Commonwealth Club: Venture Philanthropy Leader Jim Bildner: Turning Hope Into Action

In a world full of seemingly endless challenges, one human characteristic separates those who only see the world’s flaws from those who see its potential for change—and that characteristic is hope. In his new book, A Matter of Hope, venture-philanthropy leader Jim Bildner provides a playbook on what it takes to turn hope into action, sharing inspiring stories of hope transforming lives and the ripple effect it can have on whole communities. The book draws on Bildner’s two decades at Draper Richards Kaplan (DRK), one of the largest global venture-philanthropy foundations, and on the hard-won clarity that comes from profound personal loss. Grounded in real cases from hundreds of social enterprises reaching millions, Bildner weaves the psychology of optimism with intimate stories of individuals finding strength through vulnerability and lessons from social entrepreneurs changing the world. Bildner offers a blueprint for anyone determined to make a dent in our toughest problems—poverty, food insecurity, access to health and mental-health care, education, climate adaptation, justice, and more—by: • Understanding the nature of the problem you are trying to solve. • Analyzing the ecosystem and existing infrastructure. • Defining your end game early so you don’t chase distractions. • Developing your execution strategy: the right people, the right places, the right time. • Knowing who ultimately needs to adopt your solution to embed or institutionalize it, and have a plan—and partners —to do that. A Matter of Hope is written for social entrepreneurs, funders, impact investors, nonprofit and philanthropic leaders and their boards, business leaders driving change, incubators and impact accelerators, faculty, and anyone who wants to make a difference in the world, in their community, and in their lives. Join us to learn how one person’s decision to act can make a difference in another person’s life—and how that, scaled, can move systems. About the Speaker Jim Bildner is the CEO of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK), one of the largest venture philanthropy firms in the world. DRK has made more than 250 investments in early-stage nonprofit and for-profit social enterprises working to solve complex societal issues. Bildner is also an adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.