Last week I was driving my kids to school and noticed a chunk of ice near the lane where I was driving, as I got closer I realized that it wasn’t ice, it was a white bunny. It was covered with dirt and was unable to hop over the small wall of ice that the snowplow had left on the side of the road. So it was trapped between a wall of ice and four lanes of morning traffic.

I was running late and kept going but thought that someone behind me would stop or maybe I could go back after dropping off the kids and put it over the snowbank. After I dropped the kids off at school, I checked my phone and saw a message about an event that the foundation was hosting later that day, that needed some attention. I quickly went to work, forgeting that I had planned to go back.

The next day as we were driving to school, I noticed a fuzzy body by the side of the road and realized that the bunny had been hit by a car. I got that sick feeling in my stomach (that I get when I realize I screwed up). I could have done something and I didn’t because it would be a slight inconvenience.

There are real consequences when we decide not to act. Schools close, people die because they don’t have health insurance, neighborhoods get stuck with a toxic waste dump, and little bunnies get hit by cars.  We can’t do everything, especially for those of us who have chosen to work in the nonprofit sector and can see so many places that need our help. But I wish that morning, I had taken the extra two minutes and made the difference for that bunny because you don’t always get a second chance.

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The South Asian Philanthropy Project has a great interview up with Michael Edwards, Demos researcher and author. Some excerpts are below:

We are delighted to have Michael Edwards as a guest at the South Asian Philanthropy Project.  Michael and I chatted recently about his new book, Small Change: Why Business Won’t Save the World, and the field of philanthropy in general.

Michael is an independent writer and activist who is affiliated with the New York-based think-tank Demos, the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and the Brooks World Poverty Institute at Manchester University in the UK. From 1999 to 2008, he was Director of the Ford Foundation’s Governance and Civil Society Program, and previously worked for the World Bank, OxFam, and Save the Children.

Welcome, Michael!  We’re honored to have you with us.

First off, can you tell us a little bit about your new book, Small Change: Why Business Won’t Save the World?

Thanks Archana, and thanks for hosting this Q and A on your excellent site. I’m looking forward to interacting with your readers.

“Small Change” was written out of my frustration that debates about the purpose and direction of philanthropy were becoming so one-sided – dominated by the idea that business has all the answers, that the super-rich are the new ‘super-heroes’, and that philanthropy is essentially a technical exercise of selecting the ‘best’ organizations to support based on quantifiable data and criteria for ‘investment.’

I come from a background in civil society and international development, so for me the most entrenched social problems like poverty and inequality, violence and discrimination, are always the most complicated and political to solve. And, while new ideas and methods are always welcome in philanthropy, they need to be questioned and carefully- evaluated to see if they really do work in these areas, and I didn’t think that was happening. Instead, questions of deep social transformation and of democracy versus plutocracy were being buried under an increasing wave of hype and adulation.

“Small Change” is a wake-up call, if you like – a deliberate provocation designed to foster more debate, bring in different perspectives, and ensure that older but still-valuable traditions of social movements, community organizing, and bottom-up philanthropy are not forgotten or discarded. I think we will all be better placed to make decisions about philanthropy from a platform like that.

Read the full Q and A here.

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Independent Sector is pleased to announce the second year of the American Express NGen Fellows Program, which builds the capacity of 12 under-40 professionals from IS member organizations to shape the future of the nonprofit community. 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 March 29, 2010.

NGen fellows will enjoy a series of exceptional opportunities over the course of nine months, including collaborating with other under-40 leaders, interacting with established mentors, and contributing to IS’s work on nonprofit impact and leadership. Independent Sector will host the 12 fellows at our D.C. offices for a kick-off event in late August, and they will receive complementary registration and lodging to take part in the IS Annual Conference in Atlanta, October 20-22. These experiences will culminate in a six-month group project that advances their leadership skills and contributes to the ability of emerging leaders to collaborate on sector-wide issues.

The American Express NGen Fellows Program is just one part of IS’s NGen initiative, which is designed to deepen the nonprofit talent pool by developing the leadership opportunities and professional networks of emerging leaders. Mark your calendars now for targeted NGen events open to all under-40 leaders in Atlanta October 19-20, and watch for more information on the IS website soon.

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Foundations on the Hill (FOTH) is an annual two-day legislative and public policy event in Washington, DC for foundation staff members and philanthropic leaders. We need Next Gen voices at this table! This year, FOTH will take place on Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17. The event is co-hosted by the Council on Foundations and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.

