Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

Come to a free class—and receive a discount coupon!

Have you heard about the newest way we’re helping under-resourced nonprofits? The Foundation Center will assist attendees in our free classes take the next step toward fundraising success with a $25 discount on registration for any full-day grantseeker training course. Discount coupons are available to all 60- and 90-minute free-class attendees in our library/learning center, and they’re valid for all training course registrations through May 31, 2009.

Check out our education and events calendar for the dates and times of free classes and full-day courses. To learn about our complete schedule of full-day sessions and to register online, visit foundationcenter.org/training. 

(This post is from Leeanne G-Bowley, Manager of National Training, Foundation Center)

Have you heard about the newest way we’re helping under-resourced nonprofits? The Foundation Center will assist attendees in our free classes take the next step toward fundraising success with a $25 discount on registration for any full-day grantseeker training course. Discount coupons are available to all 60- and 90-minute free-class attendees in our library/learning center, and they’re valid for all training course registrations through May 31, 2009.

Check out our education and events calendar for the dates and times of free classes and full-day courses. To learn about our complete schedule of full-day sessions and to register online, visit foundationcenter.org/training. 

(This post is from Leeanne G-Bowley, Manager of National Training, Foundation Center)

April Is Funding for Health and Human Services Month

This month we're offering an array of programs designed to strengthen organizations working to make our communities healthier.

If you're grappling with budget challenges created by the current economic climate, plan to take advantage of these opportunities to hear directly from foundation and corporate grantmakers. Other special programs focus on successful fundraising strategies, partnerships and collaborations, and evaluation specifically for health and human services agencies. Go to our calendar where you can see all that's offered and register.

Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review

Highlights of News and Issues That Shaped the Year
The Foundation Center has just released Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review, our yearly overview of the news, issues, people, organizations, and giving trends shaping the field. The new edition "serves as a permanent record of the ups and downs we've faced together in 2008 and the efforts of so many people to strive for something better," says Bradford K. Smith, the Center's president, in the Annual's introduction. Contents are drawn in part from Philanthropy News Digest, our daily online news service, as well as from selected Center research findings and other sources. Available for free use in our libraries, the Annual can also be downloaded or purchased ($19.95) at our web site.

From the Answer Desk: How often is the Center's Foundation Giving Forecast updated?

I found the Foundation Center's 2009 Foundation Giving Forecast to be extremely informative. How often is it updated and from what sources? Also, how would I find similar giving forecasts for foundations not included in the chart?

Answer: Our 2009 Foundation Giving Forecast is updated dynamically whenever new information is made available, and is compiled from public announcements of foundations, related news from the Center's Philanthropy News Digest, and other sources. It is available free of charge and can be found at http://foundationcenter.org/focus/
economy/forecast.html

To find current news and information for foundations not included in Foundation Giving Forecast, check the news section of Philanthropy News Digest (PND). For example, PND publishes a Community Foundation Update on a weekly basis with leadership changes and funding and program information for community foundations across the country. You can also search for the latest news on specific foundations using the "search news" option.

You might also check The Chronicle of Philanthropy, which is now periodically publishing lists of recently awarded grants targeting the economic crisis. Though these lists are not available free online, the San Francisco library/learning center provides access through our subscription to this publication. Another option is to sign up for alerts from nonprofit news wires such as PNN Online and Philanthropy Journal.

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

(Thanks to Rob Bruno, reference librarian, Foundation Center - New York, for sharing this post.)

Grantmakers Describe the Impact of the Economic Crisis on Their Giving

New Research Advisory

The Foundation Center's research department has just released a new research advisory on how foundations are responding to the economic crisis. The advisory presents a range of tools and information that readers can use to track how foundations plan to offer support to the nonprofit sector during these challenging times.

The complete report is available for downloading from the Focus on the Economic Crisis area of our web site, where you will also find news, research, interviews, podcasts, and other resources on the topic.

Take a look at the report, and if you've got questions, post them here and we'll try to help.

A Map is Worth a Thousand Words

Today John Kenyon was the opening speaker at our annual Open House program on the topic of Engaging Donors Using Web 2.0 and Digital Storytelling.  His session was such a big hit that we asked him to write a guest blog for us for the benefit of those who were not able to attend. You can also access a copy of the Power Point slides that accompanied John's presentation here.

I  spoke at the Foundation Center-San Francisco's Open House about engaging donors and prospects. One of the examples I gave in my presentation was about using maps to more closely connect donors with your work. A picture is worth a thousand words and a good visual can have much more emotional impact than a letter with statistics about your work.

