Gathering Ground

This week, you'll have the chance to listen in to December 1's live recording with READI session facilitators Lisa Gilmore, Jessica Kadish-Hernández, Anedra Kerr, Amanda Paul, and Geneva Porter. Mary and our experts spent some time responding to the questions we didn't get to answer during the Symposium (including a couple from our live audience).

This week on “Gathering Ground,” Mary is offering listeners an inside look into Morten Group, LLC's READI Symposium — that's racial equity, access, diversity, and inclusion — which was held virtually on November 10.

Following morning sessions on READI action planning, Mary welcomed a cross-sector slate of panelists to discuss the importance of READI efforts at participants' organizations, foundations, and companies. Hear from past “Gathering Ground” guests Sean Thomas-Breitfeld and Pamela Newkirk, who are later joined by Michelle Morales, Rahnee Patrick, and Audra Wilson for a conversation you won't want to miss!

Thirty-five years ago, organizations that were geared toward women and girls were only receiving 3 percent of all philanthropic dollars — which meant that programs addressing domestic violence, reproductive health, economic equality, and other issues critical to the well-being of women and girls were often underfunded. Four women in 1984 set out to change that when they founded Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW).

Mary was thrilled to help celebrate an organization that she has supported for many years, and is very proud to have been the first Black person and first out lesbian to serve as chairperson of the CFW Board. She brought together people like Felicia Davis (current CFW CEO); Sunny Fischer and Iris Krieg (two of CFW's founders); and just a few of the many people who have been touched by CFW over the past 35 years.

Subscribe today and listen in on this amazing conversation!

This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary sits down with career coaches Amina Dickerson (Dickerson Global Advisors) and Janine Hill (SOAR Strategies). During this powerful and informative conversation, the three discuss their philosophies and strategies around coaching, offer advice on choosing a mentor that is a good fit, and the importance of self-care as a regular practice.
This episode’s listener letters include an alum in an all-white committee to discuss Black students’ needs and a young woman who needs advice on her mother’s problematic comments about her work in support of Black lives.

Connect with Amina at Dickerson Global Advisors [www.dickersonglobaladvisors.com]

Connect with Janine at SOAR Strategies [soar-strategies.com]

This time on “Gathering Ground” Mary sits down with a pair of nonprofit powerhouses: CEOs Dorri McWhorter (YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago) and Mark Ishaug (Thresholds). The three discuss what inspired Dorri and Mark into their missions of service and how COVID-19 has affected their organizations, before delving into their leadership styles and what they wish they'd known when they were starting out. They also spend some time discussing the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, and the concept that Dorri and Mark are both familiar with — leading with love.

As always, they end by answering questions from our listeners!

Katie shares her background as a Midwesterner before her decision to take a leap of faith and resettle across the country in the Pacific Northwest, where her journey led her to the Pride Foundation. We also learn a little more about Katie's path from volunteer to CEO of Pride, a Seattle-based foundation that fuels transformational movements to advance equity and justice for LGBTQ+ people in all communities across the Northwest. Katie also shares a little about Pride Foundation, the support they are offering their grantees as we continue the global battle against COVID-19, and how they will move forward and be nimble as the country figures out what our "new normal" is. As always, we end by answering questions from our listeners!

From rapid response funds to resource reallocation to specialized webinars, leaders and boards across the philanthropic community are doing what they can to adapt to the needs of grantees and their constituents as they navigate the current state of the world. By lifting up the examples of two foundations' efforts to be more adaptive in real time, Mary and this fantastic panel discuss how public and private philanthropy is responding to the COVID-19 crisis. They also explore what nonprofits can do to supplement emergency resources provided by funders and end, of course, by answering questions from the audience. These resources named in this episode and more are available at www.mortengroup.com/covid-19-resources.

Eric Ward's robust career has taken him from organizer to funder, and back to the communities he so valiantly stands up with. Listen to "Gathering Ground"'s latest episode to hear about Eric's work in the Pacific Northwest with Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, where he worked with leaders across sectors to progress human rights and anti-violence work. Eric also discusses his past work as National Field Director at Center for New Community and work there in immigrant advocacy and public policy, as well as his ongoing battle against white nationalism and antisemitism. Now, Eric serves as Executive Director of Western States Center, an organization whose mission is to build a progressive movement for social, economic, racial and environmental justice in the eight Western states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Alaska. Learn more about Eric, his important work, and Western States Center on the newest episode of "Gathering Ground"!

On this very special live episode of “Gathering Ground,” we welcomed a panel of individuals whose contributions and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic are helping ensure support for artists across Chicago and Illinois communities.

As we all know, this historic time has affected all of us, regardless of what our work is and how we carry it out. While many of us turn to work from home, individuals in the arts communities don’t have that luxury and have had arts, restaurant, and retail jobs alike pulled out from under them, in many cases overnight.

This conversation brought together individuals from different levels of leadership who are working to assess and create channels of support for artists and arts organizations. After our panel discussion we took some questions from the audience!

These resources named in this episode and more are available at www.mortengroup.com/covid-19-resources.

Also available: the video on YouTube

This time on Gathering Ground, Mary sits down with Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet, sisters and co-founders of A Long Walk Home, an organization dedicated to empowering young artists and activists to end violence against all girls and women.

Scheherazade, Salamishah, and Mary have a deep conversation about Salamishah's journey into academia, her experiences with sexual violence, and how watching her sister heal catalyzed Scheherazade's first major photo project and, ultimately, A Long Walk Home. They get into the reaction to their work on 'muting' R. Kelly, the #MeToo movement, and the life-changing impact of their organization.

This work is deep, emotional, hard, and victorious. They also discuss where Scheherazade and Salamishah find joy in this work and in their lives. Then, of course, they answer questions from some of Gathering Ground’s listeners!