Episode 93: Estefania Palomino

Join Lori and her guest, Estefania Palomino, Senior Manager of Philanthropic Relations at the United Nations Global Compact, as they explore the vital role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives in today's world. Everyone has a role to play in addressing the pressing challenges of our time, and even the smallest contributions can help pave the way toward a more responsible and inclusive future!

Here are the things to expect in this episode:

• How did Estefania's childhood experiences shape her decision to pursue a career in the philanthropic sector?

• In what ways do ESG initiatives address the most pressing environmental and social challenges of our time?

• The power of strategic thinking and leveraging resources for positive change.

• Some unique approaches to philanthropy Estefania observed in different countries.

• The importance of collaboration and partnerships among various stakeholders.

• And much more!

Estefania’s Email: estefaniapalomino@gmail.com

Estefania’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estefaniapalomino/ 

Episode Transcript

00:23

You're listening to the positive impact philanthropy podcast where we share the journeys of everyday philanthropists as they incorporate philanthropy into their lives. Philanthropy is a personal journey, and through the stories we will share here, we hope that it sparks something in you and how you can make your own philanthropic impact in the world. I'm your host. Lori Kranczer, attorney, philanthropic advisor and legacy gaming strategist. Today we're going to explore what it looks like to be an everyday philanthropist and make a positive impact in the world. Before we get started, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode posted on Wednesdays. Now today, I'm really excited, because I've known this person for a few years since the pandemic. Her name is Estefania Palomino, and she is the Senior Manager of the philanthropic relations group of the United Nations of Global Compact.

01:20

Okay, great. So I want to make sure that we were clear on on your new role. So this is a new role for you. Please share what you're doing now. Yes,

 01:29

so it's, it's a very exciting opportunity, and you know, it really brings together all the things I really love about philanthropy, multilateral organizations and the private sector. So it's kind of a combination of all of those experiences that I've had in the past. So just a brief background. The UN Global Compact is the United Nations agency in charge of creating our relationship with the private sector to make sure that we meet the SDGs. And that is super important, especially in emerging economies, places like the place where I grew up, Colombia, or other countries on the world where the private sector, especially small businesses, make up most of the economy, right? So making sure that these businesses are enacting a living wage that they have and promote gender equality and that they are not polluting the environment. All of those things are extremely important if we want to somehow tackle climate change, if we want to really move forward on social and governance goals globally. So for me, it's been a really amazing, amazing opportunity. I've joined, I've only been there for about four months, but it's been, it's been a lot in terms of sharing with new people, getting to know all of these different stakeholders, and taking into account their needs. And in terms of my everyday what I do is I interact with people like the folks that listen to your podcast, right? So individuals are looking for ways to commit and contribute to the mission of the United Nations, but also institutional donors, institutional philanthropists are looking to scale their projects, and they're looking for partners that can reach the private sector in a unique way, which is what the compact does with over 22,000 companies In over 70 countries. So the reach is, really, is something that I've never been a part of. So for me is, you know, being able to talk to all these colleagues in all of these different countries, working on so many different issues is really fascinating. So alright, so

03:56

we, I want to go through your your journey, your field opportunity, because I know you have a long standing professional journey in this sector, and I just want to answer Lee, are you? Is your focus on climate change? Is

04:10

that what you're doing now?

04:13

That's a great question. We actually focus on the three aspects of ESG, and bear with me with the acronyms, because they space is full of acronyms, right? So ESG, for those who are new to the term, it means environmental, social and governance, right? So when we think about creating a more sustainable world, especially a more sustainable private sector, and we think about those three aspects, so people think, okay, we need to address climate change. And there are companies actually that do really well on their environmental piece, about what about their governance mechanisms that prevents corruption, or what about their social and things like diversity and inclusion metrics. So we really want to make sure that these other aspects of the of the sustainability journey are not forgotten, because again, people kind of tend to focus a little bit on the E, but there's also the s and the G that are so so important, and in particular in emerging economies, where we see a lot of human rights violations. But we also see companies that are, you know, taking a leadership role, and they're really walking to talk.

