Weekly News Recap: April 5, 2019

Top Level Title

Lethbridge is renaming an arena after local Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet, 21, who died after the team's bus crashed last year. (SJHL)

The vitality of thought is in adventure. Ideas won’t keep. Something must be done about them. -- Alfred North Whitehead

News

  • 'It's a huge loss': Prince Albert group concerned about closure of innovative social issues program (CBC) PRINCE ALBERT STORY "A Prince Albert community group is worried about the shutdown of a program that saw social agencies work together to find solutions for problems in the northern Saskatchewan city. For years, a wide-ranging group of social agencies has shared information and offered solutions to larger social problems in the Prince Albert area through the Centre of [Responsibility], or COR, program. Now, the program has announced its plans to cease operations in June." 4/2/19

  • $1M grant for Alzheimers research at University of Alberta (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "The University of Alberta hopes to 'kick start' further research into Alzheimer's disease with the help of $1 million in new grants. The Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories has provided a one-time grant of $500,000 to the university, which was matched by the University Hospital Foundation." 4/1/19

  • Logan Boulet Arena: Lethbridge renames centre after Humboldt Broncos player who donated organs (CBC) LETHBRIDGE STORY "Lethbridge city council unanimously voted on Monday to rename the Adams Park Ice Centre the Logan Boulet Arena, in memory of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash victim whose organs were donated after his death." 4/1/19

  • Artist who painted 250 mountain trail maps for ski resorts to release book (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "If you've ever skied at one of B.C.'s alpine resorts, chances are you've seen one of James Niehues' paintings. Niehues, of Colorado, has painted more than 250 trail maps for nearly 200 ski resorts around the world, including Whistler Blackcomb, Grouse Mountain, Sun Peaks and Revelstoke in B.C." 3/31/19

  • 'An indispensable tool': STARS buys 5 new helicopter ambulances (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "STARS Air Ambulance will put five new emergency medical helicopters in the air using $65 million in funding announced in this month's federal budget. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was in Edmonton on Friday to talk about the investment." 3/29/19

  • Canada’s Top 10 Universities Named in New Report (Immigration.ca) CANADIAN STORY "The University of Toronto has been named as Canada’s top university, heading a prestigious list of globally-renowned schools the country has to offer for international students looking to study in Canada. A list compiled by U.S. News and World Report puts the Ontario university at number one, closely followed by the University of British Columbia and Montreal’s McGill University." 3/29/19

  • With X Games in the works, WinSport launches training centre for extreme athletes (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "A new training centre tailored to freestyle skiers and snowboarders will help develop a new generation of extreme athletes at Canada Olympic Park starting this summer." 3/23/19

Books to read

  • Top Philanthropy Research Prize Awarded to Book on Next Gen Donors (AFP Global) "The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has awarded the 2019 AFP/Skystone Partners Prize for Research on Fundraising and Philanthropy to Michael Moody and Sharna Goldseker for their book Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving, published by John Wiley & Sons in 2017." 4/2/19

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

  • VIDEO: The secret lives of B.C.’s wolverines (The Abbotsford News) Wolverines fascinate me. Always have. "Wolverines are listed as a species of special concern under the Canadian Species at Risk Act and endangered in the U.S. They are one of the least studied mammals in North America. Their home ranges are the most rugged and remote regions of Canada, stretching across areas of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C. and the territories. It’s unknown how many are left." 3/30/19

Philanthropic personalities

  • WE LOST MORE THAN A RAPPER TODAY: NIPSEY HUSSLE, KILLED AT 33 (The Undefeated) RIP Nipsey. We will not see your like again. "[Nipsey] Hussle was one of the best of us. Besides being an undeniably authentic rapper, he was a disruptor in the business of music, banking on himself by selling albums for $100 and for $1,000 each, respectively — moves that inspired Jay-Z to buy 100 copies of the former. He pumped resources back into his beloved Crenshaw neighborhood, including investing in the real estate that housed his Marathon Clothing store. His business acumen and philanthropy had become as legendary as his mixtapes and albums." 3/31/19

