Success Stories

Funding Strategies: Advocating for Change

A FEW WORDS WITH Shannon McNeely Whitaker, McNeely Foundation

In this A Few Words With, SmartLink speaks with Shannon McNeely Whitaker about strategic giving. McNeely Whitaker is the Chairperson of the McNeely Foundation, founded in the early 1960s by Harry G. McNeely, Sr. and his wife, Adelaide Frenzel McNeely. Over the years, the Foundation has supported a broad range of giving throughout the Twin Cities (MN): education, neighborhood development, environment, community institutions, the arts and individual and family sustainability. Harry's company, St. Paul Terminal Warehouse Company, a pioneering warehousing, logistics and real estate business, provided initial funding for the foundation; today, the family business is known as Meritex Enterprises. In 2002, the Foundation began to focus on strategic giving with a concentration on the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota, a culturally diverse neighborhood where, historically, new immigrants came to learn a trade, get a job in one of the many booming manufacturing and industrial corporations, and make new lives for themselves and their families.

A FEW WORDS WITH: Ashley Snowdon Blanchard

Each month, we spend a few minutes with a leader in a particular field, foundation or issue area, to seek their thoughts about how donors can best make a difference in low-income communities.  In keeping with this month’s focus on collaboration, we catch up with the President of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation Board, Ashley Snowdon Blanchard. 

The Discount Foundation: a small foundation focused on big impact

“What is special about Discount is that it believes that people in the community who are directly experiencing poverty have a fundamental insight into what’s happening in their lives, their families and their communities,” notes Henry Allen, executive director of the Discount Foundation, adding that the heart of Discount’s strategy is developing leaders from within. 

“Leadership development is all about drawing on people’s first-hand experiences, and trusting that they have the ability to work collectively to change the situations they confront. There’s nothing theoretical about it.”  Established in 1977, Discount supports community-based organizations striving to inspire and organize the working poor to improve their living conditions and economic opportunities.

SmartLink and Willary Foundation make a difference in Scranton

Peter Scranton believes that sometimes, a little serendipity goes a long way in bringing people together to make lasting community change.  The Foundation is especially interested in projects that promote leadership, and can have a ripple effect in a community. “We try to be innovative, to fund projects in seed mode that could lead to more money from other donors,” explains Peter. “We focus on the arts, the environment, and community development.” Like many small family foundations, with great intentions, the Willary Foundation just needed a bit of direction and sound advice -- and a bit of serendipity.

Gina and Marty Richardson: Funding the Next Generation in Austin, Texas

Five years ago Gina Richardson began looking for something meaningful to which she could dedicate her time.  Her children were grown and out of the house.  The business she and her husband started twenty years before had truly taken off, allowing them time and resources to focus on other things in life.  And so, Gina put her ‘ear to the ground’ and searched for a project worthy of her energy and enthusiasm.

 

Inspired by an article in Newsweek about a certified public accountant (CPA) in Chicago who was helping low-income people file their tax returns, Gina—an accountant herself—was intrigued by the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and its positive impact on low-income households.  Gina began thinking about helping low-income people file tax returns in her hometown of Austin, Texas.

 

Gina and her husband, Marty, immediately embarked on an ambitious project targeting vulnerable populations in East Austin.  “We didn’t know what we were doing at the time,” laughs Gina. “Marty and I created fliers and dropped them off at local churches, calling ministers to follow up when we could.”

The New Mountain Climbers: African-American Giving Circle ascends new heights

Collective action, pooled resources and racial equality inspire the philanthropic activities of New Mountain Climbers.  A giving circle and donor advised fund, The New Mountain Climbers is a group of African American philanthropists who have joined forces to focus on the needs of present and future leaders in Montgomery County, Virginia. 

Through Multiple Generations: Rosenwald and Stern Families' Philanthropic Journey

When David Stern’s great-grandfather, Julius Rosenwald, established the Rosenwald Fund in 1917, he set a philanthropic precedent for the family. Rosenwald, who was instrumental in shaping the success of Sears and Roebuck Company, focused on philanthropy after resigning as president from Sears. When the Rosenwald Fund was initiated, he made the decision to use all his funds for philanthropic purposes, and to spend out the fund in 25 years. “He believed that foundations should not exist in perpetuity,” explains David Stern. “-- That all assets should be spent in one generation.  He believed philanthropic dollars should be used to bring about desired social outcomes, not to create a foundation interested in self-preservation.”

From this basis, succeeding generations would make decisions that embraced a variety of groundbreaking and creative grant-making strategies, influencing U.S. philanthropy and simultaneously facilitating social change.

Jovid Foundation's focus on job training is one "secret" to successful giving

Joan and David Maxwell established the Jovid Foundation in 1991 with a goal to help the poor in Washington, DC move out of poverty. To do so, the foundation supports organizations that focus on job training and employment. With a focus on one geographic area and a single issue, the Maxwells offer an example of focused and disciplined giving. Yet, the Jovid Foundation does not shy away from risk, either.

