NPQ’s Week in Review

Good Morning! At NPQ, the news moves us—and what moves us is what moves you. Our latest Week in Review highlights what our readers bring to us in the form of tweets, comments, contributed articles, and newswires.

But first take a look at what you might have missed last week in some of the major news stories covered in NPQ.

· SHAH LEAVES: Surprise, sudden departures from the administration’s nonprofit brain trust continue with Sonal Shah’s leaving the White House Office of Social Innovation not long after the announced resignation of Patrick Covington as chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Add this to news that other nonprofit advocates have resigned, such as HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims, and it makes one wonder if this is simply coincidence or something more.

· BUDGET, DEBT, AND DEFAULT: The nation is enveloped in unedifying debates about whether the national debt is strangling the country, whether an August failure to raise the debt ceiling would throw the economy into turmoil, how much of a budget deal should be revenue increases and how much spending cuts. The concern of NPQ Newswire readers is, How does the budget/debt ceiling stalemate in Washington affect nonprofits?

· MINNESOTA NICE: The governor and the legislature in Minnesota seem to have struck a deal on the Minnesota budget, but the impacts on nonprofits were not inconsequential. The positions of both sides may be a harbinger for what might happen at the federal level.

And much, much more.

Readers Pick. Hottest hitting article OF THE WEEK.

Next Generation Leaders: What They Want and Need from the Workplace

This article was a submission from a reader – like the reader’s pick last week — and it immediately attracted attention not only in readership but in comments. To tell you the truth, NPQ is pretty darn skeptical about all the generational distinctions that such articles make and so we enjoyed some of the 32 comments (at this writing) that suggested that, in fact, that what Millennials want in the workplace is similar to what we all want. The fact that some of our top hitting articles are being submitted by readers is reinforcing our belief that NPQ is on the right track with its new collaborative journalism model.

editor’s pick OF THE WEEK.

altMotown Blues: Foundations and Government Struggle for Solutions and with Each Other

A truly insightful look at the complexities of the relationship between philanthropy and government as seen in the microcosm of Detroit. The article was sparked by one in the Wall Street Journal which called out the friction between the Kresge Foundation and the city government but struck us as lacking in an understanding of the various dynamics at work in the situation. Still, when we got comments about the article – many of which were, themselves, powerful statements of understanding, they were sent privately. People in this sector generally don’t like to speak out publicly where philanthropy is involved – a reticence that we will have to get past if our power dynamics are ever to shift.

Trending Tweets of the week.

alt

Thanks for all you tweeters out there. You help us spread the word and we’re grateful for your engagement. From the public perception vs. the reality of fundraising costs to social entrepreneurship as fetish, and more, your tweets helped to spread the news. Thanks for sharing! And if you don’t already, follow us on Twitter: @npquarterly.



NPOWriterJul 20, 5:50pm via HootSuite

RT @npquarterly: Dive into the mismatch between public perception of fundraising costs and the realityhttp://owl.li/5J5bY

resplendentlymeJul 20, 4:59pm via TweetDeck

The urban myths in nonprofit fundraising costshttp://owl.li/5J5bY via @npquarterly

NFF_WestJul 20, 4:52pm via TweetDeck

The call is coming from inside the house!! RT @npquarterly: The urban myths in nonprofit fundraising costs http://owl.li/5J5bY



facilitationproJul 20, 1:02pm via web

This article alone justifies a subscription to @npquarterly“Social Entrepreneurship as Fetish” http://t.co/mGd2AI7



CingibJul 20, 1:23pm via HootSuite

RT @npquarterly: RT @beehls: Great articles in the @npquarterly newswire this morning! Sincerely, Millenial drinking coffee out of an ecofriendly container



rustwireJul 19, 11:47am via web

RT @rethinkdetroit Great article – @NPquarterly tackles the question of foundation involvement in Detroit http://t.co/vAzAVXh @detroitledger

NPQ’s Contributors of the week.

Chris Lytle

Chris Lytle who is a frequent commenter always has something insightful to say. This week his comment was about the Motown article:

“Having lived and worked in metro Detroit for many years the analysis presented is balanced, encouraging and hopeful. On the other hand, rather than perceiving Detroit as having fallen far behind, perhaps it’s ahead of the curve, albeit a downwardly spiraling curve of what other metro cities may come to. The politics of the city is the result of decades of cronyism and corruption, and an almost strategic hollowing out of any form of “an educated citizenry.” As noted, with a functional literacy rate of 47%, the citizenry of Detroit has in many ways lost the capacity to govern itself effectively, repeatedly electing leaders that pander to self-interest and emotional shock and awe. Bing and company is a refreshing alternative…but then, so was Denis Archer. As a national model, Detroit’s turnaround is essential. They need outside help, and much more than the local foundation community can provide, and as outsiders we need to understand that it’s in all our interest to revitalize Detroit. It may be the leader in a long list of other very troubled metros …”

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN! GIVE IT TO US.

Got a Tip for Us? We Need Your Voice Here

Did we miss something this week? What do you want to see us cover next week? Be our eyes and ears on the ground. Don’t hold back. Let us have it. And we’ll put it right here. Just let us know if you want it to be confidential.

a fond farewell and a grand welcome.

Aaron Lester has left the staff of NPQ for the newsroom of the Christian Science Monitor where he will be an editor on the national desk. Aaron has been an invaluable player in the development of our online publishing model and we have much to thank him for as he moves on. Aaron will be replaced by Laura Cronin on an interim basis.