NOVEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER
What is Philanos?
An association of women’s collective giving/grant-making groups representing more than 80 cities, across 28 states, the district of Columbia, and Australia and England.
Philanos was founded in 2009. SOS was a co-founder of this international association.
What does SOS gain from engagement with Philanos?
By engaging with Philanos, SOS can learn from the experiences of other peer philanthropy organizations. In addition, SOS members can participate in thought leadership around philanthropic issues.
As a Philanos member, SOS has a platform to share best practices, strategies, expertise, education, and knowledge that we can all use to inspire better and more productive ways to support our communities.
What Philanos offers:
- Webinars
- Bi-annual Best Practices Conferences
- Panels of topical experts from different affiliates
- Blog, newsletter, resources
- Friends in Philanthropy in other cities
- Principles and Guidance for good governance
- Resources include:
Philanos Funded Research
Philanthropy
Collective Giving Circles
General Resources for the Nonprofit Sector
Print Publications about Philanthropy
Articles and Research on Philanthropy– New studies!
Suggested Books
Committee News
It was a busy two months for SOS. During this time SOS had the pleasure of finally hosting in person events. If you missed them here is a quick synopsis of each one.
Fall Kickoff Event
The SOS Fall Kickoff event was held in person at Home Sweet Home outside at the loading dock. We heard from Betsy Reznicek, the executive director of Home Sweet Home, and were invited to tour the warehouse where Home Sweet Home provides a showroom for clients to pick out furniture and household goods for their homes.
New Member Luncheon
SOS member and past president, Kathy Frost, kindly hosted the SOS New Member Luncheon. New members from the 2020 and 2021 classes met other members and heard about the various committees and volunteer opportunities. Lunch was delicious.
Education
On October 5th, SOS members and guests gathered at the High Low Listening Room where Nancy and Ken Kranzberg shared the inspirational story of how the Kranzberg Arts Foundation began.
They also discussed the resulting neighborhood revitalization, and how the cultural assets that the Kranzbergs created have developed and grown.
Matt Brinkmann, executive director of Pianos for People, a SOS Grantee, gave an overview of their program. Two students performed on a keyboard. Another student and her mother shared how learning to play the piano had impacted their lives.
Each of the speakers and performers illustrated and articulated the necessity of the arts in our communities. The direct impact of going to see a play, or a concert, or visiting a park or a museum may not be obvious, but the emotional response to those experiences is what informs, inspires and motivates both the creator and the viewer. This intersection is indeed the transformative power of art.
Book Discussion
This book discussion actually featured a poem by Amanda Gorman – “The Hill We Climb.” These are some of the comments that came from that discussion:
“It is a poem of great dignity, enthusiasm and optimism. It is aspirational!”
“The poem gave voice for where we are as a country and to the ‘broken ness’ of the country and in all of us. It takes courage to change and this poem is a call to action.”
“The hill we climb is a choice – we could go around the hill or just not try to climb it. There is a reason to climb, an end point, a call to action and consequences for our choices.”
“Unity involves reaching out, listening and hearing where people are coming from.“
It was a great evening.
Volunteering at the Collective Thread
A group of SOS members volunteered at SOS grantee organization, The Collective Thread. It was nice to see three relatively new members come out for the event. Volunteers were: Marianne Baer, Amy Conard, Barb DuBois, Holly Liebig, Nancy Tankersly, and Jane Tracy. Look for more events like this on the SOS website events page.
Discussing Our Community
One of the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund’s copy editors received a gift from a friend; it came from a shop called Ocean Sole, which got us thinking about gift giving and the holidays.
Because of the inescapable fact that supply chains have been disrupted we thought: Why not think about gifts that are less effected by the supply chain issues, and better yet, why not support vendors who create products that are unique, thoughtful and directly support the communities and people who produce them?
This way we are giving two gifts in one.
Check out our list and consider purchasing here for your holiday shopping and beyond.
Some of these are nonprofits (who benefit from this extra stream of income) and some are compassionate companies with a social mission.
Welcome New Members
Holly Liebig
Debbie Tzinberg
Liz Reeves
Welcome back
Katherine Pope & Caroli Young
Save the Date/Upcoming Events
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 17th
Coming to America – Resettling as a Refugee in St. Louis
Virtual Event
Noteworthy
Kudos to our fellow SOS member NINA NEEDLEMAN for being nominated and becoming a finalist for the Willoughby Award at Philanos.
The Willoughby Award honors a woman in the network whose experience and affiliation with her collective giving organization has empowered her to become a visionary leader among women in philanthropy.
Grantees Corner
Check out this article the WAPO published on SOS grantee Pianos for People:
SOS grantee CHADS is in the news too.
Executive Director of CHADS, Marian McCord was named as one of the 10 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth. She was one of thousands of candidates who were considered for this honor, which recognizes achievements by leaders in nonprofit organizations that address societal issues. Of the ten finalists. One will be chosen by online voting to receive $25,000 for their organization.
Learn More
Reminders & Housekeeping
Did you know you can sign up to volunteer for a site visit team
RIGHT NOW!
Simply go to “My Profile “ on the SOS website and click Edit My Profile; scroll down and check the site visit box to get assigned to a 2022 site visit team.