The Philanthropic Family

Here’s what I’m about: philanthropy as a lifestyle, not a year-end check.

Here are the things I value: my family, honesty, compassion, sharing, respect, enlightenment. These values lead me to be a bit of an environmentalist and a believer in Fair Trade, so I’m trying to break the Wal-Mart habit (Damn you, everyday low prices!). I was raised a Catholic, so I have a particular passion for social justice and poverty issues.

The Philanthropic Family is meant to be a resource to infuse everyday life with love of humanity. This translates to many small acts of kindness, teachable moments, big projects and family traditions. To read a bit more about why I started this blog, see Introduction to The Philanthropic Family.

Now that you know a little more about me personally, here is my professional bio:

Sharon Schneider is Philanthropic Director at Foundation Source, the nation’s leading provider of support services for private foundations, where she assists the company’s 900 family foundations to accomplish their philanthropic goals. Along with Page Snow, she co-authored “Strategic Philanthropy: Five Approaches to Making a Difference.” Sharon has been a consultant to dozens of philanthropists, from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to individual donors.

Sharon’s specialty is getting young people excited and engaged in philanthropy through social entrepreneurship, mission-related investing and creative, non-traditional approaches to using our social capital for the social good. She is the author of The Philanthropic Family (www.thephilanthropicfamily.com), offering ideas and inspiration for embedding philanthropy into everyday moments and special occasions.

Previously, Sharon was in Institutional Planning and Evaluation at The Pew Charitable Trusts, a $5 billion foundation in Philadelphia. An experienced presenter and facilitator, she has spoken at the Council on Foundations, Resource Generation, Advisors in Philanthropy and for dozens of charities, donor organizations and others. Sharon also has experience as a grant seeker for the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, OH.

She is currently a board member of her family’s private foundation as well as the Interface Foundation, whose mission is to leverage the power of business and celebrity to bring funding and attention to high impact nonprofits working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. She also serves on the board of the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy and on the program committee of the Chicago Global Donors Network. Sharon received her undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo (summa cum laude) and her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

You can reach me at sharon.l.schneider@gmail.com