Podcasts about rockefeller philanthropy advisors

This week on The Caring Economy, Toby Usnik sits down with Latanya Mapp, President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and author of The Everyday Feminist. With a career spanning continents and causes, Latanya has led efforts with the UN, Planned Parenthood Global, and grassroots women's movements around the world. Now at the helm of RPA, she's rethinking how philanthropy can drive faster, smarter solutions to today's most pressing challenges. What You'll Learn: The importance of collaboration and pooled resources in solving systemic issues How Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors supports bold ideas and transformative action Latanya's perspective on empowering grassroots leaders to create sustainable change Why radical listening is the key to understanding communities and fostering impact Latanya's insights on leadership, philanthropy, and the power of grassroots action will leave you inspired to think differently about your role in creating change. ⁠Don't forget to check out my book that inspired this whole series!⁠

“1% for the planet is really set up as a way to sort of break it down, and create a pathway to action that kind of gets us through the overwhelm. So, the way it works is that we have businesses who are our members, and they're actually supporting environmental partners at the level of 1% of revenues….You invest in the things that matter and the planet matters. …(The point is to) drive impact at scale. And so, in terms of that scale, last year we certified US$100million of support going from these companies to environmental partners….When a company joins, they pay a dues fee to us, but then the rest of their 1%, they will give directly to environmental partners….And then at the end of each year, we certify that giving.” Kate Williams on Electric Ladies Podcast It's a time of year when people are thinking about making donations. So we want to talk about what nonprofits can really do, especially in partnership with the private sector and the public sector. It's about coming together, leveraging each other's strengths and networks to have a much larger impact. We sure need to have a much larger impact right now. So, how do we scale donations? Listen to Kate Williams, CEO of 1% For The Planet on how they help companies of all sizes and shapes leverage their donations strategically for their goals in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.  You'll hear about: How 1% For The Planet works – and why they certify their members' donations. How their Planet Impact Fund works – and the four areas they focus on. Stories of donations that made a big difference, and creative ways they did it Trends they have seen I the corporate donations over the past 10 years. Plus, insightful career advice, such as… “A couple things. One is, step forward and step up before you think you might be ready.… Becoming a CEO or C-suite can be one way that you progress, but you can also just become really deeply knowledgeable in a particular area.… Sometimes as women and just as humans, we can maybe hold ourselves back. So, I would say like, step up before you're ready.…(S)upport appears when once I've taken the step….The other thing is stay open to serendipity…We may forget that serendipity is sometimes how the opportunities that we get to step into are shown to us…. So, stay open.” Kate Williams on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes article about this new report here and more of her articles here too. You'll also like: ·        Zainab Salbi, Cofounder of Daughters for Earth, one of the partners in One Earth – and Founder of Women to Women International and its former CEO ·        Rosemary Atieno, Women Climate Centers International – on how they are helping women in rural Kenya grow their economies and address climate change at the same time. ·       Justin Winter, Cofounder, One Earth, on “philanthro-activism”. ·       Heather Grady, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors on making donations for the good of the planet as well as people and communities. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson #philanthropy #donations #year-end #ESG @1PercentFTP @JoanMichelson @ElectricLadiesPodcast @ElectricGalsPod #climatechange

To kick off Season 2, we are joined by Judy Belk, a Philanthropic Advisor at JVB Consulting and a leading voice on philanthropic change. Judy has held senior executive leadership positions in the government, corporate, and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, Judy served for nine years as the President and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic institutions in California with assets over $1 billion and an annual grantmaking budget of more than $65 million. Before Cal Wellness, she served as Senior Vice President for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Vice President of global public affairs for Levi Strauss & Co. Her insights have been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. Judy is currently working on a book. “Ten Miles from the White House, a collection of personal essays focused on race, justice, and love.” In this episode we discuss: Why anyone—no matter the background—can be a ‘philanthropist,' and how Judy's personal experience with philanthropic support drives her work today The importance of wielding influence and resources to ensure a positive impact How listening to and learning from communities to understand their needs allows donors to partner with these communities in a thoughtful way

In this Convo of Flanigan's Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Andy Lipkis, Founder of TreePeople, who served as President for five decades. He is currently a Project Executive at Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA). Andy is a pioneer of urban and community forestry, urban watershed management, and urban climate resilience, dedicating his life to healing the environment while improving the lives of individuals and communities.Andy grew up in southwest LA and began planting trees to rehabilitate smog and fire damaged Los Angeles–area forests when he was 15 years old. At 18, he founded TreePeople, bringing together people, trees, and forest-inspired ‘green infrastructure' to protect cities against droughts and floods, prevent water and air pollution, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. Andy served as a consultant to the City of Los Angeles as a program planner and public engagement and education facilitator. TreePeople's work in LA provided a model for environmental, economic, and social sustainability in cities everywhere. He created a greener future for Los Angeles by inspiring people, along with their local governments, to plant and care for trees and harvest and conserve the rain. Since its founding, TreePeople volunteers have been responsible for the planting of more than 2 million trees and counting. Its environmental education program reaches more than 200,000 students per year, with millions of children touched over the decades.With climate change impacts already creating a chronic emergency for cities around the world, Andy's work has demonstrated promising new ways for individuals, communities and government agencies to collaboratively reshape urban tree canopy and water infrastructure to save lives and grow a more livable future. After retiring from TreePeople in 2019, Andy launched Accelerate Resilience LA, a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to inspire and enable people and local governments to equitably accelerate climate resilience in Los Angeles.He shares with Ted that his personal mission is to inform, inspire, engage, and support people and communities to participate in restoring the healthy functioning of an ecosystem so it can abundantly provide life support services. He highlights the power of individuals and communities to make a positive impact, and the great need that exists to heal our environment. He and Ted discuss the numerous programs that increased citizen involvement in urban tree planting and care, which led him to being recognized by Johnny Carson.

“Corporate America has a very important role to play in this transition. They have the resources, they have the talent, and they are being nudged by their customers, their employees, even their suppliers, their investors, and obviously regulators to do this work. They know it's the right thing to do…Just as a quick thing to think about is it used to be that the people who were in sustainability were kind of on the sidelines…Now their talent is being tapped into the C-suite because it's like, wait a minute, we don't have a choice. We have to do this. And now we have the regulators and we have the SEC. And so that talent is actually has a more center stage.” Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability” podcast How do we “do” sustainability? What role does the Corporate sector play in this fight against global warming? Where do the resources and strategies to do it come from? Listen to Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson as a guest on “Doing Sustainability” with host Gary Baker, a branding expert also focused on the sustainability space. It was fun for Joan to be interviewed for a change, so have a listen and let us know what you think. You'll hear: Integrating sustainability into business strategy How to embrace the demand for transparency and accountability to build trust with the markets The magic of partnerships, internal ones and external ones Figuring out how your business can leverage the ESG economy to achieve its own goals. Plus, insightful career advice …. “When I'm doing coaching with people for their own careers, it's about what parts of you do you want to give a voice to? And a company is the same thing. In branding it's a personality, right? And so it's what do you want to put forward first? …And what parts of that portfolio of what you do are most relevant today? What's the intersection between what you do well, where the marketplace is and the message you really want to get across? And it's in that Venn diagram is where the magic is.” Joan Michelson on “Doing Sustainability” You'll also want to listen to: Katie McGinty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Johnson Controls on the vital role of buildings in combatting climate change. Evelyne Saelens, ESG Advisory Lead at UL Solutions on “mobilize, measure and manage” ESG initiatives and outcomes. Mary Morrissey, famed author and coach, on the power of “Brave Thinking” and what it really is. Heather Grady, Vice President of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, on leveraging philanthropy to drive results. Heather Boushey, Member of the National Council of Economic Advisors in the White House and Chief Economist of the Invest in America Cabinet Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

