Weekly News Recap: March 8, 2019

President Emerita Elizabeth Cannon celebrates her leadership award with University of Calgary communications, marketing and development staff at the CASE District VIII conference in Vancouver. University of Calgary photo

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. -- Joseph Campbell

Heroes

AFP

  • Fundraising is Awesome! AFP Has the Document to Prove It (AFP Global) CANADIAN CONTENT Thanks to both Stewart Wong and Juniper Locilento for this document. You are both right. Fundraising is Awesome. If you need help convincing donors, board members, leadership, volunteers, or mom, go here. 3/7/19

  • AFP Letter to the Editor: Calgary Herald, Feb. 15 (AFP Global) CANADIAN CONTENT Nice response Wayne. "I read George Brookman’s recent op-ed (A plea to charities to end the cheap bribery) on premiums, those items that charities send to donors for free to encourage them to make a gift, and I feel for him. Canadians get lots of mail these days, especially from charities wanting you to support their causes. I too get a lot of solicitations, and it can feel a little overwhelming. But I also know that all those charities are committed to changing the world." February 2019

Events

  • Burman University celebrates community diversity (Regina Leader Post) LACOMBE STORY Burman University is a client of ViTreo's. As such, we are pleased to promote this event. "Join Burman University as they celebrate diversity in the community. On Sunday, March 10 from 3 p.m. until about 6-6:30 p.m., Burman will host their second annual Multicultural Festival at the university’s Gymnasium." 3/3/19

Photography

News

  • Muttart Conservatory to close until 2021 as city plans Gallagher Park future (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "The Muttart Conservatory will close in July for upgrades to its aging infrastructure and is not expected to reopen until early 2021. The City of Edmonton flagged the conservatory as a priority for fixes and upgrades in 2017. City officials have said the renovations will address 30-year-old mechanical and electrical systems that are in dire need of replacement." 3/7/19

  • Remai Modern saw about 420,000 'visits' in 2018 (CBC) SASKATOON STORY "Saskatoon's Remai Modern Art Museum saw about 420,000 'visits' in 2018, according to preliminary figures shared with CBC News, but that doesn't mean 420,000 individual people went to the museum during its first full calendar year." 3/7/19

  • Red Deer College to become Red Deer University (CBC) RED DEER STORY Congrats! "Red Deer College has selected a new name as part of its transition to becoming a university. The college announced Tuesday it has chosen Red Deer University as its future name. The Government of Alberta approved the institution's request to become a university last year, but it will have to complete a multi-year process before it's officially recognized as such, at which point it can begin using the new name." 3/5/19

  • First Nations University president will step down once his term ends in June (CBC) REGINA STORY "The president of the First Nations University of Canada will be stepping down, citing the university's strides and accomplishments over the past five years. Mark Dockstator confirmed on Monday he will not be seeking a renewal of his term, which is set to expire in June 2019." 3/5/19

  • Canada's private refugee sponsorship program turns 40: Friendships forged by Vietnam War endure (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #stillproud "There were hugs, smiles, flowers and food at Hoa and Lan Chau's house, as they welcomed special friends for a visit. Their relationship began in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. The Chaus were Vietnamese 'boat people.' Ron and Clara Wiebe were some of the Manitoba Mennonites who helped them start a new life in Canada, thanks to a ground-breaking private sponsorship program that turns 40 on March 5." 3/5/19

  • Council approves more than $1.5B for major capital projects, including arena (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Yay! "City councillors spent hours behind closed doors [...] before emerging to approve a draft proposal for a new arena and funding for three other major capital projects totalling more than $1.5 billion. Council was set to discuss a draft of negotiating terms for a new arena in Victoria Park that could cost up to $600 million, but ultimately voted on a strategy to fund a total of four major capital projects, including an expansion of the BMO Centre, phase one of an expansion of Arts Commons and construction of a new multi-sport field house." 3/5/19

