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. Giving in the United States has now topped $400 billion. Countless community and national organizations are benefiting from a surge in public interest and a growing conviction that renewing our democracy will require that we work together. The entire ecosystem of philanthropy — nonprofits, foundations, donors, and volunteers — is rallying to the cause of civil society and cross-sector collaboration.Yet, the challenges we face are formidable. They require concrete, data-driven strategies and a willingness to experiment, evaluate, and adjust. They require that we keep moving forward. Experts and thought leaders from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy — along with several members of our Leadership Council — have examined changes in the field and identified 11 trends in philanthropy we expect to see impacting our sector in 2019.These trends cover a range of topics, from a marked growth in nonprofit media, to a downturn in religiosity, to ongoing uncertainty about the impact of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the nonprofit sector. These “11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2019” will help you anticipate and embrace what’s next.
2. Co-Creating Well-Being: Supporting Children and Families Through Trauma is a multi-year, three-phase initiative by the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York (HFWCNY) to see what is possible when we create solutions with children and families impacted by toxic stress and trauma, rather than for them. HFWCNY is working in collaboration with other NY Funders Alliance members, The Chautauqua Community Foundation, The John R. Oishei Foundation, The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, and The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation on the first phase of this project
3. On Thursday, January 17, Arabella Advisors co-hosted a webinar for donors, designed to examine the effects of the federal government shutdown on federal government workers as well as many of the most vulnerable in our society–including those who rely on federal food assistance and other government programs to help them make ends meet.
   The webinar explored both near- and longer-term impacts of the shutdown and addressed how philanthropy can help. Co-hosts included Environmental Grantmakers Association, Farm to Fork Initiative, Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, Philanthropy New York, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders, and United Philanthropy Forum. Listen to the full webinar, or read the summary here
4. Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices is the latest in BoardSource’s series of studies tracking and analyzing trends in nonprofit board leadership since 1994. We encourage you to read the 2017 study; to reflect on the trends and insights about today’s nonprofit boards; and to act on the many opportunities we have to lead our missions to further success through exceptional board leadership
5. The Funders Census Initiative is pleased to continue this briefing series on census messaging results in partnership with the Democracy Funders Collaborative Census Subgroup. Last year, national field partners were funded to conduct get-out-the-count messaging research to identify messages that resonate with hard-to-count communities. As more national partners finalize their results, we will schedule additional briefings. The next briefing will be January 23rd, and registration is here:  You can find recordings + slides from past discussions here. During each webinar, attendees will learn about:
   • The methodology used by each organization
   • The findings of their message testing
   • Recommended messengers and messages

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