Today we're joined by Megan Basham, culture reporter for the Daily Wire, to discuss her investigation into the After Party, a curriculum written by Curtis Chang, David French, and Russell Moore, which is being pushed onto churches in an effort to bring Christians of different political backgrounds together. Megan shares how this curriculum not only fails at its objective but is funded by secular progressives: Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. We discuss why Rockefeller's interest in bankrolling Bible studies is a red flag, including the fact that among the other initiatives funded are organizations that are pro-LGBTQ and pro-abortion. What's in the After Party curriculum and what message is it really sending? We also look at the "AND Campaign" and how it is also funded by the Rockefellers. We explain how politics is a way to love our neighbor and why getting it right matters for the church. You can pre-order Megan's new book, "Evangelicals for Rent: Why Church Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda" here: https://www.amazon.com/Evangelicals-Rent-Church-Leaders-Leftist/dp/0063413442 --- Timecodes: (01:12) What is The After Party? / Rockefeller funding (07:50) What are their motivations? (15:00) What's in the curriculum? (32:28) The AND Campaign / moral equivalence (42:53) X / Twitter exchange about abortion / politics in Christianity (49:20) Can Christians vote Democrat? --- Sponsors: Carly Jean Los Angeles — use promo code RELATABLE25 for $25 off an order of $125 or more, or RELATABLE50 for $50 off an order of $200 or more at CarlyJeanLosAngeles.com! Seven Weeks Coffee — Seven Weeks is a pro-life coffee company with a simple mission: DONATE 10% of every sale to pregnancy care centers across America. Get your organically farmed and pesticide-free coffee at sevenweekscoffee.com and let your coffee serve a greater purpose. Use the promo code 'ALLIE' to save 10% off your order. A'Del — go to adelnaturalcosmetics.com and enter promo code "ALLIE" for 25% off your first order! Jase Medical — get up to a year's worth of many of your prescription medications delivered in advance. Go to JaseMedical.com today and use promo code “ALLIE". --- Links: Megan Basham: "Follow the Money to The After Party" https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/follow-the-money-to-the-after-party --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 607 | John MacArthur, Hillsong Documentary & SBC Drama | Guest: Megan Basham https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-607-john-macarthur-hillsong-documentary-sbc-drama/id1359249098?i=1000558899144 Ep 920 | Russell Moore, David French & the Fake Threat of Christian Nationalism | Guest: John Cooper https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-920-russell-moore-david-french-the-fake-threat/id1359249098?i=1000638231068 Ep 508 | My Response to John Piper, Tim Keller & Big Eva https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-508-my-response-to-john-piper-tim-keller-big-eva/id1359249098?i=1000539092606 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Philanthropy generally, we consider, contributing private money for public good or community good. And climate philanthropy is simply, when we are making those private contributions in ways that are going to address the climate crisis that our country and that the world is facing today. I would expand that slightly by saying that one of the trends that I'm seeing is a real interlinking of climate and nature problems and climate and nature solutions.”  Heather Grady on Electric Ladies Podcast Philanthropy is being reinvented today, including what is now called “climate philanthropy.” It's in part about considering the solutions nature can provide to the climate crisis, instead of just relying on new technologies.  They each have a singular purpose as well as a role in the bigger vision, and require accountability   Listen to Heather Grady, Vice President and Practice Lead for Environment and Climate at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, explain how they are leveraging philanthropy to help avert climate catastrophes in this fascinating conversation with Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson.   You'll hear: What climate philanthropy is and how it works – and how they view “risk.” How they are leveraging the new federal funding, including the Inflation Reduction Act. What they think of the oil companies, ESG (environment, social, governance) and other hot topics. Which areas Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors focuses on and why Plus, insightful career advice …. “When women are clear that they do want to make a difference, that they want a job with purpose, that's a good thing to put in your cover letter and express on your cv. There are people who haven't worked on mission-driven organizations or companies yet. But if you've spent time, say, doing a lot of volunteer work in your community, whether it's climate or children's rights or whatever it may be, make sure that you're emphasizing that when you're applying for positions. We are really looking in my organization, and I see this increasingly, people are looking for new employees who are values-aligned and values aware.” Heather Grady on Electric Ladies podcast You'll also want to listen to: Justin Winter, Cofounder, One Earth, on “philanthro-activism”. Zainab Salbi, Cofounder of Daughters for Earth, one of the partners in One Earth – and Founder of Women to Women International and its former CEO Rosemary Atieno, Women Climate Centers International – on how they are helping women in rural Kenya grow their economies and address climate change at the same time. Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine – on the hidden power of ESG ·       Sandrine Dixson, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) – on the need for a new economic model that puts people and planet ahead of profit. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

Mosun Layode, Bheki Moyo, and Degan Ali discuss development funding and philanthropy in Africa.Just 14 percent of large gifts by international donors get to local NGOs in Africa, and only 9 percent of large gifts by African funders are channelled to proximate organisations, according to Bridgespan research. The rest of the money goes to governments and international NGOs.Why this happens – and what it means for on-the-ground organisations, programming, and final impact – is at the heart of this episode of The Impact Room, where we take a deep dive into African development funding and the thorny topic of decolonising aid.Host Maysa Jalbout  explores the barriers to funding grassroots entities in Africa and why the status quo is so hard to shift – but also hear about some new solutions designed to “shift the power” from donor to implementer and create more equitable partnerships.Mosun Layode, the executive director of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF), which was formed in 2014 to shift the needle on development funding on the continent, kicks off the episode with a detailed landscape analysis of leading funders and innovative initiatives.  Layode, who is also a board member of Candid and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, calls for greater collaboration among donors to amplify impact and tackle systemic issues. Professor Bheki Moyo, chair and director of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), at Wits University Business School in Johannesburg, South Africa appeals to philanthropists to do more to fund African civil society working on “abstract” causes, such as human rights and policy issues, rather than just supporting “materialistic” initiatives such as building schools or donating computers.Maysa's third guest, Degan Ali, is the executive director of Adeso, a development and humanitarian NGO working in the Horn of Africa.  She shares her views on why the current funding system for aid and development isn't working, the opportunities for philanthropy to seed new approaches, and how donors can operate more equitably.A long-time activist and leading voice in the aid localization debate, Ali has recently spearheaded the launch of the Pledge for Change, calling on iNGOs to commit more equitable partnerships and authentic storytelling to create a stronger aid ecosystem based on the principles of solidarity, humility, self-determination and equality.The books, articles, and organisations mentioned in this episode include:Higherlife FoundationThe Tony Elumelu FoundationAspire Coronation Trust (ACT) FoundationKujaLinkDr. Arikana ChihomboriHoward NicholsThe art of gathering: how we meet and why it matters -  by Priya Parker Shifting sands, shifting power - Social Investor MagazineThe Impact Room is brought to you by Philanthropy Age and Maysa Jalbout. This episode was produced and edited by Louise Redvers. Find us on social media @PhilanthropyAge

FFI Practitioner is pleased to invite Jon Quinn, Deputy Director at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, to discuss the factors contributing to the rising generation's philanthropic goals and decisions. In recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic, a worldwide reckoning with racial injustice, and increased political polarization have transformed the dynamics of “next-generation philanthropy.”

Jon Quinn shares on Engaging Multiple Generational Giving through Family Foundations About: Jon joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in May 2014 and is based in the Chicago office. He works with individual, family, institutional, and corporate donors across the Midwest, around the country, and around the world. He serves on the board of Crossroads Fund, a public foundation that funds racial, social, and economic justice work in the Chicago area; the advisory board for the Illinois chapter of Mikva Challenge, a civic engagement organization that brings young people into the democratic process; and the advisory board of the Just Transition Fund, which funds economic transition efforts in coal-impacted communities across the United States. He was a member of the 2020 class of the Emerging Leaders program at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Melissa Berman is the founding President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc., an innovative nonprofit philanthropy service launched by the Rockefeller family in 2002. Over the last two decades, Ms. Berman has led RPA's growth into one of the world's largest philanthropic service organizations and has facilitated more than $3 billion in grantmaking to nearly 70 countries. RPA also serves as a fiscal sponsor for more than 90 projects, providing governance, management, and operational infrastructure to support their charitable purposes. Melissa holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. She's proud to have majored in Folklore and Mythology. The Caring Economy made it onto FeedSpots Top 30 CSR Podcasts Don't forget to check out my book that inspired this podcast series, The Caring Economy: How to Win With Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/toby-usnik/support

Melissa Berman, founding president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and Olga Tarasov, director, knowledge development, at RPA, will speak with Penta senior writer Abby Schultz about what's going on with philanthropy today and a tool they've developed to guide donors in being more effective.

