Walking the Talk: From Founder-centric to Institutionalized Organization
One of the most difficult challenges facing entrepreneurial, innovative leaders who found organizations—whether business or nonprofit—is knowing when it’s time to move to broader-based ownership so the organization becomes independent and capable of sustaining its long-term impact. Sooner or later these founders face a day when the organization they helped birth is no longer theirs alone.
To be sure, founders can be successful in the business world by remaining small, family-run operations and/or continuing as a privately held company. But for those who seek to grow their impact and need outside capital (hence investors) to do so, the chance for the founder to continue long term is relatively low. In many cases, when a venture capital or private equity firm makes the first investment in an established, founder-led organization, it is not unusual to set the expectation that the founder will likely yield to new leadership within 18 to 24 months! And then, they watch their organization reinvented about every two years thereafter to respond to changing times, needs, and opportunities. The successes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Jim Goodnight are more the exception than the rule.
The hard truth is that many organizations grow beyond the capabilities of their founders and need more and different types of leadership, skills, and broader mission ownership to succeed. This realization—that this time, the needed change falls on your doorstep—is a tough punch to the gut for a founder. I lived it during my commercial career. And I happily embrace it (again) in my nonprofit career.
Venture Philanthropy Partners is now at this stage. It must move beyond a founder-based organization and institutionalize itself and its work to multiply its impact on and value to the nonprofits in which it invests, the children they serve, and the region and field overall. We were honest about this change. We planned for it. We’ve struggled with it and made some missteps along the way. And now, we’re acting on it. Working hand-in-hand with the Board and management, I am enthusiastic and supportive of the changes we are taking to move VPP toward being an institutionalized resource and asset for our region and the field.
On February 21, we took major steps in this direction, when the Board established the new role of President and Chief Executive Officer and then elected Carol Thompson Cole as VPP’s first President and CEO. I will remain as Chairman, continuing to be active but in a non-executive role. These are just several of a series of actions underway to help navigate this transition.
Early False Starts
Although my fellow co-founders, Governor Mark Warner and business and civic leader Raul Fernandez, have played important roles, I have been the most intimately involved in characterizing and defining VPP’s work and approach. As far back as 2002, we began discussing how to move beyond the founder-centric organization to broader-based leadership and mission ownership. But change proved too difficult that early. Instead, we found ourselves continuously “retooling” our organization. As new team members came onboard, their various experiences caused us to change even more.
We correctly focused on building our organization, learning how to implement our investment approach better, and, most important, making investments and working with our nonprofit partners. But there was a cost as I did not give the attention needed to developing and engaging the Board. Fortunately, Carol, as Managing Partner, and others were assuming larger roles, learning what it really took to deliver our investment approach, and gaining the critical experience essential for the moves we are making now. Despite this less-than-systematic evolution, we stayed focused on our mission and continued to make progress because of the talent in the organization and the quality and talent within the nonprofit partners in which we invested.
Late in 2005, we held our first facilitated session of the Board to restart the discussion of leadership transition, strengthening our organization, and understanding how and when we could move to true Board governance. The session demonstrated we were still very much founder-centric and that we needed to move beyond that if VPP were to have the long-term impact we desired. Yet even pondering these new possibilities created uneasiness. Could Carol and I navigate this change? Would people incorrectly assume I was stepping back or leaving? Was the team ready for this change?
Triggers of Transition
These changes, however, took on a seriousness in the fall of 2006, when it was clear (initially to me and later to other key stakeholders) that we weren’t getting where we needed to be for the next stage fast enough and I risked being the impediment to VPP’s long-term progress. Part of this realization was grounded in the simple fact that I live in a different city and was constrained by the number of days I could be present physically in the National Capital Region. As much as I work remotely over the Net, management and capital raising require proximity. And, part of it was a function of living up to our side of serving our investment partnerships. Although it was what we needed to do, it also kept us from thinking about and planning for our own future. But, other factors also indicated the time was right for change, including:
- Carol forever changed the face of VPP here in the region, when she joined us in 2003. The respect and credibility she has earned within the various communities and nonprofits in which we invested creates a highly effective force. A leader of Carol’s competence and potential must be given the opportunity to fully realize her potential—for herself, for VPP, and for all those the organization serves.
