By Abby Rolland
As the end of 2022 approaches, harp-weaver is reflecting on the year and all that has happened. We’ve been so proud to work with a number of clients – individuals, family foundations, and independent foundations – on their charitable giving, while also hosting Night Out With Meaning, attending a variety of workshops, webinars, and conferences on philanthropy and various issues, and presenting at conferences. Through our work, we touch philanthropy and charitable giving in a number of different ways. The work we’ve done is reflected most clearly in our blog.
Below, we share our posts from the year, categorized in a way that demonstrates how we seek to make an impact.
1) Clients and Their Philanthropy
The clearest way that we seek to make a difference is through the partnerships with our clients. Our clients have a range of interests, and we love working with them to amplify their passions.
Read to see how our family clients made a difference in 2021. Learn about the Ideker family and why giving is a priority in their family, and what lessons you can learn from their family’s philanthropy.
Or check out how our clients are catalyzing impact with their gifts to organizations focused on ending homelessness (via tiny homes or via a “jobs first” approach) or helping young pregnant women and teen moms get the necessary resources to support them and their children. Several clients were also involved in transforming a garden in Kensington into a community space.
You can also read The Presser Foundation’s blog to discover how as outsourced staff, we’re working with the Foundation’s Board to center equity in its giving to music organizations and in all of its operations.
2) Thought Leadership
harp-weaver also shares knowledge about philanthropy and recent trends, and our thoughts on those trends.
This year, we provided information about engaging the next generation in philanthropy (a hugely vital topic as a large transfer of wealth will take place in the next several decades), the power of everyday givers, and how funders can legally advocate for their partners and for several issues. We explained how supervised injection sites are vital for saving lives.
We shared why general operating support is so important for nonprofits, and the many tools and ways that funders can give.
Finally, we discussed the benefits of outsourced staffing (harp-weaver serves as outsourced staff for several of its clients) and how an organization like ours can bring on additional staff for tailored philanthropic projects.
3) Reflections on webinars, conferences, and more
In addition to sharing information about philanthropic trends, harp-weaver staff regularly attends webinars and conferences where we learn even more about various topics.
Early in the year, we attended a thoughtful and engaging series about centering race in the workplace (led by Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy of Drexel University and supported by The Barra Foundation). We remembered Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, and discussed how people could donate to help Ukraine after the invasion by Russia. We shared information about the Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s High Impact Giving Guide on supporting a just recovery from COVID.
Staff member Abby Rolland reflected on her experience at presenting at the Exponent Philanthropy conference, detailing what she learned as well as the lessons that others could take away from her presentation.
4) Night Out With Meaning
A series of evenings for women held three times per year, each Night Out With Meaning focuses on a topic and features an inspirational storyteller. Night Out is for women to connect, learn and find meaning in personal giving.
After postponing Night Out With Meaning due to the pandemic, harp-weaver has cautiously been reintroducing the in-person event. November featured Ruth Kapp Hartz, Holocaust survivor and hidden child, who shared the story of her survival, her amazing bravery, and the incredible kindness of the strangers whom she encountered.
We also posted the story of Holocaust survivor Renate “Ronnie” Breslow, who was scheduled to speak before the pandemic.
By welcoming women from around the community for Night Out, harp-weaver seeks to amplify the amazing stories of women and share how every person can make a difference.
5) harp-weaver services
The last category of blog posts discusses some of the services that harp-weaver provides and how we support organizations beyond our clients.
Our post on our services and how they benefit funders details each of the services we provide and the wide variety of tailored approaches that we use to help funders give. A separate post explains how harp-weaver can partner with wealth advisors to provide complementary services support people’s philanthropic passions in conjunction with their financial planning.
Through sponsoring and attending events, harp-weaver also supports nonprofits that contribute to the Philadelphia community. From Girls on the Run Philadelphia to Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School, from the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund to AIM Academy to Impact PHL, harp-weaver seeks to strengthen the Greater Philadelphia community. We work, live, and play in this city and area, and understand the necessary benefits that nonprofits provide to individuals and communities. We hope that our support makes a difference for organizations who make our society better each and every day.
As you can see, we’ve had a busy year! We’re committed to our clients, the nonprofits they partner with, and the Greater Philadelphia community. We look forward to 2023 in the hopes of continued impact and creative ways to serve the community.
Any questions about our work? Contact Teresa at teresa@harp-weaver.com.