Weekly News Recap: January 20, 2017
Vanessa Porteous will leave Alberta Theatre Projects in July. COLLEEN DE NEVE / CALGARY HERALD
But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. — Khalil Gibran
Upcoming events
- EVENT REMINDER: Only 2 More Weeks of Advance Pricing for the 2017 International Fundraising Conference (AFP eWire) Advance pricing (I guess the term 'Early Bird' is passé) ends Feb 1. Join us in San Francisco. All three ViTrēo partners are going. January 2017
News
Langevin Bridge to be renamed Reconciliation Bridge in spirit of 'truth and healing' (CBC) Nice. A classic case of righting past wrongs with a contemporary right through naming. 1/19/17
New CEO at Alberta Innovates brings wealth of experience in U.S. tech sector (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Laura Kilcrease comes to Alberta from a renowned high-tech centre in Austin, Texas. Welcome to Alberta Ms. Kilcrease. 1/19/17
Buffy Sainte-Marie to be recognized for humanitarian efforts (CBC) After a lifetime of working on and raising awareness for humanitarian issues, this is very appropriate and well-deserved recognition. 1/18/17
Truss cracks set Calgary central library construction back by 6 weeks (CBC) CALGARY STORY Construction of the new central library in downtown Calgary is behind schedule due to the discovery of "micro cracks" in some of the steel truss beams created for the $245-million structure. 1/18/17
Fort McMurray wildfire costs to reach almost $9B, new report says (CBC) ALBERTA STORY That's billion with a "b". 1/17/17
Whitehorse swim club sues top athlete's family over fundraising, volunteer commitments (CBC) WHITEHORSE STORY This is not a good news story for anyone. 1/17/17
Province releases plans for long-awaited Fort McMurray seniors facility (CBC) FORT MCMURRAY STORY The Alberta government has released concepts for a long-awaited, 100-bed continuing care facility planned for the heart of downtown Fort McMurray. 1/17/16
Artists offer sneak peak of Calgary watershed art project (Metro) CALGARY STORY This is a cool project. Artists+Water Engineers. 1/12/17
Alberta Theatre Projects announces departure of artistic director Vanessa Porteous (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Vanessa is a cultural leader in Calgary. Her departure is a loss but we wish her well and look forward to welcoming her back as a creative force in the future. 1/12/17
The 18 Biggest Charitable Donations Of 2016 (Forbes) "Looking back on the philanthropic efforts of well-heeled donors over the past twelve months, it turns out that 2016 was a big year for charity. The number big gifts last year far outshone those of 2015." 1/10/17
Life and career hacks
The 5 Hallmarks of Great Teams (The Mission) This is a great reminder of the importance of culture in an organization. "There are two things you can always control: your attitude and your effort." 1/17/17
How to solve your participant retention problem. (DonorDrive via AFP eWire) "Start your retention plan the moment you meet a participant." 1/13/17
A Guide To Becoming Unstoppable with Your Money (Personal Growth) I am not a financial genius. I am still struggling with whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. For all of us who struggle similarly, this is a practical and useful article. 1/13/17
12 Advanced Google Tricks That Will Change How You Search (Larry Kim) Want to increase your search ninja skills? I thought I knew most of the tricks. Turns out my search-fu needs some attention. 1/13/17
INFOGRAPHIC: How a Great Sponsorship Proposal Follows a Hollywood Story Arc (Power Sponsorship via AFP eWire) Infographic on how to write a winning proposal. 1/11/17
The Power of Reciprocity: The Way Relationships Work for Everyone (The Mission) A great reminder on why relationships matter and how to make them better. 1/10/17
How to use typography in UI Design (Prototypr.io) In a digital world, choosing fonts is more nuanced than in the pure print world. This is an excellent primer. 1/5/17
Philanthropic personalities
VIDEO: Bill Gates on Globalization and Philanthropy (Bloomberg) Bill's annual address...er...interview from Davos. Some tidbits on his take on China's emergence into philanthropy. 1/18/17
Prince’s ex-wife sheds light on late artist’s secret philanthropy (NME) "He would see a family on TV that was having trouble – they didn’t have health insurance and had trouble meeting the needs of a sick child – and instead of saying, ‘Wow, that’s really sad,’ he would leave a note on my desk saying, ‘Call this TV station and find out where these people are so we can help them.’ It was ongoing.” 1/13/17
Trends and shifts
