Beyond dollars for *BIG* change

By Tamara Lucas Copeland, President, Washington Grantmakers

Today’s a big day for Washington Grantmakers. As our members gather at the National Housing Center for our annual meeting, we’re also releasing 1) new survey results, which show the effect of the recession on grantmaker assets and 2) a new report, which reveals how grantmakers can continue to effect “Big Change.”

Beyond Dollars: Investing in Big Change: How Washington Area Grantmakers Are Creating Lasting Impact, presents a series of recent case studies of Washington area “Big Change” grantmaking – initiatives that have, among other things, helped produce a drastic reduction in the local teen pregnancy rate, and helped access millions of dollars of previously untapped funding to feed the area’s hungry. The report is here.

The recession is spurring grantmakers to attack problems by going “beyond dollars.” That means putting all their assets to work, not just their money, but their ability to build partnerships, to be a strong voice for change, to leverage key resources, and to capitalize on timing and momentum. With today’s release of Beyond Dollars, we encourage grantmakers to capitalize on these strengths to fulfill philanthropy’s role as “society’s passing gear.”

“Grantmaking in 2009 & 2010,” based on a recent survey of Washington Grantmakers members, offers insights into how the recession has affected area grantmakers – in a word, harshly. But it also demonstrates that grantmakers are figuring out ways to do more with less. Next year, with grantmaking budgets shrinking still further, creativity in going beyond dollars will continue to be critical. The analysis of the survey results is here.

Taken together, the survey and the report point to a transformed grantmaking environment in the years to come, one that continues to address pressing short-term needs, but that also channels resources toward long-term solutions.

Finally—and this is a key point—this approach isn’t just a strategy for getting through the recession. Good philanthropy always maximizes the impact of investments by wisely marshalling the full scope of assets, monetary and otherwise.

We’re going Beyond Dollars in 2010. Stay tuned.

Thank you, veterans… HIV/AIDS in DC… Opinion: “How to fix charitable giving” [News, 11.11.09]

* The *BIG* day is tomorrow! (Schedule, Directions, Metro, Parking)

VETERANS DAY
- Volunteer Vets: Returning Troops Still Want to Serve (Time, 11/10)
- Report supported by Case Foundation and Target: “All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service” (wire, 11/11)
- Nation Marks Veterans Day Amid Efforts To End Veteran Homelessness And Unemployment (AHN, 11/11)

HIV/AIDS | Congress is set to stick it to clean-syringe programs (WaPo opinion, 11/10). Fact: Rep. Jack Kingston’s (R-Ga.) amendment would result in more infected District residents. (Got a problem with that? Contact your non-voting representative.)

EDUCATION | Bad teachers in D.C., Md. are shielded, report says (WaPo, 11/10) – The Center for American Progress and the American Enterprise Institute collaborated on this report, which almost brings a tear to my eye.

PHILANTHROPY | What’s Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It (WSJ, 11/9) – I’m re-linking this article (unprecedented!) because it’s a conversation starter.

ARTS | This Special Arts Edition of the LISC Quarterly Newsletter features Rose Ann Cleveland, WG Board member and executive director of the Cafritz Foundation, where “giving to the arts and humanities has always been a high priority. From 1970 to 2009 they have awarded over $314 million in grants to 109 arts organizations.”

PEOPLE | Horton’s Kids keeps interim executive director on (WBJ, 11/10) On? On what? At any rate, Brenda Chamberlain will lead the organization.

DEVELOPMENT | Mixed-use projects in District advance (WaPo, 11/11) “The Cafritz Foundation seeks to build Art Place and Shops at Fort Totten, a residential project that would include a grocery store, a children’s museum, a senior center, and cultural and arts space.”

BIG meeting is tomorrow! (Schedule, Directions, Metro & Parking)

…and we’re full! (Unless you’re a member. Members: contact Katy Moore directly at 202.939.3436)

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Place: National Housing Center, 1201 15th St, NW, 1st Floor

DIRECTIONS, METRO, & PARKING:
- The National Housing Center is located on 15th St, NW between M and N Streets (MAP).
- The closest metro stops are Farragut North (red line—L St exit) and McPherson Square (blue/orange line—17th St exit).
- There are a few parking garages within walking distance from the building but spaces are limited.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Business Meeting (members only)
9:00 am – Registration, breakfast, networking
9:30 am – Business Meeting. With guests:
- Washington Improv Theater: “The BIG Change Challenge”
- Featured Speaker: Allison Fine, author of Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age

Luncheon & Keynote Speaker
11:30 am - Arrival, registration and networking
12:00 noon
- Performance: Step Afrika!
- Luncheon Meeting Opens
- Featured Speaker: Dan Pallotta, author, Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine their Potential
2:00 pm - Adjourn

Sponsors:

New! Capacity Building addendum to WG’s Common Grant Application

By Carolynn Mambu, Vice President, Washington Grantmakers

As more funders engage in capacity building grantmaking, better coordination is needed to relieve some of the request and reporting burden from our grantee partners. To this end, WG is excited to announce a new capacity building-focused addendum to the Common Grant Application.

