Beyond the check: The Patterson Foundation’s approach to innovative philanthropy

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Andy Ware

We are offering a series of one-credit courses during the upcoming winter session on a variety of topics led by prominent practitioners in their fields, and we’ve been looking at each of these new courses in further detail, including this one from The Patterson Foundation.

By: Debra Jacobs, president and CEO, The Patterson Foundation

In 2009, The Patterson Foundation (TPF) Governing Board and I had the opportunity, responsibility, and flexibility to work together to formulate the guiding values of a new foundation.

Unlike so many independent foundations, we were working from a blank sheet of paper. An unrestricted charter. After 10 years of learning and evolving, it is an honor to share some experiments tried, lessons learned, and successes underway via a new one-credit winter course, Beyond the Check: The Patterson Foundation’s Approach to Innovative Philanthropy.

When TPF was first starting, there were many voices sharing what they thought should be done. We choose to focus on what could be done. This approach has led TPF to undertake philanthropic work in ways others cannot, will not, or are not doing.

With an emphasis on building trust, working across sectors, and communicating strategically, The Patterson Foundation knows things look different in our offices than in many other foundations. As part of TPF’s Advancing Philanthropic Leadership initiative, our team has been energized by working with the possibilitarians at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in discovering new ways TPF can share what we’ve learned with the leaders of tomorrow, as well as having the opportunity to learn from students of all levels through courses and the TPF Fellows Program.

I would encourage you to join me for this course if:

You are interested in how philanthropy acts when it comes from a place of collective abundance rather than scarcity.
You plan to be a leader in the philanthropic space and are interested in the possibilities surrounding catalytic thinking and creating value beyond the check.
Network building, values-driven work, and the importance of strategic communication are intriguing topics.
You’re not sure what the inside of a foundation looks like, but you’d like to know more.

Over the six-week course, I look forward to sharing what makes The Patterson Foundation such a unique place to create possibilities thanks to humans who embrace TPF values. We share a commitment to not arriving with the answers, but learning from and with community.

There is much I can learn from the students at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and look forward to the opportunity to create new realities together beginning in December 2020.

Interested in participating in this new class? Apply here or contact associate director of online programs Luke Bickel for more information.

View our previous course features: Jewish Philanthropy | Storytelling and Philanthropy

Healthcare philanthropy during a pandemic

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Andy Ware

Maureen Hackett and Lisa Kennedy on the First Day Podcast — Maureen Hackett (upper left) and Lisa Kennedy (upper right) joined Bill Stancykiewicz on the First Day from The Fund Raising School podcast.

Recently Bill Stancykiewicz, director of The Fund Raising School, sat down with Maureen Hackett, founder and president of the Hackett Family Foundation, and Lisa Kennedy, chief philanthropic advisor to the Hackett Family Foundation, to discuss healthcare philanthropy during a pandemic. The following is a transcript of their conversation.

Bill Stanczykiewicz (BS): Healthcare is in the news like never before during this pandemic. What’s the story with healthcare and philanthropy? This is the First Day from The Fund Raising School, and I’m joined by Maureen Hackett. Maureen is the founder and president of the Hackett Family Foundation, and she also is the leader of the Hackett Center For Mental Health.

And Maureen, there’s so much that you have accomplished in your career and in philanthropy. I want to make sure that I clearly describe your significant impact including at our school, at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, where Maureen endowed the Eileen Lamb O’Gara Chair, which is for the professional, the academic, who leads our Women’s Philanthropy Institute studying gender distinctions and charitable giving.

And that’s just one example of Maureen’s generosity to our school. And so Maureen, thanks so much for being with us here on this First Day with The Fund Raising School.

Maureen Hackett (MH): It’s a pleasure.

BS: And along with Maureen Hackett we’re joined by Lisa Kennedy, who serves as the chief philanthropic advisor to the Hackett Family Foundation. Lisa, thank you for being with us as well.

Lisa Kennedy (LK): Yeah, thank you, Bill.

BS: Maureen, let me start with you. You’ve been engaged directly with healthcare philanthropy for so many years with your generosity, with your leadership, helping people innovate. What are you seeing now during the pandemic? What’s the same? What’s different? What trends are you seeing now as the whole world is aware of health conditions in this remarkable way?

