Consulting Café

Looking for resources or tools to mobilize your resources for social change? Need support planning a difficult conversation? Trying to figure out how to take the next step with regard to your giving or impact investing? Get the individualized support you need to help answer your specific questions during the Consulting Café! Sign up for one-on-one time with leading consultants, advisors, and foundation staff.

Sessions are 30 minutes, confidential, pitch-free space, and are open to Individuals, couples and/or small groups, where appropriate. The Consulting Café will take place on both Friday and Saturday of the MMMC retreat. We will be sending out information about the consultants before the retreat. Be sure to sign up early to ensure a spot! The Consulting Café is a great opportunity to get some support around your personal questions/situations, for free.

FRIDAY CONSULTANTS

GRASSROOTS INTERNATIONAL

Grassroots International works to create a just and sustainable world by building alliances with progressive movements. We provide grants to our Global South partners and join them in advocating for social change. Our primary focus is on land, water, and food as human rights and nourishing the political struggle necessary to achieve these rights. Grassroots International is a human rights and international development organization that supports community-led sustainable development projects. Since 1983 we have worked in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, concentrating our efforts in areas where U.S. foreign policy has been an obstacle to positive change and where creative grassroots movements build local solutions to global problems.

Carol Schachet has more than 20 years of domestic and international experience in community organizing and movement building, as well as a Masters of Divinity specializing in the intersection of theology and politics. She has worked as a community organizer, trainer, and development specialist for ACORN, Witness for Peace, Sojourners, and Resist. She currently serves on the board of directors at Resist.

NORTH STAR FUND

North Star Fund is New York's community foundation supporting grassroots groups leading the movement for equality, economic justice and peace. By organizing donors, raising money for grants, and providing technical assistance, we support efforts ranging from better schools, housing and health care, to protecting civil liberties, creating living wage jobs, and advocating for peace, freedom and human rights.

Community organizers working in New York City's most marginalized communities hold the majority of seats on the Community Funding Committee (CFC), in accordance with our commitment to activist-led grantmaking. The CFC's role is two-fold – to use their experience, expertise and analysis to select the most effective and promising grassroots organizations to receive North Star funding, and to provide their insight and perspective to shape our grantmaking programs as a whole to have the greatest strategic impact. Donor programs provide people at all giving levels the opportunity to learn about and support community work across New York City's diverse neighborhoods. Through networking, special events, seminars, workshops, and visits with grantees, donors can engage with their peers and neighbors. Our innovative grants and technical assistance program finds and invests in new talent and grassroots leadership to ensure people directly affected by injustice participate in our democracy. Funding from North Star Fund is often the first grant a new organization has ever received for its work to overcome injustice and foster democracy in New York City.

Isabelle H. Leighton is Development Officer with North Star Fund and is responsible for managing fundraising and cultivation events, and for building relationships with individual donors, family and private foundations, and corporations. She is charged with expanding and diversifying the community of people giving through North Star Fund to support grassroots activism and organizing.

Isabelle served most recently as Development Manager at Literacy, Inc., where she was responsible for grant research and writing, corporate and foundation relations and reporting, raising program support in cooperation with elected officials, event management, board stewardship, and managing outcomes evaluation. During the summer of 2009, immediately before coming to work at North Star Fund, Isabelle was engaged to coordinate the H209 Forum of Henry Hudson 400 New York Foundation, working intensively with an international team to develop a two-day forum and gala, with a program of 150 experts in engineering, finance, and public policy. Isabelle graduated with a B. A. and a double major (English and Chinese) from University of California, Davis.

Says Isabelle, "Through my work at North Star Fund, I am excited to contribute to the solutions to challenges faced by individuals and groups struggling for economic and social justice. I'm wholly committed to North Star's goal of connecting activists working at the grassroots community level with those who can also express their activism through giving resources."

CALVERT FOUNDATION

Calvert Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides the opportunity for investors to achieve financial returns while empowering people living in low-income communities in the United States and around the world. Calvert Foundation believes in creating a win-win, improving both the lives of those who receive investment dollars and the lives of our investors. A pioneer in the social impact investment field, Calvert Foundation investors have helped to create over 450,000 jobs for low-income individuals, built or rehabilitated 17,000 affordable homes, and financed close to 27,000 nonprofit facilities and social enterprises through their investment in Calvert Foundation’s Community Investment Note.

Justin Conway manages business and industry development at Calvert Foundation, a national nonprofit managing over $400 million in community development, microfinance, and social enterprise investments. He actively works with the investors and financial advisors that are at the forefront of using investment capital for social and environmental impact.

