SD Grantmakers Update
"Vision and action together can change the world"--Nelson Mandela
In This Issue
Save the Date: SDG Annual Conference on November 8
Mark your calendars: the 2007 SDG Annual Conference will be held on Thursday, November 8. Don't miss our most popular event of the year! This year’s conference, “Strategic Grantmaking: Inspiration to Implementation,” will be held at NTC Promenade and will feature inspiring and educational plenary and workshop sessions highlighting best practices, innovation, and collaboration.
Among our expert speakers are Peter Hero, Senior Advisor and former President of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Albert Ruesga, Vice President of The Meyer Foundation and chair of Hispanics in Philanthropy (and philanthropy blogger). Confirmed session speakers include: Torie Osborn, Special Philanthropic Liaison to the Mayor of Los Angeles; Dr. Sandra Hernandez, President, San Francisco Foundation; Judy Belk, Senior Advisor, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; Steve Gunderson, President, Council on Foundations; Andrew Schulz, Deputy General Counsel, Council on Foundations; Marty Campbell, Vice President for Programs, The James Irvine Foundation; Fatima Angeles, Director of Evaluation and Organizational Learning, The California Wellness Foundation; Mark Kramer, Founder and Managing Director, FSG Social Impact Advisors; Lois Greco, Senior Vice President and Evaluation Officer, Wachovia Regional Foundation; Mailee Walker, Vice President and Communication/Program Officer, Wachovia Regional Foundation; Thomas W. Knowlton, Vice President and Director, Corporate Citizenship, TCC Group; Barbara Metzler, local author and entrepreneur.
Sponsorships are now available: sponsors already signed on include QUALCOMM Inc., First 5 Commission of San Diego, Washington Mutual, Sempra Energy, BetterWorld Together Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation, The Legler Benbough Foundation, The Parker Foundation, WebMD Health Foundation, Fieldstone Foundation, McCarthy Family Foundation, San Diego National Bank, Union Bank of California, Szekely Family Foundation, Tuttleman Family Foundation, The Patricia and Christopher Weil Family Foundation, Jacobs Family Foundation, and the Alan & Louarn Sorkin Family Fund.
Click here (pdf) to download a sponsorship form.
Co-Chairs Janine Mason and Charlene Seidle and the members of the Annual Conference committee are hard at work planning an inspiring and informative day--click here for more details!
Third Thursday Update
Make sure to RSVP now for September's Third Thursday event:
Making Measures Work for You: Outcomes and Evaluation
September 20, 2007
8:30 AM-10:30 AM
Location: The San Diego Foundation, 2508 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106
The case for measuring outcomes is hard to refute: If you can't assess it, how can you know it's happening? Yet measuring outcomes can be tricky. For example, are we mistaking partial measures for the full truth? Is it possible to measure impact meaningfully given the challenges of time and control? GrantCraft is a source of practical wisdom for grant makers on the tools and techniques of effective grant making and their materials will serve as the basis for this workshop.
Facilitator: Jennifer James, Vice President of Harder+Company Community Research. Jennifer has conducted planning and evaluation studies for nonprofits, public agencies, and funders for over a decade. Her professional focus is to develop locally appropriate research and capacity building solutions that distill complex information for strategic decision-making.
Register today!
Member & Community Partner News
YOUR ORGANIZATION COULD BE FEATURED HERE! Don't forget to let SDG know what's new with you, from grantmaking to awards, events, and more. We want to share the good news about all of our members. To submit an item for the newsletter, email nancy@sdgrantmakers.org.
SDG members Amylin Pharmaceuticals, QUALCOMM, Cymer, and Jack in the Box, were mentioned in a BizSan Diego magazine article on corporate responsibility and charitable giving. Click here for the story.
The California Endowment has launched a statewide health reform advertising campaign (including TV, print, and Internet ads) calling for meaningful action on health care. Click here to view the ads.
The California Wellness Foundation's 2006 Annual Report is now available. TCWF is also seeking applicants for an Office Services Coordinator in their San Francisco office and a Program Director in their Woodland Hills Headquarters. Click here for more information.
The Jack in the Box Foundation recently held its annual charity golf tournament benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters and raised $275,000 for the non-profit organization, its primary charitable partner since 1998.
Jewish Community Foundation recently announced the election of four San Diego community and business leaders to its Board of Directors: Marcia Hazan, Jeffrey Ressler, Sheryl Rowling and Sherron Schuster.
San Diego Foundation for Change is hosting a tour of grassroots Tijuana on Saturday, October 13. Visitors will tour progressive grassroots organizations doing heroic work in some of Tijuana's most under-served communities. E-mail John Fanestil or call him at 619-823-6223 for more information or to sign up for the tour.
Foundation Yearbook Released
The Foundation Center released its 2007 Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations, a detailed report on the more than 71,000 foundations active in 2005. The study documents changes in the actual number, giving and assets of all active U.S. foundations from 1975 through 2005 and estimates foundation giving through 2006. According to the report, foundations gave away an estimated $40.7 billion last year--up 11.7 percent over 2005. Giving by corporate foundations grew faster than any other segment, up 16.5 percent to $4 billion in 2005. Community foundations gave $3.2 billion, up 10 percent, the study says, while giving by independent foundations rose 8 percent to $25.2 billion.
