Today, the role of philanthropy is expanding and so are its responsibilities. Philanthropy Link is published by San Diego Grantmakers to help you meet the challenge. Our mission is to connect, inform, develop, and inspire a diverse group of foundations and corporations to stimulate effective philanthropy in the San Diego region. For more information, visit www.SDGrantmakers.org.

SDG Member Services

Did you know that your SDGrantmakers membership entitles you to discounted rates on some very valuable products and services? These member services include Directors & Officers Liability Insurance, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Grantmaking Basics Online Course, MicroEdge GIFTS Grantmaking Software, A+ Conference Calling, Resource Library, Website Service, Regional Association Guest Membership, and a Library of Sample Documents. Click here for a listing of these products and information on how you can take advantage of these cost-saving discounts.

Of course, these services are in addition to the networking, skill-building, and knowledge benefits SDG membership provides through conferences, programs, collaborations, publications, and more! If you ever have questions about our services, or know of other area grantmakers who could benefit from membership, please call us at (619) 744-2180 or email info@sdgrantmakers.org.

San Diego County:

• Includes one of the 10 largest nonprofits in Southern California
• Home of the largest environment & animals organization in Southern California
• $5.8 billion in nonprofit revenues and $7.9 billion in assets in 2000
• Total expenses reported by SD nonprofits were $5.2 billion with $2.1 billion in personnel
• $1.9 billion in contributions to nonprofits and $3.9 billion in additional revenues
• 10% of SD’s nonprofits are religious organizations, compared to 5% nationally; 26% of the region's nonprofits are education institutions, compared to 16% nationally; 6% are health organizations, compared to 36% nationally

10 Largest San Diego County Nonprofits by Total Revenues

1. Scripps Health
2. Sharp Memorial Hospital
3. San Diego Hospital Association
4. The Scripps Research Institute
5. Children’s Hospital, San Diego
6. Grossmont Hospital Corporation
7. University of San Diego
8. Seventh-Day Adventist Paradise Valley Hospital
9. Sharp Rees-Stealy Corporation
10. San Diego State University Foundation

For more information on this study, contact SDG at (619) 744-2180. You can purchase the study by clicking here.

The San Diego Foundation has awarded two grants to San Diego River Park Foundation (SDRPF). SDRPF has received a $15,000 grant through the Environmental Work Group from the Land and Watershed Conservation Fund of The San Diego Foundation and the Leo S. Guthman Fund to provide staffing and core operational support to efforts to acquire and protect open space and wildlands along the San Diego River. The San Diego Foundation also awarded SDRPF a $5,700 grant from the Organizational Success Program to help increase SDRPF's visibility and public awareness of programs. The grant was made possible by the Ariel W. Coggeshall Fund of the San Diego Foundation.

Accountability Update: Payout Working Paper and Independent Sector Checklist

Congress is once more scrutinizing nonprofit organizations, and the debate about spending by foundations - including the percentage of their assets distributed each year for good works, also known as "payout" - may soon heat up again. To help inform discussion of foundation payout, The Aspen Institute's Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF) has released a new working paper, Money, Mission, and the Payout Rule: In Search of a Strategic Approach to Foundation Spending, by Thomas J. Billitteri, a former news editor at The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Finding that too few foundations match their payout rate to their mission, Billitteri urges foundations to engage donors, board members, and foundation executives in weighing the merits of spending more money on good works now versus deferring outlays until later. The paper offers a legislative history of payout rules, a summary of existing research on the payout rate and a listing of critical issues for future research, discussion of policy changes that may occur in this area, and examples of how foundation leaders are strategically addressing payout at their institutions. You can download the report at Money, Mission, and the Payout Rule or purchase it in hard copy by calling 202-736-2500.

Additionally, Independent Sector has released a list of steps organizations can take to help improve and demonstrate their accountability. The steps in the Checklist for Accountability, which also includes a list of resources available as models, are intended to help each charitable organization reassure its stakeholders of its commitment to upholding the public trust vital to earning support and fulfilling its mission.

Former Wisconsin Congressman Steve Gunderson has been named the new President and CEO of the Council on Foundations (COF). He will succeed Dorothy S. Ridings, who has served as head of the Council since 1996. Gunderson served eight terms in the House of Representatives until 1996. He is leaving his post as Managing Director of the Washington office of the Greystone Group, a Michigan-based management and communications consulting firm, to join COF. On his new appointment, Gunderson said, "The Council and its member organizations are working every day to lift the lives of people across America and around the world. I am honored by this opportunity to join them in reinforcing that remarkable contribution." Maxwell King, Vice Chair of the Council on Foundations' Board, Chair of the Foundation's Search Committee, and President of the Heinz Endowments, said Gunderson "is someone who looks at all sides of a question, works with people from both sides of the aisle, and advances creative solutions to some very tough problems. He is particularly well-suited for the farsighted thinking and flexible approaches philanthropy needs to function most effectively in the global economy."

GRANTMAKING 101
Grantmaking 101 is for the passionate, perplexed, and recently arrived grantmaker. The series of workshops offers a comprehensive review of the art and science of grantmaking, and includes presentations by experienced grantmakers, experts, and peer-to-peer discussions.

Light refreshments will be served at all sessions. Each event is free for SDG members and $45 for nonmembers. Nonmembers may also register for the full series at a discounted rate of $110. RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.

