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This article by Lora Kolodny provides insight, not only on two new Giving Pledge members, Garrett Camp and Nandan Nilekani, but Camp’s foray into the non-profit world.  A perfect example of what Horvath and Powell describe as disruptive philanthropy.

Camp, co-founder of Uber, is compelled, not just to donate half his wealth to the Giving Pledge, but to to start his Camp.org foundation where he will initiate philanthropic research and projects. Camp is an entrepreneur who was compelled to join the Giving Pledge after a trip to Kenya. Much like I mentioned in class, when the wealthy decide the join the inequality “flight” it very much feels more like they found a new “hobby” or “pet”. That they are exploring very important issues with a great deal of resources, but without the expertise or willingness to look to the experts for direction. 

I do think that if partnerships could be formed between experts in the non-profit world and the wealthy interested in changing the world, there could be substantial progress made. My fear is that it is egoism, and the desire to avoid taxes, more than anything that drive their giving. Perhaps I’m cynical, but the lack of accountability for those wielding large sums of cash is a recipe for failed experiments. 

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Spencer Wells provides an argument for democracy over non-profit tax benefits, of what he calls, Pittsburgh’s “elite non-profits”. This article describes a recent call from the mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, to the cities “Big Four” (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield) to address inequities and disparities in the city. According to Wells the mayor is asking for the tax-exempt elites to fund social change, not to lead it, which is a true turn on what is typically seen in non-profit and government partnerships. 

Wells makes a similar argument to Ramdas argument in his Philanthrocapitalism Society article. Ramdas states, “This new philanthropy avoids exploring what is wrong at this system level”, and Wells argues this same thing, that you must look for structural change and points to another article by Steve Dubb. Dubb points out what he believes to be unwarranted benefits that the “elite non-profits” in Pittsburgh are receiving. 

Wells argues that these organizations are wealthy, and accumulating more wealth as a result of their tax-exempt status. He argues that the systemic issues within the city that lead to inequalities and socioeconomic gaps could be addressed through the democratic process, if the wealthy non-profits actually contributed through taxes. Although it appears that Peduto is asking the “Big Four” to contribute by funding projects to address inequalities, which the government will lead. This is quite the switch in roles and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Will the “Big Four” step up and subsidize government programming? Will that lead to another evolution of non-profit / government partnerships? 

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An incredibly sad story from a Bangladesh news source about Save the Children Bangladesh and their recent report, The Horrors I Will Never Forget. The report highlights the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where hundreds of thousands of  Rohingyas have been persecuted and / or killed. 

Save the Children is a 501(c)(3) international humanitarian organization, based out of the U.S. According to their website they reach children in 120 countries by providing education and health programs, disaster and emergency relief for natural disasters and man made disasters. And they attempt to address hunger and the AIDS / HIV crisis worldwide as well. Their mission is large, and focused on children’s rights and advocacy, but has come under scrutiny due to their “sponsor a child” program that started in 1920 (according to Wikipedia) that allows an individual to sponsor and directly communicate with a child either from the U.S. or another country. 

In The Horrors I Will Never Forget report provides personal accounts of children, and the violence they have witnessed or been subject too. The organization directly demand the government of Myanmar to take reports of these horrible acts seriously and investigate the crimes instead of continuing to turn a blind eye. They petition the U.N. Security Council to take actin if the government of Myanmar fails to. This is a clear “solidarity with the victims” approach to international humanitarian advocacy. 

This is an organization I have heard about over the years, and recall a former colleague who sponsored a child. In looking at the controversy, you also have to look at the impact the sponsorship program has had in nearly 100 years, and the many other programs Save The Children offers. In reading a few articles many argue that sponsorship programs are more about the ego then altruism, which is clear. But what if your ego, and desire to feel good about what you do and how you contribute to the world, actually makes the world a better place?

To read more about Save The Children’s efforts in Bangledesh check out http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150521/k.1450/Bangladesh.htm and http://www.savethechildren.org.au/about-us/media-and-publications/latest-news/years/horrors-i-will-never-forget. 

