OCTOBER 2018
A Message from Seitu Jemel Hart
Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the Halloween edition of Member News!

We've had a busy fall so far...like many of you. “ABFE On the Road" has been in full effect: our President and CEO Susan Taylor Batten has participated in a number of talks including the Equity in the Center Summit convening in Baltimore and more recently, the Next Generation of African-American Philanthropists' (NGAAP) "Making Change: A Case for Black-Led Social Change" event in Charlotte (check out the event coverage from Q City Metro below). Anthony Simmons , our Manager of Racial Equity in Grantmaking Program, has also been on the road working with the Atlanta Funders Network for Equity and Racial Justice to participate in a series of conversations to share what's being done by philanthropy around racial equity. Not to mention our Programs team, led by VP of Programs Edward Jones , is busy preparing for next month's Connecting Leaders Fellowship Program Leadership Summit in Chicago . In addition our Membership and External Affairs team is preparing to roll out a very exciting announcement: the dates and host city for our 2019 annual conference!

Last but certainly not least as many of you know, we are fast approaching "Super Tuesday." With so much at stake in the upcoming midterm elections , I want to take a moment to lift up those foundations and nonprofits (many of whom are ABFE Members) working tirelessly to get folks out to vote, as well as supporting candidates who will fight against the social and economic inequalities experienced by Black communities and communities of color more broadly. This work is so critical, and your leadership is commended. To find out your polling place location, visit here .

Warmly,
Seitu Jemel Hart
Vice President of Membership and External Affairs, ABFE
Member Notes
What's Happening at ABFE...
Recap: Leverage the Trust 2018 Leadership Retreat
On September 20 - 22nd, ABFE hosted its second annual Leverage the Trust Leadership Retreat (LTT) in San Diego, CA. The Retreat kicked off with a "Fireside Chat," an in-depth one-on-one conversation with ABFE President and CEO Susan Taylor Batten and noted author, professor and activist Shawn Ginwright (Trustee, California Endowment). The Retreat also focused on strengthening the knowledge of trustees to better advocate for Black communities, as well as the specific knowledge and information one needs to serve on critically important finance/investment and audit committees.

During the retreat, attendees also explored ABFE's Leverage the Trust: A Call to Action , which promotes the role of Black Trustees in making philanthropy more responsive in Black communities. In addition, Trustees heard from various leaders in the sector who shared their expertise on the topics such as board governance committees and more.

Thank you to all of our Trustees and Presenters who attended this year's Leverage the Trust Leadership Retreat :

PRESENTERS:
Vernetta Walker - President and CEO, Walker & Associates

George Suttles - Director of Research, Commonfund Institute

ATTENDEES/PRESENTERS:
Shawn Ginwright - Incoming Board Chair, California Endowment

Daryn Dodson - Trustee, Ben and Jerry's Foundation

Yvette Chappell - Trustee, Special Needs Network

Yolanda Gorman - Trustee, The James Irvine Foundation

Arnold Perkins - Trustee, The California Wellness Foundation

Kimberly Desmond - Trustee, The Women's Foundation of Colorado Trustee and Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships City

Anthony Ghoston - Trustee, Coastal Community Foundation

Roderick "Rod" Gillum - Former Board Chair, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Pamela Simms-Mackey, M.D . - Trustee, The California Wellness Foundation

Maya Smart - Trustee, St. David's Foundation

Thurman White - Trustee, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Ernest Wilson, III - Trustee, The California Wellness Foundation

Dwayne Wharton - Trustee, The Kynett Foundation

Abraham Segres - Trustee, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation

Paulette Brown-Hinds - Trustee, The James Irvine Foundation
ABFE's Leverage the Trust 2018 Leadership Retreat Participants

Members and Friends,

Help us in welcoming Wilda Escarfuller, our new Institutional Giving Manager! In her role, Wilda will manage ABFE's institutional giving portfolio. Prior to joining ABFE, Wilda worked for the Americas Society/Council of the Americas as a policy associate. She is also an adjunct professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and teaches courses concentrated on Latin American and Caribbean studies.