The new “For Capacity Building Requests” section:

• - Identifies specific capacity needs (as opposed to general operating).
• - Provides funders with a “big picture” view of the capacity challenges facing the applicant.
• - Teases out how the nonprofit identified the issue, as well as any work that it has done to date to address it.
• - Helps define a clear action plan and measurable, achievable tasks and outcomes.

Created by WG members, the Common Grant Application streamlines fundraising for nonprofits by creating a standard application format that many funders can use. Dozens of local funders have adopted this model.

The addendum is the culmination of conversations organized by the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region’s Partnership for Equity. A small group of funders looked at several local and national capacity building resources and developed a common set of questions. It was submitted to the WG for consideration and was formally approved and adopted this month.

Many thanks to our colleagues Ben Murphy and Lee Parker (The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region); Rick Moyers (Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation); Rachel Wick (Consumer Health Foundation); Kristin Scotchmer (The Community Foundation); and, Julia Baer-Cooper (Philanthropic Advisor) who led this effort.

EVENT RECAP: Capacity building toward sustainability

As Darwin said, it’s not the strongest that survive but those that are most adaptable. This principle applies to organizational effectiveness as well. According to Paul Connolly, Senior Vice President of the TCC Group, adaptability and nimbleness are the most important characteristics for a nonprofit to survive and thrive–particularly in the current economic climate.

In a meeting on building capacity toward sustainability this month, WG members learned that they need to be as adaptive as their grantees in their approach to capacity building. There is a degree of risk in making these grants but a few guidelines emerged as the conversation continued:

• - Do no harm. Avoid being overly meddlesome with your nonprofit partner.
• - Remain mission-focused rather than activity-focused.
• - Organizational readiness is a key component to capacity-building success. It takes capacity to build capacity.
• - Capacity building is a continuous process in the life of an organization. Nonprofits that continue to learn continue to grow and thrive.

To view the full presentations by panelists Paul Connolly of TCC Group and Linda Dunphy, from Doorways for Women click here.

For information about the new Capacity Building addendum to the Common Grant Application, click here.

For more information about capacity building generally, please check out the following resources:

-Deeper Capacity Building for Greater Impact:
Designing a Long-Term Initiative to Strengthen a Set of Nonprofit Organizations
-Building to Last: A Grantmaker’s Guide to Strengthening Nonprofit Organizations (*free registration required)
-Strengthening Nonprofit Performance: A Funders Guide to Capacity Building (Order on Amazon.com)

WSJ Philanthropy issue … “Nov. 16 event: Nonprofit 911: What’s Next?” … WG Annual Meeting full! … [News, 11.9.09]

Three quick, important things:

1) We’re full! Registration is closed for WG’s 2009 Annual meeting on Thursday UNLESS you are a WG member. WG members: contact Katy Moore asap (moore@washingtongrantmakers.org / 202-939-3436) to register.

2) Don’t Miss: “Nonprofit 911: What’s Next?” – Nov. 16, 2009 -  REGISTER … space is limited… featuring the Eight Neighbors, Dr. Alice Rivlin (Brookings), and moderated by Robert McCartney (Washington Post)

3) Rescheduled: Tomorrow’s Northern Virginia Funders Breakfast. Stay tuned for updates.

Several newsy things:

PHILANTHROPY | The Wall Street Journal’s Philanthropy issue came out over the weekend (11/8). Much of interest, including:
- “More philanthropists are looking at new opportunities in so-called public-private partnerships.”
- “Tough Times, New Tactics” for corporations
- Pablo Eisenberg: “Much of current philanthropic giving, by foundations and individuals, neither meets the needs of our charitable organizations nor addresses some of our most urgent public needs.” (WSJ, 11/9)

GIVING
- Case Foundation tweets results to America’s Giving Challenge: “…more than 100K donations raised nearly $2M for nonprofits – truly incredible! http://bit.ly/eLWlt“
- Small Nonprofits Dominate America’s Giving Challenge (NonprofitTimes, 11/6)
- Venture Philanthropy Partners will give $4.5 million to the local chapter of Year Up, a nonprofit that prepares young people for technology careers. (WaPo, 11/9)

