Weekly News Recap: April 12, 2019

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd and Brie Larson were there to unveil the donation.

If you want to write, you need to keep an honest, unpublishable journal that nobody reads, nobody but you. Where you just put down what you think about life, what you think about things, what you think is fair and what you think is unfair. -- Madeline L’Engle

AFP news

  • VIDEO: AFP Again Appears Before Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector (Senate TV) Andrea's part begins at 16:03.05. Nice work partner!"Andrea McManus, CFRE, past chair of AFP, appeared before the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector during a panel discussion that covered a wide range of issues, including fundraising, volunteerism and finding a permanent home for the sector in the federal government." 4/11/19

  • Three Big Announcements: AFP 360°, AAUW Negotiation Training and Ethics Month! (AFP Global) I happened to be there. These announcements are great news for all of us but especially for next generation and women fundraisers. AFP 360° is a game changer for managing your fundraising career. "At the Opening General Session of ICON 2019, Mike Geiger, president and CEO of AFP, announced three major new programs and member benefits [...]." 4/1/19

These kids!

  • An infant did not have any hospital visitors for five months. So this nurse adopted her. (Washington Post) Beautiful. For both of them. And for all of us. "Two years ago, Liz Smith, director of nursing at Franciscan Children’s hospital in Brighton, Mass., was headed toward the elevator at work when she saw her: a tiny girl with bright blue eyes and a single soft brown curl swept across her forehead [...]. The state of Massachusetts took custody of Gisele when she was 3 months old and transferred her to Franciscan Children’s because her lungs needed specialized care, and she had a feeding tube. The baby did not have a single visitor in her five months at the hospital." 4/3/19

  • 13-year-old boy sells Xbox, does yard work to buy his single mom a car (CBS) A day-making story. "A single mom from Nevada said she was in 'complete shock' after her 13-year-old son gave her a grand gift she never expected from a boy his age. Krystal Preston posted the heartwarming story on her Facebook, sharing that her son, William Rabillo, surprised her with a car." 4/2/19

Events

  • Western Canada Podcast Conference (10Times) CALGARY STORY Event is on June 22, 2019 at Fort Calgary. ViTreo has a podcast. I am a podcaster. I am hoping to attend. "Western Canada Podcast Conference is excited to bring together podcast creators, industry experts, and the podcast-curious." April 2019

News

  • No pedal to floor: Experts say no government can bring back Alberta bitumen boom (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Getting Alberta's economy running on all its fossil fuel-powered cylinders is at the heart of the province's election campaign. But some of Canada's top energy thinkers — as well as international experts — warn there's no pedal any premier can stomp to make that engine rev like it used to." Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this story. 4/10/19

  • Art Gallery of Alberta hopes continuing free admission will paint rosy future (CBC) EDMONTON STORY I am a subscriber and a donor and I fully support this. Free admission to culture is one of the hallmarks of an accessible and enriched society. Carry on! "The Art Gallery of Alberta is looking for a potential funding boost from the city again this year to continue letting people in for free." 4/8/19

  • Drop-In Centre homes hundreds of Calgary homeless with 'housing-focused strategy' (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Great work DI! "Shifting priorities from front-line triage to long-term care has helped the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre reduce its chronically homeless population by 22 per cent over the last year." 4/8/19

  • B.C. granny, 73, helping fight fires and squashing stereotypes (CBC) SHUSWAP STORY Inspiring. "One British Columbian grandmother is proving that there is no age limit to helping fight fires or squashing stereotypes. Lester McInally, 73, has been volunteering at her local fire station in the Shuswap for nearly two decades." 4/8/19

  • National Volunteer Week 2019 (Volunteer Canada) CANADIAN STORY Thank you to all of you who volunteer...anywhere, anytime. "April 7-13, 2019 is National Volunteer Week (NVW). [This] is a time to celebrate and thank Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers. This year's theme is: The Volunteer Factor – Lifting Communities." 4/6/19

  • 'We must diversify:' Advocates call on parties to focus on jobs of the future (Calgary Herald) ALBERTA STORY "As Alberta’s political leaders spar over pipelines on the campaign trail, members of the province’s growing tech community say the focus should be on jobs of the future, not jobs of the past." 4/5/19

  • Calgary non-profit advocate campaigning to get out the vote (LiveWire Calgary) CALGARY STORY We love CCVO and, as this is the last recap before Alberta votes, we fully support this message. "They want more voices heard this Alberta election, so Calgary’s non-profit sector advocate is using their vast network to get people out to vote. The non-partisan campaign is called #nonprofitsvote and the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO) is hoping their collective voice can have an impact this provincial vote." 4/4/19