Friedman Family Foundation takes aim at poverty's root causes

When Friedman Family Foundation directors review requests for funding, they begin with a question: “Does this program have the potential to promote or create community change?”  Established in 1964, by Phyllis Koshland Friedman, a member of the Levi Strauss family, and her late husband, Howard, the Friedman Family Foundation seeks long-term, widespread solutions to poverty. Lisa Kawahara, Friedman Family Foundation staffer:  “The Friedman family has always had an interest in true equity. For them, grants are not a way to give back – but a way to create opportunity for people."

Ottinger Foundation: Strong Family Vision + Innovative Executive Directors = Success

Since the mid-1950s, the Ottinger Foundation has employed a variety of strategies to make an impact on issues the family cares passionately about, including the root causes of poverty. One key to the foundation's success has been selecting executive directors that are willing and able to take on the most challenging issues--collaboratively and ambitiously. Another has been finding courageous community leaders at the fore-front of innovation.

Needmor Fund: A Long-Term Commitment to Local Community Leadership

When they started their family foundation, Duane and Virginia Secor Stranahan drew upon their parents' legacy of community stewardship. In the late 19th century, the Secors were pivotal to Toledo, Ohio's economic, intellectual, and cultural formation. In 1910, Frank Stranahan and his brother Robert founded The Champion Spark Plug Company, which was to become a leader in corporate accountability and philanthropy.  Leadership and strategies change; yet the Needmor Fund remains faithful to one goal: to empower those individuals whose basic rights to justice and opportunity are systematically ignored or denied.

Helping donors achieve impact

You have questions, when it comes to your community giving.  All over the country, your fellow donors have similar goals and face similar challenges. Learn how other donors are navigating their way to effective, satisfying community giving.

David and Sandy Perloff put passion for public education on a fast track

An engineer in Silicon Valley, David Perloff found himself on the winning end of a high tech merger a number of years ago. The couple decided they would use some of their earnings to create a charitable fund.  The Perloff Family Foundation was the result.  “We both got incredible benefits from public education,” says David's wife Sandy, “and we wanted to return the favor.”

From the Trenches: A Philanthropic Experience Following Katrina

At 11 p.m. on September 7, 2005, just as I was shutting down my computer, an e-mail arrived asking whether I would be willing to go to Louisiana to help create a foundation to receive and distribute private funds for disaster relief. 

Nine days after Hurricane Katrina had hit, and with flood waters still inundating New Orleans, the Kennedy School of Government had been approached by the governor's office to send a team to join with philanthropic professionals from around the nation to plan the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation.  I jumped at the opportunity to be helpful. 

Over the next day and a half, I found it difficult enough to get confirmation of our participation, clear schedules, and coordinate flights with other Kennedy School members (Baton Rouge via Detroit), let alone gather good information from Louisiana about the particulars of our assignment and the situation on the ground. 

I packed a pillow in case I ended up sleeping on the floor of a shelter.  One of my peers brought iodine tablets for purifying non-potable water.

The Gulf Coast: Lessons on Community Building and Re-building

Hurricanes and subsequent levy breaks and flooding devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  This natural and man-made disaster was particularly destructive in low-income communities.  Years later, communities continue to re-build and engage all residents in envisioning a new future for the region.  Donors like you, from the Gulf Coast region and around the country, have made a real difference in shaping a brighter, more equitable future for the Gulf Coast.  Along the way, lessons have been learned which can help instruct community building efforts all over the United States.

Donor passions and diverse board enrich Douty Foundation giving

Having lived through turbulent times of social crisis and change, Alfred and Mary Douty found themselves transformed.  In 1968, these personal experiences inspired them to found The Douty Foundation and to focus their giving in disadvantaged communities.  With no children, the couple saw their giving as a way of carrying on their commitments to justice and opportunity for low-income communities.  Despite some trepidation, they opted to serve those who struggled most in Greater Philadelphia and surrounding counties.

To Bill Zimmerman, giving is both professonal and personal priority

Bill Zimmerman's family instilled in him from a young age that giving back to one's community is a critical part of keeping one's self and one's community strong.  Today, as a resident of Peaks Island, Maine, and a principal owner of a successful computer technology business, Zimmerman puts this value into practice.  When a senior housing project came to his attention, Zimmerman relied upon his trust in the project's leaders and responded to his community's resourcefulness and "logic."

Wilson Foundation's Future Builds Upon Bold Past

Having transformed his father's small photographic paper company into the international corporation Xerox, Joe Wilson earned a reputation in Rochester, NY, as a thoughtful leader known for meeting challenges head-on. Since 1963, the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation has embodied Joe Wilson's vision and spirit. 

As a new generation of Wilsons emerged, the foundation found itself poised for new challenges and change. Recently, the Wilson Foundation revisited its goals and the role it hopes to have in Rochester's future.