Quidoo Consulting, a leading consulting firm focusing on advancing the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, announced the departure of founding partner, Dr. John E. Brothers as he embarks upon his new role as President of the T. Rowe Price Foundation and President of the Program for Charitable Giving.
Paul Connolly, Director of Philanthropic Advisory Services at Bessemer Trust, recently had a
blog published on the
Stanford Social Innovation Review
on how to build a bigger tent for effective philanthropy.
Thaler Pekar, CEO of Thaler Pekar & Partners, published Working with Story: How to use oral histories to capture the past and communicate in the future in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Brian Sooy, president of Aespire has been invited to present a breakout session at the National Council of Nonprofits' Network Learning Confab, in Lexington Kentucky on June 28-29, 2015. This session - Design Thinking Matters: Strategic Communication is Not Enough - will explore how four dimensions of communication align your State Association's purpose, character, culture, and voice; and how strategic design connects your strategy, message, and mission with your members and advocates.
Additionally, June 2015 marks the one year release anniversary of Brian Sooy's book Raise Your Voice: A Cause Manifesto. Raise Your Voice has been used by nonprofit leaders, executive directors, and boards to create strategy and guide strategic communication, and it has spent much of the last year in the top 10 highest-rated nonprofit marketing books on Amazon.com. Resources, including a free chapter, audio abstracts, a podcast, a video series, and a free poster of the 12 resolutions, are available at aespire.com.
Jeff Hoffman, President of Jeff Hoffman & Associates, had the opportunity to interview Jean Case, an actively engaged philanthropist, investor and a pioneer in the world of interactive technologies. Her career in the private sector spanned nearly two decades before she and her husband, Steve Case, created the Case Foundation in 1997. She is a force of nature - smart, compassionate, energetic, forward thinking all wrapped up in urgency! Blog recaps from the interview at the USC Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy's Distinguished Speakers Series luncheon can be seen here. Or, view the entire conversation on You Tube.
In late May, FMA Principal Dipty Jain was invited to join Edward Pauly of the Wallace Foundation and representatives of the evaluation firms MDRC and ChildTrends on a webinar--attended by more than 150 nationwide--to discuss the results of an evaluation of FMA's multi-year capacity-building effort, the Strategic Financial Management Initiative. A recording of the webinar will be available soon here.
Dara Major, Dara Major Philanthropy Consulting, moderated a lively panel discussion on 5/21 for the Association of Fundraising Professionals entitled "Meet the Grantmakers: Cracking the Code of Family Foundations." With more than $20 billion in giving and a 63% share of all foundation giving, family foundations are a key part of the foundation universe. This panel was designed to demystify family foundations with insights on how "family" is woven into foundation mission and culture, and notable trends among NYC-area family foundations. With Jarett Lucas, Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, Tuhina De O'Connor, Director of Donor Services, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Hana Sun, Program Officer, Cricket Island Foundation.
Pegine E. Grayson, Vice President/Philanthropic Services at Whittier Trust, will be speaking to the Financial Planning Association of the San Gabriel Valley on June 24 at 11:30 am on the following topic: "Strengthening client relationships across generations through philanthropy". The most successful advisors go in deep with their clients by building trust and becoming effective solutions providers. As advisors, our livelihood depends on the preservation of our clients' wealth, but we know that 70% of wealth transitions to successive generations fail. It also depends on the quality of our relationships with our clients' heirs, but 60% of intergenerational wealth transfers result in a change of advisor. This presentation highlights the pivotal role that philanthropy can play in reversing these trends, and offers some practical tips on how advisors who may not be experts in charitable advising can have the philanthropic conversation with their clients in a way that inspires them to action and deepens relationships with them and their children.
Mary Phillips of GMA Foundations led an interactive case study session - Finding Agreement on Family Boards - at the Family Foundations Forum in Williamsburg VA on June 9th. From a collection of case studies that GMA has designed for conferences, board meetings and family retreats, the experience of one family served as a springboard for a discussion of approaches to overcoming differences on a foundation board, and strategies for successfully balancing divergent board member interests with philanthropic priorities.
Elaine Gast Fawcett of Four Winds Writing co-authored a new white paper Philanthropy in the Family Office: A Global Perspective with philanthropy advisor Suzanne Hammer, president of Hammer & Associates, and co-branded with the Global Family Office Community in the U.K. The report includes a snapshot of philanthropy in family offices around the world, and with practical ways family offices can engage in philanthropy and impact investing. Access the report here.