Click here for more information. This data also shows that SDG members The California Endowment, The James Irvine Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, The Wells Fargo Foundation, The San Diego Foundation, Waitt Family Foundation and Jewish Community Foundation are in California's Top 100 Grantmakers by Assets
Capacity Building & Operating Support
Earlier this month, SDG hosted a program called "Capacity Building: From Concept to Practice" featuring expert speaker Barbara Webster-Hawkins. For those of you who were unable to attend, here are some helpful resources on the topic:
- Click here for Barbara Webster-Hawkins' PowerPoint Presentation from the event.
- Click here for information about "A Funder’s Guide to Organizational Assessment: Tools, Processes and Their Use in Building Capacity.”
- Operating Expenses & Measuring Organizational Efficiency
For better or worse, the percentage of total expenses going to program costs is the most common measure of nonprofit organizational efficiency. This study from the National Center for Charitable Statistics explores issues of nonprofit fundraising and administrative cost reporting.
- GEO's General Operating Support Action Guide
GEO's General Operating Support Action Guide brings one of philanthropy's "elephants in the room" out into the open. Money changes hands in philanthropy, yet we don't talk explicitly about what works and what could be improved about this aspect of grantmakers' support. If we are committed to improving nonprofit effectiveness, then it's time to talk explicitly about how the structure of our monetary gifts helps – and too often hinders – the organizations we invest in. NOTE: Kathleen Enright of GEO will meet with SDG members about the guide on September 13--join us!
- Deeper Capacity Building for Greater Impact
This new TCC Group report outlines best practices for structuring long-term capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the management, governance and performance of nonprofit organizations.
Funders Want to Streamline Grant Process
From the Foundation Center: An overwhelming majority of grantmakers want to streamline the grant application and reporting processes for nonprofits, a new survey by Harvard University's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations and the New York City-based Nonprofit Finance Fund finds. Ninety percent of the more than eighty survey respondents recommended simplifying grant application forms and reporting requirements commensurate with the size and scope of a grant opportunity, while almost 80 percent indicated that most grants should have fewer line items and other restrictions. In addition, 83 percent said foundations should increase the size and duration of grants, even if it meant that fewer nonprofits were supported; 70 percent were in favor of standardized grant application forms and reporting; 94 percent indicated that foundation relationships with grantees should move from oversight to partnership; and 89 percent said foundations should jointly decide with grantees on evaluation tools and metrics. Click here for more information.
Washington Report
Congressional Philanthropy Caucus Update
On July 12, 2007, U.S. Representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) and Robin Hayes (R- N.C.) distributed a Dear Colleague letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives announcing the creation of the Congressional Philanthropy Caucus. Representatives Tubbs Jones and Hayes serve as the bi-partisan co-chairs of the Caucus. The Council on Foundations is currently running a grassroots campaign asking the philanthropic sector to urge their representatives to join the group.
Sen. Baucus Has No Plans for Legislation to Curb Charitable Abuses
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Sen. Max Baucus, the Montana Democrat who took over the reins of the Senate Finance Committee in January, said that he does not give high priority to cracking down on charitable abuses or imposing new regulations on nonprofit groups such as hospitals. "That's not at the top of my list," he said during a brief interview on the sidelines of a conference on rural philanthropy held here this week. "I haven't got time." Mr. Baucus also said he favored extending a law that allows people to give money from their individual retirement accounts to charity without paying any taxes, which expires at the end of this year.
IRS Issues Advance Notice on Payout Requirements for Type III Supporting Organizations
The IRS issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the payout requirement for Type III supporting organizations that are not functionally integrated, a provision enacted as part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA). Public comments are due by Oct. 31. Click here for COF's analysis of this document.
More Philanthropic Headlines
Wall Street Journal: A New Generation Reinvents Philanthropy
This article describes how 20-somethings are using blogs and social networking sites to raise funds for their favorite charitable causes, and how nonprofits are also taking advantage of these technologies.
Seattle Times: Private Foundations: Spotlight Spurs Sharper Focus, Less Secrecy
Phil Buchanan of the Center for Effective Philanthropy outlines how "foundation leaders are pushing to increase the effectiveness — and ultimate impact — of their foundations by taking several important steps," including focusing, assessing their impact, and exploring new strategies.
Christian Science Monitor: Wanted: Nonprofit Leaders
This article describes the nonprofit sector's leadership shortage.
Fortune Small Business Magazine: Charity, Bill Gates-Style
This article explains that entrepreneur philanthropists "are changing the face of charitable giving in America. Many of them are baby-boomers or younger and earned their dough at fast-moving startups. They're used to being in charge, doing more with less, and seeing results now. While large corporations may write bigger checks, small-business owners are bringing their hands-on approach to a vast range of social problems."
