Weekly News Recap: April 7, 2017

(Left to right): Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker of The Tragically Hip with Janet Dancey, Director of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and Lynne Hudson, president and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society and the new commemorative plaque honouring the band and their contributions to the Canadian Cancer Trials Group. Mandy Marciniak/Metroland

“Efficiency is doing things right; Effectiveness is doing the right things.” — Peter Drucker

TOP NEWS! Our 'secret' project is ready to share, and we couldn't be more excited! We are proud to introduce you to our brand new podcast, BrainTrust Philanthropy Powered by ViTreo! Listen to Braintrust Philanthropy on our website

Books to read

  • 7 Fiction Books That Change The Way You Think (Art of Practicality) It is not often that you get a curated list of fiction books. This is a good one. Plus, the mocking of The Alchemist is too good to miss (in the spirit of transparency, I loved The Alchemist but even I realized how "corny" it was). 4/3/17

News

  • SFU unveils plans for $10 million dollar upgrade to Burnaby campus stadium (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY "Simon Fraser University has announced plans for the first phase of its stadium project, which will see covered seating built into the north hillside of Terry Fox field at the Burnaby campus by April 2020. At a cost of $10 million to the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), the plans include seating for 1,800 people covered by a roof, washroom facilities, and a media centre." 4/5/17
  • CAMH and Morneau Shepell announce the Presenting Partner for 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health (ABC) TORONTO STORY "The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Morneau Shepell today announced their joint effort to support 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health. Morneau Shepell will be Presenting Partner for the national program. Morneau Shepell has been a leader in workplace mental health for more than 30 years, creating strategies and solutions to help organizations develop more psychologically healthy workplaces." 4/5/17
  • Tragically Hip recognized for supporting brain cancer research in Kingston (Kingston Region) CANADIAN STORY "The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) recognized Kingston hometown heroes the Tragically Hip for their support of brain cancer research. A commemorative plaque was presented to the band in honour of their support for cancer clinical trials at the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG)[...]." 4/4/17
  • Red Deer College marketing and communications department recognized for Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre work (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY Nice work guys! "Red Deer College’s marketing and communications department were recently recognized for their work in support of the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. The department received a bronze Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. It recognized the Case for Support document the department created in partnership with RDC’s Enterprise and Community Relations division. It is one of the tactics the enterprise and community relations division uses to inform prospective donors and sponsor about the college." 4/4/17
  • AFP Canada - Inaugural Board Announced (AFP Canada News) CANADIAN STORY What a big deal! Professional fundraisers in Canada now have a formal and official body, the AFP Canada Board of Directors. We have been historically served by an informal body called the AFP Canada Council. One of the challenges of that body was that it had no official status with AFP internationally. On April 3, that changed and Canadian fundraising history was made. Of note, the inaugural chair of the AFP Canada Board of Directors is ViTrēo Partner, Scott Decksheimer. Congratulations and thank you Scott! 4/3/17
  • Manitobans give millions in GoFundMe campaigns (Winnipeg Sun) MANITOBA STORY "Rob Solomon, the CEO of GoFundMe, said not only do Manitoba’s numbers stand tall among other Canadian provinces, but also globally." Well done Manitoba! Also a shout out to our recent podcast panellist and proud Manitoban, Ron Bailey, for sharing this story with us. 4/2/17
  • Should Canada change the names of streets and monuments that honour contentious figures? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Vancouver just passed a motion to make 150 street names more diverse. In Ottawa, some want a less colonial name for Parliament's Langevin Block. Should Canada change the names of streets and monuments that honour contentious figures?" It's an important and interesting question. Do you revise history to accommodate contemporary values? 4/2/17
  • CKUA celebrates 20 years surviving the brink with Alberta tour (Edmonton Journal) ALBERTA STORY This is a fantastic come-back story. "Last year, in the midst of our anecdotally dark times, CKUA Radio Network — read this slowly — exceeded its listener-supported fundraising targets. Impressive, joyful news! [...] 'From the listeners we raise almost $3 million a year — and this is for something that is free. Anyone can tune in for nothing.' [Host, producer and jazz lover David Ward] notes over the last 20 years, Albertans have donated to the tune of $40 million to $50 million." 3/31/17
  • Vancouver non-profit app developers win $750K prize from Google (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY "A Vancouver tech non-profit has won a prestigious award from Google. PeaceGeeks won the Google Impact Challenge [...] in Toronto and will receive $750,000 to develop an app to help refugees navigate their new lives in Canada." 3/30/17
  • MacKimmie complex redevelopment receives $270 million in government funding (The Gauntlet) CALGARY STORY "Alberta Minister of Advanced Education Marlin Schmidt was at the University of Calgary on March 23 to formally announce the provincial government’s four-year commitment of $270.6 million towards the MacKimmie complex and Professional Faculties redevelopment project." 3/24/17

