January 2023
Things We’re Loving This Month
Obviously we’ve got to toot our own horns a bit more! Purpose Possible’s fearless leaders were featured as Atlanta Business Leaders in the December/ January issue of Fortune | Forbes magazine.
In praise of being late: The upside of spurning the clock
Something to book mark the next time you’re running behind: "We've created this schema that somehow 'being on time' is evidence of how much you value something," says Irma McClaurin, an anthropologist, independent scholar and founder of the Black Feminist Archive, which is based at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Equating punctuality with high value is a shortsighted view of history and a narrow view of world cultures, she and other scholars say.” (NPR)
2023 Predictions for Philanthropy & Civil Society
The Philanthropisms Podcast takes a look at some of the key issues and trends affecting philanthropy and civil society right now and offer some thoughts on what to watch out for in 2023. I found the topic of a new generation of celebrities (Youtubers, sports stars etc) reclaiming the word “philanthropy” for themselves and their potential impact on wider perceptions of philanthropy to be particularly interesting to ponder on my commute! (Philanthropisms)
What Books Are Philanthropic Leaders Reading? Here Are 21 Great Picks From IP Interviews
Articles and News
MacKenzie Scott is shaking up philanthropy's traditions. Is that a good thing?
Scott’s recent unveiling of the Yield Giving website with a grantee database and a soon-to-be released application process has some folks considering whether or not philanthropists need to disclose where their money goes. (NPR)
Here Come the Nonprofit Unions
Union organizing at nonprofits has accelerated in recent years. Roughly two dozen museums have unionized in the past three years, according to the American Alliance of Museums. The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union has grown from 300 workers at 12 organizations in 2018 to 1,500 workers at nearly 50 organizations today. In 2019, the Office and Professional Employees International Union started an offshoot to represent nonprofit employees. Its Nonprofit Employees United now represents workers at 68 organizations. (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Studies and Research
Democracy Funders Network Report: Imagining Better Futures for American Democracy
DFN’s report Imagining Better Futures for American Democracy is a call to action to imagine what our democracy could become. Informed by dozens of interviews with visionary thinkers and doers from a variety of fields and viewpoints, including futurists, activists, thought leaders, creatives, artists, religious leaders, and funders, the report shares their insights on why positive visioning matters, discusses how those visions of better futures relate to democracy and governance systems, and asks how we can inspire more Americans to dream bigger and develop a sense of agency to bring those ideas to fruition. (Democracy Funders Network)
Resources
The Housing Justice Narrative Toolkit
The Housing Justice Narrative Toolkit offers a scaffolding for us to stay centered in the future we are reimagining. It supports our ability to speak to a base of individuals most aligned with housing justice—the anti-racist and persuadable base—in ways which are authentic and that they can hear. This toolkit grounds the core truth of housing justice. It guards against the distraction of the opposition by offering opportunities for us to avoid the pitfalls of repeating the same stories we have been told, or that we continue to tell, that haven’t moved us towards housing for all.
For Funders
Program-Related Investments: One Way Foundations Support Charities Without Donating Money
One way that foundations can stretch their charitable dollars is by making program-related investments — a philanthropic form of lending. Instead of giving money away, those funds are typically repaid several years later. With this model, foundations can recycle some of their charitable funds by dispatching them again. (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
A Family Fund’s Response to the Racial Reckoning: Give All Its Assets to One Black-Focused Nonprofit
In a rare move for philanthropy, Adam Holofcener and his family emptied their foundation’s coffers and gave $1 million — nearly all the money it had left to give — to support Lisa Snowden-McCray’s dream: a free newspaper staffed by Black editors and writers in Baltimore to provide news primarily for the city’s Black residents. (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Upcoming Events
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute - Georgia’s 2023 Budget and Your Mission
Danny Kanso of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute will walk you through Georgia’s spending priorities for the upcoming year, which promise to make a substantial impact on Georgia’s nonprofits – particularly those working in education, workforce development, health care, poverty reduction, and other social services. We’ll also cover how the budget process works and how you can help advocate for a people-first budget that ensures support for your organization and your clients. Virtual. January 31, 1PM EST. Click here to register.
Learn more about Justice Funders’ investment framework that was strategically developed to advance Just Transition movements in frontline BIPOC communities. This framework requires philanthropic assets to be divested from the dominant financial system and instead redirected into movement-led, community-controlled institutions that build economic power and self-determination. We will explore how foundations can fundamentally shift their assumptions about HOW philanthropic wealth should be invested and WHO should control it. Virtual. February 8, 1PM EST. Click here to register.
