Weekly News Recap: October 11, 2019

Weekly News Recap: October 11, 2019

Delta’s program is intended to help close the gender gap in aviation

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. —Leonardo da Vinci

This week's highlights

  • October is AFP Ethics Month #ItsAllAboutEthicsBaby
  • 3rd Graders with high EQ #MeltMyHeart
  • UofA, UofC, and UofL all do well in Macleans Rankings #Congrats
  • A Texas church lives the faith #Affirming
  • Improve your stretching, a sugar fast, and how to make better decisions #LifeHacks
  • Tennis starts and French billionaires #MakingGood
  • Oxycontin gifts were not only to the arts #EducationToo
  • Astrophysicists as fashionistas and the Dutch solve ocean plastic #Whaaat
  • Melinda Gates pledges $1 billion to women's causes #IHeartThisWoman
  • And so much more...

Ethics

  • Deep Dives Into The AFP Code of Ethical Standards (AFP Global) This is a great series of articles taking a deeper look at each of AFP's ethical standards for fundraisers. Very cool. And if that is not cool enough, I am presenting an ethics session for AFP Calgary next week (October 17). If you want to join us, find out more here. October 2019

AFP Global

  • Individual Donations: A Postal Issue? (AFP Global) CANADIAN STORY Hug your postie! "How much does individual giving in Canada depend upon Canada Post? And, conversely, how much does Canada Post depend upon the nonprofit sector? Should fundraisers care about postal rate increases, unpredictable labour disruptions and the future of mail service?" 10/3/19

Melt your heart

  • 3rd graders surprise classmate with toys after he lost all his in house fire (CBS) Children know how this works. "Students at a Tennessee elementary school came together to surprise a classmate who lost all his toys in a house fire [...]. Daniel lost all of his belongings in a house fire two weeks ago. So, Daniel’s third grade classmates held a secret toy drive to replace all the ones he lost in the fire." 10/2/19

News

  • U of A among Canada’s top 5 universities in latest Maclean’s ranking (Folio) EDMONTON STORY Congrats! "On the strength of faculty awards, reputation and provincial government support, as well as some standout programs led out of the faculties of nursing, business and science, the U of A moved back into the top five according to the Maclean’s 2020 Canadian University Ranking." 10/8/19

  • Lethbridge College receives large donation from Corus Entertainment (Lethbridge News Now) LETHBRIDGE STORY Nice work Corus. "Lethbridge College has received a significant gift from Corus Entertainment. The company has donated $52,000 to the school. It will help support the creation of a new active-learning newsroom. It will also go towards the creation of new financial awards for students in the Digital Communications and Media program." 10/8/19

  • Wellspring opens second permanent home in southeast Calgary (CTV News) CALGARY STORY Congrats to all. "Providing support to Albertans battling cancer and their caregivers, Wellspring Calgary opened its second permanent home in the southeast quadrant of the city. It’s called the Randy O’Dell House in honour of the president and owner of O’Dell Electric, who donated $4 million to get the project started in July 2016." 10/8/19

  • Delta Flight With All-Woman Crew Brings 120 Girls To Visit NASA (Scary Mommy) I heart this. "Delta had reason to celebrate after another successful International Girls in Aviation Day success. This is the fifth time their WING (Women Inspiring our Next Generation) flight took off carrying 120 girls and an all-female crew to show the younger generation that a career in aviation is possible." 10/7/19

  • St. Paul’s Foundation announces $225 million fundraising goal for new St. Paul’s (Vancouver Sun) VANCOUVER STORY Congrats and best wishes. "This campaign is the largest-ever hospital fundraising campaign in Western Canada. Funds raised will support the build of the new St. Paul’s, and bolster programs and services so that the provision of care matches the innovation and transformation afforded by the new facility. To date, $168 million in donations and pledges have been secured through philanthropy from foundations, corporate partners, individuals and families." 10/7/19

