Our Blog

The Philanthropy 5: Jeannette Bruno

Welcome to our new blog series, The Philanthropy 5! Each month, we will chat with a Spruce Foundation alumni about their unique perspective on giving, and share the top five takeaways. Jeannette Bruno is one of those people who makes you feel like no matter what happens – she’s going to take care of it….

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How Marketing and Non-Profit Work are Connected

When I first joined the Spruce Foundation as a Philly young professional, I was a little nervous – I had never worked for a non-profit before. I had no idea how non-profits or foundations worked. Sure, Spruce is an all volunteer organization, but being on the board can be like a second job. I assumed…

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Fall into Philly Art

Philadelphia is a city full of art – not just in our stunning art museums on the Ben Franklin Parkway, but on the murals that decorate our city’s streets, in the mosaics in the Magic Gardens and throughout South Philadelphia, in the diverse food scene, and in our area’s schools. Trying to get more artistic…

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2019 Grantee Award Winners

Health & Wellness The Spruce Foundation’s 2019 Grantee for Health and Wellness is Philly Girls in Motion, a small, but continuously growing, Philadelphia based non-profit, dedicated to empowering girls through sports and fitness. Noticing a high demand for young female sports programs in Philadelphia, Beth Devine started Philly Girls in Motion in 2010, which at…

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Looking for a New Way to Give Back this Fall?

We pulled together a list of local volunteer opportunities that align perfectly with Spruce’s core mission—to support Philadelphia youth. Help us make Philadelphia a better place for children to live & grow by checking out the below. Arts: The Village of Arts and Humanities: Village Arts’ mission is to amplify the voices and aspirations of the…

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My Spruce Grantmaking Story

My Spruce Grantmaking Story When I first moved to Philadelphia five years ago, I was looking for a meaningful way to volunteer. A co-worker recommended The Spruce Foundation based on my experience in fundraising and interest in youth-related causes. Now I’m finishing my fourth year on the Spruce Foundation Grantmaking Committee, this year as the…

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2019 Volunteer Opportunities

Spruce believes that our generation has so much to give to the causes we care about, so we put out the call for area nonprofits to advertise their opportunities to get involved in our newsletter. Please read on for this quarter’s opportunities! (Disclaimer: Please note that as an all-volunteer organization, Spruce is not able to…

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The Top 4 Things I’ve Learned About Philanthropy from Spruce

Since joining the Spruce board 18 months ago, I’ve learned a lot about giving – not just my own giving, but giving in general. I took a few moments to reflect on the top lessons I have learned from being involved and engaged with the Spruce Foundation as a young Philadelphia professional and board member….

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Spruce Grantee Spotlight – 12 Plus

12 Plus believes in empowering students to reach their full potential and continue their education past 12th grade. What began in 2010 as a pilot program at Kensington school, quickly grew into a multi-school initiative. Their first program only had 9 students. Now, 12 Plus works with 1500 students annually at partner schools throughout the…

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6 Questions With John Gilbride And Rob Tait – AKA That Awesome Band At Spruce Gala

1. How did you get started with music? What drew you to it? John: When you come from a town like Scranton, Pennsylvania, family is everything. Christmas is everything. I loved Christmas songs and fell in love with the piano listening to jazz records and hearing my aunt play songs on the piano around the holidays….

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