MH: Well, at a personal level I’m finding myself pivoting actually in my giving and thinking a little bit out of the box. I will continue to give at the rate that I’m giving, but maybe I’ll change to vaccine research. That’s my pivot.

Policy’s been a big part of my life for a long time, mental health policy particularly. So now I’m thinking it is my role and my duty to get something to the market faster to prevent this from happening again. Take care of all the sick people that we have. So that’s one area that I think some people are stepping up to the plate.

They’re volunteering. If they can’t give funding, they can give time. They can get on the phone. They can take care of people taking care of people. So that I think we’re going to see a change. I think while COVID has been an incredibly terrible situation, I think that there’s a little silver lining in that I think healthcare is going to have to step up to the plate.

BS: Well we wish you the very best success with the vaccine, the sooner the better, of course. How is it different from your previous healthcare philanthropy? Have you always been supporting these very direct interventions? Were you providing support more at a macro level? How is that similar or different from your previous giving in this sector?

MH: You know, previously I’ve given for brick and mortar. I have built hospitals. I’ve built clinics, outpatient facilities, these types of things, and probably about right after Hurricane Harvey hit, I had spoken with my family and the Family Foundation, and Lisa was involved in this conversation.

If I was going to make a lifetime gift and try to make a difference, it wouldn’t be in brick and mortar and it wouldn’t necessarily be in patient care, but it would be at a much higher level. I wanted to take it to the state and then take it to the federal government to allow access to healthcare, not just mental healthcare, primary healthcare as well. I was really worried about the children affected by Hurricane Harvey who are still traumatized to this day.

So it’s changed. It’s changed from supporting art and cultural events. You do what you’re supposed to do as a corporate wife. You host a lot of galas and these types of things. I did that. It was fun. It’s over. I love the people that do that. They hold a special place in my heart. I don’t have to do that anymore, so now I really want to really make a difference at the federal level, and I think that’s probably been my biggest switch is into policy.

BS: Well all of your generosity’s been impactful throughout the years. What I’m hearing from you though, is now after Hurricane Harvey, now with the pandemic, are you wanting to see an even more direct impact? You talk about a vaccine. You talk about changing federal policy. There seems to be an immediacy, which is a word that comes to my mind.

MH: Absolutely. We are on fire as a country. We are way behind in healthcare, way behind Europe and so many other countries, and there’s no excuse for that. We have a lot of money. We have a lot of researchers. We have brilliant clinicians. We just have hit a bottleneck in providing this care, not for people like myself, but for people that live in the Gulf Coast region, in rural areas who can’t get the care that they need, and frankly, their lifestyles have to change in order to be healthy and live longer lives, and it is immediate. It’s on fire. The nation’s on fire.

BS: Lisa, the same line of questioning for you as you intersect in these circles. What were you seeing in healthcare philanthropy on February 29, and then what are you seeing now when everybody became aware of the pandemic in March?

LK: Yeah, it’s been kind of an interesting change, looking at it from both the perspective of a foundation that is giving money, but then also being familiar with development and fundraisers and what’s happening within the profession. So, it’s interesting. I was thrilled to see that the Hackett family was ready to jump in there and do something immediately.

I think one of the great things that we’re seeing right now is that a lot of the funders are willing to do something above and beyond what their current philanthropy was. They’re looking at nonprofits and initiatives and projects that are outside their normal scope, and so I think for fundraisers, it’s also very important to figure out how your program and your institution are relevant to what’s going on in healthcare today.

BS: And Lisa, you advise the Hackett Family Foundation. What advice do you have for donors overall? We know a lot of dollars have gone towards, for example, food assistance. Food banks are telling us they have thousands of brand new donors unsolicited, for example, but can I make a donation to help make ventilators? Can I make a donation to help create a vaccine? What advice do you have for our donors overall, so they think about wanting to have an impact the way that Maureen described so well is informing her philanthropy now, during this year with COVID-19?

LK: Right. I think staying abreast of what’s going on, and I think a lot of that needs to begin in their local communities. There’s so much going on. I think that is the difference in what we’re seeing with the coronavirus now, because it’s touching lives all over the world. Before, a lot of our funding, and particularly in Houston, was regional, and because we had the largest medical center in the world right here in Houston, there is a lot being developed.

