News & Notes is a monthly email newsletter designed to keep the Arizona community updated on local and national developments in the philanthropic sector. This service is provided free of charge by the Arizona Grantmakers Forum - please feel free to forward this on to your colleagues.
Important AGF Contact Information Update!
Lauren Shebuski, Manager of Member Services and Communications for AGF, is now Lauren Bashaw! She was married on April 12th, and is taking her husband's name. Her new email address (the one you will now be receiving this newsletter from!) is lbashaw@azgrantmakers.org. Please update your records accordingly.
April Program on Sustainability in Arizona
On April 24th, over 40 funders gathered to hear from two experts in sustainability issues: Nancy Welch, Associate Director of the Morrison Institute, and Shannon Scutari, the Governor's Policy Advisor for Growth and Infrastructure.
Ms. Welch gave an overview of the Morrison Institute's recent report, Sustainability for Arizona: the Issue of Our Age. The report describes sustainability as a defining issue and organizing principle for the 21st century, and discusses whether or not Arizona should consider itself "sustainable" now. The presentation showed the importance the "triple bottom line" - where community leaders consider economic success, human/social issues, and the safety of the environment in their decision-making.
Shannon Scutari discussed Governor Janet Napalitano's commitment to sustainability, describing it as one of her key priorities for the state. Ms. Scutari told AGF members about the formation of the Growth Cabinet - a collaboration between all state agencies in which members develop and implement plans for creating a more sustainable Arizona. To learn more about the information presented on April 24th, please contact Lauren.
Upcoming Programs
To reserve a seat at any of the programs listed below, please email AGF at lbashaw@azgrantmakers.org (unless otherwise noted).
Aging in Arizona
May 15, 2008
11:30am - 1:30pm
Burton Barr Public Library: 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ
Marc Freedman of Civic Ventures will highlight examples of the remarkable contributions of engaged older adults, both in Arizona and nationally. He’ll also share research results suggesting the significant impact that millions of older Americans will have in areas like education, health care, nonprofits and government. Considered a passionate and engaging speaker, Marc will inspire you to explore how your organization can best utilize this emerging source of human capital. This program is open to AGF
Members and Nonprofits. Click here to register.
Teleconference: New Media and Philanthropy: How Foundations are Using Web 2.0 and Beyond May 21, 2008
10:00am - 11:15am
Presented by Donors Forum of South Florida
This webinar will provide funders with an understanding of new media technologies affecting philanthropy such as Wikis, blogs, podcasts, interactive gaming, social-networking sites and fictional digital worlds such as SecondLife.com. We will also be presenting case studies by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation demonstrating how they are using these new technologies to advance issue-specific grantmaking. Register by May 16th by emailing Amanda
at amanda@donorsforumsf.org. Fee is $40, and you will be sent webinar/teleconference login information and support materials by Monday, May 19th. Open to funders only.
Member News
Arizona College Scholarship Foundation Seeking Director of Education
The Arizona College Scholarship Foundation is dedicated to providing college scholarships & mentoring to high potential/low income students to increase the number of Arizona citizens with baccalaureate degrees. The Director of Education will provide leadership and management for the overall scholarship, mentoring and retention programs. This position will develop goals to further the mission of the Foundation. The Director of Education will supervise assigned staff and report to the
CEO. For more information or to apply, go to www.azcsf.org.
Arizona Service and Volunteerism Regional Forums
The Arizona State Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, and the Arizona Department of Education are presenting three regional forums to celebrate AmeriCorps week in Arizona. Community leaders, stakeholders, non-profits, faith-based and all organizations that serve important community needs are invited to participate in a regional event that will provide a meaningful orientation to the impact of AmeriCorps
and other national service programs as well as participate in an important conversation that will help to shape the future for service and volunteerism in Arizona. If you are interested in participating, click here to download the RSVP form (this may take a few minutes).
Herbert J. Paine Named Executive Director of the Arizona Humanities Council
The Board of Directors of the Arizona Humanities Council is pleased to announce the selection of nonprofit executive and business consultant Herb Paine as the new executive director. Current director, Juliana Yoder, who is retiring, has been with the Arizona Humanities Council since 1987, and she has served as executive director since July 2005. Paine will begin May 1 and work with Yoder through the month until he fully assumes his new position on June 1. Visit www.azhumanities.org for
more information about the council.
