Weekly News Recap: October 12, 2018

Enjoying a Thanksgiving lunch Friday, Chez Doris client Nora Mehringer sits with Andrew Harper, whose donation is making possible an expansion of Chez Doris's services. PIERRE OBENDRAUF / MONTREAL GAZETTE

Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come. -- Victor Hugo

News

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

Philanthropic personalities

Philanthropic controversy

  • CBS hires firm to advise on $20M donation for #MeToo groups (CBC) "CBS has hired the consulting firm Rally to help disperse $20 million US to groups dedicated to supporting #MeToo and promoting workplace safety and equality for women. The announcement comes less than a month after the company parted ways with longtime CEO Les Moonves after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct." 10/5/18

  • $5 Million Got His Name on His Alma Mater. A Facebook Post May Erase It. (New York Times) "The post on Facebook was written by Ed Meek, 77, a Mississippi graduate and media entrepreneur. In his post, Mr. Meek complained of deteriorating property values around the university campus and declining enrollment. He attached a photo of two young black students wearing party dresses, suggesting that they — or people who looked like them — were responsible for the problems on campus and in town [...]. The school also denounced Mr. Meek’s post. A letter was sent to the entire university community explaining the process of removing Mr. Meek’s name from the building." 10/3/18

Trends and shifts

  • How Philanthropy and Social Giving Are Evolving (Right in Front of Our Eyes) (Inc.) "You've probably noticed a new feature on Facebook during the last year. Instead of just being informed when it's someone's birthday, you may now be getting invitations to donate to a charitable cause on their behalf [...]. This, however, is really symbolic of something deeper and more interesting (at least to me). It's the evolution of social giving, and it's being driven by technology. Facebook's donation platform is one example." 10/8/18

  • Shared Services: A Model for Nonprofit Innovation and Collaboration (NC State University) "Most every nonprofit leader knows from experience that there is ever increasing pressure on nonprofit organizations to become more effective, efficient and to improve outcomes. Social service providers, in particular, are under increasing pressure to undertake fundamental changes in how they provide services – moving from a fee for service model to a managed care construct – with the idea that this will improve outcomes and lower cost. In addition to a merger, there are several ways nonprofits can work together. A nonprofit collaboration can be as simple as a one-time administrative alliance or a more formal collaboration that sets up and employs an External Service Provider (ESP) to deliver specific administrative services such as payroll, human resources or marketing." 10/8/18

  • PHILANTHROPY’S PIVOTAL $4 BILLION COMMITMENT TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE (Energy Foundation) "A group of 29 philanthropists recently pledged $4 billion over the next five years to combat climate change—the largest-ever philanthropic investment focused on climate change mitigation. They made the announcement on the closing day of the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco last month. " 10/3/18

  • Philanthropy and Cyber-Security (Philanthropy News Digest) "To thwart hackers, organizations in the philanthropy space need to focus on both common security practices and their special vulnerabilities, from the bottom to the top of the organization. Foundations and nonprofits have the same security concerns as any business, but they also have particular needs based on their mission-driven orientation compared to, say, a retailer or bank. 'You often have part-time or volunteer employees, and they like to be helpful,' says Mark Walker, knowledge management and technology officer at the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. 'And many philanthropic workers wear multiple hats, which means the person responsible for watching over security may not have time to be as thorough as they'd like.'" 10/1/18

Reports and studies

Large gifts

  • Woman has been making daily bottle deposits for 21 years, raising $15K for B.C. Cancer Foundation (CBC) VANCOUVER That is a lot of bottles. And even more love. "It's a scene that plays out nearly every single weekday at the B.C. Cancer Foundation office in Vancouver. A small, 62-year-old woman comes in the front door, shares an explosive laugh and an infectious smile, and hands over a small amount of cash [...]. The small donations have added up over the 21 years Tran has been collecting bottles and cans and turning the refunds over to the charity. The B.C. Cancer Foundation only has records going back about 10 years, but staff estimates Tran has contributed about $15,000." 10/9/18

  • Hebron’s Cattlemen’s Ball Raises The Second Largest Donation In It’s History (KWBE) "Officials say the nearly $1.75 million was raised at this year’s Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska was the second-largest in the event’s 21 year history." 10/9/18