- As much as I valued and benefited from our Board, I did not set up the opportunities to effectively engage them. Through no fault of its own, by the start of 2006, the Board—an excellent group of leaders—had been quietly anesthetized by my methodical nature. As one astute member of the Board recalled, “I would get this Board book that was as buttoned down as much as anyone could imagine, the issues were stated, the answers proposed, and the plans to get there meticulously laid out. It was thorough and the track record of the team good. So I would come to the Board meeting to listen—and not engage.”
We’re changing that now. We are blessed by Board members whose impressive talent and contributions are being more effectively tapped. VPP’s progress and impact will multiply with a fully engaged Board, having the real opportunity to take ownership and contribute to specific assignments. Fortunately, the Board is very willing to take this opportunity on.
- Although less involved in VPP’s day-to-day operations since Carol took over the investment process after becoming Managing Partner in 2005, I remained the driving force behind the overall near-term strategy and most of our communications, research, and capital raising efforts, leaving little time or perspective for “big picture” thinking or promoting our mission and approach. And, worse yet, too often Carol had to counter members of the team basing their actions more on “what would Mario want?” than on what was needed and necessary. This pattern has to be broken to liberate our own team to realize their potential, and Carol and the team are well on their way.
- In capital raising, it became eminently clear that we needed additional individuals engaging prospective donors about our work. For the initial VPP fund, dollars came in relatively easily, thanks to friends in the region and a different economic climate. For our second stage—though I have played a lead role in helping raise the commitments—it soon became obvious that more people had to build relationships and engage both present and future investors. Establishing a development and investor relations capacity and Jack Davies stepping up to lead the Development Committee are important first steps that have already made a big difference.
- And, finally, VPP is going through its next generation of growth, and these were important steps to prepare us for what lies ahead.
Time to Walk the Talk
Here we were, facing the same kind of issues that we discuss with our nonprofit investment partners about making bold organizational and management actions—get the right people “on the bus,” strengthen leadership and management, ensure an informed and engaged Board—all aimed at making their organizations highly effective in what they do to improve the lives of children and youth. I was espousing these changes in columns and other writings, but, ironically, we weren’t practicing what we were preaching. The time had come to walk the talk ourselves.
So how are we “walking our talk?” What specific things is VPP doing?
Since September, Carol, our Executive Committee, our trusted advisors, and I have focused on the necessary changes.
Far and away, the most important action we have taken was to establish the office of President and Chief Executive Officer and elect Carol to this role, effective March 1 (see story below).
I will continue to be an active Chairman, serving as an advisor and sounding board to Carol, helping shape long-term strategic direction, providing Board stewardship and leadership, and being a key resource to raise capital and support our general communications. I look forward to this leadership role with the Board, with more and more of my time going to advancing the use of our investment approach more broadly and sharing what VPP is learning and doing through writing, speaking engagements, and media activities. If my past experience holds true, the unpredictable will happen to trigger new opportunities.
Members of our Board have stepped forward in a number of ways and are empowered, engaged and energized. Over the last six months VPP’s Executive Committee—Jack Davies, Charito Kruvant, Billy Shore, Les Silverman, and Ken Slaughter—along with our Board advisors—Bob Boisture, Rich McDonnell, Lynn Taliento, and Bob Templin—have worked with Carol and me to map out a leadership and organization transition plan that will be presented for Board approval at our annual meeting on March 21.
