Events
Fourth Conversation on Money, Race, & Class
August 2, 2012
By John Bloom
Conversation is powerful technology. It can be used to build community, engender trust, transform people, and renew what it means to be human. Such communication can invite a sense of the sacred by the very willingness of participants to delve into deep and complicated topics out of interest in each other, and an openness to be in the tender condition of vulnerability. If successful, one leaves the gathering as a different person, a keeper of others’ stories. When the stories focus on the entwined realities of money, race, and class, and are shared in a group that is cross-class and race, the conversation brings forth extraordinary challenges. The genius is in both acknowledging those challenges and making the safe space to work through them.
On December 9, 2010, RSF hosted the fourth Conversation on Money, Race, and Class. This full-day gathering, brought together a diverse group of fifteen community leaders from the Bay Area. Each responded to the invitation out of an interest in the topics, and opportunity to explore them in an unhurried collaborative environment. Further, each participant agreed to recording the conversation, so that it could have lasting value. Click here to download the full transcript. Each of the participants has reviewed the transcript and has released it to be published. We have tried to create a collectively held copyright in that each participant maintains the right of use, while RSF holds a general copyright for any inquiries.
It is fair to ask why RSF Social Finance, with my leadership, would invite such a gathering. The answer is quite simple. We need to get past not talking if we want to bring about change. Money and the effects of the financial system touch everyone. If we are striving to transform how we work money and how it works on us, then we are called to learn how to have conversations that may be uncomfortable, challenging, sometimes confrontational, inspirational, and include often unheard voices at the table. The stories can be painful, sometimes celebratory—to tell and hear. Imagine someone saying how painful it is to talk about race, but it is a good change from the pain of not talking about it. Imagine, from a position of privilege, absorbing someone speaking of the legacy of shame due to poverty. Or, to be able to own and share a prejudice against people with wealth even as some of those present are wealthy. These are transformative moments, certainly moments of deep learning for me, borne of a willingness to listen deeply, and to being present with each other. Understanding the complexity of human issues working in our economic life is useless without understanding how those issues feel to and directly affect each participant day-to-day.
Patricia St. Onge, our facilitator, helped us set the tone of inquiry and the basic ground rules for the day. She led the first experience, Conocimiento, for which each of us was given a large sheet of paper and a choice of drawing and coloring media. The “task” was to create a picture based on the following: my name and (if there is one) the story behind it; I am from… ; my people are… ; a childhood memory of understanding money and/or family dynamics about money… ; an early experience of economic injustice… ; tracking the changes in my attitudes about money; and, today, money holds meaning for me in these ways….. Following the completion of these works, we did a gallery tour in which each person told the story of their drawing and was then acknowledged by the whole group. What a beautiful beginning way to get to know each other’s story. The thoughts and feelings spoken during this session continued to reverberate through the day.
The Conocimiento was followed by launching into the first conversation question: What is the connection between who we are and what our experience is of wealth, economic need and prosperity—for ourselves and in our community? This question and the issues that emerged through asking it engaged us for the better part of the day. For the latter portion of the meeting, we drew questions from the group, and spoke to them until it was time to close for the day. We closed with a brief sharing of insights from the day, a wish for the group, and a wish for the world.
Following the gathering, we asked for reflections. In response to the question: How were you affected by the conversation? One participant wrote:
“It is so rare to have the opportunity to sit and think and talk about the important issues of our contemporary lives. To have the luxury of time. To have the luxury of a safe space. To have the luxury of both familiar and unfamiliar faces, all of whom are compassionate warriors in the struggle for making the world a better, saner, safer, more loving place to live and grow. The day fed my mind, soul, heart, and body. What a blessing. I’d like everyone on the entire planet to have a day like this. I, who live a privileged (though not wealthy!) life, find this experience so healing. How many millions of people on this planet (whatever their socio-economic status may be) may not even know that being this way is possible? Maybe that’s the transformative moment—to have the lived experience, that this being this way, in conversation, open and thoughtful and compassionate, is possible.”
It is with humility and an awareness of others’ realties that RSF convened this conversation on money, race, and class in collaboration. It is our hope that the wisdom and insights shared in these collected conversations serve anyone wishing to transform themselves and their communities. We are currently editing the fifth conversation held in January of 2012, and are looking forward to planning the next.
Click here to download the 2010 Money, Race, and Class Transcript
To learn more about this event and review past transcripts visit http://rsfsocialfinance.org/impact/reimagining-money/
John Bloom is Senior Director, Organizational Culture at RSF Social Finance.