During the event participants will receive a legislative briefing on policies relating to the philanthropic sector, discuss philanthropic partnerships and initiatives with key Hill staff and administration representatives, learn about the 2010 tax agenda from Joint Committee on Taxation, House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee staffs, and participate in meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

FOTH is a unique opportunity for next generation leaders to demonstrate the creativity, leadership and power of philanthropy and its impact on American society, particularly during these turbulent economic times.

Why should you attend Foundations on the Hill? It is an opportunity to:

1)      Influence legislation

Capitol Hill meetings with your senators and representatives are valuable opportunities to improve legislation that affects the philanthropic sector. These meetings send a message to senators and representatives that their foundation constituents are paying attention, often motivating legislators to get involved with a bill they may have ignored otherwise.

2)      Demonstrate extra commitment to your cause

Constituent meetings with senators and representatives in their home states or districts are routine, as they are convenient and inexpensive. But constituents who travel to Washington, DC demonstrate an extra level of commitment to their cause. Recognizing the time and expense involved in attending meetings on Capitol Hill, legislators and their staffs are more likely to listen and respond to constituents, particularly to those who have traveled far to be there.      

3)      Meet and Build Relationships with the DC policy staff

When you meet with members of Congress in their home state or district offices, you meet their district staff; on Capitol Hill, you meet their policy staff. Policy staffs monitor specific legislative issues—including foundation and charitable sector issues, which are usually handled by the Tax Legislative Assistant. It is policy staff rather than district staff who provide legislators with background information and voting advice on bills.

Capitol Hill meetings are an effective way to educate and build relationships with Washington, DC staffers. Even if your legislator is unable to participate, meetings with policy staff can be extremely valuable. If you convince them to support your cause, they can become effective advocates for the sector. 

Registration for FOTH is $95.  Register for Foundations on the Hill today and take advantage of this opportunity to participate in an intimate discussion with Hill staff and administration representatives about the work that you are doing in your communities. For more information about the program and confirmed guest speakers, visit the Foundations on the Hill Web site.

Read what your colleagues are saying about FOTH. You can follow the conversation on FOTH by visiting the Council’s Twitter feed at twitter.com/cof_. Join in by using the hash tag #FOTH in your tweets before, during, and after FOTH.

If you have additional questions, contact Chatrane Birbal, Chatrane.Birbal@cof.org, 703-879-0689, in the Council’s Public Policy Department; or Courtney Moore, Cmoore@givingforum.org, 703-879-0809, at the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.

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Just a head’s up: this post is a rant cleverly (or not so cleverly) disguised as a helpful professional development blog post.

I have been to too many meetings, informational coffees, and phone conferences in the last few months where someone has asked to meet or talk with me, probably for a very specific reason, and I have left the conversation being really unclear about what they want me to be, think, or do. Did they want a grant from Headwaters? Maybe. Were they looking for a new position and wanted some advice? Possibly. Did they want me to buy into their nutrient drink pyramid scheme? I don’t know because they never made the ask.

Not every conversation or coffee meeting has to have an agenda or a specific ask but many are intended to. If you want something specific to happen from a meeting, properly prepare:

Clarify for yourself what you are looking for. What end result would make you ecstatic? What is the reason that you wanted to have a conversations with this person, instead of the many others that you could have met with? What special skills, experiences, or connections do they have that would help you or your organization?

Do your research. If someone suggestions that you meet with someone, find out why. Do some online research, look for natural overlaps in interests, use LinkedIn or Facebook to see who else this person knows. Are they a connector that could open up a whole new range of contacts for you? Are they a member of the basket weaving society that you are trying to get into?

When you request a meeting make your purpose clear. Tell the person why you think it would be in both of your interests to meet. Give them a few questions that you would like for them to answer. For example: “My long-term goal is a career in philanthropy and am considering getting a Master’s degree to help me reach that goal. Was your M.B.A. a help or hinderance when you applied for your position?” or “I’m new to the state and trying to increase my professional contacts, would you be willing to have coffee and give me your perspective on the nonprofit sector here?”

Make the ask. Small talk is great but make sure after you have covered the necessary pleasantries, that you ask for what you came to ask for. Don’t wait until the last 2 minutes that you have scheduled to meet to ask your 14 part question, just get in out there early on. That means that the person you are meeting with can keep that purpose in mind throughout the conversation and be as helpful as possible to you throughout the meeting (hopefully).

This rant is over but the conversation is not. What tips do you have for making these types of conversation useful for both parties?

