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Weekly News Recap: July 12, 2019

Vincent Duckworth

ViTreo Weekly News Recap: July 12, 2019

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is now Alberta's sixth World Heritage Site. The park, also known by its Blackfoot name Áísínai'pi, received the designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Photo: Travel Alberta

When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. -- Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This week's hghlights

  • Accepting donations from cannabis companies
  • A charity law event in Toronto #SignUp
  • The best: a show band and a solar car #YeeHaw
  • A beef with the Saskatoon Children's Hospital #TheGoodKind
  • Wacky window art and RIP Mad Magazine #WeWillMissYouAlfred
  • Rituals, backward goal-setting, and greasing the groove #LiftLightLiftOften
  • Legal wrangling over donors, using data for evil, and trouble in sponsorship land #HeyThatsMyDonor
  • Everything you wanted to know about Canada in 2019 #eh
  • $145 million for Chinese Women's soccer and a big lift for a Vancouver park #NiceWorkJack
  • ...And so much more

Survey says...

  • CANADIAN CHARITIES AND THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY (Bloom Non Profit Consulting Group) CANADIAN CONTENT My friend (and mean motorcyclist) Anne Melanson is the principal at Bloom. She is working on gift acceptance research related to cannabis. Mind-blowing, right? I am talking about the survey...get your head out of the smoke. If you want to be part of history, participate in this survey by July 20. "Bloom in partnership with National Public Relations, is conducting a survey of Canadian charities to ascertain their gift acceptance positions relative to donations from Canada’s emerging cannabis industry. As our partner, National Public Relations is surveying cannabis industry licenced producers to determine their current readiness and thinking relative to giving to charity. Together we are presenting the findings of our research at AFP Congress in November in Toronto. The survey process is coming along well, but [they] really need some help in getting a stronger response from Western and central Canada." 7/10/19

AFP Global

  • VIDEO: Robbe Healey: Ethical Considerations with Older Donors (AFP Global) Eight minutes of on-the-money learning. Go Robbe! "Robbe Healey, MBA, NHA, ACFRE reminds us of ethical considerations when dealing with older donors. "There are things that may be legal to do that may not be ethical and there are things that are ethical that may not be smart." 6/28/19

Events

  • Blumbergs’ Canadian Charity Law Institute 2019 (Blumbergs) TORONTO STORY I've heard good things...and Mark is no slouch. If I am in Toronto in October, I will be going. "Join us on Monday October 7, 2019 in Toronto for the 8th Annual Blumbergs' Canadian Charity Law Institute. We will be featuring a number of speakers covering different legal and compliance issues affecting Canadian charities and non-profits. It will be a full day packed with practical legal and ethical compliance information geared toward charities, professional advisors and those interested in regulatory issues affecting charities and the non-profit sector. Space is limited." 7/10/19

Cool

  • She Leads Cool. "A safe place to share. We help organizations drive diversity and inclusion efforts through customized evaluations and actionable reporting. Understand the state of D&I in your organization and the impact of current programs." Undated

News

  • Calgary Stampede Showband crowned world's best (CBC) CALGARY STORY Not surprised. I am a pretty harsh critic of show bands (I have been in a few). The Calgary Stampede Showband is one of the best...And actually this year, they are the best. Woot. "The Calgary Stampede Showband has been named the world's top marching band for the sixth time. The Stampede's marquee musical group competed against 20 bands from around the world for the title at the World Association of Marching Show Bands' World Championships, which Calgary hosted this year." 7/9/19

  • 'Larger than life' Winnipeg philanthropist, hospital donor dies (CBC) WINNIPEG STORY RIP Mr. Albrechtsen. We will not see your like again. "Paul Albrechtsen, who donated $13.4 million to the Health Sciences Centre Foundation and $7 million to St. Boniface over the past 30 years, died on Sunday. He also gave $8 million to the Reh-Fit Centre in 2006." Thanks to Mary Beth Taylor for sharing this story. 7/9/19

  • Solar-powered car built by U of C students wins international race (CBC) CALGARY STORY Woot! Nice work UofC! "A solar-powered car built by a team of Calgary engineering students came first place in its category at an international racing competition over the weekend. The University of Calgary Solar Car Team raced its vehicle, which runs solely on solar and electrical energy, against other student-built cars in the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Austin, Texas." 7/9/19

  • 9-year-old born with heart defects auctions steer, raises $30K for Saskatoon children's hospital (CBC) SASKATOON STORY I heart this. Pun intended. "Saskatoon's new children's hospital is getting a big donation from a pint-sized philanthropist. Nine-year-old Gage Goetz has raised $30,000 to donate to the Jim Pattison's Children's Hospital Foundation through the sale of his 4-H steer." 7/9/19

