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CONTRIBUTE BLOGS
04/02/2009 18:22
by Marcia Stepanek
When in Britain last week at
the Skoll World Forum, I was
referred to a recent article
in The Observer written by
Joss Garman, the 24-year-...
03/02/2009 22:35
by Marcia Stepanek
As the recent copyright woes
of Obama poster artist Shepard
Fairey show, there's a war
raging over what some now are
calling a new art form in ...
02/16/2009 07:24
by Marcia Stepanek
I just finished reading an
advance copy of "The Blue
Sweater: Bridging the Gap
Between Rich and Poor in an
Interconnected World,&qu...
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60 Seconds With...
Peggy Rockefeller Dulany
Global Networking
Peggy
Rockefeller
Dulany, 60, spoke with
CONTRIBUTE's Joan Oleck from
her Montana ranch
earlier this fall. Dulany
is the founder
of Synergos,
a 21-year-old consultancy
that facilitates
relationships
among grass roots
and political
and
business leaders.
The Global Philanthropists
Circle—the organization she
and her father, David, cofounded six years ago to catalyze giving
by more than 70 families in 23 countries —is
part of that effort.
Why a Global
Philanthropists Circle?
What we found was that
many Americans would like
to give overseas but don’t
know how to find creditable
organizations. So our idea
was to create a network of
philanthropists, many of
whom are already giving
overseas, and some who are
not yet. At first we thought it
would only attract Americans.
But half of the families
who are members are from other
countries, so in the course of creating
the network, we have been able to
build relationships of trust and mutual
learning so that Americans who
want to give overseas will have access
to great initiatives and great ideas. And
because the U.S. has such a long tradition
of philanthropy, many people in
many parts of the world who are just
starting to give have a great desire to
learn more about philanthropy. So it is
a mutually beneficial learning network.
How many families are involved?
There are currently more than 70 families from 23
countries. Some families have multigenerational
representation, and we do
have quite a few parents and children.
One of our initiatives is called Next
Generation Philanthropists, and that is
for members who are inheritors of
wealth who tend to be younger, between
17 and 35. They have different issues
because they weren’t the makers of
the money, and so it’s an opportunity for them to explore their role. They’re
interested in doing things together; so
they meet primarily with the purpose of
finding things in which to co-invest.
Where are they from?
We have several members from Europe
but we also have members from
Africa, Asia, Latin America; we have
one Russian member, one Taiwanese
member and then, of course, many
Americans and Canadians.
This is a private network, but what
gets you in?
They need to be serious in their interest
in philanthropy. The membership
fee is $25,000 a year but we do a kind
of background check on people who are
interested because we obviously want
upstanding citizens to be members.
How unique is the Circle?
First, ours is a multigenerational
membership. Second, it’s a multicountry
membership, and third, it’s
about the donors, themselves. It is a
safe space where philanthropists can
talk among themselves.
What impact has the Circle had?
I’m always interested in collaborations
across countries. We have one member,
for example, who is from Colombia
and who is very interested in promoting
peace in Colombia. At one of our
annual meetings, she was sitting at the
same table with a member from South
Africa who is very involved in the Truth
and Reconciliation process. And they
got talking. He ended up coming himself
and bringing Bishop Tutu and a
former justice minister and a couple of
members of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission to a meeting of
2,000 people which the [Colombian]
president came to, as a result. It’s
amazing. It came up because they were
sitting at lunch together.
You lead trips by philanthropists to
developing countries.
In Mexico this last year, the group focused
on the environment and water.
We visited a watershed about 10,000
feet above Mexico City, which also
happens to be a nesting place for
Monarch butterflies. It was an amazing
experience. It’s startling to look down
and see the huge expanse of Mexico
City and its pollution and its huge water
problems. Then very close outside
that, you find this wonderful forest,
which has been protected from loggers
by Mexican philanthropists, largely as
a source for the water supplying the city
but also as a site for the butterflies.
What’s next for the Circle?
We’ll be doing week-long retreats at
my ranch in Montana for people who
want to deepen their sense of purpose
and develop their leadership skills
and have an impact in the world.
Do you have kids of your own?
I do; I have one son, who is 30.
And you’re passing this on to him?
I hope so.
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