Stonesifer Shares Experience of Gates Foundation at VPP Event

On October 17, the board of Venture Philanthropy Partners was privileged to host Patty Stonesifer, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a special event for VPP founding investors, new supporters, friends, board members, and team.
The sixty-five attendees, representing a unique cross-section of the region’s growing base of influential philanthropists, gathered to hear Patty candidly share what the Gates Foundation is learning as it steps up its efforts to reduce inequities in the United States and around the world. More »

Thompson Cole Honored as Champion of Democracy

“Carol Thompson Cole – a true daughter of DC!” began the introduction for VPP’s Managing Partner when she was honored as a Champion of Democracy at DC Vote’s Annual Award dinner on October 24. Along with the Honorable Jack Kemp and Charles A. Miller, Carol received the award for her unwavering commitment to advancing the issue of full and equal rights for all residents of the District of Columbia. More »

Stonesifer Shares Experience of Gates Foundation at VPP Event

On October 17, the board of Venture Philanthropy Partners was privileged to host Patty Stonesifer, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a special event for VPP founding investors, new supporters, friends, board members, and team.

The sixty-five attendees, representing a unique cross-section of the region’s growing base of influential philanthropists, gathered to hear Patty candidly share what the Gates Foundation is learning as it steps up its efforts to reduce inequities in the United States and around the world. Patty was joined by Allan Golston, President of the Gates Foundation's US Program.

Ed Skloot, President of the Surdna Foundation and VPP board member, set the context for the afternoon with his introduction. In an informal back and forth with Mario Morino, Chairman of VPP, Patty discussed what’s surprised her most in her transition from the private sector, what concerns her most, her advice for other philanthropists, and her take on the critical need for partnerships, which she summed up by quoting an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.

A lively Q&A with those at the event allowed Patty to delve deeper into issues of assessment, partnership, political will and the role of government, and new models of philanthropy. The afternoon was a rare opportunity to hear firsthand the experiences of one of the leaders in the field.
Attendees added their own rich experiences to the discussion, as well as connected to one another in the reception after the formal program. As Julie Rogers, President of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, shared, “Thank you, Mario, and VPP so much for a simply wonderful afternoon. The opportunity to hear Patty reflect so candidly with her particular gifts of warmth and intellect was really very special.” 

Thompson Cole Honored as Champion of Democracy

“Carol Thompson Cole – a true daughter of DC!” began the introduction for VPP’s Managing Partner when she was honored as a Champion of Democracy at DC Vote’s Annual Award dinner on October 24. Along with the Honorable Jack Kemp and Charles A. Miller, Carol received the award for her unwavering commitment to advancing the issue of full and equal rights for all residents of the District of Columbia. Past recipients include Phil and Jan Fenty, Joseph Lieberman, Eleanor Homes Norton, and The Honorable Walter E. Washington.

As DC Vote's Executive Director Ilir Zherka said when he recognized Carol from the podium, “She is a talented and powerful woman who has devoted her life to bettering her hometown.” He went on to say that her “new home,” Venture Philanthropy Partners, does more than just give money to organizations, it also invests itself in the success of organizations, “And that’s Carol’s style. She invests herself.”

The gala was attended by a who’s who of DC power brokers and honored guests, including 90-year-old Hilda Mason, civil rights activist and the “matriarch of the DC statehood movement,” Mayor Anthony Williams, Councilmember Adrian Fenty, Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Councilmember Kwame Brown. Also in attendance were Kathy Patterson, current Ward 3 Councilmember; Vincent Gray, current Councilmember Ward 7 and future Chair of the DC Council; Mary Cheh, incoming Councilmember for Ward 3; and Robert Bobb, former DC City Administrator and candidate for School Board Chair.

Carol spoke movingly about her parents, who were in attendance, along with her husband, aunt and uncle, and grandfather, saying, “They taught me social and civic responsibility and taught me to work for the children of this city,” and thanked them for “continuing to challenge me to do my very best for the District.” She noted that while it wasn’t until 1961 that residents of the District were able to vote for the President, her family held property elsewhere in order to be able to vote via absentee ballot, which they did every four years, following family meetings to discuss the issues and candidates. “I take every opportunity to educate and advocate on behalf of this city,” she concluded, and the respect was palpable as the crowd responded with a standing ovation.

ACT Conference Raises the Bar

“Effectiveness is the result of a combination of relevance to current needs, outcomes, impact, achievement, and leadership. It’s a function of a workable solution, again compelling leadership with remarkably disciplined, rigorous execution,” said VPP chairman Mario Morino in his keynote address at the Alexandria Community Trust’s (ACT) second annual conference, "Raising the Bar for Organizational Effectiveness and Excellence for Nonprofits."