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Women4Change Indiana Anniversary

Today I opened my inbox to find the email below, the 1 year anniversary email sent by Women4Change. As one of the over 500 women who showed up in to the first meeting in November 2016 I remember so well the overwhelming feeling shared by so many women. This feeling was based in part by the fear of creeping inequalities, of loosing civil rights and civil liberties, and to put it simply a threatened democracy and loss of freedom. 

During this planning meeting the women in the room shared their fears and outlined what they would like the group to address. In the end we walked away with the organizations four principles: dignity and safety, mentor and empower, inclusion and civility, and restructuring and activism.  

In thinking about this week’s discussion around freedom, the Freedom House rankings and The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, it is clear that this organization was born out of the perception (of many) that we live in a flawed democracy. Many of the women at the first meeting, and the subsequent summit, were bewildered at the fact that a reality TV show billionaire was voted into office. The women at these events were both Republicans and Democrats, but first they were women, women who wanted to do something to ensure that they were doing something to address the many concerns that came with the ideology surrounding Trump’s rhetoric.  

Women4Change appears to be born out of Read and Pekkenen’s Civil Society Theory. The organizations mentor and empower / restructuring and activism principles are focused on creating better citizens and engaging citizens in the democratic processes. The organization’s goals include mentoring women and empowering them to run for office, as well as addressing the flawed democracy we live in. The dignity and safety / inclusion and civility are focused on rights, equality and advocacy primarily of women, minorities and the LGBTQ+ society. 

To watch this grassroots organization grow and expand literally from the ground up is exciting. I’m excited to see what is accomplished in 2018.

Now, for your reading pleasure: 

“Dear Friends, This year Women4Change Indiana is celebrating its first anniversary! It is hard to believe that what once was just an idea born out of despair of election results has become a strong nonpartisan collaboration of women. You have all been part of the change that we wish to bring to Indiana. Like many women around the country, we felt disheartened by the negative and hateful rhetoric around the intimidation of women, minorities, and immigrants. We bristled beneath words that served to divide rather than unify our communities.

From our first meeting of over 500 women at the Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Mortuary (ARN) in November to our February summit meeting of over 1,000 women at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, you have stood with us. From gatherings at the Statehouse to redistricting meetings, conversations with politicians and civics education, we have built coalitions and bridges. We are so much stronger together. In less than a year we have developed a strategic plan, rented an office, formed a board and welcomed Rima Shahid as our executive director. We are known throughout the state, in the legislature and communal organizations. Our voice is being heard as we encourage more and more women to be informed and active citizens. We would love to show you around our space and get to know you more. On this first year anniversary, please consider giving a gift to Women4Change Indiana so we can keep fighting for civil discourse, engaging women in the political and civic affairs, and strengthening our democracy. There is so much still to be done. We are looking to raise $36,500 for our first anniversary, that is $100 for each day Women4Change Indiana has been working hard on behalf of Hoosier women. We are excited to share with you that we are in the process of filing for status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; your donations will be tax deductible upon IRS approval. Your gift ensures that we continue to have a voice in making positive change in Indiana. Warm regards, Co-founders Sandy Sasso and Jennifer Williams “

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Indigenous Philanthropy at it’s finest, and more evidence that philanthropy is honed in on finding and addressing the root cause of social issues. In this case, the issue is helping the helpers, addressing the health and wellness of leaders of in the Black Male Achievement (BMA) field. According to Dove and Hubbard, the authors of this article, the BMA field is relatively new at about 9 years old. A recent report, Discrimination in America: Experiences and Views of African Americans https://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/reports/2017/rwjf441128, revealed many things, several of which focused on discrimination felt by African America when seeking health care. This discrimination results in distrust and thus people in the lack community, and especially black men, not seeking medical care when they should. The article shares that those leaders in the BMA field are not immune to this, they too struggle with health and wellness that can prevent them from fully leading. And there are several organizations attempting to address this issue. 

The authors share that the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA) created Health and Healing Strategies — a program, launched in 2016, with a mission of empowering BMA leaders by providing them with ”the information, tools, and resources needed to monitor and maintain their personal health, healing, and wellness”. Health and Healing Strategies is focused on helping leaders to become balanced and healthy so that they can empower black males and focus on BMA movement.  Again, highlight the root cause focus of philanthropy!

