Weekly News Recap: June 23, 2017

Alberta Ballet Company Artist Luna Sasaki appears in a scene from The Nutcracker. The company is one of 10 local arts groups asking the city to invest $2 million into their organization, as they believe arts and culture is the key to revitalizing the city's economy. (Paul McGrath/Alberta Ballet)

Eat less food and you’ll get more done. — Robin Sharma

News

  • Preston Manning quietly retires (Mountain View Gazette) ALBERTA STORY No matter what your politics, Preston is a man we all respect. Thank you for your service Mr. Manning. 6/20/17
  • Calgary arts groups ask city for $2M from new economic development fund to foster 'thriving cultural sector' (CBC) CALGARY STORY We shall see. "Ten major arts groups in Calgary say they will be key to diversifying the economy — if they can keep their doors open. They're asking the city for an additional $2 million, arguing that a vibrant arts and culture scene will attract more tourists to Calgary. The organizations, including the Alberta Ballet Company, Calgary Opera Company and the National Music Centre, made the request to city council on Monday. But council said it wants more information before it makes a decision." 6/20/17

Trends and shifts

  • 2017 Compensation and Benefits Report: Salaries Drop Slightly For Canadian Charitable Fundraisers, But Confidence in Organizations Remain High (AFP) CANADIAN CONTENT The annual AFP Compensation and Benefits Report is out. "'These statistics show clearly that there is a very strong, committed, and vibrant fundraising profession in Canada,' said Scott Decksheimer, CFRE, the chair of the AFP Canada Board of Directors. 'We are confident in our members’ fundraising ability and acumen—and of each of our organizations’ capacity to inspire donors. I’m very pleased to see that so many of us view inclusion as a priority for our profession. We, of course, have a way to go in creating a profession that is representative of the diversity of our country. That said, I remain concerned about the continuing gender gap in salaries.'" -- The mind boggles that, in a sector that is 80% women, there still exists a pay gap of $14,000 between male and female fundraisers. 6/21/17
  • Seniorpreneurship: Don’t retire – rewire (Canada West Foundation) CALGARY STORY We talk a lot about millennials and they are an important demographic. What we also need to be talking about is our seniors and what they are offering in terms of business startups. In the Calgary area, there are currently 180,000 seniors and a good number of them are starting new businesses. The Canada West Foundation has just issued a report on this trend. Thanks to Vicki Kranenberg for sharing this link. 6/21/17
  • Holding the Line vs. Piling On: A Surprising Look at the "Trump Effect" on Giving (Inside Philanthropy) "Two surveys conducted by PMX Agency and National Research Group—one immediately after Trump’s inauguration, the other at the 100-day mark—also shed light on the extent of a 'Trump effect' on giving—in this case, individual donors [...]. [Pollsters] found [...] that Democrats and Republicans alike are expressing a renewed interest in charitable giving—but for quite different reasons. Democrats, in large part, hope to offset Trump’s expected blow to their liberal agenda, especially on public health and social welfare issues. Republicans, meanwhile, are eager to capitalize on the White House’s anticipated backing for their favorite religious and defense-related causes." 6/21/17
  • As Government Retrenches, Philanthropy Booms (New York Times) "It’s true that philanthropy doesn’t have anything close to the resources of government and can’t replace vital functions of the public sector. But the giving power of private funders has grown more significant as federal spending has flatlined, especially funds that can be used flexibly." 6/20/17

Philanthropic personalities

Philanthropic controversy

  • Founder Culture, 21st-Century Style: What Nonprofits Can Learn from Uber (Nonprofit Quarterly) "Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School says what will matter is the speed with which the board moves. 'The question is who is really in charge—that better get sorted out pretty quickly. That’s the real historic lesson, you need to move quickly or you’re highly vulnerable […]. It’s a perfect time for competitors to start poaching the best executives, for morale to go down, because even staff who have great ideas aren’t sure they can implement them.'" 6/22/17

