Remember What's Important

I was having a great day at work today and decided to buy my staff some Izzy's ice cream from the Birchwood Cafe because it is super hot and feels like the last hurrah of summer. As I was waiting in the turn lane for the light rail train to pass, I saw a man look at the train coming and jump in front of it. A man that was standing near by ran over and tried to help but it was obviously too late, in many many ways. There is probably a story here about a crumbling social services safety net, the lack of funding for mental health services, and the debate over health care access for all but quite honestly I don't have the mental energy for that today. What I will say is that as I was taking to the very kind transit officer that was getting my statement, the only thing that I could think about was how soon I could see my family. Just a half an hour before all that was on my mind was staff morale and getting ready for a fabulous reception that the Minnesota Council of Foundations is putting on for foundation staff to socialize tonight. But really, that isn't where priorities lie when you are shaken awake by tragedy.

So I leave to to you guys and the other really talented people in the nonprofit and government sector to figure out what it takes to stop these kind of tragedies from happening again but what I will say is hold your loved ones a little bit tighter and in the busyness of the day, don't forget what is really important.

Don't miss the NGen Fellowship Deadline

From American Express and Independent Sector:

The new American Express NGen Fellows Program will offer 12 under-40 professionals from Independent Sector member organizations a rare opportunity to magnify their impact and accelerate their careers. Based on the recognition that the leaders we need tomorrow are poised to contribute today, this program will build the capacity of emerging leaders through tailored online and in-person programming and special networking opportunities, and includes complementary registration and lodging for the 2009 Annual Conference.

American Express NGen Fellows will be a diverse and talented group selected from under-40 staff at IS member organizations.  Visit the IS website to learn more about the benefits of participation in the fellows program, the selection process, and how to apply.  Applications are due August 14.  

This program enhances NGen: Moving Nonprofit Leaders from Next to Now, which is designed to expand and improve the nonprofit talent pool by developing the leadership skills and networks of emerging leaders.  Free to all under-40 conference attendees, NGen offers targeted workshop sessions addressing topics important to emerging leaders and opportunities for rising young professionals to connect with leaders of all ages. Register for the IS Annual Conference today!

13 Seconds in August

Two years ago today, the 35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis.  As Minnesotans mourned for the families that had lost so much, we also mourned that we had lost our belief in our state's infrastructure. Things that were seen as strong and unmoveable were no longer trustworthy. Immediately after the bridge collapsed, I wondered what philanthropy's role should be in this type of crisis. For the next few weeks, I worked that issue out with my colleagues at the Saint Paul Foundation and with an amazing partnership of grantmakers. Our foundations acted as a central repository, as people turned their mourning into action. We collected over $1.2 million dollars from institutions, everyday people, community bake sales, memorial concerts, and lemonade stands. We were presented with big oversized checks and glass jars full of change.

We met as grantmakers and made tough decisions about how the first dollars would go out. We made the easier choice first, we send money to nonprofits that immediately helped after the crisis. I think each of us had our own way of dealing with the weight of responsibility that came with those first choices. I read each of those applications over and over again. I talked to my step-dad, who is a firefighter and who worked many long days after the collapse on the rescue and then recovery efforts, to see how he felt about the mental health providers who had claimed that they were reaching out to the first responders (he gave them a glowing report card). I asked a friend who's children were on a school bus on the bridge during the collapse if he was getting the support he needed from a nonprofit that was requesting funds (his family was). I asked myself if I had lost a loved one in the collapse, which institution would I turn to or help, and would that be a different agency if I was an undocumented immigrant, a stay at home mom in the suburbs, or  an executive's husband. The choices that we made were tough but fair and the grants that we made during that process are the ones that I have been most proud of during my career. We got the money out quickly, with as little paperwork as possible. I am even prouder of the next phase of grantmaking, because we understood our limitations as funders and charged the United Way's 211 line with the task of coordinating services for survivors and families that had lost a loved one and provided financial assistance to those families. That phase of grantmaking paid for mortgages, wheelchair ramps, and a host of other things that we hoped would make the pain a little more bearable.

Participating in grantmaking of this magnitude and with so much pressure to do the right thing was a career changing thing for me. It taught me that philanthropy is just people reaching out to each other and hoping to make someone's life a little bit better. I also learned that relying on your instincts is an important part of the process, as well as talking to people who are closer to the issue than you are. I also found out that foundations can get money out quickly and with very little paperwork, there just needs to be the will to do that.

I'll say a prayer for the families tonight and another prayer for our field to have the wisdom and compassion needed to be the help our communities need.

Whupping Thy Neighbors' Child

I love this post by Gara LaMarche, President of Atlantic Philanthropies  about Obama's speech to the NAACP. So often the media's portrayal of the president's relationship with the African American community has been slanted because the media doesn't understand the African American community (to speak on broad terms). I also love that Mr. LaMarche's foundation just began to use a social justice lens for its grantmaking. From GaraLog: I was in the audience when President Obama spoke to the NAACP the other night.  It seemed like that would be a good place to be when the first black President of the United States spoke to the leading black organization -- wellspring of the long struggles against lynching, Jim Crow and segregation -- on its 100th anniversary.  And it was.  He delivered the goods, as he almost always does.

The part of the speech that got the most attention, particularly in the New York Times story, was where Obama spoke as a black man to other black parents and grandparents:

We've got to say to our children, yes, if you're African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher.  Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb does not have to face.  But that's not a reason to get bad grades -- (applause) -- that's not a reason to cut class -- (applause) -- that's not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school.  (Applause.)  No one has written your destiny for you.  Your destiny is in your hands -- you cannot forget that.  That's what we have to teach all of our children.  No excuses.  (Applause.)  No excuses.

Read the rest here.

Every in-box comes with a prize inside!

I know I have been a little missing in action on the posts lately. I just got back from an amazing trip to beautiful Puerto Rico with the family where I spoke about fundraising across generations (thanks Emily and Taij for being great co-panelists) and then I attended EPIP's professional development fund gathering in Detroit. I'll write about those great conferences later but for now I will share all of the amazing opportunities that were in my in-box when I returned, maybe one is just right for you.

Minnesota Jobs

The League of Women Voters Minnesota is seeking a Program Associate. The full job description can be found here.

The Nonprofit Assistance Fund is seeking a loan officer/financial consultant. Here's the description.

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is looking for a program coordinator.

Tronix Team Associate Director (Americorp Position). Full disclosure: I'm on the board of the Park Avenue Foundation that runs the Tronix program and I love the program's lunch box boom box. Here's the announcement.

Chicago Jobs

Crown Family Philanthropies is seeking an environmental program officer.  The posting can be found here.

The Chicago Foundation for Women is seeking a administrative assistant. Here's the link.

Nebraska Job

The Lincoln Community Foundation is seeking a new President. More info is here.

Conferences

There is going to be an amazing convening for African Americans in Philanthropy that was coordinated by the ABFE Fellows. TAKING CARE is a culturally-centered professional development opportunity for black philanthropic staff to reflect on and reconnect with the values that brought us to philanthropic work, giving us energy to better sustain the quality and depth of our commitment on the job. The conference takes place August 20-23rd in California. I think this retreat will be a great opportunity to connect with peers and remember why you got into this work. Here's the registration info.