Economic Mobility: What Can We Do?

Posted on October 15, 2015October 31, 2018 by Case Foundation

Economic mobility is defined as the ability of an individual, family or some other group to improve (or lower) their economic status. This term has been featured more and more frequently in recent reports about education, employment, criminal justice and political institutions, and for good reason. According to recent research like the Pew Charitable Trust’s Economic Mobility Project, “the ability to move up the economic ladder from one generation to the next is more limited in the United States than many think.” In his recent novel, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, Robert Putnam explains the correlation between the growing opportunity gap, another highly discussed topic, and stagnant economic mobility and the devastating effects it has had in declining American neighborhoods since the 1970s.

Last month, Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and the Case Foundation brought together multi-sector representatives to lead a conversation on this very topic. Given current reporting and statistics, the problem of economic mobility can seem insurmountable, but we wanted to focus on action-oriented opportunities. Our goal was to identify how organizations can start chipping away at some of the large and small elements of this growing problem of increasing inequality in social and economic opportunity.

So what did we learn?

Sarah Koch, senior director of Social Innovation at the Case Foundation; guest speaker Christopher Upperman, senior advisor at the U.S. Small Business Administration; and the EPIP members had a lively discussion about one particular opportunity gaining traction in communities across the country—the development of pathways to entrepreneurship. Three major themes surfaced over the course of the discussion on small business ownership and entrepreneurship, including: multi-sector, multi-lingual partnerships; examples of success that represent diverse demographics; and easier access to resources like startup capital.

Multi-Sector, Multi-Lingual Trust Building

Both Koch and Upperman stressed the importance of community-centric collaboration to implement strong entrepreneurial ecosystems. Together, the group addressed the reality that cross-sector partnerships are not easy to develop; however, for government and philanthropic efforts to be effective, local organizations are vital. Community organizations speak the language of the city and of the neighborhoods, and they bring credibility and community trust to programs. Koch specifically cited the dangers of only working from a perspective of privilege, which came up when evaluating some of the risks associated with small business ownership—loan default and loss of savings, both of which have very different implications depending on your socio-economic status. This point in the conversation reaffirmed the importance of including the voices of local organizations in philanthropic efforts.

Filling the Resource Gap

At age 18, Upperman started his own business, a communications company in Atlanta, GA. He achieved short-term success, but admits that his team lacked the management skills to sustain a business. This experience fuels his work at SBA with Millennials and young people of color because he understands what new entrepreneurs need to get from idea to launch to sustainability. For example, many new entrepreneurs’ initial funding comes from small business loans and friends and family. Meaning, if you don’t qualify for credit and have a low-income network, you can’t access this traditional startup capital—putting you behind before you even begin. So he is driven to connect these entrepreneurs to stronger capital and infrastructure resources.

Upperman mentioned some of SBA’s efforts aimed at filling these gaps, including work with local organizations and institutions like banks, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), universities, chambers of commerce and other nonprofits to help entrepreneurs access small business loans and financial and credit literacy training. These resources prepare new entrepreneurs to manage their businesses responsibly for greater longevity, providing the kinds of opportunities that Upperman, himself, lacked as a young entrepreneur.

The Need for Inspiration

Beyond capital and infrastructure, underrepresented groups often lack positive influence from relatable stories of inspiration. Upperman pointed out that right now most young people of color from poor backgrounds couldn’t identify a prominent success story involving a person that looks like them. These stories are hugely important in creating visions for their own success as entrepreneurs, or in any other field. Compared with the frequency and regularity that affluent young people engage with relatable “hero” images or success stories, lower-income youth of color are largely at a disadvantage. This gap presents an opportunity for both more investments and more reporting on entrepreneurs from a wider range of backgrounds.

It was exciting to see, over the course of the discussion, the number of new philanthropists who are prioritizing economic mobility issues in their approach to work. We were happy to engage in a discussion of how to take action on this very persistent social problem. Many of the themes that surfaced during the conversation are highly relevant beyond a mission of increasing access to entrepreneurship. For any philanthropic, government, nonprofit or cross-sector program focused on economic empowerment in an underserved community there is value in speaking the community’s language, improving the representation of demographically relevant examples of success and increasing access to capital and other supportive resources.

We at the Foundation are inspired by the agility and creativity of entrepreneurs and are dedicated to creating greater inclusivity in the dream of business ownership. For more information on our efforts to level the playing field for all entrepreneurs check out our page on Inclusive Entrepreneurship.