Philanthropology 3.0: Power Dynamics in Philanthropy
November 21, 2011
by Catherine Covington
On Friday, November 4, I traveled down to San Mateo to participate in a day-long workshop at the the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The workshop was designed by Emerging Practicioners in Philathropy (EPIP) a group I’ve recently become more involved with as a Steering Committee member. The workshop, titled “Philanthropology 3.0”, is part of EPIP’s new Philanthropology™ Program, a grantmaker education series. The day’s curriculum focused on power dynamics and spurred thoughtful discussion and ideas among the 20 participants in attendance. I left feeling even more energized about the innovative ways RSF is impacting the world of finance and philanthropy and how we seek to change and redefine traditional power dynamics related to grantmaking and investing.
One of the most powerful and interesting parts of the day was the ongoing discussion we had about the ways power dynamics affect and influence philanthropy’s potential for social impact. We each charted and then shared as a group the power relationships between various players in the philanthropic landscape, and almost everyone’s chart had private foundations at the top of the chain of command with individual donors, community foundations, non-profit organizations, and non-profit service recipients following in that order. The prevailing theme demonstrated that many people feel there is a direct correlation between money and power. We talked about why we all put private foundations at the top of the food chain and discovered the main reason is because there is a sense that foundations are the most autonomous and untouchable (except in rare instances of fraud such as the Bernie Madoff scandal) and “too big to fail” when compared with the relative vulnerability of non-profits. For example, if a non-profit, that a foundation previously funded in a certain program area, goes under the foundation is most often easily able to search and find another non-profit service provider to fill that gap. Life goes on as normal for most foundations while many non-profits come and go.
Another important part of our discussion involved defining and challenging our own notions and ideas about power by focusing on the 3 I’s – Individual, Institution, and Interpersonal. It is important to understand the dynamics of each player and their role across multiple systems and networks, recognizing that at any one time, there may be conflicting goals, values, language, and ways of working. It was a chance for many of us to reflect on our personal leadership styles, our relationships with our managers, and the ways in which we interact with people in positions of authority inside and outside of work. We engaged in valuable peer-to-peer learning by troubleshooting difficult situations that arise in our work lives and shared best practices and tips about how to deal with common challenges where power dynamics are involved.
An unexpected but welcome interruption from Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s CEO, Dr. Emmett Carson, generated even more discussion. Having authored more than 100 published works on philanthropy, Emmett has devoted almost his entire career to philanthropy and to being a catalyst for social change. He sat in and listened to our workshop for a while before we invited him to speak and share advice with the group. He emphasized the importance of acknowledging that people and institutions do have power in certain situations. For example, whether you are a CEO, board member, community foundation, manager, parent, etc., you have the power and ability to definitively say “yes” or “no” in certain situations. He suggested that when you do find yourself in a situation where you have the upper hand for whatever reason “own your power and be aware of it, and above all, make sure people feel like they are heard and respected.” His advice to a foundation or grantmaking institution was to “make sure that where you are focusing your power and influence is consistent with your mission, that you are transparent in your decision making, and that you do what you say you are going to do.” One of his closing challenges was for us all to ask ourselves how we can best exercise the positions of influence in which we find ourselves in a transparent and meaningful way that maximizes the potential for positive social impact.
While nothing I learned during the workshop was new or necessarily earth shattering, it was such a great opportunity to reflect on my position in philanthropy and the work of RSF. I kept thinking of RSF not as a “powerful” organization per se, but an organization positioned to make a deep and broad impact on the fields of philanthropy and finance. RSF is better described as “impactful” because of our broad and growing client base, the community we have created around shared values and interests, and the innovative ways we embody our mission through the products and programs we offer.
Two examples of the unique ways we at RSF seek to create impact are our Shared Gifting and Social Investment Fund programs. In both instances, we studied the traditional power dynamics involved in both the grantee/grantmaker and borrower/investor relationships and sought to experiment and shake things up. In Shared Gifting, we give the grantees complete authority and power to say “yes” or “no” to one another, and in our Social Investment Fund, we bring investors and borrowers together to talk about and decide the appropriate rates of interest during our quarterly pricing meetings. Talk about turning traditional power dynamics upside down! I am inspired because I feel that as our number of investors, borrowers, and grantees grows, the potential for greater, collective influence in partnership and collaboration with our client community will grow as well, creating a dynamic recipe for powerful and systemic impact.