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Interesting article by James Barron that shares the philanthropic plan of David Rockefeller of the famous Rockefeller family. Mr. Rockefeller passed away in March of this year. In 2010 he signed the Giving Pledge created by Bill and Melinda Gates. Many points in this article align with our SPEA V521 discussion from class last night, that philanthropy is habitual, that there is a lot of thought and planning that goes into it, and that it requires patience. Mr. Rockefeller stated when he signed the pledge, that philanthropy, “requires patience — patience to deal with unexpected obstacles; patience to wait for the slight stirring of change; and patience to listen to the insights and ideas of others.”. This too aligns with Christina's observations that foundations are not always at the grassroots level, but that they are listening to the tides. There were also echoes from our planning guide activity, where experts point out Mr. Rockefeller’s philanthropic strategies: pick charities whose work you are passionate about, and that you have researched and know well. The article also provided insight into Mr. Rockefeller's level of commitment to those charities and organizations he was involved in. Barron stated that he reviewed the financial documents of those orgs., and that, ” Mr. Johnson said. “He liked to immerse himself. He knew the strengths and weaknesses.” or the organizations. Highlighting again the commitment involved in a philanthropic act vs. a charitable act. As we recently read, the Rockefeller family was at the forefront of philanthropy, tracing back to Mr. Rockefeller’s grandfather, John D. Rockefeller. Marian Z. Stern, professor at New York University.was quoted in this article. She stated that that John D. Rockefeller had “conceived of philanthropy” after he earned his fortunes, and “came up with the concept of getting at the root causes of problems.”, again highlighting that philanthropy is interested and engaged in the root cause of societal problems.

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An interesting Forbes article by Kate Vinton who explores Andre Agassi and his passion for making an impact in K - 12 education.  Through his own story, that includes not finishing junior high school, Agassi was drawn to build his own KIPP style charter school in Las Vegas called the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. Agassi’s journey to giving quickly made me think of Seneca’s insistence that “patrons” must carefully choose their benefactors. In this story Agassi states, “The first thing I learned in philanthropy is that you have to recognize who you can’t help and that’s going to be tough.”

Agassi soon realized he can create more impact by leveraging is funds through what he calls, “impact investing”, by partnering with Bobby Turner, CEO of Turner Impact Capital.  The Turner-Agassi Charter Schools Facilities Fund provides 100% of the start-up costs to build charter schools, and then leases the schools to a school operators, who are then eligible to buy the school once they have reached capacity. They now have built 79 schools.

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In this exciting article Kathleen Janus argues that innovation in philanthropy is not dead, it’s thriving!

With hints of Seneca’s On Benefits, Kathleen Janus explains how data analytics is being used in innovative way in the philanthropic world. Robbins states, “In Seneca one thus finds classical anticipations of subsequent arguments that Western philanthropy must become a data-driven, discriminatory science in which the machinations of the head regulate the impulses of the heart”, and that is exactly what Janus describes in this article. She describes, “ Palantir, a leading player in the booming field of “big data,” has made its massive data gathering and computing power available to nonprofits, such as Mercy Corps, which is using analytics to anticipate large-scale refugee crises, allowing the organization to better prepare for distribution of relief supplies like food and water. “

Counter to what Dan Pallotta’s argument that nonprofits are not the stomping ground for innovators, Janus provides even more examples of foundations and non-profits using innovative strategies to ensure funding is maximized.  She describes GiveWell, an online platform that utilizes database research based on four criteria to identify what they believe to be high impact charities in need of funding.

Other examples provided by Janus includes the new idea of venture philanthropy, such as the Drape, Richards Kaplan Foundation that provides early stage funding to non-profits based on potential for growth and impact, and provides leadership, mentoring and guidance to aid in the non-profits growth.

This article provides many examples of how philanthropy is still evolving and being redefined. 

