RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 1

SPRING 2011

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy

School of Social Policy & Practice | University of Pennsylvania

Results and Lessons from

The Center’s Inaugural Donor Seminar:

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF VULNERABLE FAMILIES

KATHERINA ROSQUETA | MELINDA TUAN | ALEJANDRO ADLER BRAUN | KATHRYN DOORNBOS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On November 7 and 8, 2010, the Center for High

Impact Philanthropy partnered with the Annie E.

Casey Foundation (AECF) and the Wharton

School to offer its Inaugural Donor Education

Seminar, “Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable

Families.” The aim of the Seminar was to bring

donors together in a purely educational setting to

increase their understanding of how they can have

the greatest impact in addressing the needs of

vulnerable families. Participant satisfaction,

transfer of knowledge, and expected changes in

donor behavior were measured using results from

paper evaluations and two live participant polls

conducted during the Seminar. Results were

overwhelmingly positive.

This report is divided into three sections. First, it

presents the general demographics of participants

in the Seminar. Our participants had a variety of

different approaches and monetary ranges of

philanthropic giving. The majority of their giving

was concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and the

Northeast, and most participants devoted at least

part of their giving to vulnerable families.

Secondly, it presents the potential lessons for

other players interested in supporting effective

philanthropy. Our experience suggests that

executive education-type seminars that emphasize

expert knowledge from a variety of sources, as

opposed to relying primarily on peer knowledge,

can be a powerful tool for bringing about

important knowledge, attitude, and potential

behavior changes. Not only did participants

demonstrate gains in content knowledge, they also

indicated that they would make their giving more

impact-focused in the future. Additionally, most

participants stated that they would be interested in

attending a similar seminar in the future and that

they would recommend attending one to friends

and colleagues.

Finally, this report presents two future steps that

emerged from our assessment: 1) make the

Seminar an annual event, or organize more

seminars with a similar purpose and 2) pursue

ways to facilitate donors’ expressed interest in

conducting site visits to nonprofits and other

impact organizations.

2 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY The Center for High Impact Philanthropy, housed at the School of Social Policy & Practice, is a nonprofit resource center established by alumni of Penn’s Wharton School. It provides independent analysis and decision-making tools to ensure that philanthropic funds have the greatest possible impact.

OUR MULTI-PERSPECTIVE, EVIDENCE-INFORMED APPROACH

To meet our goal of providing smart, practical guidance to donors who care about impact, we synthesize the best available information from three domains: research, informed opinion, and field experience. By considering evidence from these three sources, we seek to leverage the strengths while minimizing the limitations of each. We believe the most promising opportunities exist where the recommendations of these three domains overlap.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

FIELD EXPERIENCE

Practitioner insights

Performance assessments

In-depth case studies

INFORMED OPINION

Expert opinion

Stakeholder input

Policy analyses

RESEARCH

Randomized controlled trials

and quasi-experimental studies

Modeled analyses

(e.g., cost-effectiveness)

FIELD

EXPERIENCE

INFORMED

OPINION RESEARCH

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 3

Table of Contents

I . PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS 4

I I . TWO IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM THE SEMINAR 6

Lesson 1 6

Lesson 2 8

I I I . IMPLICATIONS AND NEXT STEPS 11

Appendix 14

Seminar Program 16

4 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

I) PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS

When asked to describe their primary approach to giving, participants’ three most common responses included 1) issue focused

giving, 2) strategy or tactic focused giving, and 3) population focused giving.

The following best describes my primary approach to giving:

Of the Seminar participants who described their total annual giving, donors who give $2M+ per year were the largest of the

four segments, representing a significant amount of resources that could be allocated to meet the needs of vulnerable families.

On an annual basis, my overall philanthropic giving is usually in the following range:

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 5

The majority of donors at the seminar (63%) give 50% or more of their philanthropic funds to address the needs of vulnerable

families every year.