  • Duke's Environment Hall to be renamed Grainger Hall following $20 million donation (The Duke Chronicle) "Environment Hall, which houses the Nicholas School of the Environment, will be renamed Grainger Hall—thanks to a $20 million donation. An anonymous adviser,' who is described as a '1979 alumna, recommended the Grainger Family Descendants Fund make the donation. The 70,000-square-foot building is being renamed as a result." 10/9/18

  • Mayo Clinic gets $10M donation to support 5 initiatives (Hospital CFO Report) "Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic received a $10 million donation from The Louis Gerstner Jr. Fund at Vanguard Charitable to support several initiatives across the health system. The grant will support five initiatives at Mayo Clinic's various care sites in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. Mayo said the money will be used to advance research into augmented human intelligence in cardiovascular care as well as regenerative medicine for spine care. In addition, the grant will support ongoing educational opportunities for nurse practitioners and physician assistants." 10/8/18

  • Business program receives $2.81 million donation (The Sentinel) "KSU’s Education Economics Center recently received $2.81 million in grants to support the center’s education and research. Tommy and Chantal Bagwell, longtime supporters of KSU, donated $2 million to the center, and the Charles Koch Foundation donated $810,000 — totaling $2.81 million." Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public, coeducational, research-oriented institution with two primary campuses located in Kennesaw, Georgia and in Marietta, Georgia. 10/8/18

  • East St. Louis Charter School gets $3.5M donation (EdGlenToday.com) "An anonymous donor dropped a big check into the account of SIUE's East St. Louis Charter High School. An East St. Louis native donated 3.5 million dollars to the school to enhance its STEM Center and STEM-related learning." 10/6/18

  • 'It's a blessing': Chez Doris adds new building with $1-million donation (Montreal Gazette) MONTREAL STORY "The bugs had gotten into everything — even her purse, she says — and she had no choice but to leave her place behind. She packed what she could into two bags and knew where to go: Chez Doris, a day shelter for women in western downtown. The shelter’s staff let her shower, replaced her clothes, and made sure she knew where she was spending the night. Fifteen years later, most of them spent homeless, Mehringer, 62, has never forgotten the gesture. And so she rejoiced Friday as she heard the news: Chez Doris has purchased a nearby building and plans on expanding its services by 2020. The expansion was made possible by a recent $1 million donation from Montreal businessman Andrew Harper, 95." 10/5/18

  • Million-dollar donation made to WAG’s Inuit Art Centre (Global News) WINNIPEG STORY "A Winnipeg Art Gallery development received a big financial boost [...] as a $1 million gift was made toward its Inuit Art Centre. 'The WAG’s Inuit Art Centre will be a true jewel in the crown of Winnipeg,' said Louise Leatherdale, who, with her late husband Doug, was responsible for the $1 million donation." 10/5/18

  • Phil Knight Just Gave $1 Billion of Nike Shares to Philanthropy (Bloomberg) "Nike Inc.’s Phil Knight donated almost $1 billion of the apparel maker’s stock to a charitable organization this week. Knight, 80, Nike’s founder and chairman emeritus, gave 12 million shares, according to a regulatory filing that didn’t identify the beneficiary beyond noting that he and his wife Penelope are directors of the entity." 10/5/18

  • Chance the Rapper Announces $1 Million Donation to Chicago Mental Health Services (Billboard) "Chance the Rapper has been a role model in his hometown for years, and there's no length he won't go to make Chicago a better place for the next generation. During Thursday's (Oct. 4) summit at his SocialWorks nonprofit, Chano shared plans to pledge $1 million to various programs tending to mental health services throughout Chicago, according to Pitchfork." 10/4/18

  • Radford University receives $8 million donation, renames business college, provides scholarships (NBC) "After more than 30 years, the College of Business & Economics at Radford University has a new name thanks to an $8 million donation. The university announced Wednesday that the college is now the Sandra C. Davis and William C. Davis College of Business and Economics after the donation from the Davises." Radford University is a co-educational public university located in Radford, Virginia. 10/3/18

Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo partner Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Vincent DuckworthComment