July 31, 2008
Did you sit in on Tuesday’s Bush Foundation webcast — “Courageous Leaders - Vibrant Communities” — about the organization’s new strategic direction? Everybody’s been writing and commenting on the content of the online session (see the In the Media post for links), but I want to applaud the organization for its top-notch use of new media to reach out to and interact with nonprofit partners and the larger community.
Not only did the webcast technology work well (view the archived event here), but the event was well-publicized in advance, the written and oral presentation was clear and concise, and questions were handled smoothly. Of course, it sure helped for Bush to have two dream spokespeople for the webinar gig: board president Kathy Tunheim is one of the premier p.r. people in the Cities and, as a former gubernatorial candidate, foundation president Peter Hutchinson knows how to handle himself in front of a camera.
The foundation also has plenty of information on its website, from a letter from the president describing what’s happening, to a deeper explanation about each of the three new funding areas, to how the foundation’s current programs are changing, and more.
I’ll be intrigued to see how Bush handles the next phase of its electronic communications strategy. During the webcast Hutchinson and Tunheim invited viewers to use a new e-mail address — newdirection@bushfoundation.org — to send in their ideas and examples of how Bush can flesh out the details of its new strategy. The promise was made to respond to every e-mail within 24 hours. Will they be able to live up to their promise and the public’s expectations?
Let’s hope so. And, in the meantime, congratulations to Bush for successfully using technology to build relationships and communicate transparently with its constituents.
Join the conversation: How are you fostering two-way communication with your constituents? What are you policies for responding quickly to clients, customers and the public?
- Wendy Wehr, MCF VP of communications and information services
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communication, in the news, private foundations, technology | 
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Posted by Wendy Wehr
July 31, 2008
Local philanthropy/nonprofit news from the last week:
- Bush Foundation Announces New Funding Priorities
Lots of coverage about Bush’s decision to change to three funding areas.
> Star Tribune: Bush Foundation Changes Its Focus and the Way It Will Issue Grants
> Strib editorial: Bush Foundation Makes a Smart Shift
> Pioneer Press: Major State Funding Group Alters Focus
> MinnPost: Bush Foundation To Focus On Three New Funding Priorities
> Business Journal: Bush Foundation Suspends Grants, Refocuses
- Cub Scouts Complete Underwood Service Project
Fergus Falls Daily Journal: Pack 325 received a lumber donation and Valspar Corp. donated the paint for the caboose and playground equipment, including the play tower. “I noticed an article about a paint grant from Valspar Corp. and West Central Initiative last February,” Cubmaster Doug Hansen said. “Our pack approached the Underwood City Council with the idea. The council was all for it.”
- Welcome Center Awarded Grant
Austin Daily Herald: A grant from AgStar Financial Services will provide funding to train and support rural residents with micro-farming, a small-business agricultural operation that offers economic opportunity and sustainability. The center also received $10,000 for the program this spring from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
- Independence Center Receives Grants
St. Cloud Times: The Otto Bremer Foundation donated $30,000 and the CentraCare Health Foundation awarded $20,000 to this nonprofit organization that provides services to adults with developmental disabilities, for improvements to its facility in Waite Park.
- Minnesota CEOs Weigh In on Corporate Philanthropy
Business Journal: High-profile Minnesota business leaders were part of a forum on corporate philanthropy sponsored by the Leadership Emergence and Development Project (LEAD), a nonprofit organized around 20- and 30-year-old Twin Cities professionals.
- ACT Plans ‘Re-Visioning’ Get-Together
Annandale Advocate: The Annandale Area Community Team meeting will take place exactly five years to the day that ACT first invited community residents to a “visioning” session to suggest improvement projects to make the Annandale area better than it is. ACT grew out of leadership training for about 20 area volunteers under the Healthy Communities Partnership Program of the Initiative Foundation of Little Falls.
- Bremer Bank, Otto Bremer Foundation raise combined $127,711 in annual Make Change Campaign
Lake Elmo Leader: Bremer Foundation kicked off the campaign with a $75,000 grant; benefits Second Harvest Heartland.
National philanthropy news from the last week:
- Big Tobacco, Meet Big Philanthropy
New York Times editorial: When two highly visible billionaire philanthropists put their resources and stature behind a campaign, the results are apt to be good.
- New Online Donor Site is Shaded Green
New York Times: GlobalGiving Green, listing 25 projects that it has determined entail minimal greenhouse gas emissions and work in ways that have a positive impact on climate change, will go live on Friday.
- Volunteering in America Strong, Retention Remains a Challenge
Philanthropy News Digest: Although cross-sectoral support for volunteering has never been stronger, keeping volunteers continues to be a challenge. According to a report, an estimated 22 million volunteers — more than one in three — stopped volunteering between 2006 and 2007.
- Network for Good Acquires ePhilanthropy Foundation
Network for Good, a provider of online fundraising services and how-to resources for nonprofits, has acquired the ePhilanthropy Foundation, an educational organization helping other nonprofits to use best Internet practices.
- Charities Devote Small Amount of Their Budgets to Lobbying, Report Finds
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Nearly three-fourths of charities do some kind of advocacy or lobbying, but the vast majority of them devote less than 2 percent of their budgets to such activities, according to a survey released by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies.
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in the news | 
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
July 30, 2008
Philanthropy/nonprofit blog roundup:
- How to Increase Contributions by 50%
Nonprofits Assistance Fund: The big increase in contributions is already in our hands in the form of volunteer labor. When the value of volunteer labor is included, the total amount of contributions to US nonprofits increases by over 50%.
- Offer Your Donors Their Money Back - How Many Will Want It?