As an example, I showed the map used by PlanetHazard.com. When you go to their site you see a list that includes Top Ten Polluters. Clicking on this link brings up a map where you can click on one of the polluter sites to get more detail on the specific pollutant and emissions. Also in the information box is a link to “Map nearby schools and other locations…”. Clicking on that link brings up a map of the polluter site and all of the nearby schools, as shown in this example.

                                                                                                        

It is one thing for your donors to know there is a toxic site nearby, but quite another thing for them to see that their child is going to school 2 blocks from that site and that their friends child goes to school 4 blocks away from it. This connection helps donors see more clearly how your work affects them and why supporting your organization is important, which is often more likely to prompt a donation than just a text explanation.

There are a variety of free mapping tools including Google Maps, Google Earth,  Frappr and the open source Generic Mapping Tools (GMT). If there is information your organization could present to donors online, be it the locations where you provide service, the area of impact of your work, or trouble spots in a region, consider including maps on your website to give donors another way to view your work – and another excuse to donate!

  JOHN KENYON is a technology educator and strategist who’s worked with nonprofits for over 18 years providing advice, teaching seminars and writing articles about technology. He authored the Effective Online Communications chapter in the soon-to-be released book Managing Technology to Meet your Mission. John’s consulting practice concentrates on strategic uses of appropriate technologies with a focus on effectively leveraging the internet. He recently helped build and deliver the We Are Media workshop on social media for nonprofits.

He is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and has been a featured speaker across the US, England, Australia and online. For updates and to learn more, visit www.johnkenyon.org.

Tomorrow's Our Annual Open House

Join us tomorrow to celebrate our 10th annual open house! This year's will be my ninth so I can say from experience it is a fun and informative day. We're featuring two special events--John Kenyon’s “Engaging Donors Using Web 2.0 and Digital Storytelling” and Kay Sprinkel Grace and Lisa Hoffman’s “Exquisite Board Leadership” as well as a couple of our classic training sessions. We'll also have instructional demos and a treasure hunt throughout the day. You can even enjoy our refreshments, the one day each year you can eat and drink in the library. We hope to see you here!

YNPN Book Club: What is the What

   Last night, we had the pleasure of hosting the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Book Club's discussion on What is the What, by Dave Eggers. With nearly 30 folks in attendance, the discussion proved active and thoughtful. If you haven't read What is the What, be prepared for a very emotional read. (Read synopses and review). If you did read it, tell us what you thought of the book in the comments below.

To recap, before discussing the book, we were joined by Consuelo Amat, a guest speaker from the Bay Area chapter of Human Rights Watch. Her introduction provided historical insight into the first and second Sudanese civil wars and details regarding human rights violations in Sudan.

After an hour or so of book discussion, Greg Larson, associate director, The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation updated us on the current efforts of Valentino and Dave Eggers to build the first secondary school in Southern Sudan. Watch a video of their work.

The YNPN Book Club is an active group of young Bay Area professionals that meet bi-monthly to network, discuss books and share ideas and questions related to nonprofit managment, social change or related topics. Recent reads include Stick Your Neck Out by John Graham; Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins; and Loyal to the Sky by Marisa Handler. Whether your'e a job seeker, new to the nonprofit sector, or a seasoned leader, you are welcome to join the Book Club. For more information, email: bookclubsf@ynpn.org

Join us for the next YNPN Book Club discussion on The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, by Anne Fadiman--Wednesday, April 8th, from 6-8 pm at the Foundation Center.

New Tool! Foundation Giving Forecast

The Center's Focus on the Economic Crisis online information hub has yet another targeted tracking tool to offer foundation watchers!

Foundation Giving Forecast is a dynamic chart that takes information from multiple data sources and in one place presents foundations' planned responses to the economic crisis, news about these foundations, their most recent fiscal information, and summary forecasts for giving in the near future. Users can use the chart to gain insight on how the philanthropic sector is confronting the economic crisis and how the largest foundation in the country plan to support the work of nonprofits.

The forecast tool is free and available to all and will be updated on a continuous basis, so check it out and let us know what you think.

Full-Day Fundraising Seminars

Are you looking for additional revenue? Or more likely another source for lost revenue? Have you exhausted all of our free training opportunities? In the next six weeks we offering several in-depth programs for grantseekers who want to diversify their funding streams and explore various corporate/nonprofit partnership models:

• Developing a Fundraising Plan, February 20
• Securing Corporate Partnerships, March 24

If your organization can't afford the fee, check to see if you're eligible for a scholarship. A complete list of winter/spring seminars offered throughout the country is available in the Marketplace area of our web site.