But I think part of the advice that I would give to donors is think about what you’re passionate about, and you don’t have to get away from that particular mission to figure out how that mission is relative to what’s going on today. And have a lot of conversations with the organizations that you’re currently supporting, but then keep an open mind about who is really touching the greatest number of lives, and that may be regionally or nationally.

BS: And in terms of what’s relevant today, Maureen, you talk about wanting to be involved in the solution with the vaccine as well as federal policy. I also want to ask you your thoughts on mental health. So obviously, your contracting COVID-19 and not contracting COVID-19 is the big headline, but what have you seen through the Hackett Center for Mental Health due to the lockdown?

So, this is not to get into a discussion about whether the lockdown is a good idea, bad idea, should we loosen up sooner, later? No, but the fact that lockdowns did occur, total quarantine for 10-12 weeks in most states, what has happened with mental health? What has that meant for your philanthropy on that particular topic?

MH: Great question. I mean, I think the lockdown for one has definitely affected families, children in particular, totally confused. They already had a fear of death and trauma and grief, and now it’s tenfold. So, a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression.

Another thing to think about with this COVID and mental health is the frontline people. They are totally stressed out. They’re exhausted. And I read the sad story of one nurse committing suicide, just couldn’t do it any longer. So, there is a huge blip up with the mental health incidents, domestic violence, huge. Domestic violence is up. And people are scared to report stuff like that. So, it’s all over the map, Bill, to be honest with you.

We have to work with the police, we have to work with the sheriff, the fire department, all of the hospitals, and we just don’t have enough therapists. I think, as I said, the silver lining to this COVID will be people recognizing that these problems are real and that it’s not a character flaw, and taking a look at seeing your primary care physician, or your dentist, or your dermatologist, and then they saying to you, “How’s your day? How are you feeling? Have you had any low days this week, and can I help you with that?”

So, this is a tremendous opportunity. Yeah, there’s an uptick in mental health incidences. The ERs are packed, packed. Not just with COVID patients, but everybody is feeling this fear and anxiety and depression, everybody.

BS: We teach at the School of Philanthropy that philanthropy is not just giving charitable dollars, it’s also volunteering your time, it’s also using your voice. And in terms of those frontline professionals, I’ve been so moved, whether it’s in Indianapolis, what I’ve heard about in Texas from some family members around the country, when people go circle a hospital and say, “Hey, we’re here thinking of you.” Or in New York City, we see the cheering for the health professionals as they walk to work.

MH: Yeah, yeah.

BS: And you see these people, the tear in their eye, what it means to them. And again, that’s not going to solve all of our problems, but again, it’s a way to express ourselves who work in frontline professionals.

MH: Very powerful. It’s very powerful, yeah.

BS: Maureen, as we conclude, I’d like to ask you, then too, Lisa gave us great advice. She advises things about donors. What about fundraisers, whether it be in healthcare or is there fundraising in this environment, whether they’re directly engaged in healthcare or not? You’ve been so engaged with our school for so many years, what advice do you have for fundraisers in this current environment?

MH: To drive down Lisa’s point. Read everything, get the facts straight, do your homework. And you can get a lot of facts as a donor, call your community foundation and see what they’re seeing. Are people asking where can they give, and then follow up. Follow up. Where can they give their time, where can they give their money, and how they might help. So, my advice to fundraisers is don’t give up. This is the perfect time to press on, but make sure that you’re informed with the facts.

BS: Maureen Hackett is the president of the Hackett Family Foundation, and also the founder of the Hackett Center for Mental Health. Lisa Kennedy is chief philanthropy advisor for the Hackett Family Foundation. Now, we’re so glad to have them with us here on this First Day with The Fund Raising School.

Now, remember, we have TFRS at your Desk. That has been our response to this COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to present the Current Affairs Fundraising series throughout the summer.

We also, one Friday every month, bring fundraisers together from around the country for you to ask your questions, share your stories, vent a little bit, commiserate as needed. We’re glad to provide that once a month, and then we’re still open.

Our courses are still available, primarily online, and you’re also eligible for a Crisis Response Scholarship that can reduce the cost of registration by as much as 50 percent. I’m Bill Stanczykiewicz, and now you are now more up-to-date on this First Day with The Fund Raising School.