Donor Power Blog: Why not put a whole new level of power and respect back into your donors’ hands? Once you’ve raised enough money for a project, tell any other donors that funds are no longer needed for the project, and offer them the option to have their gift refunded or re-designate their donation to another project. How many gifts do you think you’ll have to refund?
- Pandora, Pop Culture and Philanthropy
Philanthropy 2173: Is there such a thing as a philanthropic phenotype? The Pandora music website recommends music that you might like based on the artists you choose. How would such a service to recommend nonprofits work? Can you tell something about someone by where they give their money? Or is the whole idea absurd, given that giving is both passion-driven and rational in ways that music, movies, and pop culture are simply not?
- The Philanthropic Tool Box
Tactical Philanthropy: The nonprofit sector - with its diversity of skills, relationships, and methods - is our collective toolbox for social change. And philanthropy is society’s attempt to pick the right tool at the right time: allocating precious resources to issues, organizations, and interventions. But an individual donor trying to make a good philanthropic choice is like a carpenter reaching into a toolbox in the dark while wearing thick mittens.
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philanthropy blogs | 
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
July 29, 2008
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey
Earlier this month, ten senators introduced legislation that would have created charitable incentives for giving to support relief efforts of the recent disasters that have hit the Midwest (as an amendment to an unrelated bill designed to ease the housing crisis). The national Council on Foundations reported that the Senate passed the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 (H.R.3221) without that amendment.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that a new bill, S. 3322, has been introduced by 11 senators, including Minnesota senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar:
The Midwestern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008 would allow individuals and corporations to get unlimited charitable deductions for donations to relief efforts in the affected areas through the end of 2008.
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
July 28, 2008
Two years ago, the Bush Foundation began looking carefully at its past and future; after much learning, it is ready to share the outcomes of this exploration. Ask your questions in a webcast conversation with foundation president Peter C. Hutchinson and board chair Kathy Tunheim on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. central. Pre-registration is suggested, but not required.
Update: MinnPost published an article Monday afternoon on the foundation’s three new funding priorities.
Update 2: The Pioneer Press published an article Tuesday: Major State Funding Group Alters Grant Focus.
No Comments » | grantseekers, private foundations | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster
July 25, 2008
Photo by Flickr user jepoirrier.
MCF recently began some preliminary work to create a “dashboard” to monitor our progress on achieving our Strategy | 2010 goals. Being a left-brainer who is responsible for oversight of our research functions at MCF, I love the idea of having quantitative and qualitative measures to gauge our effectiveness. (Note I wrote “effectiveness,” not “efficiency.” Check out my previous post on this topic and the insightful comments from our members and nonprofit allies.)
Several weeks ago I noticed some local media outlets, editorialists and bloggers covered MnSCU’s new online accountability dashboard. In the press release announcing the launch, MnSCU Chancellor James H. McCormick said:
“Higher education has entered a new era of accountability. For the last several years, policymakers and the public have been calling for higher education to become more transparent in what we do and how we are performing.
“It’s time for us to embrace the call for accountability with a visible, useable tool,” McCormick said, “We need to be straightforward with the public about our strengths and those areas that need improvement.”
What vision and courage! How refreshing for an organization to expose its strengths and weaknesses to the public. MCF members strive to uphold our Transparency Principle in their work. But you’ve got to admit, it’s hard for us all — grantmakers and grantseekers alike — to be honest with ourselves about our shortcomings … let alone be so forthcoming with others.
Join the conversation: Do you have a dashboard to measure your effectiveness and success? What are you ready to reveal to your constituents to help them better understand your organization?
- Wendy Wehr, VP of communications and information services
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Posted by Wendy Wehr
July 24, 2008
Local philanthropy stories from the last week:
- At Long Last, A Permanent Place To Call Home
West Central Tribune: In the next couple of months, Western Minnesota Legal Services moves into a place of its own — the former home of Judge John and Mary Lindstrom, who last year donated the house to Legal Services. Late last year, the board of Western Minnesota Legal Services approved the donation, a combination of a sale and gift. A $75,000 grant from the Bremer Foundation and a $50,000 grant from the Mardag Foundation covered the cost of acquiring the house for a price considerably below market value.
- Urban Land Institute Selects Suburbs for Housing Development Program
Finance and Commerce: Five Twin Cities-area cities with aging populations and an interest in developing affordable housing for residents have been picked to participate in a pilot program designed to ensure long-term economic stability. Outside funding comes from a $200,000 grant from the Minneapolis-based Family Home Fund, which is financed primarily through the McKnight Foundation.
- Fellowship Gives Actor Kate Eifrig a Break from Day Jobs
MinnPost: The McKnight Foundation fellowships offer $25,000 grants to artists in a dozen fields. Eifrig is thrilled to be a recipient. “It’s a really competitive field and you just keep applying year after year. There are a lot of great applicants,” she says.
National philanthropy stories from the last week:
- When It Hurts To Give
Associated Press: Charities brace as stumbling economy shadows budgets, donor lists.
- Charity’s New Bottom Line: Trust
Cleveland Plain-Dealer: While Giving USA’s Del Martin and her colleagues should be mindful of the economy, the Giving USA Foundation and other organizations concerned about the health of the nonprofit world need to focus on another issue that could have far greater, long-term impact on charitable contributions: trust.
- Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort
New York Times: Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that they would spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.
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Posted by MCF Webmaster
The C.H. Robinson Foundation, established in 2005 in honor of the company’s employees and their families, is funded by C.H. Robinson Worldwide. The foundation provides charitable support for community initiatives and organizations nationally and in its headquarters of Minneapolis-St. Paul, with a specific focus on improving the lives of children and youth, providing food support and other basic living needs, and preserving the high quality of life in the headquarters community and surrounding region.