Opinion

  • Maybe Huge Philanthropic Gifts Aren't What the World Needs (Big Think) Three big questions that funders should be asking according to Philanthropy advisor and author Caroline Fiennes: How many of their funding grants achieve their goals; how much of the money goes to bureaucratic activities; and, have the goals of the grant been met? 6/21/17
  • Philanthropy is the gift that just keeps on giving to so many (The Australian) "National giving trends suggest that more Australians are donating at record levels, but it is also true that a relatively small number of affluent supporters account for most of the dollars raised in higher education." 6/21/17

Insight

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

Large gifts

  • Al Ansari Exchange Commits AED 10 Million to Dubai Cares (Albawaba) "Al Ansari Exchange, the UAE-based foreign exchange and worldwide money transfer company, has committed AED 10 million to Dubai Cares in line with the recently announced UAE’s ‘Year of Giving 2017’." 6/21/17
  • Google Is Donating $1 Million for a Digital Stonewall Inn Memorial (Fortune)A lovely and moving gift. "A week ahead of the Stonewall Riots' anniversary, Google has announced a $1 million donation to the LGBT Community Center of New York to digitize the story of the Stonewall Riots. Google made the announcement over the weekend, noting that Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, is widely recognized as the birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement. In 1969, the bar was at the center of riots between bar-goers and police who tried to take them to jail. The riots lasted several days." 6/19/17
  • Greehey gives Iowa Central $3M (The Messenger) "Greehey, the former chief executive officer of Valero Energy Corp., is now helping to make sure that Iowa Central Community College is well-equipped to educate area students. He has announced that the Greehey Family Foundation is donating $3 million to help pay for a new $9 million student service center on the Fort Dodge campus." Iowa Central Community College is a community college located in Fort Dodge, Iowa. 6/18/17
  • Motown Museum is $2M closer to reality after Davidson Foundation donation (Detroit Free Press) "The William Davidson Foundation has given $2 million toward the $50-million transformation that will see the bungalow that houses Hitsville USA anchor a 50,000-square-foot complex featuring interactive exhibits, a performance theater, recording studios, retail shops and meeting spaces. The new museum will honor the music and legacy, but also will revitalize a neighborhood that is not downtown, something foundation officials said made giving the money the right thing to do." 6/16/17
  • School dedicated to tech pioneer after $1M donation (NJ.com) "Cumberland County Technical Education Center held a dedication ceremony to rename it to th John F. Scarpa Technical Education Center at Cumberland County. The school honored Scarpa with the name change after his foundation, the John F, Scarpa Foundation, pledged $1 million in November to help fund a scholarship program for the school's students to go to higher education." 6/16/17
  • Retired doctor hopes $1M donation to Inspira will 'bring good doctors' in (NJ.com) "Doctors and hospital employees gathered in the Inspira Medical Center Education Wing in Vineland [...] to celebrate something DeMaio had given them: A $1 million gift. The money will be used to help fund a program to help residents that go through the Medical Center's residency program stay in Vineland." 6/16/17
  • Torrance Memorial Medical Center receives $32M donation (Becker's Healthcare) "Memorial Medical Center received a $32 million gift from Melanie and Richard Lundquist to advance neurological, orthopedic and spinal care at the facility [...]. The donation will be used to improve stroke care and establish a neuroscience institute as well as an orthopedic and spine institute." 6/15/17
  • $1M donation helps bring new mobile scanner to RUH (CTV) SASKTOON STORY This family has and continues to give so much to Saskatoon. "Surgeons at Royal University Hospital are now using a new mobile diagnostic imaging scanner thanks in part to a $1-million donation from Saskatoon’s Remai family." 6/15/17
  • Lenfest Scholars Foundation receives $20M donation (Herald - Mail) "The Lenfest Scholars Foundation, which provides college scholarships and significant college advising to high-achieving students from rural Pennsylvania school districts, has received a gift of $20 million from an individual who wishes to remain anonymous." 6/16/17
  • Pittsburgh Opera gets $1.2 million donation (Tribune Review) I love that this gift is aimed at audience development. "Pittsburgh Opera has received a $1.2 million donation from Pittsburgh philanthropists Pat and Michele Atkins, one of the largest gifts in its 78-year history. The gift, to be called the Pat and Michele Atkins Audience Development Fund, will be spread out over four years." 6/15/17

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