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Interesting argument about how “true altruism” does not exists.  This young lady argues that the giver is always looking for the benefit in an action that helps a receiver. In some respects, thinking back to the podcast we listened to about The Gold Coat Program at the California Men’s Colony, I too felt there was likely an “additional” and selfish motive, not just an altruistic motive to the prisoner’s actions of taking care of those who were impaired in some way. So to some extent I understand her argument, but I do not think it is without faults, or even acurate. 

She shares a fictitious example of one of her roommates saving another roommate from a burning building, and that the selfish motive would be to lessen any guilt the one may have by knowing she did nothing to help. This too reminded me of the other Tuesday class podcast where Abigail Marsh described the car accident she was involved in 20 years ago, and how a stranger likely saved her life, and then drove off. Two very similar situations, albeit one was reality. 

My counter to Emily Strassburger, is that in an emergency situation like this, you would not have time to considering what you may get out of saving someone’s life. Just like saying that police or emergency personnel run toward the danger while others run away. You do not know what you would do in a situation like the Las Vegas shooting, which she mentions. Would you run, or would you risk your life, without thought of a potential personal benefit, to save someone else life? Many did that night, and I argue that, that is true altruism. They had no time to consider the consequences, or how they may benefit, they just acted. To me, it is clear, Emily has not thought about the physiological “fight or flight” response which is not even a conscious decisions, and how this may explain true altruism in situations like Las Vegas or her fictitious example. 

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It has been very interesting watching the Boy Scouts of America announcement unfold in the media, and on my Facebook feed. You can find the email sent to existing families by clicking above. It is really hard to understand their motives, and this email does not really clear it up “....we remain committed to serving boys and young men as we invite girls and young women to benefit from our iconic programs.” tells me that girls are welcome to come along for the ride. Which would be off putting to me, if I were a mother of a girl. There are far too many places in our country (world) that women are secondary to their husbands, brothers or to their male colleagues, I would not want to put my daughter into an environment that continued to perpetuate this.

They also state, “We have expanded our scope, but our mission and Scouting’s time-tested, proven programs remain unchanged.” I pulled their mission from their website, and I did not anticipate that it would be gender neutral, which it is “The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.” 

However, Ott’s (1993) Atom Analogy, tells us when any stakeholder moves closer or further away from the nucleolus the organization will change. It will be very interesting to see how the Boy Scouts of America evolves with this “broadening of scope”... even though they are telling us they won’t, and if / when their mission will change. I do not know how they can successfully serve girls without adjusting their mission. 

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Churches typically fall in Frumkin’s values and faith expression square. They are institutions that have traditionally allowed their members the ability to express their values through their membership and by donating to the church or parish that is somehow giving back to the community. This recent article in The Nonprofit Times highlights that both church membership and giving is trending downward, and attempts to provide a potential reason for the decline.

The article shares statistics from The State of Church Giving Through 2015, a new book by Empty Tomb, Inc. that argues churches are becoming just another consumer good. The authors argue that churches are losing or straying from their original missions, the very missions that bring those seeking an outlet for value expression to the churches. Individuals are less likely to have a loyalty to a church, or even a religion, they are searching for a church community that will meet their needs and they are not afraid to move to the next church to find it.  

Moulton and Eckerd (2012) indicate that those institutions dependent on individual donations, such as churches, are more likely to provide social capital opportunities and community-building opportunities. However, this article leaves us to wonder why church congregations are declining, and what it is national church leadership must do to provide the members what it is they are seeking.

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A long, but very worthwhile read that provides the history between Harvard and the federal government, the evolution of lobbying activities at the university, and the current state of political advocacy within the institution.

The article starts by pointing out that the federal government looked to colleges and universities for their innovative role in research, which then led to a partnership and dependency on the federal government for research funding. “The university no longer expects to avoid involvement in public affairs, for it is by now all too clear that free institutions and free political institutions are interdependent and their futures intertwined,” a 1961 pamphlet titled “Harvard and the Federal Government” reads.

