Joanne GreensteinA Fellowship with American Express Philanthropy Department
I’ve now been interning in the American Express Philanthropy Department for a little over three weeks. It’s taken a little while to get into the swing of things and adjust to being on a regular work schedule again but I’m really coming to understand why people love working at this company so much. It’s also my first real introduction to corporate America and, more specifically, corporate philanthropy. Coming from a nonprofit background and now having completed my first year at CBS, working here has been great exposure to seeing how the worlds of philanthropy and business intersect. But I know I have a lot more to learn. Throughout the summer I hope to learn about the entire process that a grant must go through (from letter of inquiry to follow-up and evaluation), the decision process about what to fund, how budgeting is done, what role the Foundation boards plays, how the philanthropy department works with other departments and how the main office in New York City works with the other Amex offices around the country and the world.
I have already been able to learn a bit about funding decisions from participating in letter of inquiry and grant application review meetings. In evaluating letters of inquiry from potential grantees many factors come into play. Funded organizations must not only have sound social missions and efficacious programs, but funded projects must also align with one of American Express’ three giving themes: community service, cultural heritage and leadership development.
My main responsibility for the summer is working on the philanthropy component of a joint marketing and philanthropy project called Members Project (www.membersproject.com). Members Project is basically a cause marketing endeavor that engages socially-minded American Express card members. Card members submit “make a difference” types of ideas and, eventually, after a thorough selection process, ideas are chosen and implemented by nonprofit organizations ($2.5M will be disbursed amongst five projects with $1.5M going to the top project). My main tasks are to match projects with organizations and to liaise with those organizations. I think this role will expand my knowledge of the nonprofit sector and utilize my communication and organization skills.
Since the bulk of my Members Project responsibilities do not kick into high gear until the second half of July, I’m now helping as needed with several different initiatives, giving me a much broader view of how the department works. Most recently, I was lucky to help out with the first ever American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy. The Academy was a rigorous leadership development training program run in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership. Twenty-four participants, nominated by organizations such as International Rescue Committee, NPOWER National, Public Allies, Earth Share, National Urban Fellows and Jobs for America's Graduates, were invited to attend. The Academy also utilized American Express’ senior executives to lead sessions on specific business competencies such as customer service, marketing, brand management, and talent and leadership development.
Through the Academy, I was able to attend sessions led by Ken Chenault, Amex Chairman and CEO, John Hayes, Amex Chief Marketing Officer, Mayor Bloomberg and others. The Amex executives’ words seemed especially heartfelt and engaging. It was motivating to hear their commentary and advice on leadership development and to realize that the emphasis American Express places on leadership development translates perfectly into their philanthropic initiatives. Ken Chenault articulated this link in a Fox News interview that can be seen at www.foxbusiness.com/video/index.html (just put his name into the news & video search box).
I was also fortunate to work on another exciting piece of the Academy: Nonprofit Heroes. Each Academy participant had been asked to identify two or three of his or her nonprofit heroes - people who they admire and who inspire them in their daily work. I connected with these nonprofit professionals (sometimes a rather challenging task) and asked them to take on a mentorship role for the Academy participants. It was exciting to engage so many respected nonprofit leaders, to see their enthusiasm for the project and to be part of something that will help the participants grow as leaders beyond the end date of the Academy itself.
Journal 2:
Since I last wrote, my responsibilities and exposure have broadened. Many members of the Philanthropy team have made a concerted effort to include me in even more meetings and discussions. I’ve sat in on several discussions with potential grantees to see how the organizations present themselves and what kind of questions we ask to see if they would be a good fit with the company’s giving priorities. I have been included in meetings with current grantees to discuss their marketing plans and how we can further partner together and I’ve participated in discussions with grant managers to determine an organization’s progress since receiving a grant. I have also met with several American Express staff members outside of the Philanthropy Department in departments such as CSR and Merchant Services to learn about their work in general and their connection to the Philanthropy department.
On July 22nd, the submission phase of the Members Project (my main focus for the summer) officially launched. Accordingly, I have been busy making sure that the Philanthropy department is ready to do our part. I expect August will be a very busy month for us. It is really exciting to see Cardmembers getting involved, submitting projects and participating in the online discussion boards. It’s also nice to see the hard work of all the Members Project team members (from marketing to communications to website development) coming to fruition.
Journal 3:
The fellowship, especially the last couple of weeks, has been a great experience. The main project I was hired to work on, Members Project, launched and I’ve had a lot of opportunity to work hard and to grow in my position.
The Philanthropy Department’s part of Members Project involves matching projects submitted by Cardmembers with fulfilling organizations and vetting, identifying and contacting appropriate fulfilling organizations. It really is a team effort. We have twice weekly meetings in which everyone in the department participates and contributes. In between, everyone has related assignments and deliverables to carry out. Despite their other obligations, the entire philanthropy team has really pitched in and been supportive of me in this endeavor.
I have especially appreciated that my manager has allowed me to take on a leadership role in this effort. Backed up by him, I lead our department’s meetings and report our progress to the greater, multi-disciplinary Members Project team. I keep track of where we are with each project, do the follow-up with organizations and work with my manager and other key players on the Members Project team to problem solve the wide variety of issues that arise. Members Project has also given me the chance to talk with organizations, mostly nonprofit, from around the country. I answer their many questions always trying to keep in mind what is appropriate to share to ensure we are staying within the parameters of the initiative. While answering so many questions can be a challenge when you are trying to get other work done, it is really nice to hear how exciting and innovative they think Members Project is and how grateful they are for the exposure it is providing for their causes and organizations.
I think that this summer has been a perfect introduction to the corporate world and, more specifically, to corporate philanthropy. It has given me the opportunity to call on my strengths, to learn about areas in which I can improve and to work on a project on which I feel like I am making a real contribution. Every time I see a nonprofit website featuring the Members Project logo or see the Members Project commercial on TV I am proud to be part of the team working on it.
