Weekly News Recap: July 6, 2018

Patricia Moore helped start the Edmonton's Women's Shelter over 50 years ago. On Friday, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. (CBC)

There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum. — Carl Jung

Lists of lists

News

  • Why Calgary's downturns tend to be 'mancessions' (CBC) CALGARY STORY Lots to unpack in this excellent article. First, whether you feel that men in Calgary were being overpaid or not, their relative drop in income is the highest across the country and it is not recovering. That has real effects on the mental health of these men. And this is dangerous. Second, the wage gap between men and women, although not the focus of this article, is stark. We need to resist the urge to bring wage parity to women by lowering the wages of men. Instead, how about raising the wages of women? 7/4/18

  • Uptick in Stampede parties signals a recovering economy, says event organizer (CBC) CALGARY STORY Woot! "Stampede parties have always been an economic barometer for the city: when the economy recovers, so does the Stampede party scene. Calgary event planner Pat McGannon, the president of PM Gigs, spoke to The Eyeopener on Tuesday about how the party scene looks for this year's Stampede." 7/3/18

  • Fighting racism gets $2M boost as Alberta launches grant program for community groups (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "The Alberta government's new $2-million grant program to help combat racism in the province came into effect on Tuesday. Culture Minister Ricardo Miranda released details about the Anti-Racism Community Grant Program at an event in Calgary alongside representatives from the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary, the Calgary Urban Indigenous Council, and the Sudanese Community Association." 7/3/18

  • ‘Aha’ moment in pitch to Nike took Calgary charitable-giving firm from startup to success (Globe and Mail) CALGARY STORY "Everyone is happy to take a meeting when your business model is built around making the world a better place. But whether they actually buy your product – well, that’s a bit more complicated. It was a lesson that Bryan de Lottinville learned first-hand when he founded Calgary-based Benevity Inc. in 2008. The organization produces software that makes it easy for the staff of client companies to donate time or money to charity." Great story. Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing. 7/3/18

  • Calgary Order of Canada recipient Patricia Moore inspired to volunteer by her father (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Nice. I love reading these appointments. They represent the pinnacle of achievement by Canadians across all sectors of endeavour. A huge congratulations to all but a special congrats to Pat Moore (philanthropist and board member) Roberta Bondar (astronaut), Matthew Coon Come (former AFN National Chief), Thomas d’Aquino (philanthropist and board member), Ronald Ghitter (former senator), Dianne and Irv Kipnes (philanthropists and volunteers), Frances Olson (philanthropist and board member), Michael Tims (philanthropist), and Aritha Van Herk (writer and author). 6/29/18

  • U of L’s new science and academic building recognized globally for its ‘innovative’ design (Global News) LETHBRIDGE STORY "The new building is central to the University’s Destination Project and has been under construction since May, 2016. Now 75 per cent complete, Cooper says that once finished, it will serve as one of the most advanced facilities for teaching the sciences in Canada." 6/29/18

  • Transplant surgeon changed Type 1 diabetes treatment the world over (Folio) EDMONTON STORY In 2002, I went to work with the UofA Faculty of Medicine. Part of our work revolved around fundraising to support this program. Little did I know then that nine years later my son Ethan would be diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and that I would also be diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 2013. What the pioneers of the Edmonton Protocol, led by transplant surgeon Dr. James Shapiro did was and is nothing short of miraculous. It was a privilege to work with my fellow fundraiser, Bert Murray, to help fundraise for this team. Congrats to Dr. Shapiro on this well-deserved award. 6/29/18

  • Alberta deficit $2.5B lower than forecast thanks to higher revenues (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "The Alberta government ended the fiscal year with a deficit of $8 billion, $2.5 billion less than was forecast in the spring 2017 budget, due to higher than expected revenue. The annual report, released Thursday by Finance Minister Joe Ceci, shows the government's actual results for the period running from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018." 6/28/18

  • Community builder Nuvyn Peters recognized as one of Canada's outstanding leaders (UToday) CALGARY STORY "This week, Nuvyn Peters was recognized for her role as an engaging community leader, and named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40." 6/27/18

  • Varcoe: Four in 10 Calgary companies look to add staff as confidence grows in economy (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "A new survey of business owners and operators by Calgary Economic Development and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce finds confidence has been growing in the local economy in the past year. Some 62 per cent of respondents said their businesses are busier now than in 2017 — up 27 percentage points over the past year— while only 14 per cent described this year as being slower. Looking at the future, six in 10 believe things will generally improve in the next year. Only 11 per cent anticipate it will get worse." 6/27/18

  • Olds College prepares for the future by opening its Smart Farm (Red Deer Advocate) OLDS STORY "Olds College officials will cut the ribbon on a 'cutting-edge learning environment' when the Smart Farms officially opens on Wednesday. The new Smart Farm is being launched on 110-acres to give students a chance to work with both the ag and tech sectors in optimizing innovation and research." 6/26/18

Books to read

Podcasts to pod

  • 35 Best Philosophy Podcasts (The Mission) Philosophy fascinates me. Reading about philosophy drives me batty. This sounds like a great way to thread that needle. See what I did there. 6/26/18

