Opening a window of possibilities: USA experience of a Ukrainian fellow

By: Taras Repytskyi

Taras came to Allowance for Good from Ukraine as part of the US State Department's Professional Fellow Program. He spent 6 weeks as a fellow at Allowance for Good.


"Congratulations you have been chosen as a finalist of the Professional Fellows Program and you will be spending 6 weeks in the USA working at a NGO". A summary of the message I received on a cold winter day, which gave me even bigger goose bumps, as I knew that tremendous possibility awaits, which will broaden my horizon and open new opportunities.

Since quite a young age, I was convinced that traveling and understanding different attitudes of people is a very welcoming feature especially if you work for the sake of the community and development. I visited a lot of countries in Europe in order to see the approaches, interesting ideas and gather new knowledge, so I can build a greater society in my Ukraine.

Taras, Elizabeth, and Karin at the office on
International Vyshyvanka Day. 

Upon arriving here, in Washington and later Chicago and Evanston, my first feeling was, "I am in a movie." I was curious to explore each day and each second, as a lot of things indeed were different or at least as they are not usually done or made in Europe.

The first and major discovery to me was the community and civil society here. There is a huge amount of organizations and people who know a lot about charity and philanthropy and usually support different events by volunteering or donating money. It all starts with proper education and right attitude at early age throughout life. Through Allowance for Good, I was able to attend classes at Niles North High School, Northwestern University, and Loyola University to discover exciting curricula about civic engagement and community development. I made a few presentations on the political situation in Europe and Ukraine in particular. The high school students were really eager to get to know some of the aspects of social, educational, and political life there. To some of them it was a true revelation to learn about the situation in Crimea and war on the east of Ukraine.

I met bright people who are so willing to enhance their level of knowledge in these spheres. In Ukraine we seriously lack such programs and strategies for the society, and ideas written in my notebook will help me to make some of them real.

Another issue in Ukraine is that we have quite a different environment and recent history. People of Ukraine, because of living under a soviet regime which worshiped state or ruling party rather than people and communities, shaped the attitude of people towards common goals and better well-being. Now, after recent revolutions and uprisings of the nation, we can build upon that as we became much stronger, united, and passionate about social change.

My knowledge benefited a lot from the work with the incredible team of my host organization, Allowance for Good – Elizabeth, Aimee and Karin, who helped me to look upon issues of NGO work and youth programs from a different perspective and approach, which can definitely bring more results for the community. Job shadowing them was a real pleasure and I hope my fellowship will create new possibilities for them as well. For that, we started working on mutual grant proposals, so in the future our cooperation can grow stronger and our activities even more international. The first project is scheduled to be implemented this fall and will be concentrating on empowering youth from Lviv and Sykhiv districts with knowledge on social responsibility and community building. Kids will also have a chance to create and realize a social project of their interest, as well as a chance to work on identity building of their school.

My stay in the USA wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t also lucky enough to be hosted by the Cernek family to explore the lifestyle of American households and daily life. There a lot of things about culture and cuisine I will be taking home with me, such as pancakes on weekends ☺

I would like to thank American Councils, WorldChicago, and especially Allowance for Good for an amazing opportunity to get a first-hand experience for future work I can bring to my community.

That’s would be all for now. I don’t say good-bye – I say welcome to new possibilities and Ukraine is awaiting each American to visit.

Philanthropy in the World: More Than One Meaning

By: Abby
Abby is a participant in Allowance for Good's Autumn 2014 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy: Explorers class. 

Although my time is limited in Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy (ELP), I have learned that philanthropy has more than one meaning. The literal meaning of philanthropy is "the desire to promote the welfare of others". The etymological meaning of philanthropy is "the love of humanity". Yet, as I sit here on a Tuesday night in Evanston, IL, writing this blog post, it has finally hit me: philanthropy is not restricted to the definition of a dusty dictionary sitting on my desk.

Last session, we continued studying the types of philanthropy in depth. We discussed two "main" types of philanthropy: corporate and venture. Venture philanthropy is focused on the willingness to take risks and experiment, having a long-term structure set up, and focus on direct engagement from the donors with their grantees. Corporate philanthropy is focused on the belief that a company needs to be responsible for its actions-ethically, socially, or environmentally. Also, corporate philanthropy is a huge supporter of corporate giving, which is a grant making program established in a profit-making company. it is from these programs that gifts or grants are distributed to charitable organizations. Learning about these two different types of philanthropy interested me a lot because it made me think about myself when I get older. I want to become involved in a company that are corporate philanthropists and give back to the community.

