How individual donors and institutional grantmakers can practice high impact philanthropy
A panel of funders discusses how they practice high impact philanthropy.
Recorded Thursday, January 25
The 2024 High Impact Philanthropy Toolkit is a primer on the practice of intentionally using private, philanthropic resources to serve the public good. This launch webinar, sponsored by Fidelity Charitable, explores how to practice high impact philanthropy — philanthropy for social impact.
Moderated by Carra Cote-Ackah, Goldman Sachs head of philanthropy engagement and legacy planning, the conversation includes perspectives on high impact philanthropy from our founding executive director Katherina Rosqueta and alumni of our High Impact Philanthropy Academy: Rob Kaufold of Arlington Family Offices, Sharlene Kemler of the Loveland Foundation, and Danisha Patel of the Long Arc Foundation. Join us for a candid discussion about sources of evidence, linking cost and impact, the four philanthropic plays, and nonprofits to support.
Welcome by Elaine Martyn, Fidelity Charitable senior vice president of the private donor group.
About the panelists and moderator (in alpha order)
Carra Cote-Ackah is a senior fellow at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy. She teaches in the Center’s executive education programs and serves as an advisor for work in impact investing, family philanthropy, environmental issues and other areas of expertise. She was a co-author of the Center’s paper, Program-Related Investments: Is There a Bigger Opportunity for Mission Investing By Private Foundations? and has co-authored several Center reports on U.S. domestic issues.
Carra presently serves as Head of Philanthropy Engagement and Legacy Planning at Goldman Sachs. In this role, she leads the firm’s comprehensive philanthropic strategic offering and customized educational programs to support multigenerational legacy and stewardship.
Rob Kaufold is Director of Philanthropic Services for Arlington Family Offices, one of the nation’s leading multi-client family offices. He brings advanced knowledge of philanthropic strategy, extensive experience in trust and asset management, and nearly 30 years of experience in financial management to his role as a board member.
Rob’s career has been defined by his work to connect the expertise of the family office world to philanthropy. He began his career as a CPA in the fields of accounting and finance in the insurance industry and joined a family office in 2006 as the Controller of Marshall Street Management, LLC. He served as Executive Director of the Hemera Foundation and President and Chief Risk Officer for Cauldera, LLC from 2011 to 2023.
Sharlene Kemler is the founder and CEO of SK Philanthropy, an award-winning consulting firm that is redefining how culture and giving intersect in the humanitarian space. Since starting SKP in 2014, Kemler has managed campaigns for Ben & Jerry’s, UN Women, Procter & Gamble, Viacom and Grey Global Group. She has advised The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, The Loveland Foundation, Keep A Child Alive and numerous other organizations on sustainable strategic development. In addition, she has established strategic partnerships for Burton Snowboards, BET, MTV, NowThis, and led a World AIDS Day takeover in Time Square. SKP has facilitated numerous celebrity partnerships, including such household names as Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, Juanes, Snoop Dogg, Pyer Moss, Madonna, Saint Heron, and Alicia Keys. Since starting SKP, Kemler has raised over $150 million in both donations and donated services for her nonprofit clients.
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Sharlene Kemler was recently named as one of ten honorees for the inaugural Black Women Give Back List—a partnership between the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, The Women Invested to Save Earth (WISE) Fund, and Black Philanthropy Month. Her work has been featured in Elle, Billboard Magazine, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, The Root, the Obama Foundation and CNN. Kemler is committed to inspiring both companies and individuals alike to rethink the ways they give, with a focus on community-based solutions, long-term sustainability, and meaningful impact for the communities that need it most.
Sharlene is focused on creating consistent coalitions that will provide sustainable giving over years, leaving the piecemeal donations that have so long plagued the philanthropic world in the past. Kemler believes in bringing companies and nonprofits together to make true and lasting change benefiting communities that are all too often denied institutional support. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Sharlene Kemler currently lives with her son and husband in Brooklyn, New York.
Elaine Martyn is senior vice president of the private donor group at Fidelity Charitable. She has dedicated her career to the pursuit of justice, health, and dignity for all through strategic advocacy, policy, fundraising, and grantmaking in the US, Europe, Asia, and the United Kingdom. She has been a lifelong advocate for refugees, immigrants, medical education and women’s economic empowerment and rights, and has a passion for the arts.
Elaine is passionate about family philanthropy, impact investing, international grant-making and values-based giving, and oversees a
philanthropic strategies team who support donors make over $5 billion in annual grants.She previously served as vice president of development at Global Fund for Women and leverages her experiences in executive roles at Refugees International, King’s College London, the British Medical Association, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School to formulate strategies which help ultra-high net worth donors achieve their family and philanthropic goals.
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Ms. Martyn double majored in medical studies and English literature and communications at Gannon University, and has a master’s degree in Victorian literature from the University of Leeds. In 2013, she was appointed as a special international advisor to the U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary of Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy. One of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen 2018, 2019,
and 2021, she was named one of Save the Children’s Centenary Changemakers for Children in 2019.She has published on topics including equal opportunities,diversity and inclusion, values-based leadership, mentorship and philanthropy. She serves on the advisory boards of Prosperity Catalyst, North Carolina Women United and Partners in Health.
Danisha Patel is the Executive Director of the Long Arc Foundation, Chair of the Women of Emory Impact Circle, a Partner of Social Venture Partners Philadelphia, and a passionate advocate for increased equity in education and empowerment initiatives for women. She supports nonprofits centered around women’s empowerment, education, and closing the achievement gap for lower income students. Her philanthropy is committed to creating equity between the funder-fundee relationship and developing strategies that further trust and community engagement. Danisha is a committed member of her local giving circle centered on impact philanthropy.
Katherina ‘Kat’ M. Rosqueta is the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy and faculty co-director of High Impact Philanthropy Academy at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2). Founded as a collaboration between SP2 and alumni of the Wharton School, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy is the premier source of knowledge and education on how philanthropy can do more good. She is a frequent writer and speaker on philanthropy for social impact and was the recipient of the 2012 Wharton Women in Business Distinguished Alumna Award.