If you are interested in learning more about economic mobility and the opportunity gap, here is a short list of resources:

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis – Robert Putnam
The Roots of the Widening Racial Wealth Gap: Explaining the Black-White Economic Divide – Institute on Assets and Social Policy
Equality of Opportunity Project – Harvard University
A Place at the Table – Magnolia Home Entertainment

Be Fearless Spotlight: The West Foundation

Posted on October 7, 2015October 31, 2018 by Case Foundation

This Spotlight is authored by guest writer Caitlin Kelly as part of a special blog series by the Case Foundation featuring Be Fearless stories from the field. Follow along with us as we meet people and learn about organizations that are taking risks, being bold and failing forward in their efforts to create transformative change in the social sector.

“We make big bets with small gifts,” says Emily West, executive director of the West Foundation, a 56 year-old Indianapolis-based family foundation working in the international community development sector. With assets of $6 million, a staff of two and four board members, the foundation doles out approximately 45 grants a year. Gift size ranges from $10,000 to $30,000 and grantees can be surprisingly unorthodox. Issuing non-traditional grants is one measure of their fearlessness, says West.

“Foundations, particularly small ones, tend to be quite conservative and often believe they must give only to large, well-established organizations to ensure that not a penny of their grant will be wasted. And yet small foundations occupy a special niche in that they have the luxury of gifting at lower levels and taking the risk to assist emerging non-profits,” she says, arguing that large foundations, such as Ford, Rockefeller and Gates, would find it impossible to help these organizations find their footing. “Imagine how many grants Gates would have to give at the $10,000 level in order to give away the amount of money required of foundations on an annual basis (five percent of the earnings of the fund). They couldn’t – they would collapse under the weight of the number of grants they would have to make and the mountain of paperwork it would generate. But at our size, it’s manageable.”

She adds that “Gifts to small organizations that have never yet had a $10,000 gift, whether made in the U.S. or internationally” can be a real game-changer. Once other funders see that what looks like a risky investment has, in effect, paid off, they soon step up with much larger gifts—making small family foundations like hers crucial as a first indicator of a non-profit’s viability.

A great example was their $15,000 grant to Ubuntu Education Fund, a U.S.-based non-profit serving Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It was the first of its kind for the organization, and provided a small program expansion to offer counseling services to children whose families included HIV/AIDS patients. Ubuntu was favorably evaluated by the foundation as it serves a city ravaged by HIV/AIDS with residents who are ultra-poor (those living on $1.25 U.S. or less). And it turned out that the foundation’s bet on Ubuntu was a good one, as only six months after receiving that $15,000 gift, Ubuntu was awarded a 60,000-pound grant ($93,951.00 U.S.) by the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Today, Ubuntu has grown to become an important partner to the South African government in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and treatment, and has built a $6 million community center to further its work at the request of the citizens of Port Elizabeth.

Taking risks on non-profits without a proven track record is all about establishing trust, says West. “With early stage organizations, that may take various forms,” she notes. “In evaluating the potential of an organization, you may see that they are very well organized regarding best practices from an administrative and/or programmatic standpoint, or they may have a business model that is extremely innovative. Sometimes you gauge the passion of the funder for the mission of the organization and have great faith in that person. There are many factors at play, and some are more tangible than others. Much of our work right now is devoted to nailing down exactly what they are so that we can promote them to our colleagues and encourage other small foundations to be confident risk takers.”

Embracing failure is also a necessary party of risk-taking, and the West Foundation has a philosophy on that as well. “We gave a $10,000 grant to Vittana, a young organization whose goal was to crowdfund post-secondary education tuitions for students in developing nations through new loan models with indigenous micro-finance institutions (MFIs). I thought it was a brilliant idea, and we funded their start-up in the Philippines,” West says, but the organization closed its doors within two years due to its inability to acquire funding for its model. Nevertheless, she sees that grant as a success. “Their model worked, and is still working with the Filipino MFIs where it was established, so good came out of our investment. Vittana also accrued much local knowledge of the field and has passed that on to other crowdsourcing organizations such as Kiva. So their work will live on to benefit others in the sector.”