  • U of A names honorary degree recipients for 2019 fall convocation (Folio) EDMONTON STORY Congrats to all but a special congrats to my friend Dr. Claudette Tardif. "Sports broadcaster Ron MacLean, former Canadian senator Claudette Tardif and poet Alice Major will receive honorary degrees during graduation ceremonies this November." 10/7/19

  • UCalgary ranked in Top 10 nationally by Maclean’s (UToday) CALGARY STORY There are so many factors that go into this but, from my perspective, for the University of Calgary, philanthropy has been a huge factor. "Maclean’s 2020 university rankings, the University of Calgary ranked 9th overall in the Top Medical / Doctoral category, up from 11th place last year. This category includes universities that offer a broad range of research and PhD programs, and have medical schools [...]. The university’s performance on the reputation indicator has improved in the past five years, up from #19 in 2014 to #9 this year. " 10/7/19

  • Fast-track University of Calgary program boosts employment hopes for engineers (Edmonton Sun) CALGARY STORY "[The] end of [the young petroleum engineering graduate's] job hunt that summer took a different turn as he became one of the first students to enrol in the U of C’s new Master of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering program. The condensed, one-year program with a focus on software development is designed to give engineers additional skills to make them more employable in an increasingly digital world." 10/6/19

  • Alberta docs take aim at their role in opioid crisis (Calgary Herald) ALBERTA STORY Nice move docs! Love it. Keep it up. "Physicians in Alberta need to change the way they treat pain to reduce the number of opioid overdoses, say some of their Calgary colleagues." 10/6/19

  • U of L keeps its top-five ranking (Medicine Hat News) LETHBRIDGE STORY Congrats! Well deserved. "Once again, the University of Lethbridge is one of the top-ranked campuses in Canada. The annual Maclean’s magazine rankings show the U of L remaining in fifth place among 19 schools across the country in the 'primarily undergraduate' category." 10/5/19

  • Lowering the Flag: The Honourable John A. Agrios (The Quad) EDMONTON STORY A true friend of the UofA and of all of us who worked in advancement. RIP Justice Agrios. "The University of Alberta banner is flying at half-mast from October 4–7, 2019 in remembrance of the Honourable John A. Agrios, an alumnus of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law (’56 LLB), a former justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, and a founding member of Alumni & Friends of the Faculty of Law." 10/4/19

  • Governance Professionals of Canada Announces the Winners of the 2019 'Peter Dey Achievement in Governance Award' and 'Governance Professional of the Year Award' (Newswire.ca) CANADIAN STORY I can't think of a person more deserving of this award. Congrats Linda! "Governance Professionals of Canada (GPC) has announced the award recipients for its prominent individual categories for the 2019 Excellence in Governance Awards (EGAs). Linda Hohol, Chair of the Institute of Corporate Directors, is the 2019 Peter Dey Achievement in Governance Award recipient." 10/4/19

  • Infrastructure Canada supports expansion of Edmonton’s science centre (Canadian Consulting Engineer) EDMONTON STORY Congrats to all. "Infrastructure Canada recently promised funding, through its community, culture and recreation stream, to support the Aurora project, a renovation and expansion project for Telus World of Science Edmonton. Specifically, $8.65 million in new funding will go toward the $23.4-million fourth phase of the facility’s overall $40-million Aurora project initiative. This phase will combine renovations of the existing Health Gallery and Science Garage areas with the addition of 929 m2 of ‘sustainably designed’ interior space, including a new lobby and an Arctic Gallery." 10/3/19

  • Texas Church Uses Donations to Pay Off $2.6 Million of Medical Debt for Thousands of Families (People) We too often read about issues with the misuse of funds in churches. Not today. Can you imagine getting such a letter? "Thousands of families in Texas have received a potentially life-changing letter recently that announced their medical debt has been paid in full, all in courtesy of Lake Pointe Church in Dallas. 'We are pleased to inform you that you no longer owe the balance on the debt referenced above to the above provider,' Pastor Josh Howerton said, reading aloud the letter to KDFW. 'Our forgiveness of the amount you owe is a no strings attached gift. You no longer have any obligation to pay this debt to anyone at any future time.'" 10/2/19