This week at the Non-Profit Build Up, we will be exploring the context and common concerns on “Cross-Border Grantmaking: Due Diligence and Legal Considerations for Global Grantmaking”. This week's episode is part two of a two-part information-packed session led by Build Up's CEO (and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' General Counsel), A. Nicole Campbell, and moderated by RPA's Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Renee Karibi-Whyte. This presentation was originally recorded in April 2022. This is a two part series.Nic provides an overview of the global giving landscape; reviews definitions and descriptions of expenditure responsibility and equivalency determination, which are concepts that arise frequently within cross-border grant making; and reminds us about compliance considerations to keep in mind when making international grants. You won't want to miss it.

Over the next two weeks at the Non-Profit Build Up, we will be exploring the context and common concerns on “Cross-Border Grantmaking: Due Diligence and Legal Considerations for Global Grantmaking”. This week's episode is part one of a two-part information-packed session led by Build Up's CEO (and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' General Counsel), A. Nicole Campbell, and moderated by RPA's Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Renee Karibi-Whyte. This presentation was originally recorded in April 2022. This is a two part series.Nic provides an overview of the global giving landscape; reviews definitions and descriptions of expenditure responsibility and equivalency determination, which are concepts that arise frequently within cross-border grant making; and reminds us about compliance considerations to keep in mind when making international grants. You won't want to miss it.

Over the next week at the Non-Profit Build Up, we will be exploring the contracting process and how to engage in “Values-based Contracting for Grantmakers: Ensuring Alignment, Preserving the Partnership and Protecting Ownership”. This week's episode is part one of a two-part informative session led by Build Up's CEO (and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' (RPA) General Counsel), A. Nicole Campbell, and moderated by RPA's Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Renee Karibi-Whyte. This presentation was originally recorded as a three-part webinar series in February 2022.In addition to providing guidance on value-based contracts, Nic also addresses common concerns, discusses how to build trust throughout the contracting process, and explores the potential risks of using standard templates without customization.

Over the next two weeks at the Non-Profit Build Up, we will be exploring the contracting process and how to engage in “Values-based Contracting for Grantmakers [while] Ensuring Alignment, Preserving the Partnership and Protecting Ownership”. This week's episode is part one of a two-part informative session led by Build Up's CEO (and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' (RPA) General Counsel), A. Nicole Campbell, and moderated by RPA's Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Renee Karibi-Whyte. This presentation was originally recorded as a three-part webinar series in February 2022.In addition to providing guidance on value-based contracts, Nic also addresses common concerns, discussing how to build trust throughout the contracting process, and exploring the potential risks of using standard templates without customization. You won't want to miss it.

This week at the Non Profit Build Up, we will be exploring advocacy through grantmaking to charities and social welfare organizations. This week's episode is the second part of a two part series of an information-packed session led by Build Up's CEO (and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' General Counsel), A. Nicole Campbell, and RPA's Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Renee Karibi-Whyte. This presentation was originally recorded as a webinar in March 2022. It is the second part of a two-part series. Nic provides guidance on how to support and structure grants to projects and programs containing advocacy, form successful partnerships within organizations engaged in advocacy, and engage in grant making to (for-profit and nonprofit) organizations engaged in advocacy. You won't want to miss it.

Over the next two weeks at the Non Profit Build Up, we will be exploring advocacy through grantmaking to charities and social welfare organizations. This week's episode is an information-packed session led by Build Up's CEO (and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' General Counsel), A. Nicole Campbell, and RPA's Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Renee Karibi-Whyte. This presentation was originally recorded as a webinar in March 2022. It is the first part of a two-part series.Nic provides guidance on how to support and structure grants to projects and programs containing advocacy, form successful partnerships within organizations engaged in advocacy, and engage in grant making to (for-profit and nonprofit) organizations engaged in advocacy. You won't want to miss it.

In this episode of Capital for Good we speak with Valerie Rockefeller, one of the country's most innovative leaders in the fight against climate change and in our transition to a low carbon economy. Rockefeller chairs numerous organizations including Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and BankFWD, which have pioneered ways to channel philanthropy and the capital markets towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. In this conversation, we discuss some of the philanthropic legacies of John D. Rockefeller, and how, and five, six and seven generations later, members of the Rockefeller family are stewarding and directing resources towards strengthening peace, democratic practices, and sustainable development in the United States and around the world. Rockefeller describes her childhood in West Virginia, where, although not yet a fully formed environmentalist, she saw firsthand the pollution and health impacts of coal and coal mining. Today, she has helped lead the Rockefeller Brothers Fund move to align investing the $1.6 billion assets under management in the foundation with its grant making strategy. Over time, this has involved a process of divesting from fossil fuels and proactively investing in climate strategies while financially outperforming benchmarks by 35 percent. These returns, and a blueprint for process, have allowed other foundations, university endowments, and mainstream investors to follow suit. “The best way to grow a movement is to . . . walk the walk: to do it well, and then share the information about what you're doing,” Rockefeller says. In 2020, she co-founded BankFWD to address the fact that, despite global concerns about the harm and risks of climate change, large banks still finance fossil fuels. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors has responded to the growing demand for impact and sustainable investing guidance with various donor resources and commitments on the environment, and the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility movement. Thanks for listening!Subscribe to Capital for Good on Apple, Amazon, Google, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Drop us a line at socialenterprise@gsb.columbia.edu. Mentioned in this Episode Rockefeller Brothers Fund “Investing in our Mission: A Five Year Case Study of Fossil Fuel Divestment at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund” (Rockefeller Brothers Fund, 2020) Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors “The Year Ahead: Impact Investing and Philanthropy in 2022,” (Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, 2022) BankFWD “Three Rockefellers Say Banks Must Stop Financing Fossil Fuels,” (New York Times, 2020)  

BX Arabia is a regional behavioral insights conference that started in 2018 to emphasize the application of behavioral science in the Global South. Kurt and Tim were fortunate to be invited to moderate at the latest event, affording them the opportunity to have conversations with some of the region's most amazing BeSci thinkers. This episode highlights some of the unique insights from these conversations, with input from the following experts: Faisal Naru: Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Unit in the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Dr. Ahmed Al Zahrani: Minister Deputy and Chair of G20 as well as the Executive Director of the Riyadh Behavioral Insight Center in the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development in Saudi Arabia. Saud Al Rakhayes: Founder and Senior Behavioral Strategist at The Behavior Change. Aditya Jagati: Leader of the Busara Center's offices in India. Wiam Hasanain: Behavioral scientist and social impact advisor based in Jetta, Saudi Arabia. Nabil Saleh: Vice President Strategy at Nudge Lebanon. Ivo Vlaev: Professor of Behavioral Science at Warwick Business School, UK. Many of the examples of behavioral science discussed highlight that the Global South has some unique needs in the field. However, an overarching theme is that context matters! The root of successful behavioral science ideas come from encompassing the surrounding culture and environment.  BX Arabia was founded by Fadi Makki, who is also the leader of B4 Development in Doha, Qatar. He left us with these inspirational words: “Unlearn all the old habits that are anchored in intuition, and then embrace, evidence-based policies and tools such as experimentation.” Topics (2:14) What makes BX Arabia unique?  (5:58) The growth of behavioral science agencies around the world. (8:13) How behavioral science is being integrated into public policy globally. (11:46) Why good intentions aren't enough to deal with wicked problems. (23:36) The need for more behavioral scientists in the Global South. (26:25) How behavioral science improved traffic flow in Beruit. (31:15) The success of weight loss programs using behavioral insights. (36:50) The large-scale nudges that are being studied at the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Links BX Arabia: https://nudgelebanon.org/bx-arabia/  Diversifi: https://www.diversifiglobal.com/  Behavioral Change For Good Initiative: https://bcfg.wharton.upenn.edu/  Episode 272, Jeff Madoff:  How To Turn Your Creative Dreams Into Reality: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/creativity-jeff-madoff/ John Bargh, Episode 248: Do We Control Situations or Do Situations Control Us? https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/control-situations-with-john-bargh/ © 2022 Behavioral Grooves