  • Next stop ... the Coca-Cola C-Train station? Why Calgary Transit may sell naming rights (CBC) CALGARY STORY Maybe not the best example to choose..."Calgary Transit is looking at selling naming rights to its properties, but that doesn't mean you won't know where to get off the train. Stations would still be named for their location, according to Coun. Shane Keating, who chairs the city's transportation committee. 'We will never get rid of the actual names of the stations, you know, like Canyon Meadows, he told the Calgary Eyeopener. 'But … it might be the Canyon Meadows Coca-Cola Station.'" 4/4/19

Books to read

Humour

Life and career hacks

  • #TimesUp FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN FUNDRAISING (DonorPerfect) Timely. Credible. Actionable. If you read nothing else in the next week, read this. Thanks to DonorPerfect, all the contributors and Scott Decksheimer for sharing this with us. "We need fundraisers in today’s world more than ever before. They serve as ambassadors for crucial causes and experts in making and maintaining the meaningful relationships that fund impactful change [...]. This guidebook is designed to equip nonprofit organizations and development professionals with data, best practices, and policy templates that can help them." 4/11/19

  • A Directory of Advice That Works (Better Humans) Ok, so it is clear that coach Tony has boundary issues. That said, this is AWESOME! Thanks Tony! 4/4/19

  • How to Prioritise Your To-Do List in the Fog of Competing Demands (Financial Times) Yes, this was actually in the Financial Times! Crazy right? Anyways, I am very interested in the index card method. Very creative. 4/3/19

  • How context scheduling (aka block scheduling) can boost your productivity (The Startup) I do this. It works. Yes, I can hear some saying 'ya, but I just can't make this happen, too many people want my time' or some variation. It does not need to be perfect but if you don't try, who is really in charge of your life? 3/15/19

  • Systems that Work (Especially for Creatives) (The Every Day Novelist) If you are serious about meeting your writing goals, this post is for you. And, if you really want to find out what FRED means, you will have to click the link. 2/28/19

  • The 7 Surprising Benefits Of Writing About Yourself… (Writing) I have resisted writing about myself for most of my life. Recently I have embraced the idea. It has had some spectacular results. Many are detailed in this excellent article. 1/31/19

  • The Subtle Art of Connecting With Anyone (Psychology) A wise read. A shared culture. An unspoken word. And, what sold me: "There is nobody you can’t learn to like once you’ve heard their story." That has been my experience. 4/27/18

Uncommon knowledge

  • 'We've now seen the unseeable': Black hole photographed for 1st time (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Awe inspiring. You will be able to mark this point in time as 'before we ever saw a black hole' and 'after we saw a black hole for the first time'. "Black holes have been mysterious and elusive — until now. Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) have, for the first time, photographed one. 'We've now seen the unseeable,' said Avery Broderick, a physicist at the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute who was part of the international EHT research team." 4/10/19

Opinion

  • The Creeping Capitalist Takeover of Higher Education (Huffpost) Trigger warning, the graphic on this post involves crawling ants. You have been warned. "If there’s one thing you can count on in these uncertain times, it’s that the cost of college will rise—and then rise some more. Almost every year, whether the economy is in a state of boom or bust, tuition hits a record high. But why? Is it really twice as expensive to provide a degree as it was 20 years ago?" 4/1/19

Philanthropic personalities

  • 21st-Century Philanthropy: How New Wealth Is Poised To Transform Social Institutions (Forbes) "In 2017, Americans gave more than $400 billion to causes and communities. But is society getting the most value from those contributions? Jeff Raikes, co-founder with his wife Tricia of the Raikes Foundation, who retired from top leadership at Microsoft to lead the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for several years, thinks the answer to that question is 'not yet.' And he’s trying to change that." 4/9/19

  • Disruptive Philanthropy (Forbes) A very interesting look at on aspect of millennial wealth. "As wealth transfers, the rising generation of Millennial leaders are disrupting the once ubiquitous conventional wisdom that generating competitive financial returns and achieving social impact are mutually exclusive. Phillips Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Phillips and her husband, Phillips Management Group Managing Partner Kevin Phillips, are two such leaders who are showing the industry how the Millennial perspective can unlock a wealth of high impact possibilities." 4/8/19

  • NIPSEY HUSSLE’S PHILANTHROPY TO BE ADDED TO CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (The Source) As well it should. Well deserved. "Nipsey Hussle’s legacy was deeper than rap and his philanthropic work will not go unnoticed. California Rep. Karen Bass, who represents the Crenshaw region where Nip is from, tweeted that she’s noting his philanthropic history to the Congressional record [...]. 'Nipsey was a proponent of community development at the real estate and intellectual level,' she said. 'In real estate, he was all about empowerment, specifically when it came to the economic opportunity in South L.A.—being a part of the opportunity by becoming a real estate owner himself and immediately using the stores he opened as opportunities for employment for the community.'" 4/5/19

Philanthropic controversy

  • Vancouver businessman facing new conspiracy charge in college admissions scandal (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY "Vancouver businessman David Sidoo is facing an additional charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the college admissions scam, according to documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office." 4/9/19

