Melina Dunham
Development Manager of Ecogenia
Giving Tuesday, which has grown to a global day of generosity, took place on November 27th this year. To celebrate, I co-organized an evening Fireside chat in Athens alongside our esteemed partners, The Demos Center at the American College of Greece, and HALC.
The topic at hand? What role does and can the Greek Diaspora play in supporting and uplifting civil society in Greece? And more specifically, what does this look like for climate action and civic engagement?
The evening brought together around 30 familiar and new faces for a rich and dynamic conversation between Marnie McGregor, Eleni Dellagrammaticas, and Alexandra Choli, which was moderated by Thanos Davelis. Mary Cardaras, Founder and Director of the Demos Center shared welcoming remarks, and I contextualized the evening’s event in Ecogenia’s ongoing end of year fundraising campaign and upcoming service project on Mt. Olympus.
My motivations for this event were many. As a repatriated Greek-American myself, the question of what it means to give back to Greece has been a lifelong one. In my role as Development Manager, recognizing and appreciating the different cultures and norms around Philanthropy in North America versus Greece has been an important part of my work. For these reasons, I was eager to convene such a conversation with relevant people who could speak to all dimensions of the topic.
In thinking about the ideal panelists, I was thrilled when Eleni, Marnie, and Alexandra accepted, as three dynamic women with different ties to Ecogenia and the Diaspora, making for a substantive and worthwhile balance and variation in perspective and input. In her role as Chair of Ecogenia’s Board, Marnie shared, “The work that Ecogenia and other local groups in Greece, the U.S., Canada and other places are doing on the ground is more important than ever, as it is tangible and impactful.” In her role as CSR Director of Raycap, Eleni shared, “The diaspora can come in at the local level. And I think that Ecogenia has been and will continue to cultivate that type of engagement. One that is intentional and sensitive.” In her role as partner of Epagon VC, Alexandra shared, “The reality of our world is that financing is the fuel; rather, what we finance is what becomes. Just by investing in something, you radically increase its probability of success.” All of this was facilitated by Thanos’ expert moderation, making for a conversation that was dynamic and thought-provoking. Most telling was how vibrant the follow-up Q&A and conversation was, with relevant and illuminative reflections, questions, and interjections.
Some learnings and key considerations that I took from the event and was excited to share back with the team and absorb into our strategic thinking were:
- Philanthropy, be it individual or institutional, is most effective when flexible, impact-driven, and is reinforced by a deeper relationship and partnership with the organization;
- Consistent, needs-oriented, and humble community engagement is critical to delivering thoughtful and innovative programs, which in turn are critical to an organization’s success and viability. This requires cross-stakeholder engagement for policy work, program development, and strategic considerations
- Civil society is an avenue for Diasporas to remain active in their countries of origin, second homes, etc. and to not only have an active sensitivity to the reality on the ground and substantively contribute to causes that matter to them, especially in places that they call home.
We at Ecogenia, and personally in my role, continue to learn and evolve as we refine our approach to garnering support for our mission. And this evening was such an occasion. I left inspired, energized, and humbled – not only by the community we have growing around us, but by how many people are committed to being a part of the solution for Greece.