  • City submits $50M infrastructure proposal for Smart Cities Challenge (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "City officials hope a $50-million federal grant through the Smart Cities Challenge can help Edmonton make better decisions about future infrastructure. The city has been working for more than a year to create a plan that would focus on using data to make infrastructure decisions based on solid information, rather than forecasting." 3/5/19

  • Art or offense? Students debate whitewashing of Calgary university’s iconic graffiti stairwell (LiveWire Calgary) CALGARY STORY I love this stairwell. "Debate’s been swirling at Calgary’s arts university after someone painted white over the school’s iconic graffiti stairwell late last month. Is it in itself art, or is it blatantly disrespecting the school’s artistic past?" 3/5/19

  • Calgary-based charity marks 10 years of serving soup to the hungry (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Soup Sisters celebrated 10 years of feeding the hungry in Calgary and across North America on Sunday, National Soup It Forward Day." 3/3/19

  • Behind the scenes with UCalgary development and alumni engagement, communications, and marketing teams (UToday) CALGARY STORY Congrats UofC! "Accolades from professional associations highlight achievements of Development and Alumni Engagement, faculties, and University Relations." 3/1/19

  • MacEwan University president resigns after two years in top job (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "MacEwan University president Deborah Saucier has resigned from her position to take a new job in British Columbia. Saucier, a neuroscientist, has been president of the Edmonton university since July 1, 2017. She will leave this summer to accept the position of president and vice-chancellor at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C." 3/1/19

  • New arena in Victoria Park will need public-private partnership, says CMLC boss (CBC) "The head of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation predicts the path to a new arena in Victoria Park will be through a public-private partnership. Michael Brown, CEO of the city agency that's overseeing the redevelopment of Victoria Park, spoke at an infrastructure conference in Calgary [...]. Brown said a new hockey arena funded jointly by the city and the Calgary Flames — combined with an expanded BMO convention centre — would act as catalysts for drawing other development in to Victoria Park." 3/1/19

  • Calgary must 'fix the talent pipeline' to attract high-tech business, says economic development boss (CBC) CALGARY STORY Good move. "Calgary Economic Development CEO Mary Moran wants to build a pipeline — not for oil and gas, but for technology talent [...]. 'We know that the energy pipeline is important," said Moran. "If we don't fix the talent pipeline, it is going to become equally as critical as getting an energy pipeline.'" 3/1/19

  • Child Advocacy Centre works to make the invisible, visible (Stettler Indepedent) RED DEER STORY "A Central Alberta not-for-profit’s integrated approach to supporting and treating children impacted by abuse is making a difference in the local community. The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC) located in Red Deer first started as a coalition, then board of directors, in early 2016. It has grown into a centre that has assisted with the recovery of over 426 children and youth, many from Wetaskiwin and other rural areas." 2/28/19

  • Lakeland College named a top employer in Alberta (MyLloydminsterNow) LLOYDMINSTER STORY Congrats! "For a third consecutive year, Lakeland College has been named as a top employer in Alberta. The list was released last week by Mediacorp Canada Inc., the company that manages Canada’s Top 100 Employers project and competitions such as Alberta’s Top Employers." 2/26/19

Books to read

Life and career hacks

  • Three Ways to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Philanthropy (Stanford Social Innovation Review) "If funders want to improve DEI in their organizations, they need to re-define risk, emphasize trust, and reflect the communities they serve. [...] One way in which these injustices have played out is in philanthropy’s failure to hire or fund people of color. Less than 5 percent of foundation CEOs are diverse leaders, and just 4 percent of grants and contributions go to diverse-led organizations." 3/6/19

  • 5 Tips on Making the Most of Your Charitable Partnership (Food Banks Canada) CANADIAN CONTENT Great advice! Thanks Food Banks Canada. "Searching for ways to inspire your team in 2019? Want a way to build morale and pride through active relationships with a charity? Here are 5 quick tips to get the most out of your charitable partnership. They may just help make an impact both in engaging your employees and your charity partner." 3/5/19

  • Self-Care for Nonprofit Leaders: On Balance (Charity Channel Silver) Some really great stuff in here. Hard to accept but great. Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this article. 3/5/19