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

Opinion

  • How Education Philanthropy Can Accidentally Promote Groupthink and Bandwagonism (Education Week) "[The] knowledge that certain stances and sentiments will prompt wallets to open and that others will cause them to close, makes it easy to reflexively trim one's sails, soften one's words, and get with the program [...]. It's funny how foundation officials simultaneously manage to acknowledge and dismiss concerns about all this. They tell you that they know people are sucking up to them and, to demonstrate that they get it, they all tell the same self-deprecating jokes. (The most famous of these is, 'When I took this job, X told me, You'll never again have a bad meal or a bad idea. And X was right!')" 7/2/18

Fundraising canon

Philanthropic controversy

  • Kelowna workers on strike challenge casino to match donation to Children’s Hospital (Kelowna Now) KELOWNA STORY "Over 200 members of the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) on strike at Playtime Casino Kelowna say that they are challenging their employer to match a donation to BC Children’s Hospital. The workers are holding a charity barbeque for the hospital outside the casino in downtown Kelowna on Canada Day afternoon. The annual event is usually supported by the Playtime Casino, however this year the workers are holding it with the support of the union." 6/30/18

  • Gallery officials knew selling the Chagall would be highly controversial — but did it anyway (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "'Discussions focused on whether The Eiffel Tower meets all the criteria for disposition as set forth in the Gallery's Disposition Policy, and whether the institution is prepared to deal with the potential negative reaction of the public to this disposition,' read the minutes of a Dec. 4, 2017 committee meeting where the sale was first discussed. Members of the acquisition committee unanimously approved the move and the full board of trustees unanimously endorsed it the following day." 6/28/18

  • British Museum accepts donation of exquisite Chinese ivories. Does it send the wrong message? (South China Morning Post) "The museum revealed on Wednesday that it had accepted the gift of 556 ivory items acquired in the early 20th century by Sir Victor Sassoon, the famed Shanghai-based businessman and hotelier who died in 1961." 6/28/18

  • Lutheran Church accused of securities violations in failed Alberta housing investment (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The president of the Lutheran Church of Canada said Thursday it will move away from the use of locally administered church funds after Alberta's securities regulator accused it and its Alberta-B.C. district church of misleading investors." 6/28/18

Trends and shifts

  • Another Komen Chapter Goes Under amidst Massive Revenue Losses (Nonprofit Quarterly) "[The] organization nationally slipped from revenue of $385 million in 2011 to a little more than $70 million in 2017 according to its most recent Form 990 report at GuideStar. If anyone is counting, that is a drop of around 80 percent in six years. Though it has been reducing its expenses, the organization also ran a $29 million deficit this year." 7/3/18

  • Second Act: A Funder's Initiative to Provide Unrestricted Artist Support (Inside Philanthropy) "Duke initially conceived the Doris Duke Artists Awards as an initiative to support artists working in jazz, contemporary dance and theater. The initiative officially ended in 2017, but its success convinced Duke to resurrect the awards, with no expiration in sight. Going forward, the foundation will continue to award up to seven Doris Duke Artist Awards on an annual basis." 6/27/18

  • Survey: Basic Science Philanthropy Mostly Heading to Life Sciences and Top Institutions (Inside Philanthropy) "The Private Funding of Basic Science Survey recently posted its third year of results, and while the numbers aren’t comprehensive (it’s a voluntary survey, after all) they have been suggesting some interesting trends in science philanthropy. For one, funding is consistently quite concentrated by both subject matter and institutions receiving funds. " 6/26/18

  • Key Takeaways From Mary Meeker’s 2018 Internet Trends Report (The Startup) Mary Meeker is one of my most hotly awaited trend seers. She never lets me down. The entire deck is north of 300 slides. Settle in. 6/20/18

Large gifts

  • Covenant Medical Center receives nearly $3 million donation (NBC) "The Covenant Foundation says a donation of nearly $3 million dollars is coming to Covenant Medical Center [...]. The gift is a result of the donations from associates, providers, public donors and the Otto Schoitz Foundation." 7/2/18

  • Someone bought $1 million in Toys 'R' Us toys right before stores went out of business (CNN) Nice! "An anonymous shopper gave Toys 'R' Us a parting gift just before its stores around the country prepared to close their doors for the last time [...]. The price tag: $1 million, which employees say the buyer spent on whatever toys were left in the store [...]. And the toys' destination: into the arms of needy children [...]." Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. 7/2/18

  • Summer Games Done Quick 2018 Finishes With Over $2.1 Million in Total Donations (Shack News) "Summer Games Done Quick 2018 has come to an end. Following Saturday night's Final Fantasy VI run, the event wrapped up, but everyone is departing with something to be proud of. That's because the multitude of speedrunners featured throughout the week combined their talents to raise over $2 million for Doctors Without Borders." 7/1/18

  • Father Joe’s Villages Receives $2.4 Million Donation for Family Living Center (Times of San Diego) "Father Joe’s Villages Friday announced it received a $2.4 million donation from First Lutheran Development Corporation to operate the Family Living Center." 6/29/18

  • Home Base Program will be able to treat more veterans after $65 million donation (Boston Globe) I heart this story. "The Home Base Program, a partnership between the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, has received a $65 million donation from Wounded Warrior Project that will dramatically expand its capacity to treat veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues." 6/27/18

  • UDAC Announces a $3 Million Donation (ABC) "[UDAC (United Day Activity Centre)] has been given $3 million to purchase the former Duluth Business University. Joseph and Nancy Bullyan gifted UDAC with the generous donation to purchase a new building [...]." 6/26/18

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