Weekly News Recap: June 16, 2017
Ruth Kelly was a publisher and editor-in-chief of Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil magazines. (John Ulan)
Design is pervasive: what we design is designing us. — Anne-Marie Willis
Philanthropic tools
- Online raffle tech a game-changer (Winnipeg Free Press) WINNIPEG STORY "For all those under-appreciated hockey moms and community club volunteers — and their organization administrators — tasked with selling raffle tickets for their non-profits, now there’s an app for that." Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this story. 6/13/17
News
'Extraordinary woman': Edmonton publisher, editor Ruth Kelly dies (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Ruth mentored much of the current generation of Alberta writers, publishers, and creators. I was one of these. I knew Ruth from when she started Venture in 1997. The headline is right. She was extraordinary. I interviewed her for a client engagement last June. RIP Dr. Kelly. 6/15/17
Calgary Cancer Centre will deliver cutting-edge care with 'uninterrupted views,' province says (CBC) CALGARY STORY Good news! And sorely needed. 6/15/17
'It was pretty amazing': Clarenville family reunited for Father's Day in emotional WestJet video (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Right in the feels. Great partnership between Ronald McDonald House and WestJet. Happy Father's Day folks. 6/14/17
Edmonton philanthropist left millions to enhance health care in city he loved (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Thank you Mr. Rousseau! "A wealthy Edmonton philanthropist had one dying wish, to help expand the health-care sector in his adopted city. So Norman Rousseau picked six health organizations in the city and dedicated millions of dollars from his estate to do just that." 6/13/17
Alberta colleges seek to graduate to polytechnic university status to halt urban drift (Edmonton Journal) ALBERTA STORY "Under Red Deer College and Grande Prairie Regional College’s proposals, they would create education super-centres capable of offering everything from technical and trade diplomas and certificates to undergraduate degrees. A polytechnic university designation does not currently exist in Alberta. However, it is used in other provinces and across North America, and would allow both colleges to offer their own undergraduate degrees in arts, business, education and nursing. Currently, those degrees are designed by, and offered in collaboration with, the province’s larger institutes such as the University of Alberta, Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary." 6/11/17
Nick Lees: Crescendo concert at Winspear Centre raises funds to help battle mental-health problems (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY "John Cameron launched from the Winspear Centre stage Friday night a five-year plan to raise more than $5 million to help Edmontonians with mental-health issues." 6/11/17
$10K for you and you and you: Alberta man drops off cheques in each Canadian capital to help the hungry (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Dude! You are my new favourite Canadian. "Alberta's Geoff Gyles is driving up the Alaska Highway this weekend, en route to Whitehorse. His mission? To drop off a $10,000 cheque for the local food bank. It's Gyles's unique way of celebrating Canada 150. He's already delivered cheques to five provincial capitals, and plans to keep going until he's reached all 13 provincial and territorial capitals in the country." 6/10/17
A gift to Canada: Lifting people out of poverty benefits us all (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY Wonderful reflections from the President and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada. "When all Canadians have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to society, to feel included in the fabric of our communities and to achieve their dreams, our country becomes more prosperous. We all share the benefits associated with improved health, happiness and well-being." 6/9/17
Paula Simons: Forgotten child no more: NorQuest College makes its dreams come true (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY Congrats NorQuest! "It’s only June. But inside the Singhmar Centre for Learning, the back-to-school excitement is feverish. PCL construction workers are beavering away, putting the finishing touches on the striking addition to the NorQuest College campus — the first new building NorQuest has seen in 47 years." 6/9/17
Philanthropy in Canada: Globe and Mail Supplement (PDF) (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY Great piece published on Fundraising Day in Toronto. Features ViTrēo's very own Scott Decksheimer. “One of the ways we can showcase our nation as a caring country is to explore how we celebrate the diversity of philanthropy in every aspect of life.” 6/7/17
Tips and tricks
- 8 top tips for crowdfunding success (Fundraising & Philanthropy Australia) Lots of interest in this area of fundraising. Here are some great tips. 6/13/17
Trends and shifts
How Much Money Has Been Going to Ocean Philanthropy? And Who's Giving? (Inside Philanthropy) Ocean philanthropy is on the rise. Yes, just like the oceans themselves. 6/15/17
