Weekly News Recap: January 13, 2017
Illustration by Simon Abranowicz
Words
- 25 Words Turning 25 in 2017 The millennials of mots so to speak. Some of these are awesome ("Metaverse"). Some need die and never be reborn ("Achey-Breaky"). What are your picks? (1/6/17)
Books to read
- Foundations for the Future: The Fundraising Role of Foundation Boards at Public Colleges and Universities Some light reading to begin the year. (January 2017)
News
From Trump to technology: Canadian bank CEOs weigh in on what's to come If banks are shifting to cater more strongly to millennials, it is clearly time for nonprofits to do the same. CANADIAN STORY (1/11/17)
Calgary post-secondary seeing uptick in U.S. applicants Trump? U.S. Exchange rate? Likely both. Welcome! CALGARY STORY (1/10/17)
Committee to Protect Journalists saw a spike in donations after Meryl Streep’s speech I have to say, this is a woefully low number. We need to do better. "As of Monday afternoon, the committee has received about 1,000 donations totaling more than $80,000. On a normal Sunday night, Radsch said, the committee receives about a handful." (1/9/17)
A community building together: Swift Current opens youth homeless shelter Congratulations Swift Current! Your youth at risk and those that love them thank you. SWIFT CURRENT STORY (1/9/17)
Alberta carbon tax-funded grants aim to make non-profits more energy efficient The initiative, which has been dubbed the Non-profit Energy Efficiency Transition (NEET) program, was announced at Meals on Wheels in Calgary. For now, the province said $1 million would be made available to assist organizations complete the efficiency audits. The program will be administered by Energy Efficiency Alberta, a new provincial agency created with revenue from the carbon tax. ALBERTA STORY (1/6/17)
Alberta unemployment falls to 8.5% as Calgary rate remains highest among major cities Calgary's unemployment rate in December remained the highest in the country at 10.2 per cent. ALBERTA STORY (1/6/17)
Studies and reports
Report on the Charities Program Looking for the definitive overview on the Canadian charitable sector? Start here. CANADIAN STORY (January 2017)
Generosity in Canada and the United States: The 2016 Generosity Index CCVO: "The headline reads 'Charitable giving in Canada hits 10-year low.' Beyond the headline, other findings from this recently released Fraser Institute study report that Manitoba had the highest percentage of tax filers who donated to charity (24.8%), while the highest yearly average dollar value of charitable donations was in Alberta ($2,443)." (12/15/16)
PDF: An Analysis of Wages and Salaries in Alberta's Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector An up-to-date reference on our sector. For most, worth a skim, and for some, a deep read. Spoiler alert: Culture and Recreation have the lowest average hourly wage rates and the highest vacancy rates compared to other sub-sectors. Thanks to CCVO for hosting this report. ALBERTA STORY (11/18/16)
Ringing a bell? Analyzing available evidence on the sources and benefits of awareness for charities Awareness (or lack thereof) is, without a doubt, one of the largest barriers to success in fundraising. This report, out of the UK, digs into the issue. Thanks to Mick Mulloy for sharing this link. (May 2015)
Philanthropic personalities
David Plouffe joins Mark Zuckerberg's philanthropy project David was formerly senior White House advisor and Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager. (1/10/17)
Low Profile, Big Giving: Uncovering Joan Kroc’s Philanthropy Fascinating story about a fascinating woman. (1/10/17)
George Lucas Can’t Give His $1.5 Billion Museum Away It's just a tad "lowbrow". (1/3/17)
Trends and shifts
The Walmart Foundation Is a Perfect Example of How Corporate Philanthropy is Changing We've been watching and we've noticed; "...from widely dispersed local grants to bigger strategic programs that tap into the company's key assets as a business." (1/10/17)
Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Pediatric End-of-Life Care—A Gap to Be Filled Such a critical, and mostly unmet, need. (1/6/17)
The Simple Truth Behind Reading 200 Books a Year Yes, I am a total fanboy of Warren, but beyond this, he is right. Want to win? Read. Read a lot.“Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will...” -- Warren Buffet. (1/6/17)
The Future of Foundation Philanthropy: The CEO Perspective "The report shows that two-thirds of foundation CEOs believe in the potential of foundations to make a significant difference in society, but most do not see foundations taking full advantage of their opportunities for impact." (January 2017)
Opinion
- Why some charities thrive and others struggle An informed opinion piece from the Globe and Mail CANADIAN STORY (1/3/17)
Life and career hacks
- Why Having a System is Essential to Increasing Your Creative Output One of my goals this year is to create better systems. (1/10/17)
Large gifts
Tech billionaires donate $20m to fund set up to protect society from AI One of the small number of existential threats to humanity is the spectre of SkyNet. Real world billionaires, LinkedIn’s founder Reid Hoffman and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, are each donating $10 million to ensure that this does not happen. (1/11/17)
Baptist Health La Grange receives $1M donation for Women’s Center Baptist Health La Grange and the Baptist Health Foundation received a $1 million donation last month from the Rawlings Foundation to use towards the hospital’s recent Women’s Center construction project. Baptist Health is located in La Grange, Kentucky. (1/10/17)
Woodlawn Museum Receives Anonymous Donation An anonymous donor has made a $1 million contribution to the Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth, Maine. (1/9/17)
SMU receives $2 million donation to endow ethics center directorship Last week Cary M. Maguire presented $2 million to endow the center's directorship in honor of founding director William F. May. Southern Methodist University is a private research university located in Dallas, University Park, and Highland Park, Texas. (1/9/17)
QU GETS $1 MILLION DONATION Quincy University says it's gotten a major donation from an anonymous donor. Quincy University is a private liberal arts Catholic university in the Franciscan tradition. It is located in Quincy, Illinois. (1/9/17)
Cal State San Bernardino gets $1 million donation from Chuck and Shelby Obershaw Chuck Obershaw, former owner of the Toyota dealership in San Bernardino that bears his name, and his wife, Shelby, have been donating to the campus since 1990. Their newly established endowment is targeted to benefit the school’s food pantry, which helps students lacking resources to adequately feed themselves, and an educational opportunity program focused on assisting former foster children and the business school’s entrepreneurship program. (1/6/17)
Seton Hall receives anonymous $8 million donation An anonymous donor has gifted $8 million to Seton Hall’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, one of the largest donations Seton Hall University has ever received. Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey. (January 2017)
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