Non Ministrari sed Ministrare. “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister”

Wellesley's motto encapsulating its dedication to service and cultivating leadership was first introduced to us as Wellesley students. As alums, we strive to advance this mission in our lives. This event gathered five alums in an informal conversation around how we give to service, to causes and issues in which we are invested.

Jennifer Schwalbenberg (’04) is a volunteer for The Steam Tug Portwey Trust. Portwey is one of only two twin-screw, coal-fired steam tugs now active in the United Kingdom and is docked near Canary Wharf. The goal of the trust is to keep the Portwey seaworthy and safe.

Jennifer is mainly a volunteer on the restoration and maintenance of the tug. She noted that although the trustees are primarily older, white males and the chair and secretary positions of the trust have received little turnover, she is one of the few engineers on the river; steaming up and down the Thames is “what makes her smile”.

Carrie Coombs (’81) is a trustee of The ExPat Foundation, a grant-giving trust founded by Patricia Wolfson ’48 (who passed away in August). The foundation gives about £350,000- 500,000/year to small charities. Since Carrie joined the board, the charity has focused its efforts on improving the quality of life for elderly people, helping young adults, and supporting families and children. Carrie is pleased to be a part of Pat’s legacy and that the focus is on investing in small struggling charities.

Kate Tadman-Mourby (’89) is a volunteer at the Oxford Food Bank. A friend introduced the opportunity, knowing that Kate hates food waste. Environmental concerns are at the forefront of her mind.

The Food Bank collects foods from stores, wholesalers, and the Oxford colleges and makes it available to those in need. Kate is involved in collection and distribution. She noted that the third- largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is food waste. Overall, Kate is enthusiastic about her position and ‘enjoys feeding people’, Anna underlined that volunteering with UWC gave her responsibilities not found in her paid job, for example helping to manage a multi-million-pound budget. Anna spoke about a recent shift in the strategic direction of the UWC. For example, they've found that inserting a young person from a socioeconomically deprived background into leading US colleges was not a working strategy. The charity now focuses on short courses before mentoring a student and then helping him/her into a college. Anna Moses (’13) discussed her engagement with United World Colleges (UWC). She is an alumna of the College in Norway. There are 19 UWCs which operate as a business and charity. Anna has been a director and a trustee, from 2017-19, and is now returning to the board. Initially, she was involved with the selection of British students and was inspired by the role UWC has in changing someone’s life, despite not having an interest in youth or education herself.

Martha Jennings (’80) is a non-profit and private sector business development professional with a background in Silicon Valley tech marketing, particularly in emerging global markets. 

Over the past eight years, she worked with Save the Children UK, UNHCR, UNDP and more recently with tech and social innovation start-ups raising millions of dollars for global health and education programs, developing a new public-private financing platform (GHIT) for the research and delivery of new health technologies, and helping social ventures to scale up.

In January she joined I-DAIR, a new organization that came from Melinda Gates's and Jack Ma’s UN Commission on Digital Equity. I-DAIR brings together key leaders from corporations, governments, and research institutions to develop a neutral and trusted platform for enabling global research collaborations on digital health and AI for health. Martha feels that she's found a place that's perfectly suited to her skills and experience, sitting between the corporate world and civil society. This is where change can happen.

In the group discussion, alums asked the following questions:

What would you change about the entities you work with if you could?

Carrie said she'd change the psychological dynamics of the board. They were concerned that if they wrote big checks they'd run out of money. Carrie feels the money is there to be given away, rather than to be drip-fed.

Martha believes the charity sector as a whole will change significantly in the near future. Philanthropy will become more local. There will be less need for middleperson when you can give directly. Also, charities will need to come to grips with new technology; if they can't they won't survive.

How can we get involved?

Our panelists encouraged alums to get involved in service and charity as early as possible. Employer may offer volunteer opportunities. Jen mentioned Heart of the City; they ask for ask for 10 days of your time each year. Companies that get involved with their programs find they're good for retention and recruitment.

Many boroughs have volunteering opportunities; take a look at local council websites.

An overarching question during the discussion was: what to ask yourself before giving time to a volunteer opportunity.

As one alum said, pick ‘something that tugs at your heart’ or something that ‘makes you happy’. As Wellesley women, we are upskilling all the time, so bring yourself and your experiences to these opportunities.

What should I ask a charity before I decide to join?

One alum suggested taking at look at Joan Garry’s blog; she's a consultant to non-profits with some great insights. She's done an article on precisely this question.

Consider how long volunteers have worked at the organization if the Founder is still the CEO. Don’t feel guilty for saying no or stepping back. It’s YOUR time.

 

We also discussed how charities can best work with corporates. Jen has created a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) working group at her company to increase engagement with charities. Most large corporates will have a similar function. That can be a good place to start.

 

(Left to right): Jennifer Schwalbenberg (’04); Carrie Coombs (’81); Kate Tadman-Mourby (’89); Afshin Zilanawala ’04; Anna Moses (’13); and Martha Jennings (’80)

Platforms discussed by the audience and panel:

The Steam Tug Portwey Trust
The ExPat Foundation: https://expatfoundation.org
Oxford Food Bank: http://oxfordfoodbank.org
United World Colleges (UWC): https://www.uwc.org
Heart of the City: https://theheartofthecity.com
Women on Boards: https://www.womenonboards.net/en-gb/home Local Council may have a volunteer office
Joan Garry: https://blog.joangarry.com/about-joan-garry/
Charity Job: https://www.charityjob.co.uk/
Work for an MP: http://www.w4mp.org/

- Contributed by Afshin Zilanawala ’04