Before Calvert Foundation, Justin managed the Community Investing Program of the Social Investment Forum and Co-op America, and worked on human rights issues in Hong Kong and Central America. Justin has served on the Board of Green America, a nonprofit harnessing economic power for social change, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of Envest, a microfinance investment vehicle incorporating environmental sustainability into its financing.

Justin works with investors to help them explore impact investment options – from community development banking to private debt and equity offerings. His experience is also focused on helping financial advisors work with their clients to do impact investing, and helping nonprofits consider funding sources and create investment programs. He is driven by seeing both the social impact that is achieved through the investments, as well as the tremendous impact it has on the investors themselves.

TRILLIUM INVESTMENTS

Trillium is the oldest independent investment advisor devoted exclusively to sustainable and responsible investing. We believe examining environmental, social, and governance factors as an integrated part of the investment process can lower portfolio risk and help identify the best managed companies. Trillium has been managing equity and fixed income investments for high net worth individuals, foundations, endowments and religious institutions since 1982. A leader in shareholder advocacy and public policy work, our goal is to deliver both impact and performance to our investors.

Paul Hilton joined Trillium in June 2011 as a portfolio manager. Most recently he was Vice President of Sustainable Investment Business Strategy at Calvert Investments, leading SRI product and business development. Paul has been Portfolio Manager for Socially Responsible Investing at The Dreyfus Corporation and has also served as a research analyst in the Social Awareness Investment (SAI) program at Smith Barney Asset Management, then a division of Citigroup.

Paul is a former Treasurer of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP-FI) and current member and former co-chair of its Asset Management Working Group. In addition, Paul serves on the board of the Social Investment Forum.

A Chartered Financial Analyst, he holds Master’s degrees in Anthropology from New York University and Education from Roberts Wesleyan College. Paul was co- project lead on the influential UNEP-FI report of the Asset Management Working Group entitled: “Fiduciary Responsibility – Legal and Practical Aspects of Integrating Environmental, Social and Governance Issues into Institutional Investment.”

RSF SOFICAL FINANCE

RSF Social Finance is a nonprofit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. Inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, RSF offers investing, lending, and giving services that generate positive social and environmental impact while fostering community and collaboration among participants. In partnership with our investors and donors, RSF has made $230 million in loans and over $100 million in grants since 1984 to for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises working in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. Underlying all our work is a spirited conversation about the role that money can play in the development of humanity.

Taryn Goodman is the Senior Manager of Impact Investing at RSF Social Finance. At RSF, Taryn manages the $40 million Donor Advised Fund Impact Investing Portfolios as well as the newly launched Program Related Investing Fund focused in food & agriculture. She also serves as a moderator for the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders’ Finance & Investing for Social Change Group and on the conference planning committee for SRI in the Rockies and the PRI Makers Network. Taryn first became involved with impact investing as an MBA candidate at the Johnson School at Cornell University where she helped launch BR MicroCapital, the first MBA student managed microfinance fund providing business and financial support to Tompkins County, NY. Taryn was a recipient of a Park Fellowship for leadership and service. She has traveled extensively and lived abroad in both Europe and Africa.

GILL FOUNDATION

For 17 years, the Gill Foundation has been an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality. Today more than ever, we are committed to securing equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation and gender expression. We go about this work in a variety of ways. Over the years, we have invested $106 million in hundreds of high-impact nonprofits that share our commitment to equality. But we’re more than grantmakers. We’re sometimes leaders and always collaborators. We believe that you can never have too many allies and too few enemies. We share well with others and believe that knowledge should not be treated as a commodity. We introduce people to one another. We convene parties to learn from one another. We enlist, educate, and motivate. We’re responsible and thoughtful. Our work breaks neatly into three primary areas. We advocate for equality by partnering with LGBT nonprofits – both state and national organizations – that work every day to bring about equality. We build a better Colorado by partnering with hundreds of organizations that share our commitment to improving the quality of life for people across the state. We engage donors when we educate and energize them about the wide variety of LGBT nonprofits that further equality through their hard work every day.


Chris Cormier is currently the director of donor and foundation relations at the Gill Foundation. Chris is responsible for overseeing the foundation’s donor and institutional partnerships programs, including the network of philanthropic OutGiving donors and the biannual conference. Chris works with donors and allied partners to strengthen their giving strategy to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people through philanthropy.

Chris also serves as the director of donor and foundation relations at the Gill Action Fund, which he joined in November 2007. In that capacity, he advises pro-equality donors on their political investments. He previously served as the director of political advocacy and donor relations at Gill Action. His first two years in that role focused on legislative advocacy and working with local partners in states across the country – most notably Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, and New Jersey – to advance targeted legislation around relationship recognition and nondiscrimination.