The following percentage of my annual giving goes to address the needs of vulnerable families (as I define them):

The Seminar attracted donors who mostly give to causes or organizations on the East Coast (Mid-Atlantic and Northeast).

The majority of my giving in the U.S. is concentrated in the:

6 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

I I) TWO IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM THE SEMINAR

LESSON ONE:

While many donor forums (e.g., Global Philanthropy Forum, Wealth and Giving Forum, Next Generation Philanthropy Forum) emphasize networking and peer learning, the Seminar emphasized knowledge acquisition. As our results show, the Seminar seems to have attracted donors seeking knowledge, and, a majority of participants gained the knowledge they were seeking from Seminar speakers and faculty.

68% of participants cited increasing knowledge as their main reason for attending the Seminar, while only 20% cited

meeting other donors.

The main reason I decided to attend this Seminar is:

62% of participants cited that their biggest takeaway was an increase in knowledge, while only 15% cited networking with

other donors.

My main takeaway from this Seminar is that I:

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 7

There was a 19 percentage point positive difference between the pre-Seminar expectation and post-Seminar satisfaction

regarding the quality of speakers and panelists. This coupled with overall quality rating of the Seminar (4.59/5), suggests that

participants were more impressed by speakers than expected.

The overall quality of the Seminar today was:

Mean: 4.59

8 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

LESSON TWO:

A day-long, executive education-type seminar can be a powerful tool for bringing about important knowledge, attitude, and potential behavior change.

We surveyed participants’ knowledge of key issues related to vulnerable families through a pre-and post-seminar survey. As

the pre- and post-Seminar results show, there was a 35 percentage point increase in participants’ correct answers when the

topic was directly addressed by a speaker or panelist. For example, after Dennis Culhane addressed effective strategies for

addressing homelessness, the pre-post results were as follows:

Research indicates that the most effective strategy for addressing homelessness involves:

Research indicates that the most effective strategy for addressing homelessness involves:

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 9

The charts below underscore the impact that the Seminar had on participants’ attitudes and potential future giving behavior.

The first chart shows that although most participants reported that their giving would not change in amount as a result of the

Seminar, their giving would be more focused on impact in the future. This indicates the Seminar’s success in advancing both the

Center and AECF’s missions of positioning philanthropic resources where they can have the greatest impact.

In the second chart, 85% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that their knowledge about the most effective approaches to

meet the needs of vulnerable families increased. Two of the three respondents who disagree were already very knowledgeable

about the topic prior to the Seminar, and the third remained anonymous. This data reflects a successful educational seminar in

terms of increasing donors’ knowledge regarding the needs of vulnerable families.

As a result of this seminar, my giving to vulnerable families will:

I am more knowledgeable about the most effective approaches to meeting the needs of vulnerable families:

10 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

63% of participants reported that as a result of the Seminar, their next step would be externally focused (conduct a site visit and

seek further knowledge through newsletters and blogs).

As a result of what I’ve learned today, my primary next step will be to:

Most of the participants also responded that they do not give at the level to which they aspire. The most cited reasons for this

were lack of funds, lack of time, lack of reliable information about impact, and lack of a passionate cause (in that order of

frequency). The latter three reasons can be effectively addressed through increased donor knowledge and engagement.

Do you currently give at the level to which you aspire?

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 11

I I I ) IMPLICATIONS AND NEXT STEPS

The positive feedback from this Seminar indicates that there is an appetite for knowledge among donors who care about

impact. The participants gave feedback on the Seminar as indicated in the charts below, indicating overwhelmingly positive

interest in attending future seminars and recommending future seminars to friends and colleagues.

Would you be interested in attending a future seminar?

Would you recommend a future Center seminar to friends or colleagues?

12 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

Overall, the Seminar exceeded the expectations of participants. All three respondents who strongly disagreed in the chart below

also gave the seminar a 5/5 in terms of quality, which implies that the seminar exceeded their expectations.