  • Donation Charity Infographic (Canva) I love Templates by Canva. March 2019

  • The Definitive Guide to More Productive Meetings (Productivity) Yes, start on time. And a few other things too. 2/14/19

  • How to Generate Creative Ideas Easily. (The Post-Grad Survival Guide) Play Shiritori wear six hats, intentional constraints and a lot of other really great ideas. 2/11/19

  • The Silent Productivity Killer Nobody Talks About (Productivity) I can't say it better than this: "Time management won’t help you overcome fear, the reason you put off meaningful work." 2/7/19

Uncommon knowledge

  • Drop and give me 40 (Harvard Gazette) I can do 25. I need to up my game. "Active, middle-aged men able to complete more than 40 pushups had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes — including diagnoses of coronary artery disease and major events such as heart failure — during 10 years of follow-up compared with those who were able to do fewer than 10 pushups during the baseline exam." 2/15/19

  • Why Portland's Public Toilets Succeeded Where Others Failed (CityLab) I loved Portland before. I love it even more now. Using a bathroom is a human right. And Portland, kudos to you for recognizing this and making it work. "For the residents of Portland, Ore., taking a whiz in a public toilet is not just a matter of necessity. It’s an act of civic pride. That’s because the city is home to the Portland Loo, a unique, patented outdoor bathroom that inspires such worship in its fanbase you’d think that Steve Jobs himself had designed it. " 1/23/19

Opinion

Philanthropic personalities

  • Go to Harvard. Make a big fortune on Wall Street. Donate a small fortune to Harvard. (Boston Globe) "Think what you will of hedge fund managers and private equity investors — risk-taking creators of wealth that fuels our economy, or modern robber barons — but they’ve been very good to Harvard University. The latest example of philanthropy on Wall Street steroids: a $100 million gift by David Goel, who runs Matrix Capital Management in Waltham, and his wife, Stacey Goel." 3/1/19

Philanthropic controversy

  • Remai Modern CEO Gregory Burke under investigation by human rights commission for alleged workplace harassment (CBC) SASKATOON STORY "Gregory Burke, the outgoing CEO and executive director of Saskatoon's Remai Modern Art Museum, is under investigation by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission for alleged workplace harassment dating back to his time at the Mendel Art Gallery. " 3/5/19

  • An Oakland school upped spending after a $2.8M donation of Chinese paintings. Then came the appraisal (San Francisco Chronicle) "When the small Oakland private school received the donation of four Chinese paintings, valued at $2.8 million, administrators were gobsmacked. After relying on bake sales to stay fiscally afloat for the past two decades, the Pacific Boychoir Academy and its elite after-school music program were sitting on a relative fortune [...]. The paintings arrived about a year ago, but unable to immediately sell them because of IRS rules, school officials borrowed $400,000 against the imminent windfall to boost staff and build their program [...]. Then came the shocking news." 3/4/19

  • OxyContin drug maker mulls bankruptcy due to myriad lawsuits (CBC) "OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is exploring filing for bankruptcy to address potentially significant liabilities from roughly 2,000 lawsuits alleging the drug manufacturer contributed to the deadly opioid crisis sweeping the United States and Canada [...]." 3/4/19

  • Green Party of Vancouver returns $1,200 donation to developer (CBC) "The Green Party of Vancouver says it has returned a donation made by a developer during the party's most recent municipal election campaign. According to Vancouver Coun. Pete Fry, the party has had a policy since 2011 not to accept donations from developers." 3/3/19

  • Stephen and Tabitha King slam media coverage of their donation to a Boston genealogical group (Boston.com) Good for them! About time. As the subhead for this article states: 'Wife is a relationship or status. It is not an identity.' "Stephen King is upset with the media, again. And so is his wife, Tabitha. The famous Maine horror novelist took to social media Thursday morning to announce that his 'wife is rightly pissed by' by the coverage of the couple’s $1.25 million donation to the Boston-based New England Historic Genealogical Society. The complaint came after a number of prominent outlets published an Associated Press story headlined 'Stephen King, wife give $1.25M to genealogical society.'" 2/28/19