San Diego Unseats Houston As Top Philanthropy City (Nonprofit Times) Congrats to San Diego! Some very interesting stats on charitable regions in U.S. 6/14/17
In perpetuity – Canada Games has rules for legacy buildings (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY The Canada Summer Games has a rule that its facilities need to be named in perpetuity. This rule bucks the trend but, as the Canada Games Council (CGC) says, this rule is “non-negotiable”. 6/13/17
Tech veterans launch online guide to donation-worthy charities (Seattle Times) This is not your typical charity ranking site. It's beautiful and appears to be relevant and useful. They envision "...acting somewhat like a Google search engine specifically for quality nonprofits and charities [...]. The website and app display information about different types of causes, pulling in articles, local trainings and events, so people can quickly find information about issues they’re interested in supporting." 6/12/17
GM to end foundation, redirect its charitable giving (Detroit News) This is worrisome. "General Motors Co. is overhauling its $30-million-a year philanthropy efforts to focus on high-tech education, safety and economic sustainability, a move that has some local nonprofits and arts groups worried about funding cuts." 6/12/17
Traditional forms of philanthropy being replaced by a more market-based solutions approach: Roopa Kudva (Live Mint) "On the sidelines of the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network’s 5th annual conference in Bangkok, Thailand, [Omidyar] Kudva spoke about why India is a favoured destination for impact investing, how social entrepreneurship needs to be defined better and the way to deal with talent crunch in the development sector." 6/9/17
Is philanthropy catching on among China's super rich? (BBC) "When US billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett held a banquet in China a few years ago to urge fellow tycoons to donate their fortunes to charity, some of their intended targets didn't bother to turn up. The no-shows sparked a fierce debate on social media: are China's super rich really so stingy? By some measures, they are. Total charitable giving in China stands at just 4% of levels in the US or Europe, according to the United Nations Development Programme. Chinese charities have been hit by scandal, and there is widespread mistrust of the private wealth on which much of the giving depends. But according to a new report from Harvard University and the Swiss bank UBS, the picture is far more complex. 'Philanthropy in China today is in a state of expansion, experimentation and evolution,' it said." 6/9/17
What Does Segregation Cost? And How Can Funders Counter It? (Inside Philanthropy) "Dividing students, residents or customers by race was outlawed decades ago, but most American neighborhoods remain segregated." 6/9/17
Philanthropic controversy
- Utah State demonstrators protest Koch brothers donation (Salt Lake Tribune) I could see this coming. This demonstration comes on the heels of a $50 million donation from the Koch brothers and the Huntsman Foundation. We shared the story of this gift in the May 12, 2017 recap. 6/13/17
Philanthropic personalities
How Will Sam Simon’s Eccentric Philanthropy Translate to a Foundation? (Inside Philanthropy) Interesting dude. In life and in death. "When The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon was diagnosed with advanced cancer in 2012, he was already active in philanthropy. Back in 2002, he had started his own charity specializing in a mix of animal welfare and poverty work. But as Simon faced his own mortality, that giving famously sped up, going mostly to animal rights causes in some pretty remarkable ways. For example, he became known for buying and rescuing captive animals from shady roadside zoos and other operations—freeing everything from an elephant in India to 500 chinchillas." 6/8/17
A Billionaire Defends Modern Philanthropy (The Atlantic) An interesting take on modern philanthropy from one of the founders of LinkedIn. Some of this you will likely agree with. Some of it you might not. 6/8/17
Life and career hacks
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for a Winning Sales Deck (The Mission) A great reminder for some and a fantastic set of learnings for many. 6/13/17
How To Retain More From The Books You Read In 5 Simple Steps (Darius Foroux) Great tips from Darius on how to retain more of what you read. 6/12/17
The 7 Worst Lies They Want You To Believe About Creativity (The Mission) No, your entire life does not need to be dedicated to creativity. 6/10/17
45 Things That Might Help You Be A Better Human (Medium) Great list. Not your average list. Enjoy. I did. Oh, and I am definitely going to try to do #8 soon. 6/12/17
The Importance of Cognitive Bias in Experience Design (uxdesign.cc) Oh, this is so good! I especially love the Cognitive Bias Codex. 6/7/17
9 Things Great Performers Do Differently (Thrive Global) Sleep. It is the #1 thing that drives all else. Get 7 - 9 hours every night and much of the rest of your life will be awesome. 6/4/17
Stop, Nobody Is Going To Be Your Mentor (The Mission) "Nobody has time to mentor you. Let’s just get that out of the way." Well then! Actually, this is more true than not in my experience.6/2/17