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I have a good friend who really wanted a job in philanthropy. When she finally got a position in philanthropy she promised that she wouldn’t be like other Program Officer and constantly complain about how busy she was. She reasoned that this was the job that she wanted, busyness shouldn’t be an issue. A few minutes after she told me this, I asked her how work was going. She sighed and said “busy”.

There are many, many reasons why foundation staff are so busy, but I think that most of those reasons can be boiled down into a few self-created reasons.

• We don’t delegate because someone might do it better than us. Fear of being replaceable is a very real but you are more likely to be replaced if you are running around like crazy, trying to be Wonder Woman, Martha Stewart and Michelle Obama rolled into one. None of us can do it alone. Let go a little bit.
• Foundations are process driven places and we often rely on lots of paperwork, rather than a little bit of good judgement to make grantmaking decisions. Maybe if we spent less time requesting duplicate copies of 990’s and specialized logic models, we would have a clearer head to figure out if the program is actually a good idea.
• Foundation positions are seen as cushy jobs, so easy that anyone could do it. How hard could it be to give away money, they ask. Very hard actually, but I think many of us have internalized this criticism of the field and insist of telling everyone near and far how extraordinarily busy we are. Lest someone assume that we are expendable. Enough already.

I’m done with it all. I am the master of my outlook calendar and I have a lot of say in how my foundation interacts with grantees. I’m sick of us all being too busy to enjoy the richness of this work and the wonder of what generosity can do to strengthen communities. I’m declaring a moratorium on busyness. Who’s with me?

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Ellen Friedman, VP at Tides wrote a recent post  at the Huffington Post asking that individuals find alternatives to starting new nonprofits. From Ellen:

The nonprofit sector is a sector of innovation, creativity, and people working for the common good. More than 14 million Americans – 11 percent of American workers – are employed by or volunteer full-time in the nonprofit sector; more than the financial industry and the auto industry combined.

In a recent article entitled, “Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks,” Stephanie Strom of the New York Times raises concerns about an out of control nonprofit sector that is flooding the IRS with frivolous new applications to establish new public charities that will deprive the federal budget of billions of dollars.

There are plenty of reasons for concern about the federal budget, but singling out the nonprofit sector in this way overlooks some important points.

Not only is this sector working on innovative ways to make the world a better place and connecting people with a sense of common good, nonprofits also contribute billions in tax revenue through employee payroll alone.

Moreover, in an age of dwindling public resources, when the role of government in addressing social problems is feverishly debated, the American public is taking matters into their own hands. This heightened wave of community activism, volunteerism and social entrepreneurship needs to be celebrated, not discouraged. In a time when Facebook and Twitter make broadcasting your ideas and passions part of daily life, we should not be surprised that communities are finding new ways to match their values with their time and pocketbooks.

Is there potential waste in creating thousands of new nonprofits every year? Undoubtedly yes, but the problem is not people’s motivations. The problem is that not enough people know about the alternatives to establishing nonprofit organizations; alternatives like fiscal sponsorship and donor advised funds that exist to create greater efficiencies and cost-effectiveness for charitable activities.

Read the rest here.

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Below is a post from Mary Galeti, who is a fellow member of the Council on Foundations’ Next Generation Task Force. I know all of us have beenaffected by the images coming from Haiti and the unimaginable need that is coming from our neighbor. These are the times where philanthropy needs to be at its best to alliviate sugffering and help Haiti develop a better future out of this tragedy. From Mary:

I have been rapt by the devastating images coming out of Haiti. What I have found particularly interesting is the outpouring of support—not only on television, but also on Facebook and Twitter.

Organizers have created opportunities for people to give via text message. People are also posting messages and tweets about what organizations are doing and what events are being organized to collect goods and funds. While these are all good actions, I’ve realized that it’s hard to do good due diligence in such short order.

As the Family Philanthropy Conference approaches, I’m struck by the role that families can play as leaders in moments like these (noting in particular Steve Gunderson’s closing thought in his post “Philanthropy’s Response to Haiti”). Perhaps we, as a field, should think about the best ways to communicate what works, what’s needed and maybe even be a conduit to get the public support to the people and places in need. We can be organizers and leaders during times of trouble and turmoil—connecting those who want to help with key stakeholders on the ground.

Read the rest here.

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Many of us find our way into philanthropy because we want to be on the “resource side” of social change – to help get money to where it needs to go. And foundations certainly control a lot of money – The Foundation Center reports total giving in 2007 reached almost $43 billion.

