Annie Leonard has done it again with the book version of The Story of Stuff, which arrives in stores today. It’s personal, political, and provocative, and provides information on what you can do (both to change your life and the larger systems we’re all part of) to create a new, sustainable, equitable and democratic story of stuff.
There are so many exciting and innovative grantmaking approaches focusing in Africa these days. Some foundations are taking the lead in challenging traditional models of grantmaking on the continent and working hard to make sure resources go directly to people in communities who are making change and struggling for equity and justice. In addition, tremendous opportunities have evolved around collaborations between foundations that have traditionally targeted issue areas separated by politics and policies, but linked in communities and people’s lives. The recent highlight of the collaborative foundation work in Liberia in this week's Chronicle of Philanthropy is but one example. If you have a subscription, check out the article: Foundation-Financed Office in Liberia Seeks to Build and Guide Philanthropic Efforts.
I was asked by the conference organizers to talk about fiscal sponsorship in the context of other infrastructure services provided by Tides. Attendees included heads of federations of nonprofits; representatives of women- or people of color-led organizations; senior leaders of the U.K. equivalent of Independent Sector and the Council on Foundations; and groups providing services on the county and local levels. Although, in fact, fiscal sponsorship does exist in the U.K. on an informal level (as it does in the U.S.), there are no organizations providing comprehensive fiscal sponsorship programs like Tides and Third Sector New England provide in the U.S. Indeed, many attendees had never heard of the concept. So my presentation was well received and my workshops well attended. I'm looking forward to follow up from attendees with Tides and Tides Canada on the viability of this smart, efficient, cost-effective model for the U.K.
Solar energy is one of those no-brainer issues for us at Tides, and yet -- even with the triple threats of climate change, job losses, and energy dependence -- it just doesn't get the legislative and political love it deserves.
I am excited to announce the launch of What's Possible: the Tides Blog – written by and for people interested in creating strong infrastructure for the social change sector. In this sector, what we do (the mission work that gets us up every morning for a vision of a just and equitable world) is interwoven with how we do it (the organizations we create to implement our vision). If we don’t pay attention to the infrastructure we are putting in place to support the work necessary to implement our visions, the lack of strong organizational practices and efforts will ultimately cause us distraction from our work, at best, and at worse, result in the dissolution of the very organizations we have created to do the work.
At the opening plenary of the Council on Foundation’s Family Philanthropy Conference, Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute presented some compelling research that proves that giving and volunteerism contribute to both individual and communal wealth creation and in turn, happiness. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the research is that it shows that the connection between giving and wealth are not merely correlative, but causal.
As doing more with less has become the new normal for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes, budget-savvy nonprofits are wisely teaming up to share resources and services through innovative “shared services” programs. Sharing workspaces, IT resources, administrative functions like accounting and human resources and other services through a shared services arrangement is a relatively easy—yet highly effective—way for nonprofits to increase their operational efficiencies, lower their operating costs and focus more energy on advancing their core mission and less on back office functions.
I awake to another blue sky, and two UN vehicles in our drive. Is there news? No, nothing. No updates on aid coming in, or anyone going out. Pistare, Pistare is a phrase that keeps going through my mind. If you have trekked in Nepal, you will know what I am talking about. Slowly, Slowly. Everything happens slowly here, and it will continue to move that way. It is both a cultural norm and the current physical reality. Life works differently here. And infrastructure, or lack thereof, predicates the slow pace of building, rebuilding, responding.
The nonprofit sector is a sector of innovation, creativity, and people working for the common good. More than 14 million Americans - 11 percent of American workers - are employed by or volunteer full-time in the nonprofit sector; more than the financial industry and the auto industry combined.
In a recent article entitled Charities Rise, Costing U.S. Billions in Tax Breaks, Stephanie Strom of the New York Times raises concerns about an out of control nonprofit sector that is flooding the IRS with frivolous new applications to establish new public charities that will deprive the federal budget of billions of dollars. She demonstrates her point by citing new groups such as Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue, working to save donkeys from cruelty; new chapters of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of cross-dressing nuns raising money for AIDS treatment; and the Red Nose Institute, a group of trained clowns trying to bring relief to US troops abroad by distributing clown noses.
The Tides mission is to partner with philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations across the country and around the globe to promote economic justice, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected.
