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. In efforts to measure the impact of philanthropy on communities through the improvement of parks and public spaces, a study is being conducted to examine civic engagement, socioeconomic mixing, environmental sustainability, and value creation in areas undergoing green space transformation. There are obvious measurements of impact, such as increased number of visitors in parks, but the project is also measuring how neighborhood diversity and socioeconomic factors are affected. Read More Here.
2. As philanthropists increasingly step into the arena of public policy, it is important to note that there are ways to “avoid brutal political combat and still engage the public and policy makers.” Explained by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, there are five critical questions to consider before entering the world of advocacy in order to most effectively influence civic and political society. Read about them here.
3.  Many funders operate with small staffs, leading to the need for effective and clear communication in order to build a strong and cohesive team. Developing a communication plan helps ensure team priorities are in line with the overall organization, lowers frustration, and maximizes time and other valuable resources. Learn how to set up an clear communication plan here.
4. As data-driven philanthropic initiatives become more common, issues can be more accurately measured and addressed. In this article, an initiative to address chronic homelessness has focused on coordination between organizations and gathering detailed data to ensure that their actions are having real effects. A “culture of iteration, habits of ongoing problem solving, understanding that it needs to be a team, and data to keep you connected and focused” are all elements of the initiative. Read More Here.
5. The 2020 Census is rapidly approaching, and certain questions are being hotly contested. Lawsuits are being filed regarding the inclusion of a citizenship status question on the census, believed to discourage those of immigrant status from taking the census and causing some populations to be under-counted and under-represented. This would be the first time a citizenship question is included on the census since 1950, learn more about the potential ramifications 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.