The Evolution of Design with Culture Thinking (uxdesign.cc) What came first? Design or culture? Ha! Trick question, they both did. 6/1/17
3 Unusual Happiness Habits Backed by Psychology (Medium) This article brought peace into my day. I hope it does the same for you. 5/29/17
The Best Tools for Busy People to Manage Time (The Mission) Email Meetings? As it turns out, I do these quite often. I just did not think to call them meetings. 5/23/17
16 Mental Models for Founders and Leaders (Personal Growth) I love mental models. And many of these are ones I have not seen. 5/23/17
Uncommon knowledge
- The Tricky Question of Director Benefits (Imagine Canada) CANADIAN STORY Most of us in the nonprofit sector know that we cannot compensate directors on our boards. There is much more to this that you might not know. For more on the tricky bits, read on. 6/13/17
Large gifts
Thomas Miles Sr. lynching: Google’s $1M donation amplifies racial justice (Rolling Out) Go Google! On the heels of their 2015 gift of $1 million to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and EJI’s recently published 80-page report, “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror” Google.org will donate another $1 million to EJI to support its racial justice work. 6/15/17
University of Guelph setting up lab to research Lyme disease with $1.4M donation (CTV) GUELPH STORY This does NOT tick me off! "Is it Lyme disease or not? That's one of the questions the University of Guelph hopes to be better able to answer with a new research lab dedicated to improving testing -- and eventually treatment -- for the tick-borne bacteria that is increasingly affecting Canadians country-wide. [The] Ontario university announced it will be setting up the lab with a $1.4-million grant from the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne Diseases, named for Magnotta Winery co-founder Gabe Magnotta." 6/15/17
Stevenson Memorial Hospital gets $4M donation (CTV) BARRIE STORY "Honda Canada is donating millions of dollars to support the expansion of Stevenson Memorial Hospital. The Honda Canada Foundation presented the hospital with a cheque worth $4 million [...]. It’s the largest donation the hospital has ever received." 6/13/17
ABAC's Ag Literacy Program gets million-dollar donation (ABC) "ABAC received a million-dollar donation to help educate kids about agriculture. The Harley Langdale Junior Foundation committed $1 million over the next four years. The funds will be used to continue the Destination Ag program at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture." 6/13/17
Meals on wheels: Fort McMurray Salvation Army gets $600K donation for new vehicles (CBC) FORT MCMURRAY STORY Lovely gift from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation. 6/13/17
The Crown Prince Of Abu Dhabi Has Made A MASSIVE Donation To Bill Gates' Polio Eradication Efforts (Lovin Dubai) Wow! "Bill Gates has tweeted his appreciation of a massive donation given by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to help eradicate polio. HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nayhan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces made a personal donation to Gates' charity of USD30 million. The donation was announced [...] in Atlanta at the Rotary Convention, and will be directed to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)." 6/12/17
$500K DONATION MADE TO GRANDE PRAIRIE REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION (My Grande Prairie Now) GRANDE PRAIRIE STORY Nice gift! "The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation has received a large donation from one of the original homesteaders of the city. A $500,000 donation will go to the Key to Care campaign in the late I.V. Macklin and his wife Matilda’s name." 6/12/17
Springville receives $2 million donation for upgrades to new aquatic center (Deseret News) "Clyde Companies Inc., an Orem-based construction and insurance holding company, has donated $2 million for upgrades to the city’s new aquatic center, which is currently under construction." 6/9/17
Luminato receives $600,000 donation to give boost to emerging artists (Globe and Mail) TORONTO STORY This is a great organization. "Luminato has received a gift of $600,000 spread over three years for projects involving emerging artists. Anthony Sargent, the annual Toronto arts festival’s CEO, says it’s a sign that key supporters are excited not just about a particular show but about the contribution Luminato as a whole makes to the city. The donor insists on being anonymous." 6/8/17
TAMUK receives massive donation from Welhausen Foundation (ABC) " It was a happy occasion for faculty and staff at Texas A&M University-Kingsville Thursday as the university announced it will use proceeds from the sale of land to enhance its programs. The land was donated by the J.R. Welhausen estate in 1980 and reportedly sold for an estimated $6 million." 6/8/17
St. Elizabeth’s Hospital receives $2.5 million anonymous donation (Belleville News-Democrat) "An anonymous person donated $2.5 million to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital’s capital campaign, which is helping to fund construction of its $253 million replacement hospital in [O’Fallon, Illinois]." 6/8/17
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