Effective Philanthropy: InnoNet Interviews the Authors of Women & Philanthropy Publication

by Johanna Gladfelter

Innovation Network is currently partnering with Women & Philanthropy to evaluate core components of their programs funded by the Kellogg Foundation.  Women & Philanthropy, a 501c3 organization, is an association of grantmakers who are dedicated to achieving equity for women and girls.  The organization’s mission is to lead philanthropy to leverage the power of women and girls in creating a just and peaceful world.  Some of Women & Philanthropy’s more prominent work includes:

• The LEAD Award (Leadership for Equity and Diversity Award).  An award that honors individuals representing foundations or corporate giving programs in recognition of significant accomplishments in developing and supporting creative programs or practices that promote equity and diversity for women and girls; and
  
• Reports such as The Leading 500 New Foundations Funding Women and Girls, a report with comprehensive profiles of the top 500 new foundations working at the leading edge of funding for women and girls across the nation; and
  
• Programming related to the book Effective Philanthropy: Organizational Success through Deep Diversity and Gender Equity.

Most recently, Innovation Network has been working to evaluate Women & Philanthropy’s work related to Effective Philanthropy.  The book offers research-based strategies and new language for strengthening organizations.  It also provides advice on cutting through unnamed assumptions and tapping into the “differences that divide us.”  Once organizations understand their own diversity, they can gain access to a wider range of available resources, both inside and outside of the organization's doors.  As part of the evaluation related to Effective Philanthropy, we interviewed the book’s authors, Mary Ellen Capek and Molly Mead. 

Molly and Mary Ellen hope that the primary take-away of the book is for philanthropic professionals to realize that “organizations cannot be effective if they are not diverse.” Molly and Mary Ellen went on to explain that, “Diversity is about more than the classic civil rights reason of fairness for people who have been excluded.  Diversity is really about generating the most creative, the most complex and effective solutions and approaches.”  Furthermore, they noted that “Diversity has to be promoted from within a foundation itself...You have got to look at organizational culture, otherwise [effective grantmaking] is not going to work.”

Intertwined in their hope to see grantmaking become more effective is the authors’ desire to “reframe and rename gender and diversity issues.”  The authors want to “give people the room to talk about [gender and diversity] issues; and give people of color a stage to talk about these issues that affect them in the philanthropy world.”  Finally, Mary Ellen and Molly reiterated that foundations “need to institutionalize diversity.  [Foundations] cannot be effective if they are not diverse.”

If you would like more information, please visit the Women & Philanthropy website.  For more information on Effective Philanthropy, we encourage you to visit the book's own website.

We would like to thank Women & Philanthropy, Mary Ellen Capek, and Molly Mead for allowing us to share their story.