Friday Rewind

The Friday Rewind offers a snapshot of PhilanthroNews —  that means news stories, articles, events of note, or information updates — from around our network and throughout the broad world of philanthropy. Whether you take a quick skim of the material or a deep dive through each item we hope to help inform your work and inspire your thinking.

1. The President & CEO of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, David Biemesderfer wrote a blog post this week identifying this as a critical time for philanthropy’s voice to be heard and highlighting the importance of philanthropy as an advocate for the issues and values it cares about regardless of political affiliation. He also touches on the role the Forum, Regional Associations, and Philanthropy-Serving Organizations can play. Read the Full Story Here.
2. Independent Sector engaged in a series of community conversations in 2015 and consistently heard that strained relationships between foundations and nonprofits were impeding organizations’ ability to meet their missions. Clearly, strong grantee-funder relationships are a vital part of any initiative’s success, so IS sought out to better understand the power dynamic between grantees and funders in 2016. Read the Full Story Here.
3. It seems like a no-brainer to run a small scale test before launching a massive project or effort. Just because a project sounds good in theory, doesn’t mean it will actually work out the way it is supposed to. However, when it comes to health and development aid for the world’s poorest populations, projects have traditionally been designed based on what is reasonable, not what has been proven to work best. Read the Full Story Here.
4. By now you’ve heard that last weekend the American Civil Liberties Union received over $24 million in donations  in response to controversial executive orders on immigration signed by President Trump. On the heels of this massive (and sudden) influx of cash, the ACLU’s Executive Director, Anthony Romero, is heading to Silicon Valley to receive mentoring and pitch investments in defending constitutional rights. Read the Full Story Here.
5. Many young adults and college-aged students are eager to make meaningful contributions to their communities and are interested in careers in the nonprofit sector. How do teachers, mentors, and parents help prepare these students for this career path? Allison Fine is an author, consultant, and expert on nonprofit management who covers this topic in a column for the Chronicle on Philanthropy called On Becoming a Leader. Read the Full Story Here.

Friday Rewind is published each Friday by NY Funders Alliance staff. To submit a story for the Friday Rewind, please email programs@nyfunders.org.