UPCOMING EVENTS

AGF Programs
Unless otherwise indicated, to rsvp for any of these events, contact Lauren Shebuski.

December 13 - Brave New World - American Philanthropy Comes of Age
Susan Raymond, Ph.D, will discuss the trend of "philanthropreneurs," a new generation of philanthropists who have reaped the benefits of capitalism and believe that it can be applied in the service of charity. Dr. Raymond will address what impact this trend might have on those involved in the nonprofit/philanthropic sector and how we can position ourselves to “embrace the change.” This program is also AGF's annual meeting.
(Open to Members and other funders - click here)
Thursday, December 13 | 11:30 - 1:30 | Flinn Foundation: 1802 N. Central Ave.

Other Events of Interest...

Jan 29-31,  Neighborhood Funders Group PRI Conference 2008

Feb. 7: National Center for Family Philanthropy, Family Philanthropy Symposium

Feb. 27-29: Grantmakers In Health, Annual Meeting on Health Philanthropy

March 4-5, 2008: Foundations on the Hill, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers and the Council on Foundations, Washington, D.C.

March 10-12: Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, GEO 2008 National Conference & 10th Anniversary Celebration
Ideas to Action: Grantmaker Practices that Improve Nonprofit Results

March 31-April 2: Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, Funders' Network 2008 Annual Conference

March 31-April 3rd: Jewish Funders Network, Jewish Funders Network International Conference

May 2-3: Native Americans in Philanthropy, Native Philanthropy - National Gathering

May 4–7, 2008. Philanthropy's Vision: A Leadership Summit
Join a gathering of philanthropic leaders unlike any the world has seen before, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Whether you’re brand new to philanthropy or have years of experience, from a small family foundation or a large corporate giving program, from a rural area or a big city—you’re a part of the vision and we need to hear your voice. Registration is now open!

June 18-20: Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, 2008 National Convening

PHILANTHROPY NEWS

Qwest Communications Program Helps Education in Arizona
Qwest has launched a program where part of your bill can be donated to help education in Arizona. The Qwest 1% Back to Schools program will donate 1 percent of a residential customer's Qqest bill every month to a school district of the person's choice in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming. The donation only will be made when the customer signs up for online billing and auto-pay.

Qwest residential-service customers can visit www.qwest.com/onepercent to enroll in the program. School districts are encouraged to use the proceeds for programs that promote technology in their classrooms.

Companies Increased Giving by 4.8% in 2006
Corporations increased their giving by a median of 4.8 percent last year, according to a new study. The median value of company contributions of cash and products last year was nearly $33-million, which means half the companies gave less than that amount and half gave more. The increase, spurred by giving in the service sector, is the result of strong profits, improved measures for tracking and accounting for gifts, and new philanthropic commitments, especially to programs overseas, says the report by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, in New York. To read more go to http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=3273.

Companies That Give More to Charity are More Profitable
Companies that nurture a culture of philanthropy are more profitable, says research produced by Dover Management, a company that operates a mutual fund that invests in corporations committed to charitable giving, reports The Wall Street Journal. The data support results of a similar study produced a year ago by university researchers.

Dover found that companies with a solid link between giving and operating earnings outperformed the Standard & Poor’s 500 index by 3.5 percentage points over five years. Dover’s research is further supported by a study last year by Baruch Lev and Christine Petrovits of the New York University Stern School of Business and Suresh Radhakrishnan of the University of Texas at Dallas School of Management, which said, “corporate charitable contributions are effective in enhancing revenues in the ‘consumer sectors,’ such as retailers and financial services.” To learn more about last year’s study, click here to read an article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. (A paid subscription is required to view the Journal article, and a paid subscription or short-term pass is required to view the Chronicle article.)

Newly Released Principles for Good Governance
The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector has released Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations. The Guide represents the first time that charities and foundations, reflecting a broad cross-section of the American nonprofit community, have come together to develop principles of ethical conduct, accountability, and transparency that they aspire to and encourage all organizations to follow.

The Guide outlines 33 practices designed to support board members and staff leaders of every charitable organization as they work to improve their own operations. The Panel encourages these leaders to examine the Principles carefully and determine how best they should be applied to their own operations. The Panel incorporated a careful review of more than 50 self-regulation systems, counsel from a diverse committee of experts, and significant feedback from the field in the development of these Principles. The Reference Edition of the Principles includes legal background for each Principle, studies on self-regulation systems, and a glossary of terms.

