Although he grew up in a family steeped in the value of public service, Daniel Lurie could have easily parlayed his education and relative privilege into success on the corporate fast track. But he had an epiphany in Iowa while working as a field organizer on the Bill Bradley for President campaign in 2000.
“I was struck by Bradley’s belief that we’re all trying to do something bigger and greater than ourselves,” said Lurie, 30, of the guiding mantra behind Tipping Point, his 2-year-old philanthropic venture that funds Bay Area poverty-fighting organizations.
Shortly after Bradley bowed out of the presidential race, Lurie moved to New York City and put his devotion to social responsibility into practice at the Robin Hood Foundation. But after helping to build more than 40 world-class libraries in elementary schools in two years, Lurie returned to the Bay Area, where he was born and raised, to tackle the challenges of fighting poverty here.
“There are so many people living in poverty here,” said Lurie, who earned a graduate degree from the Goldman School of Public Planning at Berkeley. “Some 600,000, and 170,000 of those are children. Everyone I talked to didn’t know where to go. So we’re connecting donors with effective nonprofits.”
Unlike many traditional philanthropies and grant-offering groups that fund a plethora of nonprofits yet remain somewhat disconnected to them, Tipping Point practices what Lurie called “engaged grant-making” — funding with a hands-on, collaborative approach.
“We believe we have a partnership with the groups we fund,” he said. “We can tell our donors how these groups are doing, but we will do anything we can for our groups — legal or accounting assistance, building them Web sites — by scouting out the best talents in those fields and getting them to work pro bono.”
Tipping Point’s fundraising model is also unusual because 100 percent of its overhead is covered by a four-person board of directors: Katie Schwab, Chris James, Eric Roberts and former football star Ronnie Lott.
“That way all our monies can go to the funded groups,” Lurie explained. “The groups we fund are the ones doing the hard work. We’re just trying to shine lights on these groups so they can continue to improve and better families living in poverty.”
Tipping Point currently funds 12 groups, among them the Homeless Prenatal Program; the Marin-based Canal Community Alliance; the Bayview Child Health Care Center; GGCI, which provides employment training and support for at-risk youths; and Rubicon Programs, which gives opportunities for people to move out of poverty.
“We’ve made a commitment to each of the 12 groups,” said Lurie, “that if they are committed to tracking their outcomes and being more efficient, we won’t ever give up on them.”
Tipping Point’s typical donation is between $50,000 and $100,000. Lurie and his staff researched more than 300 groups and made over 50 site visits before settling on the current dozen recipients.
“We will continue to add groups to our portfolio,” Lurie said. “By the end of 2008, we will have 20-25 groups.”
The average donation to Tipping Point is $5,000, Lurie said, but the range is $20 to $100,000. “In our first year, we raised $450,000. This year, which concludes at the end of May, it will be around $2 million — and this is all non-board member money.”
Tipping Point recently held a fundraiser at Bimbo’s nightclub in San Francisco, which featured a concert by Third Eye Blind, a sit-down dinner for 450 people and a silent auction. It garnered $1.2 million, $400,000 of which came from three auction items.
Lurie’s thirst for public service was nurtured by his parents, Rabbi Brian Lurie and Mimi Haas, and his stepparents, who all made public service central to their lives. Lurie also said that his Jewish heritage and values guided his decision to start Tipping Point as much as his awakening on the Bradley campaign.
“Jewish values are innate to me and I am absolutely proud of my heritage,” he said. “What we’re doing at Tipping Point is what it means to be Jewish: saving a life to save the world. We believe that. If you’re fortunate, as I was, and you’re not giving back, then you’re not doing enough.”
“This is what I love doing,” he continued. “It’s altruistic and selfish. It feels good to create a better community for everyone else.”
For more information about how to donate to Tipping Point’s poverty-fighting nonprofits call (415) 348-1240 or visit their Web site, www.tippoint.org.