Emergent Philanthropy
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Beth Gallagher, CAP®
Beth Gallagher—a social impact practitioner, thought leader, and advisor—founded Emergent Philanthropy as a natural progression in a career dedicated to connecting people, organizations, and resources to help make positive change and strengthen communities. Whether advising individuals, families, foundations, or businesses, she leverages her deep experience to effectively help clients clarify their values, set a philanthropic vision, and then strategically move from intention to impact.
For more than a decade, Beth led social impact and charitable initiatives at Aon where she developed and implemented programs, strategic frameworks, policies and solutions that delivered the firm’s social impact goals. She led Aon Foundation operations and the firm’s U.S. charitable giving programs ($12 million annual budget) including grants, sponsorships, disaster relief, employee matching gifts, scholarship programs, and business unit contributions. As part of that work, Beth managed a partner portfolio of more than 150 strategic global, national and Chicago nonprofits.
In a leadership role with Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, she advised 225 affiliate companies—most of the Fortune 500—on their corporate responsibility, DEI and ESG strategies. She brought insights to corporate leaders using custom benchmarking and helped them leverage best practice approaches to develop high impact strategies for employee and community engagement. In addition, she designed, produced and delivered thought leadership that illuminated key trends in the sector.
Beth has served as a coach, mentor, advisor, and supporter to myriad nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and their executives and is a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow. She earned her Master's degree from the University of Chicago and BA from Portland State University.
our vision for the world
abundance
A world of shared prosperity where we embrace sustainable practices that benefit both people and the planet.
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equity
A world where there is equal access to opportunities, resources and the ability to thrive.
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justice
A world where fairness, accountability and human rights are upheld for all.
working with us
We recognize that each client is unique and we pride ourselves on developing bespoke philanthropic solutions. We begin our journey together with a spirit of openness and genuine curiosity. Rather than being prescriptive, applying standard playbooks or simply dispensing advice, we view our role as facilitators, guiding you through a process of self-discovery and collaborative problem-solving.
Together, we craft a fully customized strategy informed by your philanthropic goals. Our approach empowers you to take ownership of ideas and solutions while welcoming new insights and opportunities as they emerge.
Because we believe that strong relationships are the cornerstone of effective philanthropy, our process emphasizes building deep connections with you, your team and the communities you serve. Our goal is to empower you to move philanthropic resources in ways that are responsive, effective and satisfying.
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testimonial
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