Philanthropic controversy

  • Addressing Donor Misconduct: Advice to Boards and Leaders (Nonprofit Quarterly) "Last week, the New York Times reported on an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse by Michael Steinhardt, a wealthy and powerful donor to many Jewish organizations. Fundraisers from several nonprofit organizations came forward as a part of the story, sharing their experiences of painfully consistent and inappropriate advances from Steinhardt over a period of many years." 4/1/19

  • Fundraisers Often Feel Pushed Around by Donors, Say Researchers (Chronicle of Philanthropy) "Three out of four fundraisers say they have faced undue pressure from donors, often in the form of sexual harassment but also through arm-twisting to advance a donor’s personal agenda and career advancement or those of their friends and relatives, according to a study whose preliminary findings will be released today at the annual meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals here." 4/1/19

  • New York accuses opioid maker Purdue of illegal fund transfers to Sackler family (CBC) "Purdue Pharma LP fraudulently transferred funds to members of the wealthy Sackler family who control the OxyContin maker despite knowing it faced major liabilities that had made it already insolvent, New York's attorney general alleged [...]. The lawsuit alleged Purdue and other manufacturers engaged in deceptive marketing that downplayed the dangers of the addictive painkillers and accused distributors of failing to detect the diversion of the drugs for illicit purposes." 3/29/19

  • B.C. health minister looking into funding for charity spreading anti-vaccine claims (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "B.C.'s health minister says he's following the news that a Vancouver charity with a history of spreading anti-vaccine disinformation has received provincial funding for more than a decade. As CBC revealed, the Health Action Network Society (HANS) has received $428,500 in Community Gaming Grants since 2007, the earliest year included in online records for the program." 3/28/19

  • Austria Considers Dissolving Far-Right Group After It Received Donation From Suspected New Zealand Mosque Attacker (Time) "The Austrian government is considering dissolving a far-right group after it emerged that one of its leading members received a donation in the name of the suspected New Zealand mosque gunman, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said [recently]. Austrian police on Monday searched the home of the head of the Identitarian Movement of Austria, Martin Sellner, and seized computers and phones after prosecutors discovered that he had received a four-figure sum from a person named Tarrant — the same surname as the suspected Christchurch shooter." 3/27/19

Trends and shifts

  • Why India's rich don't give their money away (BBC) "Indian IT billionaire Azim Premji recently became India's top philanthropist, sealing his place among the world's top givers. But his generosity has put philanthropy in the spotlight in a country where charity does not appear to match wealth [...]. Mr Premji accounted for 80% of the money given away by ultra-rich donors in India (anyone who has given more than $1.4m) in the 2018 financial year, according to a recent philanthropy report co-authored by Dasra and Bain [...]. Compared to the percentage of net worth given away in the US every year, the report estimates that India's rich could give $5bn to $8bn more each year." 4/2/19

  • The American Journalism Project is Poised to Allocate Millions. Where Will the Money Go? (Inside Philanthropy) "Last year, Elizabeth Green of Chalkbeat and John Thornton of the Texas Tribune launched the American Journalism Project (AJP) with the goal [of] raising and investing $1 billion in 'mission-driven local news outlets.' The project was seeded with funding from the Democracy Fund and John and Erin Thornon." 4/1/19

  • Inside a Nonprofit That Supports Environmental Journalists Around the World (Inside Philanthropy) "Many countries, especially in the Global South, struggle to respond to environmental challenges like over-development, deforestation, poaching, pollution and climate change. When these threats are coupled with weak or corrupt government oversight, the news media—and robust, reliable local reporting—can be the only way to draw attention to what’s happening. Among the organizations and funders who support nonprofit journalism, the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) plays a unique role by empowering journalists from developing countries to cover local environmental beats effectively [...]. " 3/28/19

  • Can Philanthropy Unlock the Blockchain Potential? (Digital Impace) "Blockchain for philanthropy comes with risks and opportunities. Nick Hamlin of GlobalGiving explains its technical, social, and ethical implications." 3/28/19