The West Foundation has set for itself the audacious goal of becoming one of the leaders of a philanthropic movement to motivate donors to do more risk-taking, take a public policy approach by considering administrative as well as program delivery gifts, and listen more to what non-profits are telling them about their needs. In working towards this objective, they are formalizing their program for emerging non-profits so that they can measure the success rate of the organizations in scaling up their donation levels after receiving that first $10,000 grant. West is assisted in this by her program officer, Samantha Alarie-Leca, and her board members, all some twenty-five years her junior, but sharing her passion for assisting the Global South and her willingness to take calculated risk. “They are highly engaged,” she says. “They’re the ones who’ve provided the most input on developing our new program, and we’re very fortunate to have such an amazing group of young women devoting their time and energy to us.”

Only time will tell if the foundation’s current efforts will translate into dynamic change within the sector, but for the time being, West is happy with the direction she, her staff and board are taking. “I believe we are working towards a bold goal,” she says. “We don’t know of many others doing this.”

Feeling inspired? If you’re ready to begin your own Be Fearless journey start by downloading our free Be Fearless Action Guide and Case Studies.

Be Fearless Spotlight: Open Road Alliance

Posted on September 16, 2015October 31, 2018 by Case Foundation

It can happen to the longest established, best-funded and most carefully-run organizations—a sudden disaster that throws off months or years of planning, disrupting its ability to continue important projects. It might be an essential piece of equipment, a truck or generator, that breaks down and can’t be replaced using restricted funds. It might be a natural disaster that disrupts operations, with no contingency capital to address it.

Whatever the catastrophe, Open Road Alliance (ORA) stands ready to help, able to offer grants of up to $100,000—with decisions made within two to six weeks of applying. Their average grant is $76,000 and, since 2012, it has awarded $3.5 million to groups including the Global Press Institute and the Grameen Foundation.

“Those ‘Oh my God’ moments are where our funding is focused,” says Executive Director Maya Winkelstein.

The typical funding model “is not working on a micro or macro level,” she adds. “On a micro level, it traditionally takes six to nine to 12 months for a grant application to be approved and to access the capital. It’s so restricted and there’s no mechanism to address problems, so [when problems arise] that initial investment and all the work is lost. So, we provide that money. We’ll be fast and flexible and we’ll solve the problem.”

On a macro level, the inherent power imbalance between funders and applicants perpetuates a culture of obfuscation, she adds. “There’s a lack of transparency and honesty thanks to the very real fear NGO’s have” to be truthful about troubles they may face and need funds to solve.

Some ORA grants are also recoverable funds, offered at varying interest rates, essentially a bridge loan to pull a group through crisis—knowing that committed income from their funders will eventually arrive. That program began in 2014, scaling up in 2015, a response, says Winkelstein, “to what NGO’s told us they needed. We found that when organizations encounter these unexpected obstacles and need money the problem isn’t access to capital, but access to capital right now.” ORA offers these loans in three situations: when the obstacle is cash flow, when capital is needed for unexpected growth and when raising the needed funds would simply take too long.

Recoverable grants allow Winkelstein—and ORA’s founder, philanthropist Laurie Michaels, whose personal income funds their projects—to take much greater risks than other groups. “The opportunity cost is much lower,” explains Winkelstein. When a traditionally funded project fails or stalls, “you’ve basically lost a bet and that makes people risk-averse. We’re betting on impact, not financial return, because we use the same re-paid funds to make multiple bets over and over. It allows us to take more risks.”

But, like every funder, ORA insists on regular reporting. “When we accept an applicant, it has specific measurables for the short term and we talk to them four times a year, plus a full report at year’s end,” says Michaels. “We make as much effort to judge our [own] effort as anything else.”

Their decisions—made quickly, with applications accepted on a rolling basis—are sometimes a “no-brainer” and sometimes, Michaels admits, “we’re teetering on the edge of ‘Is this risk unacceptable?’ We don’t expect every project to be perfect.”

Michaels urges other foundations, and grant applicants, to be far more open and honest about their projects’ potential difficulties. “One of our goals is to have a discussion of risk, and planning for risk as a normal part of any grant application. At the moment, there’s no place to openly address what could go wrong. Not vaguely, but matter-of-factly so I know what they’re up for. What’s your Plan B? Plan C?”

The two—who work from offices in D.C. and Aspen, and without a board of directors—researched their unusual model for a year before starting the organization, consulting other non-profits and philanthropists to determine who they would fund, and under what circumstances. “One of the critical criteria is that the problem be unexpected. Could it have been anticipated? Some of our applicants’ stories are heart-wrenching, but they won’t get funded,” says Winkelstein.

“The unexpected is not a sign of incompetence, but a sign of the world.” After all, she adds, “the private sector calls it a pivot.”

