Gateway Center for Giving Blog

Check out this list of philanthropy bloggers to watch, to keep a pulse on trends in philanthropy, nation-wide:

• Foundation Center’s PhilanTopic www.pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/
• Center for Effective Philanthropy’s www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/
• Albert Ruesga, White Courtesy Telephone http://postcards.typepad.com/
• Kathleen Fulton http://monitorinstitute.com/blog/
• Phil Cubeta http://www.gifthub.org/
• Arabella Advisors http://www.arabellaadvisors.com/blog/
• Mark Kramer http://www.fsg.org/AboutUs/OurPeople/MarkKramer.aspx
• Susan Raymond http://www.changingourworld.com/
• Phil Buchanan www.effectivephilanthropy.org/blog/
• Jim Canales http://irvine.org/news-insights/blogger/listings/jimcanales
• Robert Ross http://tcenews.calendow.org/blog
• Bill Gates’ blog http://www.thegatesnotes.com/
• Paul Brest blog –via The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-brest
• Beth’s Blog http://www.bethkanter.org/
• Chronicle of Philanthropy blog http://philanthropy.com/section/Blogs/208/
• Give Well http://blog.givewell.org/
• Independent Sector Blog http://www.independentsector.org/blog/
• Inside Philanthropy http://philanthropyjournal.blogspot.com/
• NCRP’s blog http://blog.ncrp.org/
• Philanthropy 2173 http://www.philanthropy.blogspot.com/
• Philantopic http://pndblog.typepad.com/
• RE: Philanthropy http://www.cofinteract.org/rephilanthropy/
• SSIR: Opinion Blog http://www.ssireview.org/blog
• Association of Small Foundations blog, particularly posts by Andy Carroll: http://philanthrofiles.org/
• Steven E. Meyer, http://justphilanthropy.org/
• Rick Cohen, who has a column in the Nonprofit Quarterly and often provides commentary about nonprofit & grantmaker relationships – http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/22077-the-affordable-care-act-three-years-later-where-do-nonprofits-stand.html
• Dan Palotta has a Ted Talk on charity/nonprofits that has been getting a lot of press recently – http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong.html
• Philanthropy/collective impact articles in the Stanford Social Innovation Review – http://www.ssireview.org/topics/category/philanthropy
• Dr. Robert Reich of Stanford University often has some interesting commentary, and specializes in nonprofit program evaluation – here’s a link to one article http://www.bostonreview.net/BR38.2/ndf_rob_reich_foundations_philanthropy_democracy.php

Many thanks our regional assoication peer, Dawn Townsend of Conference of Southwest Foundations, who  recently surveyed regional association staff to find out the top philanthropy blogs and bloggers

In times of crisis, everyone – including grantmakters – wants to chip in, but often don’t know the best way to contribute and coordinate with other efforts.  The Center for Disaster Philanthropy offers great resources for grantmakers seeking to contribute to relief efforts.

Our hearts go out to those affected by last weeks disasters; please note the following funds established to support those affected.

To support those affected by the bombing at the Boston Marathon:

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during Monday’s Boston Marathon.  The cornerstone donation to The One Fund Boston is a $1 million commitment from John Hancock. Click here to learn more, or to donate.

To support those affected by the disaster in West, Texas:

The Cooper, Rapoport, and Waco Foundations, members of the Conference of Southwest Foundations, have coordinated together to establish The West, Texas Disaster Relief Efforts Fund, to be housed at Waco Foundation.  This fund is the for the sole benefit of the victims and relief efforts of the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion that took place on Wednesday evening, April 17. The Foundations are in the process of communicating with City of West officials to determine an appropriate West representative that can advise the allocation of resources based on the community’s highest needs. The Rapoport Foundation has made a lead gift of $20,000 to the fund in order to encourage the Waco community to be the leading contributors in support of their neighbors in West.

In addition to donating online, donations may be made by check, payable to Waco Foundation (1105 Wooded Acres, Suite 701, Waco, TX 76710). Please designate the gift for the West, Texas Disaster Relief Efforts Fund in the memo line.  Contact Melissa Miller, Director of Communications and Donor Services, at Waco Foundation at (254) 754-3404 or mmiller@wacofoundation.org with additional questions about this fund.

Michael E. Porter has announced the launch of the Social Progress Imperative, a new rigorous index rating the social performance of more than 50 countries. Developed with the AVINA, Rockefeller, and Skoll foundations, this is the first index to fully separate social indicators from economic ones. In examining data on basic needs, well-being, and opportunity it creates a global agenda for country level policy.