05:29

Okay, so thanks for sharing that. So,

05:32

so let's go back

05:35

and start from your background, when you first were inspired to get involved in this area.

05:42

Yeah, I think for me, really comes from my childhood growing up, you know, I grew up in a very particular place is called COVID, is the border between Venezuela and Colombia. So one of the key features of my childhood was traveling every weekend to another country, so we would just cross the border. And the reason why is because people there have families on both sides, you know. So I grew up on the Colombian side, but my mother is Venezuelan, and we have a lot of family there. We used to have because, unfortunately, due to the human rights situation in the country, and most of my family fled. But anyways, we had a lot of people there. And back then, in the 90s, 80s, 90s, the situation in Colombia wasn't great. So for us, going to Venezuela actually, was a recipes, and it was a possibility of seeing a more vibrant economy. And, you know, we had access to supplies that you couldn't get on the Colombian side. So for me, that reality of saying, of seeing, first, we're all the same, right? Like these borders are totally arbitrary, and they're created by humans. You know, the core of who we are is we are people who have families, who love each other. We're all connected. And secondly, you know, this ability of seeing what different countries had to offer and how we can always help each other out, right? So whatever we didn't have on the Colombian side, we will get on the Venezuelan side. And then when things are tricky in Venezuela, people from my family would come to Colombia and to see, for example, medical care, right? So and so that's so spirit of solidarity is what really inspired me to find a career in this space. And weirdly enough, you know, with the interaction with different different countries and people from different backgrounds, I think that's the path that definitely led me to the UN and because that's, you know, that's the kind of people that I interact with on a daily basis, the teams couldn't be any more diverse, but yet, there's something that unite us all, and finding that is something that I've always looked for, and it's something that I love exploring.

08:17

And so it and you've has a few different stops along the way, which are really interesting, and I think probably led to also just developing your value system and helping direct where you want to sort of land. Now at the UN so can you share a little bit about where you've you've been a long way? Because I think it's really helpful for some of our listeners to understand it's not always going from I want to do this to all sudden, finding that that ideal place for you to make that impact, sometimes there is, you know, some some little some pit stops along the way. Yes,

08:49

and I think I've been pretty much everywhere in my journey. I've done a lot just like you. You know when, when we first met, I remember, Lori, you were telling me about your philanthropic journey and you being a lawyer as well. So, you know, I think I resonate a lot with combining many different skills and also combining many different sectors. So I am also a lawyer by training. I am moved after I, you know, I grew up in in Cucuta, but then I had to move due to the inequalities, you know, that existed and still persist in my country. Or, you know, to access a high quality education, you have to move to the capital. So I moved to the capital, and I pursued my Lori green there and then after that, I made a few stops along the way in the philanthropic journey, and I started my career working in financial derivatives. Quickly realized that was not the path for me. But, you know, while I was at that law firm, I ended up doing a lot of pro bono. Then I did a bit of human rights litigation. I support entrepreneurs as part of the law firm that I created with friends, we supported a lot of small businesses creating and helping them create and run their businesses. And then after that, I pursued my law degree here in the US, and I worked in global health and philanthropy for a long time. I would say that the first stop in philanthropy for me, and how I ended up working for this and so probably, especially your international listeners, would probably resonate with this, that philanthropy looks very different depending on you know where and who you're talking to you. So I had no idea that there was some things like these massive foundations that were created and and sponsored in a way by these high net worth people. And once I finished my law degree, I was actually, I actually applied to one of those, and that was my first job in philanthropy with the WIS foundation. It was a fantastic experience, but for me, it was really eye opening seeing how the whole sponsorship of smaller NGOs really works. How philanthropies can add value, not just through financial contributions, but also strategic thinking. We can use levels of power to enact change and but yeah, that that's a bit about my journey. But as you said, correctly. Point out there were, there have been multiple steps along the way,

