Joan Cleary, Vice President of Foundation and Community Leadership at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation (BCBSMF), offers a warm welcome for people who are new to the field of philanthropy in this “What I Wish I Knew . . . ” video. She remembers very clearly how she got started in the field. After graduate school, Joan did a one year fellowship program with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation designed to introduce recent graduates to the field of health philanthropy. After her one year fellowship, she joined the staff at the foundation for two more years.
While she was there, she found a mentor who not only showed her the best practices in grantmaking, but also introduced her to the values of the field, like respect, integrity, and innovation. As a result of her powerful and informative experience in the fellowship, BCBSMF began its own internship program where they welcome young people, new to philanthropy, to join their staff to learn about the field.
Joan encourages new staff to “listen with an open mind” and think about whether there are important voices missing in the conversation. She says to bring your gifts and passion to this work, because “we can bring our greatest gifts to the world’s greatest needs.” She cautions people to stay grounded, as it’s easy to get burned out, but to remember that you don’t have to go it alone: find a mentor and reach out to others to continue to grow and develop to “bring excellence to this work for the benefit of the community.” Thanks, Joan!
View other videos in the “What I Wish I Knew . . . ” series:
[...] Joan Cleary [...]
[...] Joan Cleary [...]
[...] Joan Cleary [...]
[...] Joan Cleary [...]
[...] Joan Cleary [...]