So Much to Talk About

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 by Betsey Russell
With as fast as the world of philanthropy is changing, it's sometimes hard to keep up. Private foundation legislation about payouts morphs into new rules for community foundations about funding advocacy groups. Corporate philanthropy's impact on brands runs together in my head with arguments about perpetuity and why people set up a foundation in the first place.

For years, the Southeastern Council of Foundations has been a haven for all manner of philanthropic conversations to take place, and now, I'm proud to see this organization taking the conversation one step farther. In this new blog, you'll find posts about a variety of topics from a number of authors about foundation rules, philanthropic policy, key issues for foundation trustees, worthy stories of grantmaking from around the region, news, useful ideas, and more. 

But this blog is only a means to get the conversation started, so read often, share your thoughts frequently, and help us all raise the voice and vision of philanthropy further into our collective consciousness. 

There's so much to talk about!

Comments for So Much to Talk About

Saturday, October 10, 2009 by Bobby Thalhimer:
For this and other musings, please visit Bobby's Blog at http://www.mytimesdispatch.com/index.php/bobby/index/. No, Not a Retreat! The very idea strikes fear of boredom and endless prattle into the hearts of even the most spirited volunteers. Yet, without a strategic plan a nonprofit drifts, loses focus and becomes ineffective. While painful to develop, a good mission statement guides good decision making on a daily basis and helps keep staff, volunteers, donors and clients on the same page. New leaders invariably instigate a new planning process. The results are sometimes simple, such as at Maymont (http://www.maymont.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=292). Or they may be complex, such as at the Southeastern Council of Foundations (http://www.secf.org/s_secf/sec_full.asp?CID=13268&DID=29218). The latter encompasses 360 grantmaking foundations of all stripes throughout the southeast. Talk about herding cats! To me, the best part of this detailed plan lies in its values—servant leadership, partnerships and collaboration, agility and creativity to name a few. For those who really dig this stuff, you can even blog about it at http://blog.secf.org/blog/southeastern-council-of-foundations. I met last week with a representative of ChildFund, whose planning process culminated in a name change from its historic roots as the Christian Children’s Fund. The board felt that “Christian” was an impediment in some of the international communities they serve, and they developed a new mission statement: “We help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children have the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change to their communities….” Consider how Family Lifeline’s mission statement reflects the organization’s name. “To provide families with the tools and resources needed to create a better future for themselves and their community…from the birth of a baby, to adolescents in school, to caring for older adults.” Now, take this thought and apply it to a family. How does a family stay together through generations? What would be the difference if a family had a mission statement? How would the very existence of articulated shared values affect the behavior of children and adults? On a personal note, is it time for my family to revisit the work that our father did with us in 1992, when he prepared the mission and vision statements that continue to guide the shared portion of our lives? (I can already hear the groans.) When I speculate about families that must have thought through their vision and mission, I think of the Ukrops, who seem to embrace each other’s individuality and who also seem to move in lock step when it comes to values. I have no personal knowledge, but I feel certain this result requires hard work—intensive planning and constant nurturing. Few nonprofits and few cohesive families survive for 100 years. I venture that success only comes with plowing through the groans, battling the boredom and articulating the vision. Survival is a constant cyclical process that requires planning, nurturing and evaluating. And, with each new arrival on the team, we need to refocus on the future and adjust our course, if only slightly.
Monday, October 12, 2009 by Brooke Bailey:
I am very excited that SECF has launched a blog! I am looking forward to reading the posts on different issues that impact philanthropy in the Southeast and joining in on the conversation.
Monday, October 12, 2009 by Erin Yount:
Hear, hear Brooke! We're glad to have this new vehicle for SECF members and the larger philanthropic sector to share ideas, collaborate, and have some lively debates...
Thursday, October 22, 2009 by Dr. Byron Harrell:
Blogs and Tweets! What will we think of next? The opportunities to connect in this new (smaller) world are growing so there is no excuse for funders to get stale. The latest research, success stories, and people are all much more available now. As a matter of fact, Google "Open Innovation Philanthropy" to see how the power of mass collaborations on the web can work to your advantage as a grantmaker.

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