11:44

and I think it adds like, all these layers add to who we we become like through the journey. The journey is not just, you know, start and finish like. There's so much along the way that really helps us evolve to like, how we're we're helping people, how we're supporting organizations, what the kind of work that we're doing so so thank you for sharing that I would love for you also, just to talk a bit more about how you see philanthropy around the world, because, because for our international listeners, and really for the benefit, are the ones that are in the United States, people don't realize it looks very different outside the United States. So if you can share a little bit about differences that you've seen, that would, I think would be really helpful,

12:28

yeah, so I think in the United States the real incentive there's a lot of alignment market incentives, fortunately. So what we see is there's tax incentives or given there's vehicles like the ones you advise Lori, you know, with donor advised funds and private philanthropies and just other types of institutions that philanthropists can or they can add value through a financial contributions in other countries, that's not so clear. And I think if there is a lot of room of learning what works here and from what works here, and really aligning those market incentives, one thing that I would say is that I think in other countries, philanthropies really want to get closer to the impact, which is really inspiring, right? So you see a lot of micro philanthropy in places like Latin America, where the communities get together and they say, we may not have much, you know, we have maybe one or two flagship business successes here and and, you know, those companies can sponsor a bit, and the rest it will be volunteer. And so you have people kind of self organizing to support others, because the sense of community, I feel, is a little bit more clear, right? And, but, but I think it's important to align those incentives and to tell people there's this clear path for you to use your capital wisely and at the same time receive some incentives along the way,

14:14

and incentives, meaning tax or What other types of incentives you're thinking,

14:21

Yeah, I prefer particularly to a tax thing. Mind you, I'm not either an accountant or a tax attorney. You actually know a lot more about that, but I would say this tax incentive is something that really works, and I think beyond the regulation and beyond what you know, what applies to philanthropies here, versus what applies to to them in Europe or in in Latin America or other regions of the world, the the core and of the incentive or folks is almost always human right? This is them trying to create an impact and to make a difference. And I think that's something that you see in every single philanthropy that I work with, and again, independent on where they are at, is always we want to do something. We have some levers of power. There's something that is really interesting that I've seen along my journey, there hasn't been a person, even billionaires, that I've worked with, that has said to me, I have everything we need to enact change. So one thing that is really interesting is like people who are extremely powerful, extremely wealthy, even they are, they acknowledge the gap to, you know, reach their sustainable development goals. It's just we're talking in terms of market value. We're talking about trillions, and we're also talking about creating these, these campaigns are really, really complex. So everyone I work with is I've been fortunate that everyone that I've worked with has been very humble in understanding what's really going to be needed, saying this is what I bring to the table. At the same time, I need to partner with other people. I need to partner with government. There's no way, even as a wealthy philanthropist, there's no way that we can do this without having civil society, without having the small businesses at the table, without having and countries the UN multilateral that's the concept of lovers of power, they find so fascinating. So I think that's the that is probably the threat that connects all of these different countries and all these different philanthropies. Yeah, I

16:48

think so. We don't have time to get into this too much, but this is like a really interesting thought process to go through for for people to understand that it's not only them. It is not just the impact they can make, and that's really important. And we talk about important. And we talk about that a lot with legacy and a lot, a lot of that is true for even within the United States, because we talk about the tax benefits. But usually that's actually further down, like as priorities, when people really think about how they want to give is, you know, I

17:17

think it's like number six or seven on the list of

17:20

motivations to give.

17:23

So it's really interesting. It's widely known that there are tax benefits the United States to give, but it's so interesting that the partnership process and collaborations is so important to create more change. And you know, I always say, you know, you don't have to solve all the problems when, when I talk with individuals, they want to start to do something and make an impact. Start small, but find out who else is doing this work, and start to partner with them. And that's really where you can create bigger change. And I am so happy that you talked about, not only is it individuals and foundations and nonprofits, but then we're talking also about government and UN and all these entities, small business, everyone really has to come to table to create this culture. And that's the way I think that this larger shift is going to happen. But that's just, that's my opinion, so But am I completely off, or is this, this is like a trend that we're we're trying to push along, like this will create change? Yes. Lori, you're