First Peoples of Canada

  • Stoney Nakoda word collection helps preserve language for future generations (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Great idea! "Stoney Nakoda elder Terry Rider leans forward and carefully pronounces a Stoney word into a microphone. It's a big responsibility for him and the four others gathered in one of several booths in a back room at the Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino west of Calgary. The recordings and spellings they provide will be used by future generations on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, keeping the language alive in that community." 10/5/19

  • UNBC announces free tuition for Lheidli T'enneh students (CBC) PRINCE GEORGE STORY More please. This is great. "The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation hope a new partnership will help break down barriers for Lheidli T'enneh students. The partnership [...] will offer two streams. One stream is for Lheidli T'enneh students who meet UNBC admissions requirements. Those students will receive full tuition for their undergraduate degree. The other is a transition program available for Lheidli T'enneh students who do not meet the admissions requirements but show strong academic promise. They will also receive tuition support." 10/3/19

Books to read

Seven life and career hacks -- one for each day of the week

  1. Mobility Training 101: How To Stay Flexible, Warm Up Before Your Workout, and Soothe Sore Muscles (Better Humans) We all want to age gracefully. It likely starts with stretching. You're welcome. 9/26/19

  2. How I Completely Changed My Career Using LinkedIn (Better Marketing) I need to use LinkedIn more. 9/18/19

  3. Introduction to Decision Intelligence (Towards Data Science) I find decision making fascinating. This article validates my sentiment. 8/2/19

  4. The Opposite of Minimalism isn’t Maximalism, but Indifference (The Startup) I could not agree more. Great article. 8/1/19

  5. Emotional Intelligence is Overrated. Aim for Emotional Fitness Instead. (Lifestyle) Very interesting take on EQ. I am not sure I fully agree but I am...interested. 6/17/19

  6. Reset Your Sugar Cravings with a 30-Day Sugar Fast (Better Humans) Sugar is evil. Period. 4/29/19

  7. The One-Page Rule (The Startup) A great meeting hack. 3/26/19

Uncommon knowledge

  • The Next Word - Where will predictive text take us? (New Yorker) "And yet until now I’d always finished my thought by typing the sentence to a full stop, as though I were defending humanity’s exclusive right to writing, an ability unique to our species. I will gladly let Google predict the fastest route from Brooklyn to Boston, but if I allowed its algorithms to navigate to the end of my sentences how long would it be before the machine started thinking for me? I had remained on the near shore of a digital Rubicon, represented by the Tab key. On the far shore, I imagined, was a strange new land where machines do the writing, and people communicate in emojis, the modern version of the pictographs and hieroglyphs from which our writing system emerged, five thousand years ago." 10/14/19

Philanthropic personalities

  • Osaka, Andreescu, Barty, raising awareness for cancer following Serena Williams’ example (Tennis Tonic) Three amazing women. Changing the world. "The WTA will carry out a global philanthropic campaign this month. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Charities around the world will be raising awareness about the disease. The tennis body will carry out its 'Aceing Cancer' initiative in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The goal will be to raise awareness and funds for various cancer organizations. The games’ best tennis players will also be involved in advocating against the disease." 10/6/19

  • French Billionaires Make Good On Their Pledges To Repair Notre Dame Cathedral (CEO World) Good job mes freres. "French billionaires, Francois-Henri Pinault and his father Francois Pinault have officially signed over $109 million toward rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral. Francois-Henri Pinault is the chairman and chief executive of Kering, a Paris-based luxury group behind brands including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Brioni and Pomellato." 10/6/19

Philanthropic controversy

  • BP and the Royal Shakespeare Company: A drama of misplaced corporate philanthropy (City A.M.) "Corporate philanthropy is not brand-enhancing when the company itself is engaged in practices that are damaging to society or to the environment. The public is increasingly looking at deals like the RSC sponsorship, and simply saying: 'this doesn’t clean up your oil spill'." 10/8/19