For the second half of the session, we had Allowance for Good Associate Board members Tife and Ryan talk with us about what we have learned so far. Tife grew up in Nigeria and then moved to Chicago later in life. The first company he worked for were "terrible philanthropists" (as he put it), meaning that they did not give back to the community and really did not involve themselves in it. However, when he received a new job at a real estate company, that completely changed. Tife informed us that at his job now, he receives an email once a month that asks what charity/organization he would like to donate to. His company matches tries their best to match his donation request and donates it to that company. Ryan, born and raised in Hinsdale, IL, is a credit analyst at Northern Trust. He told us a lot about his occupation and what he enjoys about work, but what really stuck with me were what he calls his "3 Pillars". They were:
1) Always, always, always stay curious.
2) Know your environment.
3) Know your limits & defy them...but also know your job/responsibility and do not become suffocated.

I know for a fact that these 3 pillars will help me grow as a young woman, student, philanthropist, and overall a human being. Staying curious is the beginning of a question, which leads to an interest, which leads to a passion. ELP has really been the beginning "question" phase for me. I have never been that passionate about any specific world problem; of course, I wanted to change them all. Coming to ELP has helped me realize that even though I may not have a certain passion now, there is always something I can do to help people in the world who are not as privileged as me.

I know this is going to sound very cliche, but there is only one world humans live in (unless we magically find Earth's twin in the universe). Humans are not the only beings on Earth, but we are the most powerful beings. It is our duty to help each other while protecting the ground we step on, the air we breath, and the grass we mow. So, to end the post the same way as Ryan ended our session, "We are rich through only what we give. We are poor through only what we refuse."

Abby stands in front of her favorite leadership quote during an activity in ELP: Explorers.

Multigenerational, International, Experiential Journey

By: Jeanne
Jeanne was a traveler on the Allowance for Good / Spark Ventures trip to Nicaragua this August. 

During one of our trip participant dinners in Leon, Nicaragua, Jeanne, a 43 year-old, mother of two shares, “I have done some reading and studying about Nicaragua since my last visit.” The unexpected reply, “I love to read about history. I read about Nicaragua too! It was a wonderful book, called The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey by Salman Rushdie,” says Nina, 14 year-old member of Allowance for Good. I, Jeanne, sat back, amazed that this young woman has read this book. Amazed that she has chosen to take the time to prepare herself for her first experience with global philanthropy.  This was just one piece of the tapestry of conversations that I would have, as we traveled with the youth group, Allowance for Good.

My husband, Jeff, and I have been Spark Ventures investors for many years.  In 2013, we travelled to León, Nicaragua to see and participate in the work that Spark has been doing at a grassroots level.  What we saw stunned and changed us in so many ways during that trip and for the months to come. Soon after our return, we decided that we would bring our boys, Luc (12) and Ben (9), back with us some day.

We were committed to the idea that we must raise global citizens. That we had to challenge our children to step away from their day to day lives, look up from the screens and frankly, out of their comfort zone.  How can we make the world better if don’t truly experience many of the cultures, people and perspectives that make up our mosaic called Earth? 

Early in 2014, we heard that Spark would be partnering with another philanthropy on the next trip to Nicaragua, a group that worked with teenagers in the areas of leadership and philanthropy. While 10 months was a bit faster than we had planned, we decided this was our opportunity and the group to share our family experience with, down in León. 

Being in a completely different country, with a different socioeconomic environment, speaking a different language, eating different food, hearing different music and doing it all in a very different climate, can be unsettling.  The closer it drew the more we went through our concerns.  We didn’t know how our children would react.  We weren’t sure how the other group would either.  Would we and/or our children be welcomed or simple tolerated?  Will they befriend our boys or think them too young to bother with on this trip?  As it turns out, everyone exceeded even our highest expectations.

You see, these are not your normal teenagers, enamored with Disney, Xbox and the multitude of burgeoning social media tools.  Remember that Rushdie novel Nina mentioned? It was just the first of many pleasant and impressive surprises they had up their sleeves. Spending time with Allowance for Good and the five youths that we had the honor to accompany on this trip was, frankly, an inspiration to us as parents with children just a few short years behind the AfG youths. 

There was Turner, age 15, he came with an open mind and heart to everything that was happening around him.  When matched up with children who couldn’t speak English, he kept smiling, made up a game and in no time had a shy little child at Las Tias laughing and happy.  And Turner, well, he has a plan.  A sophomore in high school already thinking about what he wants to be, where to go to college, what that means to his family and maybe win a few more diving medals in the process.  Turner participates, he is present, he wants to learn about everything and everyone.  And how was he with our boys?  Well let’s just say that our son Luc is begging us to let him head out to Africa with Turner next summer, so that they can continue their journey of friendship and immersing themselves in global philanthropy.  And there are so many other moments, memories and stories of how each of the teens made an impression that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

It was very clear to Jeff and I how lucky we were to have our children spending time with and learning from our AfG companions.  They are not the teenagers who move quickly away from something new and uncomfortable, or find their friends to avoid being part of the community.  They engage, they learn, they teach and they are infinitely interested in growing.

