Council on Foundations: FN&C Now

	FN&C Now
	Volume 6, Number 29 – August 18, 2005 IN THIS ISSUE AT THE COUNCIL: Steve Gunderson will become president and CEO October 1 NEWS COVERAGE: Independent Sector releases checklist for accountability; Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan begins project to increase philanthropy; corporate grantmakers launch fund to help nonprofits manage volunteers JUST PUBLISHED: Report provides insight on foundation impact; book chapter describes using grantee feedback in foundation assessments; Family Giving News offers site visit tips; study shows suburban high school students appreciate the First Amendment less than their peers do NOW ONLINE: Website promotes democracy in Burma; Boston Foundation raises visibility of housing problem ON THE MOVE: Thomas Eastham and Paul Dinovitz (Hearst); Gary Walker and Henry Gooss (Grant ); Daniel L. Ritchie (Rose); Paul Thompson (San Diego); Bill King (Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers); Elan Garonzik (ELMA Philanthropies); Kate Marshall and John Ramer (Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area); Janita Gordon (Arizona Community) AT THE COUNCIL NEW PRESIDENT NAMED: On October 1, former Wisconsin Congressman Steve Gunderson will succeed Dorothy S. Ridings as president and CEO of the Council on Foundations. Ridings is retiring on August 31, after nearly ten years at the helm. Gunderson served eight terms in the House of Representatives before choosing not to seek re-election in 1996. He is currently managing director of the Washington office of the Greystone Group, a Michigan-based management and communications consulting firm. "The Council and its member organizations are working every day to lift the lives of people across America and around the world," Gunderson said. Search Committee Chair Maxwell King, vice chair of the Council's board and president of the Heinz Endowments, said Gunderson "is someone who looks at all sides of a question, works with people from both sides of the aisle, and advances creative solutions to some very tough problems. He is particularly well-suited for the farsighted thinking and flexible approaches philanthropy needs to function most effectively in the global economy." Read the press release: http://www.cof.org/Content/PressRelease/Display.cfm?pressReleaseID=2888 . NEWS COVERAGE ACCOUNTABILITY CHECKLIST: As part of its continuing commitment to improving the practice and self-regulation of charitable organizations, Independent Sector has released a Checklist for Accountability. The steps in the checklist, which also includes a list of resources available as models, should help charitable organizations reassure their stakeholders regarding their commitment to uphold the public trust. Charitable organizations are called on to develop a culture of accountability and transparency; adopt a statement of values and code of ethics; adopt a conflict of interest policy; ensure that the board of directors understands and can fulfill its financial responsibilities; conduct independent financial reviews, particularly audits; ensure the accuracy of and make public their Forms 990; be transparent; establish and support a whistleblower protection policy; and remain current with the law. Organizations are encouraged to adapt the recommendations for their needs. These recommendations, which build on the work of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector convened last fall by Independent Sector, suggest practical actions organizations can take immediately. Read more: http://www.independentsector.org/issues/accountability/Checklist/index.html . INCREASING PHILANTHROPY: The Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan launched a $14.5 million initiative to strengthen philanthropy in the seven counties it serves. Increasing Regional Philanthropy: Everyone Can Be a Philanthropist will invest $4.5 million to significantly expand the foundation's programs and services that assist individuals, families, private foundations and businesses in supporting their chosen charities and to increase its services to professional advisors. The initiative will also provide educational opportunities to help nonprofits strengthen their operations and will create regional development projects to help solve the region's pressing issues. The community foundation will also offer $5 million in matching grants as an incentive for donors to make gifts to its endowment. The initiative is supported by a $12 million challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation and gifts from individual donors. Read more: http://www.cfsem.org/phil_minisite/index.html . MANAGING VOLUNTEERS: The UPS Foundation, Home Depot and Capital One Financial launched a grantmaking fund to help nonprofits manage volunteers more effectively. In development for the past year, IMPACT: A Fund for Change Through Volunteerism will make grants to national and local groups for projects that improve the use of volunteers and will encourage grantees to collaborate in addressing volunteer management challenges. The fund is currently working with local grantmakers in five states and plans to have several projects running by early fall. Established with a $1 million, three-year grant from The UPS Foundation, the fund is now recruiting additional national and local funders. Management and staff support is being provided by the National Human Services Assembly. Find out more: http://ups.com/pressroom/corp/press_releases/press_release/0,0,4586,00.html . JUST PUBLISHED FOUNDATION IMPACT: The Center for Effective Philanthropy released a report compiling insights from a March 2005 gathering of more than 200 foundation leaders. The report, Higher Impact: Improving Foundation Performance, discusses issues related to foundation impact and performance, drawing on new research, examples from foundation leaders and the perspectives of experts and outside observers. The report also includes a first look at the center's new field-wide research on foundation governance, based on a survey of 600 trustees of 53 foundations. Information on new assessment tools and research is also included. Download the report (PDF): http://www.effectivephilanthropy.com/images/pdfs/CEP_Higher_Impact_2005.pdf . USING GRANTEE FEEDBACK: A chapter in the upcoming book A Funder's Guide to Organizational Assessment focuses on the development of the Center for Effective Philanthropy's Grantee Perception Report (GPR) and that report's role as part of an overall foundation performance assessment system. Written by Phil Buchanan, Kevin Bolduc and Judy Huang, "Turning the Table on Assessment: The Grantee Perception Report" discusses the challenges of performance assessment, examines the value of comparative data, describes the origins of the GPR, illustrates lessons learned and provides examples of changes made by foundations that have used the report. It also provides some of the broadly applicable insights gained from the center's large-scale surveys of grantees. Download the chapter (PDF): http://www.effectivephilanthropy.com/images/pdfs/CEP_GEO_GPR_chapter.pdf . IMPROVING SITE VISITS: The August Family Giving News offers tips for using site visits to improve grantmaking and accomplish missions, establish collaborative relationships with nonprofits and remain engaged with grantees. As part of its continuing Profiles in Family Philanthropy series, the issue links to a Haaretz profile of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies and their 21/64 program (which supports strategic multigenerational philanthropy); their creation of the Andy Foundation; and the family's philanthropic legacy. Read the issue or subscribe: http://www.ncfp.org/FGN-Aug_2005/contents.html . FIRST AMENDMENT: Suburban high school students appreciate the First Amendment less than students in urban and rural areas do, according to a national study sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Urban students were more likely to think people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions than their rural and suburban peers were. Those findings are reported in Suburban School Surprise, the first in a series of breakout reports from The Future of the First Amendment project, sponsored by the foundation and conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut. Released in January, the project's study revealed that many high school students lack basic knowledge of the First Amendment and appreciation for free speech and a free press. Researchers questioned 112,000 students, more than 8,000 teachers and more than 500 principals and administrators. Suburban School Surprise presents the national study's findings by community type. Find out more or read the reports: http://www.firstamendmentfuture.org/main.html . NOW ONLINE PROMOTING DEMOCRACY: A new website provides easy access to resources for people interested in Burma's future as a democratic society. The online Burma Guide to Rights and Democracy offers news and resources for promoting a peaceful democratic transition that are available in English and the six languages-Burmese, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Mon and Shan-spoken in the country. Funded by the Open Society Institute and the United States Agency for International Development, the site was developed in cooperation with the Burma Information and Technology Team and the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma. Find out more: http://www.burmaguide.net . HOUSING CRISIS: With the lack of affordable housing recognized as a critical economic issue in the Boston metropolitan area, The Boston Foundation launched a website to give greater visibility to the work of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force and provide a central source of information on housing issues. The site includes contact information for members of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force, an unprecedented coalition representing widely diverse constituencies, as well as housing reports sponsored by the foundation. Learn more: http://www.tbf.org/tbfgen1.asp?id=1986 . ON THE MOVE THOMAS EASTHAM stepped down as vice president and western director of the Hearst Foundations July 31. He was succeeded by PAUL "DINO" "DINOVITZ. Read more: http://www.hearstcorp.com/news/06.24.05.html . GARY WALKER was appointed chair of the William T. Grant Foundation. Walker's position as board vice chair was filled by HENRY GOOSS. Read more: http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/newsletter3039/newsletter_show.htm?doc_id=290500 . DANIEL L. RITCHIE joined the Rose Community Foundation's board. Read more: http://www.rcfdenver.org/pr_ritchie_072905.htm . The San Diego Foundation hired PAUL THOMPSON to lead its Organizational Success Program. Read more: http://www.sdfoundation.org/news/news-072605.shtml . Minnesota Council on Foundations President BILL KING was named chair of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers. Read more: http://www.mcf.org/MCF/whatsnew/briefs/king050805.htm . ELAN GARONZIK will leave the Mott Foundation to join the newly established ELMA Philanthropies as vice president for programs September 16. The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation elected KATE MARSHALL and JOHN RAMER, a member of the foundation's youth advisory committee, to the board. JANITA GORDON is director, Arizona Early Education Funds, at the Arizona Community Foundation. SUBSCRIBE FN&C Now is published by the Council on Foundations to keep you in the loop by sharing news between bimonthly editions of Foundation News & Commentary magazine (FN&C Now Web archive: http://www.foundationnews.org/now/index.htm ). Please feel free to forward this message to your friends and colleagues who might enjoy it. To subscribe (it's free) to FN&C Now, send an e-mail to fncnow@cof.org . Questions or comments about FN&C Now? Contact Paula J. Kelly at 202/467-0261. To contribute a news item for consideration, please e-mail fncnow@cof.org . To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to leave-fncnow-4832R@int1.cof.org . To subscribe to Foundation News & Commentary, an award-winning magazine, please send an e-mail to fncsubs@cof.org , or visit our website at http://www.icnfull.com/cgi-bin/cobolscript.exe?cof/cofmain.cbl . Council on Foundations 1828 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202/466-6512 webmaster@cof.org last update: 10.14.05