Catherine Covington is Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
Celebrating Rudolf Steiner: A Recap
October 28, 2011
Over 500 people gathered at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Club last month to celebrate the 150th birthday of Rudolf Steiner, RSF’s namesake and inspiration. We were joined by others who have been inspired by Steiner’s thinking and body of work, and the day was full of interactive panel discussions, workshops, Biodynamic treats, eurthymy, and more! Below are some photo highlights of the event.
Stephanie of Filgreen Farm, in Boonville, CA pretties her display of biodynamic produce.
From a stimulating panel on Transforming the Way the World Works with Money: (l -r), Jeffrey Westman, Michael Davis, Sabine Shaffer, and RSF CEO Don Shaffer. Not pictured, Indigenous Designs CEO Scott Leonard.
Valarie Baadh Garrett leads students in a Spacial Dynamics workshop
What's so funny about biodynamic wine? Thanks to Frey Vineyards, Benziger Family Winery, Paul Dolan Vineyards, and Small Vines Wine, we got to find out!
Here's a peek at the main hall and its community engagement tables. Festival attendees chatted with folks representing Biodynamics, Waldorf Education, RSF, and other Steiner-inspired fields of work.
In the spirit of celebration, Paul Dolan, a pioneering biodynamic winemaker, poses with a picture of Rudolf Steiner. There's a cake too... it was a birthday party after all!
Have you heard about Conversation Maps? We posed a question and were heartened by the responses!
A crowd of children captivated by the Magic Lantern Marionette Show. Who knew the Frog Prince was so popular?
Cynthia Aldinger, founder & ED of LifeWays North America, conducted a Caring for the Young Child workshop and got people up on their feet!
Guided by intuition, people placed seeds throughout the day and co-created a Seed River.
Thank you to all who attended and participated! For those of you interested in hearing panel recordings — Robert McDermott, Paul Dolan and others spoke — you can download them here.
The 2011 RSF Borrower Gathering and Community Supported Transformation
September 27, 2011
by Reed Mayfield
In July, over twenty RSF borrowers convened at the San Francisco Waldorf School for our third annual RSF Borrower Gathering. One would be inclined to describe the energy of the group as “engaged and enthused.” The feeling is mutual amongst the many people with whom there exists a direct relationship based on reciprocity and common values – RSF staff & board, investors, donors, partners, and friends. We fondly refer to this group as the RSF Community. This community is united by the impact we collectively bring forth into the world, the transformation we seek. The impact is evidenced in a number of ways: supporting Fair Trade practices, organic alternatives to store bought foods, Waldorf Education, environmental stewardship, food security, social finance, and much more. Among all this activity, progress is made with the creation of innovative and transformative ideas, through co-creative conversations. The RSF Borrower Gathering is an excellent representation of one of these conversations.
Over the course of one and a half days, the RSF Borrower Gathering brought together a variety of RSF borrowers, all with extensive hands-on experience in building successful non-profit and for-profit social enterprises. Borrowers shared insight into their respective industries from many different geographic areas and across all three of RSF’s Focus Areas (Food and Agriculture, Education and the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship). During a session titled “Engaging Your Local Economic Community,” moderated by Raphael Bemporad of BBMG, a panel of RSF borrowers discussed the many innovative ways they engage with their communities. Jessica Rolph of HappyBaby, Jason Graham-Nye of gDiapers, and Denise Hamler of Green America shared the thought processes and methods that have contributed to the stellar communities grown around their organizations. Denise said that to advance your mission, “know what you do well, and find out who is good at what you need.” Jason spoke about how gDiapers corporate culture extends beyond the walls of their offices and also about their use of social media to communicate with customers. Jessica discussed the importance of utilizing community engagement in their decision-making process and how the business truly took off when they “really began to listen” to the HappyBaby community.
Other highlights to the gathering included:
- A presentation on Co-Creation from Raphael Bemporad of BBMG, a “brand innovation studio” focusing on “sustainability, technology, and social purpose.” Click here to read more.
- “Managing an Intelligent Organization” with Dale Rodrigues from Mary’s Gone Crackers.
- Break-out sessions with RSF’s senior management team and industry sector experts.
- Updates about RSF, including the Social Impact Assessment Project, new initiatives, and the future of the organization.
- An evening reception held at the CompoClay Showroom and Resource Center with RSF investors and staff.
