Charlene & Derry Kabcenell

Charlene & Derry Kabcenell

When the time comes to develop a personal philanthropic plan, where do you start?

That was the question engineers Derry and Charlene Kabcenell sought to answer in the late ‘90s when they set up a donor-advised fund at Community Foundation Silicon Valley. They were looking to expand their philanthropic giving– eventually establishing their own foundation -- but wanted to learn more about grantmaking.

“It’s not necessarily polite dinner conversation to say, ‘Who do you give to?’” Charlene Kabcenell said. “You really feel somewhat isolated.”

When staff members at CFSV told them about a new organization called SV2 whose mission included partner education, they eagerly attended the first meeting and soon signed up for the grants committee.

Up to that point, “Our philanthropy was mostly hearing about an organization we liked and writing a check to them,” Derry Kabcenell said. “We were looking for a way to become more thoughtful and strategic.”

They participated in numerous grant rounds with SV2 and led one on adult literacy. Working with SV2 and CFSV, “we came up to speed very, very quickly,” Charlene Kabcenell said. “We kind of grew with the organization. We learned as they did.”

It was important to the Kabcenells to know that their donations were truly making a difference, which was right in line with SV2’s focus on outcomes. "We approach philanthropy in terms of change," Derry Kabcenell said. "Once you've decided what change you want to see, then you measure the results of a project in terms of whether it moves you in that direction and how far.”

By participating in multiple grant rounds, the Kabcenells became familiar with many Silicon Valley non-profits and with other partners’ areas of interest. This experience and exposure led to some collaborations outside of SV2.

“We were thrilled to find that working with other partners was a really great benefit,” Charlene Kabcenell said. “How they approach their philanthropy, what they think is important – this is a very safe environment, a safe way to have these kinds of conversations.”

Derry Kabcenell agreed. “We went in hoping to learn about grantmaking,” he said. “The thing we didn’t expect that was a big plus for us was forming those relationships.”

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