More than 140 attendees from more than 40 nonprofit organizations as well as representatives from City agencies, the Chamber of Commerce, and the business sector attended the event on October 5, more than double the attendance from last year. The conference also included two break-out sessions on outputs and outcomes and effective board leadership.

As ACT Founding Board Member Lori Morris said at the conference, nonprofit excellence is “really much more about becoming great than about becoming big. It’s also a lot more about becoming effective than it is about merely becoming more widespread.”

The Alexandria Gazette reported on the event and the reaction it generated with an October 12 story, “Nonprofit Not Noneffective: Social service nonprofits learn how to improve their mission.”

Wealth Transfer Symposium Features Schervish, Freeman, and Morino

Paul Schervish, Director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College; Terri Lee Freeman, President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and a VPP Board member; and Mario Morino, Chairman, Venture Philanthropy Partners, were the panelists at a Chevy Chase Bank-sponsored symposium for about 150 financial advisors, philanthropists, and nonprofit leaders at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD, on October 5. The purpose of this gathering was to share the results of “The Washington Region’s $720 Billion Golden Age of Philanthropy,“ a Bank-commissioned study (conducted by Schervish) on the imminent intergenerational wealth transfer, which determined that there will be a massive intergenerational transfer of wealth in the next 50 years and broadly defined the demographics of the families involved.

The panel discussed the study’s findings, provided their reflections on philanthropic trends in the region and their impact on area nonprofit organizations, and suggested ways for nonprofits to encourage donors to support their efforts. As Morino said, “"I've always believed this region was a special place. As a world center for commerce we came of age in the 1990s. In the next five to 15 years, we will earn our place as one of the most innovative and effective philanthropic centers in the world. This is our challenge and our remarkable opportunity."

Expansion

CFNC Continues Expansion Efforts in Arlington, Partners with Arlington Head Start
Thanks to Kate Lyng, Manager of Development, for this update.

CFNC opened its first classroom in South Arlington at Virginia Gardens in property owned and operated by the Arlington Housing Corporation (AHC) in the fall of 2005. Building upon the success of its first classroom, CFNC now operates two classrooms serving 32 children at its Virginia Gardens site with plans to open a third classroom in November that will serve 16 additional children at Woodbury Park (another AHC property), pending final County Board approval. In preparation for this expansion effort, CFNC has hired staff, had state and county licensing visits to assure compliance, and is actively recruiting families.

In addition to its expansion efforts in FY2006/07, CFNC has entered into a collaborative relationship with Arlington Head Start to help them reach and serve more families. To date, CFNC has ten Head Start children enrolled in its classrooms and has agreed to enroll up to seven additional children if needed over the next few months.

CMHS Gains CSA Status, Fortifies DC Presence
Thanks to Dennis Hunt, Executive Director, for this update.

CMHS was recently certified by the DC Department of Mental Health as a “Mental Health Rehabilitation Core Service Agency (CSA).” The CMHS CSA, located at the Covenant House of Washington (CHW) headquarters in Ward 8, Southeast DC, will provide mental health services to indigent and largely underserved children, adolescents, and young adults with serious emotional and functional impairments, mostly referred by CHW. “I truly believe that our operations will add value to the great work that Covenant House has already been doing in Ward 8,” said Dr. Michael Smith, clinical director of the CMHS CSA. The total number of youth to be served by the CSA in its first year is about 150 and is expected to grow to between 250 and 300 annually thereafter.

CMHS was also awarded a Certificate of Need to establish a Freestanding Outpatient Mental Health Clinic in DC. This will allow the agency to enroll as a provider with DC Medicaid which, in turn, will allow access to Medicaid fee-for-service funds directly and without a cap. Finally, to further its sustainability, the agency has submitted enrollment applications to all four Managed Care Organizations in DC. CMHS has received a provider number from one of the four and expects to be credentialed with the other three by the end of the month.

Management Changes

SEED Names Chief Development Officer
Thanks to Elizabeth Frazier, Director of Communications, for this update.

The SEED Foundation welcomes Conan Louis to its senior management team as Chief Development Officer. He brings extensive development and management experience to SEED as it expands its operations to serve more youth in the District of Columbia and beyond.

An attorney, Louis was in private practice in the Washington office of a major law firm and conducted social science research before becoming a development professional. He has more than 25 years of experience in philanthropy, having served as associate vice president for alumni relations and associate vice president for external relations at Georgetown University, vice president for advancement at Howard University, and director of development for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He also served as a senior consultant at Bentz Whaley Flessner, advising clients in higher education and healthcare, as well as arts and culture.

