Magnify Community & The Philanthropy Workshop

Magnify Community launched in 2018 as a time-limited philanthropic innovation lab to encourage more local giving from high-capacity givers in Silicon Valley, by providing the inspiration, insight, and tools to propel their local philanthropy. Magnify was founded on the premise that the work it seeded would grow and endure in other institutions after the conclusion of the initiative. One of Magnify’s pilots was creating a local giving pledge, the Magnify Community Pledge, to help set a new norm around local giving. Pledgers have expanded their local giving, enhanced their understanding of local organizations, and connected with one another. As Magnify Community enters its last phase, the team recognizes the incredible community and momentum that has been generated within this group of donors, and would like to see it continue and expand after the initiative sunsets in September 2021.

Through conversations with multiple ecosystem partners who work with donors in Silicon Valley, Magnify Community has found by far the greatest overall alignment around member values, willingness to partner, and ability to scale the work with The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW). Magnify and TPW have built communities that are rooted in curiosity, purpose, and a willingness to learn and share challenges among peers. 

In addition to finding a new home for the Magnify Pledger community to grow, this partnership also represents a key opportunity for the critical vision and principles established by Magnify to continue to evolve and influence others in Silicon Valley, the broader Bay Area, and beyond, as giving locally becomes a norm for all donors. TPW believes deeply in the power of local giving and convening peers who are committed to supporting their local communities, so they are well positioned to ensure that the momentum created continues to drive impact. As an organization with a long history and engaged membership in the Bay Area, TPW also brings expertise in community-building and learning across many different geographies, and is committed to deepening its own roots and impact in the Bay Area in the coming years.

The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW) is a global network of over 450 philanthropists and social investors (“members”) committed to solving the world’s most pressing social issues. Originally started on the West Coast as a program of the Hewlett Foundation, TPW has deep roots and a long history in the Bay Area, first as a pure donor education platform, then as a donor education and alumni network. Today, TPW is a community of individuals and families in the Bay Area and beyond who seek to leverage their time, talent, resources, and networks for sustainable impact. TPW partners with every member to support them on their philanthropic journey and to accelerate their work through a combination of learning programs, peer groups, partnerships, and action-oriented approaches to impact.

TPW members are a thoughtful and strategic group of individual high- and ultra-high-net-worth philanthropists and social investors, predominantly from the US, Europe, and Canada—with more than a third of members based in the Bay Area. Collectively, TPW members recognize the importance of funding locally in their own communities, and many choose to fund nationally and globally as well. Regardless of geographic focus, TPW members join with the aim of learning and sharing what works in social impact in order to develop effective strategies and understand different approaches to core funding, grantmaking, and impact investing. They are eager to better understand where their time, energy, and resources are best spent in the near- and long-term in order to respond to and address key systemic issues.

TPW members are not generally full-time grantmakers and work across a broad range of issues and interest areas and join at different points along their philanthropic and social impact journeys, from those just starting out to others who have deep knowledge and experience to share. They are entrepreneurs, first generation leaders, next generation leaders, family foundation leaders, business and corporate executives, individuals, and families—all of whom are committed to learning and impact.

The TPW team shares many of the Magnify team’s close ties to Silicon Valley and Bay Area funders, as well as nonprofit, social enterprise, and social impact partners and leaders. TPW is also in the process of hiring a new Managing Director, Americas West, who will bring local Bay Area expertise and connections. Additionally, the TPW team will hire a facilitator with deep knowledge and local expertise to guide and support the Silicon Valley Action Lab discussed below. To ensure a smooth transition, the Magnify CEO will consult with TPW on a part-time basis through the end of 2021, as well. Magnify Community is also working closely with their ecosystem of partners, to ensure those relationships and referral networks transfer to TPW.

TPW’s largest group of members is in Silicon Valley and the broader Bay Area. The team has long been committed to nurturing local expertise, connections, relationships, and resources for their many members who are committed to giving locally as part of their strategies. COVID has further increased TPW members’ focus on giving back to their own communities, and likewise further deepened TPW’s strategic focus on local giving.

Magnify's goal in this transition is to ensure that the local giving norms and Pledger community that have been fostered by Magnify have a place to continue to grow, thrive, and influence others, and to deepen the Pledger network’s impact and commitment to local communities. The process is designed to bring the best of the Magnify and TPW communities together by growing the group of champions for local giving and bringing best practices in philanthropy forward to drive greater impact where it’s needed most.

TPW will bring its unique skill set and proven track record in building community among donors and invite Magnify Pledgers to engage in TPW in the following ways:

1. Silicon Valley Action Lab: Drawing on its existing “Action Lab” model, TPW will create a new peer group that regularly convenes Pledgers and local TPW members to share ideas and best practices, and learn together from local nonprofit and philanthropic leaders. This new “Action Lab” will carry forward the model of community briefings and resources that Magnify Pledgers have come to trust and depend on, with a structure that TPW has proven to be effective in fostering greater impact, learning, and connection. TPW, with consultation from Magnify, will hire an expert facilitator with local Silicon Valley and Bay Area knowledge and expertise to lead the group, with strong member leadership and input. The group will also maintain a listserv for ongoing communication, sharing ideas and investable opportunities, asking questions, etc.
2. TPW Membership: Magnify Pledgers are encouraged to officially onboard into TPW and engage as full TPW members with access to all programs, peer groups, and community resources that support strategic, trust-based giving and investing.
3. TPW Team, Resources & Support: The robust TPW team will support the learning and development of Magnify members as it does for all its TPW members, including offering advice, tools, and resources. TPW is hiring a new Managing Director, Americas West, who will bring local expertise and connections to support members. As a local expert, the Action Lab facilitator will also be available to offer targeted advice and local knowledge to participating members of the Silicon Valley Action Lab who share an interest in local giving.

Yes, much of Magnify’s programming will live on and evolve with additional local individual donors and family foundation funders from TPW joining the group. As part of its broader community engagement, TPW offers a regular cadence of speakers, from nonprofits and partners, as well as experts in the social impact space. In addition, through TPW’s Action Lab structure, Pledgers will be invited to participate in regular briefings on local issues and opportunities, similar to Magnify’s briefings. TPW also offers weekly opportunities for Bay Area members to come together for informal dialogue and to address challenges or areas of interest, just as Magnify does. Should Pledgers who join TPW show interest in receiving curated giving opportunities from other local partners and funders, TPW can explore continuing this practice as part of the Action Lab.

Other aspects of Magnify’s philanthropic innovation work, such as its tools, curation, community engagement, and narrative-shifting efforts will be carried forward by other allied organizations, as well.