The Board itself is moving from a Chair-driven Board to a Committee-based leadership Board. A formal committee structure was approved in February. Jack, Les, and Artis Hampshire-Cowan have stepped forward to take leadership roles to chair the Development, Organizational Development and Compensation, and Governance Committees respectively. While Jack has played lead roles with VPP from the beginning, he has made a huge commitment to our capital campaign since September. Les has been working side-by-side with Carol to map out the new organization. And, we will activate an Audit Committee this fall and add several new Board members in the next few months, with a further expansion by the end of 2007.
VPP has, among its other accomplishments over the last seven years, assembled a substantial team of seasoned professionals in its organization and Board. In fact, we believe we had built one of the most experienced teams of its type in the country, but we also knew we had to become even better. The team is now headed by a recognized and highly respected leader who has devoted her career to public and social sector causes. And, to build on what has already been done, plans are underway to add to and strengthen VPP’s team of investment professionals. VPP will name a new partner in the very near term and plans to recruit yet another partner plus an additional resource to support investment activity. Additionally, Carol has taken important steps to formalize and strengthen VPP’s operational management team, naming VPP Partner and CFO Eleanor Rutland to the role of VPP’s Chief Operating Officer; Stephen Whisnant to Vice President, Development and Investor Relations; and Victoria Vrana to Vice President, Communications and Assessment.
The sum of these changes—putting VPP’s execution in Carol’s capable and experienced hands, adding to and building the team around her leadership strengths, expanding and engaging the Board, and enabling me to focus on messaging and actions to better showcase our work and influence broader change and field building—will help institutionalize VPP, making it a stronger organization. And as we fully implement and assimilate these changes, VPP will be “walking the talk” in terms of its own organizational growth, development, and institutionalization, which will be critical to its long-term impact and application to other regions.
Last, but certainly not least, we will increase our capital raising efforts for VPP’s next stage and already have an exciting campaign mapped out for the next 12 to 18 months.
A Template for Others
There may be other organizations considering this same type of transition. While there is no pro forma template and our journey was marked by its own share of missteps, some of our lessons include:
- Recognize that emotion and logic may battle. Understand that change is tough, disruptive, and uncomfortable, but then remember why you’re in this field in the first place. Just as I’ve implored others, actions should be based on how well they will help an organization achieve its mission. And, this applies especially to the role of founder. Put aside egos. The founder and Board need to find the way in which the founder will best benefit the organization’s mission—that may mean no longer running the day-to-day operations, or, in some cases, even separating somewhat to give others the room to step up to their new roles.
- Respect and use the Board’s expertise. Even with my less than perfect level of Board engagement (and thanks to their patience with me), I have always seen the VPP Board as a rich resource that aligns and supports VPP and its leadership. They worked with us closely on multiple iterations of this process. Make sure the Board or, at least, your Executive Committee is engaged and working with you to navigate your changes.
- Seek input and counsel from key stakeholders. Our transition was an orchestrated process that benefited greatly from trusted advisors like Ed Skloot, Executive Director of the Surdna Foundation and VPP Board member, and Michael Bailin, former President of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, in addition to the Executive Committee. Be ready to hear feedback that will be uncomfortable and push you out of your comfort zone—if you’re not getting this kind of hard push-back, then you’re either asking the wrong people, the wrong questions, or not hearing what they’re trying to tell you.
- Talk with others who made similar changes and gain the benefit of what they learned and experienced—especially what they would have done differently.
- Get “the right people on the bus” and allow time for them to learn about the organization, the model, etc., before “knighting” them into executive roles. Finding the right combination of skills and experience took us a long time, yet doing so greatly increases the likelihood of success and may well be the most important legacy a founder can establish. And, just when you think everything is in place, you’ll realize one more way to get better. Recognize that this is a never-ending quest, and that’s the way it should be.
- Execute effectively what is announced. Plans and well-drawn org charts are just that—nothing more than scribbling on paper. The proof is always in the implementation and follow-up, not the press release and talking points. It’s tempting to get caught up in the planning of transitions and let the “real” work be taken off course. In the end, it’s all about execution.
