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This SDG IN DEPTH online monthly publication is developed, in lieu of a printed newsletter, by San Diego Grantmakers to keep you informed about special topics of interest to grantmakers. Feel free to forward, print out, and/or refer to it later as desired! In addition to IN DEPTH, we also publish SDG Update, a monthly member online newsletter. 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. The Blogosphere & Philanthropy In honor of summer, this month's "In-Depth" takes on a lighter topic: what bloggers are saying about philanthropy. First, we'll review the world of blogs, for those of you unfamiliar with the phenomenon. Then we'll introduce some of the most popular blogs online, as well as some specific to San Diego. Finally, we provide an overview of philanthropy-related blogs. We hope that this gives you a sense of the blogosphere and what it's saying (and NOT saying) about our sector. Needless to say, this is meant as an informational overview only--San Diego Grantmakers does not endorse any of the content of the blogs listed here. What are blogs? The online encyclopedia Wikipedia (recently discussed by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of the largest nonprofit organizations because of the million+ volunteers who contribute to it) provides this helpful description: "A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual although many focus on photographs, videos or audio. The word blog can also be used as a verb, meaning adding an entry to a blog." The site Technorati ranks popular blogs and can be used to search the blogosphere. Google also offers a blog search engine. Some of the most popular blogs have achieved notoriety in the mainstream media. You may have heard of some of these: Slashdot (technology-related "news for nerds"), Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish (punditry from the former New Republic editor-- more politics than philanthropy, but click here for his response to the Buffett-Gates gift), Daily Kos (politics), Drudge Report (news and current events from maverick Matt Drudge), Gawker (New York media news and gossip) and Defamer (its Los Angeles counterpart), The Huffington Post (political news and opinion from Arianna Huffington and other liberal commentators--from time to time includes reposted media stories on philanthropic matters), Instapundit (politics with a libertarian slant--some reporting on foundation doings, such as this post regarding how bloggers might impact foundation scrutiny), Wonkette (politics and Washington, DC gossip). Blogs are seemingly everywhere, on every topic. San Diego Bloggers claims to have compiled a complete list of local bloggers. Two notable San Diego media-based blog sources include the Voice of San Diego's SLOP blog (contributor Scott Lewis on Politics) and the San Diego Union Tribune (click for full list of U-T blogs--or try their editorial blog, America's Finest Blog). Other San Diego blogs include the San Diego Blog, the San Diego Zoo blog, a San Diego real estate blog, Fox 6 San Diego, and Bolttalk, a Chargers fan blog. It's a diverse crowd, but unfortunately, none of these local bloggers seem to have much to say on the subject of philanthropy! There are a number of philanthropy and nonprofit-related blogs online. Some are maintained by formal organizations, known in the field. The Association of Fundraising Professionals has a blog with assorted news and commentary on fundraising and philanthropy, and both the Council on Foundations and The Philanthropic Enterprise maintained blogs in 2005, although they have not been updated recently. The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy hosts a blog; a popular topic here is federal regulation of the philanthropic sector. Stanford Social Innovation Review's opinion blog features commentary by a rotating cast of experts, including researcher Mark Rosenman, blogger Albert Ruesga (of White Courtesy Telephone, below), former Walter and Elise Haas Fund director Bruce Sievers and SSIR founder Perla Ni. You can browse posts by categories like public policy, social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, and management. Other blogs are more similar to most of what makes up the blogosphere: run by individuals of varying backgrounds, and updated at varying frequencies, these blogs offer diverse views and commentary on philanthropic matters. White Courtesy Telephone is Albert Ruesga's blog on "Nonprofits, Foundations, and Philanthropy in the Age of Abu Ghraib." Recent posts include thoughts on "The Post-Katrina Social Contract" and "The Color of Generosity" (noting that while Warren Buffett's giving may cement the image of philanthropists as older white men, the realm of givers is much more diverse than commonly noticed). This blog is updated frequently and receives many comments (responses to posts from readers). Philanthropybeat is "an anonymous blog about [mostly] institutional philanthropy." Recent posts include discussions of foundation marketing and brand management and the relationship between foundation and government funding. Gift Hub is edited by Philip Cubeta, who bills himself as a "morals tutor to America's wealthiest families." An active blogger, Cubeta offers snippets on everything from Christian philanthropy network "The Gathering" to new technology that allows bloggers to collect money from their social networks on their websites. Cubeta also runs The World We Want blog, which concerns "the work and themes of H. Peter Karoff," the founder of The Philanthropic Initiative. FLIP stands for "Future Leaders in Philanthropy," and posts include issues related to young philanthropists and fundraisers. This group (and blog) is sponsored by Changing Our World, Inc, a fundraising/philanthropic consulting firm. Nonprofit Online News is a project of The Gilbert Center and has been in continuous publication since April 1997. It "provides a commercial free stream of tightly edited, well annotated news and resources related to emerging issues in the nonprofit world, with a particular emphasis on communication and new technology." Selfish Giving is "a [Boston-based] cause marketer's musings on doing well and good." This very active blog covers a variety of cause marketing topics. Where Most Needed is maintained by a Baltimore-area "charity industry observer." Recent posts include stories on the failed creation of a Foundation Center think tank and on research regarding challenges faced by nonprofit CFOs. The Nonprofit Consultant Blog is the blog of nonprofit consultant and freelance grant writer Ken Goldstein; it contains funding and grant writing tips, nonprofit industry news and resources and more. One interesting recent post focuses on the difference between charity and philanthropy. Nonprofit Eye is Pamela Ashlund's blog about the nonprofit world. It's a relatively new blog and does not appear to be updated too often, but includes one interesting post on nonprofit identity crises: are nonprofits supposed to be like businesses? The Charity Blogger provides a UK donor's perspective, updated at least weekly. Reimagine Money consists of more thoughtful, abstract contributions about changing the way we think about money, by John Bloom and Katrina Steffek. It is updated a few times a month. Funding Education: Round 2 Child Welfare Funders Session N2: Networking at Northern Trust Distinguished Speaker Series: Mayor Jerry Sanders For questions or comments about SDGrantmakers or to submit articles for our online publications, visit www.SDGrantmakers.org or contact Nancy Jamison, 619/744.2180 or Nancy@SDGrantmakers.org. This online update is a service to San Diego Grantmakers members. Copies of past editions are archived here: News You Can Use. If you do not wish to receive these emails, send an email to nancy@SDGrantmakers.org requesting to unsubscribe in the body of the email. |
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