Nearly a decade after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed piers and damaged riverside social housing projects, residents of Lower Manhattan are still vulnerable to floods.Michael Kimmelman, The Times's architecture critic, explores the nine-year effort to redesign Lower Manhattan in the wake of the hurricane, and the design and planning challenges that have made progress incremental. He goes inside a fight over how to protect the neighborhood in the future — revealing why renewal in the face of climate disaster is so complicated.This story was narrated by Michael Kimmelman. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.The Headway initiative is funded through grants from the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors serving as a fiscal sponsor. The Woodcock Foundation is a funder of Headway's public square.The New York Times works with philanthropic organizations that share its belief that editorial independence is crucial to the power and value of its journalism. Funders have no control over the selection, focus of stories or the editing process and do not review stories before publication. The Times retains full editorial control of the Headway initiative. 

In this episode of the Knowledge Cast, EK CEO Zach Wahl speaks with Donita Volkwijn, Manager of Knowledge Management at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Donita joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in May 2012, and leads Knowledge Management transformation efforts, with the aim of leveraging knowledge management tools and methodologies to ensure that access and information (and, as a result, power) are distributed fairly and equitably across organizations to drive engagement and performance. Based in New York, she helps internal and external clients develop and implement effective strategies to achieve their philanthropic goals. A board member at the Loveland Foundation, Donita is currently designing a strategy that explores the relationship between Knowledge Management (KM) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), having found that centering the three pillars of KM (people, process, and technology) can serve as an excellent entry point to DEI, while a thoughtful DEI policy can lead to better KM practices.

We all know that we are living in an age of corporate welfare, where multi-billionaires are allowed to fire employees at will while simultaneously calling up the federal government every time they need another bailout. However, we do not talk so much about the spiritual welfare the most churches are currently on, leading lavish lifestyles while their congregants suffer in poverty. This double standard is on full display within the black community. Churches have done quite well for themselves over the years, gaining more money than ever before due to the various tax write offs and the general privilege that comes with owning a Christian church in America. You would not know it by going into a black neighborhood, but black Americans on average donate far more to churches than their white counterparts. An article in the Washington Post states that, "...nearly two-thirds of Black households donate to community-based organizations and causes, to the tune of $11 billion each year, according to a joint 2012 study from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Black households on average give away 25 percent more of their income per year than Whites. Communities of color are giving at an increasing rate, the report found." That's right, black Americans are the main group of people in America who are keeping the idea of charitable giving alive while white people have largely abandoned this process. Such a large amount of giving should receive an equally large or larger return of interest. However, we are seeing the exact opposite happen, with black communities in far worse conditions than white communities. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 21.2% of black people lived in poverty in the United States in 2019, compared with a nine percent poverty rate for white people, that is over twice the amount of white people living in poverty. How could this be? Where is all of the money that black people are giving to charitable organizations going? It is certainly not into the hands of the people who need it. Charitable organizations in general are shady; they get caught all the time stealing from funds that were meant to help those in need. It is the oldest hustle of all time and black churches are no different. The black community today is living in a fantasy world where all money given in the collection plate on Sundays makes it into the hands of those who need that money the most. That is a lie. I needed help for several years when I was ill and literally all the black Christians in my life abandoned me and left me to rot. Meanwhile, as I sat in bed drifting in and out of consciousness and not knowing whether or not this would be my last breath, I could turn on the television and see rich black Christians like Kayne West tell me how lazy I was for thinking that slavery had an effect on my current status in life. Black Christians love to blame black people for everything because they love to be accepted by white Christians. They do not want to upset their white friends with all the talk of civil rights and equality. Yet they want us all back at church now. They want us back because they want to steal our money, just like they have always stole all the wealth we generate as black people. Well, sorry, but the freedom train needs to be free in order for me to get on board. Where were all of these black pastors when I was dying of epilepsy? Oh yeah, they were up there laughing at me with Trump and all of their other conservative, wealthy, white friends. They were dancing on piles of money like Creflo Dollar. They were unlawfully soliciting sex and hiring abusers like T.D. Jakes. They were doing absolutely nothing to fight white supremacy. Instead they were busy telling us to love our neighbors and turn the other cheek. Fine, I will turn the other cheek and head for the exit. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/morecontentplease/support