Moving Ahead
We are taking these steps proactively; this transition to institutionalization was not forced or the result of catastrophe. It was simply a matter of timing with the requisite pieces in place to allow VPP to prepare for its next stage of growth, development, and impact, never forgetting that children and youth are the primary reason for our work. We are blessed with a talented and engaged team, Board, advisors, and the remarkable leaders of our nonprofit investment partners and the time is now.
Certainly, the transition from founder-centric to institutional is hard work, a long process, and a formidable task for founders and their Boards and staff. Yet, it is a challenge founders and Boards must at some point confront and, hopefully, embrace. Thought through and executed well, this change can benefit founders, make their organizations better, and have greater impact for those they serve. I look forward to the continued journey with VPP and wish you the best in yours.
-Mario Morino
Carol Thompson Cole Named President & CEO
Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) announced that Carol Thompson Cole has been named President and Chief Executive Officer. Cole, who joined VPP in 2003, assumes her position effective immediately.
“This leadership change sets the stage for continued growth of the organization, as well as for me personally,” said Mario Morino. “In Carol’s capable hands, we hope to move VPP beyond the founder-centric organization it has been, to a more established, self-sustaining entity with broader intellectual ownership and stronger financial sustainability. Carol is a remarkable leader, bringing a unique blend of management and leadership experience from a 30-year career in both the public and private sectors and a deep commitment to children and families of this region,” he said.
Cole brings deep executive experience and extensive knowledge of the National Capital Region to Venture Philanthropy Partners. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to her hometown of Washington, DC, where she has played many key leadership roles, most notably serving as Special Advisor to President Clinton and Executive Director of the Federal DC Inter-Agency Task Force, where she was "point person" to the White House on the District of Columbia. During her 12 years of service in the government of the District of Columbia she held major management and staff positions, such as City Administrator (the first woman and, at the time, the youngest person to be appointed in that role). In addition, she was the founding chair of DC Agenda, which she spearheaded in 1995 to bring together people, institutions, and resources from the private, nonprofit, and government sectors to improve the governance and the quality of life in the city.
As James Gibson, a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, said, “Carol Thompson Cole is an outstanding businesswoman and leader who had made many important contributions to greater Washington. This new leadership role at VPP provides an opportunity to apply her many skills as a civic, governmental, and corporate leader to strengthening vital nonprofit organizations in the Washington region.” Gibson has known Cole throughout her career, and they worked together directly in DC government, DC Agenda, and the Urban Institute.
Cole also understands and speaks the language of the private sector. Before serving in the Clinton Administration, Cole was the Vice President for Government and Environmental Affairs at RJR Nabisco, where she developed a corporate-wide environmental program that ensured that all business activities were carried out in an environmentally responsible manner.
“By putting VPP’s execution in Carol’s capable and experienced hands, building the team around her leadership strengths, having an expanded and engaged Board, and enabling me to have a stronger voice for VPP and in the field, VPP will become a stronger organization,” Morino said.
Cole summed up the opportunity at VPP: “It allows me to use the skills that I love—helping people develop personally and professionally and assisting organizations to work more effectively for the communities they serve. I really loved growing up in the DC region, and I was able to dream big and achieve my dreams. I want children here to have that same opportunity. That’s what drives me, and in VPP, I can help make that happen."
Q & A With Carol Thompson Cole
What brought you to VPP in 2003?
Before I joined VPP, I was doing consulting work with corporations and communities to build partnerships–really serving as a bridge builder. I decided that, for me, DC was the best place for that work, and I started looking for the opportunity to return. Several people recommended I meet with Mario, learn more about VPP, and see if it made sense for both of us. We met…and it did!
In your almost four years at VPP, what are some of the most surprising lessons?