The gathering was held at the San Francisco Waldorf High School. The school is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Project, and is currently working on its Gold Level Certification. RSF is deeply appreciative to the school and staff who allowed us to use their beautiful facilities.
Each member of the RSF community is a cornerstone in our organization. If there were no value-aligned investors how could social enterprises maintain their values when seeking financing? Without the high-impact borrowers, would capital be channeled to organizations our investors would not be proud to support? The Annual Borrower Gathering is an example of how RSF utilizes community, transparency, and direct personal relationships to achieve our mission of transforming the way the world works with money. This event continues to grow in both size and content each year, bringing new borrowers, investors, and staff together to generate valuable learning experiences and to build stronger relationships. Thank you to RSF Community for contributing to the success of the 2011 RSF Borrower Gathering.
Reed Mayfield is Lending Assistant at RSF Social Finance.
Barn Dance Raises the Sustainable Food Movement
September 19, 2011
By Kelley Buhles
On the side of Highway 1, in an old Redwood Barn, members of the Bay Area’s local sustainable food movement, along with RSF, gathered in July to strategize about the future of their work and to celebrate their amazing achievements thus far. Attendees contributed to a potluck of local foods and a DJ played bangara, hip-hop, latin, and soul to a lively crowd.
But this barn dance wasn’t just for fun. The genesis of this event was at the first meeting of the RSF Food and Agriculture Shared Gifting Fund. This program is working to transform the way philanthropic dollars flow to charitable projects in the world by having the grantees themselves determine how funds are directed. Seven organizations from around the Bay Area were selected to participate in a day long meeting where they shared their stories and needs. It culminated in them collectively deciding how to best use a grant of $50,000. To read more about this meeting check out this newsletter article.
During the granting process the participants decided to grant money to support another convening along with partners, collaborators, friends and family to discuss transforming the food system followed by a celebratory potluck and barn dance. Pie Ranch, one of the participants, offered to host this event on their educational and sustainable farm. Movement Generation, another participant, was requested by the group to facilitate the conversation on transforming the food system.
Approximately 30 participants joined the conversation consisting of the original seven non-profit organizations, as well as partners they invited to join. The group was a great representation of all of the people working in the sustainable food movement in the Bay Area including farmers, development directors, activists, teachers, volunteers, and community organizers. The facilitators from Movement Generation helped us to define the roles we play, the tools we use, and to strategize about how we can transform the current food system into a healthy sustainable system. While it was apparent from the conversation that there is still a lot of work to do, the meeting helped to connect a larger group of people, organizations, and approaches that are working towards the same goals and identify our commonalities.
After the conversation, the potluck and barn dance began! Michelle from Movement Generation started off the dancing by leading everyone in some traditional Bhangra dancing. Oscar Grande then took over playing a great mix of world music, hip-hop, latin, and of course Michael Jackson. Oscar works with PODER (People Organized to Demand Economic and Environmental Rights) and leads a DJ collective/co-op as part of PODER’s grassroots economy work.
Although we didn’t walk away with a clear strategy on how to transform our food system, we were all made aware of the need to think about new ways of coming together, building community, and talking about sustainable food issues. It was also a great symbol of the uniting of urban and rural and of reclaiming the land. I like to think of the community barn dance as a vision for what a sustainable food movement could look like.
Kelley Buhles is Philanthropic Services Manager at RSF Social Finance.
Fall Conference Season in Full Swing
September 8, 2011
By Melinda Cheel
‘Tis the season for conferences, gatherings and events inspired by the desire to improve our communities, our country, and the world through better business practices and meaningful investment opportunities. Social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and local food advocates all take stage this time of year and RSF is geared up for the festivities. We’re hosting, sponsoring and participating in over a dozen events this fall. The following highlights some of the upcoming gatherings. Visit our Where We’ll Be page for the full list of what we’re up to in the coming months.
SOCAP11 kicked-off on Tuesday, Sept 6 and is happening at Fort Mason in San Francisco until Friday evening. SOCAP is a multi-platform organization dedicated to the flow of capital towards social good. It’s an obvious fit for RSF and we’re proud to sponsor the conference. Don Shaffer and Leslie Christian, CEO of Portfolio 21 Investments, are leading a SOCAP Special Session to announce and present a new white paper, A New Foundation for Portfolio Management. Don and Leslie will also be speaking about the paper at a B Lab webinar on September 29.