18:29

spot on. That is actually a trend that we're trying to promote. And that's the idea for everyone to come to the table with a humble mindset, saying, This is what I bring. This is why I can access and you know, through my connections, through my lived experiences, my own, you know, resources, but I'm not. There's no way that I can do this alone. And I think that the people who, the philanthropies that come into this field thinking, Okay, I'm going to do this all by myself. Quickly realize that's not the case, that they need to bring other people along. And they need that to create coalitions, really, you know? And it sounds like a big word. Sounds like, Okay, we're going to create a coalition to do this policy, policy change, but it can be at a micro level. You know, you can think about coalitions, and you can think about campaigns at the neighborhood, community level, where you have a neighborhood leaders, and you have people that the small businesses that you know that affect the community in a positive affect, positive change, and you have the youth, right? We always, we often forget about them, the emerging leaders. So it's really about bringing, I think the ultimate capacity of a good philanthropist is that ability to bring people to the table and to be the first one to act what we call first movers, right? So being the first one in and saying, This is my commitment. I'm all in. Who else wants to join?

20:13

Okay, I love that. Alright, so people that are that resonates with them as they're listening to this. What kind of resources or first steps would you recommend that they take to get involved?

20:26

Yeah, it really depends on what kind of change you want to enact in the world, what kind of impact you want to have, but I think in general, talking to, listening to or reading from experts like you, obviously, and other people who are experts in their field. So my recommendation is, for example, if someone is really, really passionate about supporting a small women owned success, right? So my recommendation would be to see, Okay, who else is working in this field. And I would prioritize out of all of the experts in the world, I would prioritize people with two things, first, lived experience and second, proximity to the issue. So of course, you can talk to the academic institutions or all of these wonderful thought leaders. Again, if you talk to folks that are living the problem, that are in the community, that are, you know, every day in it, I think you're gonna get much richer perspective and a much, much more actionable one. And so prioritize that, and then start thinking, Okay, what is it that I can bring to the table? I can bring and, you know, and it's like when we think about negotiations, you have to expand the pie. You cannot only think about this one little thing. You have to read really creative. Because, unfortunately, these, these issues, are really complex. So you have to think, Okay, I bring, I have maybe a little bit of capital. I have connections, right? I can leverage my connections. I also have knowledge and on how to, I don't know, communicate market. And so think about all the wonderful things that you can bring to the table and have a service mindset. Think, Okay, I'm gonna serve in this new philanthropic position. I'm gonna talk to people who are leaving the problem or in it, who are proximate to the problem, and I'm just gonna serve and bring all of these resources to them.

22:44

Yeah, I love that. Okay, so that gives, I think, a lot of really good advice for people to get off their couch and start to take action. Because I think a lot of people don't topic in their head. They want to do more, but they're not actually taking action because they don't know how. But it starts with those small steps. Pick up the phone call someone I don't know, anyone that I've ever spoken with in the philanthropic sector that does any kind of work that would not take questions or a phone call for someone interested in supporting that work. So so please all our listeners, take action. So let's talk a little bit about what you're doing now. Also, let's go back to what you're doing, what you see, um, you know, the the next, you know, six months, one year, whatever you know, the horizon that you're looking at, your goals, that you're looking to do now and then,

23:34

about long term,

23:37

yeah. So what I do on an everyday basis is interact with philanthropies, interact with donors, and really co create programs. So at the UN we're lucky to have kind of the seed funding you could think for many of the projects. So we have member states, and we have also some companies that, through their memberships, contribute to have that baseline of support, which is really fantastic. It's something that you know, when you think about overhead and operation operational expenses, that's something that many organizations don't have. So we're lucky to have that. But then, when you think about these projects that need to be scaled and are serving underserved populations or underserved businesses, basically projects that include folks that are not usually well funded and right? So that's when I think, I come in and I support the UN in really financing those projects, so finding partners to really get scale. So let's just say we have a pilot. We were able to find a pilot around an issue related to climate change or to food security, or to small and medium sized businesses. If we want to bring it to scale, we're going to need resources and partners that go well beyond what our little staff can do. And that's that's something that you know some sometimes people wonder, okay, you're a massive organization. Yes, at the same time, people are, you know, like our teams are divided. They, you know, they all have their mandate. They all have thing that they're working on. And the projects are endless. There's so many projects that we can scale. So thinking about that is, is something that I do on a everyday basis. Of course, I have to clarify. All views are my own. I'm not representing in any way at the organization when I say that, but it's, it's been a fascinating path, and it's very it's a lot of fun to be able to co create with philanthropies and with institutions.