Philanthropy Roundtable Not Signing Independent Sector’s Guiding Principles
A prominent association of donors and grant makers says it will not support an effort to create a set of governing principles for charities and foundations. The Philanthropy Roundtable says in a document released today that Independent Sector’s proposed principles could be used as a blueprint for federal and state lawmakers for creating burdensome new regulations for nonprofit groups. Click here to read the Philanthropy Roundtable Opinion.

Giving Wisely
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett may get all the ink, but it takes more philanthropists than that to make the world go 'round. Hundreds of others also are leaving big marks- not necessarily because they have giant foundations but because they give wisely. They know how to make their dollars go far. Barron's asked Geneva Global, a top consulting firm in philanthropy, to identify 10 donors who epitomize thoughtful and effective giving. The works of all 10 donors stand as valuable object lessons as this year's season of giving gets under way. Anyone interested in having a real philanthropic impact is bound to learn something from these donors... click here for full article.

Foundations Increase Spending on Conferences and Other 'Direct' Activities
According to a recent report in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, U.S. foundations have increased their spending on conferences, training, and other “direct charitable activities” that complement grant making, according to a new report by the Foundation Center, in New York. But while expanding numbers of foundations are engaging in such activities, the center says it has traditionally been difficult to track such spending for several reasons, including limitations in the Form 990-PF, the informational return that private foundations file annually with the Internal Revenue Service.

While the definition of such activities is broad, the survey found the three most prevalent types to be: holding conferences and other events, providing training and other assistance to grant recipients, and supporting the service of foundation staff members on the advisory boards of other charities or public commissions. Read Increased Spending on Conferences (The Chronicle of Philanthropy subscription required).

IRA Rollover Data – Nonprofits Receive more than $111 Million
Higher education, both private and public institutions realizing most benefit from IRA rollover. The National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG) is tracking information on IRA distributions received by charities since the enactment of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, in August. As of November 11, 2007, 6330 individual distributions were reported in the NCPG survey, with a total value of more than $111 million. Distribution values range from $25 to $100,000. Most major IRA administrators appear to be processing qualified charitable distributions. Read NCPG IRA Rollover Survey Report (pdf).

USEFUL RESOURCES

Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy
New research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy suggests a fundamental disconnect between what foundation CEOs and program officers believe about the importance of strategy and their use of it in their daily work. Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy examines the current state of decision making at large, private, U.S. foundations. "The decision makers we talked with believe that strategy provides significant benefits to private foundations," says Kevin Bolduc, CEP's vice president - assessment tools. "But believing that it's a good thing for foundations generally to have and use strategy is not at all the same thing as actually doing so at your own foundation." Click here to obtain a free copy.

Beyond Five Percent: The New Foundation Payout Menu
This publication profiles several organizations that have charted alternative paths to the traditional lifespan model for foundations. This includes foundations that are adopting a limited existence by “spending down” their resources through a variety of methods, as well as those that have adopted policies of higher or flexible payout without necessarily intending to spend down. This report is intended to aid grantmakers looking for insightful approaches to philanthropy and innovative ways to deploy their assets. The report was sponsored jointly by the French American Charitable Trust (FACT), the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG), and Northern California Grantmakers (NCG). To order print copies, you can visit NCG’s website (www.ncg.org/beyond5). The PDF can be downloaded from both the NCG website and from NYRAG’s website - click here.

Compliance Guide for Private Foundations
A new IRS publication entitled Compliance Guide for 501(c)(3) Private Foundations is now available for trustees, executives and staff and contains information on topics such as recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements and an overview of activities that could jeopardize an organization's tax-exempt status. To view the complete Compliance Guide for 501(c)(3) Private Foundations visit www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4221pf.pdf.

Giving in Numbers 2007: The Story Behind the Trends in Corporate Philanthropy The Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) recently released Giving in Numbers 2007 Edition, a new research report on corporate philanthropy packed with benchmarking data and analyses of the latest trends impacting the field. The findings are drawn from a comprehensive study of 136 prominent companies, including 55 of the Fortune 100. The report addresses questions such as: Why did some companies increase their 2006 giving while others decreased it? Which sectors are expanding their international programs? How are companies incorporating direct cash grants, non-cash contributions, volunteerism, matching gifts, and other efforts into a balanced giving portfolio? For the first time, CECP offers a special analysis of the Fortune 100 companies, taking a close look at what differentiates giving for America's largest public companies. Additionally, the report features a section called "Assess Your Giving Program," an exercise to help giving professionals contextualize their philanthropy with the benchmarking data found throughout this report.

