Nina Smart - RE:Philanthropy

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Letâ€™s Talk About Technology

In: 2010 Family Philanthropy Conference| Family Philanthropy

4 Feb 2010

As technology continues to radically transform how people shop, plan, work and communicate, some are exploring the potential impact technology could have on the philanthropic field. Our sector has not been a player in the technological transformation of the 21st century. What opportunities are we missing?
The session, Technology Task Force Town Hall Meeting, was chaired [...]

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The One Percent Challenge

In: 2010 Family Philanthropy Conference| Community Foundations| Disaster Grantmaking| Family Philanthropy

2 Feb 2010

The session, Disaster Response for Grantmakers: Resources, Tools and Lessons Learned, was an important one on how funders, in the aftermath of a disaster, charted new territory to find their role.
We heard from two funders and their different responses to two very different disastersâ€”the 2007 fires that swept through San Diego neighborhoods and the recent [...]

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When Wanting To Help Isnâ€™t Enough

In: 2010 Family Philanthropy Conference| Disaster Grantmaking| Family Philanthropy| Philanthropy

22 Jan 2010

As planes full of food and medical supplies sit at the airport in Haiti while hundreds of thousands of people are dehydrated, hungry and in dire need of medical aid, the challenges of helping others is made obvious to the world. The outpouring of global generosity is always impressive in emergency situations; yet, the inability [...]

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Being Inclusive

In: 2009 Fall Conference

13 Oct 2009

[Editor's Note: We asked contributors for a final, reflective blog entry from the San Antonio conference. Here's what Nina had to say.]
One striking difference between this conference and previous ones is the public officials who came to participate in deep and meaningful ways. Instead of posing for photographs and leaving, mayors and lieutenant governors stayed [...]

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Tell Me a Story…

In: 2009 Fall Conference

7 Oct 2009

At the lunch plenary on Monday, Community Information in Todayâ€™s Technology World, we heard a story about a homeless man who knows of a computer where he blogs about resources for homeless people. Remarkable, yes.Â Â
At the lunch we heard about the great concern of the digital divide between those with Internet access and those without. [...]

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Smart Planning

In: 2009 Fall Conference

6 Oct 2009

One bold move forward in philanthropy is the step a few foundations have taken to lead, or at least convene, a conversation about regional planning for our cities, whichÂ includes the latest in affordable, healthy living design.
George McCarthy of the Ford Foundation moderated a panel–Rethinking Urban Land Use:Â How Cities and Philanthropy are Reimagining the Urban Landscape [...]

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Building Bridges: From Foundations to Communities of Color

In: 2009 Fall Conference

4 Oct 2009

I am traveling to the Council on Foundations conference in San Antonio, Texas with Maslah Farah, a Somalian immigrant who is the newly hired program manager of a resident-led community foundation in southeastern San Diego, the Neighborhood Unity Foundation.
We both work in a community rich in cultural diversity where the language of philanthropy is considered [...]