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Weekly News Recap: January 20, 2017

Vincent Duckworth

Vanessa Porteous will leave Alberta Theatre Projects in July. COLLEEN DE NEVE / CALGARY HERALD

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. — Khalil Gibran

Upcoming events

News

Life and career hacks

Philanthropic personalities

  • VIDEO: Bill Gates on Globalization and Philanthropy (Bloomberg) Bill's annual address...er...interview from Davos. Some tidbits on his take on China's emergence into philanthropy. 1/18/17

  • Prince’s ex-wife sheds light on late artist’s secret philanthropy (NME) "He would see a family on TV that was having trouble – they didn’t have health insurance and had trouble meeting the needs of a sick child – and instead of saying, ‘Wow, that’s really sad,’ he would leave a note on my desk saying, ‘Call this TV station and find out where these people are so we can help them.’ It was ongoing.” 1/13/17

Trends and shifts

  • Obama Set to Follow Allies Into Nonprofit World (Chronicle of Philanthropy) First, this is a huge injection of talent into the sector. Second, I bet search firms are doing spectacularly well on this one. 1/18/17

  • Philanthropy Forecast, 2017: Trends and Issues to Watch (Inside Philanthropy) Donor advised fund (DAF) train is speeding up and "Big bets get even bigger". 1/18/17

  • Chris Selley: Zoos are shrinking amid lagging attendance and higher costs — and that’s a bad thing (National Post) I love zoos. I think they are important and necessary. They are also expensive and, in today's social media world, a magnet for bad press. This is good article on the issues facing world zoos in 2017. 1/13/17

  • Philanthropy Booms, But Giving for Social Justice Stays Flat (Public News Service) The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) report says between 2003 and 2013, which included the Great Recession, the assets of the country's grant-making foundations increased by more than $320 billion. But report author Ryan Schlegel says little of that new money reached those who suffered the most during that same decade. 1/12/17

  • Philanthropy Outlook Study Predicts Fundraising Stability for Next 2 Years—But… (Nonprofit Quarterly) The 21-page Philanthropy Outlook 2017 & 2018 is the third edition of a collaborative effort between international fundraising consulting firm Marts & Lundy and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Top-line finding: Total giving in 2017 and 2018 should increase by 3.6 percent and 3.8 percent respectively. This is bookended with the fact that "One factor that remains impossible to quantify as 2017 begins is the impact of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election on policies that affect nonprofits and philanthropic contributions." 1/13/17

  • What’s Top of Mind for Fundraisers in 2017? (AFP eWire) AFP asked some of North America's top fundraisers, including ViTrēo's own Scott Decksheimer, what issues they are most concerned about in 2017. Here's what they had to say. 1/11/17

  • The Voice (500ish Words) The keyboard is dead. So says almost everyone. 1/11/17

  • Shifting Philanthropy from Charity to Justice (Stanford Social Innovation Review) "Historical injustices—perpetuated by racial and cultural conflicts, and exacerbated by a lack of empathy—are at the heart of America’s growing economic, social, and political inequalities." See related article above. 1/3/17

Where to go

  • 52 Places to Go in 2017 (New York Times) Canada made the #1 spot on this list from the New York Times. No-brainer really. 1/4/17

Inspiring

Uncommon knowledge

  • ARCHITECTS OF PHILANTHROPY (Design Curial) A well-curated compendium of the intersection of architecture, philanthropy, and art. 1/17/17

  • A Photographer’s Guide to Color Histogram (Pixel Magazine) For those of us who are mystified (and interested in being less so) by the histogram feature in our photo apps, this is the perfect article. 1/14/17

  • We Used To Have 6 More Letters In Our Alphabet (OMG Facts) Just in case you are at a loss for small talk at your next networking event..."Did you know we used to have..." 1/4/17

  • A 6 minute Intro to AI (snips) Want to sound cool at your next cocktail party? Read on. For those that thought this article was about a guy named Alan, you can skip over. Undated