Before joining the Gill team, Chris served as the director of organizing at the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA), New York’s statewide LGBT civil rights and advocacy organization. While at ESPA, Chris coordinated advocacy campaigns and developed outreach programs including Pride in the Pulpit, which, under his leadership, became a national model for organizing among communities of faith. He also oversaw the statewide marriage campaign focused around the Hernández v. Robles court case in 2006 and subsequent passage of the marriage equality bill by the state assembly in 2007.

Chris also has experience in fundraising, most recently working for a nonprofit consulting firm in New York City. He was a founding member of the Denver Gay and Lesbian Flag Football League and currently serves as the board secretary of the DC Gay Flag Football League. Chris holds his bachelor’s in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and is an avid New England sports fan.

SATURDAY CONSULTANTS 

FRESH POND CAPITAL

Fresh Pond Capital is an investment advisory firm that helps clients integrate their values with their investments. With access to independent equity research through our partner firm, Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, we guide investors on pathways that can create harmony - personally, financially, and philanthropically. We work together to build customized investment portfolios and look to provide resources to support life goals and social ventures. That can include helping individuals and families identify the emotional impact of money, address the issues raised by relationships and money, deal with inter-family business arrangements, reflect on the question of "How Much is Enough," and engage social change philanthropy.

Julie Johnson grew up in a conservative, wealthy Midwestern family that called itself upper middle class. While bumping heads with her Republican father, she has explored the morality and ethics of money in her working and personal life. After working at three socially responsible investing firms, she is now Managing Director of Fresh Pond Capital Management where she works with individuals and families helping to align their values, goals and investments. Through investing and volunteering, Julie pursues her interests in sustainable agriculture, community organizing, and financial literacy. She has served on the board of The Food Project and is invested in her local community farm and land trust. The growth of her family can be enjoyed at www.finnmcveigh.blogspot.com.


SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND NORTHWEST

Social Justice Fund Northwest is a foundation working at the frontlines of social change. We leverage the resources of our members to foster significant, long-term social justice solutions throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

For the last three decades, our members have been delivering profound social change by investing in grantees that address the root causes of injustice. Our members build community and make grants through Giving Projects, helping create a new, more engaged culture of social justice philanthropists. Our first Giving Project in 2010 was a collaboration with the Seattle Resource Generation chapter.

As a member-funded and member-driven foundation, Social Justice Fund Northwest relies on the support of our community to achieve our mission. Our supporters are critical allies in our efforts to catalyze long-term, progressive social change.

Zeke Spier is the Executive Director of Social Justice Fund and has been working at the foundation for four years. Over that time, he has engaged hundreds of people as donors and helped to move millions of dollars to grassroots organizing in the Northwest. Zeke has experience both as a manager in the corporate sector and as a community organizer, working on issues from the just reconstruction of New Orleans to criminal justice issues in Philadelphia.  He is currently sits on the Board of Advisors of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and is a member of the leadership team of the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites. Zeke was born in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys reminiscing about his cross-country bicycle trip on his 2-mile ride to work.


BOULDER GIVING

Bolder Giving seeks nothing less than to shift the collective culture of giving. Our mission is to inspire and support people to give to their full lifetime potential. We challenge the norms and stereotypes that limit charitable giving through a two-pronged approach. The first is through Inspiration: We gather and share inspirational stories of bold giving from diverse people across the economic spectrum. The second is through Action: We develop tools and advice to help people translate that inspiration into actionable steps to transform their giving.

Our aim is to encourage people of all backgrounds to:
·  Give More - increase their giving as a percent of income, assets or business profits;
·  Risk More - shift how they give by exploring opportunities to give collaboratively, to communities besides their own, to social change and entrepreneurial efforts; and
·  Inspire More - spark discussions about giving with others and share their giving stories to provide a catalyst for new conversations.

Jason Franklin has been involved with Resource Generation since 2002, after seeking out support to help him figure out to respond to a surprise discovery that his family had a family foundation which he was invited to join. He has served in a variety of leadership roles within the RG community and credits RG and MMMC with preparing him for the leadership roles he now holds in philanthropy. By day, he serves as the Executive Director of Bolder Giving where he works to inspire people to “Give More. Risk More. Inspire More.” He is also an adjunct professor at New York University where he teaches courses on nonprofit management, public policy, and philanthropy and he plans to complete his dissertation in May 2012 which is examining the role of charitable foundations in the policy making process.

