Inside BCF: A Podcast from the Baltimore Community Foundation

A donor-advised fund is a convenient and powerful used by many BCF donors carrying out their charitable giving plans. But how do they work? We'll sit down with Robert Waldman, co-managing partner at Venable LLP, and Jenn Farrell, BCF donor services officer, to talk in detail about donor-advised funds.

How do strong school leaders affect academic achievement? We discuss that with Roxanne Forr, Baltimore City Schools Director of Principal Leadership Development and Marc Martin, principal of the Commodore John Rodgers School.

Margaret Williams, executive director of the Maryland Family Network, is an expert on early childhood education and development. She also is a member of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, Maryland's panel working on new policies and funding structures aimed at improving Maryland's public education system. We'll sit down to talk about why investing in early childhood education programs is essential to ensuring Maryland's students will be successful in life.

Shanaysha Sauls, BCF's President & CEO, will tell us about BCF's strategic plan. We'll dive into how BCF will be approaching engagement, fundraising and grantmaking three and a half years.

Middle Grades Partnership (a BCF initiative) and its nine public and independent school partnerships provide exceptional programming balancing enrichment with skill development while bringing students together to address issues of race, class, and opportunity. But how does a partnership actually work? We'll sit down with a partnership director to learn more.

A review of BCF's investment objectives and strategies including a new strategy: investing for impact, plus induction of new members to the Professional Advisor Recognition Society

It may not feel like it, but summer will soon be here. And that means it's time for summer camp. On April 20, we're sitting down to talk summer camp and the Children's Fresh Air Society Fund at BCF. We'll explain why and how the fund helps Baltimore kids go to camp, and we'll talk to one camp director about what's on the schedule this summer.

The Maryland General Assembly's session is in full swing and BCF is advocating on a number of public policy issues, including education, transportation and philanthropy. We join BCF's Keisha Leverette and Kevin Griffin Moreno as they discuss our advocacy priorities.

Baltimore Beyond Plastic is a youth-led effort to reduce solid waste pollution in our city. The youth who lead the effort are supported in part by BCF. Why empower youth to lead sustainability initiatives? Join us live on Facebook on February 20 as we examine the answer to that question and more.