Valley of the Sun United Way Raises Record $52.5 million
The Valley of the Sun United Way raised a record-high $52.5 million in donations during its 2007 annual fundraising campaign. The amount marks a 4 percent increase from the $50.5 million raised during the nonprofit organization's 2006 campaign, which also set a record. Valley of the Sun United Way President Merl Waschler said that this kind of support is reflective of businesses across the area. To read the full article in the Phoenix Business Journal, click
here.
Announcements from the World of Philanthropy
- Corporate Giving Reaches Estimated $4.4 Billion
- Anonymous Giving is on the Rise
- Value of Volunteer Time Increases
- High-Powered Financial Leaders Taking Nonprofit Jobs
Philanthropy News and Resources
Foundations and Nonprofits Struggle with Grant System
Nonprofit organizations and foundations alike are beginning to stagger under the weight of a grant application and reporting system that needs fixing, according to Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose, a new report commissioned by Project Streamline, a coalition of organizations representing both grantmakers and grantseekers. Facing what the report terms "an effectiveness paradox," foundations are beginning to discover that some measures they've adopted to ensure strategic and
accountable grant making might be backfiring, resulting in a system that creates significant burdens on the time, energy and ultimate effectiveness not only of nonprofit practitioners but foundations themselves.
The report (below) found ten ways in which the current system of grant application and reporting creates more burdens than it relieves. It also offers recommendations that grantmakers can adopt to relieve this burden on nonprofits, including assessing what information grantmakers really need to make decisions and minimizing the amount of time, effort, and money that grantees spend getting and administering grants. To learn more, visit www.projectstreamline.org.
Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose (PDF)
Philanthropists Using Film to Promote Social Causes
�Filmanthropy� has led to the rising popularity of documentaries looking to promote social messages, the Financial Times reports. That term is often used to describe philanthropists and foundations who give money to movies that call attention to social problems, based on the success of documentaries such An Inconvenient Truth and Fahrenheit 9/11. According to the article, these "filmanthropists"
have recognized the power that good movies have to draw attention to improtant social issues. For full article click here.
Report Finds Increasing Focus on Diversity Among Foundations
According to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the share of grant dollars targeting minority populations has grown modestly in the past 25 years, even as staff diversity at foundations doubled. Their recently released report, Philanthropy in a Changing Society: Achieving Effectiveness Through Diversity, found that diversity among both staff and Board members has increased significantly since the mid-80s. The report also found that over the same period, the share of funding targeting minority
populations increased from 5.9 percent to 7.4 percent of foundation giving. For full article click here.
Philanthropy in a Changing Society (PDF)
Most Nonprofits Screen Volunteers Inadequately
One in three U.S. nonprofits conducts no background checks on volunteers, while roughly one in eight does no screening at all, a new report from the National Center for Victims of Crime finds. The report suggests that most agencies serving vulnerable populations could benefit from more thorough and comprehensive screening practices. For the full article click
here.
Who's Lending a Hand? A National Survey of Nonprofit Volunteer Screening Practices (PDF)
Charities Bracing for Bad News from Wall Street
Charities that traditionally benefited from the largess of Wall Street, law firms, and corporations in New York City have begun planning for the possibility of tough fundraising days ahead, the New York Times reports. Because 2007 was an excellent year for charitable donations, the situation is not yet dire for most charities, though many are anticipating fewer corporate contributions and looking at ways to encourage longtime donors to give more. Still, smaller charities without longstanding corporate
connections could be vulnerable. For full article click here.
2008 Grants in Support of AGF
AGF receives revenues from three primary sources: Dues, Program Revenues and Grants/Sponsorships. We are grateful to the following members who, in addition to their dues, committed to supporting AGF in 2008 with general operating dollars and/or program underwriting:
Leadership Circle
- Arizona Community Foundation
- BHHS Legacy Foundation
- Flinn Foundation
- Helios Education Foundation
- The Lodestar Foundation
- Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
- Rodel Foundation of Arizona
- Stardust Foundation
- St. Luke's Health Initiatives
- Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Partner's Circle
- Mr. Tom Chauncey
- Salt River Project
Program Sponsors
- APS
- F2 Family Foundation
- Fran Dickman
- McMiles Foundation