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.  Co-author of a recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review titled “When Philanthropy Meets Advocacy,” Susan Wolf Ditkoff (Partner of The Bridgespan Group) recently conducted an interview with The Business of Giving. Susan discusses advocacy campaigns, the fears of philanthropists regarding their involvement in advocacy, and five strategic questions for philanthropists to think through before activating advocacy efforts. She notes that “it’s looking at the opportunities that are out there and fitting your goals, your winnable milestones, your public good into a broader landscape” that will enable philanthropists to have a “more potent and powerful and broad base of support.” Listen or read the interview here
2. Twenty-five organizations across Western NY have joined together to form “Liftoff,” an alliance working with existing community organizations and networks to ensure that children are prepared physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively to reach their fullest potential when they enter kindergarten. After conducting an objective review of early childhood systems and programs in the region, Liftoff released a report detailing their findings, which can be found here.
3. In the realm of family philanthropy, there are six key lessons to create coherency (a logical, well-structured, organized method of giving). In foundations where family members are engaged with grantmaking, not only the difference made within the community, but the impact made (or hoped to be) within the family itself should be considered. As the author notes, “philanthropy expresses the belief that we can have a positive impact on our own lives, on the lives of others and on vital societal issues. It also serves as a line of defense to protect democratic values like equality, opportunity, fairness, inclusiveness, and freedom of speech and thought.” Read more about the lessons for families within philanthropy here
4. The 21^st Century has been termed the “Century of Philanthropy,” due to its focus on strategic impacts and real world results. Further impact can be made when “philanthropic strategies are designed with reference to the systems they intend to improve: You must understand the forces acting upon those systems (social, economic, technological, legal, and so forth), and the motivations of those who control the outcomes.” Read More Here
5. A collaboration of New York funders has joined together to support education and outreach efforts, public policy advocacy, messaging and communication, and research and evaluation in support of a fair and accurate census in 2020. The New York State Grantmakers for Census Equity hopes the pooled fund will help mitigate potential undercounts through strategically allocating resources to both legal services and community organizations. Read More 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.