  • Las Vegas judge allows billionaire, friend to pay $1M donation to avoid jail time (CBS) This is not what making a gift to charity is about. "A billionaire California technology firm founder and his friend took no-jail plea deals [...] that had them donate $1 million to charities while not admitting guilt in a Las Vegas Strip hotel room drug investigation." 10/7/19

  • Parsee hospital loses $22.5 m donation (The Hindu) If you drag yours, donors will vote with theirs. Feet that is. "A Hong Kong-based philanthropic couple has withdrawn its pledge to donate $22.5 million to the B.D. Petit Parsee General Hospital (PGH) in the city, as the plan to build a new super speciality hospital did not take off. The project was delayed due to opposition from a section of the Parsi community." 10/6/19

  • Jeff Lewis Made 'a Donation' to Get His Daughter, 2, Back Into Preschool After Expulsion (People) Umm. "'I did get her into a new school but I did have to pull a Lori Loughlin and make a donation,' he said in the episode, making reference to the former Full House actress at the center of the college admissions scandal, who allegedly paid $500,000 to get her daughters into the University of Southern California." 10/4/19

  • Colleges got US$60M-plus from OxyContin family: AP exclusive (CTV News) "Prestigious universities around the world have accepted at least US$60 million over the past five years from the family that owns the maker of OxyContin, even as the company became embroiled in lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic, financial records show. Some of the donations arrived before recent lawsuits blaming Purdue Pharma for its role in the opioid crisis. But at least nine schools accepted gifts in 2018 or later, when states and counties across the country began efforts to hold members of the family accountable for Purdue's actions. The largest gifts in that span went to Imperial College London, the University of Sussex and Yale University." 10/3/19

  • We Reported on a Nonprofit Hospital System That Sues Poor Patients. It Just Freed Thousands From Debt. (ProPublica) We first shared this story in our July 5, 2019 recap. Go MLK50 and ProPublica! "The city’s largest nonprofit hospital system has erased the debts owed by more than 6,500 patients it sued for unpaid hospital bills, less than two months after announcing an overhaul of its debt collection processes. The dramatic shift was prompted by an MLK50-ProPublica investigation that revealed that Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare filed more than 8,300 debt lawsuits from 2014 through 2018, including against its own employees. Methodist had doggedly pursued low-income defendants who had little ability to pay, often garnishing their meager paychecks.10/24/19

  • Jeffrey Epstein’s philanthropy unleashes soul-searching over ‘third rail’ donors (MarketWatch) What are your 'third rails'? "My sense is that every nonprofit leader and board is saying, ‘What are our third rails, what are the gifts that we won’t accept?’ It’s a really difficult conversation," said Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy and author of 'Giving Done Right.'" 9/23/19

Trends and shifts

  • Coal and bitumen: Why the Norwegian pension fund is ditching the oilsands (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Norway's largest pension fund is no stranger to Alberta's oilsands, having invested in several different oil producers over the last decade including Canadian and Norwegian-based companies. Now, those investments toward ramping up production from the bitumen-rich areas of northern Alberta have come to an end. KLP, which has assets of about $94 billion, has sold its stocks in oilsands companies. In its evaluation of the oilsands, the pension fund came to the conclusion that the oil production in the Fort McMurray region was akin to the coal industry in its harmful impacts to the environment." 10/8/19

  • Entrepreneurs battle burnout from working longer hours, taking fewer vacations, survey suggests (CBC) Ugh, sometimes..."Many of us romanticize the idea of employing ourselves, but a new survey suggests small-business owners are working harder, taking fewer vacations and enjoying less downtime since leaving traditional employment to start their own ventures." 10/8/19

  • The Role of Philanthropy in Advancing Equity in the Arts (Stanford Social Innovation Review) Oh yes, more please. "[Scores] of other venues that incubate and showcase artists of color and connect with diverse audiences in New York and around the United States need help. These organizations may not receive as much foundation funding or private support as those that have more traditionally appealed to white audiences, but they play an equally important role in the health and vibrancy of communities, and thus deserve greater philanthropic attention and support [...]. When we invest in organizations like these, we’re helping remove inequities that have an often unseen, yet profound, impact on our society—inequities that run much deeper than the organizations themselves." 10/7/19

