Weekly News Recap: September 7, 2018

MacKenzie Art Gallery executive director and CEO Anthony Kiendl poses for a portrait in Regina. TROY FLEECE / REGINA LEADER-POST

The past is always tense, the future perfect -- Zadie Smith

VITREO IS EXPANDING We are expanding our practice and we invite you to celebrate with us. We have served clients in Edmonton and northern Alberta for many years and up until now, we have served these clients from Calgary. That’s about to change! We have hired a Regional Director, based in Edmonton, and we want you to meet her and hear about our expanded team and services to the region. If you are interested in joining us in Edmonton on September 12, send me an email and I will get you an official invite. We look forward to seeing you there!

Lists of lists

  • Slightly More Than 100 Fantastic Articles (The Atlantic) A list of this past year's nonfiction from 'The Best of Journalism' curated by Conor Friedersdorf. 9/5/18

  • AFP Top Ten Fundraising Tips (Week of August 29, 2018): Donor Preferences, Storytelling, Fundraising Anxiety, Annual Planning & More! (AFP eWire) Let's see what we have in store this week... First, the video of Peter Drury talking about how to defuse anxiety related to conversations about fundraising is really great (3 Steps to Avoiding Fundraising Anxiety). Next, Bloomerang is great, at everything they do. This article asks an excellent and obvious but rarely executed upon question (Do You Know Why Your Donors Gave Their First Gift?). Finally, I am always interested in what Vu Le has to say as he is ever the provocateur. (Philanthropy and the Destructive Illusion of “Leveling the Playing Field”). 8/29/18

Worth a watch

  • Documentary about women in science puts gender issues under the microscope (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT "Science is about knowledge. It involves the gathering of facts to help create predictions and provide explanations. But for women who have made science their career, there is seemingly no scientific explanation to explain the work challenges they face solely because of their gender. It's an issue that Edmonton documentary filmmaker Brandy Yanchyk explores in her new film Ms. Scientist." 9/1/18

News

  • Florida thrift shop gets nearly 5 pounds of marijuana in unusual donation, cops say (Fox News) Hmmm...can they sell it? :-) "Employees at the Pines Thrift Store in Sarasota, Florida, are scratching their heads after someone left nearly 5 pounds of marijuana outside the shop last week." 9/4/18

  • Final chapter for Calgary's library campaign (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Congrats to everyone involved! "The final chapter in a long-running fundraising campaign to make Calgary’s libraries the envy of the world is underway. In two months, the downtown New Central Library will finally open its doors to the public — the unveiling of the award-winning designed building being the cornerstone of the $350-million fundraising drive." 9/3/18

  • Angry crowds gather at Brazil's National Museum after devastating fire (CBC) Culture matters. This is a horrific outcome but also, a bellwether for all of us to better protect and invest in what we cherish. "Anger smouldered in Brazil on Monday after a fire destroyed the National Museum, a cherished historical repository that lacked a sprinkler system and which had suffered years of financial neglect [...]. The rising tensions reflect anger over the destruction of the much-loved yet dilapidated museum, which suffered from declining federal funding." 9/3/18

  • City to take over ownership of Calgary Film Centre, pay off studio's debt (CBC) CALGARY STORY "The City of Calgary is spending $13.5 million to pay off the debt on the two-year-old, $28-million Calgary Film Centre. The city will be taking over ownership from its own subsidiary, Calgary Economic Development." 9/2/18

  • Record spending at Alberta bars, restaurants reflects consumer confidence, ATB Financial says (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Yay! Eat, drink, eat some more. "Albertans spent a record amount of money at restaurants and bars in June in the latest sign that people around the province are feeling good about the economy, according to ATB Financial. The bank's economics and research team says the latest Statistics Canada figures showed Albertans rang up $788 million in June at restaurants, bars, pubs and caterers." 8/29/18

  • Drumheller 'World's Largest Dinosaur' structure marks two million visitors (Calgary Herald) DRUMHELLER STORY Love him or hate him (depends on the day for me but I do have a reservoir of fondness for him). Nice milestone Rex! "Heather Bitz, executive director of the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce, said a visitor from Israel was the two millionth person to climb the 106 stairs to the mouth of the dinosaur and take in the view of the surrounding landscape." 8/28/18

First Peoples of Canada

Podcasts to pod

  • 30 Business Podcasts (Mission Podcasts) {Blush} I have only listened to one of these. I better get busy. 8/31/18

Life and career hacks

Uncommon knowledge

  • The Mystery of People Who Speak Dozens of Languages (The New Yorker) I love languages. I want to be these people. If you are multilingual or if you just love the idea of learning more languages, this article is a feast. Enjoy. 9/3/18

  • What Was It Like When The Universe Made Its First Elements? (Starts With a Bang) Reduce from a nuclear furnace boil to a nuclear furnace simmer (only 1 billion degrees Celsius), about 3 minutes and 45 seconds post Big Bang and, voila, Hydrogen and Helium form to make up almost our entire universe. The rest is nerdy (grin) so you will have click to read on. 8/29/18

Opinion

  • Generational shift impacts charities (Winnipeg Free Press) MANITOBA STORY Thanks to our friend and proud Manitoban, Ron Bailey, for sharing this story. "Statistics Canada regularly lists charitable donations by province, and Manitobans are invariably the most generous. There has been speculation over the years about what factors shape this province’s charity. One theory is that geographic isolation, harsh weather and rural roots have combined to develop a neighbour-helps-neighbour compassion. That admirable distinction could fade, however, as Manitoba’s baby boomers die off." 8/29/18

  • Efficient Assumptions (National Centre for Family Philanthropy) Oh my! One of the best pieces on inclusion I have read in a long while. "The problem with efficient assumptions, unconscious or conscious, is they often lead to inefficient results." And by inefficiency, she means exclusion. 2/5/18

Philanthropic controversy

Reports and studies

  • Canadian philanthropy: Who gives, how and why? (Hamilton Spectator) CANADIAN STORY Great post from Canadian fundraising leader and a friend of mine, Roger Ali. Nice work Roger! "A landmark report, 30 Years of Giving in Canada, has examined the charitable donations and giving patterns of Canadians from 1985 to 2014. What makes this report landmark is that it offers an in-depth look at the giving behaviour of Canadians — who gives, how and why — and examines how these trends are reshaping the future of philanthropy in Canada." 8/30/18

Large gifts

  • $1 Million from the State of Maryland will Match Brin Family Donation for Two Endowed Professorships in Computer Science at UMD (UMD Right Now) Matching works! "The University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) will receive $1 million from the state’s Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative (MEI) to match a private donation establishing two Brin Family Endowed Professorships in Theoretical Computer Science." 8/29/18

  • Illinois receives $20 million donation (The Champaign Room) "Illinois Athletics announced [...] a $20 million gift, where $15 million will go toward the soon-to-be completed Football Performance Center. The donation, from the H.D. Smith Foundation, will also include the naming of the center as the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center." 8/29/18

  • Harvard Scholar Gives Spelman College Largest Donation of Books Ever Made to an HBCU (Spelman College) That. That is a lot of books. "Spelman College has received the largest single donation of books given to any historically Black college or university on record. Henry Louis 'Skip' Gates Jr., Ph.D., the Alphonse Fletcher University professor and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, donated 13 pallets of books from his personal library to the College." August 2018

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

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