Propel Philanthropy

If catalytic or leverage funding is your thing, these interviews are not to be missed!

Ever considered funding the social sector as a force multiplier? It's fascinating how modest grants can catalyze remarkable outcomes - yet this powerful approach to grantmaking remains largely unexplored and under documented. 🔍News: Alliance Magazine, in collaboration with WINGS and Propel Philanthropy, has just released the fourth installment in their groundbreaking five-part series. These articles feature in-depth conversations with five visionary funders who share their insights on infrastructure funding and its transformative impact on the social sector. 🎯 Why This Matters: If you're curious about maximizing philanthropic impact through strategic infrastructure funding, this series offers valuable perspectives and practical insights. 📚 Dive deeper into these compelling stories at: https://lnkd.in/ghKtnvgQ

Are we doing enough to celebrate the visionary funders who set the stage for social impact infrastructure across generations? At Propel, we think it’s time to highlight one such pioneer: Fondazione Cariplo. With an incredible 200-year legacy, Fondazione Cariplo has continuously adapted and expanded its work to meet the needs of communities across Italy, especially in Milan and the Lombardy region. Here are just some ways Fondazione Cariplo has created long-lasting impact: 💪 Supporting Community Development: Through funding in sectors like arts and culture, scientific research, and social welfare, Cariplo has empowered countless local initiatives, helping to build resilient communities. 🌽 Advancing Environmental Sustainability: Cariplo’s dedication to environmental projects has supported sustainable agriculture, green energy, and biodiversity preservation long before these issues were mainstream. 💥 Investing in Social Innovation: Cariplo was among the first in Europe to recognize the potential of social enterprises and impact investing, launching initiatives that blend social outcomes with financial returns. We owe much of this success to the forward-thinking visionaries and funders behind Cariplo, whose continuous investment has positioned it as a cornerstone of Italy’s social sector infrastructure. As we look to the future, let’s honor those who laid these foundations. What other global social impact champions should we celebrate? Let us know in the comments. #Philanthropy #FondazioneCariplo #SocialImpactInfrastructure #CelebrateFunderChampions #InnovationForGood #SocialImpactInvesting

Do we need more far-sighted funders who invest in the infrastructure that makes enduring social impact possible? At Propel, we believe we do. Let’s take a moment to celebrate how early, strategic investment helped to build and scale the work of Reach Volunteering—now 45 years old - the leading skills-based volunteering charity in the UK and the single biggest source of trustees for the voluntary sector. Reach Volunteering has powered the UK nonprofit sector with some incredible achievements that others can, and have, build/t upon: - Revolutionizing Skills-Based Volunteering: By offering a streamlined platform that matches volunteers with charities in need, Reach has enabled thousands of professionals to contribute their time and expertise, creating a ripple effect of positive social outcomes. - Driving Governance Excellence: Through their Trustee recruitment service, Reach Volunteering has played a key role in strengthening governance across the UK charity sector, helping organizations secure the leadership they need to thrive. - Expanding Digital Access: Reach has consistently embraced tech-for-good solutions to make volunteering more accessible and effective, ensuring that both volunteers and nonprofits can connect effortlessly, no matter their location. To be a pioneer you must be believed in. So much of this success is thanks to the visionary funders behind Reach Volunteering. What began as a bold idea now supports over 10,000 charities, making volunteer expertise more accessible to every corner of the UK nonprofit sector. 13,000 new volunteers were signed last year, three times the pre-pandemic numbers. Today Reach Volunteering can count some of the UK's most prominent grant-makers among its funders. In a time when skilled volunteering has never been more needed, Reach Volunteering’s legacy shows what’s possible when funders invest not just in today’s solutions, but in the long-term infrastructure that sustains and grows impact. Are there other social sector champions we should celebrate for their visionary support? Share your thoughts below! #philanthropy #VolunteerImpact #CelebrateFunderChampions #nonprofits #SocialImpact

Do we need to share more positive narratives of social sector broad funding champions and the unique infrastructure initiatives they support? At Propel we think we do. So let us celebrate how one small, catalytic donation led to 100 years of social change with the creation of Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). CAF is one of the earliest meta Social Impact Infrastructure Organizations building broad and far-reaching social resources for all. Thanks to one initial gift and more than one forward-thinking funder, coupled of course with an extremely talented team, here are just some of the things CAF has been able to do: Pioneer Charitable Giving: Established in 1924, CAF was one of the first organizations to develop a systematic approach to philanthropy, enabling UK donors to manage their charitable giving more effectively. Innovate Financial and Tax Solutions: CAF introduced various products and services tailored for charities, companies and individuals, including accounts for tax-efficient giving, payroll giving at source, and a range of banking innovations from CAF Bank to Venturesome. Research and Advocacy: CAF has conducted extensive research on philanthropy and charitable giving trends, helping to inform policies and practices in the sector. Their outstanding reports provide valuable insights into donor behavior and the impact of philanthropy. Support Charities Effectiveness: Over the years, CAF has provided critical funding, training, and other resources to over 100,000 charities, helping them enhance their operations and effectiveness. The amazing champion funders behind CAF began with Captain Edward Vivian Dearman Birchall at the close of WWII and now include several prominent foundations and the UK government. Who would have imagined that an initial private donation of £1000 would lead to a century-old infrastructure organization responsible for distributing £1 billion in donations to charity each year and taking a lead role in the UK’s culture of giving as well as operating internationally? That's a gift of approximatey £50,000 in today's money. Pretty modest. Do we need more far-sighted funders creating the meta organizations of tomorrow? Are there funders you know of that we should celebrate? Let us know in the comments. #philanthropy #TransformPhilanthropy #CelebrateFunderChampions #socialsector, #nonprofit #philanthropyimpact Stephanie Fuerstner Gillis Victoria Vrana WINGS Alliance magazine Karen Keating Ansara Panorama Global Sam Vaghar Allwell Akhigbe, MBA

We commend Jennifer and Half My Daf because it broadly benefits the social sector.

Skoll Foundation is presenting an amazing lineup on the critically valuable topic of cross-sector partnerships.

Helping nonprofits establish True Cost Guidelines can achieve extensive impact - particularly if many are being trained at the same time. From what we are learning with a project on improving international accounting standards, doing so enables funders eager to give away money to do so with greater confidence and quickly, saving extensive work for them and the nonprofits they support.

Millions of nonprofits are working far below the capacity levels they could. We have the resources to connect many more nonprofits to resources and ensure that some of this massive windfall will be well spent. Our world needs smart, forward-thinking...

Millions of nonprofits are working far below the capacity levels they could. We have the resources to connect many more nonprofits to resources and ensure that some of this massive windfall will be well spent. Our world needs smart, forward-thinking...