives and Accomplishments PIP Donors PIP Advisory Group PARTNERS IN PHILANTHROPY: Objectives and Accomplishments An Initiative of The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro   Partners in Philanthropy is an initiative that is designed to create a diverse network of relationships among people connected through shared interests in philanthropy and civic engagement. Launched by the Community Foundation in November 2002, Partners in Philanthropy has generated much excitement.  Its simple purpose is to engage more people in philanthropy.  Our vision for the Partners in Philanthropy Initiative is to create a greater understanding of the unique role philanthropy plays in the diverse communities of Greensboro.  We will seek to engage more people in philanthropy through learning circles, a dynamic community education program, and mechanisms for sustaining new relationships. We have three objectives to accomplish the Initiative’s goal of engaging more people in philanthropy: I.      Identify and celebrate different forms of philanthropy II.      Establish a dynamic and diverse community education program III.      Create an infrastructure for supporting and sustaining relationships and connections.  Partners in Philanthropy is an initiative that is designed to create a diverse network of relationships among people connected through shared interests in philanthropy and civic engagement.  Our vision is to create a greater understanding of the unique role philanthropy plays in the diverse communities of Greensboro.  We will seek to engage more people in philanthropy through learning circles, a dynamic community education program, and mechanisms for sustaining new relationships. Click here to see a list of our Advisory Group. Over the last 20 years, the Community Foundation has been successful in helping to grow the philanthropic spirit of many in the community.  By bringing together and partnering with nonprofit organizations, other local foundations, and government institutions, we have shown great stewardship in giving and community partnerships.  This strength has allowed the Foundation to be a natural choice for some to help fulfill their charitable goals.    As we celebrate our 20-year anniversary, we are taking the opportunity to reflect and determine how we want to grow in the future.   For us, a “community” foundation must have broad-based roots with relationships, volunteers, and donors in the community.  After preliminary assessment, our Foundation has recognized that our donor base is not as diverse as we would like, and that our awareness in the community has been limited to a select market of constituents.  CFGG began in 2003 by charting many diversity indicators in which we would like to measure our progress around goals of diversity and inclusiveness. Through awareness of our connections and networks within the community, being more intentional about our relationship building, and enhancing our internal capacity, the Foundation is developing an inclusive path of growth. Partners in Philanthropy will begin to forge some of the needed relationships and networks in the community.    This initiative will work to help our Foundation and community learn together the interests and needs of the philanthropic community of ethnic and minority communities.  What we learn will then help guide our Foundation to create a comprehensive education program and become more educated about and responsive to donors and stakeholders of diverse backgrounds.  Moving forward, we will continue to nurture new relationships and develop an inclusive plan of growth for our Foundation in the years to come.  In November of 2002, the Community Foundation invited donors to support broadening the scope of folks who are engaged and active in philanthropy in the community. This resulted in a host of donors from individuals, to corporations, and also other Foundations who agreed to support the Community Foundation in “engaging more people in philanthropy.” These Partners have been key to supporting the work of this Initiative, and helped the Community Foundation solidify a funding partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation based in Battle Creek, Michigan.  In February 2004, the Foundation developed a community-based advisory group to help guide the path of how the Foundation can begin to explore, identify, and understand giving in Greensboro in various communities.  As a center of philanthropy in the community of Greensboro, the Foundation, in this initiative, recognizes philanthropy as not only being the giving of money, but also of time and talent.  The Partners in Philanthropy Advisory Group has developed a list of learning circles that occurred during the summer of 2004 in Greensboro with the purpose of learning, celebrating, and acknowledging forms of giving in communities of color, youth, and women. In addition to the six learning circles the advisory group chose, there will also be four additional focus groups that will be conducted by the Community Foundation and the NC Discovery Alliance, and this information will also be shared within the Partners in Philanthropy Initiative.   Partners in Philanthropy Learning Circle Series 1.       Leaders in Immigrant Communities 2.       Newcomers to Greensboro 3.       High School Students 4.       Latino Small Business Owners 5.       African American Community Leaders 6.       Professional Women   CFGG Focus Groups 1.       Wealthy Philanthropists 2.       Jewish Community 3.       Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Community  North Carolina Discovery Alliance Focus Groups 1.       Native American Community 2.       Southeast Asian Community  As a result of these learning circles, over 100 people from across the Greensboro community engaged in the conversation around “What does giving mean to them?” and “Why is giving important?”  Consultants Darryl K. Lester and Gita Gulati-Partee facilitated the learning circles and developed a report that outlines the pulse of giving in Greensboro in communities of color, women, and youth. This report – Circles of Giving: Celebrating Traditions of Giving in Greensboro – brings out traditions, themes, and insight into why and how Greensboro is such a giving community. Connecting our Communities Through Giving The learning circles were also graphically recorded and now hang as art in the offices of the Community Foundation at Foundation Place. The learning circle graphic recordings chart the stories and history of giving in Greensboro for the participants. PIP Learning Circles Graphics The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro is currently developing ways to share this report on traditions of giving in Greensboro and promote and recognize giving throughout the community.  The focus for the next phases of this project will center around how to Connect Our Community Thru Giving.