  • The Style-Quantifying Astrophysicists of Silicon Valley (Wired) Cool shift! "Chris Moody knows a thing or two about the universe. As an astrophysicist, he built galaxy simulations, using supercomputers to model the way the universe expands and how galaxies crash into one another. One night, not long after he’d finished his PhD at UC Santa Cruz, he met up with a few other astrophysicists for beers. But that night, no one was talking about galaxies. Instead, they were talking about fashion." 10/7/19

  • RISING SIGNS (The Verge) I am, weirdly, interested..."Inside Co—Star, the app that’s feeding millennials’ astrological fascinations with mystical algorithms and an old-school approach to the zodiac." 10/4/19

  • The future of philanthropy: When the art of giving will be about solving (liveMINT) "Philanthropy is approaching an inflection point. Outsize wealth is rapidly accumulating, alongside an acceleration in philanthropic ambition. As these two powerful forces converge, they will likely reshape the social sector for years to come. Will philanthropic giving to alleviate socio-economic ills increase as dramatically as wealth is accumulating? Will more of that philanthropy go to solving the underlying problems?" 10/4/19

  • Ocean Cleaning Device Succeeds in Removing Plastic for the First Time (EcoWatch) How great is this? Bless the Dutch. "An enormous floating device designed by Dutch scientists for the non-profit Ocean Cleanup successfully captured and removed plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the company announced [recently], as CNN reported." 10/3/19

  • Science Created Factory Farming. Science Could End It. (OneZero) Very interesting! "A new breed of scientists say that their work on what’s being termed “clean meat” has the potential to replace factory farms, which produce lots of cheap meat but do incalculable harm to the environment, to human health, and to the well-being of farm animals." 9/24/19

Large gifts

  • Why Melinda Gates’s $1 billion pledge is a game-changer (MarketWatch) Boom! Double boom! "Melinda Gates’s $1 billion pledge to advance women and girls is attention-grabbing because of its size, but it’s also unusual for another reason. Gates, the wife of Microsoft MSFT, +1.89% co-founder Bill Gates, will spend the money over the next decade to expand women’s power and influence in the United States. In the world of charitable giving, devoting money to women’s and girls’ causes is a rarity." 10/9/19

  • Oprah Winfrey makes surprise $13 million donation to Morehouse College (CBS) I heart Oprah. "Oprah Winfrey announced Monday that she's donating millions of dollars to Morehouse College, making her gifts to the school the largest endowment in its history. The billionaire philanthropist donated $13 million to continue her scholarship program at the college, making her total gift $25 million." 10/8/19

  • City of Kalamazoo accepts $57M donation for property tax cut, city budget (mLive) Kalamazoo is one very lucky city. They received a similar gift in recent years. "The city of Kalamazoo said yes to more funding donated by the Stryker Johnston Foundation to reduce taxes and supplement the city’s budget for three more years." 10/8/19

  • UT College of Nursing gets $7.5 million donation to expand and renovate building (Knox News) I heart nurses. "The College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville has received the largest donation in the school's history: $7.5 million. The gift comes from UT alumna and nurse Sara Croley and her husband, Ross, who hope the donation will educate more nurses to serve Tennessee." 10/8/19

  • St. Elizabeth lands biggest donation ever (Cincinnati Business Courier) "St. Elizabeth Healthcare has received its biggest single donation ever, and the $5 million gift will help build a Center for Integrative Oncology within the cancer center that’s to open next year on the campus of the system’s flagship hospital in Edgewood. The Center for Integrative Oncology will be named for doTerra, a Utah company that sells aromatherapy and essential oils." 10/8/19