Louis holds a B.S. in Applied Linguistics and an M.S. in Sociolinguistics from Georgetown University, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is a 2002 recipient of the John Carroll Award, the highest award that Georgetown bestows on its distinguished alumni.

“We are thrilled to have Conan join our team,” says Eric Adler, co-founder of The SEED Foundation. “Conan brings decades of passion for education and the DC community to SEED and we know that his leadership of our development operations will support the children and families of SEED for years to come.”

Programs & Services

BGCGW Germantown Branch Hosts Well-Known Oceanographer
Thanks to Tanzi West, Chief Communications Officer, for this update.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) welcomed Dr. Robert Ballard to its Germantown Branch on October 24, 2006. Dr. Ballard is well known for his discoveries of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989, and John F. Kennedy’s Navy PT-109 boat in the Solomon Islands in 2002.

Local area resident and internationally recognized oceanographer Ballard visited the Germantown Branch as a part of a US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) crime prevention initiative, which is in its first year of operation at the club. The Immersion Presents Adventure Series, a science and math crime prevention program modeled after Dr. Ballard’s explorations and adventures, gives middle-school-aged youth positive alternatives to involvement in juvenile crime. Through this program, children are given the opportunities to succeed in science, mathematics, and literacy while using technology to explore the world’s natural resources.

Phil McManus, Branch Director of the Germantown Branch, said, “We were pleased to have Dr. Ballard visit our Club. This rare opportunity for the children to meet Dr. Ballard, the inspiration for this wonderful program, is one I am sure they will not forget.”

During this first year program at the Germantown Branch, all 25 children who participate have shown more interest in the field of science and improved their working relationships with and attitudes toward peers, Club staff members, and their families.

Heads Up Joins Effort to Boost After-School Program Quality
Thanks to Sara Brandspigel, Director of Development, for this update.

Heads Up was selected by the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC) for a pilot project to improve quality for after-school programs. The Building After-School Infrastructure and Quality Initiative aims to help local organizations integrate out-of-school-time standards into their programs.

As a participant, Heads Up will receive technical assistance, training, and funding to integrate standards by July 2007. The standards include benchmarks on relationships, the physical environment, safety and health, and administration.

After the pilot is completed, CYITC will provide financial and advisory support for Heads Up to pursue accreditation from the National AfterSchool Association. The project will also offer ongoing professional development opportunities for Heads Up staff.

"This is part of Heads Up's strategy to enhance program quality and better serve children and families," said Darin McKeever, Executive Director. "By integrating emerging standards and pursuing national accreditation, we will continue to strengthen our reputation as a model after-school program."

LAYC Offering New Program Certifications
Thanks to Jim Whitney, Director of Communications, for this update.

This fall, LAYC is offering two new professional certifications to youth who pass national tests demonstrating their skills and competencies critical to success in entry-level positions and to working in the customer service sector.

In DC, 20 students in LAYC’s Workforce Investment Social Enterprise (WISE) program are participating in a pilot work readiness program, specifically designed for youth, which will conclude with the participants taking the National Work Readiness Credential (NWRC) assessment. If successful, they will receive the credential.

In Montgomery County, ten youth are going through a six-week curriculum that prepares them to gain The National Professional Certification in Customer Service, a nationally recognized credential in the sales and customer service industry, demonstrating competency in critical customer service skills.

The NWRC is a new voluntary national assessment developed by the National Chamber of Commerce that provides a national certification affirming jobseekers have demonstrated the foundation knowledge and skills that are needed for successful performance as entry-level workers. The NWRC assessment measures performance levels of nine skills that employers have identified as critical to employment for entry-level jobs across multiple industry and business sectors.

To prepare students for the NWRC assessment, WISE is piloting The Preparing for Work curriculum developed by Equipped for the Future (EFF) at the University of Tennessee’s Center for Literacy Studies in partnership with the National Youth Employment Coalition, the State Education Agency of the District of Columbia, and the Martha O’Bryan Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

The EFF-designed curriculum focuses on four categories of skills which are important in the work environment—Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Decision Making Skills, and Lifelong Learning Skills. LAYC is one of two DC organizations selected to pilot the new curriculum and to provide feedback to the National Youth Employment Coalition and Equipped for the Future staff. After feedback and revision, the curriculum will be released nationally in early 2007.

In Montgomery County, Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers (MMYC) is working with MontgomeryWorks Sales & Service Learning Center to train and certify youth interested in retail or customer service careers. To obtain the National Professional Certification in Customer Service, an individual must pass a 70-question, computer-based assessment that presents real-life customer service situations. MontgomeryWorks Sales & Service Learning Center is an initiative of Montgomery County’s Department of Economic Development and the National Retail Federation Foundation.