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Pree Walia of Preemadonna, makers of the Nailbot.com, an at-home robotic manicure machine. In this episode, Pree talks about the challenges of raising capital for a hardware startup, her experience with the HAX Accelerator and TechCrunch Battlefield, running a Kickstarter campaign, getting on the TV show "Meet The Drapers" and more. The Company has raised $5.6M in an overall seed financing to date led by Halogen Ventures with participation from Version One Ventures and the Amazon Alexa Fund. Additional seed investors in Preemadonna include Two Small Fish, SOSV, Garage Capital, Draper Associates Investments, LLC., Shrug Capital, Telescopic Ventures, Cleo Capital; and a host of entrepreneurs including Tara Bosch - the founder of SmartSweets, Markus Frind - the founder of Plenty of Fish, Helen Greiner - co-founder of iRobot, Charles Huang - founder of Guitar Hero, & the Spanx by Sara Blakely Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Preemadonna is an alum of the HAX hardware accelerator and Founders Factory program. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Valerie Rockefeller chairs the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a private foundation advancing social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. She also co-chairs BankFWD, a network to persuade banks to phase out financing for fossil fuel and to lead on climate. Her professional background is as a middle school special education teacher for adolescents with learning differences and emotional disabilities. She began her teaching career at Central Park East Secondary School in East Harlem, New York, and also taught in Australia. Valerie has a M.Ed. in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and a MAT in secondary Social Studies from Columbia University Teachers College. She majored in International Relations at Stanford University, and worked as a confidential assistant to Secretary Richard Riley at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Clinton administration. She also serves as a trustee of Achievement First, the Asian Cultural Council, Columbia University Teachers College, Greenwich Academy, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She was a trustee of Spelman College, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Valerie lives with her daughters Percy and Lucy and her son Davis in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. https://bankfwd.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Today, we have a lot to get through on the last episode of Quick News Daily for the week. We discuss another allergic reaction to the COVID vaccine, the extra doses found in the vials for the vaccine, and French President Emmanuel Macron testing positive for the coronavirus. We also discuss Biden's latest nominee, why you shouldn't be worried about Republicans objecting Electoral College votes in the House, MacKenzie Scott, and more!----more----Find Quick News Daily on your favorite podcast player: https://rebrand.ly/QuickNewsSources:Alaskan has allergic reaction after getting Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccineFDA says Pfizer vaccine vials hold extra doses, expanding supply McConnell warns GOP off Electoral College brawl in CongressSales top 3 million for Barack Obama's "A Promised Land'MacKenzie Scott Has Donated More Than $4 Billion In Last 4 MonthsFrench President Emmanuel Macron tests positive for Covid-19 Biden expected to nominate North Carolina environmental official to run EPA (Mostly Accurate) Transcript: OPEN  Today is Thursday, December 17th, thanks for listening once again. There were actually a ton of really interesting stories out there today, so it was tough to narrow them down. I tried to choose the ones that would be most relevant to our lives, just like the mission of this show is supposed to be, so you’ll have to let me know how I do with that. *WILLY WONKA EFFECT* There are some pretty hot takes in here, so it’s going to be a fun one. To amend those words of Willy Wonka, let’s get caught up right away. COVID REACTION AND EXTRA DOSES So, here’s the deal: I’m going to talk about this first story because we all need to be informed and aware of the risks. That said, we should keep this in perspective. I’ll explain more about what I mean in just a second.  The story I’m talking about is the news from Alaska yesterday that a health worker who received the COVID vaccine had a severe allergic reaction. It happened within minutes of getting the shot, they had to give him a shot of epinephrine, and then he was fine after that. The health officials there said that this reaction was similar to the ones in the UK last week. The only problem is that this patient did not have a history of allergic reactions, whereas the two from last week did. In that way, those made sense, and it’s why this one is scarier. It’s human nature to fear the unknown. It’s why we’re afraid of the dark.  So the caution and perspective that I want to give is that I feel like all of these reactions wouldn’t be big stories if this was a typical disease instead of COVID. If we only heard about 3 severe reactions to even something like the regular flu vaccine, I’m sure doctors would be thrilled. The data isn’t real easy to find, but a study from 2009 showed thousands of really serious side effects from the flu vaccine, so I just want to emphasize that the actual news story here is that there are only 3 news-making allergic reactions.  The other side of that coin is that millions of flu vaccines go out every year, whereas, realistically, there have maybe been a couple hundred thousand COVID vaccines that have been given to the regular public. That same argument I just made about “only 3” is the same one that the idiots used this spring to justify why we shouldn’t be in lockdowns. They always said “the flu kills more people per year” after like 2 weeks of knowing about the coronavirus. It’s comparing apples to oranges. I guess, what I’m trying to say is that we should acknowledge these cases, we should study them, we should be cautious, but don’t let this scare you out of getting the vaccine altogether. Talk to an actual doctor, don’t just take my word for it.  But hey, let’s hear some good news about the vaccine, which is actually more of a story about how our pharmacists are pretty smart people. As early as Monday, and for sure by Tuesday, pharmacists nationwide began noticing that there was still quite a bit of vaccine left over in the vials that were shipped out. Originally, I talked about how there were 5 doses per vial of vaccine, and we went through all of that math. Well, to prevent against spills and other waste, the vials are always filled more than is needed. For example, if 5 doses is 5 ounces, then they probably fill the vials up to like 5.5 or something like that. In this case, the pharmacists are finding that there are 1-2 extra doses per vial, which experts say is unusual. I’m not sure what could make them overshoot the target so much, but it’s a lucky break for us.  If we do some more quick math, 1 extra dose is 20% more, and 2 is 40% more. This means our expected vaccine totals could be as much as 40%, which would help tremendously with our supply problems. It could mean that shortage that’s coming in the spring might not be as bad. Not everyone will be at 40%, and temporarily, some places still have to strictly follow protocols, so they can only use 5 no matter what. Realistically, maybe we’ll be in the 25-30% range, which is phenomenal.  I was just trying to figure out why they could have miscalculated so much, and the biggest things I thought of were: they didn’t know how much would be lost to spilling or the environment because no vaccine has ever had to be kept this cold, or they didn’t want their shortage problem to be even worse than they were already projecting, so they wanted to be damn sure there were 5 doses in there, or maybe because these are being so closely monitored in terms of their climate and having the GPS sensors and all that, maybe there’s a lot less waste because everyone’s watching them like hawks. Whatever it is, we’re lucky for it.  Alright, last point here since it’s just my own hearsay at this point, but I guess I can sort of see why Trump supporters would think there’s some conspiracy against him these days. First, the vaccine effectiveness results get released the weekend after the election, all of these vaccines are super effective, they can be distributed in less than a month’s time, and then we find out that we can get up to 40% more and maybe our shortage problem won’t be as bad? Man, that is a very good stretch of luck, I have to say.  I don’t believe in these conspiracies, but since my whole ending theme song is inspired by a movie where a guy takes down a fascist government that rose to power using a virus they created and a secret cure that they had the whole time, I’d be remiss not to mention it at all. In reality, humans are always looking to make these everyday events have special meaning. For some reason, we have this sense that there’s something bigger at play out there. Maybe it’s because we think we’re the only intelligent life that exists in our universe. Whatever it is, we try to make things make sense, and random luck just doesn’t add up for us like a good, old-fashioned conspiracy does. I’ll leave you with the best example: the JFK assassination. Nobody believes that a nobody, dumb guy like Lee Harvey Oswald could kill the beacon of hope for an entire generation and change the course of world history, but he probably did. Oh boy, I have to stop before we get too far into that, because even I believe something funny happened there.  BIDEN EPA Another day, another nomination for the Biden Administration. Today, the lucky nominee is Michael Regan, and he has been chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Currently, he’s the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and in the past he’s worked at the Environmental Defense Fund, as well as the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Apparently, Regan is only 44 years old, which is insane. He must have started working for Clinton right out of high school or something. Also, he looks like he’s in his late 30s, tops, which is impossible. I don’t know what his skin care regimen is, but it’s working.  I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot, which is a good thing, but if he’s confirmed by the Senate, Regan will become the first Black American to lead the EPA.  MACRON Sort of coming back around to another story from last week, French president Emannuel Macron has tested positive for the coronavirus. He did it with style, which I respect. His motto was “go big or go home”, because in just the past few days, he’s met with a ton of other European leaders, so now they have to quarantine as well.  Let me tell you what I mean. Here’s his schedule: Last Thursday and Friday, the European Council met in Brussels, and 25 of 27 leaders of EU nations were there. On Monday, he helped mark the 60th anniversary of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, where he met the Spanish prime minister, as well as the leader of the OECD. Tuesday, he met with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Then, just yesterday, he had lunch with the prime minister of Portugal, and he met with his own cabinet.  The Spanish prime minister tested negative today, but he said he’s still quarantining until Christmas Eve, December 24th (honestly, if you didn’t get the coronavirus but were exposed, what better reason is there for taking the week off before Christmas? That’s a power move right there).  European Council president Charles Michel said he was quarantining as a precaution. France’s prime minister also tested negative today but is still quarantining as a precaution, as is the President of France’s National Assembly, which sounds like their version of Speaker of the House to me. The prime ministers for Portugal and Spain also said they’d be self-isolating as precautions.  Lastly, Macron’s wife, Brigitte, has proactively started her quarantine, but she has not had any symptoms so far. Since they say “proactively”, I’m guessing she’s still waiting for her test results. She has a little more to worry about than Macron since she’s 67 years old compared to his 42. That’s an interesting story between them, by the way. Look up their history together if you’re bored and have some spare time.  Obviously, I wish President Macron well. Like I said last week, I have a soft spot for the guy, but I wasn’t thrilled with that police law he backed down from. Again, I’m hoping he can turn a corner and salvage his legacy. And all kidding aside, it was pretty crazy how he met with pretty much anyone who’s powerful in Europe while he was potentially contagious. It’s great that everyone so far is testing negative, and it gives me some confidence in basic COVID precautions like masks, social distancing, and hand washing. It’s a good thing they didn’t invite any Republicans, I’ll say that much.  MCCONNELL WARNING There has been some talk recently, at least in the media, that some Republicans are going to try to object to certifying at least some Electoral Votes, which the House is going to certify on January 6th. I went over this shortly after Biden was actually declared the winner in November, but to object, you need one Representative and one Senator to formally request it. I can’t remember exactly, but I think that the whole House then votes on whether to accept the votes, and if a majority does, they certify them anyway. Since the Democrats still have a majority in the House, the votes are all going to be certified.  In a private teleconference with GOP Senators, Mitch McConnell and the rest of the leadership team warned Republicans against doing this because of the reason I just said: the House is never going to throw out these votes. Now, do I think that some representative and some senator are going to team up to do this? Of course I do; you can definitely find two clowns in a circus, and Mitch McConnell is basically PT Barnum. Not to mention the fact that the Republicans are all about the show and don’t actually care about results. It’s all theater for Fox News or OANN or Newsmax or whatever propaganda network is going to be the new leader.  So, my guidance to you is to not stress out about this, even if there are objections on January 6th. Nancy Pelosi is still Speaker, and she’ll shut that stuff down right away.  OBAMA BOOK SALES Just because Donald Trump is an avid listener of Quick News Daily (maybe...I really have no idea), I want to mention that former President Barack Obama’s first presidential memoir has already sold 3.3 million copies in the US and Canada in just one month. That’s already 3rd best for presidents, and that’s total. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are basically tied since they each have sold between 3.5 and 4 million total, so Barack basically caught them in a month.  For history nerds, Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs are most likely the best-seller of all time for presidents, but the records just aren’t good enough to know for sure. We can make a pretty good guess though since those have been in publication for like 130 years, and when they were originally sold, there were hundreds of thousands of verified sales (and there were a heck of a lot fewer people on Earth back then).  But you just know that this really makes Trump mad, don’t you? He knows he’ll never have a book that successful. Even his claim to fame, The Art of the Deal, has only sold about a million copies.  Honestly, I’d be surprised if he lives long enough to get a memoir out. With his legal troubles, all of that debt, and I think it’s clear that he’s pretty far into cognitive decline, so when he doesn’t have the presidency to protect him, I think he’ll go downhill quickly. If you gave me the option of betting on if he’d be running again in 2024 or that he won’t even make it to 2022, I’d take that second option in a heartbeat. MACKENZIE SCOTT      I want to end on what I think is a good, positive note. It’s the news that billionaire MacKenzie Scott has given away more than $4B in the last 4 months alone. First of all, if you’re not quite familiar with who Mackenzie Scott is, she’s the ex-wife of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. As part of their divorce, which went final last year, she got 4% ownership of Amazon, which was worth $37B at the time. That was in Amazon stock, which has taken off even more this year, meaning she could be worth a lot more than that. That same 4% is worth $62B these days.  She explained part of her reasoning for this in an op-ed on Medium, saying "Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires."  She and her team chose 384 organizations to give this money to, and she even designated these funds as unrestricted gifts, meaning the organizations who got them didn’t even have to agree to any conditions, which is where they can get you sometimes.  By July of this year, she had already given away about $1.7B to a bunch of different causes, but focused mainly on historically black colleges and universities, and women’s and LGBTQ equity organizations.  For these last few months, she asked her advisers to figure out ways to give away more money faster so that she could help with the COVID fallout. She says “They took a data-driven approach to identifying organizations with strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital.”  By the way, can you imagine having a whole team who’s entire job is to vet these organizations that you’re going to give billions too? That is a goal.  The CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, told Bloomberg that Scott's nearly $6 billion in donations this year "has to be one of the biggest annual distributions by a living individual", and the director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies wrote that "She still has a long way to go in her stated intention of giving away all the wealth. But she's now made two bold moves, putting to shame the other 650 U.S. billionaires who haven't figured out comparable ways to boldly share”. He’s referring to the Giving Pledge that she signed last year, which is a promise that she’ll give the majority of her wealth to charity. Oddly enough, Jeff Bezos didn’t sign the pledge, although he did commit $10B to fighting climate change earlier this year.  I’ll admit, it feels a bit strange to be praising these billionaires so much for giving the rest of us some help, when regular people helped build those fortunes. At the same time, when you have one person giving away $6B in just one year, and the experts on the subject are saying that’s a record and puts other billionaires to shame, I think it’s newsworthy and shows that some people can handle that much wealth fairly responsibly.  I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that she is a she. Maybe we don’t keep track of every billionaire’s donations to charity, but I think it’s definitely notable that she’s new to being a billionaire and is giving away her wealth at this rate.  Here comes another opinion, but it seems like the people who suddenly gain such an insane amount of wealth are the ones who realize how fortunate they are and how lucky they had to be to get to that point, whereas the people who built their wealth by starting a business or something are more likely to keep it.  END Alright everybody, and that’s the way it is. Like I mentioned yesterday, there won’t be a new show tomorrow. I realized that I never played you Joe Biden’s victory speech after being certified by the Electoral College on Monday, so I think I’m going to send that out as the show tomorrow, so you’ll be able to hear that wherever you’re listening right now. It’ll just be like when I played their victory speeches when the race was called by the media back in November.  As for next week, I plan on having at least one show on Monday or Wednesday. I have a sneaky suspicion that folks might be taking a break from listening to podcasts next week, but I’m not sure. All the big podcasts seem to take the week off, which I’m always hesitant about. I’m thinking about putting together a mini “best of” show, but now I’m thinking maybe I should save that for the week after and make it like a “year in review” show. Who knows, it’s just an idea I’m playing around with.  I’d mention I’m still designing new merchandise, but I’ve been saying that for the last couple weeks, so I’ll just let you know when it’s actually available at this point.  Anyways, that’s the lay of the land. Stay safe, and I’ll see you on the next episode. 