Hewlett Foundation President Says Philanthropists Need Better Information
In the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's recently released annual report, president and CEO Paul Brest wrote an essay calling for the development of an online "marketplace" of information to help philanthropists make more informed decisions about which organizations to support. Likening such a marketplace to the robust financial information available to private investors, Brest said the creation of Web sites to provide accurate information about nonprofit organizations' finances, strategies, and accomplishments would help the best of them gain the most support, increasing the effectiveness of philanthropy in solving problems.
USA Today: Americans Giving While Living
"Giving while living" is becoming popular as more Americans decide to spread their money around while they're still here to see its impact. They're giving to children, grandchildren and others. They're paying for college educations and providing down payments for houses. They're setting up trusts and paying for vacations. To keep families working together and to support favorite causes, more Americans are setting up private foundations and hiring their children to run them or serve on the boards. The number of independent foundations has jumped 77% in the past 10 years to 63,059, according to the Foundation Center in New York. Nine out of 10 of them are family foundations.
Resources
For Your Grantees
Nonprofit Management Solutions is launching a new Certificate in Nonprofit Management as a joint venture with Chapman University. The program aims to prepare participants for staff leadership positions within nonprofit organizations and includes a
12-session course curriculum.
Reports & Books
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Annual Kids Count Data Book
The 18th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book provides national and state-by-state information and statistical trends on the conditions of America’s children and families. According to the book, the nation has seen improvement over the past five years in key areas such as child death rates, teen birth rates, high school dropout rates, and teens not in school and not working. However, four areas have worsened, including low-birthweight babies, children living in families where no parent has full-time year-round employment, children in poverty and children in single-parent families.
Power in Policy: A Funder's Guide to Advocacy and Civic Participation
If foundations take seriously the causes their mission statements proclaim, they "absolutely must participate in public policy," according to Hodding Carter, formerly of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Carter makes the claim in this new book published by the Fieldstone Alliance and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.
Civic Reflection: A Toolkit for Foundation Boards
Civic reflection is the practice of using short pieces of literature as a jumping-off point for thinking and talking about the tough questions at the core of our work: Why do we give? What do we expect from our gifts? How do we know that our gifts are effective? Co-authored by Association of Small Foundations and the Project on Civic Reflection, this toolkit will help your board to consider the complexity of your work, the values that underlie it, and your own perspectives on giving. Request a free copy from Association of Small Foundations, 888.212.9922.
Upcoming
SDG Programs
Click here for a complete listing of SDG Programs.
Webinar: When Disaster Strikes: Strategies for Corporate Involvement
August 29, 2007
10-11:30am
Nonprofit Leadership Transitions: How Funders Can Help
August 29, 2007
2:00-4:00pm
Location: Northern Trust, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, SD, CA
Lunchtime Chat with Kathleen Enright, Executive Director, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO)
September 13, 2007
12:00-2:00pm
Location: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, 9325 Sky Park Court, Suite 350, SD, CA
Third Thursdays Breakfast Series (Nosh, Network, Knowledge)
Sept 20, Oct 18
8:30-10:30am
Location:
The San Diego Foundation, 2508 Historic Decatur Road, SD, CA
Sept 20 Topic: Making Measures Work for You: Outcomes and Evaluation
SDG 2007 Annual Conference
Strategic Grantmaking: Inspiration to Implementation
November 8, 2007
9:30am-4:30pm
Location: NTC Promenade, 2875 Dewey Road, SD, CA
Save the date! Among our expert speakers are Peter Hero, Senior Advisor and former President of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Albert Ruesga, Vice President of The Meyer Foundation and chair of Hispanics in Philanthropy. Click here for more information and click here (pdf) to download a sponsorship form.
Click here for more information about all of these SDG programs. All programs are free for SDG members except where indicated.
To RSVP, please call (619) 744-2180 or email programs@sdgrantmakers.org.
Other Events of Interest
COF Seminar: Establishing a New Foundation
September 16, 2007
San Francisco, CA
The California Wellness Foundation Conference on Border Health
September 18, 2007
San Diego, CA
SSIR and AFP Nonprofit Management Institute 2007
September 25-26, 2007
Stanford University, CA
Center for Effective Philanthropy: Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy
October 10, 2007
San Francisco, CA
BoardSource Leadership Forum: Shaping the Next Generation of Governance
October 12-13, 2007
San Francisco, CA
Grantmakers for Education Conference
October 17-19
Tamaya, NM
SCG Fundamentals of Effective Grantmaking
October 19, 26, and November 9, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
Independent Sector Annual Conference
October 21-23, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) Conference
October 24-25, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference
October 31-November 2, 2007
San Diego, CA
National Philanthropy Day
November 14, 2007
San Diego, CA
Foundations on the Hill 2008
March 4-5, 2008
Washington, DC
COF: Philanthropy's Vision: A Leadership Summit
May 4-7, 2008
Washington, DC Region
Today, the role of philanthropy is expanding and so are its
responsibilities. This online SDGrantmakers Update is published
by San Diego Grantmakers to help SDG members meet the challenge. Our mission is to connect, educate, 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. Copies
of past editions are archived here. Contact Nancy Jamison, 619/744.2180 or nancy@SDGrantmakers.org to suggest article ideas or submit news items, or if you no longer wish to receive these updates.
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