Community Philanthropy and Public Service
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Community Philanthropy and Public Service Practice Models of Giving, Civic Engagement and Leadership Development The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is the first graduate program in the nation offering a Master of Public Service (MPS) degree. The program is designed to help students gain knowledge and experience in the areas of nonprofit, governmental, volunteer, or private sector service work and strengthen their commitment to the common good. The Center on Community Philanthropy at the Clinton School has a vision to expand the knowledge, tools, and practice of community spawned and community driven philanthropy. The Center promotes community philanthropy as the giving of time, talent, and treasure that when invested in community results in positive change and long-lasting improvement. The Center is unique in its mission to study philanthropic concepts and acts emerging from within communities. It is a place for learning about philanthropy in a way that becomes understood and practiced by a new wave of donors, foundation board and staff members, community leaders, and policy decision-makers. ------------------------------------ The views and opinions expressed in this publication are held by the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Clinton School or the Center on Community Philanthropy. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services does not constitute an endorsement by the Clinton School. Community Philanthropy and Public Service: Practice Models of Giving, Civic Engagement and Leadership Development was edited by Paula J. Kelly. 1200 President Clinton Avenue Little Rock, AR 72201 501-683-5200 www.clintonschool.uasys.edu © Copyright 2016 University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Page Foreword 2 Charlotte Lewellen-Williams Page Introduction 3 Susan A. Hoffpauir Page Using Advocacy to Improve Public Policy Outcomes: A Guide to 4 Effective Civic Engagement Diana Aviv Page Seeing the Whole Field: The Story of Money and How We Can Build 12 Respect Between Funders and Grantees David Beckwith Page Foundations and the Fallacy of a Post-Racial America: African 18 American Men and Civic Engagement Emmett D. Carson Page Connecting For-Profit and Nonprofit Philanthropy to Build and 28 Strengthen Communities Celeste A. Clark Page Community Foundations As Catalysts for Change 34 Antonia Hernández Page Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund, A Model of 44 Philanthropic Impact Ramón Murguía Page Mutual Dependence: Building Effective Models for Community 60 Change Through Collaboration Ronald B. Richard Page Epilogue 72 James L. “Skip” Rutherford III Community Philanthropy 1 Foreword The Center on Community Philanthropy is committed to diversity and equity, cornerstones of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Our program promotes community philanthropy as an approach to social change with lasting impact. We believe that strengthening families and strengthening communities are among the most important and challenging tasks in the Delta region. Beginning in 2012, the Center on Community Philanthropy welcomed our third cohort of Scholars in Residence, who have shared their models of and lessons learned through community philanthropy in their fields. During each scholar’s week of residency at the Center, he or she wrote an essay on community philanthropy, interacted with students and faculty, and, ultimately, presented his or her scholarship. The goal of gathering these scholars was to catalyze broader acceptance of community philanthropy as an innovative, effective means of improving the lives of vulnerable people. We hope to increase understanding of the capacity of community philanthropy in the field at large. We are excited to introduce our third compendium from the 2012 to 2015 Scholars in Residence at the Center on Community Philanthropy, Community Philanthropy and Public Service: Practice Models of Giving, Civic Engagement and Leadership Development. Each scholar’s work represents a unique view of community philanthropy and illuminates the creative ways in which community philanthropy can be a conduit for positive social change and a vehicle for public service. At the Center, we believe that anyone can be a philanthropist through giving their time, talent, and treasure, and our scholars’ work embodies the success stories demonstrating that belief. The imagery on the front and back covers of this publication is a reflection that civic engagement, patriotism, and philanthropy can all be demonstrated through acts of public service. We are especially honored to present this body of work at our 2016 National Conference on Community Philanthropy and Public Service, which is themed Elevate Children. This compendium provides real examples of how communities across the United States are using community philanthropy to bring positive change to children and families in unique and effective ways. We hope you will use these examples as tools in your own communities. While at the conference, we hope you will connect with practitioners and learn more about how the Center on Community Philanthropy at the Clinton School of Public Service continues to help strengthen the philanthropy sector in this region through positive social change innovation. This work is made possible through generous grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Charlotte Lewellen-Williams, DrPH MPH, Associate Professor of Public Health and Director, Center on Community Philanthropy, Clinton School of Public Service, University of Arkansas 2 Community Philanthropy Introduction A critical part of the mission of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service is to educate and prepare professionals in public service to work to ensure equity, challenge oppression, and create positive and lasting social change. One way we fulfill that mission is through the vital work of the Center on Community Philanthropy. Established in 2007, the Center provides leadership in promoting local issues and concepts related to community- based philanthropy as a powerful tool of social change; implements a strategic approach to convening with the goal of creating a shared understanding among community members; and, as you will see exhibited throughout this compendium, contributes to the research and scholarship on innovative models and practices of community philanthropy. The Center’s third cohort of scholars, whose essays make up the Center’s third compendium, Community Philanthropy and Public Service: Practice Models of Giving, Civic Engagement and Leadership Development, each spent time sharing expertise with both students at our school and community members in our state. This compendium highlights the Center’s ability to bring together a diverse group of scholars and experienced practitioners to contribute to our knowledge of effective community philanthropic practices. As you will see in the following essays, the scholars lay out an array of issues facing communities around the nation and provide proven strategies based on their decades of work in the field. These scholars are improving their communities in myriad ways, including using advocacy to improve public policy outcomes, building respect between funders and grantees, and addressing civic engagement among African American men. I know the insights they share will challenge you and move you to continue your work in community philanthropy and public service. Let us continue to create change so that we all can live in—and future generations can grow up in—thriving communities that value diversity, equity, and social justice. Susan A. Hoffpauir, Ph.D., Associate Dean, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service Community Philanthropy 3 Diana Aviv Chief Executive Officer, Feeding America Diana Aviv is CEO of Feeding America, the nationwide network of food banks that leads the fight against hunger in communities across the United States. From 2003 until 2015, she was the president and CEO of Independent Sector, the national leadership network for nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, whose mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the charitable community. Aviv is a leading speaker on emerging trends within the sector, the financial state of the nonprofit community, public policies affecting charities and foundations, the role of civil society in democracy, and civic engagement. She has testified before Congress and has been featured in media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and MSNBC.com. She previously spent nine years at United Jewish Communities. A native of South Africa, Aviv graduated with a B.S.W. from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and received a master’s degree in social work at Columbia University. Using Advocacy to Improve Public Policy Outcomes: A Guide to Effective Civic Engagement Introduction President Bill Clinton observed in his first inaugural address that “there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” A fundamental belief in fairness, hard work, self-reliance, and risk-taking—plus a penchant for dissent—are all considered quintessentially American. From our nation’s earliest days, Americans also have joined forces to find solutions: to achieve independence, pursue justice, and create opportunity. An early visitor from France, Alexis de Tocqueville, observed that “In