Wilda enjoys writing and is passionate about literature on race, social inequalities, and democratic advancement of Latin America and Caribbean.
Attention ABFE Members...Last Call for Surveys!
Have you completed our membership survey?

As ABFE continues to grow, we are taking steps to strengthen the impact our work, as well as gain insight into how we can better serve our members.

By taking a few minutes to share your thoughts, you are helping improve our membership benefits, services and communications. We are also offering one lucky survey taker a chance to win a free registration to our 2019 annual conference (details coming soon) . Deadline to complete survey is by Friday, November 16th .

*If you have questions about your membership, please contact Evelyn Rivera, director of membership and special events for ABFE, at membership@abfe.org ; or visit our Member Center for more information.

The winner(s) of the Patiño Moore Legacy Award will receive a combined maximum of $150,000 over 12 months to support their work to unite Black and Brown communities in a shared vision of economic and social well-being. The selection committee is especially interested in achievements that have the potential to inspire and raise the capacity of other organizations and individuals to build a family-led movement across cultures, races, ethnicities, regions and issues.
Featured Member
What's Happening with our Members...
News in the Field
What's Happening in Philanthropy...
Major foundations must do more to support black-led organizations, [ABFE President and CEO Susan Taylor Batten] says at Charlotte event

Source: Q City Metro, October 27, 2018

If America is to address the crippling legacy of slavery and racism, more money must be directed toward black-led organizations that are battling for social change, said a leading authority on philanthropic giving.

Of the billions of dollars distributed each year by the nation’s large foundations, less than 2 percent of those funds are given to organizations that are “specifically black-led and organized to uplift black people,” said Susan Taylor Batten, president and CEO of the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE).

Speaking at an event on Thursday , Batten said new figures, soon to be released, will likely show a slight increase in giving to black-led groups, thanks, in part, to attention drawn by the Black Lives Matter Movement. Still, she said, the new numbers are unlikely to show sufficient gains.

ABFE is calling on major foundations to increase their giving to black-led organizations by 25 percent. And at Thursday’s event, hosted by New Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP), Batten also called on black groups in Charlotte and nationally to re-examine their philanthropic efforts.

A case for black-led change

Batten said black-led organizations have taken a lead in nearly every major movement for social change since the abolition of slavery. And the success of those movements, she said, has accrued to other disenfranchised groups as well.

“We’re trying to make the point that black-led organizations historically and currently move agendas that aren’t just about us but actually impact other marginalized groups of other races and ethnicities,” she said. “It’s the notion that if we help the most marginalized, then we can lift boats for all… It’s not just about us; it’s about this entire country.”
Who's Raising the Most: The 100 Charities That Are America's Favorites

Source: Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 30, 2018

America’s growing economic divide is creating new fault lines in society — this time, in the charity world.

Nonprofits backed by America’s affluent thrived in the past decade, far outpacing their "blue collar" counterparts as they tapped the post-recession wealth that accrued to the rich. Giving soared to wealth-driven institutions like the Mayo Clinic and Harvard while falling off significantly at the United Way and other household-name charities that rely on donations from average Americans.
That’s according to a new Chronicle of Philanthropy ranking of the 100 charities that raised the most in cash and stock contributions in 2017. The ranking, called America’s Favorite Charities, identifies the organizations that Americans are most willing to open their wallets to support.

Collectively, these organizations brought in $47 billion in cash contributions, about 11 percent of all giving last year.

The ranking features both the familiar (American Red Cross, which ranks No. 18) and the unexpected (the Barack Obama Foundation, No. 82). It includes groups born before the American Revolution (Harvard, No. 4), just after the Civil War (Mayo Clinic, No. 5), and at the dawn of the 21st century (Wounded Warrior, No. 95). One is known for its red kettles (Salvation Army, No. 2), another for its Facebook-famous founder and his physician wife (Chan Zuckerburg Biohub, No. 22).
"Rage Giving." The Women Donors Behind the Surge of Support to Progressive Groups

Source: Inside Philanthropy, October 30, 2018

It’s no secret that many women have been enraged by the ascendancy of Donald Trump, the policies of his administration, and—most recently—the battle over Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. What’s less well known is how this anger has affected charitable giving. But new research released this month found that a good part of the “Trump bump” in fundraising for progressive groups following the 2016 election can be attributed to women donors.

