SD Grantmakers Update
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January 2008 |
"Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.”--Plato |
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In This Issue
The Nonprofit Sector, Elections, and Government
The 2008 elections have been making headlines for months now, and some coverage has connected the contests with the nonprofit sector. This Chronicle of Philanthropy article covers the Nonprofit Primary Project, a national effort--spearheaded by the Nonprofit Congress and the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits--to make the needs and impact of the nonprofit sector part of the national dialogue by educating candidates and the public about the sector. Robert Egger, a driving force behind the Primary Project, argues that nonprofit groups must work together to get on the radar screen of politicians, not exclusively as advocates for particular social issues, but as organizations that play a major role in the national economy and help the country tackle its social problems.
This Philanthropy Journal blog post by Todd Cohen notes that while presidential candidates talk about change, "truly fixing what is wrong in America depends on the often-unsung work of the charitable marketplace, which itself needs fixing. In addition to serving as key players in addressing urgent social needs, nonprofits, institutional philanthropy and individual givers can act as civic society’s enterprising arm, investing in and brokering the kind of partnerships critical to fixing the flawed public policies underlying our most serious social problems. Effectively playing those roles, however, requires leadership, both among those working in the charitable marketplace, and on the part of the politicians who are tripping over one another in this intense political season to claim the title of change agent."
The partnership between foundations and government will be the subject of a new GrantCraft guide, coming this spring. To develop a rich fund of materials, GrantCraft is now collecting stories, reactions, and questions from grant makers using a quick online questionnaire: click here to respond.
Foundations on the Hill
Since congressional interest in our sector is not lessening, your participation in Foundations on the Hill (March 4-5, 2008) is more important than ever! Rep. John Lewis, chair of the House Ways and Means Oversight subcommittee, advised us to get to know our elected officials and their staffers better. We need to be intentional in educating members of Congress about the good work we do in their communities. Please consider sending someone from your foundation to D.C. this year. This time on the Hill is vital to our ability to head off legislation that may negatively impact the sector. If you or someone from your foundation will be able to join us, please let Nancy know.
To sign up for the COF Legislative Network and receive updates on the news from Washington, click here.
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.
On Tuesday, January 29, 2008, the San Diego City Council will be honoring Dr. Ruth Riedel for her many years of visionary service to the community and the Alliance Healthcare Foundation. January 29th will be declared “Dr Ruth Riedel Day in the City of San Diego,” and the ceremony will take place in the City Council Chambers at 10:00 a.m.
The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals has awarded The Hitachi Foundation a Gold MarCom for the communications strategy supporting the release of the 2007 State of Corporate Citizenship in the U.S. Click here for more information.
The International Community Foundation will establish the ICF Center for Cross-Border Philanthropy to help promote greater cross-cultural understanding in globally interconnected communities. ICF was also featured in a recent San Diego Union-Tribune article regarding property tax exemptions for nonprofits doing international work.
Peggy Dulany of The Synergos Institute and Ann Tartre of the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership wrote an op-ed article in the San Diego Union-Tribune about how people can broaden and sustain their giving to increase and strengthen its impact on the challenges facing communities daily.
The Westreich Foundation has a newly enhanced website.
Charity Rankings
Two new charity ranking projects have been in the news recently:
Great Nonprofits
Perla Ni, formerly of Stanford Social Innovation Review, has a new website called Great Nonprofits where charity clients and volunteers can rate their experiences and provide "user reviews." She compares the site to a Zagat restaurant guide, "something to help the public decide if a charity is worth donating to or asking for help." Like Zagat guides, the site is tailored to individual cities--Pittsburgh and San Francisco to start, and more coming soon. Click here for a Chronicle of Philanthropy article about the site.
GiveWell
Reported in the New York Times: "As hedge-fund analysts, Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld made six-figure incomes deciding which companies to invest in. Now they are doing the same thing with charities, for a lot less pay. Mr. Karnofsky and Mr. Hassenfeld, both 26, are the founders and sole employees of GiveWell, which studies charities in particular fields and ranks them on their effectiveness. GiveWell is supported by a charity they created, the Clear Fund, which makes grants to charities they recommend in their research." The article also notes that some have "reservations about GiveWell's method, saying it tends to be less a true measure of a charity’s effectiveness than simply a gauge of the charity’s ability to provide data on that effectiveness." GiveWell also hit headlines when Karnofsky and Hassenfeld were caught using online aliases to promote the organization: click here and here for information.
Nonprofit Overhead Costs
A recent New York Times article asks "Can Foundations Take the Long View Again?" and suggests that the current focus on tangible, measurable returns on charitable dollars--often by making grants for discrete, short-term projects--may be forcing nonprofits to "sacrifice long-term effectiveness for short-term efficiency." Additionally, "project-based funding allows grantees to collect only a fraction of their real overhead costs" thus creating financial strain in organizations and limiting their capacity. The article reports that several recent publications have recommended that grantmakers provide more operating support to charities.
One such study was conducted by The Nonprofit Overhead Cost Project, a partnership of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The group works to increase understanding of how nonprofits raise, spend, measure, and report funds for fundraising and administration and to improve standards and practice in these areas. The project's study makes the case for better support of nonprofit finance systems by connecting the dots between low levels of support for overhead costs and limited nonprofit effectiveness. "To deal with the inadequate funding for administration, organizations resort to the strategies of low pay, make do, and do without that diminish organizational effectiveness," the study finds. To download one relevant brief, "Getting What We Pay For: Low Overhead Limits Nonprofit Effectiveness," click here.