  • Hockomock YMCA still embraces relationship with Kraft (The Foxboro Reporter) "For more than 10 years the Hockomock YMCA has had a close association with the Kraft family with the New England Patriots owner making a number of sizable donations. In fact, the family center at the Foxboro branch of the Y bears the Kraft name in recognition of the $1 million that was donated toward construction of the second phase of the branch. But, now that team owner Robert Kraft reputation has been put into jeopardy with allegations he patronized a prostitute on at least two occasions and the prostitute may have been the victim of a human trafficking ring, the YMCA is not trying to distance itself from him." Thanks to Helene Weir for sharing this article. 2/27/19

Trends and shifts

  • The case for “Band-Aid” philanthropy (Vox) "Philanthropists used to be too unwilling to take risks. Now they might be too unwilling to just buy bednets [...]. If you’re working on directly solving a problem faced by poor people, you’ve almost certainly heard it at least once: Helping people is a 'Band-Aid solution'. [But there] are a bunch of problems with dismissing simple, known solutions as mere 'Band-Aids' and elevating big bets as the more meaningful way to do philanthropy." 3/6/19

  • Are Robots Competing for Your Job? (The New Yorker) "Probably, but don’t count yourself out [...]. The robots are coming. Hide the WD-40. Lock up your nine-volt batteries. Build a booby trap out of giant magnets; dig a moat as deep as a grave." 3/4/19

  • Canadian women control financial assets of $2.2T, CIBC says (CBC) Boom! "After a generation in the workforce Canadian women directly control a large chunk of Canadian financial assets — about $2.2 trillion, according to a new study from CIBC. That wealth figure doesn't include the family home. Women will manage an increasing concentration of investable assets to 2028, as the baby-boom generation moves into its senior years, and the women continue to outlive the men by about six years." 3/4/19

  • Why “later” is one of the most destructive terms in philanthropy (Fast Company) "There are a lot more super-rich people in the world compared to just a couple of decades ago. The rate of billionaires, for instance, has jumped sevenfold since the early ’90s–to above 2,200. And while most of those billionaires make an effort to give some money to charity, taking a look at how those extra (extra!) deep pockets help others, however, and you might be disappointed." 3/1/19

  • You Think Fundraising is Hard Now? Well, it’s Going to Get Harder, Say Experts (Inside Philanthropy) "Giving in 2018 was up by healthy margins, with little or no effect from the tax reforms enacted the year before, according to Inside Philanthropy interviews with more than two dozen charities and other experts who track donations to large numbers of organizations. But signs of an impending slowdown in charitable giving are emerging from multiple studies examining contributions last year, particularly those from donors of modest means. For example, a new analysis of giving to more than 4,500 charities released by the Association of Fundraising Professionals this week found that overall donations in 2018 were up by only 1.6 percent, lower than the rate of inflation. " 3/1/19

  • THE 2019 DIGITAL OUTLOOK REPORT (Care2) "The 2019 Digital Outlook Report is here! Data from hundreds of organizations across the globe has guided the findings — see how you compare." March 2019

  • NO, DATA IS NOT THE NEW OIL (Wired) "'Data is the new oil' is one of those deceptively simple mantras for the modern world. Whether in The New York Times, The Economist, or WIRED, the wildcatting nature of oil exploration, plus the extractive exploitation of a trapped asset, seems like an apt metaphor for the boom in monetized data. [...] But data isn’t the new oil, in almost any metaphorical sense, and it’s supremely unhelpful to perpetuate the analogy. Oil is literally a liquid, fungible, and transportable commodity [...]. With data, by contrast, the abstract bits are functionally static." 2/26/19

Stats and facts

  • StatsCan data reveals top tourism spenders in the 3 territories (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "For the first time, Statistics Canada can tell you how much countries spend on tourism in the territories — and the answers may surprise you. While travellers from the United States spent the most of any country, German residents spent $12 million on trips to Yukon, N.W.T., and Nunavut alone in the third quarter of 2018." 3/3/19

Large gifts

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