“We believe that philanthropy is going through a fundamental shift, from a charity model to an investment model,” says Winkelstein. “It’s changing from donors’ desires and intentions to seeing this work as an investment, doing good to actually achieve results. That’s where the trends are and the more sophisticated funders are going. They use metrics and look at ROI, an attitude that didn’t exist 20 years ago.”

In their autonomy, sense of urgency and willingness to ask tough, perhaps uncomfortable questions, Michaels and Winkelstein know they’re often working outside typical philanthropic norms. But for ORA, urgency is standard operating procedure.

Feeling inspired? If you’re ready to begin your own Be Fearless journey start by downloading our free Be Fearless Action Guide and Case Studies.

Are You Ready to Change the World in 2015?

Posted on January 12, 2015March 6, 2024 by Case Foundation

As we dive into 2015 it seems fitting to take a moment to reflect on the past year—to celebrate the big wins, learn from the losses and contemplate our collective impact on the people and communities in which we can all play a role. Last year, changemakers rallied together from around the world to make their own marks on the social sector—marks that left an indelible impression we call change. These actions inspired, challenged and drove countless people and organizations, including us, to make big bets, to take risks and to let urgency conquer fear.

In honor of 2014’s unique milestones and the organizations and groups that made them happen, we created a special video that highlights the big wins we achieved together and reminds us of the critical challenges that still remain in 2015.

We’re also celebrating the important work of the representative groups in this video by providing several of the featured organizations with awards totaling $25,000 to help them make an even greater impact in 2015.

For us here at the Case Foundation, 2014 will be remembered as a year of movement building through our advancement of impact investing; a year of action with the debut of a new Be Fearless Action Guide supporting the work of bold changemakers; and a year of learning as we forged new partnerships and explored new issue areas that impacted our work and that of the sector. Most importantly however, we will remember 2014 as a great year during which visionaries came together to help build a better world.

It is our hope that this video helps you reflect on your own impact in 2014 and inspires you to create the change you want to see in 2015 and beyond.

(freebasstranscriptions.com)

Nonprofit partners that should make your giving list in 2013

Posted on December 31, 2013November 1, 2018 by Case Foundation

This post was written by Alana Ramo on behalf of the Case Foundation:

The year is coming to a close and as we continue our celebration of giving with the 5 Giving Tuesdays campaign, we are reminded of our community’s tremendous efforts to foster impact and change. The Case Foundation is honored to have partnered with extraordinary groups in 2013 that continue to offer revolutionary solutions for some of today’s greatest social challenges.

Our partners are creating jobs, providing students access to computer science programs, speeding up the search for a cure for brain cancer and addressing the global water crisis. In communities across the nation and around the world, our partners improve quality of life, inspire people to effect change and forge cross-sector alliances that amplify impact. These organizations and many others in our network and beyond continue to exemplify fearlessness in their work—and we are honored to call them our partners.

This holiday season we hope you will reflect on the issues that are most important in your life. And, if you need help finalizing your end of year giving plans, we offer you this list of some of our closest partners. We hope you will consider learning more about their work and the ways you can help support their mission. Thanks for joining us in the spirit of giving and we wish you a very happy holiday season!

Entrepreneurship

1776 DC: 1776 DC is a startup incubator connecting entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to take on challenges in education, energy, healthcare and the government. As a global hub of entrepreneurship, 1776 DC hopes to revolutionize critical industries through innovation and technology. GET INVOLVED

Tory Burch Foundation: Tory Burch Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the economic empowerment of women, aims to support budding entrepreneurs through small business loans, mentoring programs and an entrepreneurial education. DONATE NOW

UP Global: UP Global is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship, grassroots leadership and strong communities. They mobilize Startup Weekend’s global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate and empower individuals and their communities. GET INVOLVED

Volunteering and Civic Engagement

A Billion + Change: A Billion + Change is an innovative initiative supported by the Case Foundation and Points of Light that aims to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono services from corporations to nonprofits. SEE WHO’S TAKEN THE PLEDGE

City Year DC: City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them skills and opportunities to change the world. Working within the school, team members provide academic assistance to students, lead after-school programming and help create a positive school climate. GET INVOLVED

Give an Hour: Give an Hour’s mission is to develop national networks of volunteers capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions that arise within our society. Give an Hour delivers free mental health services to U.S. military personnel and their families. GET INVOLVED