Philanthropy blogger Lucy Bernholz has also chimed in on the subject, asking "Have you ever really thought about how anomalous is our obsession with nonprofit overhead ratios? Think about it this way - in what other area of your life do you deliberately seek out the product, service, location, or experience that is being made available in the cheapest possible fashion? We don't pick restaurants because they forgo cleanliness, we don't buy clothes we think will fall apart, we don't choose schools for our kids because the administration is keeping costs down and not supporting teachers, and we don't make travel arrangements because we know the airline we've selected skimps on maintenance. As far as I can tell - only in choosing nonprofits is there an active illogical pursuit of 'less is better.' Is it because we are so crass as humans that we (donors) don't care about the quality of the services that nonprofits provide to their clients - who are only in some cases the same people as donors?" Click here to read the full post.
More Philanthropic Headlines
Growing Divide between Wealthy and Other Nonprofit Organizations
From The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "Even as many wealthy nonprofit institutions — like museums and universities — are reporting record increases in contributions, other charities, especially those that provide direct services to the poor, are struggling to get donations and keep up with rapidly escalating demands for aid."
Grant Makers Collaborate on New Effort to Help Effective Charities Expand
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation has raised $88-million for a new fund designed to help nonprofit organizations with proven track records grow and become more efficient, reports The New York Times.
Foundations Increasingly Align Investments with Charitable Goals
In a break from past practice, some major foundations have initiated or strengthened efforts to harmonize the social and environmental impact of their endowment investments with their philanthropic goals, the Los Angeles Times reports. Click here for more on this story.
Why Giving Makes You Happy
In The New York Sun: "It is a fact that givers are happier people than non-givers. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who gave money to charity in 2000 were 43% more likely than non-givers to say they were "very happy" about their lives."
Nonprofit Leaders and Experts Offer Their Predictions for 2008
The Chronicle of Philanthropy asked an array of nonprofit leaders and experts to offer their outlook for 2008--responses include the importance of new technologies, climate change, charity duplication, foundation mergers, embedded giving, and more.
How Private Money Is Eclipsing Public Works
WSJ.com Blog: "I wondered why all this wealth and giving — nearly $300 billion last year — was doing little for the nation’s infrastructure. How is it that we have so many new museums, university buildings, hospital wings and even skating rinks funded by the new rich, and yet our roads and bridges are crumbling?"
US Charity List Topped by Living Donors for First Time
From Financial Times:
"US philanthropists are increasingly giving during their lifetimes rather than after their deaths, with the 50 most generous Americans committing $7.3bn to charity in 2007, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy."
Relatively Few Charity Dollars Go to Neediest, Study Finds
"Providing for the poor is the primary goal people cite for their charitable donations, but less than one third of that money actually goes to helping the neediest, according to a recent study commissioned by Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google."
Resources
Foundation Funding for Capital Scarce
Only one in five of Southern California's 3,064 foundations will consider capital needs, says a report (pdf) by the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California.
Just Philanthropy
A new online tool for grantmakers, donors and advocates, designed to provide organizations with an understanding of how to carry out their missions while keeping an eye on social justice and racial equality. Click here for an article about the site.
Upcoming
SDG Programs
Click here for a complete listing of SDG Programs.
After the Fires: The San Diego Foundation's Community Needs Assessment Report
January 31, 2008
8:30-10:30am
Location: The San Diego Foundation, 2508 Historic Decatur Rd, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106
Family Foundation Exchange Topic: Co-Funding and Fundraising
February 12, 2008
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Northern Trust, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, 10th Floor, San Diego, CA 92122
Permanent Collection, Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company & Post-show discussion
Discussion led by Janine Mason, Fieldstone Foundation and Seema Sueko, Mo`olelo Artistic Director
February 21, 2008
7:30pm
Location: 10th Avenue Theater, 930 Tenth Avenue, San Diego CA 92101
Fee: $15.00 per person. RSVP by February 15.
Working Group Meetings:
Workforce Funders: January 29, February 13
Homelessness Working Group: February 11
Child Welfare Funders: January 25
Education Funders: January 30
San Diego Neighborhood Funders: February 1
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
Developing Excellence in Employee Volunteer Programs
January 23, 2008
San Diego, CA
PRI CONFERENCE 2008
January 29-31, 2008
New Orleans, LA
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Leveraging Corporate-Community Partnerships
February 6-8, 2008
San Diego, CA
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Integrating Corporate Citizenship Across the Company
February 6-8, 2008
San Diego, CA
Foundations on the Hill 2008
March 4-5, 2008
Washington, DC
GEO 2008 National Conference and 10th Anniversary Celebration
March 10-12, 2008
San Francisco, CA
SD Workforce Partnership Workforce Summit 2008: Convening Leaders, Confronting Reality
March 13, 2008
San Diego, CA
2008 International Corporate Citizenship Conference
April 6-8, 2008
Boston, MA
Grants Managers Network Annual Meeting
April 7-9, 2008
Chicago, IL
Business Civic Leadership Center National Conference: Corporate Community Investment
April 27-29, 2008
Anaheim, CA
COF: Philanthropy's Vision: A Leadership Summit
May 4-7, 2008
Washington, DC Region (VA)
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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