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Philanthropy News Digest invites opinion and commentary on topics of importance to the philanthropic sector. For more information on this feature, contact Mitch Nauffts, PND's publisher/editorial director, at mfn@foundationcenter.org.
Commentary & Opinion: Social Media Can Open Door to Philanthropy's Future
by
Larry
Blumenthal,
director of social media strategy,
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
In retrospect, I'm not sure I would try this exercise again. A few months back, I began a workshop for staff from a variety of foundations by asking them to shout out all of their whiny, cry-baby excuses for not getting involved in social media. The excuses flew at me fast and furious, like so many tranquilizer darts. I don?t have time. It's too much work. We don't have the resources. Can't figure out the return on investment. Senior staff don't see the value. We're afraid of losing control. What if people criticize us? My shoes are too tight.
Posted on November 4, 2009
Commentary & Opinion: Performance Measurement: Put a Stake in the Ground
by
Andrew
Wolk,
CEO and founder,
Root Cause
If you are a nonprofit leader operating in today's hardscrabble environment, you're undoubtedly spending an exceptional (and unacceptable) amount of time looking for support and fiercely competing for shrinking philanthropic dollars. No matter how good your program is, you may be one of many who are only a few months shy of having to fold your tent.
Posted on September 30, 2009
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Commentary & Opinion From Other Sources
Op-Ed: For University Presidents, A Pay Cut Is In Order (Boston Globe 11/5/09)
Private research universities draw heavily on grants from the deficit-ridden federal government, on donors who have competing claims on their generosity, and on tuition from families with less and less ability to afford it. Therefore, a corresponding sense of belt-tightening is needed on campus — starting with the paychecks of university presidents.
It’s symbolic, to be sure, but not irrelevant, considering that the presidents are the ones seeking federal funds, courting rich alumni, and setting tuition rates. And it’s disappointing to realize that in 2008, a bad year even before the credit collapse, the salaries of presidents at major research universities leaped by 15.5 percent....
Editorial: Street-Level Help for Big Projects (Pioneer Press 11/3/09)
We welcome two private foundation efforts in our community that could pay large dividends down the road.
The Central Corridor Funders Collaborative is an effort by a group of state and national foundations that will work on street-level problems the Central Corridor light-rail project will create. The group's admirable goal is that neighborhoods, residents and businesses along the line share in the benefits of this huge infrastructure investment....
Op-Ed: Nonprofits and a Healthy Marin (Marin Independent Journal 10/29/09)
It seems that our community is a modern illustration of the old Dickensian adage — we live in both the best and the worst of times.
Rising unemployment, children living in poverty, a void of affordable housing, racial performance gaps in our schools and a rising tide of violence against the most vulnerable members of our society seem like epic challenges to be overcome. Yet at the same time we sit in a thriving community at a time when our entire nation is in the midst of a revitalized commitment to public service and philanthropy....
Letter to the Editor: Sources of Donations to a Mental Illness Group (New York Times 10/29/09)
"Drug Makers Are Advocacy Group's Biggest Donors" (news article, Oct. 22) has created misimpressions that other media have cited.
First, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, has always disclosed corporate and foundation sources of revenue. Until this year, specific amounts remained private for competitive fund-raising reasons. Second, your estimate that pharmaceutical companies account for three-quarters of "donations" has been misinterpreted as a share of NAMI's total annual budget — which is actually about 50 percent....
More commentary from other sources»
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