The most surprising thing has been the importance of nonprofit boards. Although I experienced it earlier in my career as a board member, I never dwelled on how board members (including me) sometimes hold back their expertise and experience. We have to guard against inadvertently setting up situations where “people leave their business brains at the door” and don’t really engage in the work and meet their responsibilities as a governing body. I’ve realized how important the engaged board is to advancing the work and serving in a true governance capacity—not the day-to-day operations—to help leaders think issues through and then leverage resources. It’s certainly changed the way I now participate as a board member.
The second thing I would say is the importance of the Chief Operating Officer. I think all of our investment partners are now seeing the value, but it can be a challenge for executive directors to give up tasks they have always done to a COO. I think, however, emphasizing the value of the COO role will be one of the biggest benefits VPP brings to the portfolio. The cases where the CEO and COO become a real team will be the strongest organizations.
What is your first memory of giving to others?
Two things pop into mind. The first was Sunday School because it was about giving money to people in need in the city, the nation, and abroad. My parents always made sure we had money to put in the Sunday School offering plate each week.
And it sounds funny, but at Halloween, we filled milk cartons with pennies for UNICEF. The costume I remember the most was George Washington. We had to write an American history play for the fifth grade and I had created the role of the first President giving his inaugural address to play. I then wore the costume my grandmother made me for Halloween.
What or who has been your biggest inspiration?
My parents continue to be my biggest inspiration. They gave their six children unconditional love and sacrificed for us to have the best life we could. All they asked was that we do our best at whatever we wanted to do, and then they held us accountable. It wasn’t enough to be good at school; we all did something extra. Alex did photography; Bonnie played the violin; Waymond played football while Andy played basketball. Debbie danced and I took piano lessons (and then Debbie and I asked if we could switch and they let us!).
My parents never talked about what you couldn’t do. There was never anything I couldn’t achieve because I was a woman or African American. They told us it’s what’s in your heart and mind that matters—that’s how you act and that’s how you judge who you want to be around. When I came home after my first semester in college, I said, “Nobody acts or talk like that,” and my parents said, “You do.”
What has been your proudest professional moment?
Through my positions as City Administrator and as the liaison to the city for the Clinton Administration, I was able to achieve all I could for the city at that time. When I left the White House, I said, “Now I can shut the door and feel complete and happy that I did everything I could to make the Government of the District of Columbia work more effectively for its residents.”
Editor’s Note: Carol’s dedication and service to Washington, DC, are best illustrated in the profile published when she was named Washingtonian of the Year: “Carol Thompson [Cole] does not hesitate when asked about her proudest accomplishment. ‘Providing stability to the city in 1990,’ …Thompson [Cole] was more than the backstage DC city administrator—she became the backbone of city government, a symbol of competence and calm in the storm center of the District building.” Carol left city government at the end of 1990. The article concluded, “Her friends and family [were] certain of what [wouldn’t] change— ‘her love of her hometown and her commitment to make it a better place.’” Washingtonian, January, 1991.
What’s the book that’s influenced you the most? What’s on your nightstand?
Shirley Chisholm's Unbought and Unbossed, written in 1970, has been a guide throughout my career. She talked about the challenges for women in the political system: what it's like to be a leader and still stay focused on your own personal goals and beliefs. She was a woman on the national political scene who talked about the difficult struggles for women leaders but why it was worth overcoming the obstacles.
The next two books on my reading list are Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.
News From Investor Organizations
The Carl M. Freeman Foundation recently announced a call for grant applications for the F.A.C.E.S. (Freeman Foundation Assists Communities with Extra Support) mini-grants program for nonprofit organizations located in and serving Montgomery County, Maryland. Cheryl C. Kagan, Executive Director of the Foundation, said, “In our seventh year of the F.A.C.E.S. program we are more committed than ever to giving back to the community. Since the tragic loss of our Foundation Chair, Josh Freeman, in December, we have dedicated ourselves to honoring his legacy through programs like F.A.C.E.S.” Montgomery County-based nonprofits that assist county residents in the areas of education, culture, recreation, and health and human services may apply for mini-grants of $500 to $2,000. See http://www.freemanfoundation.org/faces-montgomery.htm for more information on application criteria and deadlines.