In addition to serving on the RG board, he is also a member of the boards of the North Star Fund, Proteus Fund, 21st Century School Fund, and Social Justice Philanthropy Collaborative, and on the advisory boards of Wealth for the Common Good and Chartered Advisors in Philanthropy program. He comes to the Bolder Giving team from the 21st Century School Fund where he most recently worked as Deputy Director. Previously, he coordinated the Rockefeller Foundation's Next Generation Leadership Network housed at the NYU Research Center for Leadership in Action and has also worked for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and Oregon Commission on Children and Families.

A serial social entrepreneur, he co-founded Oregon Students Supporting Education (a statewide student organizing effort that helped prevent major budget cuts to Oregon public schools), the Multnomah Youth Commission (a youth-led agency that advises city and county leaders on program and policy decisions), and IAM LLC (an urban brownfield development planning firm that won the 2004 Goldman Sachs Global Social Venture Competition).

 

TIDES FOUNDATION

Tides is a values based, social change platform that leverages individual and institutional leadership and investment to positively impact local and global communities. Founded in 1976, the organization has partnered with over 15,000 forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, activists, organizations, government institutions, and social entrepreneurs and investors, domestically and internationally. Tides is a nonprofit organization that works at the heart of today’s most critical issues, supporting grantees and programs that are core to our country’s nonprofit infrastructure and social service delivery. The organization leads the nation in fiscal sponsorship of nonprofits across the country, operates and supports green nonprofit centers, and grants millions each year to charitable organizations across the globe. In 2010, Tides fiscally sponsored over 215 nonprofits, awarded over $143 million in grants, and engaged over 3,000 nonprofit and philanthropic leaders and professionals from various sectors in The NonprofitCenters Network. Tides works in partnership with people whose work confronts issues like global warming, economic and racial disparities, the AIDS epidemic, and democratic disenfranchisement. Bringing together people, resources, and innovation, Tides is a convener and connector for local and global community solutions.

As Project Manager in the Impact and Innovation department, Irene Kao develops and coordinates strategic initiatives and partnerships, fundraises, and supports business and product development. She also serves as Executive Director of Hyphen, an all-volunteer, nonprofit Asian American media organization. Prior to Tides, Irene focused on serving low-income communities - especially immigrant families - through direct services, advocacy, and administration. She received a BS in Women's Studies and an MSW in Interpersonal Practice and Community Organizing from the University of Michigan.

 
The Funding Exchange (FEX) is a social justice foundation working toward “Change not Charity,” and serving as the national hub of a network of regionally-based foundations. Started 30 years ago by young people with wealth, FEX is charting a bright, bold future together with the Next Generation of multiracial, cross-class donor activists. FEX pioneered an activist-advised model of grantmaking, through which community members sit on grants panels and make funding recommendations in support of grassroots organizations working for social justice. FEX was founded to provide permanent institutional support for grassroots social justice work. Today, FEX focuses on developing its network of 16 (and growing!) member funds while also making grants in places not currently served by the network. FEX members are best situated to understand what local communities need; which groups are the most effective at creating social change; and how they can help build small grassroots organizations into a larger national social movement. Current highlights of FEX’s national office work: 

• Through our Rapid Response Fund, FEX began collecting donations that will be delivered quickly to support the Occupy Movement, including the NYC General Assembly, the organization coordinating the Wall Street protests. Across the country, the organizers need tents, cooking supplies, poster boards, and all sorts of other supplies to keep going. FEX’s nimble structure allows us to help donors get money where it is needed quickly. 
• The Funding Exchange recently launched a new strategic grantmaking cycle. Defined as three activist-advised initiatives, the new grants focus on enhancing collaboration across geographic and issue areas, encouraging innovation - which ensures that effective, localized solutions are informing national movements, and crossing bold frontiers as FEX anchors progressive movements in new areas
• In order to support the urgent social justice work happening along the border and throughout Arizona, FEX is creating a new social justice fund in Phoenix! We held our annual Skills conference in AZ, where we were joined by local activists, grantmakers, and stakeholders, including the Hummingbird Collective. There, we held some preliminary strategy meetings and are well on our way to providing infrastructure for progressive work, which is currently lacking in the state.

Becky Rafter translates her passion for transformative social change into working to reframe traditional nonprofity stuff, such as resource development. To this end, she focuses on collaboration, relationship building, and leadership development, helping to foster and activate communities of stakeholders across race, class, sector, age, and other markers of difference. She enjoys helping find ways for people to add value and sustainability to our movements’ infrastructures. Currently the Director of Stakeholder Engagement at Funding Exchange, Becky has also worked with the Research Center for Leadership In Action, the Fund for Southern Communities and NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia. She received an MPA in International Policy and Nonprofit Management from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a BA in International Relations and Spanish from Agnes Scott College. Becky lives in Brooklyn.