Great video on how venture philanthropy can help society deal with some of society's hardest issues. Also an interesting case study on how foundations can use YouTube to generate support for the work that they are doing in the community.
Philanthropic Roots
"Poverty isn't only a lack of financial resources, it is an isolation from the kind of people that can help you make more of yourself." -Keith Ferrazzi
I have been thinking a lot lately about what foundations are doing to address the root causes of injustice and poverty in our communities. At a Black men and boys conference that I attended Alvin Starks of the Open Society Institute had an important thought about this issue, he said the question shouldn't be what is wrong with Black men and boys, the question should be what is wrong with a society that would completely write off a whole section of its population?
What are we doing as a field to address root causes of problems? Are we just skimming the surface and avoiding the real questions because they are too hard?
Top 10 Reasons why Philanthropy blogging is important to the sector
Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy asked me to write a guest blog on why philanthropy blogging is important. You can find five of the reasons here and the rest at EPIP's fantastic blog EPIPhanies.
1) Traditional media doesn’t really give a hoot about what happens in the foundation world. Buffet gifts aside, it is hard to find consistent coverage of the sector, blogs fill that void.
2) Blogs identify trends. New ideas that are bubbling up in the sector (or old ideas that are being reconsidered) first show up in blogs. Topics like rethinking the term “nonprofit”, should nonprofits play a role in election campaigns, and the public relations problem of Gen X are all being discussed on philanthropy blogs right now.
3) Foundations are notoriously secretive and blogs are very open. Blogging about the field lifts that curtain so everyone can see Oz and as scary as that is, it makes us better at our jobs.
4) Nonprofits are looking for clues about how foundations operate. Blogs give insight into the people behind the letterhead.
5) Blogs invite participation. Participation creates new and better ideas than closed door brainstorming sessions.
Read the rest of the reasons at EPIP's blog EPIPhanies
New feature on this blog- Questions
I was at a great meeting yesterday about rethinking journalism and how to include the wisdom of the community when covering stories. The organization that I was meeting with said that they had been able to predict interesting trends and get more creative solutions to problems by asking lots of people to share their expertise about a topic. The interesting piece was that they asked people to share their expertise, not their opinions. As new foundation staff we often forget that we have areas of expertise that could be useful to others inside and outside the field. I am going start asking a series of questions about next generation philanthropy issues. I want to see if we can identify trends and new solutions to strengthen the sector.
Words of Wisdom from Susan Berresford, Ford Foundation President
Susan Berresford, the retiring president of the Ford Foundation, was a featured speaker at one of the Council of Foundation’s Emerging Leader Salons. These salons were an opportunity to meet with fellow emerging philanthropic leaders and connect with seasoned leaders in the field. At the session, I asked her to describe the characteristics of an exceptional program officer. She said that a strong Program Officer has a series of traits that could be considered conflicting but each trait is necessary to create balance.
Exceptional Program Officers:
Have the ability to see conceptually and yet are detailed oriented.
Are good listeners but after they listen to ideas, they are able to drive good ideas forward.
Are polite and generous with their time with grantees and potential grantees but are able to get to the point and get things done.
What do you think about this list? Are there things that are missing? What are the characteristics that move someone from an average program officer to one that is truly an asset to their foundation and their community?