“We’ve long understood that while economic development is beneficial for social progress, generally, it’s not sufficient,” Porter said. “Separating business and competition from social progress and social issues was a big mistake. Some of the biggest opportunities for business are in tackling social issues and social challenges.”

This post was originally published by FSG.

By Andy Carroll, ASF, originally posted in Philanthrofiles, the Association of Small Foundations’ blog on 12-19-12.

Problems caused by divisiveness and political gridlock as well as competing interests and values often slow – or stop — the work of funders and their grantees. Examples of complex problems include government cuts to human service programs –which only exacerbate needs and costs — and overlapping and duplicate services by nonprofits.

The irony is that foundations are uniquely positioned in our society to take on complex problems. This is what a classic article called “Leading Boldly” by Ronald Heifetz, John Kania, and Mark Kramer reminds us.

Let’s take a look at the ideas and opportunities offered by “Leading Boldly.”

Heifitz, Kania, and Kramer divide problems into two categories—technical vs. adaptive. Technical problems are well defined, have solutions that are known, and implementation that is clear. Technical problems can be addressed by a single organization.

Adaptive problems, by contrast, do not have known solutions. Adaptive problems require innovation and learning among the interested parties. And for solutions to be implemented, they require a change in attitudes, priorities, and behavior. No single entity has the authority to impose a solution.

For foundations to address complex, adaptive problems, the authors lay out a set of actions; these include:

• Spotlighting the problem to get people’s attention, and framing it so the opportunities and challenges are understandable
• Helping the stakeholders clarify what matters most to them, and identify trade-offs
• Encouraging, cajoling, pressuring the parties to work on solutions together, and overcome conflicting values and beliefs
• Provoking debate and consideration of new approaches
• Providing incentives or pressure to keep the parties working – using the foundation’s leverage

The authors call this approach “adaptive leadership.” They believe foundations are well-suited for this kind of leadership because they have an unusual combination of money, reputation, networks, knowledge, and most importantly—a broad perspective and a remarkable degree of freedom.

The authors offer several examples of how foundations have used adaptive leadership successfully. In one story, three foundations in Pittsburgh suspended funding, in a very public way, of the school system after years of gridlock and dysfunction in the local school board. The foundations’ bold action to spotlight the problem, their role in helping set up and lead a mayor’s commission to reform the schools, and their promise to restore funds under certain conditions—all were successful in catalyzing change.

The first step in being real about what is daunting, according to Heifetz, Kania, and Kramer, is to look carefully at the difficult problems you’re trying to solve, and assess if they are problems that defy strategies that are known.

If a problem is adaptive, recognize it will require more than grants to single organizations, and probably a lot more than money. The problem will require a kind of leadership that your foundation may be very well equipped to take on. Joining forces with other funders will make your adaptive work stronger, and offer you mutual support to weather the ups and downs.

The opportunity is that you will be using every asset your foundation holds, to make change and impact on a scale far beyond your size.

“Leading Boldly” challenges us to look at our communities’ issues with a sober eye, and assess what will truly change the things we really care about. It offers hope that by taking stock of all our assets, and shifting our approach, foundations can take a leadership role in solving difficult problems.

You can read “Leading Boldly” on Stanford Social Innovation Review.

ASF Senior Program Manager Andy Carroll writes resources, designs workshops, facilitates seminars, and manages a Discussion List for ASF members. Andy has 25 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, and he enjoys talking with members about their questions, interests, passions, and plans for making a difference. Learn about ASF membership.

