SD Grantmakers Update
In This Issue
San Diego Fire Response
We send thoughts of support to the entire San Diego community in the wake of this week's devastating fires. As you consider your organization's response, here are some helpful resources on disaster grantmaking.
- Do no harm.
- Stop, look and listen before taking action.
- Don’t act in isolation.
- Think beyond the immediate crisis to the long term.
- Bear in mind the expertise of local organizations.
- Find out how prospective grantees operate.
- Be accountable to those you are trying to help.
- Communicate your work widely and use it as an educational tool.
Of course, SDG members are already moving to help those affected by this unprecedented county-wide loss and will continue to do so in the days, months and years ahead. Some examples are below -- please email us what you are doing and we will communicate and compile so we can all learn together. We want to help inform and inspire our funder members by sharing the grantmaking of your colleagues -- decisions, programs, challenges, suggestions, successes.
The Jewish community has established the Jewish Community Disaster Fund to provide assistance to Jewish families and others in need who have been affected by the fires as well as to rebuild communal infrastructure if required. Funds will be held by the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego in partnership with the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. Relief will be provided through Jewish Family Service of San Diego and other community organizations. No overhead costs will be taken from the fund, and all dollars raised will help those in need.
The San Diego Foundation opened the After-the-Fires Fund/Respond, Recover, Rebuild, an initiative of the San Diego Regional Disaster Fund, which was established to prepare for regional crises as well as to make grants to nonprofit organizations that provide relief to the San Diego region during and after a disaster. The San Diego Regional Disaster Fund does not grant directly to individuals or families, but to the nonprofit organizations that serve individuals and families. The San Diego Regional Disaster Fund includes two funds established by the local biotechnology community. The first, the Fire Relief Biotech Immediate Response Fund, was established to provide grants to non-profit organizations that are providing immediate relief to residents affected by the wild fires. The second, the Fire Relief Biotech Recovery Fund, was established to provide grants to non-profit organizations that will work in the weeks, months and years ahead to help with rebuilding efforts. Click here for more information.
Cox Communications is donating $25,000, including $15,000 to The San Diego Foundation San Diego Regional Disaster Fund and $10,000 to the American Red Cross, San Diego.
The Rancho Santa Fe Foundation's Good Samaritan and Disaster Relief Funds are accepting donations now for local residents who have lost property as a result of the wildfires in Rancho Santa Fe and North San Diego County.
Other SDG members, like Amylin Pharmaceuticals and AMN Healthcare, are working to help provide medicine, medical supplies, and medical personnel.
Join Us: Year-End SDG Member Reception with County Supervisors Ron Roberts and Greg Cox
Please join us for:
Charting Our Course: Planning for the Future of San Diego County
Monday, December 3
5:30-7:30pm
Location: Junior Achievement BizTown
Celebrate the end of another successful year of grantmaking, mingle with fellow SDG members, and hear from San Diego County Supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts as you check out the new Junior Achievement BizTown. BizTown is a life-sized interactive city that is designed to reflect San Diego's businesses, landscape, and architecture. It was supported by a number of SDG members. RSVP now!
RSVP Today! SDG Annual Conference on November 8
The 2007 SDG Annual Conference will be held on Thursday, November 8--it's coming SOON. 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. Click here for all the details on the conference, and click here (pdf) to download a registration form that you can print and send in. We are very close to sell-out capacity, so RSVP now!
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.
After 19 years as founding President and CEO, Ruth Riedel, PhD, is leaving Alliance Healthcare Foundation on January 1, 2008. Her departure from Alliance will allow her to use her experience to benefit other organizations that are dedicated to advocacy and the delivery of services to underserved populations.
The Gates Foundation is looking to hire three Associate Directors of Impact Planning and Improvement (IPI) in the foundation areas of Global Health, United States, and Education (positions based in Seattle). Candidates should have 15+ years in impact and evaluation and a broad knowledge of performance measurement tools. Contact Nancy if you are interested in receiving the position descriptions.
The James Irvine Foundation has announced thirty-seven grants totaling nearly $11.9 million in support of its mission to expand opportunities for all Californians. Grants made through the foundation's Regional Arts Initiative, California Perspectives program, and Youth program included a total of $4.1 million to fifteen arts organizations in the Central Valley; $1 million to the Liberty Hill Foundation for re-granting to organizations in Los Angeles County working to involve traditionally underrepresented communities in local decision-making processes; and $1 million to UNITE-LA, which is working with four large Los Angeles-area high schools struggling to transform themselves into smaller learning communities.
Nonprofit Management Solutions (NMS) is holding the 2007 Salute to Excellence Nonprofit Community Awards Luncheon on November 30, 2007. Five nonprofit organizations that have used best practices to accomplish something extraordinary on behalf of their community will be honored. Click here for more information. SDG member Sempra Energy is the signature event sponsor.
