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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / May 28, 2026
How I learned a lesson about power
By Pamela Shifman, Democracy Alliance President Our friends at the Kataly Foundation recently launched the “F Word”, an honest and illuminating series about failure in philanthropy. I was honored to be invited to participate and am excited to ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / May 20, 2026
Charitable Platforms Have Empowered Trump’s Attack on Dissent
Originally published by Newsweek on May 19, 2026. By Pamela Shifman and Rajasvini Bhansali Last month, Fidelity Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and Charles Schwab’s DAFgiving360 – three of our country’s largest sponsors of donor-advised ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / March 30, 2026
The crisis hiding in plain sight this Women’s History Month
A letter to the Democracy Alliance community from president Pamela Shifman Dear Partners: Women’s History Month has always been a chance to remember the women whose brilliance and leadership have made our country stronger. But this year ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / June 3, 2025
DA Spring Conference Opening Remarks from Pamela Shifman
Democracy Alliance President Pamela ShifmanOpening Remarks — DA Spring Conference 2025 June 2, 2025 Community, this moment calls us to bring many things to the table. The most important of all is courage. I will never forget being at a ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / May 5, 2025
‘We Have Power Together’: Three Social Change Leaders On Solidarity And What We Can Learn From History As We Build A More Equitable Future
By Marianne Schnall, Contributor. Originally ran in Forbes: May 5, 2025 Reflecting on the historic figures and events that have advanced rights and freedoms in the U.S. can be a meaningful source of inspiration for today’s leaders who are ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / April 9, 2025
‘What did each of us do?’ A call for bravery—and boldness
Solidarity is how we win. Last month, the Democracy Alliance – a network of foundations, individual donors, and unions – took the first trip of its kind for our community, gathering in Alabama to mark the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. With ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / March 28, 2025
Trump Isn’t Defending Women. Women Are.
By Fatima Goss Graves and Pamela Shifman As Donald Trump canceled $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania earlier this month over their policy around transgender women in sports, it could not be clearer that he is not ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / February 20, 2025
The fight for racial justice is the fight for democracy
A letter to DA Partners from President Pamela ShifmanFebruary 2025 Just as we mark Black History Month, we have received sad news. Rev. Dr. Nelson N. Johnson, who inspired so many of us with his powerful words at our 2023 conference in North ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / November 4, 2024
It’s Not Just Swing States That Decide on Election Day
Old thinking about red and blue states leaves us one election from catastrophe. Originally appeared in U.S. News & World Report By Pamela Shifman Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign raised a record-setting $1 billion in the third quarter ...
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Democracy Alliance Blog / From The President / September 2, 2024
Unions are vital to the future of democracy
Originally appeared in The Hill on Labor Day, September 2, 2024 Labor Day isn’t just about picnics and barbecues; the holiday serves as a moment to reflect on the choices that will define our future. With just nine weeks to go until one of the ...
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From The President
Blog posts, speeches, musings, and other updates from the Democracy Alliance President.