Stay updated on news stories that highlight the status of women around the world on Week X Week, the new blog from Peace X Peace, a nonprofit organization founded by VPP Founding Investor Patricia Smith Melton. Peace X Peace, a growing, global, grassroots organization with over 5,000 members in some 70 countries, supports the efforts of women to build peace locally and globally, through education, connection, and recognition.
Management Changes
SEED Names Director of Leadership Training
Thanks to Elizabeth Frazier, Director of Communications, for this update.
SEED welcomed Jerry Kountz as Director of Leadership Training in December. Bringing more than 30 years of education and leadership experience, he will craft and manage a leadership program that meets the diverse needs of the staff at both current and future SEED schools. Prior to SEED, he served as both a teacher and principal in Prince George’s County Schools and was Director of Coach Development for New Leaders for New Schools.
Kountz has spent the last several months meeting with leaders at both The SEED Foundation and The SEED School to develop a comprehensive leadership program. His leadership work is multi-fold: lining up training and residency programs for the leaders of SEED’s second school and developing an internal training program (SEED Leaders in Training) that will provide leaders at SEED’s first campus with the resources to develop leadership potential as the organization expands. He is also developing a set of competencies that will enable the organization to support and develop leaders at all levels of the organization and will plan professional development opportunities based on this data.
“Based on my experiences of working in a day school, I am convinced that working with students in a 24-hour environment presents the opportunity of a lifetime,” Kountz said. “I wanted to work at SEED because I believe that 24-hour access enables us to maximize what we can do for kids and enables everyone to focus on what is best for the students. I am also excited by the opportunity to build a leadership program from the ground up and to think creatively in order to develop a program that meets the diverse needs of SEED’s leadership.”
 Mary’s Center Hires New Chief Development Officer
Thanks to John Alejandro and Lyda Vanegas, Department of Advocacy and Communications, for this update.
Lynn Croneberger recently joined Mary’s Center as its new Chief Development Officer, responsible for overseeing all development and fundraising activities for the center. Previously, Croneberger served as the Executive Director of the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation and Memorial Foundation in Hollywood, FL. An accomplished fundraiser, she raised $10 million in the first year of a capital campaign to build a new Children’s Hospital and secured a collaborative grant with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the amount of $1.5 million for the prevention of childhood obesity.
“There is a tremendous need for the programs and services Mary’s Center offers,” Croneberger said. “I’m looking forward to helping the Center achieve its goals in 2007 and beyond.”
A certified fundraising executive (CFRE), Croneberger is also a past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for the Fort Lauderdale/Broward, FL chapter.
“We’re fortunate to have such an experienced professional join our team and are confident that her work will positively contribute to the success of Mary’s Center. She’s been going a mile a minute since coming on board,” said Maria Gomez, President and CEO.
Programs & Services
 LAYC To Open Residential Facility For Young Women
Thanks to Jim Whitney, Director of Communications, for this update
The renovation is complete, the contract with DC's Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) signed, and, this spring, LAYC's third residential facility will open its doors, becoming home to six young women in DC's foster care system.
The lavender row house is the only bilingual residential facility for young women in the District of Columbia.
The six young women, ages 16-21, who will live in the new facility will become the first participants in LAYC's Teen Bridges program, which will help young women who are aging out of foster care build the life skills needed to transition to independent living in the future.
When young people age out of foster care, they often attempt to make the transition to independent living with few supports, no mentors, and no real understanding of the challenges ahead. Homelessness is a frequent and tragic result. The Teen Bridges program will help to prepare young females to live on their own in the future.
Located next door to LAYC's Art & Media House and down the street from LAYC's two residential facilities for homeless and runaway young men, the new facility will be staffed round the clock, providing a safe environment for young women to take the next step to becoming productive young adults.
