Expertise on Demand

Expertise on Demand is a new Philanthropedia service that acts as a trusted intermediary and connects major donors, philanthropy advisors, and foundations with cause experts who can help fill knowledge gaps quickly and efficiently and channel more money to high-impact nonprofits and projects.

Tactical Philanthropy Advisors CEO and Founder Sean Stannard-Stockton is chair of the steering committee tasked with designing Expertise on Demand. He had this to say about the new service:

“I think a key problem to solve in philanthropy is how to allow sharing of knowledge while protecting access to individuals and respecting their time and privacy. After the Haitian Earthquake, 45% of Americans made donations to support the country. Yet despite numerous foundation professionals, academic researchers and nonprofit senior staff who have deep knowledge about who is doing the best work in Haiti, few if any donors were able to capitalize on this knowledge.

Philanthropedia has quickly established itself as a leading creator of expert networks in the social sector. My hope is that the Expertise on Demand platform can build the trust necessary to facilitate open knowledge sharing while protecting individual experts.”

--Sean Stannard-Stockton, CEO and Founder, Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, Philanthropic Advisor

Other members of the Expertise on Demand steering committee are:

• Glen Galaich, Executive Director, Philanthropy Workshop West
• Katherina Rosqueta, Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy at University of Pennsylvania
• Lisa Rose, Donor Relations Officer, San Francisco Foundation
• Nick Hodges, COO, Schwab Charitable
• Robert Egger, Founder and President, DC Central Kitchen
• Kyle Reis, Manager for Strategy and Operations, Ford Foundation

We would love to get your feedback about Expertise on Demand so feel free to reach out at eod@myphilanthropedia.org!

FAQs

Why is Expertise on Demand a good idea? Philanthropedia’s mission is to improve nonprofit effectiveness by directing donations to high-impact nonprofits. Expertise on Demand fully supports that mission by helping major donors give strategically after consulting with experts in the cause they are passionate about.

Who is Expertise on Demand for? Expertise on Demand is designed for major donors, philanthropy advisors, and foundations that might want to enhance their understanding of an issue through outside experts and make the most impact with their charitable giving. Expertise on Demand is also for experts, who want to channel donations to high-impact nonprofits in causes they know a lot about.

How does it work? We are still developing all the details, but the basic idea is clear: a major donor, philanthropy advisor, or foundation will be able to submit a request to be connected with an expert in a specific cause. After a Philanthropedia staff member vets the request, we will search our database of more than 10,000 experts to find the best fit for the inquiry. Once an expert accepts the request, Philanthropedia will make the connection, allowing major donors to quickly and effectively fill any knowledge gaps.

I am a major donor / philanthropy advisor / foundation. Why should I use this service? If you or your clients are looking to make a major donation to a cause and want to enhance your understanding of an issue through outside experts to find out how to get the highest impact for your social investment, Expertise on Demand can help by connecting you with the right expert. Even a brief conversation is often enough to put the prospective donor on the right path to high-impact giving. You can sign up now for our limited beta product starting in October at eod@myphilanthropedia.org. Please give us details about any social causes that you are interested in and your motivation for joining the service.

Who are the Expertise on Demand experts? Philanthropedia builds networks of experts which include foundation professionals, nonprofit senior staff, researchers, policymakers, journalists, consultants and other people with deep expertise into different social causes. We currently have a database of more than 10,000 experts, of which 1,000+ have participated in our research, which ensures that we can find the right expert for most requests.

I am an expert (e.g. foundation professional, nonprofit senior staff member, researcher, policymaker, etc.). Why should I join and what does this entail? Joining Expertise on Demand gives you a unique opportunity to help direct more money to high-impact nonprofits in the cause you are passionate and knowledgeable about. What we need from you is your name, area of expertise, bio, picture, and contact details. Submit them now at eod@myphilanthropedia.org. Philanthropedia will make sure to moderate the number of requests you get and you can always decline a request that you receive via Expertise on Demand, too.

Can you give me an example of a how Expertise on Demand will be used? Let's consider a hypothetical example of a major donor interested in funding the Bay Area education system. That donor, his philanthropy advisor, or community foundation officer will submit a request to be connected with an expert who can help him learn more about that social cause and a particular school or program in which the donor is interested. Philanthropedia will search its expert database to find the best fit and pass on the requests, which experts are free to decline. Once a connection is made, the donor will consult with the expert so he can make a more informed decision about where to donate.

Who is behind Expertise on Demand? Expertise on Demand is a new service by Philanthropedia, a social startup transforming philanthropy, funded by the Hewlett Foundation, founded by Stanford alumni, and a proud partner of TakeAction @ GuideStar. You can find more about us here. We are fortunate to have a great steering committee to help us set up Expertise on Demand, comprised of:

• Sean Stannard-Stockton, CEO, Tactical Philanthropy Advisors and Chair of the steering committee
• Glen Galaich, Executive Director, Philanthropy Workshop West
• KatherinaRosqueta, Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy at University of Pennsylvania
• Lisa Rose, Donor Relations Officer, San Francisco Foundation
• Nick Hodges, COO, Schwab Charitable
• Robert Egger, Founder and President, DC Central Kitchen
• Kyle Reis, Manager for Strategy and Operations, Ford Foundation

OK, I am sold. How do I join and what are the next steps? We will launch the official beta test of Expertise on Demand in October 2010 to coincide with the Social Capital Markets conference. In the meantime, you can sign up to participate in the beta service via the links to the right. Also, if you have any ideas or feedback about Expertise on Demand, we would love to hear them at eod@myphilanthropedia.org.