Trends and shifts

  • Payroll giving generates £1.3bn for charity (Third Force News) If you are not exploring payroll giving, you are missing out. "The huge sum - donated over 30 years - is even greater than the £1.04bn raised by Comic Relief over a similar period and would comfortably buy the entire squad of Manchester United - the most expensive in world football - twice over. More than 220,000 people in the UK make a regular donation to charity through CAF Give As You Earn which was launched by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in April 1987." 4/3/17
  • The role of philanthropy in society – what’s there and what’s next? (@lliance) A summary of the discussions held by the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace. Very interesting reading. "[A] participant from Russia stressed that if Russian philanthropy was compared against itself 20 years ago, a lot of progress would be visible." 3/31/17
  • 2016 a dull year for philanthropy: The Hurun Research Institute (Economic Times) "2016 turned out to be a 'dull year for Indian philanthropy' with a total of Rs 2,334 crore pledged for philanthropic activities and the list of philanthropists released by The Hurun Research Institute, shortened from 36 to 27 names. [...] With 27 individuals, all from Mumbai, the city became the capital for India’s philanthropists, with education remaining the most favoured philanthropic cause." 3/30/17
  • Food banks across Canada increasing focus on nutrition, survey finds (Toronto Sun) CANADIAN STORY "A recent industry survey has found that food banks across Canada have increased their focus on nutrition over the last five years and are offering everything from healthier food options to educating users on how to get the biggest health benefit from the foods they consume." 3/30/17
  • Cars and second order consequences (Benedict Evans) A meaty think piece on what is going to happen with the advent of electric and autonomy in cars. "[If] parking goes away, road capacity increases by, perhaps, several times, and an on-demand ride is the cost of a coffee, then one needs to start thinking much more generally, not just about cars, trucks and roads but cities, land use and real-estate. In fact, one needs to think about cities. Cars have remade cities over the past century, and if cars are now going to change entirely, cities will change too." 3/29/17
  • A philanthropic boom: “donor-advised funds” () "DAFs are way-stations for donor dollars. Mr Powers deposits some money into his DAF and, while he ponders where it should go, Bank of America invests it for him." Are these charities or are they banks? They are certainly competing with more traditional charities. Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. 3/23/17
  • Naming of Hospitals in Ontario (AHP.org) ONTARIO STORY I welcome this. This directive, from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, will help the entire health sector become more consistent and contemporary with their naming. Thank you to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. 2/1/17

Philanthropic controversy

  • $50K donation for Greenfield turf rescinded following logo controversy (ABC) "An anonymous donor has rescinded a $50,000 offer to replace turf at Greenfield-Central High School amid controversy over a logo that was to be added to the field. Five donors asked the phrase, #BlessTheWorld be included on the new artificial turf, but several school board and community members believed it would cause a lawsuit as the phrase is usually associated with Christianity." 3/29/17

Life and career hacks

  • The Five Principles of Change Leadership (The Giving Institute) As ViTrēo Partner Andrea McManus put's it, "A powerful and compelling piece by the brilliant June Johnson Bradham. This is why ViTrēo Group Inc. specializes in Bold Leadership!" 3/15/17

Large gifts

  • U of S alumni make $2M donation to honour famed music professor (CBC) SASKATOON STORY "Two former students at the University of Saskatchewan have made a major donation in memory of a beloved music professor. Xiaoping (Bob) Xu and his wife, Ling Chen, have donated $2 million to the University of Saskatchewan's department of music. The money will be used to establish the David L. Kaplan Chair in Music, establishing a program for strings in the university's music department." 4/4/17
  • Farmer forgoes millions to preserve agricultural gift for Edmonton (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY I love conservation easements. "Farmer Doug Visser is foregoing the potential for making millions of dollars in order to protect quality farmland and an old-growth forest from suburban growth while creating a permanent gift for Edmonton. He’s arranged to place a conservation easement on the land and launched a fundraising campaign to cover the fees, pledging to match donations up to $70,000." 4/3/17
  • Chad Moss makes largest donation to FIU by an alumnus (FIU News) "Chad Moss, executive vice president of Moss & Associates, announced a $10 million gift through Moss Foundation, Inc. to FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing — the largest donation by an alumnus to date." The Florida International University College of Engineering and Computing is located in Miami, Florida. 4/3/17
  • Lipscomb University gets record-setting $15 million donation (The Tennesssean) "Lipscomb University announced [...] it had received a $15 million donation — the largest in its history — to fund a new events center and other initiatives for the College of Entertainment & the Arts. The donation came from George Shinn, former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets of the NBA, now known as the New Orleans Pelicans." Lipscomb University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee. 4/3/17
  • Mart ISD receives $4 million donation from alumnus (Waco Tribune-Herald) "A Mart Independent School District alumnus presented a $4 million donation Thursday for a new high school. The gift [is] from Mart native James Lee Davis, 90[.]" Mart Independent School District is a public school district based in Mart, Texas. 3/30/17
  • $13.5 Million Donation to Boost Dallas Spay and Neuter Program (NBC) "The $13.5 million gift from the Reese Jones Foundation, the Caruth Foundation and the Dallas Foundation is going to an ambitious spay-and-neuter program aimed at tackling southern Dallas' loose dogs issue. [An] estimated 8,700 dogs run loose in southern Dallas, causing problems for people in parks and their yards, and children walking to school." 3/30/17
  • Fred Hutch receives $35 million donation, largest ever, from Bezos family (Seattle Times) "The Bezos family has strengthened its longstanding support of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center by giving it $35 million, the largest gift received by the institution." Fred Hutch is a Seattle-based cancer research centre named for Fred Hutchinson, an American baseball hero. 3/30/17

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