Isn’t this what it’s all about?  Our world is getting smaller, true. But it can also be more isolating. Social media gives young people windows to the world in ways that were never before possible.  Yet, Nina, Turner, Nicky, Orleana and Sylvana, that just isn’t enough for them. They are not content watching from the sidelines, or watching a video of someone else creating an experience. They wanted to a part of every moment we had with the women and children of Las Tías. To learn and grow EVERY single day. It wouldn’t have been the same trip without them.  We are blessed for having spent that time with them, they were a part of OUR learning and growth experiences, as well as our children’s.

It’s a tradition on these trips to share your experience with the other participants at the final group dinner.  Well, AfG was already doing that in their daily Reflection sessions.  We were just blown away how deeply these teens were thinking about the experience, how to build on it, how to integrate these thoughts and feelings into their development.  And at that final dinner, their thoughtfulness, maturity and character was on full display.  We’d heard from our peers during the other trip and spoken with many that had visited Spark partners in Zambia and Nicaragua.  And these teens were just as self-aware, had grown just much, and were developing plans on how to continue on their philanthropic life journey.

Keep your eye on these kids, help them if you can and they will ‘help’ you in ways you hadn’t thought possible.  These are the youths that will help us evolve as a global community.  The kind that will lead their generation and others, into the future and do it for the betterment of ALL of us. 

Jeanne, right, presents Las Tías with educational materials for their students.

Learning Abound with Young Changemakers

By: Turner

Turner is participating in Allowance for Good's inaugural Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy: Changemakers program.

In the past few weeks in ELP Changemakers we have delved deeper into the grant making process and learned about grantor-grantee relationships and what a board of directors is/does.

It is important to maintain a mutually beneficial grantor-grantee relationship because the grantor can give the grantee access to their network of organizations that can give the grantee advice and other connections to get money from. The grantor can also give the grantee a place to come for the money they may need to support their projects.

A board of directors governs a nonprofit. The board of directors oversees the nonprofit and helps make decisions on what the organization should and should not do. The board of directors helps ensure that the organization is using its funds in the best ways possible and in the ways that accommodate the needs of the organization as well as it can. The board’s most important job is to govern and provide direction for the organization to develop its projects well. The board also helps ensure the effectiveness of the organizations planning.

I could see myself being a board member for an organization that I volunteer at frequently when I am an adult. The board members help make very important decisions for the nonprofit and I would like to be able to help an organization I care for in the future in that way.

I have enjoyed learning about grant reports the most about the grant making process.  Grant reports are a follow up that the nonprofit gives to the grantor after using the money from a grant. Some of the things that are answered in a grant report are what the project that the grantee spent the grant on was, how the organization achieved its objectives, and what the nonprofits challenges were. The grant reports allow the grantor to know a little about how the project went to help them decide whether their money was used well and if they should consider giving money to that nonprofit in the future. 

"I am Turner and I give my time because I enjoy helping those who need it."

Delving Into Venture Philanthropy

By: Orleana

Orleana is participating in Allowance for Good's autumn 2013 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy program.

Last Thursday at ELP, we discussed venture philanthropy. Venture philanthropy is defined as the utilization of techniques from venture capital finance and business of management, combining them to achieve philanthropic outcomes through business world means.  Essentially, venture philanthropy is the financial support of new, non-profit organizations/potentially risky social ventures with promise or a significant goal in mind that requires aid to be recognized. Venture philanthropy allows these young organizations to mature and ground themselves, hopefully achieving self-sustainability after a set amount of years. 

Venture philanthropy is focused around providing financial support for and promoting small, new or underfunded organizations. Venture philanthropy enables emerging nonprofits to flourish through the giving of grants over a period of time. Both old and new organizations apply to receive grants, which, after an inspection by the organization supplying the grants, are given yearly for a certain number of years.

This week we had a great guest speaker, Sejal, come to class to discuss her work with The Springboard Foundation, a volunteer run group that supplies grants to beginning nonprofit organizations, with a focus on after school programs.  While affiliated with a variety of organizations, (having worked in the nonprofit field for the last fourteen years) Sejal is currently the Managing Director of the Springboard Foundation, and during Thursday’s class explained the goals of the Foundation and described its interactions with other nonprofits.

What I thought was one of the more interesting points in our discussion about The Springboard Foundation was its careful maintenance of the organizations they supply grants to. They check in with the organizations to see that the money they give is being spent productively, and making a successful change in the program. The Springboard Foundation definitely puts a lot of time and effort into getting emerging nonprofits running steadily, and I think that making sure the grants that they give are being used to get the maximum results is really important.