Everything is copy: Why storytelling matters, for philanthropy and otherwise

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Andy Ware

We are offering a series of one-credit courses during the upcoming winter session on a variety of topics led by prominent practitioners in their fields. We’ll be looking at each of these new courses in further detail over the coming days, including this one on Storytelling and Philanthropy.

By Alexandra Hudson

When asked how she found inspiration for her work, Nora Ephron—acclaimed writer, journalist, and filmmaker—enjoyed quoting her mother: Everything is copy.

As the world around us unfolds, we are surrounded by fodder for our writing—if only we take the time to look for it. Each new day, experience, and exchange, great or small, holds stories to be discovered and insights to be mined.

From Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, from Melville’s Moby Dick to Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, stories reveal timeless truths about the human condition and human nature. Stories are, and always have been, how we understand our place in the world. They put words and faces to our experiences—and the experiences of those who have come before us.

The word “philanthropy” comes from the ancient Greek term for “love of humanity.” And loving humanity is ultimately what good stories do: they foster love of our fellow persons. By cultivating empathy in writers and readers alike, they show us that our experiences as humans—our loves and our fears, our capacity for greatness and our fallibility—are more alike than not.

And magnum opuses of literary luminaries are not the only works that foster empathy for our fellow man, and are not the only stories worth telling and re-telling. Our everyday experiences also offer stories that, by offering insight into the human condition, help us better care for our fellow man.

But how do we identify the stories worth telling? And how can such stories help us both personally, and in the modern professional realm today?

In Storytelling and Philanthropy, a newly-created class offered for the first time by Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, we will explore answers to these questions.

In the personal realm, this class will offer students an opportunity to learn to see in ordinary events treasures worth mining through writing. Students will learn to look to their own life, as well as experiences of others, to identify useful and interesting narratives.

In the professional realm, students will learn how stories help connect writers with readers in real and personal ways. People are drawn to authenticity, and learning how to communicate authentically has real-world benefits. From clearly communicating a nonprofit organization’s work to better engaging donors and foundations, stories are an important part of personal and professional success. More memorable than metrics and statistics, stories transcend the intellect and stick with those who read and hear them.

Anyone can learn to tell such stories. It begins with bringing more mindfulness to our everyday. Join our Storytelling and Philanthropy class, and begin a journey to learn how.

Interested in the new Storytelling and Philanthropy class? Apply here or contact associate director of online programs Luke Bickel for more information.

Alexandra Hudson earned her master’s degree in public policy at the London School of Economics as a Rotary Scholar, and has served at the local, state, and federal levels of government and policy—including a recent appointment at the U.S. Department of Education. She was awarded a 2019 Novak Fellowship for her original reporting and analysis on civility, public discourse, and civil society in America.

Now a full-time journalist and writer, Alexandra is an in-demand speaker and commentator, appearing frequently on local, national and international television outlets such as CBS, Fox News, and others. She is a regular contributor to USA Today, and also writes for The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, POLITICO Magazine, Newsweek, and other nationwide outlets.

Four key takeaways from the 2020 donor-advised fund report

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Andy Ware

Nonprofits and Donor-Advised Funds report cover

By Kristi Howard-Shultz

In the wake of the twin crises of the global COVID-19 pandemic and an economic recession, how nonprofits perceive and interact with donor-advised funds (DAFs) is particularly important.

DAFs have become an important tool for donors to respond to these crises. In fact, the four largest DAF sponsoring organizations, as well as community foundations of all sizes, reported significant increases in grants from DAFs during the first part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The question of how nonprofits, donors, and DAF sponsoring organizations work together has never been more vital.

A new report, Nonprofits and Donor-Advised Funds: Perceptions and Potential Impacts, was published October 7 by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy with funding from Schwab Charitable. The report, which examines nonprofit organizations’ perceptions of and experiences with DAFs during the past three years, is based on a two-part research study conducted by the school that included a national survey of nonprofits and in-depth case study interviews with nonprofit organizations.

No matter your level of personal experience with DAFs or your organization’s current use of DAFs as a giving vehicle, it is essential to understand donors’ and nonprofit organizations’ perceptions of them. Perceptions not only affect how and when DAFs are used, but impact policymakers’ decisions about rules and regulations, thereby influencing the long-term efficacy of DAFs as a philanthropic vehicle.