The new research , by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, examined donations made through an online giving portal to 131 top charities during the week before and the week after the 2016 presidential election. The charities were rated as having a progressive, conservative or neutral political slant.

While donations were lower than expected immediately after the 2016 election, women’s gifts did not show as much of a drop as men’s. In the week before the presidential election, women gave an average of $1,586 more to charities than men did. In the post-election week that year, women gave an average of $3,905 more than their male counterparts.

What’s more, women’s contributions went mostly to groups deemed to be liberal or progressive such as the Planned Parenthood Federation, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Immigration Law Center. Such groups received an average $184 more from women than men in the week before the election. During the week after the presidential contest, charities to the left of center received $1,098 more from women on average than from men.
ICYMI
In Case You Missed It...
Lisa Hamilton Named Annie E. Casey Foundation President and CEO

Source: Philanthropy News Digest, October 22, 2018

The board of trustees of the  Annie E. Casey Foundation  has announced that Lisa Hamilton will become the foundation's next president and CEO, effective January 1.

Hamilton, the foundation's executive vice president and chief program officer, will succeed Patrick McCarthy, who announced his retirement after twenty-five years with the foundation, nearly nine as president and CEO.

Hamilton joined the Baltimore-based foundation as vice president of external affairs in 2011 and in that role led its efforts in the areas of data, policy advocacy, communications, and leadership development. She also led, in 2014, the creation of the first  Race for Results  report, which measured how children from different racial and ethnic backgrounds were faring on key milestones from birth to adulthood and served as a springboard for the foundation's efforts to promote equity and inclusion for children, families, and communities of color. In 2017, she was appointed executive vice president and chief program officer, with broad oversight of program investments, including efforts to strengthen the social sector and encourage the adoption of effective strategies. Prior to joining the foundation, she served as vice president of corporate public relations for UPS and as president of the  UPS Foundation , where she directed the package delivery and supply chain management company's global philanthropic and volunteer programs.
Altman Foundation Announces Leadership Transition, New President and Chair

Source: Via Altman Foundation Press Release, October 10, 2018

The Altman Foundation Board of Trustees and Jane B. O’Connell, President, announce that Karen L. Rosa, Vice President and Executive Director, will retire at the end of 2018. Karen began her tenure at the Foundation as Associate Director in 1986 and became Executive Director in 1991. Since 1986, the assets of the Foundation have grown from $85 million to the present $260 million and the Foundation has distributed just over $300 million in grants. Upon Karen’s retirement, Deborah T. Velazquez, currently Associate Director at the Altman Foundation, will become President of the Foundation and Jane B. O’Connell, currently President, will become Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Deborah T. Velazquez joined the Foundation as Senior Program Officer in 2008 and became Associate Director in 2016. Deborah earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a BS in Business Administration from SUNY New Paltz. Before joining the Foundation, she worked at Emmanuel Community Development Corporation, Bridge Street Development Corporation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the social policy research firm, MDRC. Deborah was also a principal at a consulting practice specializing in philanthropic advising.
ABFE Board of Director, Sylvia Bartley (Medtronic), named in Black Powerlist 2019, which honors the most influential and powerful Black Britons

Source: Mirror UK, October 10, 2018

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle , rapper Stormzy and boxer Anthony Joshua are among 100 of the most influential and powerful black people in Britain.

They have been named in the annual Powerlist, which honours men and women of African and African-Caribbean heritage in Britain who are changing lives.

Topping the list at number one is businessman Ric Lewis, who has spent years investing in the futures of underprivileged children.

Mr Lewis is also CEO and chairman of private equity real estate asset management firm Tristan Capital Partners - Britain’s largest black-owned and led company.

Last year the accolade was awarded to Gina Miller, who led the successful Brexit legal challenge which ruled parliament had to vote on whether Theresa May could trigger Article 50.
Funders for LGBTQ Issues Releases "The Philanthropic Closet: LGBTQ People Philanthropy" Report
ABFE's Susan Taylor Batten to Speak on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Thursday, November 1st at the University of Arkansas' Clinton School of Public Service Center on Community Philanthropy
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