By Lynn Sygiel, editor, Charitable Advisors 

In Indiana, the month of March is filled with basketball, and if that madness doesn't grab you, then just wait till May when the roar of the crowds turns into the roar of the engines. Hoosiers, like people all over the country, love a bit of competition. But not all of it takes place on the playing field, and not every competition ends up with someone holding a trophy.

That's not to say there aren't winners, especially in the world of nonprofits, which have adopted the concept as they attempt to expand their presence and draw attention to their work.

The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation has an admirable mission: "To support creative people, effective institutions and influential networks and build a more just, verdant and peaceful world." In order to discover those elements, the foundation launched a $100 million grant competition in 2016. It was looking for a single proposal to solve a critical problem affecting people, places or the planet. Called 100&Change, it was open to organizations working in any field of endeavor anywhere. After reviewing 1,904 proposals, it named its recipient in 2017 -- Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee.

 

While competitions in general are not new, what is new is nonprofits turning to these challenges to drive innovation. Increasingly, they are discovering that many of the very best ideas lie outside their organizations.

This is true for Early Learning Indiana (ELI). Not only was its recent statewide Child Care Desert competition designed to spur innovation, but there was another motivation – it was a way to expand early learning seats in Indiana, said President and CEO Maureen Weber. 

“As an organization, we are really focused on bringing together sort of a system of stakeholders to create accessible, high-quality early education opportunities. We absolutely know that we cannot do this on our own, not on our own in Central Indiana, and not on our own across the state. We needed a way of bringing others into the fold. We felt as though we were having conversations with the same sets of people,” said Weber, who has been in the role for two years.  Read more.

By Mayur Patel, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Insights from Knight Foundation after years of funding open contests.

We love to compete. Contests tap into that need for us to push ourselves to improve and uncover new ideas. Napoleon used contests to develop better ways of feeding his soldiers. Today, governments and corporations -- including Google, Netflix, IDEO, even NASA -- embrace contests as a way to foster innovation. Grantmakers are also starting to use contests. Knight Foundation was one of the early adopters, and contests actually reshaped how we pursue our mission.

Since 2007, Knight Foundation has funded nearly a dozen open contests, many over multiple years. We have selected 400-plus winners from almost 25,000 entries, and granted more than $75 million to individuals, businesses, schools, and nonprofits. That represents less than 20 percent of our grantmaking, but we’ve learned a lot about how good contests work, what they can do, and what the challenges are. Used appropriately, contests can widen networks, deepen the work that grantmakers already perform, and broaden an organization’s definition of philanthropic giving.

Here are six major ways contests have improved our philanthropy.

When Patel wrote this article in 2013, he was the Knight Foundation’s vice president of strategy and assessment at the Knight Foundation. In February 2018, he was named Kwesé iflix’s CEO. 

Read more.

Full report.

By Jen Pendleton, vice president, Aly Sterling Philanthropy 

At a recent session of our popular board development workshop, The Board Series, one of the hot conversation topics for nonprofit leaders was succession planning. 

That’s right. They wanted to talk about how to best groom the next generation of leaders for their organizations. 

The timing is certainly right for this discussion. Most of us have noticed the generational shift in our donor bases – but are we paying attention to the same transition in our staff and board? And if so, are we preparing for it in a proactive way that benefits our missions? 

First it takes identifying potential next leaders. This means looking for people who can lead your organization with its new challenges and opportunities into the future. This includes its new technologies and needs. Succession planning is not just about filling a position but setting a future course. 

Nonprofits are well-advised to include the entire leadership team in their succession plans – not just the executive director. While the ED is a key position, it should be designed to share duties and information with other leaders so that keys to vital functions and institutional knowledge are not vested in one person. Now is the time to build a leadership team and repository of information to carry the mission through any changes in staff. Even the loss of a beloved founder or executive director.  Read more.

Ivy Tech Community College has received nearly $4 million as part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. The college plans to use the funding to launch its Industrial Internet of Things Apprenticeship Expansion. Read more.

The Indiana Philanthropy Alliance is accepting nominations for the Hazelett Award for Leadership in Grantmaking. The award is presented to an individual who exemplifies personal high standards, devotion to philanthropy and leadership and mentoring skills and recognizes the efforts of a leader in grantmaking. Nominations due April 3. Nominate here.

The Women’s Fund of Central Indiana is accepting grant concept proposals through March 31. The Fund will consider program or operating support for organizations that share its interest in improving conditions for women and girls. Learn about guidelines and how to apply here.

Do it Best Corp., which is relocating its headquarters to Fort Wayne's Electric Works project, is also launching a foundation. The Do it Best Foundation will distribute grants to nonprofit organizations and focus its giving in four key areas -- health and wellness, youth enrichment, the arts and the community. Learn more.

The Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation (OEI) is hosting a board recruitment event on March 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Tinker House Events (1101 E. 16th St.). This is an opportunity for those looking to make an impact in the community through nonprofit board service to network and engage with school leaders across the city. This event is tailored to highly-skilled leaders with experience in the areas in which our boards have indicated a need (i.e. finance, marketing, philanthropy, communications, IT, legal, engineering etc.). RSVP here.

Coburn Place volunteer orientation is March 21 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Coburn Place Safe Haven (604 E. 38th St.). You’ll get the chance to meet new people, learn more about Coburn Place and domestic violence and tour its building. Contact Drew LaCroix or call 317-923-5750 for questions. To apply, click here.

The City of Fishers is seeking volunteers for Spring Recycling Day on March 28 at 10:15 a.m. at Billericay Park (12690 Promise Rd., Fishers). Volunteers will help residents remove non-recyclable trash to the general trash dumpsters. More information here.

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