One Warm Coat: One Warm Coat provides the tools and resources to help volunteers from across North America organize coat drives to help those in need. ORGANIZE A DRIVE

Technology

Code.org: Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science education by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students. Code.org envisions a core curriculum in education that considers computer science as valuable and math, science and engineering. DONATE NOW

Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization committed to inspiring and equipping young women with the skills and resources to pursue careers in computing fields. By fostering an interest in computer science, Girls Who Code hopes to ensure the economic prosperity of women and catalyze social change. DONATE NOW

Big Ideas

Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure: Founded by the late Dan Case together with his brother, Steve Case and their families, Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure partners with leading entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers to find a cure for brain cancer. DONATE NOW

MCON: The Millennial Impact report features key trends and comprehensive data revealing the motivations behind one of the largest generations of our time. MCON is a day of conversation focused on mobilizing the millennial generation to connect, get involved and give to causes. LEARN MORE

Share our Strength: Share Our Strength operates under the belief that everyone has the strength to fight against hunger and poverty. Through its No Kid Hungry campaign, Share Our Strength works to equip families with the skills to create their own healthy meals and to ensure accessibility to food. DONATE NOW

Susan G. Komen: Susan G. Komen fuels the best science to make the biggest impact in the fight against breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries. DONATE NOW

Global Innovation

+SocialGood: +SocialGood is an online platform that leverages technology and social media to connect innovators from around the globe who are trying to tackle social challenges. REGISTER NOW

Water for People: Water For People assists communities in emerging markets to improve quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and hygiene education programs. The Case Foundation is particularly proud of FLOW—Field Level Operations Watch, which is a game-changing technology solution that broadcasts instant reports about whether Water For People’s water and sanitation projects are working or failing. DONATE NOW

National Geographic Society: The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge, the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Our CEO Jean Case is proud to serve on the board of the National Geographic Society. DONATE NOW

Platforms for Giving

Benevolent: Benevolent aims to connect nonprofits, donors and people in need. By allowing donors to give to someone to help meet that individual’s specific needs, Benevolent fosters stronger connections and communities. VISIT BENEVOLENT

CrowdRise: CrowdRise is one of the fastest growing online fundraising websites with their unique blend of crowdfunding, social networking, contests, and more. Raise money for great causes and have fun in the process. VISIT CROWDRISE

Global Giving Foundation: Global Giving is a charity fundraising website that gives social entrepreneurs and nonprofits from anywhere in the world a chance to raise the money that they need to improve their communities. You can also purchase Global Giving gift cards to give to friends and family, so they too can find and support great nonprofits. VISIT GLOBAL GIVING

Network for Good: Network for Good makes it as easy to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online. They make it simple and affordable for nonprofits to recruit donors and volunteers via the Internet. Donors can choose to fund one of 1.2 million charities or volunteer with one of thousands of nonprofits through the site. VISIT NETWORK FOR GOOD

Fearless Focus: Mario Morino

Posted on May 30, 2012November 1, 2018 by Case Foundation

In our journey to Be Fearless and champion a fearless approach to tackling social challenges, the Case Foundation team will spotlight leading changemakers across sectors that have embraced fearlessness. Our spotlights will provide personal accounts of why these changemakers adopted a fearless approach, how they overcame hurdles, and how taking risks, being bold, and failing forward led to quicker results and deeper impact.

This week, we are featuring Mario Morino, Chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) and the Morino Institute, and author of Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity. Jean and Steve Case along with the Case Foundation are founding investors and long-time supporters of VPP, a philanthropic investment organization that helps great leaders build strong, high-performing nonprofit institutions in the DC region.Since co-founding VPP in 2000, Mario has been a leader in applying venture and growth principles to the nonprofit sector to build stronger, high-impact organizations. Previous to VPP, Mario was a software entrepreneur and civic business leader in the DC region, and more recently in Northeast Ohio.

What do you think it means to Be Fearless in approaching social challenges?