  • New pediatric cardiology facility giant step closer with $2.5M donation (Winnipeg Sun) WINNIPEG STORY Woot! "A new pediatric cardiology facility in Winnipeg took a giant step closer to reality [recently] with the announcement of a $2.5-million donation from the Price family." 10/8/19

  • The €45.4m fund to reduce air pollution (SciTech Europa) Of note, one of the funders of The Clean Air Fund is IKEA. "The Clean Air Fund, announced at the United Nations Climate Change Summit, is initially putting €45.4m towards solving the global air pollution crisis. The Clean Air Fund, a new philanthropic initiative, has launched to address the global outdoor air pollution crisis that is responsible for 4.2 million deaths worldwide – more deaths than from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids combined." 10/8/19

  • College of Education Receives Big Donation (CJWW) SASKATOON STORY I love great acts of philanthropy. I especially love it when they are directed to areas like education. Nice gift. "The largest donation in the 92 year history of the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Education comes from one of its graduates. Jane Graham got her Bachelor of Education in 1962 and says the 1-million dollar pledge is a way to give back to the institution." 10/7/19

  • MSI Renamed After $125 Million Donation from Kenneth C. Griffin (The Chicago Maroon) Nice legacy naming. "The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) announced [...] that it will be renamed after Chicago philanthropist and billionaire investor, Kenneth C. Griffin. The name change follows a $125 million donation, which is the largest amount made to the museum in its history." 10/7/19

  • Nistlers get in-person thanks for $20 million gift to UND (Grand Forks Herald) Inspired a generation ago by a naming donor on the Library. "Werner and his wife, Colleen, donated $20 million to build UND's new College of Business and Public Administration facility. The building will bear the Nistlers’ name, as will the college itself." 10/5/19

  • Philanthropists make largest-gift ever to the NAC in support of excellence in the performing arts (National Arts Centre) CANADIAN STORY What a tremendous gift! "The National Arts Centre (NAC) is pleased to announce that Janice and Earle O’Born are making a transformational gift of $10 million, the largest single gift to the NAC that will help sustain artistic excellence at the NAC as it celebrates 50 years of producing and presenting the best in the performing arts in Canada." 10/5/19

  • Gordon College receives $75.5 million gift (Boston Globe) Pretty big anonymous gift! "Gordon College in Wenham has received an anonymous gift of $75.5 million, one of the largest in its 130-year history, officials said [recently]." 10/5/19

  • UT-Austin Alumnus Donation Spurs Engineering Building Work (The Patch - Austin) "A multi-million-dollar financial contribution from an alumnus, the newest building at the University of Texas at Austin housing its engineering program will bear his name, officials announced [...]. The building's namesake is Gary L. Thomas, who graduated from the school decades ago before becoming president of EOG Resources Inc. The honor comes after his $25 million commitment that capped a fundraising effort that secured more than $60 million for the building's construction." 10/4/19

  • UW Medicine receives $50 million donation to create brain institute (NBC) Wow! What a gift! "The University of Washington medical school has received a $50 million donation to create an institute focused on developing treatments for brain disorders. UW Medicine said Lynn and Mike Garvey made the donation to establish the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions in Seattle. The institute’s focus is expected to include addiction, depression and Alzheimer’s disease." 10/3/19

  • Parex Resources gives $3.24MM to University of Calgary Faculty of Science (jwn Energy) CALGARY STORY Thanks Parex. Nice gift! "Six new Innovation Fellowships are being created at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Science following receipt of its largest-ever philanthropic gift. Calgary-based Parex Resources and its chairman, U of C BSc alumnus Wayne Foo, are giving the Faculty of Science $3.24 million." 10/2/19

  • $1.5 million donation for mental health, substance use at Royal Inland Hospital (INFO news.ca) KAMLOOPS STORY "A local property management group has committed $1.5 million to Royal Inland Hospital’s patient care tower through a multi-year donation. In a news release issued by Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, [...] the donation from Kelson Group Property Management will be set aside to support the expansion and modernization of the mental health and substance department of the hospital." 10/2/19

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