April 13: The Settlement's Board - Past and Present
I read with some dismay--and envy-- a recent NY Times article affirming the reality that very wealthy philanthropists found seats on the boards of cultural institutions to be "highly coveted," with significant required entry- and annual-contributions...
For sure, major philanthropists also contribute enormously generous amounts to educational institutions and even to some social service organizations, occasionally using intermediaries, trusts or foundations to channel those contributions. But it made me think that there was a time in this city's history when settlement houses and other similar organizations were the primary beneficiaries of the emerging philanthropic class, with seats filled by the most prominent families from all demographic sectors of society. Consider some of University Settlement's earliest supporters: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, Jr., Jacob H. Schiff, Henry Holt and Carl Schurz.
University Settlement's Board of Directors continues to have very generous members who ensure the survival of our organization and provide the stable balance between private and public funds essential to our fiscal structure. Just check out the names on our web site, led by Board President Alan Winters. What several of these directors have experienced is that a sizeable donation to University Settlement actually has a formative and long-lasting impact on the quality and range of services we provide to the communities we serve. The dollar-for-dollar impact cannot be equaled by grants to larger institutions further up the coveted non-profit food chain. The premier cultural institutions of this city certainly need to be supported and rely on huge donations, but University Settlement has also played a significant role in the history of this city and, in fact, the nation.
As we enter our 125th year of serving New York City, we are asking ourselves, where are all the people and families who made it in America only after having passed through the Lower East Side, receiving from University Settlement the tools and resources that set them on the path to success? And where would they be now had University Settlement not received such robust and dedicated support from our country's top philanthropists?
We are fortunate to continue having such a committed board eager to see the fruits of their hard work in the success stories of the families we serve every day, and we consider our board seats to be as coveted as any of those listed in the newspaper.
For sure, major philanthropists also contribute enormously generous amounts to educational institutions and even to some social service organizations, occasionally using intermediaries, trusts or foundations to channel those contributions. But it made me think that there was a time in this city's history when settlement houses and other similar organizations were the primary beneficiaries of the emerging philanthropic class, with seats filled by the most prominent families from all demographic sectors of society. Consider some of University Settlement's earliest supporters: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, Jr., Jacob H. Schiff, Henry Holt and Carl Schurz.
University Settlement's Board of Directors continues to have very generous members who ensure the survival of our organization and provide the stable balance between private and public funds essential to our fiscal structure. Just check out the names on our web site, led by Board President Alan Winters. What several of these directors have experienced is that a sizeable donation to University Settlement actually has a formative and long-lasting impact on the quality and range of services we provide to the communities we serve. The dollar-for-dollar impact cannot be equaled by grants to larger institutions further up the coveted non-profit food chain. The premier cultural institutions of this city certainly need to be supported and rely on huge donations, but University Settlement has also played a significant role in the history of this city and, in fact, the nation.
As we enter our 125th year of serving New York City, we are asking ourselves, where are all the people and families who made it in America only after having passed through the Lower East Side, receiving from University Settlement the tools and resources that set them on the path to success? And where would they be now had University Settlement not received such robust and dedicated support from our country's top philanthropists?
We are fortunate to continue having such a committed board eager to see the fruits of their hard work in the success stories of the families we serve every day, and we consider our board seats to be as coveted as any of those listed in the newspaper.