HIV/AIDS | Congress Could Investigate DC’s HIV Programs (WAMU, 11/9)

HEALTH | Many in D.C. area’s affluent suburbs lack medical insurance (WaPo, 11/9)

Finding the next Teach for America… More homeless families in DC… Literacy grants [News, 11.6.09]

SOCIAL SECTOR
Independent Sector conference winding up in Detroit – “Melody Barnes, President Obama’s domestic policy adviser: “We believe somewhere out there is the next Teach for America or Harlem Children’s Zone, and we want to find it.” Rosetta Thurman is at the conference and I’m not sure anyone’s covering it better. She passes on this quote from Margaret McKenna, President of Walmart Foundation:

“I’m not committed to any organizations, but to social change. I don’t think it’s bad that organizations change and go away. I’m astounded by the number of people who don’t know who else is working in the same space. We’ve given grants for collaborative work to four organizations, then after we leave, they just split up the money.”

PEOPLE | Ellen London will serve as interim President and CEO of DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation starting Monday, November 9, 2009.

HOMELESSNESS | Number Of Homeless Families In Need in DC Jumps (CityPaper, 11/5)

RECESSION | National unemployment rate jumps to 10.2 percent; highest since 1983 (WaPo, 11/6)

LITERACY | The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy announces 2010 Maryland grant competition.

RHEEFORM |
- Opinion: “How to get along with the council? …[A] program of preventive maintenance made up of regular conversations and a policy of ‘no surprises.’” (WaPo, 11/4)
- Opinion: Ms. Rhee wants competent teachers — of any age (WaPo, 11/6)
Anything the Chancellor can do to move the story back to “DC SCHOOLS” will probably be a move in the right direction.

Looking forward to seeing many of you next week. Have a great weekend!
- Nick

Foundation giving expected to drop more than 10% in 2009 [News, 11.5.09]

Foundation giving is expected to drop more than 10% in ‘09 (WaPo, 11/5) – “and to continue falling next year” according to a Foundation Center survey. “More than two-thirds of the foundations surveyed said they had cut operating expenses in the past year by reducing expenses, freezing salaries or laying off employees.”

> At next week’s “BIG Change” meeting (Nov. 12), Washington Grantmakers will release: 1) the results of a survey of local grantmakers about expectations for 2010, and 2) a report about how philanthropy can go beyond dollars to spur positive change.

EDUCATION | The Ford Foundation has pledged $100-million over seven years to support efforts to improve American public education. (Chronicle, 11/4)

HONORS | Sitar Arts Center honored as a 2009 Coming Up Taller award winner by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

GIVING
- Bank of America unit cuts web-based charitable fund minimum to $5,000 (Bloomberg, 11/4) – “This allows people to get their feet wet in philanthropy” …and adds “ability for donors to create a customized donor-advised fund” (wire, 11/4)
- Immigrant, NFL star, and former Pr. George’s Co. resident gives $2M to UMD to create center for global health initiatives. (WaPo, 11/5)

JUVENILE JUSTICE? | Every single juvenile offender in the New Beginnings Youth Center is African American. (WAMU, 11/5)

HUNGER | “Local food banks say they are seeing longer lines, brand-new faces, and handing out less food.” (WAMU, 11/5)

Help the Homeless Walkathon… Including nonprofits in health reform [News, 11.4.09]

HOMELESSNESS
- Hypothermia season underway for D.C.’s homeless (WaPo, 11/4) — and the rest of the region’s homeless, too.
- Shinseki cites plight, plan to help homeless veterans (WaPo, 11/4) – “The new VA commitment adds $400 million to its current efforts to prevent homelessness.” … “Shinseki invited thousands of government, nonprofit and faith-based homelessness experts and advocates to Washington this week to tackle the issue, which he vows to fix during his tenure.”
> Coming up on Saturday, November 21: 22nd Annual Help the Homeless Walkathon, sponsored by WG member Fannie Mae.

HEALTH REFORM | “A group of 44 members of Congress representing 22 states across the U.S. have signed a letter encouraging U.S. House leaders and the White House to include nonprofits in proposed health-care reform legislation.” (Philanthropy Journal, 11/4)

GIVING | Two more days left in the Case Foundation/Facebook Causes/Parade Magazine/W.K.Kellogg Foundation America’s Giving Challenge.

8 DAYS… | until the BIG day.

-Nick

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