Obama Set to Follow Allies Into Nonprofit World (Chronicle of Philanthropy) First, this is a huge injection of talent into the sector. Second, I bet search firms are doing spectacularly well on this one. 1/18/17
Philanthropy Forecast, 2017: Trends and Issues to Watch (Inside Philanthropy) Donor advised fund (DAF) train is speeding up and "Big bets get even bigger". 1/18/17
Chris Selley: Zoos are shrinking amid lagging attendance and higher costs — and that’s a bad thing (National Post) I love zoos. I think they are important and necessary. They are also expensive and, in today's social media world, a magnet for bad press. This is good article on the issues facing world zoos in 2017. 1/13/17
Philanthropy Booms, But Giving for Social Justice Stays Flat (Public News Service) The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) report says between 2003 and 2013, which included the Great Recession, the assets of the country's grant-making foundations increased by more than $320 billion. But report author Ryan Schlegel says little of that new money reached those who suffered the most during that same decade. 1/12/17
Philanthropy Outlook Study Predicts Fundraising Stability for Next 2 Years—But… (Nonprofit Quarterly) The 21-page Philanthropy Outlook 2017 & 2018 is the third edition of a collaborative effort between international fundraising consulting firm Marts & Lundy and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Top-line finding: Total giving in 2017 and 2018 should increase by 3.6 percent and 3.8 percent respectively. This is bookended with the fact that "One factor that remains impossible to quantify as 2017 begins is the impact of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election on policies that affect nonprofits and philanthropic contributions." 1/13/17
What’s Top of Mind for Fundraisers in 2017? (AFP eWire) AFP asked some of North America's top fundraisers, including ViTrēo's own Scott Decksheimer, what issues they are most concerned about in 2017. Here's what they had to say. 1/11/17
The Voice (500ish Words) The keyboard is dead. So says almost everyone. 1/11/17
Shifting Philanthropy from Charity to Justice (Stanford Social Innovation Review) "Historical injustices—perpetuated by racial and cultural conflicts, and exacerbated by a lack of empathy—are at the heart of America’s growing economic, social, and political inequalities." See related article above. 1/3/17
Where to go
- 52 Places to Go in 2017 (New York Times) Canada made the #1 spot on this list from the New York Times. No-brainer really. 1/4/17
Inspiring
VOICES OF ORLANDO: HOW PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY UNIFIED IN RESPONSE TO THE PULSE TRAGEDY TARGETING LGBTQ PEOPLE OF COLOR (National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy) An in-depth recap of how philanthropy can help heal a community. (A side note, this is the first time I, personally, have seen the use of the genderless term Latinx to refer to people of Spanish descent. I like it. I really like it.) 1/17/17
The Bush Sisters Wrote the Obama Girls A Letter (Time) Inspiring. Non-partisan. Beautiful. 1/12/17
Uncommon knowledge
ARCHITECTS OF PHILANTHROPY (Design Curial) A well-curated compendium of the intersection of architecture, philanthropy, and art. 1/17/17
A Photographer’s Guide to Color Histogram (Pixel Magazine) For those of us who are mystified (and interested in being less so) by the histogram feature in our photo apps, this is the perfect article. 1/14/17
We Used To Have 6 More Letters In Our Alphabet (OMG Facts) Just in case you are at a loss for small talk at your next networking event..."Did you know we used to have..." 1/4/17
A 6 minute Intro to AI (snips) Want to sound cool at your next cocktail party? Read on. For those that thought this article was about a guy named Alan, you can skip over. Undated
Books to read
New Corporate Philanthropy Book by Kris Putnam-Walkerly Named One of "The 10 Best Corporate Social Responsibility Books" (Yahoo Finance) For all of us in philanthropy but especially for my friends in community investment. "Confident Giving: Sage Advice for Funders" 1/17/16*
TRANSCRIPT: President Obama on What Books Mean to Him (New York Times) You would not believe how excited I was to see that President Obama and I read and enjoyed Liu Cixin's Hugo-award-winning "Three-Body Problem" series. Who knew that Obama liked Sci-fi? 1/16/17
Opinion
- Inequality, Inequality, Inequality: The Billionaire Philanthropists As Rich As Half The World (Forbes) Interesting and controversial analysis out of Oxfam. Six of the eight are also the world's leading philanthropists. 1/16/17
Large gifts
