by Adam Stone
JENKINTOWN — On a recent day Eileen Heisman, 49, was pondering a situation that has become practically routine for her.
"We are about to close a $50 million gift and it's going really well," she said, "but, at the same time, my daughter is picking out a school for next year and I need to be with her to be a part of that. I don't want to her to feel like she is a second-class citizen because her mom was out saving the world."
As president of the National Philanthropic Trust, Heisman has juggled those dual roles with extraordinary success. The trust manages philanthropic funds and has grown to more than $500 million under her leadership. Prior to taking on the presidency in October 1998, she served as the trust's vice president and senior vice president.
Before that, she served as director of fund development and planning giving at Abington Memorial Hospital during a $27 million capital campaign. Those who knew her said she displayed a knack not just for succeeding in the present moment, but also for positioning the hospital for years to come.
"She is a woman who looks to the future. She has always got her eye cast farther out than what actually exists," said Ivy Silver, a benefits consultant with Commonwealth Consulting Group and a hospital board member. As part of Heisman's fund raising, Silver recalled, "she looked closely at her network of people to see who would be a good fit for the board, and she hand-picked good people who she knew would hand-pick others in turn."
That organizational knack has served Heisman well, beginning with her work in politics.
She interned at the Congressional Budget Office under Alice Rivlin, then served as a legislative aid to Joan Specter before taking on an organizing role in Specter's fund-raising efforts.
"I didn't even think of that as a job. It was just this sort of side thing that I was doing," she recalled. "At some point Joan told me that people do this kind of thing professionally, and that maybe I should look into it. I remember looking at her and saying: 'They do?' "
They do, and she did. At 31, Heisman worked as finance director on the campaign of Sen. Arlen Specter, then worked on a number of judicial races. Eventually, though, the demands of motherhood forced a choice.
"On political campaigns, there is no such thing as evenings and weekends," she said.
As the mother of two children with special needs, Heisman sought out a career that allows her to be a devoted mom, while still fulfilling her professional ambitions.
"One of my goals in life is to be able to breathe the same ethical and philosophical air during that day that I breathe when I get home. The thread for me in all my jobs is in making the world a better place," she explained. "I went into politics wanting to do that, as naive as it sounds, and now I find philanthropy is a much more direct way to do that. Money is power, and when you are sitting with that philanthropic dollar in your hand, you have a lot of power to change things."
She admits that balancing her career and parenting has not always been easy. During her first few years with the trust, she had a lot to learn and a thin staff supporting her efforts — but found a way to make it happen.
"I would go grocery shopping at lunch time. My Saturdays were packed. I didn't have a lot of down time," she said.
Observers say that devotion has distinguished Heisman.
"If you were from the old school, women were patted on the head and didn't rise above a certain level. But here is someone who has succeeded on not just that one front but at least two fronts," said J. Alex Kresge, a vice president and relationship manager at Wachovia.
"Under her aegis the trust has growth. They've been successful in signing a number of contracts with some fairly preeminent Wall Street firms and the whole concept of the trust is becoming increasingly attractive to individuals," said Kresge. "She can do all this and still come home and try to catch a soccer game, still get home and kiss the kids good night. For a women to do all that, she really has to go 125 percent."
That effort has paid off not just for Heisman, but for the broader philanthropic world. To date, the trust has made more than 1,200 grants totaling $142 million — but it's more than just the money, said Heisman. It's what the grants represent.
"I really see them as the means to an end," she said. "This is the way that donors can express what their interests are, what is closest to their hearts."
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