NBC’s Jetsetting Bad Boy, the New Poster Child for Philanthropy?

June 17, 2009
Bill Gates clearly does this all the time in his philanthropy work. How else do you explain the perpetually tousled hair?

Bill Gates clearly does this all the time in his work for the Gates Foundation. How else do you explain the perpetually tousled hair?

When I first heard about NBC’s new show The Philanthropist I was excited that someone was making a TV show about a field that most people struggle to define (as seen in this funny and revealing video that MCF made a few years ago).

And then I thought to myself, wait a minute, they’re making a series about an x-treme philanthropist, really? In case you haven’t heard about the new show, let me explain.

The new series, set to premier on NBC June 24, features main character Teddy Rist (James Purefoy), a down-on-his-luck playboy businessman.

A single act of heroism inspires Rist to adopt an “extreme vigilante” approach to philanthropy. The first episode finds  Rist in Nigeria battling poisonous snakes and rebel gunmen in the hopes of delivering a cholera vaccine to a rural health clinic.

I think it’s great that NBC has chosen to do a show about philanthropy. I am, however, a little apprehensive that the show will give people an unrealistic idea of what philanthropy is.

After all, it’s hard to imagine Bill Gates basejumping into a refugee camp to deliver mosquito nets…although, if we’re talking about celebrity philanthropists, I could imagine Angelina Jolie doing it.

I guess my point is that one of our goals at MCF is to encourage people to see themselves as philanthropists, at whatever level their budget allows. This new character makes me wonder, will people look at Rist and honestly say to themselves, “Hey, me too!”

Maybe, maybe not. According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, inspiring others is certainly one of the hopes of Charlie Corwin, the show’s producer,and Bobby Sager, the philanthropist that the show is very loosely based on (who, by the way, is doing some really cool stuff.)

In the end, Teddy Rist may not be the perfect poster boy for philanthropy, but he will get people talking about the field and hopefully learning more about philanthropy in the real world. And that’s a good thing.

Join the conversation: Will you be tuning into The Philanthropist on June 24 with me? What stories about philanthropy or giving have inspired you?

Related links: Take NBC’s online quiz about survival situations. What you learn could come in handy the next time you’re battling blizzards to rescue endangered seal pups from poachers.

Update: The Council on Foundations (COF) reacted much the same to the news of The Philanthropist and its larger-than-life portrayal of the field. They’ve typed up some helpful talking points for people working in philanthropy to use when speaking with individuals about the show, and about what philanthropy is like in real life. (06/22/09)

-Cary Lenore Walski, MCF Web Communications Associate

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What Do Grantmakers Need to Know About Nonprofit Finance?

June 16, 2009

The answer: a lot more than ever before. Fortunately, there are some new tools to help grantmakers tackle the task of assessing a nonprofit’s finances.

On June 10, 2009, MCF held a program on Grant Review as part of its Economic Roundtable Series. This program was led and facilitated by Kate Barr, executive director of Nonprofits Assistance Fund (NAF)* in Minneapolis. Her organization provides strategic financial guidance as well as loans to nonprofits in Minnesota.

In her update on nonprofits and the economy, Barr indicated that nonprofit sources of support, including foundation and corporation grants, corporate support and sponsorships, and endowments, were all down. Earned income/fees were fairly stable, while individual giving was “all over the map.”

Many nonprofits are also awaiting Governor Pawlenty’s budget cuts. As a result of this and other factors, 75% of nonprofits are currently figuring out how to provide more service with less money, while investigating other sources of operating income. “I’ve turned down more loans in the last four months than I have in the past nine years,” Barr commented.

The main purpose of this program was to help grantmakers assess nonprofits who are applying for grants, and to learn how to consider the effects of the economy on a nonprofit’s future viability.

Barr provided a checklist for assessing various aspects, including: financial health, financial viability, financial accountability, financial acumen and financial management.

She also shared a new tool that enables a quick assessment of risk in four essential areas for nonprofit organizations: financial health, financial information/reports, organizational change and leadership engagement. The best indicator of financial health is that the nonprofit has had three fiscal years that have ended with a surplus in unrestricted funds. This risk assessment tool along with several other useful diagnostics can be found on the NAF website.

-Lisa Johnson, MCF Manager of Professional Development and E-learning

*Many NAF programs are supported by MCF members such as The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation, Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation, Travelers Foundation, and the Medtronic Foundation. This very popular program was sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation and the MCF Program Officers Network.

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Posted by Lisa Johnson

International Giving – Networking Around the World!

June 15, 2009

If you are an MCF member involved in international giving or considering it, you would love to have participated in a recent meeting of the Minnesota Council on Foundation’s (MCF) International Funders Network and hear from four people who recently attended an international giving conference. This meeting was hosted by the Lutheran Community Foundation (an MCF member) and moderated by Susan Hayes, director of Community Grants and Services at the Lutheran Community Foundation.

