http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy What Matters Now? Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:00:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I was asked by the Council on Foundations to submit a blog on a research study funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Foundation and recently mentioned in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. I agreed without having ever written a blog before. So, ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2284 Labor Day honors American workers and the contributions they make every day to this country. That contribution remains invaluable, but so many individuals in this economy no longer have this opportunity. Pressed on all sides by a troubled economy, stagnating wages, and a very competitive global marketplace, America’s workers are finding ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2290 For an organization with nearly 50 percent of its assets in discretionary funds (either unrestricted or field of interest funds), we often discuss the sustainability of our model. Generational research tells us that younger donors may not be as trusting of institutions as their previous generations were—and that many ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2265 More than two weeks have passed since the heaviest rains from the monsoon season occurred in Pakistan. The resulting floods have overwhelmed roughly 20 percent of the country, and nearly 20 million people have been affected. Some 1,600 people have died, a million homes have been destroyed, and basic necessities ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2279 The Foundation For the Carolinas is a proud partner and host for the Fall Conference for Community Foundations September 13-15, 2010, in Charlotte. “Powering Communities” is a fitting theme for the conference given the increasingly vital role that community foundations play in addressing some of our most persistent civic and economic ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2276 On August 23, 2005, the world paid little attention to news of Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas. The next morning, it was upgraded to tropical storm status and dubbed “Katrina.” It eventually became a monster storm bearing down on the people of New Orleans. Residents were ordered to ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2259 It was the pledge heard around the world. Forty of the world’s wealthiest individuals are committing to give a majority of their wealth to philanthropy marking a watershed moment in our field. A great way to reflect on what this means for our sector’s future is to read the profiles ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2246 Philanthropy is flat. Not in the sense of donation volume – although that is sadly true. But, “flat” in the Thomas Friedman/globalization sense. In the same way the playing field has leveled for commerce, it is easier than ever for nonprofits from around the world to attract donors globally. Global Giving, ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2225 While the Broadway lights may have dimmed for the 90s hit musical Rent, HIV and AIDS are very much present in America today. Individuals, families, and communities affected by HIV and AIDS may face extreme challenges navigating a complicated world of medical and mental health services, social services, housing options, ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2220 Approaching the current economic environment with a spirit of innovation, we at the Cleveland Foundation have been working overtime to be more responsive to the organizations that count on us for support. We decided we must do things differently and stretch out of our comfort zone in order to be ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2210 If the Yakima Valley Community Foundation (YVCF) received a dollar for every time we brag about the Community Foundations National Standards, our adding machines would be smoking. I was hired as CEO when YVCF was established in 2004. Quite literally, from my very first day on the job, all I ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2202 [This article was originally posted on July 20, 2010 at the Philanthropy Northwest Blog] Last Friday, Philanthropy Northwest convened the Human Services Funding Collaborative to host Washington State policymakers and members for an in-depth briefing about the Washington State Benefit Portal Partnership Project. We are enthusiastic about hosting ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2193 Despite persistent economic and civic challenges in Detroit, there are some encouraging signs of progress, including the community’s collaborative response to chronic homelessness. The needs are enormous. Detroit ranked third among cities, after Los Angeles and New York, in the total number of homeless and had the highest number of ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2181 These days you can’t avoid hearing about new opportunities for public-philanthropic partnerships. It reminds me of novelist John Steinbeck’s comment, "Ideas are like rabbits—you get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." As the Council on Foundations strengthens and grows its Public-Philanthropic Partnership ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2170 What role do funders play in the future of community news and information? It's a question the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy asked in its big national report last year, and one the Knight Foundation has been posing annually to community and place-based foundations, the ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2163 There is no such thing as a “typical” profile of the adult learner seeking knowledge and economic mobility. Juan is a project manager for a design firm. He is the married father of four (including four-year-old triplets). To advance at work, Juan needed an engineering degree. Alice, a single mother, works ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2149 Perhaps this year, we need to think of celebrating “Interdependence Day” in addition to our traditional July 4 holiday. And in doing so, we need to consider how collaboration can help lessen the horrific impact of the BP oil disaster on marine life and the Gulf community. The setbacks in capturing ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2141 In the late 1990s, a group of committed community foundation leaders had a dream for the future of the field and set a course to make that dream a reality. The Committee on Community Foundations went through a “revolution” of sorts, morphing into the Community Foundation Leadership Team (CFLT) as ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2131 I recently attended the Council on Foundations CEO Summer Retreat in Los Angeles. Like most of you, I often question the value of yet another CEO get-together. I find myself weighing the value of what I “might” get out of participating in these types of events against the work I ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2119 Over the last five years, philanthropy, and our world in general, has confronted a number of challenges – from the Indonesian tsunami to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the earthquake in Haiti and the Gulf Coast oil spill to economic downturns, job loss, and poverty. Philanthropy has combined its resources and ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2099 Health care employers face a tremendous challenge: how to better find and retain skilled frontline workers while improving the quality of care—and quickly. Frontline workers are the more than five million health aides, medical assistants, laboratory technicians, and other workers who make it possible for the nation’s hospitals and clinics ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2097 Every year on June 14 we commemorate the adoption of the U.S.’s first flag in 1777. Over two centuries later Flag Day is more than just a remembrance of our history—it’s a celebration of some of our core civic values. This symbolic day is a chance to reflect on what "civic ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2095 As we mark the five-month anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, it is a good opportunity (wake-up call) for the philanthropic sector to reflect on what can happen and how we can be better prepared for future disasters. Participating in the European Foundation Centre (EFC) meetings last week gave me an ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2089 Last year, in his first joint address to Congress, President Obama lobbed his higher education moon shot stating, "By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world." Achieving this goal will mean radically disrupting our current educational trajectory: only 39 percent of our ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2086 The oil has reached our shores. I maneuvered around the media zoo for my daily walk on the beach and I stared at what is called a “tar ball.” As the sun hits, the glob slowly takes on a liquid form and becomes a “tar patty.” The sugar white sand ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2083 *First published in the Alliance Magazine blog -  http://alliancemag.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/walking-through-the-eu-maze/ I doubt when the European Foundation Center (EFC) organized this conference and designed the “Foundation Week” session titled “Walking you through the EU maze” they had any idea of what was to come. But, on Wednesday morning Janis Emmanouilidis of the European ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2080 It’s been almost two weeks since I was privileged to participate as a panelist in the Council on Foundations webinar entitled: “Diversity and Inclusion in Talent Acquisitions.”  To be direct, I was never sure that I was the right one to be on the panel. After all, I didn’t have ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2077 After years of watching the California state budget balanced at the expense of women and families, we decided it was time to put a human face on the impact of budget cuts. As a foundation serving communities directly affected by the budget cuts, we saw firsthand the impact on California’s ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2074 The venue for the Capitol Hill briefing hosted by the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers for Education, and Grantmakers Children, Youth and Families was packed to overflowing. Four philanthropies with different assets - fiscal, as well as institutional - and with different styles, geographic areas of focus and past initiatives - ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2071 Even with the long-overdue makeover from the IRS in 2008—complete with a new look and new areas of focus—the Form 990 is still the primary means used by organizations to maintain tax-exempt status with the IRS. Just last week the IRS commissioner issued a statement urging such organizations to file ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2069 In 1989, Paul Ylvisaker, former Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, described how small foundations can be effective contributors to social change. He pointed to the catalytic and framing roles of philanthropy. The catalytic role refers to the initiation of change that stimulates others in the public and private ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2066 For one month now we have been watching the lead story of the BP oil explosion. We are optimistically watching updates of wind currents that are expected to keep the oil away from the Florida coast for at least three more days. The current forecast is not as encouraging for ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2064 Coastal Louisiana is a rare, beautiful and complicated place. It is where some of the world’s most productive and endangered wetlands sit just a matter of miles away from some of the most ambitious oil and gas extraction efforts in existence. It is where breathtaking beauty coexists tenuously with industrial ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2062 Three weeks ago, I was sitting in my Denver hotel room having just finished a speaker prep call for an immigration policy session that was to take place at the Council on Foundation’s Annual Conference. We all got off the call rather quickly in order to watch Arizona Governor Jan ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2060 This morning I watched a sunrise over beautiful Pensacola Beach. Most of the people taking their morning walk on the white sand are here on vacation; I am one of the fortunate who lives and works here. Joined on this particular stretch of beach by a few seagulls, a great ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2058 To Denver came Council on Foundations To build better philanthropic relations Bringing questions and reflections On social intersections Of justice and change and innovations. These themes were explored and attacked Through three days of provocative tracks Social justice included No opinions excluded With much focused on greater impact. Demystifying social justice is key To philanthropic inclusivity More democratization For the good of ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2049 I left the Council of Foundations conference feeling hopeful about philanthropists engaging across sectors and finding common ground. Then the Gulf Coast got hit again by a man-made disaster, this one tied to our relentless energy needs. Feelings of helplessness turned to action as our members started debating and reaching out ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2054 I think there are two distinct skill sets that folks in philanthropy work on developing over the course of their careers: The “Hard Skills”—due diligence, research, communications, metrics, etc., and the "Harder Skills”—honest listening, quiet leadership, good citizenship, and honest engagement. At these kinds of meetings, we're torn between the two dynamics—how ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2046 OK, gotta confess—this is my first time blogging. Ever. As I shared my angst yesterday with socialtech-savvy Perla Ni, she advised me to just pretend the blog is an e-mail to a friend. So, here we go … I attended an awesome town hall on public-private partnerships. It had smart and ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2040 Reflecting on the past three days in Denver, a personal highlight was hearing from Helmo Hernandez, president of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. As a Cuban-American, I was particularly interested to hear about the state of—and prospects for—philanthropy in Cuba. Toward the end of his remarks, Hernandez spoke of the ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2037 