  • Arts groups left with 'grounded paranoia' over possible funding cuts after grant changes (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "As the Alberta government mulls its financial situation prior to an anticipated fall budget, at least one provincial body is taking pre-emptive steps to ensure it can deal with potential cuts. Left in the lurch: arts organizations. Until recently, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts doled out operating grants on a yearly basis. It's money that is meant to be reliable and to allow the day-to-day functions of running a gallery or theatre to move forward. In June, the foundation notified arts groups those payments would come in quarterly chunks, instead of one lump sum, because there was uncertainty around the upcoming budget from Premier Jason Kenney and his recently elected United Conservative Party government." 7/9/19

  • Councillor urges Calgarians to learn to use naloxone after saving man from suspected opioid overdose (CBC) CALGARY STORY Nice work councillor! I am getting a kit for our house. "A city councillor is encouraging all Calgarians to keep naloxone handy after she saved a man with an injection of the antidote to opioid overdoses when she found him unresponsive, just outside her house. Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart was playing outside with her puppies on Saturday afternoon when she noticed a man lying down in a yard across the street in her neighbourhood in southwest Calgary. Almost 10 minutes went by and the man was still there, so the Ward 13 councillor — who is also a registered nurse — decided to grab a naloxone kit and scope out the situation." 7/8/19

  • Brooks: Wilson Garden Party raises more than $500,000 for charity (Stratford Beacon Herald) CALGARY STORY "The business model seems like a no-brainer today. Yet years ago, when the concept was first launched, it was a game-changer. W. Brett Wilson showed us the way. He would host a huge party on the grounds of his Mount Royal home. He would supply all the food, libation and entertainment. There was not a set ticket price. Invited guests were simply [asked] to bring a meaningful cheque payable to the charity or charities which Wilson had chosen [...]. Over the years, Wilson’s garden party has raised millions of dollars for myriad charitable organizations." 7/6/19

  • The Weirdest, Worst And Wackiest Calgary Stampede Window Art (HuffPost) CALGARY STORY It's something to behold. "It’s a strange genre of artistic expression, highlighting everything from the classic horse and cowboy, to more obscure imagery like penguins and even an elaborate hula party scene featuring the likenesses of one business’s [employees]." 7/5/19

  • Pair donates life insurance to NorQuest College (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY Nice. I heart planned gifts. "Blaine LaBonte and Irene Mertz-LaBonte have named NorQuest College as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy that amounts to the largest planned gift the college has ever been pledged, representing a seven-figure dollar amount." 7/5/19

  • ATB Financial Supports Olds College with $250,000 Donation (Education News) OLDS STORY Nice work ATB. "Olds College is thrilled ATB Financial has committed $250,000 to support agriculture technology research and education. The five-year financial commitment will be used to grow the College's high-tech smart farm, and sponsor AgSmart, a two-day ag technology expo taking place August 13 and 14 at the College." 7/5/19

  • Talks between city, Flames on a new arena underway (CBC) CALGARY STORY Good. "Negotiations on a new arena between the City of Calgary and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation are underway." 7/4/19

  • Mad magazine to leave newsstands — no, really (CBC) A staple in my early life. RIP Alfred E. Neuman. "Mad, the long-running satirical magazine that influenced everyone from 'Weird Al' Yankovic to the writers of The Simpsons, will be leaving newsstands after its August issue. Really. The illustrated humour magazine — instantly recognizable by the gap-toothed smiling face of mascot Alfred E. Neuman — will still be available in comic shops and through mail to subscribers. But after its fall issue it will just reprint previously published material." 7/4/19

  • Heather Klimchuk: Volunteerism is our strength but are we taking it for granted? (Edmonton Journal) ALBERTA STORY "According to a discussion paper by the Government of Alberta, 'Profiling the Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector in Alberta,' 2018, adult volunteers contribute approximately $8.3 billion in donated volunteer labour every year. Responding to increasingly complex social issues or even disaster relief and management of crisis situations, means that nonprofits require flexible, predictable funding, resources and support for fund-development capacity towards sustainability." 7/3/19

  • Reviews start to come in for Edmonton’s newest public art piece (Global News) EDMONTON STORY Ah, the outrage. "It’s called 53º30’N. It is by artist Thorsten Goldberg, who lives and works in Berlin and represents a collection of topographic models of mountain landscapes from all over the world, that are on the same latitude as Edmonton and are remote and uninhabited." 7/3/19

