Weekly News Recap: October 7, 2016
Pictured are event co-hosts Jean Grand-Matire, Alberta Ballet artistic director (left) and Calgary Opera general director and CEO Bob McPhee (right). credit (BILL BROOKS)
Studies and stats
Donors don't like charity swag but it works, says Charity Intelligence Canada Something to think about..."48 per cent of people who receive trinkets from charities in the mail give back." CANADIAN STORY (10/4/16)
What makes us Canadian? A study of values, beliefs, priorities and identity Interesting study. Me, I am likely a mix of Permissive Reformer and Cautious Skeptic with a dash of Free Enterprise Enthusiast. How about you? CANADIAN STORY (10/3/16)
New Insights on Donors and Planned Gifts Revealed in Whitepaper from Pentera and Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Not a lot of surprises here but a lot of validation. The 'close to home' advantage was more of an 'ah ha' than a surprise. (9/21/16)
Public, media and MPs’ attitudes towards campaigning Canada is not the only country with a debate raging about the political activities of its charitable sector. This report from the U.K. is interesting and important. Thanks to Mick for sharing the link. (March 2016)
News
Calgary energy veteran says oil downturn is over, but not everyone agrees Is that light I see in that there tunnel? CALGARY STORY (10/5/16)
U of A faculty flexes fundraising muscles with wine-making endeavour Works for me. Buy some wine, support a student athlete. I'm in! EDMONTON STORY (10/5/16)
Instagram star isn't what she seems I don't want to give this away but...it's really great. Read on. (10/5/16)
Full seats for CIFF — film festival sets new attendance record This is a great festival. I am glad others agree. Congrats guys! (10/5/16)
'New' neon sign rocks its way into Edmonton museum Ok, interesting story. But even more interesting...there is a neon sign museum in Edmonton? Awesome! EDMONTON STORY (10/3/16)
STARS moves newer, faster helicopter from Calgary to Edmonton, citing dropping donations This move could save STARS $500,000 per year. (10/4/16)
Nobel Prizes don't come cheap: Laureate calls for greater research philanthropy No. No they don't. Nobel laureate Peter Doherty is pushing for more philanthropy to support research in Australia. (10/3/16)
Design wars: It's Edmonton vs. Calgary for the architectural cup Tough one. I love both cities so much. Both have clearly upped their architectural game in the last decade. ALBERTA STORY (10/1/16)
Province opens $24M CASA Centre for children with addictions, mental health issues Great news for our children. EDMONTON STORY (9/29/16)
Canada's population tops 36 million as immigrants, refugees swell numbers Always good to have the right stats at the ready. Largest single year increase since 1988. CANADIAN STORY (9/29/16)
Life and career hacks
The Hive is the New Network Supercool concepts. Needs a few re-reads. Even then, it will take a while to sink in, at least for me. (10/5/16)
What it Means to Serve Others — The Mark of a Servant Leader Be vulnerable. Trust me. (10/5/16)
Round Robin — A Dead Simple Management Skill That Works This is a great article for facilitators. Or for any human really. (10/4/16)
This Is What I Do In A Negotiation "Terrorists have moms'" (10/4/16)
The Pot-Belly of Ignorance Bottom line: If you are not reading, you are breaking your brain. (10/4/16)
5 Essential Qualities for a Fulfilling Creative Life Focus. Patience. Persistance. Presence (my favourite). Curiosity. (10/2/16)
The Most Important Working Habit Of Hemingway: Stop At The Height of Your Day Very very hard to do. But, when I have managed to do it, it has really worked out. BTW, there is a book "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" referenced in this article which is also terrific. (9/30/16)
INFOGRAPHIC: Which of the 9 Kinds of Intelligence Do You Have? We all have many of these. I have five. How many do you have? (9/29/16)
This is How to Consistently Make Progress on Your Goals "Keep 'Big Mo' happy. Minimum daily requirements can make a big difference to keeping yourself on track. (9/22/16)
12 Not-So-Great Realities About Nonprofits and Social Media This is a thorough and incisive piece. It does have a "take no prisoners" approach but, I have to agree with almost everything in here. Thanks to Catherine Harder for sharing this link. (9/18/16)
Invitations
'Vital Signs' report shows new immigrants still attracted to Edmonton Edmonton Community Foundation's annual report on the health of the community shows that Edmonton is growing because of immigration. (10/4/16)
The Canada Revenue Agency's online consultation on charities' political activities The CRA is soliciting feedback before November 25. Have your say. (9/27/16)
Study Shows Board Chairs Mostly Unprepared To Lead Does this bother you like it bothers me? Our sector deserves better. Our boards deserve better. Our board chairs deserve better. (9/12/16)
Opinion
- Powerful Partners: Women's Philanthropy and the Prospect of a Clinton Presidency "If Clinton wins the presidency, she'll bring these past commitments to the Oval Office, along with a keen appreciation of the kind of partnerships between philanthropy and executive branch agencies that President Obama has often used to move his administration's agenda." (10/3/16)
