Partnerships and Collaborations
Bay Area Funders Collaborate to Build Capacity, Visibility, and Alliances
In philanthropy we know that storytelling is a critical way to illustrate impact. A new video, “Post 9/11: The Impact of a Funder Collaborative,” tells the tale of what we learned through the Civic Engagement Fund (CEF). The CEF is a collaborative fund that supports little-understood…
Takeaways from Last Week’s Inclusive Workforce Summit
Inspirational and aspirational is how I would describe Building a More Inclusive Workforce: A National Summit to Boost Education and Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities, held last Friday in Wilmington, Del.
Collaborating with the U.S. Business Leadership Network and Delaware Gov.…
The Sustainability Formula: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Thrive in the Emerging Economy
External Resource
From TCC Group, which developed the Core Capacity Assessment tool, this resource investigates how organizations can put these core capacities to work in achieving organizational sustainability in difficult economic times.
Seeking Shared Success: Business Model Innovation through Mergers, Affiliations, and Alliances
Publication
The challenges of the recent financial downturn have inspired many community foundations to find new paths to business model innovation. Alliances, affiliations, and mergers offer one path to “shared success.” Seeking shared success with other community foundations is one intriguing way to innovate…
FAQ: Fiscal Sponsors
Legal Compliance Guidance, Fundamentals
We just received a grant request from a group that is not a public charity. The request states that the group has a “fiscal sponsor” and the grant agreement is countersigned by the fiscal sponsor? Can we make this grant?
Yes. A grant to a public charity serving as a fiscal sponsor is treated like…
Complete Capital: How Impact Investing Will Realize Its Potential
This is post is part of an ongoing impact investing series onRE: Philanthropy.
In recent years, I have championed the potential of impact investing to unlock new forms and sources of capital for the social sector. But financial capital is just one piece of the puzzle. Through my work at the…
Community Foundations, Let’s Continue to Make Splashes Together in 2013!
As a part of the staff of CF Insights, I have had the pleasure to work with the community foundation field for almost 4 years now and still I’m amazed at the ways the field as a whole contributes to the success of individual community foundations by sharing insights, data and support. Reflecting…
Thinking About Collaborating With Others?
The Council on Foundations’ commitment to encouraging collaboration is commendable, particularly considering the great accomplishments that alliance building has produced. Collaborative philanthropy has had a far-reaching impact on public opinion, legislation, civil rights, education, the…
Three Oceans Converging
On a warm and sunny day more than ten years ago, I visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the King Center in Atlanta. Having read and heard about the U.S. civil rights movement and struggle for freedom for black people in this country, I was excited to draw…
Veterans Issues Require a Thoughtful and Collaborative Approach
As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, and a veteran myself, the challenges those who serve face when they come home are topics near and dear to my heart.
There are so many ways to lean into this conversation. We can talk about mental health issues and the suicide rate within this population.…
Building Assets & Wealth among Native Americans: Part Two, Opportunities in Urban Areas
On one of the most storied streets in urban Native America, you can see a dynamic future taking shape. Colorful banners along Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis proclaim the only Native American urban business district in the country. Established in 2010, the American Indian Cultural Corridor features…
Building Assets & Wealth Among Native Americans: Part One, Opportunities in Indian Country
When the mainstream media pay attention to Native American communities at all, they most often tell stories of trauma and tragedy. There is truth in many of those stories, of course, but we at Northwest Area Foundation see a different reality that also is true. When we meet with people on…
Mission Investing for Community Foundations
I first started working in the community foundation field more than 15 years ago. It goes without saying that I’m a big fan. I believe in this democratic model of philanthropy where the collective power of many creates powerful change. I’m also a fan because most community foundations understand…
Building Investor Readiness Through Skills-Based Volunteerism
As the practice of impact investing matures, evolving from a peripheral concept to a mainstream practice, the momentum around this nascent industry is growing. At a time when governments, foundations and donors look to do more with less, impact investing offers a means to generate social and…
The Power of My Privilege
Dear Philanthropy Community,
I’ve been thinking about our relationship for months. I wasn’t really sure how to bring this up, because I’m really worried about offending you. Making you angry has real consequences for the kids I serve. But, as I continue in this work, I realize I also have a…
Showing the Heart of a Community Through Video
Our world has become increasingly dependent upon content to attract people’s attention. This content ranges from blogs on the Internet to television shows. Due to global shifts in our economy, economic developers have to work harder to attract companies and individual entrepreneurs. What used to be…