  • Prosecutors want prison time for Felicity Huffman and other parents who pleaded guilty in college admissions scam (CNN) "Thirteen wealthy parents, including actress Felicity Huffman, and one coach will plead guilty to using bribery and other forms of fraud as part of the college admissions [scandal]." 4/9/19

  • Stanford expels student linked to $500,000 donation to sailing program (WFMZ) "Stanford University expelled a student who put false material in their college application and was linked to a $500,000 donation from the charity at the heart of the college admissions scam." 4/8/19

  • Take it and Run – Philanthropy, The Sacklers and You (Cherwell) "Should a bad person be allowed to fund good things? Should we insist that they keep money we see as ‘icky’ for themselves, or take it in order to do enriching and real things with it? This is the crux of the debate around the money that the Sackler family – alleged architects of the Opioid Crisis – have given to a number of cultural and educational institutions through their foundation, most notably the National Portrait Gallery, which has recently refused their £1m donation." 4/8/19

    • Businessman sues Vancouver independent school to return $500,000 donation (Vancouver Courier) VANCOUVER STORY Yes, this happens in Canada as well. I am very interested to see the outcome of this suit. "Businessman Bruce Cran is suing the Madrona School Society, demanding a $500,000 donation back after the school and its board allegedly failed to live up to conditions upon which the money was donated." 4/8/19

  • Facebook's push to help raise money for charity could indirectly give it a $10 billion boost to its business (Business Insider) "Facebook's charitable giving tools have generated more than a billion dollars in donations for non-profit, the company announced in November 2018. It's an impressive sum — and it could, indirectly, help make Facebook make billions of dollars in new revenue in the long run too [...]. 'One ad partner we spoke to noted that Facebook was likely seeing a nice increase in payment adoption driven by increasing use of birthday charity fundraiser on the core [Facebook] platform,' the Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. 'As such, in addition to using the platform for charitable purposes, Facebook stands to build up its roster of payment-enabled users on the platform that can ultimately be leveraged into shopping functionality over time.'" 4/7/19

  • Scrutiny of the Sackler family prompts closer look at arts philanthropy in Canada (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Raising the issue of donor vetting is an important start. "Museums and galleries have always depended on wealthy benefactors. But as a growing list of institutions refuse donations from the Sackler family — whose company, Purdue Pharma, faces accusations of fuelling the opioid crisis with its addictive drug OxyContin — the cultural sector's vetting process for its deep-pocketed donors is getting a closer look. Just how closely do museums and galleries in this country scrutinize those bearing financial gifts?" 4/6/19

  • Consultant says he's owed $1.2M for helping First Nation obtain emergency housing cash from Ottawa (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Another reason why professional fundraisers do not work with percentage-based compensation. Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. "A consultant working for Cat Lake First Nation in northern Ontario is locked in a dispute with the band over how much money it owes him for his role in helping to secure federal funding to address urgent housing needs in the remote community. Gerald Paulin signed a contract with Cat Lake in November 2017 for 10 per cent of any new money the community received. He says that entitles him and his company, Windsun Energy Corp., to $1.2 million after the federal government recently pledged $12.8 million for emergency housing." 4/4/19

  • FACEBOOK’S AD ALGORITHM IS A RACE AND GENDER STEREOTYPING MACHINE, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS (The Intercept) We need to keep humans in this machine. This is why. "How exactly Facebook decides who sees what is one of the great pieces of forbidden knowledge in the information age, hidden away behind nondisclosure agreements, trade secrecy law, and a general culture of opacity. New research from experts at Northeastern University, the University of Southern California, and the public-interest advocacy group Upturn doesn’t reveal how Facebook’s targeting algorithms work, but does show an alarming outcome: They appear to deliver certain ads, including for housing and employment, in a way that aligns with race and gender stereotypes — even when advertisers ask for the ads to be exposed a broad, inclusive audience." 4/3/19

Trends and shifts

  • 7 surprising things that could change the job market by 2030 (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT I love that one of the requirements for future work success is 'mandatory creativity'. "Everyone expects automation and other tech advances to eliminate some jobs and create others. But in a new report, Canadian futurists say there's a far wider range of trends that could influence the types of skills that are likely to be in demand — or not — in the future. Focusing too closely on the impact of technological change alone could create blind spots that leave Canadians unprepared to handle changes to the labour market, says the report [...] entitled Turn and Face the Strange: Changes Impacting the Future of Employment in Canada. " 4/10/19

  • Opinion: The UAE's philanthropy boom (Devex) Intersting. "The United Arab Emirates is an emerging philanthropic power. For over a decade now, the number of philanthropic organizations has been booming in the UAE, as the country has enjoyed economic prosperity. The UAE is not only one of the most affluent countries in the Middle East but in Asia too." 4/9/19