The speakers included:

I found the following points that came out during the presentations and during the Q&A especially interesting:

  • Networking and Contacts
    The networking and contacts available at these conferences were extremely valuable for everyone.  All of the presenters commented on having connected with people who know and work with one of their grantees or in the country in which they were making the grants, providing a unique opportunity to learn from others who are in the countries in which these funders are making grants.  In addition, several of the conferences included creative approaches to networking like “speed networking,” a “reciprocity web,” maps showing where each participant’s organization is providing funding, and even dots on nametags indicating the language a person speaks.
  • Selecting the “Best” Conference
    Since there is an increasing number of international giving conferences, all speakers had made a very deliberate decision about which conference to attend, taking into account several or more factors including the types of organizations that participate and the design of the conference.
  • Grant Applications – Which Language?
    One foundation is working on providing its grant application in several languages, to make sure that the content is clear to grantseekers, while requiring the grant application to be submitted in English.

Even in this two-hour program, I learned a great deal about international giving and left feeling inspired by all of the great work that is going on around the world.

If you are an MCF member interested in international giving, please consider attending the next meeting arranged by the International Funders Network.  The speaker will be Rob Buchanan, who is the managing director, International Programs, at the national Council on Foundations.  The meeting is scheduled for August 12, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  This meeting also is open to all MCF members.

If you are a grantmaker interested in international giving and are not a member of MCF, please contact Chuck Peterson, vice president, Member Relations and Operations, at cpeterson@mcf.org for membership information.

- Cindy Moeller, Director, Professional Development and Member Services
Minnesota Council on Foundations

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Posted by cindymoeller

Social Giving Contests, a New Trend in Corporate Philanthropy?

June 12, 2009
As the economy tightens and the Costanza wallet becomes a thing of the past, I encourage more companies to engage in their own social giving campaigns. The cash-strapped public will appreciate the chance to donate, even when they cant afford to give as much personally.

As the economy tightens and the "Costanza wallet" becomes a thing of the past, I encourage companies to do social giving contests. The cash-strapped public will appreciate it.

As a web-junky up to her eyeballs daily in news about philanthropy, I am excited to note what may be a new trend in corporate giving, letting the public decide where dollars should go through what I’m calling corporate social giving contests.

Both Target, an MCF member, and Toms of Maine have recently launched online campaigns to engage the public directly in deciding where their precious giving dollars should go.

Target’s campaign, conducted entirely on Facebook, allowed members of the popular social networking site to vote on how $3 million would be distributed among 10 different pre-selected charities. St. Jude’s was the eventual “winner” of the campaign, receiving almost $800,000 from the online contest.

Similarly, Toms of Maine announced a new campaign and site entitled 50 States for Good. At the site visitors can nudge their favorite nonprofits from anywhere in the nation to apply for the competition until August 30.  Then on September 21, voting begins!

Any site visitor will be able to vote on the nonprofit finalists to determine who will receive a $20,000 scholarship out of a pot of $300,000 to be given away.

I salute both Target and Toms of Maine for embracing innovative ways to get the public engaged in their own corporate giving.

Not only does it help them be more transparent in their giving practices, something that we at MCF advocate, and get some great PR, it also gets people engaged in giving at a time when many of us may find our own ability to give diminished.

Let’s face it, as our wallets get thinner, it’s nice to have a chance to get that warm-fuzzy feeling by giving away someone else’s cash!

It’s my hope that this recent activity becomes a trend, and I’ll see more tweets about companies undertaking their own corporate social giving contests.

Update: Just saw a tweet that said Staples has begun its own Facebook campaign with DoSomething.org. Participants can fill a virtual backpack, and then go to the store and buy the items to donate to students of low socioeconomic status. It’s not a social giving contest, but definitely in the same vein. Read more about Staple’s campaign here. (6/19/09)

-Cary Lenore Walski, MCF Web Communications Associate

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“It Could Have Been a Lot Worse” – New Info on Giving USA’s 2009 Report Released

June 10, 2009

The Giving USA Foundation released new information about their much anticipated 2009 report today.

Although charitable giving in the U.S. still exceeded $300 billion for the second year in a row in 2008, there was a 2% decline in current dollars over 2007.

“With the United States mired in a recession throughout 2008, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that charitable giving would be down,” said (Ms.) Del Martin, CFRE, chair of Giving USA Foundation. “However, what we find remarkable is that individuals, corporations and foundations still provided more than $307 billion to causes they support, despite the economic conditions.

“It would have been easy to say ‘not this year’ when appeals came their way,” she added, “and we definitely did see belt-tightening. This drop in giving meant that nonprofits have had to do more with less over the past year, but it could have been a lot worse.”

For more on the information released today, view the Giving USA press release. Pre-orders for the full report, to be released in early July, can be purchased at the Giving USA Online Store.