Thoughts on Chip Heath, author of “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” and “Made to Stick,” both best-sellers. When I woke up this morning, I switched on a light. Did you? (Don’t worry, this isn’t a post on energy conservation—I’m not judging you.) But when I switched on that ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2033 Yesterday, I participated in what can only be described as a thrill ride of ideas about how to help Americans get back to work and succeed in a post-recession economy. The session was titled, somewhat tamely, “Post-Recession Workforce Innovations: Smart Ideas for the Public, Private, and Philanthropic Sectors.” In reality, ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2030 The Council on Foundations has done an admirable job of incorporating social media into the annual conference. From the official RE: Philanthropy blog of the Council, to its official Twitter handle, to its support for unofficial blog teams, the Council has fully embraced the important role of social media in ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2027 Did philanthropy do its part in response to the economic crisis? The verdict is still out—the crisis is far from over. But the Foundation Center reports that $443 million in grants and program-related investments directly related to the crisis have been tracked in the last two years. That’s not bad for a ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2023 I applaud the Council on Foundations for having Al Gore speak on Monday. The theme of this annual conference—Intersections: Social Change, Social Justice, Social Innovation—was a perfect match for the former vice president’s passionate words. I watched the more than 1,000 Council members who represent so many different passions (children, social ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2020 We wouldn’t be at this conference if we didn’t think foundations have value. I’m not talking about money (though, if you haven’t read it, Craig McGarvey’s 2001 Scrivner Award speech is a must-read on the topic). I’m talking about the roles foundations play in our communities across the country. And ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2018 Trading Power went live with a session at the annual conference featuring Rob Collier of the Council of Michigan Foundations, Sharna Goldseker of 21/64, The Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and Nicole Robinson of Kraft Foods Foundation. Session participants were treated to a nontraditional format (they sat in a circle ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2015 Inspiring. That’s the word that I heard over and over again about Monday’s annual conference plenary sessions with former Vice President Al Gore and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. They urged us to ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=2009 The future of education is now—and not a moment too soon. The Denver School of Science & Technology admits all applicants based on a lottery—65 percent minority, 50 percent low-income, 50 percent first-generation college—and sends 100 percent of them on to four-year colleges and universities.  Michelle Obama is teaching about ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1999 America's active interest in community service has skyrocketed in a time of great need, in part thanks to the Kennedy Serve America Act enacted just one year ago. Patrick Corvington, newly minted CEO of the Corporation for National Service, shared with foundation leaders attending the Council on Foundations' annual conference ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1996 A year ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Mitsubishi Electric corporate headquarters in Tokyo, where I learned about our overall company Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. It was a real education, as I learned that CSR goes far beyond being a good corporate citizen through philanthropic giving. Good CSR ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1994 A session titled “Navigating the Crossroads of Global Social Justice Issues” that included the likes of Van Jones, Eboo Patel, Deepak Bhargava, Kumi Naidoo, Constance Rice, Avila Kilmurray, and Ana Paula Hernandez delivered on its promise. It was a powerful exchange of enlightening and inspiring messages that left me needing ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1991 “The intersection of change is present right now.” The role for philanthropy in addressing climate change is one for which we all struggle. And it is particularly relevant for this conference’s theme of intersections. There is no other issue that embodies this concept of intersections more aptly than climate change. Many ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1986 Sunday’s mini-plenary session “Social Justice—From Here to 2030” of the first-ever Council on Foundations annual conference Social Justice track was a breath of fresh air for many folks who have long wanted to make social justice a more explicit part of our collegial conversation. The moderator was Gara LaMarche, fresh ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1984 “What were you thinking? Were you watching ‘Dancing With the Stars’?” Is that the question our grandchildren will be asking us in 30 or 40 years—after climate change has continued to wreak havoc across the planet? Or will they be thanking us for our foresight and commitment to long-term thinking and ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1981 The Council on Foundations annual conference session on Sunday, “Federal Policy and Advocacy: Fixing NCLB and What Foundations Can Do About It,” focused on federal education policies and offered a host of insights into how education philanthropy is making investments that support effective policy change. For those who couldn’t join ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1973 What data does a foundation board member need to gauge foundation effectiveness? That was the question we grappled with at a trustee-CEO summit session Saturday at the Council on Foundations annual conference in Denver. Our session received invaluable help from the CEO and a trustee of a foundation that has ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1965 Something is afoot in corporate philanthropy. The evolution of business’ role in society—and the role of the foundation philanthropy within companies—is transitioning in real-time. The re-engineering occurring in all areas of business is finding its way into corporate philanthropy.  What is the next phase on the horizon for corporate philanthropy, ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1959 As much as I was hoping for a silver bullet to improve the health status of Americans, not surprisingly there weren’t any earth shattering strategies presented for how we can get America healthy at today’s Council on Foundations Annual Conference session on health care.  As we all know, there is ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1955 Social innovation: it's not about the idea or the "aha" moment.  It’s about creating a critical mass of stakeholder champions. Surprised? So was I, but UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship chair Andy Hargadon and Rockefeller President Judith Rodin presented compelling arguments and multiple examples to make the case at the ... http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/?p=1953