How donor-advised funds work

DAFs are a type of planned giving, and the process for contributions made through DAFs can be described as a three-stage process. In the first stage, donors make a tax deductible contribution to their personal DAF account held by a sponsoring organization. The second stage of the process is triggered by the donor, who can suggest or advise the sponsoring organization to make grants to other 501(c)(3) public charities recognized by the IRS. Lastly, the nonprofit organization receives the grant as a check from the sponsoring organization.

DAFs provide numerous benefits for donors, particularly those in the middle-upper income bracket, including tax benefits, assistance with liquidating contributions of non-cash assets, low administrative costs and increased administrative support, and the option of anonymity.

Benefits and concerns

In addition to providing numerous benefits to donors, DAF giving also provides a multitude of benefits to the nonprofit organizations. Our study found that many nonprofit organizations believed that larger gift sizes, the ability to reach wealthier donors, and receiving unsolicited gifts were positive aspects of DAF gifts.

In addition, organizations who had received a DAF gift in the past three years were less concerned and more encouraged about DAFs, suggesting that experience with DAFs is associated with more positive perceptions of them.

However, nonprofit organizations have some concerns about DAFs disrupting their relationships with their donors. Lack of direct contact with the donor was perceived to be the biggest issue with DAF gifts. In some cases, organizations could only communicate with the donor through the sponsoring organization. In these cases, opportunities to thank, steward, or re-solicit the donor were seen as missed.

Recommendations

The results of the report brought forth a number of recommendations for nonprofit organizations:

Expand your attempts to solicit gifts from DAFs
Nonprofit organizations that explicitly solicited for DAF gifts–for example, by talking to donors about DAFs, talking to DAF sponsoring organizations, or including information about giving through a DAF in fundraising communications–received DAF gifts at a higher rate (87 percent) than nonprofits that had not solicited for them.

However, 42 percent of organizations that did not solicit DAF gifts also received them, suggesting that nonprofits may need to understand and be prepared to accept and process gifts made via DAFs, whether or not they actively solicit such gifts.

Easy ways to do this include adding a widget on your website to accept gifts from DAFs and including an option for giving through a DAF in your print and online communications.

Have a process in place for tracking DAF gifts
Gifts are typically received in the form of a check from the DAF sponsoring organization. Therefore, in some ways, receiving a gift from a DAF differs little from receiving traditional cash or check donations.

However, there are nuances to processing gifts from DAFs, such as crediting both the sponsoring organization and the donor that nonprofits need to address to ensure proper tracking, acknowledgement, and reporting of DAF gifts. Many organizations shared that they “soft credit” the donor and “hard credit” the sponsoring organization for the gift. This makes it easier to thank the original donor properly.

For example, organizations can have template thank you letters for donors who give through DAFs that recognize that they recommended the gift without including tax deductibility information. Providing tax deductibility information in response to a gift from a DAF can confuse donors.

Familiarize your staff with the benefits and limitations of gifts from DAFs for both your organization and your donors
Many nonprofits, particularly smaller organizations, still lack a basic understanding of how DAFs work and what limitations are applied to DAF gifts. In particular, many survey respondents were confused by IRS regulations about whether DAFs can be used to fulfill pledges, purchase memberships, or qualify for other benefits.

DAFs cannot be used to make a donation in which the donor advisor receives any direct benefit; in other words, DAFs cannot be used to purchase memberships, buy tickets to a fundraiser, gala, or other charitable event, or to pay for any other items (e.g., silent auction items).

However, in 2017, the IRS clarified that DAFs can be used to fulfill pledges with some restrictions. Making sure your staff understand these limitations and sharing them with donors can help avoid confusion and inspire confidence in the donation process.

Connect with sponsoring organizations
Nonprofits surveyed indicated that they were interested in strengthening and personalizing their relationship with DAF sponsoring organizations. While strengthening this relationship requires work on both the part of the sponsoring organizations and the nonprofits, there are some things that nonprofits can do to begin opening the channels of communication.

Nonprofits can reach out to their local community foundations that sponsor DAF accounts and can explore resources offered by national sponsoring organizations such as Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or Nonprofit Philanthropic Trust.

