Our Work
We believe in philanthropy that speaks to enduring values – from ensuring healthy communities to promoting energy efficiency to championing the arts. Here’s a look at some of our achievements:
Serves to align strategic insights for female-led NGOs on climate impact.
Ms. Reyes representing philanthropic investment priorities, works with The Nature Conservancy on its Women on Climate Committee as a member.
https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/women-on-climate/
Secured the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star co-promotion to support businesses with cost-saving energy-efficiency practices.
Many small businesses have limited resources to plan ahead, insure against major natural disasters, and recover from extended delays in businesses reopening after storms pass. As a result of relationships within the EPA’s Energy Star program, small businesses had easier access to the agency’s research, tools, and ideas.
Pictured: Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz (right), and her daughter, Leigh (left), alongside students and volunteers from the Daraja Academy.
Partnered with mother and daughter teams to develop a family culture of giving.
This began because families were interested in the relationship between their values and how they give. They also wanted to share their traditions of giving with extended members of their families. Individual interviews were conducted with selected pairs of mothers and daughters that revealed both spoken and unspoken behaviors of philanthropy. Associations to parental modeling were identified as the basis for intergenerational giving.
Vertical Hydroponic Edible Garden, Sanchez Elementary School, San Francisco, CA
Developed partnerships to establish a regionally recognized edible schoolyards program in San Francisco.
A foundation client doing research on a vertical hydroponic food growing system needed to build a network of like-minded partners to strengthen its promotion and distribution. Within five months, a diverse group of 54 state and non-state participants were engaged, drawing on their specialties in urban design, edible schoolyards, and sustainable food gardens. As a result, the hydroponic system was made available in multiple outlets. The National Endowment for the Arts conference on urban design innovations enabled solidification of local partnerships as well as numerous public schools in the San Francisco area installed the system. A local garden retailer held numerous training presentations to diverse audiences and agreed to distribution. The project is now part of a research affiliation with a prestigious university. The project also plays an integral part of the TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation, a sustainable beef ranch.
Served as a judge three times for the National Endowment for the Arts, helping to evaluate and rank grantee proposals.
Multiple funding cycles were completed and 330 grant proposals vetted that produced up to $10M to support nonprofit arts institutions from all across the U.S.
Authored a 25-page white paper that persuasively summarized strategic insights on food systems for donors in the $53.7B market of charitable contributions.
A major donor cohort in the Bay Area of San Francisco was focused on building sustainable food knowledge and strategic grant-making to ensure the most impact. A key funder within the cohort commissioned the white paper to demystify how the food system had changed consumers’ relationship away from more nutrient-rich foods to convenient and processed packaged food. The insights from the white paper helped the donors shape their priorities and develop their strategic plans to identify and donate to those initiatives with a mission to foster a more sustainable relationship with food. Today, the cohort supports the central valley of California.
Read our related post here.
Led philanthropic best practice to focus on donor advised funds (DAFs) for fundraising at a performing arts nonprofit.
SFCMP Board retreat
Within 9 months, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players received a 26% increase in donations from DAFs. To date, over $120 billion sits in donor advised funds and community foundations. In collaboration with the executive director and DAF users on the board of directors, we developed a custom presentation to the board. The idea was to encourage the application of peer-based DAF knowledge to increase the organization's fundraising impact and engagement. This opportunity provided the board and administrative leadership with new skills and tactics to increase the organization’s fundraising reach.
Launched a viable rural health program with $100K in seed funding to support unserved areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
The Wildlife Conservation Network had a $100K pledge that it wanted to activate from an individual donor and a foundation, each with a commitment of $50K. The pledges were on hold because the program needed capacity and a dedicated focus. Within six weeks, a clearly articulated vision was developed, key talking points were agreed to, and a project plan finalized that gave the funders confidence that the program would deliver on its promise to serve rural wildlife conservation staff. By month three, the initiative was deployed with the leading medical doctor on HIV/AIDs, an international team of experts, an Executive Director, and the $100K seed money.
Our Methodology
We work alongside you to navigate the maze of good choices you face in the philanthropic world. We use a well-known research method to provide a model and structure for coaching you as you develop a plan suited to your interests. We believe this collaborative process, based on the Action Research method of noted social psychologist Kurt Lewin, leads to the best results for your donations.
OUR SUPPORT
We help you prepare for your decisions by reviewing all aspects of charitable organizations. This approach not only gives you confidence in your choice but ensures that you and your philanthropic destination are a good match. We look at an organization’s:
Board engagement
Business planning
Employee satisfaction
Financial soundness
Grant strategies
Impact results
Leadership effectiveness
Operational viability
Organizational culture
Partner cultivation
Relationship management