On Sunday, September 25, RSF is celebrating the life and legacy of Rudolf Steiner at a festival in Golden Gate Club in the Presidio. If you’re in the San Francisco area, join us from 11am – 4pm for organic & biodynamic food & wine, a Marionette show, gardening activities, Dr. Hauschka skin care treatments, a talk with Paul Dolan and so much more. Check out our event page for more information.
In early October we’ll be in New Orleans for SRI in the Rockies (no longer only in the Rockies). 2011 marks the 22nd year SRI in the Rockies has been bringing investors and investment professionals together who are working to direct the flow of investment capital in more positive, healthy, and transformative ways. RSF has been a long time sponsor and participant and thrilled to be involved again. Don Shaffer is moderating a panel titled Innovation and Impact: Investing for a Truly Sustainable Future. If you’re planning to attend the conference Oct 2-5, be sure to check out the discussion!
October 12 -14, we’ll be back at Fort Mason sponsoring Slow Money. The Slow Money National Gathering brings together people who are rebuilding local food systems across the U.S. and around the world. More than 1,000 people attended the first two national gatherings—resulting in more than $4.25 million invested in 16 small food enterprises! Don Shaffer will be joined by Joel Solomon, RSF Entrepreneur in Residence and Leslie Christian, Portfolio21 Investments CEO to discuss place-based strategies and the future of social investing. And Taryn Goodman is on a panel titled Mission-Related Investing: Strategies for foundations to invest in small food enterprises. Find out more and register today.
Later in October we’ll be in Philadelphia for back to back to back events. First, the B Corps Champions Retreat starts October 25. The retreat is for B Corp leaders and includes an annual awards dinner. Last year Don was MVP! Second, Investors’ Circle Fall Venture Fair kicks off on October 26. RSF is again sponsoring Investors’ Circle, an organization committed to catalyzing the flow of capital to early stage companies that address major social and environmental problems. Lastly, the Social Network Venture is hosting Movers, Shakers & Changemakers, their annual fall conference. The conference, being held Oct 27-30, will bring together an influential and diverse network of social entrepreneurs from around the world to explore, inspire and create innovative ways to build a just and sustainable economy.
November 3-5, RSF is excited to sponsor Making Money Make Change. The gathering is hosted by Resource Generation and is for young people with wealth who believe in social change. Resource Generation organizes to transform philanthropy, policy, and institutions, and leverage collective power to make lasting structural change. If you know of a young person with wealth, encourage them to get involved!
Melinda Cheel is Senior Associate, Partnerships and Communications
RSF Staff at Work in the Community
August 17, 2011
RSF staff, Flora Valdez (left) and Catherine Covington (right) dig into to the compost pile with instruction from Amy Belkora of the San Francisco Waldorf School
By Caitlin Peerson
It’s 2pm on a Thursday afternoon, and RSF staff members have their hands wrist-deep in dirt—soil, that is! August 4th marked RSF’s second annual service day, where RSF staff members vacate their desks for an afternoon to spend time working with projects that give back to the community. This year, staff members selected two local organizations to work with: the Community Garden Project of the San Francisco Waldorf School, and the Marin Headlands Nursery.
The Community Garden Project of the San Francisco Waldorf School is located at the Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. This unique project is a collaborative effort between the Waldorf school and the hospital, which allows the school children to learn about gardening while providing the hospital residents with a therapeutic farm and garden area. In the garden, raised beds contain a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, but that’s not all that’s alive and well in this space – also in residence are goats, geese, turkeys, ducks, and cats which hospital residents can socialize with as part of an animal therapy
Senior Lending Manager, Ted Levinson with his reward
program. While we were there, we helped till the soil, churn the compost pile, and muck out the animal stalls. It was a tremendous experience with a truly supportive community, and we even took home a few baby carrots as a reward for our hard work.
Lending team members, at work in the nursery
The second location we volunteered at was the Marin Headlands Nursery, a native plant nursery which propagates plants for habitat restoration in the Bay Area. This organization is especially attuned to the needs of the local ecosystem, only collecting seeds from native plants in local watersheds. Back at the nursery, these seeds are processed and sown, species are transplanted, and then the mature plants are used in restoration projects. RSF staff helped with a number of these tasks, and while we were busy processing seeds, we were fascinated to learn that the seeds of the poppy truly do “pop” out of their pod with a small but surprising explosion!