In addition to receiving educational assistance, the young women will work with a case manager, counselor, and career developer to address their needs and build new work and life skills.
Carlos Vera, LAYC's Director of Social Services, who oversees the organization's housing programs, said, "This is a very exciting day. There is a great need for housing for Latina young women in the District of Columbia and this new facility will help address that need. LAYC provides a full range of housing programs, from training and licensing Spanish-speaking individuals to become foster care parents, to providing emergency shelter for young men and young women, to offering independent living programs for young men. This new facility is a wonderful addition to our services and builds on what we've learned operating residential facilities during the past 15 years."
 Students Learn to Lead Peers to College
Thanks to Tom Harrison, Marketing & PR Coordinator, for this update.
On February 6, nine seniors learned how to marshal their school’s current junior class into an army of future college-going seniors. During a two-hour Peer Leadership Training session, College Summit staffers Heather Sheridan, Tim’m West, and Joell Royall showed the students from Booker T. Washington Public Charter School, how their existing leadership skills could be translated into dynamic action.
“We [organized] the event because the students couldn’t attend the [earlier] fall event,” said College Summit High School Coordinator Sheridan. She thinks the delay may have contributed to the day’s success. “Many of [them] have applications out” so they could focus their attention on increasing junior class interest in colleges and universities throughout the spring.
Sheridan developed both the curriculum for the fall’s peer leadership event and this abridged version. The event reflects a key belief behind College Summit’s work, that influential senior students, together with trained teachers and a college planning curriculum, can spread a college-going culture among an entire senior class.
After learning their leadership styles, students broke into groups to develop ideas for action. Sheridan noticed that the students “came up with events that were calendar-oriented and specific.” Events being organized include:
- Chat n’ Chew – Snacks are provided for juniors as they circulate and collect college information.
- Rep Your College Day – Students wear colors of the schools they want to attend or a T-shirt with school name and logo.
- A FAFSA 101 event – Seniors walk juniors through the important financial aid form.
Royall, Alumni Coordinator at College Summit, facilitated the one-on-one leadership style session with a group of three students. After she talked about the importance of celebration, the students agreed to organize a “Senior Toast” activity, where College Summit staff and high school teachers could gather with students and acknowledge the hard work and accomplishments of the school’s graduates.
Tim’m West, also a College Summit High School Coordinator, noticed that “the suggestions made [by Peer Leaders] were culture shift suggestions.”
Partnerships & Alliances
CMHS Secures Additional Funding for DC Clinical Operations
Thanks to Sarah Beglarbegui, Special Projects Manager, for this update.
CMHS was recently approved for a contribution from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in support of its Adolescent Mental Health Program in the District of Columbia. The primary goal of this program, run by the CMHS Core Service Agency (CSA) in Southeast DC, is to provide Medicaid-reimbursable mental health rehabilitation services, including diagnostic and assessment, counseling and psychotherapy, and community support services to approximately 150 at-risk children and young adults from Ward 8.
“This award represents yet another milestone in our agency’s mission to increase access to behavioral health care for vulnerable, low-income youth with undiagnosed and/or untreated emotional and functional impairments,” said Executive Director Dennis Hunt.
Awards & Recognition
Institute Selects Heads Up Manager as Emerging Leader
Thanks to Sara Brandspigel, Development Manager, for this update.
De Angelo Rorie, Director of Youth Program Operations, was selected as a fellow in the Emerging Leaders Institute of the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation.
The six-week fellowship is designed to further the professional development of current and future leaders in the nonprofit sector. As a member of the first class, Rorie will explore best practices and leadership principles in nonprofit management through a combination of lectures, case studies, site visits, role play, executive coaching, and action learning.
“This is a truly valuable opportunity for professional development,” he said. “I look forward to learning from my peers and strengthening my leadership skills.”