NMS, along with SDG and UCSD-Extension, is inviting CEOs/Executive Directors of nonprofit organizations in San Diego County who are planning or currently engaged in social enterprise (earned-income) ventures to participate in a Social Enterprise Institute Academy. The Academy will give feedback to participants on their business concepts/plans and will select a winner to receive extensive coaching and more. Click here for more information.
Congratulations to Qualcomm Incorporated for being named to The BCA Ten: Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America. Click here for more information on the honor.
SANDAN is holding its first Annual “Outlook and Trends in the Sector” Conference on November 1, 2007. Nancy Jamison of SDG will speak, as will SDG member Victoria Hamilton of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. Click here for information about the conference. SANDAN has made news recently in the San Diego Daily Transcript: click here.
The San Diego Foundation's fall newsletter is now available. Click here to download.
Members of San Diego Social Venture Partners attended the international convention of Social Venture Partners in Seattle this month. Click here for a blog post on the event from SDSVP's Chair Mark Fackler.
The 4th Annual USD Institute for Nonprofit Governance will be held on January 11-12, 2008. Click here to download the brochure.
San Diego Regional Giving Report
San Diego Grantmakers is working on a major study of charitable giving in the San Diego region. The University of San Diego’s Center for Nonprofit Research will conduct the study and produce the report. SDG and USD plan to jointly release the report in mid-February 2008. Charitable giving reports have been produced and published by regional associations of grantmakers across the country to support and promote local philanthropy. Nonprofit organizations, legislators and their staff, media groups, business and community leaders, professional advisors, and other funders often need region-specific data. This report is designed to:
- Benchmark giving so we can measure changes in local philanthropy over time.
- Help nonprofits better understand the funding realities of the region.
- Make the case to legislators about both the power and limitations of philanthropy.
- Increase visibility and credibility for the philanthropic community and motivate greater, more effective giving.
- Determine the need for philanthropic support services.
Many thanks to the report's confirmed funders, including United Way of San Diego County, The Parker Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation, The San Diego Foundation (list in formation).
Washington Report
Independent Sector Comments on IRS Draft 990
Independent Sector has filed comments regarding the proposed redesign of IRS Form 990. Independent Sector urged the IRS to delay implementation of the Core Form until FY 2009 to allow organizations to make changes to their accounting systems. IS also raised concerns about the supplemental Schedules and recommended reorganizing the Core Form, among other issues. Click here for more information.
Congressional Philanthropy Caucus
As we have reported previously, the Congressional Philanthropy Caucus is a bipartisan effort co-chaired by Representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) and Robin Hayes (R-NC). We're happy to note that Representatives Susan Davis and Bob Filner have both signed on as members, so San Diego is well-represented. The caucus will:
- inform members of Congress and congressional staff about the important role that foundations play in our communities and around the world
- identify issues of mutual interest to the philanthropic sector and lawmakers
- raise awareness about legislative issues affecting foundations, such as the recent changes to donor-advised funds and supporting organizations
To sign up for the COF Legislative Network and receive updates on the news from Washington, click here.
Grantmakers In Aging Conference Coming to San Diego
The Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference will be held right here at the Omni Hotel in San Diego from October 31-November 2, 2007. This year's theme is "Breaking Away! Charting a New Course in Aging Philanthropy." The GIA Annual Conference brings together funders and leaders in the field to address trends and opportunities as they relate to aging and philanthropy. It is a great source of information for
grantmakers who are either active in or considering grantmaking in the field of aging. Deborah Szekely of the Szekely Family Foundation is the keynote speaker and Nancy Jamison of SDG is the moderator for the Closing Plenary Session.
More Philanthropic Headlines
Foundations Launch Center to Limit Colleges' Control Over Restricted Gifts
From the Foundation Center: The John William Pope, Marcus, and John Templeton foundations have launched an organization that will advise donors on how to attach legally enforceable conditions to their gifts, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Philanthropy Changing amidst Wealth Boom
From the Financial Times: There has been plenty of news coverage of the ever-expanding ranks of millionaires created by start-up Internet companies, a wave of M&A activity and (until recently) increasing real estate prices. What has gone less remarked on is the increase in and changing nature of philanthropy as the result of the wealth boom.
Charitable Trusts Managed by Banks Face Scrutiny
Banks and lawyers that oversee the operation of charitable trusts created by families often stray from the wishes of the trusts’ founders after they have died, giving less to charities and increasing fees to grow the trusts’ assets, reports The New York Times.
Opinion: We Can't Rely on the Kindness of Billionaires
History professor David Nasaw writes in the Washington Post: "Giving," Bill Clinton's folksy first-person tour of worthy causes and the good people who support them, is so relentlessly upbeat that only the most churlish professor would say a discouraging word about the book. But the former president is so intent on celebrating 21st-century philanthropy -- and highlighting his and Hillary's role in promoting "the explosion of private citizens doing public good" -- that he blithely ignores a hard reality: Philanthropy and democracy don't get along nearly as seamlessly as "Giving" would have us believe. Private giving is not the panacea for all that ails us.
