Weekly News Recap: July 21, 2017

UWNBC CEO Roberta Squire stands with Mayor Lyn Hall, others outside City Hall | Kyle Balzer, My PG Now

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –- Mark Twain

Board governance

  • THE LITTLE TABLE (Temple Sholom Cincinnati) An all too close to home video parody of board decision making. Laugh. We did. But, also, cry. We have all been there. Thanks to Scott Decksheimer and Andrea McManus for sharing this post. May 2017

Books to read

  • 8 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read (The Mission) I read Dale Carnegies's book when I was a teenager. I read Stephen Covey in my 30s and I read Tim Ferriss' book a few years ago. The rest, of course, are now on my list. 4/20/17
  • Interview with J.D. Vance (Philanthropy Roundtable) A fascinating interview with the author of Hillbilly Elegy. "The Rust Belt native and Yale Law graduate on his nonprofit and the barriers to success many Americans face [...]." Summer 2017

News

  • City committee OK's $2M in bridge funding for arts groups (CBC) CALGARY STORY This is a great wake-up call for Calgary; its historically high dependence on corporate funding for the arts has always been a risky proposition. The sector needs to diversify its funding sources. Kudos to the City of Calgary for stepping up. The ten groups, who still require further approvals to each receive $200K are Alberta Ballet, Calgary Opera, Folk Festival Society, National Music Centre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Theatre Calgary, Glenbow Museum, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, One Yellow Rabbit and Theatre Junction Grand. 7/18/17
  • Report: Dodgers seeking $12M a year for naming rights to field (The Score) Well, that is a lot for naming rights. That said, the Dodgers name is likely one of the top two or three in baseball. Still, $60 million for a five-year deal. Gulp. BTW, no takers. Yet. Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this post.UPDATE: From Brent Barootes who is a sponsorship naming expert (which, unlike philanthropic naming, I do not have expertise in): "49er’s stadium with Levis is $14M per year for 18 years… and that was done 4 years ago! The issue with the Dodger one is the short term of the agreement. You need to factor in potential for a World Series, All Star Game etc. as those are the elements that justify the payments." 7/18/17
  • 8th year of lemonade fundraiser for the Stollery passes $50,000 mark (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Still loving this story. "Sipping a lemonade to raise money for the Stollery Children's Hospital is [a] sweet way to enjoy a hot summer day, but the story behind the stand is even sweeter. Sisters Taylor and Sydney Woodworth started the lemonade stand eight years ago after kindergarten classmate Moses Felix died of leukemia. Now, the running total for the fundraiser surpassed $50,000 and Sydney hopes that total will continue to grow in honour of the boy she knew for only a short time." 7/14/17
  • LAKELAND COLLEGE ADDS $120 MILLION TO LOCAL ECONOMY (Lloydminster Today) LLOYDMINSTER STORY This is kind of a big deal. "Lakeland College, it’s students and alumni added $120 million to the local economy in 2015-16 according to a press release from the college. They say this is the equivalent to supporting 2,524 jobs in the Lakeland Service Area, according to an economic impact study done by EMSI in June of this year." 7/13/17
  • Health Benefits Co-Op Receives Significant Grant (Discover Airdrie) AIRDRIE STORY Congrats Airdrie! "The goal to become Canada's healthiest community took another step yesterday (July 12) when the Airdrie and Area Health Benefits Co-op (AAHBC) received a large grant from the Calgary Foundation. The AAHBC was the recipient of a $145,000 Community Grant from the foundation". 7/13/17
  • PROVINCE APPOINTS LAWYER AS NEW GPRC BOARD CHAIR (My Grande Prairie Now) GRANDE PRAIRIE NEWS Congrats! A local lawyer has been appointed the new board chair of Grande Prairie Regional College. Natalia Reiman replaces Pete Merlo, who has served since July 2014. 7/13/17

Powerful questions

  • The Powerful Questions behind Jeff Bezos’ Philanthropy Tweet (United Way) Brian Gallagher is the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Worldwide. Many organizations, large and small, have likely tried to get Jeff Bezos' attention after his powerful philanthropy tweet. This is one response that Mr. Bezos should pay special attention to. 7/14/17

Corporate philanthropy

  • Giving Your Genius: A New Approach to Corporate Philanthropy (Stanford Social Innovation Review) I love this concept of corporations treating nonprofits like customers. "When companies deploy the same processes they use to create commercial value to create philanthropic value, they can truly help charities achieve their social missions." 7/14/17

Family philanthropy

  • Learning to Bridge a Generation Gap in Philanthropy (New York Times) "Unfortunately, in some instances, there’s a dominant wealth creator 'who is confident that he or she knows where the money should go and isn’t questioning it very much [...].' 'If members of the next generation with different ideas feel they’re butting up against a wall, they’ll work on their own giving rather than participating in the family giving." Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this post. 7/14/17