UH launches next phase of $1 billion fundraising campaign with $20 million donation (CultureMap Houston) Aiming to raise $1 billion, University of Houston officials launched the public phase of its capital campaign, announcing a $20 million gift from the John P. McGovern Foundation and plans to rename the college of arts after Kathrine G. McGovern. She is the widow of John P. McGovern, a noted Houston allergist, investor and philanthropist who died in 2007 at the age of 85. 1/18/17
Trinity receives $1 million donation from Fisher Industries and family (Dickinson Press) Fisher Industries and Mike and Christina Fisher donated $1 million to the new Trinity Junior High and High School project. Trinity High School is located in Dickinson, North Dakota. 1/18/17
Menaul School thankful for $1.5 million donation (Albuquerque Journal) Menaul School in Albuquerque has received an anonymous donation of $1.5 million that will pay for long-overdue renovations and create a lasting endowment for students. 1/17/17
Fendi Donates Major Contemporary Artwork To Rome (Harpers Bazaar) Lovely. Put this on your itinerary for your next trip to Rome. Fendi has commissioned a new artwork by the Italian artist Giuseppe Penone as a gift to the city of Rome, celebrating the brand's longstanding association with art and culture. Titled "Foglie di Pietra" ('Leaves of Stone'), Penone's beautiful bronze sculpture depicts a pair of trees whose branches interlace to bear the weight of a marble block. 1/17/17
$50 million donation to City of Hope aims for diabetes cure in 6 years (San Bernardino Sun) As someone whose family is affected by this disease, I am personally very grateful for this gift. More than $50 million in private funding has the City of Hope research and treatment center setting the lofty goal of curing Type 1 diabetes in six years. The funding was donated to the hospital’s Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute in part by the Wanek family, which controls Ashley Furniture, and some anonymous private benefactors. The City of Hope research and treatment center is located in Duarte, California. 1/16/17
Grymes school in Orange receives anonymous $3 million donation (Culpepper Star Exponent) Grymes Memorial School in the town of Orange is seeking the community’s help to meet an anonymous donor’s commitment to match up to $3 million for the independent school by 2020. Grymes Memorial School is a private K-12 school located in Orange, Virginia. 1/17/17
Yale Boosts Human Rights Programs Through $13M Donation (LAW.COM) Yale Law School is bolstering its human rights programs with a $13 million donation from the Robina Foundation, a Minnesota-based philanthropy focused on social issues. 1/13/17
UCSF Receives $500 Million Donation From Family Foundation (NBC) The University of California, San Francisco announced that it has received a $500 million donation, one of the largest ever given to an American university. The money was pledged by the family foundation of the late Helen Diller, a San Francisco native and longtime champion of the university. 1/12/17
$10 million donation is largest in CSB history (SCTimes) A $10 million commitment from anonymous donors will allow the College of St. Benedict to open a Center for Ethical Leadership in Action. The center is intended to increase students’ opportunities for experiential learning, including study abroad, undergraduate research, service learning and internships. It will aim to build leadership skills. The College of Saint Benedict (CSB), a women's college, is a private liberal arts college located in St. Joseph, Minnesota. 1/12/17
TVO's $2M donation a rare gift for Canada's struggling news industry (Times Colonist) ONTARIO STORY A $2 million donation to TVO is being hailed as a boost for the financially struggling media industry, but experts say it's unlikely to spur similar investments because the country's laws discourage philanthropic funding of news. The endowment, from the Barry and Laurie Green Charitable Trust and Goldie Feldman, is intended to cover the costs of creating four local journalism hubs in Ontario, starting with Thunder Bay. The funding would also go to hiring at least four journalists and creating internship opportunities, said John Ferri, TVO's vice-president of current affairs and documentaries. 1/12/17
National Jewish Health gets $7 million donation for pediatric charity care (9News) Denver's National Jewish Health has received a $7 million donation from the family of a late businesswoman and former patient that will help financially struggling patients pay for pediatric care. The money comes from the Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Molly Blank was a businesswoman who died in 2015 after being a patient at National Jewish Health. Arthur Blank, her son, founded Home Depot Inc. 1/12/17
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