From there, you can work to learn what donors typically want from nonprofits that are trying to solicit them through DAFs; what procedure sponsoring organizations use to process a gift after a donation is triggered by a donor; what priorities DAF donors have; and how nonprofits can tell sponsoring organizations, especially national sponsoring organizations, about their needs.

There is still a lot to be learned about how nonprofit organizations perceive and interact with DAFs. However, this research provides a jumping-off point for nonprofit organizations to improve their experiences with DAFs.

As the popularity of DAFs continues to grow, the benefits and challenges nonprofits encounter when working with DAFs will continue to be an important conversation in the philanthropic sector.

How does your organization handle DAF giving? What have you learned?

Kristi Howard Shultz, founder of Kristi Howard-Shultz Consulting, is a nonprofit executive that leads with head and heart. With 20+ years of experience working for nonprofits including nationally-known, time-tested institutions like The Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs, she has worked in nearly every capacity of fundraising throughout her career. She has a proven track record of success in board and fund development, campaign management, and capacity building. She has built a strong reputation within the community and is sought after for her industry expertise and thought leadership. Kristi is a natural relationship builder who loves to put plans into action. Championing “firsts” for organizations is her specialty.

New winter course explores contemporary American Jewish philanthropy

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Andy Ware

contemporary American Jewish Philanthropy course

By Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim, Ph.D.

Faith-based and ethnic communities in the United States have developed unique philanthropic practices that reflect their cultural tradition and immersion into the American way of life.

Such is the case with American Jewry who developed an array of charitable institutions and giving mechanisms over the past 150 years. For the first time, this course offers students a contemporary view on American Jewish philanthropy and its growth and change in past decades.

The values and norms guiding Jewish giving in the United States present a unique pattern of philanthropy. The structure of organized Jewish giving over centuries has resulted in sophisticated and complex re-granting activity and the exponential growth of “Friends of” and conduit organizations.

For example, organizations like the American Friends of Magen David Adom, which singularly support the Israeli National Emergency Medical and Blood Services Organization. Overall, while experiencing some dynamic changes, the practice of giving to Israel has been sustained and enhanced in recent decades, resulting in the transfer of tens of billions of dollars to Israeli society and organizations.

Learning about American Jewish philanthropy is learning what a Jewish philanthropist is and what Jewish causes are. It entails taking a closer look into the context, history, and development of Jewish Philanthropy in the United States.

In this class, students will be introduced to contemporary Jewish philanthropy and the organizations composing it. We will learn who represents Jewish communal institutions and review recent trends in representation within Jewish organizations. The course will provide context for the unique organizational structures, giving channels, and methods used by Jewish philanthropists. As well as how these actors operate during crises and emergencies.

We will take an in-depth look into the innovations in Jewish giving, the growth and development of Jewish charitable practices, and diasporic giving to Israel. We will also investigate the changes to values, norms, and belief systems ingrained in American Jewish giving.

Furthermore, the course will highlight challenges and barriers confronting Jewish philanthropies and chart a roadmap for understanding and working with Jewish communal institutions. Finally, it will spotlight recent trends and developments in the Jewish community and their impact on Jewish Communal Institutions.

An important part of the course will be providing a critical approach to the study of ethno-religious community philanthropy. To that end, we will explore the Jewish community role as a progressive philanthropic entity and its leadership in philanthropic innovation and giving models.

Understanding American Jewish philanthropy is knowing how community, faith, culture, and heritage create together a unique ethos of giving that grows and adapts over time as a community transforms. This course will provide students with an understating of this process and the tools to study one of the most fascinating philanthropic communities in the United States.

Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim , Ph.D., is the deputy director at the Ruderman Family Foundation and is a visiting scholar at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. Hanna completed her Ph.D. at the School of Social Work and Social Welfare at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with a focus on philanthropic studies. She joined the Ruderman Family Foundation after completing a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at Brandeis University while specializing in the study of Jewish philanthropy.

Acknowledged worldwide as the expert on American Jewish philanthropy, Hanna’s work has been supported by several universities and research institutes, as well as American and Israeli foundations. She authors scholarly peer reviewed articles, media publications and professional reports and is frequently quoted in national and international media outlets.