-Cary Walski, MCF Web Communications Associate

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In the Media

June 10, 2009

Roundup of media coverage on the world of nonprofits and philanthropy.

Economy
Jobless Professionals Yearn to Do Good
The recession is proving a boon for volunteer programs and social-enterprise groups, which are swamped with midcareer applicants. (Wall Street Journal, June 9)

Nonprofits Turn to Facebook, Myspace, Twitter to Raise Money, Market Themselves
Nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are turning to relatively cheap online social media to raise money and market their organizations as they grapple with recession-battered endowments, fewer grants and, often, less patronage by their customers. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 6)

Local
Bush Foundation Announces $8 Million in Grants
The St. Paul-based Bush Foundation has announced that it has distributed nearly $8 million in grants to organizations serving communities in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and beyond since the beginning of the year. (PND, June 10, 2009)

Editorial: Regional Change
If southern Minnesota is to enjoy continued prosperity, it needs to change. That’s one finding of a major study released a couple weeks ago by the Southern Minnesota Competitiveness Project. Sherry Ristau, president of the Southwest Initiative Foundation, brought the study to our attention because the foundation’s 18 counties make up about half of the region studied. (The Hutchinson Leader, June 9)

The 3 Types of Nonprofits: Velociraptors, Tickbirds, Viruses
The nonprofit world divides up into three organizational types: the velociraptor, the tickbird and the virus,  according to Jon Pratt, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) and Jodi Sandfort, associate professor at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. (MinnPost, June 6)

National
‘Expectations Gap’ May Be Contributing Factor in Dropout Crisis, Report Finds
Many educators do not believe that students at risk of dropping out would work harder if more were demanded of them, revealing an “expectations gap” that may be a significant barrier to closing the achievement gap. (PND, June 10, 2009)

Fidelity Study Finds Women Shaping the Future of Philanthropy
At a time when the behavior of donors is being scrutinized to discern its implications for philanthropy in the wake of recession, this week’s new report on giving and gender from Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund  shows women playing a more prominent role than had previously been known. (On Philanthropy, May 22, 2009)

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Posted by MCF Webmaster

More Data Nuggets Worth 1,000 Words

June 9, 2009
Student attending Youth Uprising Afterschool Program

Student attending Youth Uprising Afterschool Program

In my post last week, I highlighted some research statistics related to education.  I found some more that paint such a vivid picture in my mind of the task before us.  This time, these “nuggets” focus on “out-of-school time.”

Funders such as the McKnight Foundation and Sheltering Arms Foundation, as well as the Greater Twin Cities United Way, all MCF members, are working to address the picture painted by statistics such as these.  I’ll profile their perspectives in the upcoming issue of Giving Forum.

Youth have 2,000 hours of non-school discretionary time each year – equivalent to a full-time job; school time is 800 hours per year.  (Youth Community Connections)

Percentage of youth who participate in any after school program:

  • 66% of youth with family income under $25,000
  • 92% with family income over $50,000
  • 91% youth who are white
  • 74% youth of color
  • 67% youth of immigrants

(University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development and Wilder Research, 2008)

75% of Nobel Prize scientists discovered their craft outside of school.

Research findings like this sure makes me stop and think, “What if … ?”

Join the conversation: Have you come across any data nuggets that make you think “What if?”

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF Communications Associate

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Posted by Chris Noonan

Are Some Foundations Better Than Others?

June 8, 2009
Are some ideas better left in the board room?

Are measures of effectiveness better left in the for-profit board room?

A recent blog entry in Tactical Philanthropy got me thinking, are some foundations more effective and therefore “better” than others? Donors to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seem to have spoken a resounding, “yes.”

In its Annual Report published this week, the Gates Foundation reports receiving $10.4 million in unsolicited contributions, despite stringent guidelines and encouragement to donate directly to charitable organizations.

These donors, like Warren Buffett before them, are responding to a desire that each dollar be well spent, and they perceive that the Gates Foundation has the know-how and the resources to do so.

The act of giving is very personal, and that’s why I am hesitant to apply opaque labels like “better” to foundations and nonprofits a like.

However, I believe there is value in having a conversation about what “effectiveness” means for foundations and sharing practices that can help foundations serve their missions more effectively.

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) is dedicated to doing just that. Over the last eight years, CEP has conducted research and created a variety of free assessment tools to enable foundations to take stock of their impact.

In fact, Phil Buchanan, president of CEP, will be presenting on this topic on June 17 at an MCF event for its members titled, “Findings from the Field: Essentials for Foundation Effectiveness.”

Join the conversation: I’d like to know how your foundation or nonprofit assesses effectiveness. Are there any tools or resources that you can recommend?

Or do you object, as many do, to the idea that philanthropic and charitable work can be reduced to quantifiable variables that can be objectively assessed? Is this a misapplication of thinking better left in the board room of Fortune 500 companies?

-Cary Lenore Walski, MCF Web Communications Associate

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