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June 8, 2010
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Non-Profit Superheroes
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| Don't let the lack of capes, laser beams, and x-ray goggles fool you. Last night, we celebrated five non-profit superheroes at the Meyer Foundation's annual Exponent Awards at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. |
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As Spiderman says: "With great power comes many sequels great responsibility." Meyer Foundation president Julie Rogers offered her own version: "With great empowering come great responsibility to yourself." The exponent award recognizes top non-profit leaders with potential for growth but who may be in danger of burning out. All receive a grant for $100,000 over two years to develop their leadership and take their organizations to a new level. The honorees may not be faster than a speeding bullet or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound like Superman, but Julie says, "I really do believe that your power rivals his." |
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| Martha's Table president Lindsey Buss was recently a guest at the White House State Dinner. (Last Thanksgiving, the First Family volunteered at Martha's Table, which provides education, food, and clothing in the DC community.) The lawyer turned non-profit leader says that by inviting Martha's Table, as well as leaders from Mary's Center and Miriam's Kitchen, the Obamas were making a statement about inclusion and who should have a seat at the table. So who did he sit next to? Oprah Magazine editor-at-large Gayle King at a table hosted by Secretary Ray LaHood and his wife. Lindsey also stood behind the Pelosis in the receiving line. "We chatted with them like we were in line at the Giant." |
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| When Community of Hope executive director Kelly Sweeney McShane saw the superhero-themed invitation for the awards, she says the first hero to come to mind was Elastigirl, the very stretchy mom in The Incredibles. Whether she's squeezing under doors or flattening herself into parachute form, Elastigirl sometimes has to stretch herself very thin to save everyone else. "I can totally relate," Kelly says. Since 2001, she has increased the non-profit's budget from $2 million to $8 million, enabling it to provide far more health care, housing, and education opportunities to low-income and homeless families and individuals in DC. Community of Hope has plans to build a second 50,000 sq. ft. health center in Ward 8. |
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| As CEO and producing artistic director of the Young Playwrights' Theatre, David Snider helps students express themselves through playwriting. The Smithsonian, Justice Department, and White House have all commissioned plays from the non-profit's young artists. In David's five years at the non-profit, he's helped build an infrastructure behind an already strong vision, and ended up with surpluses every year. He says staff retention has also gone way up in part because of an effort to give everyone both administrative and artistic responsibilities so that they feel invested in their work. David will be using his award money to help expand the five-person staff and pay off student loans. He says too often people leave the sector because of lingering loans and that more funders should consider a similar award to ensure that non-profits don't lose talented leaders. |
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| Community Bridges executive director Ana Lopez is the first Latina to win the Exponent Award. Her organization works to empower young girls in Montgomery County, many of whom come from low-income and immigrant backgrounds. She recently launched a campaign to help middle school girls stop the drama, whether it be cruel gossip or sexual harassment. More than half of the girls she works with are also Latina and a large portion come from El Salvador. Ana will be using some of her award money to travel to the country with some of the students this summer. She hopes it'll help her better understand where they come from and the issues they face. Coincidentally, Montgomery County is starting a sister city program in El Salvador and is allowing them to tag along for the visit. |
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| Over the past five years, executive director Jonathan Smith has doubled the budget of the Legal Aid Society of DC to more than $3 million. The non-profit provides civil legal services to low income individuals in cases of domestic violence, eviction prevention, and more. Most of the budget has gone to growing the Legal Aid Society's programs and bringing in more lawyers and paralegals, while little was left to build the non-profit's infrastructure. Jonathan says the award money will allow him to hire a CFO and finally bring the infrastructure up to speed with the organization's growth. |
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| It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... The Non-Profit Avenger! Little did we expect the awards presentation to be interrupted by this guy and a musical number about what it takes to be a hero. Hey, does he realize he's wearing underwear as outerwear?! |
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| Want to tell us about another non-profit superhero? Send story ideas to Jessica Sidman, jessica@bisnow.com. |
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This newsletter is a journalistic news source which accepts no payment for featured interviews. It is supported by conventional advertisers clearly identified in the right hand column. You have been selected to receive it either through prior contact or professional association. If you have received it in error, please accept our apologies and unsubscribe at bottom of the newsletter. © 2010, Bisnow on Business, Inc., 1323 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036. All rights reserved.
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