  • Humans must learn to tackle what robots can't (Axios) We are an inventive and problem-solving species. I am pretty sure we can give the bots a run for their money. "U.S. colleges, preparing students for future jobs that might not yet even exist — and to beat the robots — are starting to nudge them out of the familiar rhythm of class and teach them how to tackle unfamiliar problems. 'That is the skill of the future,' says David Hollander, a professor at NYU." 4/4/19

  • Tech Titans’ Philanthropy Puts Oceans Front and Center (PENTA) It's a start. And it's in the right place. "While the ocean covers more than 70% of the earth's surface, the precious global resource receives just a fraction of all philanthropic funding—less than 1% since 2009, according to FundingtheOcean.org, an effort by the nonprofit Foundation Center to track ocean conservation philanthropy. Titans of the technology and finance sectors, however, are increasingly committing resources to help solve the biggest problems facing our oceans, include warming temperatures, overfishing, and ocean acidification from increased carbon emissions." 4/2/19

Reports and studies

Large gifts

  • MUMA College of Business receives $5 million donation (The Oracle) "Monica Wooden, co-founder and ex-CEO of MercuryGate International, donated $5 million to the [University of South Florida] Foundation to create a program focused on supply chain and logistics management in the Muma College of Business." 4/8/19

  • Cotter receives biggest donation in 105 years (Winona Post) Nice gift to K-12! "The Slaggie Family Foundation announced that it will gift $15-$20 million to Cotter Schools for the construction of a new state-of-the-art middle and high school building at the site of the current Roger Bacon Hall, to be open as soon as fall 2020." Cotter Schools is Roman Catholic high school for grades 7-12 located in Winona, Minnesota. 4/8/19

  • Avengers help unveil $5M donation for seriously ill children (ABC) Turns out, there are real life superheroes as well. Nice gift! "Some of Marvel's top Avengers have assembled to support a $5 million donation to benefit seriously ill children in hospitals around the globe. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd and Brie Larson helped unveil the donation of money and toys to benefit charities and children's hospitals at Disney Resort in Anaheim, [California]." 4/6/19

  • Tech Entrepreneur Gives $25M in Cryptocurrency to Alma Mater (NBC) Hmm...this cryptocurrency trend might actually be a thing ;-) All kidding aside, this is a magnificent gift and it's great to see this going to a state college. "A tech entrepreneur and his wife have made a very Silicon Valley donation to his San Francisco alma mater — $25 million, mostly in cryptocurrency. The gift from Chris Larsen, founder of cryptocurrency company Ripple, and his wife Lyna Lam, to San Francisco State University is already giving officials an education in digital financial services." 4/6/19

  • Roy and Diana Vagelos make the largest donation in SAS history for a research building (The Daily Pennsylvanianian) "Roy Vagelos, 1950 College graduate, and his wife Diana Vagelos donated $50 million to the School of Arts and Sciences [at Penn] to fund the construction of a new science building focused on energy research. The building, which will be named after Roy and Diana Vagelos, is the biggest donation in SAS history." 4/5/19

  • Pianist Lang Lang On His $5 Million Donation For Music Education: 'Music Will Heal Our Hearts' (Forbes) I heart this. More please. "The classical musician has just recently pledged to donate another $5 million in funds and supplies to help ensure students across the United States have a chance to learn to play the instrument that has turned him into a globally adored figure." 4/5/19

  • Bridgewater Founder’s Foundation Gives Connecticut $100 Million Donation (Wall Street Journal) Wow! Not often do we see gifts of this size made to government. "Dalio Philanthropies, run by the founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, announced [...] it was giving Connecticut a $100 million donation for education and entrepreneurial programs, the largest gift ever for the state." 4/5/19

  • Maine Maritime receives its largest donation ever: $10 million (CentralMaine.com) Nice planned gift! And so great to see this from a graduate. By the by, in 1963, Capt. Bullard earned his master license for 'vessels of any gross tons upon oceans,' and sailed deep seas for 10 years. That's a pretty cool bio entry. "The Maine Maritime Academy says it has received a $10 million bequest from an alumnus’s estate, the largest donation in the academy’s 78-year history. The bequest is from the estate of Capt. William Bullard, class of 1959." 4/4/19

  • University of Guelph receives $21-million donation to boost its business faculty (Globe and Mail) GUELPH STORY Nice gift! Congrats to University of Guelph and thank you Mr. Lang! "The largest single donation in the history of the University of Guelph [...] paves the way for new student scholarships and travel grants, academic chairs and expanded programming in its business faculty. The $21-million gift to the Guelph, Ont., university comes from former Canadian football wide receiver and retired executive Stu Lang and his wife, Kim, in honour of Mr. Lang’s late father, Gordon." 4/3/19

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

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Vincent DuckworthComment