With ~$330 billion sitting in DAFs waiting to be granted, many in the impact space are critical of DAFs. This money has been “granted” for social good, but instead it’s complacent capital, sitting in investment accounts, earning fees for DAF platforms, and often invested in companies that are creating problems rather than solving them. Our August session will explore how DAF capital can be leveraged to do even more good - beyond the grantmaking that most of us use DAFs for and looking at how DAFs are being utilized for impact investing.
Join us for this webinar with Robin Gibbs, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Social Finance, which works with stakeholders to align capital with impact priorities, and Ryan Pierce, Program Manager at Inspire Access, which is mobilizing DAF capital to invest in funds and companies led by and investing in underrepresented founders. Dahna Goldstein, Managing Partner of Halcyon Venture Partners, which leveraged DAF capital to raise its most recent impact venture capital fund, will moderate the discussion.
Speakers
Robin Robin Gibbs
Chief Philanthropy Officer, Social Finance
Robin leads the organization’s philanthropy efforts and coordinates enterprise-wide initiatives to enable Social Finance to achieve a new level of impact, broaden its reach, and raise awareness of its mission. Robin oversees partnerships with foundations and individuals, with a special focus on individuals and families who are excited about new models to achieve impact. Over the course of her career, Robin has advised institutional investors, corporate foundations, ultra-high net worth individuals, and families on investments, grants, and philanthropic gifts totaling more than $1 billion. Prior to Social Finance, she was the Executive Director of Family Philanthropy at Brown University. Earlier in her career, Robin was an Executive Director in the Equities Division of Goldman Sachs and the relationship manager for several of the firm’s top global institutional asset management accounts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Brown University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance, cum laude, from Columbia Business School.
Ryan Pierce
Program Manager, Inspire Access
Ryan Pierce is the Program Manager at Inspire Access. A committed advocate for overlooked and underrepresented founders, Ryan has spent his career fundraising, advising, and supporting early-stage companies. He brings a strong background in venture capital, small business ownership, and founder engagement, with a focus on strategically funneling capital to high-performing, underrepresented entrepreneurs. Prior to joining Inspire Access, Ryan was a small business owner and held several roles across the startup and venture ecosystem. He served as a Growth Representative at Wefunder, a Venture Capital Analyst at The BrainTrust Fund I, an Operations Analyst at Plug In Ventures, and a Co-syndicate Lead at SBLK Ventures. Across these roles, Ryan honed his ability to provide sound strategic guidance to founders while navigating the complex intersections of capital, innovation, and equity.
Moderator
Dahna Goldstein
Managing Partner, Halcyon Venture Partners
Dahna Goldstein is Managing Partner of the Halcyon Venture Partners, investing in seed-stage ventures in health, climate, and equitytech. Her career has focused on the intersections of entrepreneurship, technology, and social impact. She has founded two ventures, served as Chief Investment Officer of the Halcyon accelerator, taught entrepreneurship at Georgetown University, where she is currently an entrepreneur in residence, and written extensively about social impact. Dahna holds degrees from Williams College, Harvard, and NYU Stern, and has been recognized as a Washingtonian Tech Titan, a Washington Business Journal "Woman Who Means Business," and one of Newsweek's "13 Women Entrepreneurs to Bet On."