A fearless leader has the courage to periodically look in the mirror to face that difficult question, “Is our hard work truly adding up to great results for those we serve?” And if the answer is “no,” a fearless leader acknowledges shortcomings, reaches out for help from others, seeks relevant information on how to improve, and then takes bold (even painful) steps to get on a more impactful course. In my work with Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), with other nonprofit organizations, and in my business career, I’ve made more than my share of mistakes, sought help, and then course-corrected. But let me offer a better example of fearless introspection which I learned about this past year. In the early 1990s, Youth Villages (YV) CEO Pat Lawler kept hearing through the grapevine about young people who seemed to be on a good path after discharge from YV’s residential treatment facilities and yet had ended up in prison or in other forms of crisis. This prompted Pat to start collecting more information to find out what was really happening to those kids. The results were disappointing at best. Instead of hiding the bad news from stakeholders, Pat and his team openly acknowledged that they were falling short of their aspirations and then spent several tough years reengineering the entire program model. Today, 82 percent percent of the kids in YV programs across the country are rising above their challenges. They are finishing school, earning a living, and contributing to their communities. That’s literally twice the rate achieved by comparable programs. And Pat’s program costs one-third as much as competitor programs.

Tell us about a time when you and your organization were Fearless.

In all candor, I don’t see myself as fearless, as I’ve had the luxury of time and resources to be able to take thoughtful, measured risks (at least most of the time). For instance, I never viewed co-founding VPP as being fearless, nor did I see the choices we made in our philanthropic investments as fearless, since they were grounded by deep analysis. Having said this, in my business and philanthropic life I have consistently done what some would regard as bold or even on the edge: I have sought to recruit leaders to my boards, advisory groups, and management teams who know more than I do and from whom I can learn. For example, recruiting Carol Thompson Cole to serve as VPP’s CEO would feel pretty risky to some organizational founders. Carol is an exemplary leader who commands deep respect and could steal a founder’s thunder. But to me, being able to recruit outstanding talent-talent that could (and should) take me out of a central decision-making role with the organization-is essential. I believe leaders of organizations have to be fearless in recruiting and/or developing the strongest talent they can for the boards and organization-even when that talent is better than they are.

What did you learn & what advice would you give other organizations facing a similar decision point?

I think the hardest thing to do is to question your own performance and that of your organization. It sounds trite, but being honest with yourself is critical. It’s easy to say you want to recruit strong talent to your board and organization until you are confronted with the fact that these same strong people will have strong views and opinions, modes of operation, etc., that are different from yours. That’s when the rubber meets the road. As long as you are philosophically and culturally aligned, are you ready to step back and give others the latitude to speak out, to differ, and to lead? Much easier said than done. There’s a follow-on, which is to have to courage to admit when a people decision you made was wrong and then act to rectify it. As one of my bosses and advisors told me, if you hire someone and they leave or they don’t work out in the first year, it is squarely your mistake. You either didn’t do the right due diligence up front, or you inadvertently set the person up to fail.

What inspired your organization to Be Fearless?

I don’t mean to dodge your question, but as I said earlier I don’t see myself as fearless. Writing columns, giving speeches, and supporting others doesn’t exactly take nerves of steel. But running a community health center, intervening with gang members, negotiating with a drug dealer to stay away from your school-now that takes a fearless leader! Therefore, I feel much more comfortable speaking about nonprofit leaders who, for very compelling reasons, are truly fearless in their work-and they have to be to succeed. What always inspires great nonprofit leaders to be fearless is the passionate, unyielding desire to do the most they can for those they serve. Great leaders can’t sleep at night when they don’t know whether they’re on course to achieve the results they seek. They’re obsessed with finding ways to do better for those they serve. And as a result, they are willing take big risks to get there.

Learn more about Mario Morino here. Read more about our Be Fearless campaign. Know someone that we should spotlight for Fearless Focus? Let us know here in the comments or tell us on twitter @casefoundation using #befearless

Shakira’s hips can help educate children, what can yours do?

Posted on August 16, 2010November 1, 2018 by Case Foundation

This post was written by Nikolai Stieglitz on behalf of the Case Foundation:

It was practically inevitable. You surely saw Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” dance at some point this summer. Besides being featured at the World Cup 2010 opening and closing ceremonies, the Colombian singer’s African-inspired pop hit quickly dominated the internet and had its signature dance poorly imitated at parties – World Cup related or not – around the globe for months. I may personally have tried my hand (and hips) at the energetic step, thankful that everyone present would rather dance than grab a camera.

Shakira must have had some idea of how many of us would choose to stomp spasmodically around our friends’ apartments when she challenged her fans to upload videos of themselves dancing the Waka Waka and join the 1GOAL global education campaign. Shakira’s inspiration of the masses and integration of 1GOAL’s message with her own is another engine of change making doing good more mainstream and demonstrating the benefit that celebrity support can have for causes.

