Read: Philanthropy and Race article

Member Elizabeth Mehren shared a great article from the May 1, 2020 New York Times: In Philanthropy, Race Is Still a Factor in Who Gets What, Study Shows by Paul Sullivan.

And another Elizabeth in our membership, Elizabeth Klein, shared statistics and resources about racial issues in our community that are relevant to our collective action. This material, from Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury’s e-newsletter sheds light on the effects of COVID-19 that are disproportionately impacting communities of color.

Read: COVID-19 & Philanthropy resources

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has assembled a great set of resources to help nonprofits and philanthropies respond to the COVID-19 and continue to operate during these challenging times. Want info on how to manage, lead and communicate during a crisis, or advice on technology solutions and remote work? Read Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources for Nonprofits by Marjie Glennon, March 12, 2020.

An article about Native American leadership in environmental/climate issues caught our eye,
Protecting the Earth, Protecting Ourselves: Stories from Native America in the Nonprofit Quarterly March 2020 magazine reminds us of the role that Native American communities have been playing in conservation, preservation and environmental justice, and our how we can join together for stewardship.

Read: The Role of Philanthropy in Systems Change article

This year, the ninety-nine girlfriends “learning question” is how can philanthropy influence policy? We’ll be hosting a Discovery Forum in the Spring about this, exploring ways that foundations, collective giving circles and individuals can leverage our resources to advance positive social change. Here’s an article that provides a thoughtful overview and examples of how we can do this. The Role of Philanthropy in Systems Change by Kris Putnam-Walkerly written in 2017.

Women Power & Giving: The Recap Salons

In our first years as a collective giving circle, we introduced core concepts about social change, community, and philanthropy to help frame our collective action. Members have asked us to share the takeaways from our first years' workshops and forums so all of us have these ideas in mind. Enter "Women Power and Giving: The Recap" an interactive, information-filled, and fun way to learn and share with other girlfriends before our voting season. These “salons” to be held on Sunday afternoons in October 4:30-6:00 PM. Time for education, interaction, Q&A, and collective thinking about what drives our giving. Join us and register here for one or all!

Homeless Forum

On Wed May 15th our Member Education Team presented a forum about our local homeless challenges. Marc Jolin, Executive Director of A Home For Everyone/Joint Offices of Homeless Services, and Brandi Tuck from Portland Homeless Family Solutions shared causes and solutions; grantmakers from Oregon Community Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and Northwest Health Foundation shared their perspectives about how foundations can make a difference on this issue; and all participants had opportunities to think about their own feelings related to homelessness and how each of us can make a difference with regards to this issue. Here are some exemplary resources to help understand how we got to the current crisis nationally and what we can and are doing about it.

2019 Implicit Bias Workshop

Implicit bias is a real thing, and we are working to combat it. Are you wondering if we’re out of our lane here? Well, we don’t think so. Bias can impact who we invite to join ninety-nine girlfriends, who we encourage to lead, and which organizations we deem worthy of a grant–to name a few examples. There are other ways bias rears its ugly head, but these are a few that exemplify the importance of awareness, education, and practice around this subject.

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2018: What is Philanthropy and How Do We Fit In?

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We introduced members to the basics, trends and hot topics in current US philanthropy and foundations. Environmental grant makers shared social justice perspectives in local grant making. At our discovery forum, participants experienced the challenge of selecting grantees through small group discussions.

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2017: What's Happening in Our Community?

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We formed five study groups of members to learn more about local challenges and bright spots related to our five focus areas. These groups presented findings at our Discovery Forum. In addition, Chris Grumm led the group in an exploration of ways women give; using the Wiser Giving tools and presenting ideas related to how women use power and influence. Learn what we learned when we explored local realities re arts, education, environment, family/human services, health and wellness.