Books to read

Opinion

Large gifts

  • UH launches next phase of $1 billion fundraising campaign with $20 million donation (CultureMap Houston) Aiming to raise $1 billion, University of Houston officials launched the public phase of its capital campaign, announcing a $20 million gift from the John P. McGovern Foundation and plans to rename the college of arts after Kathrine G. McGovern. She is the widow of John P. McGovern, a noted Houston allergist, investor and philanthropist who died in 2007 at the age of 85. 1/18/17

  • Trinity receives $1 million donation from Fisher Industries and family (Dickinson Press) Fisher Industries and Mike and Christina Fisher donated $1 million to the new Trinity Junior High and High School project. Trinity High School is located in Dickinson, North Dakota. 1/18/17

  • Menaul School thankful for $1.5 million donation (Albuquerque Journal) Menaul School in Albuquerque has received an anonymous donation of $1.5 million that will pay for long-overdue renovations and create a lasting endowment for students. 1/17/17

  • Fendi Donates Major Contemporary Artwork To Rome (Harpers Bazaar) Lovely. Put this on your itinerary for your next trip to Rome. Fendi has commissioned a new artwork by the Italian artist Giuseppe Penone as a gift to the city of Rome, celebrating the brand's longstanding association with art and culture. Titled "Foglie di Pietra" ('Leaves of Stone'), Penone's beautiful bronze sculpture depicts a pair of trees whose branches interlace to bear the weight of a marble block. 1/17/17

  • $50 million donation to City of Hope aims for diabetes cure in 6 years (San Bernardino Sun) As someone whose family is affected by this disease, I am personally very grateful for this gift. More than $50 million in private funding has the City of Hope research and treatment center setting the lofty goal of curing Type 1 diabetes in six years. The funding was donated to the hospital’s Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute in part by the Wanek family, which controls Ashley Furniture, and some anonymous private benefactors. The City of Hope research and treatment center is located in Duarte, California. 1/16/17

  • Grymes school in Orange receives anonymous $3 million donation (Culpepper Star Exponent) Grymes Memorial School in the town of Orange is seeking the community’s help to meet an anonymous donor’s commitment to match up to $3 million for the independent school by 2020. Grymes Memorial School is a private K-12 school located in Orange, Virginia. 1/17/17

  • Yale Boosts Human Rights Programs Through $13M Donation (LAW.COM) Yale Law School is bolstering its human rights programs with a $13 million donation from the Robina Foundation, a Minnesota-based philanthropy focused on social issues. 1/13/17

  • UCSF Receives $500 Million Donation From Family Foundation (NBC) The University of California, San Francisco announced that it has received a $500 million donation, one of the largest ever given to an American university. The money was pledged by the family foundation of the late Helen Diller, a San Francisco native and longtime champion of the university. 1/12/17

  • $10 million donation is largest in CSB history (SCTimes) A $10 million commitment from anonymous donors will allow the College of St. Benedict to open a Center for Ethical Leadership in Action. The center is intended to increase students’ opportunities for experiential learning, including study abroad, undergraduate research, service learning and internships. It will aim to build leadership skills. The College of Saint Benedict (CSB), a women's college, is a private liberal arts college located in St. Joseph, Minnesota. 1/12/17

  • TVO's $2M donation a rare gift for Canada's struggling news industry (Times Colonist) ONTARIO STORY A $2 million donation to TVO is being hailed as a boost for the financially struggling media industry, but experts say it's unlikely to spur similar investments because the country's laws discourage philanthropic funding of news. The endowment, from the Barry and Laurie Green Charitable Trust and Goldie Feldman, is intended to cover the costs of creating four local journalism hubs in Ontario, starting with Thunder Bay. The funding would also go to hiring at least four journalists and creating internship opportunities, said John Ferri, TVO's vice-president of current affairs and documentaries. 1/12/17

  • National Jewish Health gets $7 million donation for pediatric charity care (9News) Denver's National Jewish Health has received a $7 million donation from the family of a late businesswoman and former patient that will help financially struggling patients pay for pediatric care. The money comes from the Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Molly Blank was a businesswoman who died in 2015 after being a patient at National Jewish Health. Arthur Blank, her son, founded Home Depot Inc. 1/12/17

Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo partner Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca

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