The Talent Agenda

Nonprofits employ 13.5 million people, making the sector the third-largest private workforce in the United States. During the recession, jobs at nonprofits grew by 2% while for-profit jobs declined by 4%. And nonprofits are still hiring. As we grow, nonprofits face increasingly complex management environments and endure ongoing pressure to provide more services to communities in the face of budget cuts.

The 2012 Jane Bagley Lehman Award Ceremony: A Successful Event and Two Phenomenal Awardees

In November 2012, Tides Foundation awarded the Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Excellence in Public Advocacy to Brenda Dardar- Robichaux and Marylee Orr, for their innovative approaches to social change in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Excellence in Public Advocacy is named after Jane Bagley Lehman, one of the founders of Tides and the Chair of the Board until her death in 1988.

In Memoriam: Jill Benderly

On January 10^th Jill Benderly, one of our nation’s leading activists in the Baltic region, passed away after a struggle with colon cancer. Benderly was a beloved employee of Tides in the early 90’s and an instrumental part of the team that has developed Tides into the organization it is today. Her death leaves a huge hole in the activist community. She will be missed.

The Center for Care Innovations: An Interview with Jane Stafford

The Center for Care Innovations (CCI) supports California community health centers that provide care for underserved populations. Offering programs and grants in technology, capacity building, leadership and networking, CCI ensures that community health centers are vital partners in building healthier communities. A joint project of Tides and The California Endowment, CCI launched in 1999 initially as a grant-making program and has since grown into a $113 million program.

Investing for Impact

The term impact investing has been gaining brand value over the past five years. The precursors of community investing and socially responsible investing are ironically being dropped from the conversation as if to imply that impact investing is a brand new phenomenon. While there is innovation inherent in impact investing, it is important to leverage the histories – good and bad – from community development, socially responsible investing, and venture philanthropy in order to support the success, sustainability and scale of the larger social benefit marketplace.

Social Innovation Won’t Save the World

David Bornstein in the NY Times Fixes column recently referred to social innovation as part of a “breakthrough – maybe even a new Enlightenment.” He believes it is creating new and lasting change that is unprecedented in the social sector. But, social innovation faces an undeniable limitation: it is merely a tool. And, like any tool, its impact is determined by the vision of those who use it. Great architecture isn’t created by hammers. It’s created by architects and carpenters with highly developed vision.

Ending Modern Slavery

After stepping off the podium at the United Nations, President Obama made a special commitment – to ending modern day slavery. Not just in remote corners of the developing world. But here in this country as well. Many of the slaves today are girls. Born in this country. Hidden in plain view.

Total Portfolio Activation - A Framework for Creating Social and Environmental Impact across Asset Classes

Tides and Trillium Asset Management, LLC (Trillium)  announce today the publication of a new white paper, Total Portfolio Activation - A Framework for Creating Social and Environmental Impact across Asset Classes.

Dispatches from the Field | Impact Investing 101 in Asia

On the heels of a week-long trip to India and subsequent Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) conference in Singapore, I returned to San Francisco inspired by extraordinary change agents who are actively building the field of impact investing. From social entrepreneurs to nonprofit leaders to activists, the grit with which these innovators are tackling poverty via market-driven solutions to health, education, and employment is truly remarkable—and offers lessons for early US efforts as well.

Ultimate Impact: Unifying an Investment Portfolio Within a Donor-Advised Fund

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) have grown in use over recent decades, serving as the core philanthropic vehicle for community and public foundations and, more recently, being offered through commercial investment firms as a philanthropic option for clients. When linked with an impact investing strategy, the DAF may serve as a unique, focused asset management vehicle for creating a unified portfolio generating financial performance with social and environmental impacts. This Issue Brief introduces the concept and structure of DAFs and explores their potential as impact investing vehicles. The DAF as a core component of a unified investment approach is explored together with discussion of why DAFs are especially suited to impact investing. The potential for DAFs to expand options for impact investors is discussed along with possible barriers to their introduction