But once we start doing this work, it can feel like our grant budgets are never big enough, especially in today’s context. We’re deep in an economic crisis where 50 million Americans are living in poverty. Communities face tremendous need while at the same time foundation giving has declined. Even those of us on the “resource side” of the equation are finding ourselves looking for more resources.

So where will the money come from?

In philanthropy circles, this conversation often moves to one about fundraising. Growing the donor base is critical, and groups like Resource Generation and Bolder Giving are playing a necessary role in this by challenging new givers to not only give more, but to direct that giving to address the root causes of social, economic and environmental injustices.

But in order to make a fundamental shift in the amount of resources available to communities, we also need to bring taxes into the conversation.

 Here are three reasons why the philanthropic community has a stake in the tax policy debates in 2010 and beyond:

1) Tax policy has the ability to increase the dollars available to foundations, since the higher the taxes for high-income and wealthy families, the more money that is given to philanthropic foundations. More progressive tax rates increase the resources available to the nonprofit sector.

2) By the same token, tax policy has the ability to decrease the dollars available to our sector. In fact, it’s happening right now. With the disappearance of the federal estate tax for 2010, we’re likely to see an estimated decline in charitable giving of $13-25 billion. And this is just the latest in a whole series of tax cuts for the wealthy that has shifted the tax burden to wage earners.  

3) Philanthropy can’t be a substitute for what the public sector can provide. In 2009 Congress allocated $54 billion for food stamps (known as the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program). Without increasing payout, all foundations working together would be unable to meet the funding needs for just this one program. While we can – and should – debate where our federal resources go (and fund advocacy groups that are putting on the pressure!), philanthropy is no match for the government’s ability to fund the safety net, infrastructure, health care, and education.  Our government relies on revenue from taxes to invest in these vital programs and that money should be raised from those with the greatest capacity to pay.  Reversing the Bush-era tax cuts for high-income households is an important place to start – with the potential to raise over $43 billion in revenue a year.

Many people view philanthropy as an alternative to taxes, but our sector is inextricably linked to the tax code. There will be many opportunities in 2010 to work toward more progressive policy. The funding community can’t afford to be absent from these debates.

Alison Goldberg coordinates Wealth for the Common Good and is co-author of Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy: The Next Generation.

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I’m not one of those “mantra” people that looks into the mirror every morning and says “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it people like me.” (That man is now my Senator) but every once in a while I come up with a short statement that helps me remind myself of the big picture and helps to keep me on track. My new statement is:

I have the time, energy, and clarity of purpose to make big things happen.

I’l break down why this is so helpful for me.

Time: A common excuse of mine is that there is too little time in the day to accomplish whatever needs to be done. Then I’ll read some newspaper article about a woman with 6 kids who is running for U.S. Senate, teaches astronomy at MIT, is writing a book about her around the world sailing trip and has an organic raspberry farm. Her and I both have 24 hours a day, so I don’t have any real excuses about why I can’t accomplish my goals, besides the fact that there is an awesome “Man Shops Globe” marathon on the Sundance channel that is taking my attention away from whatever I’d really like to accomplish. Aw, I love that show.

Energy: Another excuse is that I am too tired to work toward whatever my next big goal is. Life has inertia and if I sit around thinking about how tired I am, I just feel more tired (and watch more of the “Man Shops Globe” marathon). If I start moving and working on a new blog post, cleaning out my closets, researching that cutting edge fundraising strategy or training for that 5K I suddenly find that I do have energy, I just wasn’t harnessing it.

Clarity of Purpose: This is a tough one. It’s really easy to move through life going through the motions. You deal with whatever comes at you and feel this innate sense that there is probably something better out there for you. Something that has worked well for me is to be a “practical dreamer”. That means thinking about the best possible outcome for your afternoon, career, family, finances, whatever. Think about what you would actually like things to look like. The more detail the better because then you can recognize the opportunity to achieve that goal when it is looking you right in the face. You hate your job? Fine, what would your dream job look like? If you don’t take the time to think about your ideal, you miss the opportunity when the job announcement comes to your in-box.

Big Things: Most people come up with goals this time of year and they are usually pretty mediocre. “Lose 10 pounds, try to pay off some debt.” This year come up with some seemingly unreachable goals. “Make $1million dollars this year, give away $1 million this year, end homelessness, become a New York Times writer.” Those are the types of goals that will get your adrenaline pumping and will become a burning desire in your life. You start to use a different part of your brain because they seem impossible, you have to start thinking differently to get there. Others want to help you do it because it seems so amazing. Suddenly an unreachable goal is much more attainable than a mediocre one because you are willing to do what it takes to get there.

What are your unreachable goals for 2010?

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