Check out these new nonprofit sector reads, available at the Grants and Foundation Center, at the St. Louis Public Library Central Branch – and, don’t miss the Nonprofit Reads Discussion Group, which meets next Tues. April 23 from noon – 1pm. Bring your lunch for an informal discussion on A Chronicle of Philanthropy (6/28/12) article about Millennials’ philanthropic involvement,– “Lots of Well-Educated Young Adults Give—but Sums Are Small”.  Email the Grants and Foundation Center at kparks@slpl.org for more information.
• Almost Worthy, the poor, paupers and the science of charity in America, 1877-1917 by Brent Ruswick, Indiana University Press, 2013, recounts how “scientific “ charity reformers changed public views toward poverty and the poor during a 40-year era of social change. Especially for history, sociology and social justice buffs.
• Everything Nonprofit Toolkit by Jim Goettler, with CD, Adams Media, 2012, Details for beginners about starting and running a nonprofit.
• Hearts on Fire, stories of today’s visionaries igniting idealism into action, by Jill W. Iscol, Random House, Trade, 2012, Twelve brief bios of people who turned their dreams for social justice in the U.S. and around the world into reality. Each profile lists other supportive NGO’s for their cause.
• How Nonprofits Work: Case Studies in Nonprofit Organizations by Grace Budrys, Rowan Littlefield, 2013, a readable, sociological presentation of the nonprofit sector, challenges and successes of various organizations.
• Money for the Cause, a complete guide to event fundraising by Rudolph A. Rosen, Texas A&M Press, 2012, clear, comprehensive directions for raising money with events—covers both basics and nuances for successful events.
• National Directory of Nonprofit Organizations 27th ed, Gale Cengage Learning, 2012, completed set of print publication which provides the key contact, IRS status and annual revenue information for more than 260,000 nonprofit organizations. Volume I lists NPOs with annual revenue of $100,000 or more, indexed by name, activity, geography, Located on our reference shelf—along with Volume 2, which includes the same information on NPOs with annual budgets of $25,000 -$99,999. Come see if you’re down in print.
• Perfect Phrases for Fundraising: “hundreds of ready-to-use phrases for appealing to donors and getting the funding you need” by Beverly Browning, McGraw-Hill, 2013, contains more considered, helpful advice than the subtitle suggests –organized into tips, strategies for phrasings in letters phone soliciting, social media, meetings, board of director appeals and website campaigns.
• Random Book about the Power of Anyone by Talia Y. Leman, Free Press 2012, Leman is the founder of the nonprofit RandomKid and describes various improbably but successful paths to achieving social impact.
• With Charity for All, Why Charities Are Failing and a Better Way to Live by Ken Stern, Doubleday, 2013. Stern, former head of NPR investigates the world of U.S. charities and reports it “hobbled by deep structural flaws.” He promotes the growing movement toward nonprofit and philanthropic transparency and accountability and prescribes reform.
• Writing Grant Proposals that Win, 4th ed., by Deborah Ward, Jones Bartlett, 2012. Covers common proposal sections step-by-step and includes sample proposals, templates and budgets from a wide variety of fields. Reflects on the new role of technology in the process.

Last night’s episode of Stay Tuned  on the Nine Network (KETC-TV) featured a rich discussion about philanthropy in the St. Louis region, topics ranging from how community members make decisions about who to fund and generational patterns in giving, to commentary about how best to support the work of 13,000 nonprofits in the St. Louis region.  Stay Tuned  is a new, interactive series on the Nine Network in which host Casey Nolan facilitates conversations among community members, experts, and journalists on a topic that impacts metropolitan St. Louis region, while viewers participate in the live conversation through social media.  Congratulations to the Nine Network on this fantastic new initiative!

Last night’s conversation was placed in the context of the national philanthropic landscape since the 2008 recession; Patrick Rooney (Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University) spoke to the slow recovery of philanthropy at a time of increased community needs, paired with decreased government support for nonprofit programs.  Other guests offered some explanation of the fiscal cliff’s potential impact on the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors: cuts to domestic spending (including funding to nonprofits) across the board by about 9% will create increased reliance on philanthropic dollars, while the incentive to give could be decreased by eliminating the charitable deduction.

Center President Mary McMurtrey helped to initiate the conversation about philanthropy in St. Louis with statistics about individual giving in our community (which makes up about 75% of total charitable dollars), as well as St. Louis’ particular reliance on corporate philanthropy (rather than on private foundations, which is the case in many other communities).  This morning’s St. Louis Business Journal features a great article offering further context on giving in St. Louis.

Center members including Reverend Starsky Wilson (Deaconess Foundation), Amelia Bond (Greater St. Louis Community Foundation), Kirby Burkholder (IFF), and Gary Dollar (United Way of Greater St. Louis) offered great insight into philanthropy as a community investment – the returns of which yield public, rather than personal value – and emphasized both being attentive to quality standards set out by organizations like the Better Business Bureau and the United Way, as well as establishing relationships with organizations to better understand their specific needs and operations.

The conversation closed with an emphasis on outcomes: how community members can best leverage their philanthropic dollars to strengthen their communities, and how new funding models (e.g. social impact bonds)  rethink the roles of government and private philanthropy in producing positive social outcomes.

Click here to watch the full episode of Stay Tuned and tune in on Thursday nights at 9pm for future episodes!