Philanthropic personalities
Arts community toasts-and roasts- D'Arcy Levesque A nice honour for a terrific supporter of the arts in Calgary. CALGARY STORY (10/1/16)
Jeffrey Katzenberg Leaves a Lasting Legacy in the World of Philanthropy “It is the Jewish guilt that comes with [being rich] that has made me feel so passionate and committed to the philanthropy that Marilyn and I do. (9/29/16)
Philanthropic controversy
Bonnabel's Alumni Association pulls donation over football players' protest, Fox 8 reports Really? Wow. (9/29/16)
Philanthropist rescinds $1 million donation from CAMH citing lack of transparency The Toronto area Centre for Addictions and Mental Health is one of the largest mental health facilities in North America. Andrew Faas, the founder of The Faas Foundation, is rescinding his gift after not receiving satisfactory answers to his queries on how the project his gift was funding was doing. “I was getting basically gobbledygook answers…" CANADIAN STORY (9/29/16)
Large gifts
$1M donation brings Mystic Seaport to fundraising goal for new exhibition center Mystic Seaport is in the Museum of America and the Sea and is located in Mystic, Connecticut. This gift is from the Thompson family who have previously donated $6.6 million to the project. (10/6/16)
U Of I Receives $32M Donation For Design Center The University of Illinois has received a $32 million donation to build a new design center. The money was given by a foundation run by a U of I graduate and technology executive, Thomas Siebel. (10/5/16)
Suncor Energy provides multi-million dollar donation to Vancouver for native youth centre Suncor has gifted land valued at $9.5 million to this project. The center will be the first of its kind in Canada, a $90-million multi-purpose facility at Hastings and Commercial which will include affordable homes. VANCOUVER STORY (10/5/16)
$2.5 Million Donation Preserves White House Kitchen Garden This makes me happy. This initiative, started by Michelle Obama, will now be preserved in perpetuity. The donation is from the Burpee Foundation And The W. Atlee Burpee Company. (10/5/16)
North Battleford hospital receives $1 million donation The $407 million Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford project has received an anonymous $1 million donation for its community fundraising campaign. NORTH BATTLEFORD STORY (10/4/16)
Kentucky Wesleyan College Recieves Donation of $3 Million Kentucky Wesleyan College has received a $3 million donation to the school's scholarship from the estate of Dr. Willard Gillespie, a long-time local dentist. Kentucky Wesleyan College is located in Owensboro, Kentucky. (10/4/16)
Major donation for TAMUK wildlife research The Caesar Kleberg Foundation for Wildlife Conservation is making a $16.5 million gift to continue funding wildlife research at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. (10/4/16)
$1.5 million donation to fund new programs at UM's Davidson Honors College This donation, from Ian and Nancy Davidson, will allow the University of Montana to recruit post-doctoral fellows from elite schools like Princeton and the University of Southern California. (10/4/16)
Castlemont High School receives donation of a lifetime as part of the Oakland Promise Castlemont High School in East Oakland has received a $2 million gift from the community-based San Francisco Foundation to cover the cost of higher education for hundreds of students. (10/3/16)
Western’s Wellness Education Centre Receives $1 Million Donation Western University received this gift from the Fairmont Foundation. The foundation was started by a Western graduate and supports charitable initiatives. LONDON STORY (10/3/16)
$2 million rock collection donated to Colorado School of Mines This gift made me smile. All kidding aside, the Colorado School of Mines is a renowned school for engineering and geology. The 800-piece donation comes from the estate of Hilja Herfurth, whose deceased husband, Gerry Herfurth, collected rock specimens. (10/3/16)
Nick Lees: Man told he would never graduate endows $2.5M University of Alberta professorship Greg Christenson, who is a very successful builder of sustainable homes, is endowing a professorship in building sustainable and healthy communities which will be will part of the Nasseri School of Construction Science and Engineering. (10/2/16)
$1.6 million donation for Smithers CT scanner Nice gift for northern BC town. The donor is Fritz Pfeiffer, a resident of nearby Telkwa. SMITHERS STORY (10/2/16)
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY AND FEDEX ANNOUNCE $1.5 MILLION DONATION THAT PROPELS AERONAUTICS Kent State University’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology will receive a $1.5 million gift from FedEx over three years. The gift will support the university’s flight program, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017. (10/1/16)
CSUN business college gets $5 million donation from alumni couple Harvey and Harriet Bookstein, an alumni couple from California State University Northridge (CSUN), have given $5 million to its business school, pushing it over the top of a two-year campaign to raise $25 million. CSUN is located in the Northridge neighbourhood of Los Angeles. (10/1/16)
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