Near the end of class, we carried out a group activity where the class split into groups to create our ‘own’ venture philanthropy based foundations. We discussed prospective foundation names, goals, statements, and fiscal requirements, and each group presented our finished results at the end of class. While our projects were pretty small scale, they really made me appreciate all of the planning and hard work that goes into venture philanthropy, (though that could be said about any philanthropy), and the people and volunteers who come together to make it run so that other nonprofits can flourish.

Orleana, bottom right, listens to an ELP guest speaker during the Thursday night class.

The Power of Partnerships

Allowance for Good Program Development Fellow, Liz Coda, has been a part of our team for just over a year now. As she's wrapping up her service to AfG and preparing to graduate college and move to Philadelphia, she reflects on the partnership she built with GlobeMed and what she's learned about working in the nonprofit sector.

I began working as a fellow with Allowance for Good about a year ago, and I’m still learning something new every day in my work here. Building a nonprofit organization from the ground up, creating program content, and interacting with the youth we aim to educate and empower has been a rewarding, enlightening, and often challenging experience. While I’ve taken on several roles and tackled several projects, both small- and large-scale, foundational to the growth of this organization has been creating meaningful partnerships.

Allowance for Good is a young, thriving network of U.S. youth. Although we have successfully engaged hundreds of youth within the Chicagoland area, we’re just beginning to engage youth in other areas of the country. To expand our reach, we paired up with GlobeMed, an Evanston, Illinois-based nonprofit that partners U.S. college students with grassroots health organizations abroad. Our goal was to have the college students help us identify nearby high school students to get involved with the work of both GlobeMed and Allowance for Good. This work with GlobeMed illuminated the following stages of collaboration necessary to grow a successful partnership:

1. Inspiration

Allowance for Good believes in investing in the educational potential of youth globally.  Initially, we identified GlobeMed chapters whose partner organizations were education-focused. This was crucial to our success; rather than just reaching out to as many chapters as we could in hopes of merely growing our network, we wanted to stay true to our mission and align ourselves only with those already supporting global education in some capacity.  In this case, staying true to our mission trumped maximum exposure.

Then we had to reach out to the GlobeMed chapter members we wanted to work with. Overwhelmingly they were enthusiastic and on board with our idea, but some were not as receptive. Ultimately, we realized that we could only work with those who genuinely wanted to build this partnership with us.  If a partnership is not voluntary, it will not succeed. Partners must believe in an organization's mission and want to see that organization thrive.

2. Formalization

Once we had ironed out all the details with the staff of the GlobeMed National Office and the students at the chapters we wanted to work with, we formalized the partnership by drafting a Memorandum of Understanding with GlobeMed. While not legally binding, this document spelled out the expectations of each organization. The goal of this document was to clarify the goals of both organizations.

This partnership proved tricky from the beginning, since both GlobeMed and Allowance for Good support different international partner organizations. Each collegiate GlobeMed chapter has one global partner, and Allowance for Good has two. If the youth involved wind up fundraising, which organization should they support? This has been a challenging question for us, one that we’re realizing does not have a concrete answer.

3. Operation

I entered into this partnership with an idea of how I thought our work with GlobeMed would look. I devised a model that I thought we could replicate with each GlobeMed chapter that we worked with. Throughout the operation of our partnership, however, I’ve learned the importance of being open to change and being able to adapt. In every case, the partnership has looked slightly different.

With the GlobeMed chapter at the University of Rochester, for example, college students set up a global health club at a nearby high school and are incorporating both GlobeMed and Allowance for Good curriculum in the work they do with those students. Another student at the University of Texas at Austin, who connected with Allowance for Good through the GlobeMed network, is working to establish an Allowance for Good chapter at a high school near her university. Successful operation of a partnership means being aware of the needs of each partner and collaborating in order to best serve both organizations’ missions.

4. Termination or Institutionalization

A huge challenge to partnered organizations is turnover. I’ve been growing this partnership between Allowance for Good and GlobeMed for about a year now, but I’m leaving Chicago in just a couple short weeks. Sometimes when key leaders leave an organization, a partnership may be terminated. While we’re fairly confident that the GlobeMed and Allowance for Good partnership can exist without me here (as sad as I am to go!), we recognize that if and when our partnership ends in the future, it will not mean failure. On the contrary, terminating partnerships often means that initial goals have been accomplished.

The most important thing to remember when building a sustainable, long-term partnership is to nourish relationships. All partnerships are not meant to last forever, but if members of each organization are truly invested, they will care enough to pass the partnership along to the next generation of leaders. By investing in the actual people you’re working with, the missions of both organizations will thrive, and the partnership is sure to flourish.