Announcements of Note
SFF/MAPCS Celebrate “Cooking Up a Future"
Thanks to Michael Faulkner, Director of Entrepreneurial Programs, for this update
On May 18, Maya Angelou Public Charter School and the See Forever Foundation will host its 10th annual Cooking Up A Future event. The event highlights the academic and creative achievements of the students and will be hosted at the MAPCS-Shaw campus at 1851 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Students showcase their work—art, poetry, music, and academic excellence—through activities and displays, and alumni from the school return to share their personal stories and successes.
Dr. Maya Angelou and the students will host local politicians, celebrities, business leaders, decision makers, and other distinguished guests, sharing words to both inspire and motivate. For more information, contact http://www.seeforever.org.
CFNC Featured in Corcoran Gallery Exhibit
Thanks to Kate Lyng, Manager of Development, for this update.
From February 13 to 18, the Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC) was featured in the inaugural show for Gallery 31, the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s newly-dedicated exhibition space to showcase student, faculty, and alumni work. Museum visitors were treated to the first in a series of exhibits presented by students enrolled in the Corcoran’s College of Art & Design.
David Gardiner’s photojournalism exhibit captured CFNC’s work in a series of photographs, highlighting the importance of early intervention programs like the ones found at CFNC. Each photograph portrayed students engaged in the process of inquiry and discovery, developing emerging literacy and problem-solving skills. One central theme in the 11-photograph series is the students’ enthusiasm.
Gardiner’s exhibit, “Early Education: an At-Risk Program?” asked viewers to consider the implications of limited resources for early childhood education. As the images in the exhibit reflected, children who have the opportunity to experience the joy of learning before entering kindergarten are more likely to begin school with the internal message, "I am smart and I like learning." Their “at-risk” label is altered to "at-promise."
 AALEAD Celebrates Expansion
Thanks to Rosetta Lai, VP for Development and External Affairs, for this update.
Over 400 attendees filled the New Fortune Chinese Restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD, to celebrate AALEAD’s 8th Annual Gala Dinner on February 23. The theme, “Branching Out for a Better Tomorrow” underscored the organization’s expansion into Maryland this past September. Venture Philanthropy Partners received the Dream Builder’s Award, in recognition of its strategic partnership with AALEAD and co-investor the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Highlights of AALEAD’s achievements include doubling the number of youth served to 300, strengthening its senior management team, expanding programs into Maryland, and advancing its outcomes and evaluation process.
Fleishman’s Foundation Celebrated
A rainy evening couldn't keep Joel Fleishman's many friends and admirers in the National Capital Region from celebrating the release of his new book, The Foundation: A Great American Secret: How Private Wealth is Changing the World. More than 250 guests, including VPP Investors Katherine Bradley, Katherine Borsecnik, Jack Davies, Doug and Gabriela Smith, and Emily Talley from VPP corporate partner Capital One gathered at the home of Cokie and Steve Roberts on March 1 for a reception that was co-hosted by Billy Shore, Chairman of Share our Strength and a VPP Board Member, and VPP Chairman Mario Morino, among others.
Morino said, "I have such enormous respect for Joel, who has been such an influential force in the field of philanthropy throughout his remarkable career. I only wish I had the benefit of the context and insights the book provides when we were conceptualizing and putting Venture Philanthropy Partners in place -- it would have shaped my approach to the foundation world differently and, no doubt, would have kept me from being quite as brash as I was at the outset. I especially appreciate Joel's message that philanthropy is a profound force in shaping our country and future, while being quick to point out there is room for great improvement and that starts with greater transparency and accountability."
The Foundation has generated considerable buzz for its critique of philanthropy and suggestions for reform. According to a Wall Street Journal review, “The future of grant-making, [Fleishman] concludes, may lie with 'venture philanthropy'" in which donors play a role akin to that of venture capitalists: investing in and nurturing charitable projects that show promise, with the understanding that many will not pan out. Failure, after all, can be instructive. Just ask any CEO."
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