1GOAL seeks to attract massive popular support to strengthen its petitions to world governments to meet their Education for All commitments, especially the goal of offering all children free primary education of good quality by 2012. This was not a one-time gesture for Shakira. You can find in the news feed on her website – among the concert announcements and product release notices – stories of the singer/songwriter/dancer visiting schools in Africa to promote 1GOAL or selling t-shirts to support UNICEF and the Barefoot Foundation.

Her activities are less surprising to those who know that Shakira is much more than a musician and a dancer but also the founder of Pies Descalzos as well as its sister organization, the Barefoot Foundation, and the youngest person ever to become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Shakira started Pies Descalzos when she was only 18 to help children in her native Colombia, in particular the city of Barranquilla. Not only does Pies Descalzos provide educational aids, nutritious meals and social support to schools serving impoverished and displaced Colombian children, it has recently built and opened a new school to directly increase the quantity of children served. The Barefoot Foundation helps raise money for Pies Descalzos’ projects and lobbies governments around the globe to improve educational programs. As an advocate for global education reform, she was selected as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2003, joining the likes of Sir Roger Moore (James Bond to you and me) and Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan in campaigning to improve the lives of children worldwide. Some of Shakira’s ambassadorial achievements include co-founding ALAS, a coalition of advocates for early childhood development intervention in Latin America, and launching the Unite For Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign.

This international superstar turned her success and fame to good purposes, much as anybody might if as fortunate as she. Shakira gets special praise from me, though, for the way she invests her resources in the cause of children’s welfare. To promote the cause, she makes herself an intermediary between ordinary people, children in need of aid and the world leaders poised to make a difference. Rather than just calling for donations from supporters, Pies Descalzos and the Barefoot Foundation call for citizens to become teachers, lobbyists, heralds, and surrogate parents to stricken children. Shakira herself seems to spend as much time touring destitute schools and neighborhoods, government offices and NGO headquarters as she does stages and stadiums, so that she can personally listen and speak to children in need and those who would help them.

What can you do to get involved with Shakira’s efforts to improve the quality of global education? Join 1GOAL, go buy a Waka Waka t-shirt (or even a virtual Shakira shirt for your Sims), visit the Barefoot Foundation website and sign up for the newsletter, sponsor a child in Colombia, prod your friends and family to take a look, travel to Colombia to volunteer your skills and time, and even just learn the Waka Waka dance. Better yet, take a look at your own community’s education environment and figure out what you can do to help – not all of us have Shakira’s resources to devote to improving education, but motivating individuals to step up is a large part Shakira’s advocacy. In her words, “I trust that as time goes by, there will be more and more people who want to help those in need. When that happens, the world will definitely come to know peace.”

Guest blogger Nikolai Stieglitz is an intern with the Case Foundation

My nominees for the ten most charitable ladies on the red carpet…

Posted on March 13, 2009November 1, 2018 by Case Foundation

Just because award season is behind us, it doesn’t mean we can’t have our own fun. In honor of National Women’s History Month, I thought I’d take a look at some of my favorite female celebrities doing good things. My nominees include some big time givers and some up and comers, but I can’t cover them all, so please add your own to this list!

Also, if your People Magazine or US Weekly just isn’t telling you enough about the good work your favorite celebrities are doing, check out Look to the Stars, a website that covers all the latest and greatest in celebrity giving. Most Wiki profiles also do a good job at covering philanthropic work.

And now… My nominees for the most charitable ladies on the red carpet ARE…

Reese Witherspoon
Alicia Keys
Natalie Portman
Angelina Jolie
Scarlett Johansson
Jessica Biel
Keira Knightley
Oprah Winfrey
Rosie O’Donnell
Barbara Streisand

This was a fun post to write, but I couldn’t have done it without my friends on Twitter and elsewhere, so thanks for your suggestions! And for the rest of you, now that I’ve told you some of my favorite celebrity do-gooders, it’s time for you to tell me yours!

Reese Witherspoon 

She’s beautiful, she’s talented, she’s dating Jake Gyllenhaal… and she’s giving back. What more could you ask for? Between her work with the Children’s Defense Fund and as the Honorary Chairwoman of the Avon Foundation, Reese is definitely someone to look up to. I love her willingness to get out on the streets as the face of a campaign, and I look forward to seeing great charitable things from Reese in the future.