26:00

Do you see any particular metrics that you look at for projects you want to scale like any success metrics like you can tell like this is going to take off?

26:11

Yes, absolutely. And I think first, the first metric that we look at is reach. Is basically okay. We were able to reach this amount of people. They were really engaged. They really loved the educational and technical assistance that the UN provided. And how can we reach more, right? So when we think about scaling, is what's a low hanging fruit? You know, we have chapters in 70 countries. So how can we expand this? And it's just by, you know, maybe hiring a couple of people and thinking about how can replicate, translate a lot of the materials. So it's really not about starting from scratch and reinventing the wheel. Is saying, like, Okay, this thing really worked. Now we can reach many more folks around the world if we just kind of bring X, Y and Z to the table. And it really is very cost effective, when you think about it that way, because you're just kind of learning, you're you're building on lessons learned, right? But I would say is you have to remain very adaptable to what other stakeholders, especially philanthropies, big philanthropies that have this first eye view have to say so for many of the programs and the countries, may have a vision. This civil society may have a vision. Right? The companies are part of the Compact. They may have also their priorities. And then philanthropists come in, and they have their expertise, and they also have very valuable and very informed opinion on where the gap is. And I think that diplomatic work is really navigating all of those interests, which are all values aligned, by the way, which is the greatest thing is everyone here, everyone who's commenting and saying which direction we take, is a really, you know, is a really well informed and a very well intentioned person, because they all want to enact change positively in the world, and then we say, Okay, this is, this is a project that is worth it's more the most catalytic project. There's a million things you can do, but then you have to identify, while listening to everyone, you have to identify really, what's going to drive change

28:45

well. So this is your legacy as your work. I'd love to know what you consider your legacy to be, personally and professionally for yourself. Yeah,

28:57

I've always thought of myself as someone who is here in this world to catalyze impact and to support others like I've never seen myself, you know, even doing this talking in this podcast, is a little bit weird for me, because I never want to see myself as The face or the leader. I've been kind of thrown into this leadership position. She's great. It's fantastic. But I always talk about the impact. It's always like, this is not about me, this is about either the community or the US that we're fighting for. So I always go back to that, and when I think about the partnerships and the resources that I've been able to mobilize, I feel very proud. I feel like, you know, I've been able to do great things, not for me, and again, it's things that I haven't even led myself right. It's things I've been able to direct the right resources too. So I say, like, Okay, I have this amazing organization. I've been able to mobilize either partners or philanthropies to contribute in the millions to it, and also to contribute connections and mobilize the governments around them. So when I think about that, that's something, that's what I want my legacy to be. I want to be known for being that person, probably in the background, a little bit that you know, that is kind of mobilizing and funneling people to a right place so that change can be done faster and more effectively.

30:38

I think that's really important. That you stated that because a lot of people in this sector are doing such important work, and they're not always the face of that project or the philanthropy or wherever they are in the sector, and so there is so much more and so many more people that go into that work behind the scenes that maybe a lot of the public don't aren't aware of. So I so thanks for sharing that, and as of someone who also helps a lot of nonprofits and individuals behind the scenes, I understand that. Well, fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us today. Where can people find out more information about you and the work that you doing? Yeah,

31:18

I think I'll share my contact information with you guys, but I'm an email and a LinkedIn kind of person, so you can just email me, Stephanie at Palomino at Gmail, or you can find me on LinkedIn. I'm super active there, and you can connect, and you'll see all the insights on counseling, sharing, and maybe facilitate some connections to build your campaigns and to build those coalitions that we need to move forward.

31:48

That sounds great, and I can share with the audience

31:51

that you are definitely a connector and a builder. So thank you for that opportunity you're

31:56

providing for our listeners.