These projects were planned by the RSF EcoStewards, a volunteer group of staff members who meet quarterly to discuss and improve the sustainability of our operations. The group is named after our own focus area of Ecological Stewardship, so it follows naturally that we seek to bring service to our local environment.
Caitlin Peerson is Senior Associate, Human Resources & Organizational Culture at RSF Social Finance.
RSF Quarterly Pricing Meeting: Embracing Community
July 5, 2011
Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm
By Melinda Cheel
‘Direct, personal, transparent, and based on long-term relationships’ is a sort of mantra at RSF. We talk and write about these values often. It’s how we envision the future of finance. In order for that future to be realized we’ve put a number of initiatives in place to engage our community including our quarterly pricing meetings.
Last month RSF held the most recent pricing meeting at the Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm in Santa Rosa, CA. Not only did we have a spirited meeting with RSF staff, borrowers and investors, we also had a phenomenal community dinner on Summerfield’s campus.
Twenty-one individuals gathered for this pricing meeting including representatives from current borrowers Indigenous Designs, Equal Access, New Leaf Paper, Summerfield Waldorf School, Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association and the Sonoma Ashram. They were joined by nine investors from the Bay Area and six RSF staff and board members (who are also investors).
Pricing meetings begin with an opportunity for all participants to say a few words about how they became involved in the RSF community and why the relationship is significant to them. Sarah Hawthorne, an RSF investor of five years, said she desired change and wanted to see more socially meaningful and ecologically beneficial projects in the world. She told the group, “I thought money was one of the best ways I could make a statement.” Jane Hein, introduced to RSF by a friend, spoke to how RSF allows her to align her money with her values and noted, “RSF was everything I was looking for but didn’t know I was looking for until I found it.” Jane’s sentiment echoes that of many people’s introduction to RSF – a realization that investments can make a positive impact and there’s an opportunity to engage with the people behind the projects and initiatives the investments are supporting.
When the conversation moved to pricing there were many thoughtful suggestions and questions about RSF’s interest rate. Discussions at all the pricing meetings has varied but there has been a common theme…appreciation for the community. Not only are the borrowers grateful for the investors and their funds, the investors are thankful for the transformational work of the borrowers, and RSF is of course deeply grateful for everyone’s involvement. The combination of the personal and direct experience of the pricing meetings along with this deep appreciation shared by the participants creates a dialogue one might not expect from people discussing their money. One borrower, after reflecting on the transaction from the investor point-of-view, stated concern that the current 1% may not be enough. An investor expressed concern for RSF by asking if the margin was enough to support our work and growth in the field. Have you heard of investor checking in with their financial institution to make sure they’re making enough? It’s truly incredible to see community members engaging this way.
The pricing meeting marked the eighth such meeting we’ve had since RSF made the decision to change how our quarterly interest rate is determined. Prior to October 2009, we used the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as a benchmark to determine our rate of return. Since then we’ve been using a customized rate established by our Social Investment Fund (SIF) stakeholders — RSF staff, SIF investors and borrowers in our Core Lending program. The SIF rate is then added to a 4% spread (for RSF’s operations) and the resulting rate, named RSF Prime, is the base rate for borrowers. It is not a decision we regret – not only is the new process more aligned with our values, we’ve been able to offer a higher interest rate than if we had continued using LIBOR. For more information on this decision, see this November 2009 post from our President & CEO, Don Shaffer.
RSF staff, borrowers and investors at the June 1 community dinner
With so many of our clients in the area and Summerfield’s gorgeous location we were inspired to have a community dinner following the meeting. We invited borrowers’ staff, additional RSF investors, the Summerfield Waldorf School community and friends and family of all the above. Indigenous Designs, with their home right down the road, brought close to 30 people! It was amazing to connect with their staff, meet their families and speak with some of their other investors. Scott Leonard, Indigenous Designs CEO, commented on his excitement about RSF hosting an event in his neighborhood and his long history with us. “RSF has stood as a creative and supportive financial partner for Indigenous. The RSF relationship continues to reinvent itself in so many positive ways.”
The plan was to have the dinner on the school’s farm but with the unusual June rain we had to move it indoors. Several last minute changes were required but the Summerfield community volunteers were there to make it all happen. (Special thanks to all the helpful Summerfield board, staff & parents!) The rain was torrential that morning but by the time the dinner bell rang, the skies had cleared, allowing a couple dozen people to tour Summerfield’s gorgeous property and see some of the campus highlights including their biodynamic farm.