Opinion: True Measure of Giving Won’t Always Add Up
Philanthropy blogger Sean Stannard-Stockton writes in the Financial Times: Our understanding of philanthropy is changing from “giving money away” to “making social investments.” But this admirable shift is leading some donors mistakenly to focus on how charities spend donations, instead of understanding whether the organisations they support are making a difference.
No Strings Attached
Last month, The Chronicle of Philanthropy featured an article regarding unrestricted gifts. Fundraisers say more donors--especially younger ones--are earmarking their funds for specific uses. Others, like Abigail Disney, make unrestricted gifts
to counter the "flavor-of-the-month problem,"
where donors put their money into new or trendy programs. The article highlights community foundations that encourage their donors to make unrestricted gifts for maximum impact.
Foundation Management Can Be Effective
Joel J. Orosz writes in Philanthropy Journal: Is the phrase "effective foundation management" an oxymoron? It needn't be, but there are seven major challenges and seven dilemmas distinctive to foundations that hinder their effective management.
Resources
Grantmaking Teleconferences
Pre-Grant Due Diligence and the Pension Protection Act Webinar: October 30. FREE! Click here to register.
International Grantmaking: November 15. $25. Click here to register.
YouTube Nonprofit Program
YouTube has announced the YouTube Nonprofit Program, a way to help people find and watch nonprofit video content. Organizations receive a free YouTube channel where they can upload footage of their work, public service announcements, calls to action and more. The channel will also allow them to collect donations with no processing costs using the newly launched Google Checkout for Nonprofits.
Book on High-Impact Nonprofits
The authors of Forces for Good: The Six Practices of Creating High-Impact Nonprofits argue with conventional wisdom, which says that scaling social innovation starts with strengthening internal management capabilities. They outline the six nonprofit management myths and then identify and explore the six practices of high-impact nonprofits.
Report: Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy
New research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy suggests a fundamental disconnect between what foundation CEOs and program officers believe about the importance of strategy and their use of it in their daily work. This report examines the current state of decision making at large, private, U.S. foundations.
Report: Beyond Five Percent: The New Foundation Payout Menu
The majority of foundations in the United States are set up to exist in perpetuity. Most pay out, in grants and administrative costs, around five percent of their assets each year, the minimum required by U.S. law. However, some grantmakers are driven by their missions to move beyond these "default" positions. Beyond Five Percent: The New Foundation Payout Menu, a joint project of the French American Charitable Trust (FACT), Northern California Grantmakers (NCG), and New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG), is a report that looks at a range of organizations that have charted alternative paths to the traditional lifespan of foundations. Click here for the report.
Report: Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations
The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector issued these guidelines to help nonprofit groups avoid ethical and legal improprieties. The report outlines 33 practices designed to support board members and staff leaders of every charitable organization as they work to improve their own operations. Also, click here for The Chronicle of Philanthropy's article on the guidelines.
New Philanthropy Blog
Philanthropy News Digest (PND), the Foundation Center's daily online news service, has launched PhilanTopic, a new blog that aims to provide a forum for opinion and commentary on the changing world of philanthropy.
Upcoming
SDG Programs
Click here for a complete listing of SDG Programs.
Prisoner Reentry Working Group
October 30, 2007
1:00-4:00pm
Location: The California Endowment, 600 West Broadway, SD, CA 92101
San Diego Neighborhood Funders
November 2, 2007
12:00-2:00pm
Location: Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation
SDG 2007 Annual Conference
Strategic Grantmaking: Inspiration to Implementation
November 8, 2007
9:30am-4:30pm
Location: NTC Promenade, 2875 Dewey Road, SD, CA
Fee: $125/members, $175/nonmember grantmakers
Funding & Solving Homelessness in San Diego-HWG
November 12, 2007
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Alliance Healthcare Foundation
Family Foundation Exchange (FFE)
November 13, 2007
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Northern Trust, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, 10th Floor, SD, CA 92122
San Diego Workforce Funders Collaborative
November 14, 2007
9:00-10:30am
Location: Biocom, 4510 Executive Drive, SD, CA 92121
Year-End SDG Member Reception with County Supervisors Ron Roberts and Greg Cox
Charting Our Course: Planning for the Future of San Diego County
December 3, 2007
5:30-7:30pm
Location: Junior Achievement BizTown, 4756 Mission Gorge Place, SD, CA
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
Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference
October 31-November 2, 2007
San Diego, CA
SANDAN 1st Annual Conference: Outlook and Trends in the Sector
November 1, 2007
San Diego, CA
2007 MicroEdge Solutions Conference
November 12–14, 2007
Miami Beach, FL
National Philanthropy Day
November 14, 2007
San Diego, CA
San Diego County Arts Education Summit 2007
November 17, 2007
CSU-San Marcos, San Marcos, CA
4th Annual USD Institute for Nonprofit Governance
January 11-12, 2008
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.
|