Case study

  • It's One of the Biggest Bets in Arts Philanthropy Ever. What's the Verdict? (Inside Philanthropy) Looks like Alice Walton's vision and commitment is paying off. “I knew this museum was needed," Walton said. "I grew up here and didn’t have access to art and I knew we wanted to change that. What I underestimated was how much people wanted to have access to that great art." 7/19/17

Studies and stats

  • Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada (Statistics Canada) CANADIAN CONTENT Canada's population now at 38.2 million, under 15 = 16% of the population, over 65 = 16% of the population, infant mortality still greater for males by just over 4%. 7/12/17

Life and career hacks

  • A Designer’s Code of Ethics (Dear Design Student) Great reminder for all of us who create. "Before you are a designer, you are a human being. Like every other human being on the planet, you are part of the social contract." 7/5/17
  • Red, White, and Blue (Springboard) "Eight rules about color palettes that everyone should know." Design in greyscale first and avoid the colour black...hmm. 6/29/17
  • Instead of Passion (Creatomic) Novel and refreshing approach to this 'tired' question. 6/26/17

Trends and shifts

  • Arts Organization, Sustain Thyself: Foundations Join Forces to Build Capacity (Inside Philanthropy) I am glad to see this trend (the one where arts organizations are looking to sustain themselves) emerging. "[When] faced with cuts, organizations' first impulse is to look outward to donors and supporters, rather than inward. Few want to embark on a messy and disruptive strategic reorganization. It's usually easier to secure that big check to fill the gap. But what if that check never arrives?" 7/17/17

Opinion

Philanthropy controversy

  • PETA offers donation to Kiwanis club if it never again uses animals for fundraising (Newark Advocate) I am an animal advocate but this offer seems out of sync on at least two fronts: the compensation is nowhere near 'forever' money and making demands in conjunction with a 'gift' is not actually philanthropic. "After the Heath Moundbuilders Kiwanis Club canceled its main fundraiser featuring a circus, the club has received an offer for a donation. But the club might not be willing to accept the money. In a letter [...], People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has offered the Kiwanis club $2,000 in exchange for the club implementing a policy against using animal-based entertainment to raise funds." 7/15/17

Large gifts

  • Alfond Donation to Bring Big Changes to MBA Programs (CBS) "[The] Harold Alfond Association announced it's pledging 7-and-a-half million dollars to the state university system. It's to support the Maine center for graduate studies, which will combine the University of Maine and University of Southern Maine's MBA programs." 7/18/17
  • McGill entrepreneurship program gets $2-million donation (Montreal Gazette) MONTREAL STORY "A McGill University program aimed at helpings students get businesses off the ground has received a $2-million donation from the foundation that helped launch the university’s first entrepreneurship program more than 20 years ago [...]. The organization behind the donation, the John Dobson Foundation, was created by money manager John Dobson in 1986. In 1989, Dobson helped McGill launch the entrepreneurship centre that bears his name, funding it through the foundation." 7/18/17
  • $2.2 Million Donation To Stem Cell Research At Cooper (CBS) "The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University is getting its largest philanthropic gift ever. It’ll be spent over the next three years to test stem cells on three different fronts [...]. The donation comes from one of [Cooper's] patients who wishes to remain anonymous." Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey. 7/15/17
  • Denise Cobcroft estate offers amazing donation (Racing.com) Typically, the gift size for sharing stories in this category is $1 million+ but I have a soft spot for horses and for jockeys. "A donation of $400,000 has been made to the National Jockeys Trust with a blessing from Denise Cobcroft, the single biggest donation since its inception in 2004. The donation was made at the National Jockeys Trust luncheon at Caulfield on Saturday by the Denise Cobcroft Breeding Trust. The Trust was established as a result of a conversation that Denise had with Bob Charley prior to her passing. Charley explained that Cobcroft made a plea for him to continue breeding with her mares and that the proceeds would be used to help injured jockeys." 7/15/17
  • NYU Langone ASC receives $5M donation: 4 key points (Becker's ASC Review) "The Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation provided New York City-based NYU Langone a $5 million gift for its new plastic surgery center." NYU Langone Ambulatory Surgery Center is located in Brooklyn, New York. 7/14/17
  • Aggie donation to support Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts, Huffines Institute (The Eagle) "Texas A&M former student Mike Hilliard, class of '73, and his wife, Debbie, are hoping to make an impact on the lives of future students at the university through a multi-million dollar gift set to support the College of Liberal Arts and the Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance. The $5 million estate donation will see $3 million go to the College of Liberal Arts to support entrepreneurship programs and $2 million toward supporting the College of Education and Human Development's Huffines Institute's ability to grow and expand into the future." 7/14/17

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