#203 Do You Have the Requisite Experience to Make Your Money Matter? Learn How the Bullitt Foundation Addressed This Question When They Hired Denis Hayes as President (Part 1 of 2)

Do Your Good

Denis Hayes, Chairman and President at Bullitt Foundation, joins Sybil to share his experiences growing up in the 1960s during a turbulent time in American history and how his quest for purpose and meaning led him to co-found Earth Day. 

Sybil encourages philanthropists to consider the need for someone with specialized knowledge, like Denis, to guide their giving strategy.

Episode Highlights:

  • The social and political context of the 1960s in America
  • Insights for philanthropists on finding experienced advisors for impactful giving

Denis Hayes Bio:

Denis Hayes is an environmentalist and a long-time champion of solar & renewable energy. He rose to prominence in 1970 as the coordinator for the first Earth Day. He subsequently founded the Earth Day Network and expanded the event to 180 nations. Earth Day is now the most widely observed secular holiday in the world.

During the Carter Administration, Hayes was director of the federal Solar Energy Research Institute (now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Hayes then became an adjunct professor of engineering at Stanford University for several years, and also practiced law in Silicon Valley. Since 1992, Hayes has been president of the Bullitt Foundation in Washington and continues to be a leader in environmental and energy policy. He was the principal developer of the Bullitt Center, judged by World Architecture Magazine to be "the greenest office building in the world."

Hayes has also served as Executive director of Environmental Action, Director of the Illinois State Energy Office, Visiting Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Fellow of the Worldwatch Institute, Fellow at the Bellagio Center, and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Bosch Foundation.

Hayes has received the national Jefferson Awards Medal for Outstanding Public Service as well as numerous other awards. Time Magazine named him as "Hero of the Planet" in 1999; the NYT profiled him as its Newsmaker of the Day; and Life Magazine selected him as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century. His newest book, COWED: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America's Health, Economy, Politics, Culture, and Environment, was published by W.W. Norton in 2015.

If you enjoyed this episode, listen to these as well: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/175-be-effective-at-supporting-nonprofits-to-work-together/id1556900518?i=1000652465880 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/174-special-strategies-to-enhance-donor-relationships/id1556900518?i=1000651750997

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