Jeffrey Westman from the Summerfield Board of Directors and head pizza chef
The menu for close to 100 people included pizzas prepared by Summerfield volunteers and salads from a local restaurant. The pizza crust and sauce came from RSF borrower, Rustic Crust. The toppings included produce that had been harvested from the Summerfield Farm that morning and local, organic lamb sausage made by one of the volunteers. The organic salads came from Peter Lowell’s Restaurant in Sebastopol. (Lowell is a Summerfield alum.) Paul Dolan from Paul Dolan Vineyards and Paul and Kathryn Sloan from Small Vines Wines served biodynamic wines from their respective vineyards.
It was a memorable evening. It’s hard to go wrong with delicious food, incredible wines and lovely company but it was more than that. The whole room was buzzing with a celebratory vibe. The energy was palpable – created from the excitement of the pricing meeting participants and the connection the community members were making to one another through shared values and stories.
I enjoyed my pizza and wine with staff from Summerfield. The interaction provided me with an opportunity to learn more about one of our borrowers and for them to hear about our values and why we hold the pricing meetings. The reaction from the table was unanimous: Wow! We’ve never heard of a financial institution embracing their community and engaging them in conversations like you are. Nor have we! Our pricing meetings are undeniably unique and radical. As we work towards a financial future that honors direct, personal, transparent transactions based on long-term relationships, we’ll continue to explore how we can engage our community in the transformation.
Melinda is Senior Associate of Partnerships and Communications at RSF Social Finance.
Slow Money Northern California: Entrepreneur Showcase
April 4, 2011
By Melinda Cheel
Call for Submissions! Deadline is this Friday, April 8th
What if we invested 50% of our money within 50 miles of home?
At RSF Social Finance we know that people develop a sense of shared responsibility when spending time face-to-face in an effort to care for each other and the places where they live. We view the power of place as essential to a thriving economy. In support of our belief in the power of local economies, we are proud to sponsor Slow Money Northern California’s Entrepreneur Showcase, scheduled for Sunday, June 12 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Slow Money grows investments in local food systems. It is a relatively new non-profit organization dedicated to building local and national networks and catalyzing investment in small-scale food and farming enterprises and local food systems, connecting investors to their local economies, and building the nurture capital industry.
Slow Money Northern California seeks ten food or farming entrepreneurs to present business plans to a wide range of attendees including potential funders and investors, sustainable food and farming organizations, and business development organizations. The Showcase will spark a range of investment conversations, helping to develop funding channels for local and sustainable food enterprises.
Who should apply? Food and farming businesses seeking varied amounts of funding from start-ups to expansions: farms, processors, distributors, marketers, retailers, caterers, composters and support resources.
Apply online here:
http://slowmoneynocal.org/
Location and full event schedule will be announced soon.
Presenting participants will be considered to present at the National Gathering of Slow Money in October 2011 in San Francisco.
**Update**
Slow Money will be hosting another regional showcase in New York on May 16th. Slow Money NYC will be accepting submissions for entrepreneurs in the NY foodshed until April 15th, 2011. Click here to learn more.
Melinda Cheel is Events Coordinator at RSF Social Finance.
Queen of the Sun
March 21, 2011
By Jillian McCoy
In 1923, Rudolf Steiner predicted that in 80 to 100 years honeybees would collapse. His prediction has come true with Colony Collapse Disorder, where bees are disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no clear single explanation. Declines in colonies seen increasingly in the US and Europe in the past decade are now being considered a global phenomenon as evidence appears in China, Japan and Africa.
In 2009, RSF provided a Seed Fund grant to Collective Eye to produce a film exploring the world of bees and their mysterious disappearance. In an alarming inquiry into the insights behind Steiner’s prediction, QUEEN OF THE SUN: What Are the Bees Telling Us? examines the dire global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and philosophers. On a pilgrimage around the world, the film unveils 10,000 years of beekeeping, highlighting how our historic and sacred relationship with bees has been lost due to highly mechanized industrial practices. Featuring Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Gunther Hauk and beekeepers from around the world, this engaging, alarming and ultimately uplifting film weaves together a dramatic story that uncovers the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature.
This award winning film is now in limited release in theaters across the country.
To learn more about the film and find locations for screenings in your area click here.
Collective Eye is a grantee of the RSF Seed Fund. To learn more about this program and to find out how you can help support new and innovative projects like this film, click here.
Jillian McCoy is Communications Associate at RSF Social Finance.
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