Alicia Keys 

I’m a huge fan of Alicia Key’s Keep a Child Alive campaign. She is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of the charity, which is dedicated to providing care and support services to children and their families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the developing world. One of my favorite things about this charity: their innovative use of mobile giving both online and at Alicia’s concerts. Love it! To learn more about her work and travels to Africa, check out the documentary Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland.

Natalie Portman

When it comes to animal rights, Natalie Portman literally walks the talk. When handed gorgeous leather clothing and shoes, Natalie says, no thank you. “All of my shoes are from Target and Stella McCartney, who does all non-leather products,” says the actress. Natalie even launched her own line of vegan shoes and donates 100% of the proceeds to the Nature Conservancy. Beyond her choice of shoes, Natalie is a never-tiring advocate of animal rights and a supporter of PETA. Natalie is also a strong supporter of antipoverty activities and was named an Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization that strives to provide financial services to the world’s lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standard of living.

Angelina Jolie 

If you have so much as turned on the TV or opened one magazine in the last three years, you are familiar with Angelina, her family and her charity work. Angelina, in many ways, has raised the bar in Hollywood when it comes to philanthropy and I think that is a beautiful thing. In the last 10 years, Angelina has traveled the world, visited countless Refugee camps, donated millions of dollars, and adopted three children. She is a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, was a recipient of the Citizen of the World Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association and was awarded the Global Humanitarian Award by the UNA-USA. For more information about Angelina’s work, read her journals. And that’s only the beginning…

Scarlett Johansson

Young, incredibly famous, and newly married, Scarlett is already showing her dedication to charitable causes. Johansson is a Global Ambassador to Oxfam, an anti-poverty coalition and also works as an ambassador to the global AIDS campaign, RED. In 2008, Scarlett auctioned herself off for a date to raise money for Oxfam, and she has even auctioned off a snotty tissue for charity. Interesting tactics from this leading lady, but hey, whatever works, right?

Jessica Biel 

Jessica Biel has always seemed like one of the more “down to earth” celebs out there. She’s always seen without makeup, and I love how she and Justin maintain as low a profile as they can. But, the real reason I think she’s a solid person? Her charity work. In 2007, Jessica co-founded the Make the Difference Network, a cause-oriented social network that connects nonprofit organizations with potential donors and increases awareness for small-to-medium nonprofits. Check out Jessica’s MTDN profile and take a minute to fulfill the wish of a non-profit you care about.

Keira Knightley 

Keira, in my mind, is one of the most intense and talented young actresses on the Hollywood scene. She is quickly rising to the top, but there is no doubt that she is using her celebrity status for good. In 2008, Keira became the new face of a campaign by human rights charity Amnesty International, marking the 60th anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Beyond being the pretty face of the campaign, Knightley also made a short film to help raise awareness of the UDHR and human rights abuses. We’ve also seen Keira do fun things for charity, like donate a dress and even contribute her voice to a movie. Here’s to hoping there are many more good things to come from this bright star.

Oprah Winfrey

I can’t write a blog post about philanthropy without talking about Oprah Winfrey. Oprah’s Angel Network has raised more than $80 million in donations from the public since its inception. The charity uses donations to “award grants to organizations around the world that are improving access to education, protecting basic rights, creating communities of support and developing the leaders of tomorrow.” Beyond her Angel Network, we have seen Oprah personally give away huge amounts of her own money, and in 2005, she became the first black person listed by Business Week as one of America’s top 50 most generous philanthropists. With her own show and shows like the Big Give, Oprah has done wonderful things to make giving public, popular, and fun.

Rosie O’Donnell 

She’s hysterical… and charitable. According to The Giving Back Fund, Rosie O’Donnell gave $5.7 million dollars to a variety of causes in 2006, many focused on Katrina Relief efforts. Rosie also founded the For All Kids Foundation, a non-profit charity that is committed to helping kids born into poverty through the construction of childcare centers, funding, grants, and other projects. One of my favorite fun facts about Rosie? According to Wikipedia, apparently she donated $50 million of a five year contract in an irrevocable trust to charity. Impressive.

Barbara Streisand 

In 2008, ABC News named Barbara Streisand as the third most generous celebrity in the second annual list of the biggest humanitarians gathered by the Giving Back Fund. The Streisand Foundation, founded in 1986, “has made grants totaling nearly $15 million to national organizations working on preservation of the environment, voter education, the protection of civil liberties and civil rights, women’s issues and nuclear disarmament.” Barbara Streisand is a role model for aspiring actresses and do-gooders everywhere.

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