The Seminar met the expectations I selected earlier today:

Mean: 4.14

TWO CONCRETE FUTURE STEPS ARISE FROM THE SEMINAR’S RESULTS:

1. Make this Seminar an annual event, or organize more seminars that have the goal of getting donors together in a

purely educational setting to increase their knowledge about achieving the greatest impact through their giving.

2. Pursue one or more of the following options to facilitate donors’ expressed interest in conducting site visits:

a. Encourage individual donors to independently conduct a site visit and share with peers, so they can enhance

each other’s knowledge bases and hold each other accountable

b. Organize a hybrid of a seminar and guided site visit

c. Offer a consultative service for donors who are interested in doing site visits

d. Selectively screen people who are geographically or thematically close to each other and encourage them to

exchange ideas

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 13

APPENDIX

14 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 15

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy

School of Social Policy & Practice | University of Pennsylvania

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s

Inaugural Seminar at Wharton

“Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Families”

November 7-8, 2010

16 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s Inaugural Seminar at Wharton

Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Families November 7-8, 2010

Program Description Updated as of 10/27/10

Sunday, November 7, 2010: Lower Egypt Exhibit at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and

Anthropology, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

5:30pm – 7:30pm Opening reception and dinner

7:30pm – 8:30pm Opening program

8:30pm – 9pm Dessert and networking

Monday, November 8, 2010: Sweetbaum Room at the Aresty Institute of Executive Education, The Wharton School,

Steinberg Conference Center, 255 South 38th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

7:30am – 8:30am Full breakfast buffet available

8:30am – 9am Welcome and Overview of the Day

Overview needs of vulnerable families in the economic downturn, inter-

related nature of specific issue areas

Overview schedule for the day

9am – 10:30am Introduction of Keynote Speaker by Richard James Gelles, Dean, School of

Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Keynote Address by The Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor, Newark,

NJ

Q&A with Mayor Booker

10:30am – 10:45am Break

10:45am – 12:15pm Academic/Researcher panel

Mariana Chilton, Assistant Professor of Public Health at the Drexel

University School of Public Health, Principal Investigator, Philadelphia

GROW Project; Director, Witnesses to Hunger

Dennis Culhane, Professor of Social Welfare Policy, School of Social

Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Nien-hê Hsieh (Facilitator), Associate Professor of Legal Studies and

Business Ethics and of Philosophy; Director of the Wharton Ethics

Program; Faculty Coordinator, Wharton Social Impact and

Responsibility, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

RESULTS AND LESSONS: THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY’S INAUGURAL DONOR EDUCATION SEMINAR 17

12:15pm – 12:45pm Lunch

12:45pm – 2:15pm Funder panel

Warren Kantor, Purpose Prize Fellow; Founder, Benefits Data

Trust

Robert Giloth, Vice President, Center for Family Economic

Success, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Katherina Rosqueta (Facilitator), Executive Director, Center for

High Impact Philanthropy, School of Social Policy & Practice,

University of Pennsylvania

Donald F. Schwarz, Deputy Mayor of Health and Opportunity and

Health Commissioner, City of Philadelphia

2:15pm – 2:30pm Break

2:30pm – 4pm Practitioner panel

Suzanne Boas, President, CredAbility

Peggy Hill, Chief Strategic Relations Officer, Nurse-Family

Partnership

John Arnold, Executive Director, Feeding America West Michigan

Food Bank

Melinda Tuan (Facilitator), Consultant, Center for High Impact

Philanthropy, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of

Pennsylvania

4pm – 4:30pm Donor-to-donor peer exchange

4:30pm – 5:30pm Closing address and reception

18 THE CENTER FOR HIGH IMPACT PHILANTHROPY

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy

School of Social Policy & Practice | University of Pennsylvania

3815 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

WEBSITE www.impact.upenn.edu

EMAIL impact@sp2.upenn.edu

PHONE (215) 573-7266

BLOG blog.impact.upenn.edu FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/CenterforHighImpactPhilanthropy TWITTER www.twitter.com/ImpactSP2 LINKED IN www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2015373 YOUTUBE www.youtube.com/user/impactsp2