Valerie Rockefeller chairs the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a private foundation advancing social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. She also co-chairs BankFWD, a network to persuade banks to phase out financing for fossil fuel and to lead on climate. Her professional background is as a middle school special education teacher for adolescents with learning differences and emotional disabilities. She began her teaching career at Central Park East Secondary School in East Harlem, New York, and also taught in Australia. Valerie has a M.Ed. in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and a MAT in secondary Social Studies from Columbia University Teachers College. She majored in International Relations at Stanford University, and worked as a confidential assistant to Secretary Richard Riley at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Clinton administration. She also serves as a trustee of Achievement First, the Asian Cultural Council, Columbia University Teachers College, Greenwich Academy, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She was a trustee of Spelman College, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Valerie lives with her daughters Percy and Lucy and her son Davis in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. https://bankfwd.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

In this special episode of Rockefeller Client Insights David Rockefeller Jr., moderates a conversation between Melissa A. Berman, President & CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman of Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Co-Founder Apax Partners; and Dr. Cecilia A. Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, MacArthur Foundation; for a wide-ranging dialogue surrounding the commitment to positive change throughout the world.

First, this is the first podcast with some formatting changes (including making it easier to subscribe via iTunes and Google Play) and the addition of music . . . let me know what you think of it . . . now back to the podcast. One of the main themes in 2019 is the focus on effective philanthropy amongst the wealthy.  Following the example of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others, measurable outcomes, specific examples of positive change and solutions delivered at scale are more and more important to the people making philanthropic investments.  Interested in seeing an example of a difficult philanthropic problem identified and addressed, I spoke with Jasmine Nahhas di Florio, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Partnerships, of EFE-Global.  It's difficult to not be impressed by Jasmine's background and the accomplishments of EFE.  Founded by Ron Bruder after a successful career in real estate development, Jasmine and EFE have devoted their efforts to providing opportunity and structure to men and women in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).  Listen with me as we learn about the problems in the area, the challenges overcome and some of the successes that they have been able to achieve in an area that many hear about, but few understand. Below are some of the stories and links to EFE on Twitter and Facebook. https://efe.org/success-stories/alumni-stories Twitter: @EFE_Global https://www.facebook.com/EFEGlobal/ 1)  Introduction Jasmine Nahhas di Florio has over 20 years of experience spanning the nonprofit, philanthropy, government and private sectors. Having joined EFE in 2005, she has worked closely with the organization’s Founder and Chairman, Ronald Bruder, since its startup and is currently Senior Vice President for Strategy & Partnerships. Today, EFE is the leading youth employment and nonprofit job placement network in the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, Jasmine ran programs for private donors in Afghanistan for Afghan Women Leaders Connect at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and Arzu, a carpet social enterprise. Earlier in her career, Jasmine was a corporate attorney at the international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, and she also served as an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury. Jasmine consulted the United Nations (UNFIP) on private-public sector partnerships. A Rhodes Scholar, Frank Knox Scholar and Fulbright Scholar, she is a graduate of the University of Alberta, Oxford University and Harvard Law School. She also completed the Columbia Business School's Social Enterprise Program Senior Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals and currently serves on the board of the Middle East Children’s Institute. Jasmine’s expert commentary on economic opportunity, women’s empowerment and youth issues has been featured in The Financial Times, Forbes, Stanford Social Innovations Journal, and Finance Middle East, among others. 2)  How did the EFE come about and how did you become associated with it? 3)  We watch the news and intuit the the economic situation in parts of the Middle East / North Africa are desperate.  How does this relate to the problem that EFE tries to solve? (EFE's WHITE PAPER ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION) 4)  This seems to be a widely supported goal- what are the challenges in addressing the regions? 5)  What are the different options for programs? 6)  How do you select your initiatives? 7)  Describe some of the successes? 8)  What are some of the future initiatives that are being considered? 9)  How do we stay in touch with you and find out ways to be involved with EFE? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZNdOo28u4c&feature=youtu.be https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT  