New Report Recognizes Five School Programs that Effectively Prepare Students for College and Career Success
"Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life" is the fourth report in a series by WestEd, a nonprofit education research firm. The report, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, profiles programs serving predominantly low-income, minority students in California, Washington, Texas, New Jersey, and Oregon. Their approaches vary, but each has demonstrated early progress, including improved test scores, graduation rates, and college enrollment for students. Click here for more information.

Family Funders Network
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, in coordination with the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, initiated the Family Funders Network to connect philanthropic families across the nation that are reaching out to their vulnerable counterparts through their grantmaking. The Family Funders Network seeks to heighten conversation and increase action among family foundations regarding ways to strengthen vulnerable families and children. The Family Funders Network understands that there is a natural connection between families that give and families in need, and the goal of the network is to cultivate this connection.

Many families, and family foundations, want to enable others to succeed as their family and children have, but are not sure how to make a real difference for less-advantaged families. The Family Funders Network is a great place to learn. Its website, www.familyfunders.org, provides a wide variety of resources and information about promising practices, research and organizations, all focused on the point where family foundations and vulnerable families meet.

Taking Action on Climate Change
While the threat of climate change has emerged as a global environmental challenge, many grantmakers are uncertain about what they can do to address the problem. Taking Action on Climate Change (9 pages, PDF), a guide for grantmakers published by the William and Flora Hewlett and Energy foundations, examines the key components of the issue, policies and legislation needed to create change, and the increasingly important role that philanthropy can play in the debate.

Corporate Sustainability Salon
ERS Global, an international consulting company, offers a monthly, online, interactive conversation for business executives on best practices for implementing sustainability into your business. The salons are scheduled for the 4th Thursday of every month, 1-2 p.m. EST. To learn more, go to http://www.envsource.com/websalon.htm.

The Savvy CEO: Advice From Those Who Have Been There
Running a foundation requires many different skills. In this new publication, seasoned foundation executives offer advice and share insights on common issues CEOs and boards face. Learn about tips and strategies to help you on the job. Download this free publication.

Focusing Philanthropy on Racial Equity and Social Justice
Effective Communities, with a grant from the Ford Foundation, has spent the last three years discussing progress in achieving greater racial equity and social justice through philanthropy. They have created a special website, www.justphilanthropy.org to present their findings. Grantmakers will find this site useful when they look at issues of diversity in their grantmaking. Point your members to the resources and examples on the site if they are experiencing the disparities outlined by justphilanthropy.org.

Chronicle of Philanthropy Give and Take Blog
For a roundup of blogs about the nonprofit world, visit philanthropy.com/giveandtake.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

All our Children? The Health and Education of Children of Immigrants
The centerpiece of the Foundation for Child Development's 2007 Annual Report, All Our Children? The Health and Education of Children of Immigrants is an essay by Alexandra Fuenmayor Starr. Ms. Starr writes about U.S. immigration policy for Slate, The New Republic, and The American Scholar. Her essay, The Dividends of Investing Early: Why We Need to Help the Youngest Children of Immigrants, argues that young children of immigrants, over 90 percent of whom are citizens, will have a large impact on America's cultural and economic vitality. Investing in the healthy development of these children is critical to our nation's future. The 2007 Annual Report also describes FCD grants in its New American Children initiative to support research, policy, and advocacy to support the well-being of these young citizens. The Young Scholars Program, an effort within this initiative, is nurturing the next generation of researchers studying young children of immigrants, who are one-fourth of the nation's children. Since 2003, FCD provided grants of $150,000 to 16 tenure-track faculty in higher education for research on the health, education, family dynamics, culture, and social skills of children of immigrants.

New Report Explores College Access Barriers For The Working Poor
Working poor adults and youth may face higher barriers to college access and completion than those from higher income households and those living below the poverty line, according to an Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) report. “Twenty-eight percent of working poor dependent students who began a degree or certificate program in 1995 received a bachelor’s degree by 2004, compared to 44 percent of higher income students and 33 percent of those below the poverty level.” To overcome these barriers, IHEP recommends expanding the HOPE and Lifetime Learning tax credits to include the costs of books, room and board for low-income students, allowing postsecondary education to meet TANF work requirements and increase investments in statewide initiatives that encourage postsecondary enrollment among adult workers. Click here for the full report, College Access for the Working Poor: Overcoming Burdens to Succeed in Higher Education.