Weekly News Recap: October 28, 2016
Alexander Prior, 24, is the new conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. (Facebook)
For your calendar
The Math Behind A Major Gift ViTrēo's Vincent Duckworth is speaking at this AFP Saskatoon luncheon. Hope to see you there. (Event date: November 1, 2016)
AFP Calgary and Area Professionals Forum, November 8 Join your fundraising and community investment colleagues as we hear from AFP Interim President Jason Lee and KCI President Marnie Spears. (Event Date: November 8, 2016)
AFP Calgary and Area National Philanthropy Day Luncheon Event is 82% sold. Book your table today. (Event Date: November 15, 2016)
News
Alex Prior, 24, is Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's new conductor Congratulations to all. Welcome to Alberta Alex. Winspear Centre, home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, is a ViTreo client. EDMONTON STORY (10/27/16)
Dr. Roberta Bondar coming to Peterborough for Philanthropy Forum Great way to celebrate National Philanthropy Day. PETERBOROUGH STORY (10/26/16)
Restoring the jewel in the crown of Coronation Park Can't wait. The City of Edmonton and the Telus World of Science-Edmonton have come to an agreement to renovate and restore the beautiful 1960s-era planetarium as a teaching, reception and production space. EDMONTON STORY (10/26/16)
A new ice rink in Hazelton is more than a place to skate — it's 'a new sense of hope' Sometimes we forget that places like ice rinks are about more than skating. For example, suicide rates are linked to the lack of access to community spaces like arenas. HAZELTON STORY (10/26/16)
University of Calgary students and staff petition to rename hall after much-loved barista Using naming to honour important individuals in our community is every bit as important as using it to recognize a gift. CALGARY STORY (10/25/16)
Shane Homes founder inducted into Calgary Business Hall of Fame Congrats to Cal Wenzel on a well-deserved honour. CALGARY STORY (10/21/16)
Clickable donation option soon to be on all Toronto city websites This is going to spread like wildfire. Any bets on how long it will take your city to implement this? TORONTO STORY (10/20/16)
Stanley Milner library closing for renovations at end of December Wow, what a reno. Looks glorious. EDMONTON STORY (10/20/16)
29 tenants sign on at cSPACE 'arts incubator' in Calgary's old King Edward School Congrats cSpace. Alliance Française, The Rozsa Foundation, and Quest Theatre are three of them. CALGARY STORY (10/20/16)
Denver and the allure it has for millennials It's close to the Rockies — a high elevation city. It's dry, but gets lots of sun. There's also a strong western culture and entrepreneurial spirit. With progressive attitudes, it makes for a battleground state in the upcoming American election. But Denver is attracting young people by the thousands, and Calgary is losing them. CALGARY STORY (10/20/16)
Record numbers seek help from Edmonton Food Bank Since last December, an average of 20,000 people a month have been coming for food hampers. This is up by 5,000 per month from the previous year. EDMONTON STORY (10/20/16)
MEDIA RELEASE: INTRODUCING YWCA CALGARY: THE FRESH NEW PERSONALITY #theYW. Fresh. Catchy. We like it! CALGARY STORY (10/20/16)
Advocates say an end to homelessness is within reach This report is a credit to the hundreds of advocates and agencies who have been working on this issue for decades. We are not done yet but we are now pointed in the right direction. Well done. CANADIAN STORY (10/20/16)
Books to read
- The 7 Best Books I’ve Ever Read About Writing Oh my, this is a good list. (10/24/16)
Life and career hacks
Almost Every Company Falls Into This Thinking Trap Maps versus terrain: Do you know the difference? Note: Some of the language in this article is NSFW. (10/8/16)
The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do and What to Do About It I personally like "Reduce the friction of starting." (10/21/16)
How to Stick With Good Habits Every Day by Using the “Paper Clip Strategy” Want to be a great fundraiser? Be like Trent. CANADIAN STORY (undated)
Trends and shifts
- Fidelity Charitable Pushes United Way Out of Top Place in Ranking of the 400 U.S. Charities That Raise the Most And, with that, the United Way has been toppled being the top charitable money raiser in the U.S. Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund is the nonprofit spinoff of big asset-management company Fidelity Investments. It raised $4.6 billion in 2015. United Way in the U.S. is only raising 2/3 (inflation-adjusted) of what it used to raise in 1990. (10/27/16)
Tools
- Gaining Actionable Insights For Your Charity Woot! This is a really BIG deal. As an added benefit to the 2015 What Canadian Donors Want survey, the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy - Canada Research Committee has released a user-friendly data template. This tool will assist fundraisers in further analyzing donor motivation, solicitation and giving decisions, as well as views and attitudes toward the charitable sector. This analysis and segmentation will allow you to tailor fundraising strategies designed for your donor base. CANADIAN CONTENT (10/17/16)
Opinion
Silicon Valley Donors Ignore Local Needs, Report Finds This is the perennial tension for community foundations. Dr. Emmett Carson, who is quoted in this article, was in Calgary for The Calgary Foundation's Vital City 2016 launch on October 25. CALGARY CONNECTION (10/25/16)
Why naming rights for wealthy donors can be more than just bragging rights This article gets right to the heart of one of main reasons we need our largest donors not to be anonymous. Naming rights help make this happen. In short, big gifts attached to well-known donors help bring even more gifts. (10/22/16)
Philanthropic personalities
- Leonardo DiCaprio Will Have Lunch With You For A $6 Donation To Help The Homeless A lucky winner will get to have lunch with Leo at Home Restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland. (10/27/16)
Large gifts
$1 million donation helps launch Beaumont project Beaumont Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan has announced a $1 million gift from Farmington Emergency Medicine Associates for the new construction and renovations coming to the 51-year-old campus. (10/26/16)
