Hispanics in Philanthropy & the Power of the The Collective Corazon
Fast Pass: Read Ana Marie’s blog post: HIP and the Power of the Collective Corazon
We have been helping Hispanics in Philanthropy listen to their network, weave those insights into a strategic path, and craft a vision for their organization to create the Collective Corazon to advance LatinX issues in philanthropy and through out society.
Ana Marie Argilagos joined HIP as their President and CEO just over a year ago. Her first activity was a listening tour where she asked people about HIP and what she should be focusing on as she stepped into the the leadership of the storied organization. She described it like this:
The first six months were fantastic. I went on a listening tour. I met with members, stakeholders, emerging leaders, trustees, CEOs, and partners. I got to understand the amazing work and the foundation that HIP has laid over the last 35 years. I learned about members’ and partners’ relationships with HIP in the past — what is valued and where we can improve. I could have continued listening for a whole year because there was so much food for thought.
We helped her sift through these notes and added a new series of more formal StoryEngine interviews to get even more insights. We began by interviewing Ana Marie, which lead to great insights, such as:
HIP is moving into an era of transforming philanthropy. Democratizing philanthropy. By that I mean not restricting ourselves to institutional philanthropy, but looking at all the ways that people give. We want to broaden the number of donors that are investing in the infrastructure of their communities. That could be the high-net-worth individuals that are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars into donor-advised funds. Or that can be millennials, grandmas, and other kinds of small investors donating through crowdfunding or giving circles. We’re also exploring the impact investing space, which very clearly is the future. We’re testing and scaling our work around impact investing, especially around entrepreneurship and education.
You can read the full StoryEngine interview. It is a fascinating look at a visionary at the beginning of a new journey in a new organizational home. We used this interview, Ana Marie’s listening tour notes, and further conversations with their network and collaborated with HIP staffer Jazmin Chavez to help craft HIP’s vision for their work in a broader ecosystem of social change movements, organizations, policy struggles, and leaders.
Today we are excited to help launch this vision from Ana Marie and HIP. Ana Marie begins by starting connecting her own journey to HIP to a chorus of voices.
I have had the privilege of a varied and exciting career doing the work I love. Leading Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) feels like the logical and natural progression of this journey. We’ve heard you. You have shaped how HIP is evolving in this complex world. What follows are my reflections, learnings, and vision for how we will move forward together.
She ends with a inspirational call to action:
The heart is a complicated organ. It beats through an elaborate system of tissue, muscle, and cells that work together to pump energy into an even bigger system. This is what we’re building at HIP: the collective corazón.
We are building a collective that is innovative, action-oriented, connected, informed, influential, and ready to act. I want HIP network members to be able to learn from each other and leverage each other’s expertise, strengths, talents, and resources. I want to improve and democratize philanthropy, to make giving easier, more effective, and influential.
I want to build a powerful collective that will allow us to solve problems in a more accelerated, deeper, and sustained way.
I want to continue to listen to and hear from you directly as we move HIP forward, boldly and unapologetic in our commitment to our community.
This corazón colectivo is what HIP is committed to celebrate, fight for, and build. Together we are unstoppable. Will you join us?
