By Mike Carlson Partner Power i n November 2013, at Glamour’s annual Women of the Year awards gala at Carnegie Hall, the publisher celebrated Malala Yousafzai. In 2012, a Taliban gunman shot this Pakistani teenager in the head because of her advocacy for education for girls in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Yousafzai’s brave crusade triggered something in the collective DNA of the 17 million women who make up the Glamour community. Glamour staff decided they needed to move beyond a simple honor. “The readers connected in a way that made us want to give them an action step, something they could do about all of the things they were learning and feeling,” says Genevieve Roth, senior director of special projects at Glamour. “We wanted to take on a cause for a long time, and I can’t think of anything more optimistic than activating Glamour’s readership to help send a generation of girls to finish the education that they have a human right to.” Thus the seeds of The Girl Project were planted. Introduced at the same ceremony in 2014, The Girl Project is an ongoing initiative to circumvent barriers to education that is currently being denied to 50 million girls worldwide. But such an ambitious goal presents its own barriers. The day after the announcement, the Glamour offices were barraged with calls from politicians and celebrities wanting to contribute. Even the response from the Glamour staff was stunning, Roth says. Overworked editors squeezed extra hours out of their busy weeks to volunteer. Glamour has a long history of philanthropy, but it became clear this was something different and special. The need for logistical support was clear, too. Partnership is a necessary fact of life in philanthropy. A big brand with a noble idea needs structure and support to turn it into reality, whether that idea is Paul Allen’s fight against Ebola or Starbucks’ efforts to aid veterans. For The Girl Project, Roth and Susan Goodall, Glamour’s executive director of editorial development, knew that to preserve the unique energy of the idea, they’d have to team with entities that would do more than show up; they would have to buy in. Financial acumen and professionalism were critical, but so were enthusiasm and empathy. The Girl Project wanted big hearts to go along with sharp minds. “For us, The Girl Project is so mission-driven. It is such a passion project for everyone at the magazine,” Roth says. “When we built it, we knew that we were not going to hire anyone who didn’t get it, who didn’t s i l i c on v alle ycf . or g 6 n sp r i ng 20 1 5 n Courtesy of taCkle ebola For a big brand to build momentum for any cause — global education for girls, relief for veterans, the fight against Ebola — you need more than just passion. You need the right partnerships.