Evaluations: Methods and Models of Measuring and Monitoring Grants
October 6, 2005
9:00am-12:00pm
4305 University Avenue, 6th Floor Conference Room

The third session in the series brings us Paul Harder and Sonia Taddy, Harder & Co. Community Research, who work locally and nationally with many foundations to measure the impact of their work and to determine the social impact of grants. They join us to discuss evaluating grant programs, how your dollars make an impact.

• What is evaluation and when is it appropriate?
• Three models for measuring grants: a) outcomes: promises and pitfalls, b) organizational development measurement, and c) emerging models to assess impact.
• How do you use the information from evaluation efforts to improve decisions?
• What is the cost of measuring and monitoring grants?

Numbers and Sense: Understanding the Danger Signs and Success Stories Nonprofits' Financial Statements Hold
November 9, 2005
9:00am-12:00pm

Our featured speaker will be Jeff Goepfert, CPA. This popular session will help answer these questions and more:

• What are some important tips in reading financial statements?
• How should grantmakers use financial statements to evaluate grant applicants and determine fiscal accountability?
• What are common problems and common solutions?

The River Runs Through It: Parks, Wetlands, Kids and Philanthropy
September 10, 2005
9:00am-12:00pm
San Diego River Mouth/Mission Hills Regional Park

We invite you, your families, children and grandchildren to join San Diego Grantmakers in touring the San Diego River. This is a special opportunity to share your work and lessons about our community with your families, involving youth in philanthropy. Learn why our parks, rivers, and wetlands are so critical to our community’s well-being and how a countywide collaboration is leading the nation in creating a regionally connected system of open space preserves. Starting and finishing at the San Diego River Mouth, the morning's agenda includes:

• Hiking at Mission Trails Regional Park: Rob Hutsel, San Diego River Park Foundation hikes us through the San Diego River, sharing its history, and community involvement.
• Animals, animals, animals: We will meet a few new creature friends and get an introduction to local wild animals that inhabit the area.
• Travelling to where the River meets the Sea, our kids will become marine scientists. Hands-on exercises for kids, fun science activities, animal interaction and marine mayhem! Our future generations will experience the wild and marine life behind the funding.
• As the kids enjoy marine adventures, an adult panel discusses Generation to generation: how we share lessons of philanthropy.

This tour involves walking. Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.

Framing Corporate Philanthropy: Making the Case to Stakeholders
September 29, 2005
11:30am-1:30pm

Understand how to frame your communications to create the image and support you need for successful corporate philanthropic support for your company. Why do strategic communications matter to corporate philanthropy? How can you move public will in a direction to better leverage corporate community investments? Join us for an insightful and provocative discussion on why and what you communicate to the public and in the boardroom.

Dr. Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. will provide the emerging strategies for you to improve your communications for effective internal and external communications to meet your community benefit goals. Dr. Gilliam is the Director of the Center for Communication and Community at UCLA.

A Funder's Guide to Supporting Advocacy:
The Rules for Private and Public Foundations
October 25, 2005
9:00am-12:00pm (optional technical assistance 12:00-1:00pm)

San Diego Grantmakers presents Alliance for Justice, the premier source for information and training on the federal rules for foundation support of advocacy, in conducting this special program for foundation managers and staff in the greater San Diego area. Experienced attorneys will cover the rules for private and public foundation grantmaking involving public policy work. This lively interactive session, with ample time for questions and answers, will cover topics such as:

• Can I make a grant to a nonprofit that wants to lobby?
• What kinds of advocacy activities are permitted under the IRS rules?
• How can I evaluate a grantee that works on legislative or election-year activities?
• How might our foundation help build our grantees' advocacy capacity?
• What are other foundations doing to support nonprofit advocacy?
  
  Registration fee of $60 includes all workshop materials and meals. RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.
  

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES 2005:
Diana Aviv, President & CEO, Independent Sector
November 14, 2005
12:00pm-1:30pm

Diana Aviv is the president and CEO of INDEPENDENT SECTOR, the national leadership forum for America's nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations. Collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the country, INDEPENDENT SECTOR's mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the independent sector.

INDEPENDENT SECTOR leads the nonprofit community by promoting effective public policies to help not-for-profit initiatives thrive, identifying emerging trends facing the nonprofit sector, strengthening nonprofit accountability, and providing the "meeting ground" for leaders in philanthropy to address challenges facing the sector.

Free for SDG Members, $40 for SDG invited guests. RSVP to programs@SDGrantmakers.org.

Educating a New America: Changing Populations, Changing Demands, Changing World
Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference
October 10-12, 2005
New York, NY

Join colleagues to learn how grantmakers can help schools prepare all children, including new immigrants and those who have never been well-served by our education system, to thrive in the 21st century. Program highlights include presentations from education leaders such as Michele Cahill, senior education policy counselor at the NYC Department of Education; Wendy Kopp, president and founder of Teach for America; and Pedro Noguera, New York University professor of education. For additional information or to register, click here.

Aging with Attitude: Transforming Our Communities and Our Nation
Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference
October 26-28, 2005
Baltimore, MD

This conference promises to be of interest to any grantmakers who fund projects relating to aging. Conference highlights include tracks such as "Controlling Lifespan Transitions" and "Elders Giving Back," as well as skill-building sessions, program models, and a welcoming reception at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. For additional information or to register, click here for the GIA website or call (937) 435-3156.

Feel free to comment, suggest article ideas, or submit news items. Link@SDGrantmakers.org -- We're always happy to hear from you. Philanthropy Link is a service to San Diego Grantmakers members. Copies of past editions are archived here: News You Can Use.

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