First, this is the first podcast with some formatting changes (including making it easier to subscribe via iTunes and Google Play) and the addition of music . . . let me know what you think of it . . . now back to the podcast. One of the main themes in 2019 is the focus on effective philanthropy amongst the wealthy.  Following the example of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others, measurable outcomes, specific examples of positive change and solutions delivered at scale are more and more important to the people making philanthropic investments.  Interested in seeing an example of a difficult philanthropic problem identified and addressed, I spoke with Jasmine Nahhas di Florio, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Partnerships, of EFE-Global.  It's difficult to not be impressed by Jasmine's background and the accomplishments of EFE.  Founded by Ron Bruder after a successful career in real estate development, Jasmine and EFE have devoted their efforts to providing opportunity and structure to men and women in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).  Listen with me as we learn about the problems in the area, the challenges overcome and some of the successes that they have been able to achieve in an area that many hear about, but few understand. Below are some of the stories and links to EFE on Twitter and Facebook. https://efe.org/success-stories/alumni-stories Twitter: @EFE_Global https://www.facebook.com/EFEGlobal/ 1)  Introduction Jasmine Nahhas di Florio has over 20 years of experience spanning the nonprofit, philanthropy, government and private sectors. Having joined EFE in 2005, she has worked closely with the organization’s Founder and Chairman, Ronald Bruder, since its startup and is currently Senior Vice President for Strategy & Partnerships. Today, EFE is the leading youth employment and nonprofit job placement network in the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, Jasmine ran programs for private donors in Afghanistan for Afghan Women Leaders Connect at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and Arzu, a carpet social enterprise. Earlier in her career, Jasmine was a corporate attorney at the international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, and she also served as an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Treasury. Jasmine consulted the United Nations (UNFIP) on private-public sector partnerships. A Rhodes Scholar, Frank Knox Scholar and Fulbright Scholar, she is a graduate of the University of Alberta, Oxford University and Harvard Law School. She also completed the Columbia Business School's Social Enterprise Program Senior Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals and currently serves on the board of the Middle East Children’s Institute. Jasmine’s expert commentary on economic opportunity, women’s empowerment and youth issues has been featured in The Financial Times, Forbes, Stanford Social Innovations Journal, and Finance Middle East, among others. 2)  How did the EFE come about and how did you become associated with it? 3)  We watch the news and intuit the the economic situation in parts of the Middle East / North Africa are desperate.  How does this relate to the problem that EFE tries to solve? (EFE's WHITE PAPER ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION) 4)  This seems to be a widely supported goal- what are the challenges in addressing the regions? 5)  What are the different options for programs? 6)  How do you select your initiatives? 7)  Describe some of the successes? 8)  What are some of the future initiatives that are being considered? 9)  How do we stay in touch with you and find out ways to be involved with EFE? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZNdOo28u4c&feature=youtu.be https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT  

Jennifer Hill talks with author and speaker, Dr. Paul White, about the latest version of his book “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.” Dr. White shares new research and discusses ways that employers can create a healthier culture where employees are likely to stay longer. Dr. White also discusses the different ways that various generations prefer to be appreciated. drpaulwhite.com/testimonials Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant who makes work relationships work. He has written articles for and been interviewed by Bloomberg’s Business Week, CNN/Fortune.com, Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company, FoxBusiness.com, Huffington Post LIVE, U.S. News and World Report, and Yahoo! Finance. As a speaker and trainer, Dr. White has taught around the world, including North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. His expertise has been requested by Microsoft, Miller Coors, NASA, the Million Dollar Round Table, ExxonMobil, the Milken Institute, DIRECTV, the Salvation Army, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Napa Valley Community Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Compassion International, and numerous other national organizations. Dr. White is the coauthor of three books including, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, written with Dr. Gary Chapman (author of the #1 NY Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages), which has sold over 250,000 copies. Based on their extensive research and expertise, Dr. White and Dr. Chapman have developed a unique way for organizations to motivate employees that leads to increased job satisfaction, higher employee performance and enhanced levels of trust. Their online assessment tool, Motivating by Appreciation Inventory, has been taken by over 110,000 employees and their Appreciation at Work training resources have been used by numerous corporations, colleges and universities, medical facilities, schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, and is used in over 25 countries. In his most recent book, The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation, (just released in April 2017), Dr. White identifies the top 10 obstacles encountered in trying to build appreciation into an organization’s culture, and how to overcome these challenges successfully.

In the second part of a 3-part series on climate change, we examine communities that are often left out of the conversation: women. As the primary caregivers and the providers of food, fuel and water in much of the Global South, women are especially vulnerable to the challenges climate change presents. Mary Robinson, president of the Mary Robinson Foundation, and Musimbi Kanyoro, president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, speak about the human rights aspect of climate change with Heather Grady, vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Jennifer Hill talks to author, speaker and appreciation expert, Dr. Paul White, about the five languages of appreciation in the workplace. Dr. White shares ways to handle a toxic work environment and how to authentically show your appreciation. Dr. White also discusses common obstacles when working on shifting workplace culture to create a more appreciative and thriving business. appreciationatwork.com Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant who makes work relationships work. He has written articles for and been interviewed by Bloomberg’s Business Week, CNN/Fortune.com, Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company, FoxBusiness.com, Huffington Post LIVE, U.S. News and World Report, and Yahoo! Finance. As a speaker and trainer, Dr. White has taught around the world, including North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. His expertise has been requested by Microsoft, Miller Coors, NASA, the Million Dollar Round Table, ExxonMobil, the Milken Institute, DIRECTV, the Salvation Army, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Napa Valley Community Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Compassion International, and numerous other national organizations. Dr. White is the coauthor of three books including, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, written with Dr. Gary Chapman (author of the #1 NY Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages), which has sold over 250,000 copies. Based on their extensive research and expertise, Dr. White and Dr. Chapman have developed a unique way for organizations to motivate employees that leads to increased job satisfaction, higher employee performance and enhanced levels of trust. Their online assessment tool, Motivating by Appreciation Inventory, has been taken by over 110,000 employees and their Appreciation at Work training resources have been used by numerous corporations, colleges and universities, medical facilities, schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, and is used in over 25 countries. In his most recent book, The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation, (just released in April 2017), Dr. White identifies the top 10 obstacles encountered in trying to build appreciation into an organization’s culture, and how to overcome these challenges successfully. A highly sought-after keynote speaker and leadership trainer, Dr. White’s style has been described as “high energy world-class expertise built upon Midwestern practicality with the right touch of humor and personal connection.”