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland to Benefit from Donation to Expand Breast Cancer Services Some northern California hospitals will be expanding services that help women suffering from breast cancer thanks to a $4 million dollar donation from an anonymous donor. The generous mystery donation was gifted to the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center at Sutter Health's Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland. (10/26/16)
Padres owner Ron Fowler makes record donation to San Diego State University The money will support the College of Business Administration, which now carries the Fowler name. "It's been a lifelong dream for me to really get involved in higher education," Fowler said. He said the saying that education is a "great equalizer" was true for him. (10/26/16)
Dan Gilbert $15M donation to MSU will aid Breslin Center Dan and Jennifer Gilbert have pledged $15 million to their alma mater Michigan State University. The donation will aid the basketball programs and Breslin Center renovations. It will also support two Michigan State programs: the Detroit Scholars Program and the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities. Dan Gilbert is owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. You might remember them, they are 2016 NBA Champions. (10/26/16)
Swift Current Couple Donates $500,000 to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan Duane and Bev Smith donated $500,000, that will go towards a Family Play Room in the Day Medicine Unit. This will supply infusion therapy for children requiring treatment on an outpatient basis. What is especially lovely about this story is the fact that it is a great example of a charity asking donors to become more public to inspire other donors. Good for the charity, good for the campaign, good for the donors. SWIFT CURRENT STORY (10/25/16)
RBC Makes $750,000 Donation to University of Lethbridge Faculty of Management AGILITY Program RBC has announced a $750,000 contribution to the Faculty of Management and its AGILITY program aimed at helping students develop skills in innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. LETHBRIDGE STORY (10/25/16)
U of Illinois will use donation to open analytics center The university is using a $5 million donation from the Deloitte Foundation to open the University of Illinois-Deloitte Foundation Center for Business Analytics. The foundation is the nonprofit arm of Deloitte, the consulting, audit and tax firm. (10/25/16)
Gates Foundation announces $210M donation to UW’s Population Health Initiative The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is awarding $210 million to the University of Washington’s Population Health Initiative.The funds will go toward UW’s 25-year mission to improve the health of people around the globe by taking a broad approach to promoting wellness. (10/25/16)
Enterprise donating $60 million to food banks Enterprise Rent-A-Car's foundation is giving away $10 million a year for the next six years to address hunger in areas where it operates. $1.5 million a year will be going to Food Banks Canada. The $60 million figure marks the Enterprise's 60th anniversary. Since 1982, the foundation and the Taylor Family, who own Enterprise, have given away over $1 billion. CANADIAN CONTENT (10/25/16)
President’s Star Charity 2016 raises S$7.37 million The President’s Star Charity is part of the annual President’s Challenge, which has 58 beneficiaries this year. They include the Singapore National Paralympic Council, the Children’s Cancer Foundation and the Society for the Aged Sick. This year's event in Singapore raised S7.37 million ($5.3 million U.S.). (10/24/16)
$24 million gift pushes UM to raise money for new forestry building An historic $24 million pledge to the University of Montana pushes the campus to raise money for a new building for the College of Forestry and Conservation. The gift from Bill and Carolyn Franke and their children is the largest single gift in the history of the campus. Bill Franke is an airline magnate and the family has a home in the Bigfork area and an interest in conservation and education. (10/24/16)
American couple pledge $380 million art donation to France Texans Marlene and Spencer Hays are bequeathing to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris some 600 works dating from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. This is the largest collection for foreign art to be donated to France since World War II. Mr. and Mrs. Hays will be awarded the Legion of Honor — France’s highest civilian award. Well deserved. (10/22/16)
Houston foundation gives $5M to Texas Children’s Hospital The John M. O’Quinn Foundation has made a $5 million commitment to Texas Children’s Hospital for its Promise Campaign. Late Houston lawyer John O'Quinn established the Houston-based O’Quinn Foundation in 1986 and willed his entire estate to it when he died in 2009. (10/21/16)
UVM MEDICAL CENTER GETS $1M DONATION As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." The University of Vermont Medical Center Auxiliary is donating $1 million to the hospital’s $187.3 million inpatient building. The auxiliary is a volunteer group that runs the hospital’s gift shop and store in South Burlington. (10/21/16)
Washington Foundation makes $3.5 million donation to math readiness program for Montana Results matter. The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation is donating $3.5 million to a statewide math readiness program based at the University of Montana – on top of $2.4 million it donated in 2014. Why? Because students are showing progress. (10/21/16)
Mayor accepts $1 million JP Morgan Chase donation to help end chronic homelessness in Houston Houston, like many cities, including Calgary, has shifted from managing homelessness to solving it. (10/20/16)
$5 million donation to help new child abuse treatment facility Harvey E. Najim has made a $5 million gift to ChildSafe in Brexar County near San Antonio, Texas. The 70,000 square foot center will sit on 36 acres along Interstate 10 and East Houston on the city’s East Side. (10/20/16)
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