First Peoples of Canada

  • Three-quarters of Indigenous youth optimistic reconciliation will happen in their lifetime, according to poll (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Wow. This sounds promising. "Almost three-quarters of Indigenous youth who took part in a new survey said they are optimistic there will be meaningful reconciliation in their lifetime. The online poll surveyed 1,377 youth and found 73 per cent of Indigenous youth and 68 per cent of non-Indigenous youth felt somewhat or very optimistic about that outcome." 7/9/19

  • Alberta's Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park now a World Heritage Site (CBC) ALBERTA STORY *Congratulations to all. A perfect designation! "Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is now Alberta's sixth World Heritage Site. The park, also known by its Blackfoot name Áísínai'pi, received the designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 'The designation of Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai'pi as a UNESCO World Heritage Site provides the Blackfoot Confederacy a basis for its future generations as to the strength and truth of our continuing relationship to this land and to our traditions, ceremonies and cultural practices,' Martin Heavy Head, an elder with the Mookaakin Cultural and Heritage Society, said in a news release [...]." 7/6/19

  • 'This was one of many wrongs that were done': Blood Tribe settles $150M historic cattle claim (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Excellent! Part of reconciliation is reparations. "More than a century ago, the federal government destroyed the Blood Tribe's cattle industry, and today, the southern Alberta reserve signed a $150 million agreement to settle the historic claim." 7/4/19

Books to read

Seven life and career hacks -- one for each day of the week

  1. 10 things you must configure and optimise before launching your website (The Startup) I need to check on #6 and I definitely did not do #9. 7/6/19

  2. Why Rituals in Your Professional Life Are so Powerful (The Startup) We all know about health and productivity. What about friendship and renewal? 7/6/19

  3. Create Goals like the U.S. Army Does — by doing it backwards (The Startup) I do this all the time. Must be my military training. It's a powerful technique. 7/6/19

  4. So, you think you've spotted some 'fake news' — now what? (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Good tools. They did miss snopes.com but they have lots that are very helpful. "In Part 1 of our guide to spotting 'fake news' online, we looked at different kinds of false or misleading online content. Here, we discuss where you're most likely to find disinformation, and we offer some tools to help you verify or debunk what you're seeing." 7/5/19

  5. Collaboration — A How-To Guide (The Startup) If collaboration makes you uncomfortable (it makes me uncomfortable), this is the article for you. 7/5/19

  6. 15 Things Famous Women Can Teach Us About Productivity (One Productive Live) Shonda Rimes nails it with #5. 7/4/19

  7. Grease the Groove — The Russian Military Secret to Strength Endurance (Better Humans) This will blow up most of what you think you know about strength training. Of course, who has the time? Just kidding, we can make the time. Me, I want to do three pull-ups by my 56th birthday (18 months from now). 3/19/19

Philanthropic controversy

  • College in Michigan sues University of Missouri in dispute over $5 million donation (American School & University) Wow! It is not often that you see one nonprofit suing another. "The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Hillsdale College's lawsuit against the MU Board of Curators contends the university isn’t spending the money according to the wishes of the alumnus, Sherlock Hibbs, as spelled out in his will." 7/9/19

  • Home Depot Boycott 2019: Founder's Donation To Donald Trump Campaign Causes Uproar On Social Media (International Business Times) "A boycott is mounting against another major retail chain after one of its founders has thrown his support behind President Trump's re-election campaign. Billionaire Bernie Marcus, 90, who co-founded Home Depot in 1979, recently said he would be giving most of his wealth to charity but would also continue to support Trump's campaign after contributing $7 million in 2016. He felt that Trump’s work in the White House has paid dividends with employment and supports his aggressive stance when it comes to dealing with Iran and China." 7/9/19

  • Financier Charged With Sex Trafficking Has Given Millions to Harvard (Chronicle of Higher Education) "Harvard University declined to comment [...] about whether it would return donations from Jeffrey Epstein, the millionaire who was arrested this past weekend on sex-trafficking charges. According to a grand-jury indictment that was unsealed on Monday, Epstein lured young girls — some as young as 14 — to his properties and paid them hundreds of dollars for sexual acts." 7/8/19

  • Boeing criticised for 737 MAX donation (defenceWeb) I had lots of articles to choose from for this story -- I chose the one from an African media outlet. "The families of victims of an Ethiopian air disaster criticised Boeing’s plan to donate $100 million to unspecified charities and communities affected by two crashes, saying it was vague and families should have been consulted." 7/8/19

  • Secret plan to use charities to help deport rough sleepers (The Guardian) Umm, what the heck are they thinking. "The Home Office has drawn up a secret programme using homelessness charities to acquire sensitive personal data that could result in the deportation of non-UK rough sleepers, the Observer can reveal." 7/6/19

