Washington DC - Danielle M. Reyes, President & CEO of the Crimsonbridge Foundation, shares her insights in three episodes on the Catalytic Philanthropy Podcast by Exponent Philanthropy, as part of their Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy initiative.
As an entrepreneur and long-time leader with 30 years of professional experience in education, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector, Danielle poses a single question for her peers: What would it look like if funders brought their full resources to bear?
In the first episode, Danielle invites philanthropic leaders to think outside the box and reminds us that money alone is not enough to change long-term systematic issues. She observes that social impact organizations want their funders to do more - to step up and take actions that draw upon their unique abilities, assets, and positions.
In the second episode, Danielle shares her insights from developing and leading the LeaderBridge initiative. “Communications is a fantastic strategy for amplifying your work, shining the light on leaders, and showing the expertise and offerings you can bring beyond financial capital.” Danielle continued highlighting how she co-authored three articles with prominent DC-area grantee partners, advocating for why funders should invest in nonprofit leadership development.
In the third episode titled “Going Beyond Scholarships to Increase Student Participation in Tuition-Based Education,” Danielle highlights how the Crimsonbridge Foundation makes strategic investments in schools from kindergarten through college to create welcoming, inclusive institutions that foster the sense of belonging needed to support student success. As a result, these “beyond the grant" strategies not only increased school capacity but student enrollment and family engagement too.
Exponent Philanthropy is the country’s largest association of funders, nearly 1,600 strong, and the only one dedicated to private and public grantmaking foundations with few or no staff, philanthropic families, and individual donors.