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REDF in the News 2004 - Current
San Francisco Chronicle
Teach the homeless to work, and then... Published November 16, 2006 An Open Forum article, written by Cynthia Gair, REDF’s Director of Portfolio and Field Advancement, offered a perspective in response to the Chronicle’s “Shame of the City” series. The Wall Street Journal
Strings Attached: Along With Their Big Bucks, Rich Donors Want to Give Charities Their Two Cents Published July 3, 2006 Including REDF as an example, author Christopher Conkey reports on the trend of wealthy donors who are choosing a hands-on approach to their giving as a means of building sustainable organizations. Harvard Business Review
Letters to the Editor Published May 2005 In response to a cautionary article by William Foster and Jeffrey Bradach of The Bridgespan Group called “Should Nonprofits Seek Profits?” in the February issue of HBR, REDF Board member Stuart Davidson wrote, “Foster and Bradach rightly warn nonprofits about the pitfalls of starting an earned-income venture....too many organizations view revenue-generating activities as a panacea for their fundraising challenges, without accounting for the true costs of such endeavors...I...hope that more philanthropic organizations will consider providing appropriate and tailored support to nonprofits that are well suited to the social enterprise model. It can be a tremendously powerful tool in the battle against poverty.” Equipping the Saints: A Guide For Giving to Faith-Based Organizations
Published in 2005 In Barbara J. Elliott’s book, one chapter entitled “Capacity Building: Leveraging Impact” addresses how REDF’s Portfolio generates income through social enterprise. She describes how REDF “strategically bolsters its grantees by offering both financial and intellectual capital. They have helped create ‘social purpose enterprises’ for nonprofits, which offer, for example, positions where hard-to-place employees can be productive while earning something toward the cost of their care”. You may find out more about Elliott’s book at http://www.centerforrenewal.org/equipping.htm. Reinventing Philanthropy: Helping Businesses Help Others
Published December 13, 2004 Author Vyvyan Tenorio reports on REDF’s use of measurement to prove that running social enterprises can make positive change in people’s lives. “The staff created an extensive tracking system to monitor every person employed in REDF’s portfolio for a two-year period from the time of hiring. The system keeps tabs of employment, income, housing, social support, self-esteem, even signs of recidivism. So far, it has tracked more than 2,400 individuals since 1997.” The Deal Magazine: Voice of the Deal Economy Magazine
Reinventing Philanthropy: Helping Businesses Help Others Published December 13, 2004 Author Vyvyan Tenorio reports on REDF’s use of measurement to prove that running social enterprises can make positive change in people’s lives. “The staff created an extensive tracking system to monitor every person employed in REDF’s portfolio for a two-year period from the time of hiring. The system keeps tabs of employment, income, housing, social support, self-esteem, even signs of recidivism. So far, it has tracked more than 2,400 individuals since 1997.” Helping Business Helping Others  [PDF] 53KReinventing Philanthropy [PDF] 34KStrings Attached [PDF] 72KInstitutional Investor
Adventures In Philanthropy Published December 2004 Author Dalia Fahmy reports on how high-engagement grantmakers combine financial support with managerial assistance to support social causes. She describes REDF as “venture philanthropy’s old guard” in this growing field. The San Francisco Business Times
Giving With A Cold Eye: Venture Giving Fund Prepares to Take On New Investors Published November 12, 2004 In an article featuring REDF, author Sara Duxbury highlights the organization’s transition into an independent 501(c)3 organization. “Since 1990, the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund has blazed a philanthropic trail in its fight against Bay Area homelessness. Now, in keeping with a philosophy of innovation and business opportunism, REDF is again taking a new direction”. She further explains, “So far, REDF’s transition to a public non-profit has been successful. Its goal was to raise $9.4 million over the next three years, and after 10 months it is already 77 percent there.” Social Enterprise Reporter
Balancing Act: The Right Size Scoop of Ice Cream Published November 2004 In this first of three reports addressing how to balance a social mission with bottom-line financial returns, Cheryl Dahle explains how REDF Portfolio groups demonstrate new approaches to the challenges social entrepreneurs face. Kristen Ace Burns, REDF’s President clarifies, “Sometimes it’s a stark choice between serving the finances or the mission... But sometimes, you can find a creative solution to make the best of both worlds. The trick is recognizing when you can do that.” SEE ARTICLE The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Letters to the Editor Published October 28, 2004 In response to an article written by Ben Gose, Paul Brest, President of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation explains how cost-benefit analysis is essential to strategic grantmaking. He writes, “...the Hewlett Foundation supports REDF (to the tune of $2-million) precisely because, in addition to being a well-managed organization, it uses the concept of ‘social return on investment’ to achieve measurable social impact.” Ready, Set, Engage?
Published in October, 2004, SKOLL Foundation High engagement philanthropy (or venture philanthropy, as it is also known) has become more and more common over the last decade. Funders and nonprofits are finding new ways to work together to complement and maximize impact of monetary grants, often with great success. Kristen Burns provides key elements that a nonprofit should consider before entering into a partnership with a highly engaged funder. DOWNLOAD ARTICLE [PDF] 117KFast Company
Five Social Enterprise Myths, Dispelled Published January 2004 An article written by REDF’s President, Kristen Ace Burns was published on Fast Company’s website in conjunction with the announcement of their annual Social Capitalist Awards. Kristen discusses five myths related to social enterprise and debunks them. “The idea of applying the ethos and strategies of traditional business entrepreneurs to the realm of social change has in recent years captured the imagination of nonprofit leaders. And as the popularity of ‘social entrepreneurship’ grows, there are nearly as many definitions of the concept as there are people pursuing it.” SEE ARTICLE |
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