Here For Good Community Foundations And The Challenges Of The 21st Century

Community foundations bring together the resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support effective nonprofits in their communities. Over the years, foundations have come to engage community problem-solving through more than just grant-making. They have added a rich array of other activities, including programs of community capacity building, active modes of advocacy, and centres for meeting. In 2011, the 700+ institutions in the United States gave an estimated $4.2 billion to a variety of nonprofit activities in fields that included the arts and education, health and human services, the environment, and disaster relief. The origins of this book stem from conversations among the leadership of community foundations about the challenges they must overcome in order to make such "foundational" contributions to their communities. As community foundations enter the second century of their existence (the first foundation was formed in Cleveland in 1914), the need for knowledge and best practices has never been greater. This book, with expert authors representing the best and the brightest in this important field, fills that need.

Philanthropy – the use of private resources for public purposes – is undergoing a transformation, both in practice and as an emerging field of study. Expectations of what philanthropy can achieve have risen significantly in recent years, reflecting a substantial, but uneven, increase in global wealth and the rolling back of state services in anticipation that philanthropy will fill the void. In addition to this, experiments with entrepreneurial and venture philanthropy are producing novel intersections of the public, non-profit and private spheres, accompanied by new kinds of partnerships and hybrid organisational forms. The Routledge Companion to Philanthropy examines these changes and other challenges that philanthropists and philanthropic organisations face. With contributions from an international team of leading contemporary thinkers on philanthropy, this Companion provides an introduction to, and critical exploration of, philanthropy; discussing current theories, research and the diverse professional practices within the field from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The Routledge Companion to Philanthropy is a rich and valuable resource for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers working in or interested in philanthropy.

Winner of the Community Development Society's 2014 Current Research Award! 21st Century Philanthropy and Community fills a gap in the literature on philanthropic organizations and how they intertwine with community development. Drawing first on the history of philanthropic funding, Maria Martinez-Cosio and Mirle Bussell look at developments in the last twenty years in detail, focussing on five key case studies from across America. The authors use their own first hand experiences and research to forge a new path for academic research in an area where it has been lacking. With the current economic climate forcing shrewd spending, foundations need all the guidance they can find on how to appropriately channel their funds in the best way. But how can these sorts of community projects be analyzed for effectiveness? Is there a quantitative rather than qualitative element which can be studied to give real feedback to those investing in projects? Arguing against a one-size-fits-all model, the authors illustrate the importance of context and relationships in the success of these projects.

A directory of community foundations in the United States and Canada.

FROM GRANTMAKER TO LEADER The past one hundred years has borne witness to an extraordinary revolution in the constitution and activities of philanthropic foundations. The evolution of the governance of foundations-from founder to family to professionals to institutions-has necessarily altered the role that foundations play within a society. As community foundations, for example, strengthen the essential communal fabric and help all organizations gain a financial foothold, they find themselves at times in conflict with commercial gift funds, whose transactional nature between the donor and the organization stimulates philanthropy in a wholly different fashion. From Grantmaker to Leader: Emerging Strategies for 21st Century Foundations takes stock of this shifting landscape, presenting bold leadership strategies for directing philanthropic organizations into the unchartered waters of the future. Seasoned foundation executives Frank Ellsworth and Joseph Lumarda assemble an all-star roster of insider contributors, dividing their trenchant study into three sections. "From Carnegie to Gates: The Changing Faces and Needs of Philanthropy" examines the history of family and community foundations and how the turmoil of the "New Economy" will affect these organizations in the future. Section Two, "The Foundation's New Reach: The Emerging Role of Leader, Communicator, and Facilitator of Change" addresses the critical responsibility of effectively articulating a foundation's message, showing how messages can successfully penetrate the media. Finally, the third section "Building the Foundation Board of the 21st Century: Diversity and Strategic Planning" analyzes all aspects of foundation boards of directors, including their makeup, responsibilities, backgrounds, necessary diversity, and the role of boards in foundation planning. Throughout all three sections, From Grantmaker to Leader tackles all the critical issues facing philanthropic foundations today, such as: * Transfer of wealth * Legislative concerns * IRS audits * The role of foundations in public policy issues, such as campaign spending * Accountability * Planned giving * Assessment of the effectiveness of giving * Socially responsible investment and social return on investment Even as the very nature of foundations has changed, a fundamental question remains: will philanthropies play a more pervasive role in society's future or will their influence forever remain elitist and selective? Writing directly for trustees, practitioners, foundation CEOs and CFOs, and every philanthropic professional, Ellsworth and Lumarda make the convincing case that foundations matter more than ever, offering proven strategies for philanthropic success. FRANK L. ELLSWORTH is a vice president at Capital Research and Management Company, where he oversees and coordinates programs and services to endowments in Los Angeles. JOSEPH LUMARDA is the Executive Vice President of External Affairs for the California Community Foundation in Los Angeles.

"A new report examines how leading community foundations are embracing an anchor mission to build stronger local economies and invest more resources in the communities they serve. According to the report, community foundations are "anchor institutions" -- place-based nonprofits with significant resources that are highly unlikely to abandon the communities in which they reside. With many of these communities in both rural and urban areas struggling with deeply entrenched economic problems like inequality and unemployment, the case becomes clear for community foundations to take up the "anchor mission": recognizing the impact they can have as engines of community economic development and local mission-driven investment"--source of summary not specified.

Many teens today who use the Internet are actively involved in participatory cultures—joining online communities (Facebook, message boards, game clans), producing creative work in new forms (digital sampling, modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction), working in teams to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (as in Wikipedia), and shaping the flow of media (as in blogging or podcasting). A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these activities, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, development of skills useful in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship. Some argue that young people pick up these key skills and competencies on their own by interacting with popular culture; but the problems of unequal access, lack of media transparency, and the breakdown of traditional forms of socialization and professional training suggest a role for policy and pedagogical intervention. This report aims to shift the conversation about the "digital divide" from questions about access to technology to questions about access to opportunities for involvement in participatory culture and how to provide all young people with the chance to develop the cultural competencies and social skills needed. Fostering these skills, the authors argue, requires a systemic approach to media education; schools, afterschool programs, and parents all have distinctive roles to play. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning

Something new and important is afoot. Nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are under increasing pressure to do more and to do better to increase and improve productivity with fewer resources. Social entrepreneurs, community-minded leaders, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropists now recognize that to achieve greater impact they must adopt a network-centric approach to solving difficult problems. Building networks of like-minded organizations and people offers them a way to weave together and create strong alliances that get better leverage, performance, and results than any single organization is able to do. While the advantages of such networks are clear, there are few resources that offer easily understandable, field-tested information on how to form and manage social-impact networks. Drawn from the authors’ deep experience with more than thirty successful network projects, Connecting to Change the World provides the frameworks, practical advice, case studies, and expert knowledge needed to build better performing networks. Readers will gain greater confidence and ability to anticipate challenges and opportunities. Easily understandable and full of actionable advice, Connecting to Change the World is an informative guide to creating collaborative solutions to tackle the most difficult challenges society faces.