Happy New Year! Last week, we highlighted seven critical trends that marked the civil sector in the US in 2018. But what will 2019 bring? Or, more importantly, what will you bring to it?
United Way
The Struggle of One Small United Way Results in CEO Resignation
|
While large United Way chapters tend to get more press attention, the decline in workplace giving is affecting smaller chapters as well, as this case from Florida reveals.
misuse of nonprofits
Absurd Faux Philanthropy Taken to New Lows by Private Prison Group
|
Using philanthropy to paper over misdeeds is now relatively familiar, but this story is noteworthy for its half-hearted attempt against such obviously ugly corporate intent.
foundation grantmaking
Democracy in Practice: How the Ford Foundation and Its BUILD Grantees Are Changing Philanthropy
|
This article highlights the Ford Foundation’s approach to grantmaking, one that aims to advance democracy both within institutions and across societies. As the authors explain, the scale of Ford’s investment is remarkable, but it is its BUILD program’s “ethos, structure, and accompanying practices that deserve study and replication.”
venture capital
Can Zebras Lead the Way to a More Diverse Tech Sector?
|
In the last two years, a “zebra” model of tech development has gained visibility. The idea is to foster businesses that enjoy steady growth, are open to leadership by women and people of color, and which are embedded in social values.
foundation grantmaking
Multiyear and Unrestricted: The Grants of Nonprofit Dreams Come to Life
|
Put simply, the philanthropic norm is a “short leash,” involving one-year grants monitored for the proportion they comprise of the overall budget, and often provided for relatively restricted purposes. The alternative depends upon multiyear, relatively unrestricted grants of sufficient size to allow grantees to holistically and nimbly develop and improve the quality, and sometimes the reach, of their work.
Leadership
Obama Foundation Program Focuses on Emerging Asian-Pacific Leaders
|
Barack Obama rolls out another global program with the goal of engaging up to 200 civic leaders in the Asia-Pacific region.
Philanthropy
Warhol Foundation Ends Its Funding Ban of Smithsonian
|
A funding ban can be implemented meaningfully, as the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual arts proves in the way it handled its ban on funding the Smithsonian.
Philanthropy
The Philanthropy We Need: Ford Foundation President Calls for Transformation
|
As Darren Walker writes, what’s necessary today is “meaningful resources in the hands of those closest to the problems, backing their visionary efforts over time, listening and learning at every step of the journey.”
Social Enterprise
How Nonprofits Solve Social Enterprise’s Three Big Problems: Money, Trust, and Information
|
For-profit social enterprise often describes itself as addressing problems that neither nonprofits nor government are equipped to solve. But, as this article contends, “scratching below the surface of social enterprise businesses reveals that they depend significantly on the nonprofit sector for their effectiveness and survival.”
mega-donors
What 2018’s Drop Means to the Dynamics of Mega-gifts
|
Looking at mega-gifts in isolation from their sources and the dynamics they set up makes little societal sense.