We are pleased to announce that Many Hands Board President Kathryn Zecca will be one of the speakers at the Philanos webinar on Tuesday, March 14 at 12:00 pm (ET), together with Stephanie Cook, executive director of the San Diego Women's Foundation. Kathryn will share takeaways from Many Hands' experience as she talks about how giving circles that are leaning into trust-based philanthropy can communicate the impact of their grants.

Many Hands is an affiliate of Philanos, the leading national network of women's giving circles; participation in Philanos webinars is free to our members. If you already have a Philanos account, click here to register by March 12. To create an account, please email Karen Murrell at info@manyhandsdc.org.

Save the Date Spring Education Forum - April 26

Please mark your calendar for Many Hands' spring education event on Wednesday, April 26 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The leaders of two recent grantees—Kevin Hinton, CEO/executive director of Beacon House, and Jodi Ovca, founder and executive director of Access Youth—will join us to talk about how the pandemic has affected the students and families they serve, the support they have been providing throughout this crisis, and what more needs to be done to address learning loss, trauma, and the other challenges they face. Stephanie Nealer, former Beijing bureau chief for Voice of America and a Many Hands member, will moderate the discussion.

We are grateful to Hogan Lovells for hosting the event at their Metro Center office. Doors will open at 6:30 pm for check-in and light refreshments; the panel will start at 7:00 pm. Stay tuned for more details and a registration link in the April newsletter. In the meantime, please email Anna Gunnarsson Pfeiffer at events@manyhandsdc.org with any questions.

Jan Piercy joined Many Hands in 2019 and has served twice on the Housing Committee. She represented the United States on the World Bank Group board for seven years and spent more than two decades with ShoreBank and later ShoreBank International, working to expand access to capital and credit for underserved communities in the US and abroad. She is currently an advisor to Southern Bancorporation, an Arkansas-based community development financial institution, and serves on the board of The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project.

What have you gained from your Many Hands experience? So much! Not least, let me just say that Many Hands members are terrific individuals I love knowing.

I thought I knew a lot about organizations addressing community needs in DC. On the Housing Committee, though, I’ve met an array of exceptional organizations I did not know. I’ve been inspired and impressed by the wide range of dedicated, high-performing nonprofits serving our area. I now have a much better understanding of the entire local ecosystem supporting women, children, and families. This makes me a more discerning individual donor, a better board member, and a better citizen.

Click here to read more about what Jan appreciates about Many Hands, how she discovered the organization, and her advice for members who may be interested in serving on a nonprofit board.

Vu Le is philanthropy's truthteller. Every Monday (more or less) his blog, Nonprofit AF, delivers uncomfortable truths, cute animal photos, and occasional dating advice to a growing audience of funders, grantseekers, and other nonprofit professionals. His new book, Unicorns on Fire: A Collection of Nonprofit AF Blog Posts Finally Edited for Spelling and Grammar, Volume 1, brings together highlights from a decade of rants, musing, and serious reflection, including the classic "Answers on grant proposals if nonprofits were brutally honest with funders." If you follow Vu, you probably already have your favorites. If not, you can discover your own by ordering the book or following Nonprofit AF on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

2022 Partner Grantee Beacon House has been serving the children of the Edgewood neighborhood in northeast Washington, DC since 1991. Founded as a homework help program for a dozen students in a neighborhood then known as "Little Beirut," Beacon House now serves around 400 students ages 5-18 each year with mentoring, tutoring, college readiness, athletic, and enrichment programs—all with the goal of promoting students’ academic advancement and personal growth. In this short clip, CEO/Executive Director Kevin Hinton explains how Beacon House got its start and its name, which reflects its founder's desire to "provide a place of safety and a safe place for children in Edgewood to learn."

Click here to learn more about how Beacon House's programs create what one public health researcher has dubbed "the Beacon House effect" and what their team is doing to help students rebuild confidence and joy in learning in the wake of the pandemic. And plan to hear Kevin Hinton in person at the education event on April 26!

Many Hands leverages the power of collective giving to support nonprofits serving and empowering Washington, DC area women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. Many Hands is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 51-0486987.