Outcomes

Mary's Center Boosts Clinic Visits, Individual's Education Path
Thanks to Vanessa DeCarbo, Director of Advocacy and Communications, for this update.

Mary’s Center strives to refine measurement tools to track outcomes and to identify areas for organizational improvement. Below are snapshots of two measurement outcomes, the first based on quantifiable increased patient visit numbers, the second in anecdotal form based on client experience.

By enabling patients direct "walk-in" for clinic visits through a process known as "open access" Mary's Center’s clinical productivity increased by 21% in the first and second quarters of 2006. Last year the number of patients seen reached 60% of the expected capacity according to Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) standards. As a result of the implementation of "open access," patient visits increased to approximately 81% of the FQHC expected capacity between January/September of 2006. Refining and improving the open access process allows Mary’s Center to increase the quality of services and the volume in which care is delivered.

Berta Perez, who currently teaches Even Start technology classes, has first-hand experience on Even Start program benefits. “When I came to the USA (about 12 years ago), I didn’t know any English and, worst of all, I had little education. When I got pregnant with my daughter, I found some information about free English classes at the Even Start Program. I enrolled in the English and computer classes, and I enrolled my daughter in early childhood education classes, hoping that I would have more opportunities to find a better job if I could speak this country’s first language. I built up my self-esteem while I was coming to the English class because I was capable of communicating with others.

“My expectation for a better life was getting bigger, and I decided to take GED classes in another school. Since I had a low-level education, I felt very fortunate to know enough English to start with my pre-GED classes and I was very thankful to the Even Start program because of the English I had learned. After two months going to pre-GED classes I was transferred to the GED level and it took me another seven months before I took the real GED test. Finally, in 2000, I passed the GED test at UDC.

“Hungry for success I started to take training in computer technology. I feel proud to tell you that I am now employed as a computer instructor and I am passing my hopes, my dreams and my knowledge to more than 100 students per week. At present, I am taking an A-plus certification class, and I am very confident that I will pass the test.

“I feel highly rewarded that all the knowledge I have acquired during this entire struggle has been useful for my daughter’s education because now I am capable of helping with her schoolwork. I am also now more confident to discuss all issues relating to her education with her teachers. I am very proud to say that she is very sociable and one of best students in her classroom. She almost always gets straight A’s.

“My experience at the Even Start program helped me to achieve important goals and is helping me to help my family. I think that an ESF charter School will help other families to move toward their own American dreams.”

Since the inception of the Even Start program at Mary’s Center in 1998, over 3,000 families have successfully completed the program. Eighty percent completed or advanced an ESL level. Fifty-nine percent of those who had employment as a goal, obtained or retained a job.

Noteworthy Announcements

AALEAD Selected for Spirit of Giving Guide
Thanks to Rosetta Lai, Vice President for Development and External Affairs, for this update.

AALEAD will be featured in The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s 2006-2007 Spirit of Giving Guide. As one of only 15 organizations included, AALEAD’s profile will be disseminated to organizations and donors in the region and raise community awareness of the plight of Asian American children from low-income families and AALEAD’s efforts to assist them.

CentroNía Recognizes Awardees
Thanks to Isabel Barranzuela, Communications Associate, for this update.

Teens from CentroNía’s summer program won two awards at the 2006 DC TV Kids Video Festival held recently. The 'Touring the Smithsonian' video won the Best Educational Video Award. The second award, for Best Comedy, went to 'Why Kids Hate School Lunches!'

The Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative, a consortium of organizations which develop support services for families involved with the child welfare system, recently awarded President and CEO BB Otero with the 2006 Change Worker Award (Founding Members with Continuous Services) and Timothea Howard, Integration and Expansion Program Manager, with the 2006 Community Catalyst Award.

Heather Hodges, attorney with Arnold & Porter and CentroNía board member, has been selected as a finalist for the Mayor's Community Service Award, which is given monthly to one youth (age 24 or younger) and one adult in the District of Columbia. Hodges will receive a plaque at the Mayor's Community Service Awards Banquet on November 16, 2006.

See Forever Partners with South African Embassy
Thanks to Sunny Lee, Director of Development, for this update.

The See Forever Foundation and the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa are partnering for a fall fundraiser on November 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Ambassador Barbara Joyce Mosima Masekela will host supporters for an evening of wine tasting and festivities. This event will be an opportunity to learn more about Maya Angelou Public Charter School, gain insight about South Africa, and experience extraordinary wines and authentic foods from South Africa. For more information, please contact Sunny Lee at (202) 281-4140 or slee@seeforever.org. Space is limited.