Jennifer Hill interviews Dr. Paul White about his latest book: “The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation.” Dr. White shares the importance of appreciation in the workplace, and discusses the different languages of appreciation. He shares that the various languages of appreciation can be used to create a happier and more fulfilled team. appreciationatwork.com Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant who makes work relationships work. He has written articles for and been interviewed by Bloomberg’s Business Week, CNN/Fortune.com, Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company, FoxBusiness.com, Huffington Post LIVE, U.S. News and World Report, and Yahoo! Finance. As a speaker and trainer, Dr. White has taught around the world, including North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. His expertise has been requested by Microsoft, Miller Coors, NASA, the Million Dollar Round Table, ExxonMobil, the Milken Institute, DIRECTV, the Salvation Army, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Napa Valley Community Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Compassion International, and numerous other national organizations. Dr. White is the coauthor of three books including, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, written with Dr. Gary Chapman (author of the #1 NY Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages), which has sold over 250,000 copies. Based on their extensive research and expertise, Dr. White and Dr. Chapman have developed a unique way for organizations to motivate employees that leads to increased job satisfaction, higher employee performance and enhanced levels of trust. Their online assessment tool, Motivating by Appreciation Inventory, has been taken by over 110,000 employees and their Appreciation at Work training resources have been used by numerous corporations, colleges and universities, medical facilities, schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, and is used in over 25 countries. In his most recent book, The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation, (just released in April 2017), Dr. White identifies the top 10 obstacles encountered in trying to build appreciation into an organization’s culture, and how to overcome these challenges successfully. A highly sought-after keynote speaker and leadership trainer, Dr. White’s style.

Jennifer Hill interviews Dr. Paul White about his latest book: “The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation.” Dr. White shares the importance of appreciation in the workplace, and discusses the different languages of appreciation. He shares that the various languages of appreciation can be used to create a happier and more fulfilled team. appreciationatwork.com Dr. Paul White is a psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant who makes work relationships work. He has written articles for and been interviewed by Bloomberg’s Business Week, CNN/Fortune.com, Entrepreneur.com, Fast Company, FoxBusiness.com, Huffington Post LIVE, U.S. News and World Report, and Yahoo! Finance. As a speaker and trainer, Dr. White has taught around the world, including North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. His expertise has been requested by Microsoft, Miller Coors, NASA, the Million Dollar Round Table, ExxonMobil, the Milken Institute, DIRECTV, the Salvation Army, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Napa Valley Community Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Compassion International, and numerous other national organizations. Dr. White is the coauthor of three books including, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, written with Dr. Gary Chapman (author of the #1 NY Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages), which has sold over 250,000 copies. Based on their extensive research and expertise, Dr. White and Dr. Chapman have developed a unique way for organizations to motivate employees that leads to increased job satisfaction, higher employee performance and enhanced levels of trust. Their online assessment tool, Motivating by Appreciation Inventory, has been taken by over 110,000 employees and their Appreciation at Work training resources have been used by numerous corporations, colleges and universities, medical facilities, schools, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, and is used in over 25 countries. In his most recent book, The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation, (just released in April 2017), Dr. White identifies the top 10 obstacles encountered in trying to build appreciation into an organization’s culture, and how to overcome these challenges successfully. A highly sought-after keynote speaker and leadership trainer, Dr. White’s style.

Adam Wolfensohn is a Co-Managing Partner at Encourage Capital. Before the merger, Adam was Managing Director at Wolfensohn Fund Management and also managed the Wolfensohn family office cleantech and environmental markets strategies. From 2003 to 2006, he produced the climate change documentary, “Everything’s Cool,” that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. From 2002 to 2003, he worked with Conservation International to help various rock groups and music festivals offset their carbon emissions through avoided deforestation projects. Prior to 2002, Adam composed music for numerous films, television commercials and theater productions, and he was founder and CEO of “Red Ramona,” an award winning music and sound design studio in New York City. He is a Trustee of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Yad Hanadiv, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Harmony Institute and Bang on a Can. He is a member of the investment committee of Rockefeller Brothers Fund and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Adam earned a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.E.M. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2928Muj. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Did the people who met Steve Jobs in 1976 have any inkling that they were talking to the person whose name would for a generation be synonymous with “entrepreneur”? More often, people have believed to have found the next incarnation of Jobs only to be disappointed. Perhaps you can help me determine if the subject of this article could become the Steve Jobs of impact investing. From my perch in Salt Lake City on the west side of the Rockies, over the last few years I’ve been hearing rumblings from the other side of the mountains. In Denver, Dr. Stephanie Gripne has created one of the most dynamic centers of impact investing and social entrepreneurship in the world. With a goal to catalyze impact investments of over $1 trillion and a plan to get there, it is about time that people outside the Rocky Mountains took note. Dr. Gripne founded the Impact Finance Center as a partnership between the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business and the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. In 2014, the Center launched the CO Impact Days and Initiative with a three year goal to catalyze $100 million of impact investment in Colorado-based social ventures. The event has grown into a marketplace for impact investing. Read the full Forbes article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/2928Muj. Need a speaker for an event, learn more about Devin Thorpe at devinthorpe.com.

This is the second episode of the "Sonen Series." Sonen Capital is one of the top Impact Investing management firms in the United States, and is consistently at the forefront of thought leadership for Impact Investing in Public Markets and projects.  Raúl Pomares is the Founder of Sonen Capital LLC, where he operates across the firm's overall business activities, while focusing on client management, business development and industry leadership. He is a member of the firm's investment committee. Raúl is an internationally recognized speaker and author on sustainability and impact investing. He is the co-author of Solutions for Impact Investors: From Strategy to Implementation, published in 2009 by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. He is supporting author to Promoting Sustainable Food Systems through Impact Investing, published by the Springcreek Foundation in June of 2011. Raúl is editor and co-author of Evolution of An Impact Portfolio: From Implementation to Results. In addition, he is an advisor to the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Impact Base, an initiative to assemble a global comprehensive database of impact investments and to EKO Asset Management Partners, an environmental market focused asset manager.  This interview with Raúl was great, and I have so much respect for Raul and the entire Sonen Capital team.  They are a class act organization. In this episode we talk about Raúl's beginnings in investing and impact investing, the process of founding a Certified B-Corp investment management firm, the future of public market based impact investing, Raúl's philosophy of investing and much more. One of my favorite aspects of both interviews has to be the shared views between myself and Will and Raúl in that Impact Investing is a methodology - not just an asset class - and can be done in a variety of styles and market types.  It is my hope that in all every interview on the Impact Investing Podcast that you are able to find areas and aspects that you can relate with as well, and are able to add more tools and mental frameworks to your investment analysis and decisions.  Thanks for listening, and enjoy! www.SonenCapital.com Twitter @SonenCapital Raúl Pomares via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raul-pomares-64244a15 www.impactinvestingpodcast.com Twitter @ImpInvPodcast Facebook: Impact Investing Podcast 

Ted Hart, host of the CAF America Radio Network and  CEO of CAF America, will be bringing together leaders in philanthropy to discuss the INSPIRATION, EDUCATION and APPLICATION of international grantmaking. Our show will feature two of CAF America’s distinguished panelists from the International Grantmaking Symposium: .The Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals Heather Grady, Vice President at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, will discuss the role and importance of the Post- 2015 Sustainable Development Goals in international grantmaking and the role that philanthropy plays in civil society. Heather has been tackling community-level and policy challenges firsthand in East Asia, Africa and the Middle East during two decades of development and human rights work. International Diaspora Giving Alexander Dixon, Senior Director of The Diaspora Investment Alliance, will discuss the current state of diaspora giving internationally and the crucial role that diaspora giving plays in international philanthropy. He most recently served as the Senior Advisor to USAID, where he assisted USAID’s missions and private investors with investment structuring and negotiations related to Power Africa.   

Sylvia Globalarrives in Los Angeles to speak with Judy Belk, Senior Vice President for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors(RPA).  The Rockefeller Family supports individual and insititutional donors in fulfilling their philanthropic mission, managing more than $200 million in annual giving and overseen more than $3 billion in global grantmaking.  August is "Black Philanthropy Month" and Judy joins us in a discussion on the re-imaging of philanthropy.