  • Toxic philanthropy: When arts sponsorships mask social ills (Irish Times) "Sponsorships and philanthropy are tricky businesses. In London, Mark Rylance has just announced his resignation from the Royal Shakespeare Company, in protest at the BP oil company’s sponsorship of the institution. 'I do not wish to be associated with BP any more than I would with an arms dealer, a tobacco salesman or anyone who wilfully destroys the lives of others alive and unborn,' said the actor." 7/6/19

  • Opposition to oil sponsorships in the arts spreads in London (CBC) "Dozens of climate-change activists held a 'die-in' at the Royal Opera House in London [...] as audience members arrived for a performance of Carmen, demanding the opera house end its sponsorship with oil and gas company BP." 7/3/19

  • Toxic Leadership and the Canadian Fundraising Sector (Charity eNews) CANADIAN STORY :-( "'She belittled, humiliated, and bullied staff. She would expect you to work 24/7. She would call at 4 AM and expect an answer. She was abusive and there was very high turnover in the organization.' This quote came from a Canadian fundraiser in response to the question, 'Please describe your worst leadership experience you have had in your fundraising career.' Unfortunately, this fundraiser’s experience is all too common in our sector." 6/25/19

Trends and shifts

  • Philadelphia Foundation wants you to pick how to spend $1 million (Whyy.org) This is pretty cool. I especially love the reason why they are doing it. "The Philadelphia Foundation is trying to spend $1 million and is looking for your help. The philanthropic organization has created an online voting platform for the public to determine which of 15 pre-selected, nonprofit organizations should be granted a portion of the money. 'Part of the reason we’re doing this is to demystify the work of nonprofits,' said Philadelphia Foundation president and CEO Pedro Ramos. 'To make more visible the work that nonprofits are doing all around us and hopefully [we] don’t take for granted, but often do.'" 7/8/19

Stats and facts

  • PDF: Canada at a glance 2019 (Statistics Canada) The definitive overview of Canada as it stands in 2019. Thanks Statistics Canada! 7/10/19

  • Canada, eh! Happy Birthday! (Statistics Canada) You're a proud Canadian when you know… things like...#4 and, of course...#2. Who knew that those folks at Statistics Canada could be so fun? 6/28/19

Large gifts

  • Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, husband make donation worth $7.5 mn to University of Glasgow (Economic Times) "Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and her husband, John Shaw, have made donations worth USD 7.5 million to the University of Glasgow to contribute to expansion projects at the Scottish university." 7/10/19

  • Entrepreneur Lord Swraj Paul donates 1 mn pounds for new London Zoo reserve (Tribune India) A very touching memorial. "Leading British Indian entrepreneur and parliamentarian Lord Swraj Paul has announced 1 million pounds donation to the London Zoo for a major new project that will lead to creation of the Angad Paul African Reserve in memory of his late son." 7/9/19

  • Thrive Causemetics Makes Record-Breaking $30M Product Donation (Yahoo Finance) "Thrive Causemetics, a leading direct-to-consumer makeup company built around philanthropy, announced a record-breaking donation of $30,000,000 in makeup products to women in need in celebration of Founder and CEO Karissa Bodnar's 30th birthday. Recipients of this donation include beneficiary organizations such as RAINN, Upward Bound House and Share Cancer Support. This is the brand's second multi-million dollar product donation announcement in two weeks." 7/9/19

  • Jack Ma, Alipay in $145 mn donation to Chinese women's football (Yahoo Sports) Mr. Ma! Dude! Great way to show support for women's soccer in China. "Alibaba's founder Jack Ma and the e-commerce giant's digital payments arm Alipay will contribute to a $145 million donation for Chinese women's football [...] who despite underfunding routinely outperform the men's national team." 7/5/19

  • Vancouver port authority donating $2 million for East Van community as part of Centerm expansion (Vancouver Courier) VANCOUVER STORY Love gifts to parks. Nice job VFPA! "Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Thursday announced $2 million in funding for East Vancouver community initiatives and improvements to CRAB Park as part of the expansion of the Centerm container terminal." 7/4/19

  • Oilers Foundation donates $4.3 million to community (NHL.com) EDMONTON STORY Both the Flames' and the Oilers' foundations had some less than favourable press last year due to the perception that they were not granting enough from their holdings. This helps address this perception. Nice work Oilers! "The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOCF) is celebrating a record $4.3 million reinvestment in the Northern Alberta community, following an exceptional 2018-19 season of activity, bringing their donation total since 2001 to more than $40 million." 7/4/19

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