  • The construction of trust: how people put their faith in charities (nfpSynergy) "If the public lose trust in charities, their very existence comes under threat. But where does this trust come from? How does it develop and change over time? At nfpSynergy, we are currently partnering with ACEVO to help their members and our clients to shed more light on these questions." Thanks to Mick Mulloy for sharing this story. 3/27/19

  • Girls In The Driving Seats Of Philanthropy (Forbes) "Globally, one person in eight is a girl or young woman aged 10 to 24 years – that is 900 million people. Yet, less than 2 cents of every $1 spent on international aid is directed towards adolescent girls , according to the World Bank. A group of philanthropists and foundations came together in 2014 to launch the With and For Girls Collective, to try to change this [...]. But for them, giving directly to girl-led and girl-centred organisations is not enough - they have created a decision-making process that enables adolescent girls have the final say on where that funding should go." 3/27/19

Stats and facts

  • Canada's population continues to grow rapidly, driven by international migration (Statistics Canada) CANADIAN CONTENT "On January 1, 2019, Canada's population reached 37,314,442, up 71,871 from October 1, 2018, according to preliminary population estimates." 3/21/19

  • Study: Projections to 2036 of the labour force in Canada and its regions (Statistics Canada) "In recent years, the participation rate—defined as the size of the labour force relative to the total population aged 15 and older—has decreased, despite a relatively robust economy, low unemployment and higher levels of immigration. This is largely the result of population aging, as the large cohort of baby-boomers enter their retirement years. From 2008 to 2017, the overall participation rate in Canada declined from 68% to 66%. By 2036, it is projected to further decrease to a level between 61% to 63%, depending on various projections scenarios." 3/20/19

  • Non-profit institutions and volunteering: Economic contribution, 2007 to 2017 (Statistics Canada) "Economic activity in the non-profit sector totalled $169.2 billion in 2017, representing 8.5% of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP). Community non-profit institutions accounted for 16.4% of the overall sector, while business non-profit institutions accounted for 10.4%. The most significant portion of non-profit activity (73.2%) came from government non-profit institutions, such as hospitals and universities. If included, volunteer activities—which are important for the non-profit sector but not included in standard macroeconomic measures—would have added a further $41.8 billion to the economy in 2013 (the most recent year of available data), representing 22.3% of non-profit GDP that year." 3/5/19

Reports and studies

Large gifts

  • Borussia Dortmund to make $1.1 million donation to Holocaust memorial museum (CNN) "Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany's leading football clubs, has reaffirmed its commitment to fighting anti-Semitism by donating one million euros ($1.1 million) to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem." 4/2/19

  • $10 million donation to rename residence hall won’t affect construction plans (The Panther) "An anonymous $10 million donation made to Chapman’s new residence hall, The K – originally called the Villa Park Orchards Residential Village – will not go toward building or construction plans, said Dave Sundby, director of Residence Life and First Year Experience, but will help the school’s “financial health” after its investment in the housing project." 4/1/19

  • University of Florida Levin College of Law receives $6 million donation (ABC) "PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR-TV) — Famed Pensacola attorney Fred Levin has made another major contribution to the law school that bears his name. His son and fellow attorney, Martin Levin, announced the $6 million [...] at the University of Florida Levin College of Law." 3/27/19

  • Duke Endowment’s $24 Million Donation Creates Scholarships (The Davidsonian) "[President] Carol Quillen and Dean Byron McCrae emailed the student body to reveal the Duke Endowment had pledged a $24 million grant to Davidson to further expand the James B. Duke Scholars Program. " 3/27/19

  • Merced College receives $5 million gift. It’s the largest donation in school history (Merced Sun-Star) "When Raj Kahlon was a young boy he had dreams of one day becoming a farmer, even though his father was a businessman. Little did he know, his humble beginnings would lead to that dream becoming a reality. In a relatively short amount of time, Kahlon has become a prominent local pistachio and almond farmer, building the Kahlon family business. Kahlon is now giving back to the community with a $5-million donation to support the agricultural programs at Merced College and the future 20,000-square foot Agriculture and Industrial Technology Complex." 3/27/19

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