Harvard’s Federal Relations Office opened its doors in 1991 about 1 mile from the capital. The three-person team, led by Suzannne Day, has been incredibly busy since the new administration has taken office. They have been focusing on issues as they relate to: the travel ban, undocumented and DACA, and research funding. They work hard to ensure that they are sharing the nonpartisan importance of the universities research and concerns, and they have been hosting more visits from president Faust than in previous years.

The current Harvard president, President Drew Gilpin Faust, appears to be very politically savvy. She uses the universities reputation and large alumni base in Washington to ensure that the universities’ stories are told. The Federal Relations team works to share research innovations with lawmakers that align with their personal interest, including campus and laboratory tours.

The article points out that the limited lobbying abilities of colleges and universities, which are 501(c)(3) institutions, which means that university presidents must have a united front on the many issues that impact higher education. They also point out that president Faust takes a broad approach to higher education political advocacy taking advantage of Harvard’s reputation.

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Kathryn Simonsen touches on many reasons why community groups are important. She discusses the politically engaged and empowered citizen, through their participation in a community group, can accomplish a lot in a little time. She describes community groups using political theory, as groups where individuals become engaged citizens, free to express their interests. 

Simonsen also touches on neighborhoods and community groups as mediating structures, although she does not use this term. In her argument for weaving community groups into the “fabric of the democratic system in Newfoundland and Labrador “, she points out the importance of government working directly with community groups to understand their interests and needs, and building public policy using the insight gained from the organizations.  

The authors makes valid arguments and points to the fact that “livability” is tied civic engagement and highlights Portland, Oregon as a example. She also points out that community groups are often not representative and inclusive, and that effort needs to be made recruit a diverse participants and leaders. As was discussed in class descriptive representation is a struggle, but you have to understand why it is important and address it with a plan. 

As for Indianapolis, we have an active Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (http://www.inrc.org/) that has programming to train community leaders such as the Indianapolis Community Building Institute (ICBI), and our city also has 10 "Mayor’s Neighborhood Advocates”. Considering the population of Indianapolis is about 864,771 based on a quick Google search, and according to indy.gov there are 499 registered neighborhood associations and “other community organizations”, 10 advocates may not be enough to move our city ahead. 

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In the UK they have identified a social capital deficit in their graduates of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), and they have weaved in many interdisciplinary topics into their curriculum to address this, “entrepreneurship, creative thinking, networking, communications, cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural critical thinking and global perspectives....“. All topics point to a focus on bridging social capital. 

QMUL student demographics point to a diverse student body, and 50% of the student body receives financial aid from the university. Much like we discussed in class there are opportunities on college campuses to build both bridging and bonding social capital, like student organizations and affinity groups. However, this article points out one very important point, that many of these students having responsibilities outside of school, such as part-time employment or taking care of siblings, or their parents. With responsibilities outside of campus, extracurricular activities are not an option for many, thus QMUL has made the social capital focused modules mandatory. Building social capital into the curriculum, in theory, should level the job placement playing field post graduation.

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The author, Pranav Jain, argues that in India there are “four market failure categories comprehensively cover the areas where intervention by the government is required and the provision of services and goods cannot be left to the forces of free markets.”. But, he does not mention the non-profit sector’s role in providing services when the market and / or government fails, so is his claim of “comprehensively covering areas where intervention is needed” valid? Like in the U.S. it appears that non-profits in India are faced with uncertainty https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2017/01/30/nonprofits-shut-india-cuts-off-funding/. The question is why is the government in India “tightening the noose” on NGOs when there is apparent #governmentfailure #marketfailure #globalperspective 

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Jim Canales, the President of The Barr Foundation, speaks about the evolution of the foundation: “ So, for us, the ability to work in partnership with the city, to think about ways that we can be constructive partners together, to acknowledge that no single sector is going to have a monopoly on all of the solutions.  These are tough issues, and they’re going to require multiple sectors coming together to address them, and that’s the role that we want to play.” #governmentfailure or reality?

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What a tangled web. Interesting how Roberson is both president and chairman of the Alliance for Jobs and the Economy, a nonprofit with two officers and no apparent web presence. Considering the connection the officers have with business and politics, one has to wonder what the mission is of this nonprofit, or if there even is one.