by Denver Frederick | Nov 17, 2017 | Guest Interview
There were many hardships faced by the people of Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. But one of the more underappreciated ones was damage done to books and other educational materials in home and school libraries. This was not lost, however, on the nonprofit and social enterprise First Book. And we have with us now to tell us what they’re doing about it — one of our favorite guests here on The Business of Giving —
Kyle Zimmer, their President and CEO.
by Denver Frederick | Nov 15, 2017 | Guest Interview
It was 30 years ago that Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, and his wife Helen, started the Walton Family Foundation. It has gone on to be one of the most highly regarded and thoughtful family foundations in the country, with three major areas of focus, and a never-ending commitment to learn and get better. And it is a pleasure to have here with us tonight, Kyle Peterson, the Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation.
by Denver Frederick | Sep 20, 2017 | Guest Interview
No matter what the field of endeavor, we all enjoy watching organizations take shape, emerge, grow and evolve into something that increases their effectiveness and impact. There’s a foundation based in Boston that fits that description to a tee. It’s The Barr Foundation. And it is fortunate to be led by one of the most capable individuals in the field of philanthropy, and he just happens to be with us now. He is Jim Canales, the President of The Barr Foundation.
by Denver Frederick | Sep 12, 2017 | Better Than Most
“When we’re hiring, we now take along a laptop with a series of pictures of the space, and when we’re talking to a job candidate and say, “Here’s what it looks like.” And you can see a picture from inside a faculty member’s office with the faculty person sitting there… several students sitting across the desk. And in the background, you can see out the door, and there are 10 people outside the door, too. You look at the face, and some people look at that and say, “Are you crazy? Who would want to do that?” The people that we hire are the people who look at that and say, “That’s where I want to be. That’s what I’m going to be doing.”
by Denver Frederick | Jun 27, 2017 | Better Than Most
“Culture of the organization is paramount because it will affect everything you do… and a lot of things that you can’t do. It’s been important to us from the day we opened our doors. I believe strongly in team leadership. I don’t believe that having a single lone wolf at the helm of an organization is a healthy strategy; I don’t think it is a sustainable strategy. And so for starters, we have a team of four people at the top of the organization who are really co-equals in running it. In addition, we really work hard to elevate entrepreneurial thinking and to attract entrepreneurs into the organization.”
