Knox Martin Foundation for Brain Cancer Research’s Post

Today marks a day of mixed emotions across America, and around the Globe for many reasons. Regardless of political views, one thing is certain: uncertainty is a constant, and it's especially high during election years. In times like these, our ability to stay present amidst uncertainty while committing to authenticity, rather than being swept away by emotions, becomes essential. This practice strengthens our resilience and compassion, offering us opportunities to grow and uplift others. Amidst this backdrop, I am excited to announce that today is a special day: the start of the University of York's 36-hour Giving Day! This is a wonderful opportunity for York alumni and friends across the U.S. to connect, reminisce, and contribute to a brighter future for current and future York students. Giving Day only happens once a year, and this year there are four causes of focus: 1. University of Opportunity – Making education accessible for students regardless of background and financial status. 2. York Sanctuary Fund – Providing a safe, supportive environment for refugees and displaced students. 3. Mentally Fit York – Expanding mental health and well-being resources for students. 4. Generation Research – Fueling innovative research to tackle global challenges. This isn’t just about giving financially though; it’s about coming together as York alumni to make a real difference. Here’s how you can get involved in the next 36-hours, whether you choose to give or simply reconnect with your York experience: 1. Tag a fellow York alum and ask them to check out these causes. (Doing that right now, Samantha Crowe Jen Smith Panthea O'Connell James Groot Alan Holm - my life is brighter because are part of it!) 2. Read about the impact these funds have on our university and its students. (It's incredible to read about, I'm seriously moved by the stories, experiences, and accomplishments!) 3. Make a new connection - we’re all Yorkies here, let’s celebrate that bond. (Anthony Hollingworth I'm so happy we reconnected through UYA!) 4. Donate if you can - even $5 can help. (I'm about to go and donate, see if you can find my donation and which cause I choose!) 5. Comment below with your favorite Brown’s sandwich filling! (Roast turkey and cream cheese was my go-to, and I can still recall the joy of actually getting just a fiver from the ATM and then using it at Brown’s, with enough left over for a pint at the Charles!) Today and tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a series of posts highlighting the important causes supporting University of York's 36-Hour Giving Day. Follow along for updates! Let’s come together to support today’s students in creating memories, building careers, impacting the world, and living with purpose. How will you get involved? First up, check out an overview of the four causes that York Giving Day is focusing on #university #philanthropy ##YorkGivingDay

Giving Tuesday 2024: Launching Oregon Teens into Life and Career with Confidence This Giving Tuesday, we're rallying support to launch an innovative, youth-led and designed Life & Career Navigation Tool that will transform how Oregon's teens prepare for their futures. Over the last two years in the Life and Career Launching Lab, young adult creatives have developed a holistic roadmap framework and navigator tool to help youth: - Discover their unique motivators and skills. - Identify and address gaps for personal growth. - Connect to real-time opportunities in Oregon's workforce regions with AI-driven pathways that are actionable and relatable. Why it matters: Oregon's youth deserve tools that reflect their potential and help them navigate a future that aligns with their passions and talents. After sharing this tool at the Oregon Workforce Conference, we received overwhelming support and urgency to bring it to life. Now we need your help to make this a reality. Join us in creating a future where youth launch into life and careers with confidence, clarity, and direction. How you can support: - Donate and fuel this transformative initiative. - Share this post to spread the word. - Engage with us to amplify the impact. Let’s empower Oregon’s next generation to thrive. Donate: https://lnkd.in/gMbZ7-4d

#QuestionForGroup Hi fellow educators! I've been trying to think of ways to get my middle school kiddos engaged in our school and town community. One thought which came to mind was creating philanthropic opportunity involving students identifying a school/town community need and working on it during their middle school years. Students would use their time and energy to better the community they are in, under the mantra "leave a better tomorrow." Now, I have a very rough draft of a outline with details for this but would love to hear from others if they have done this already or would like to collaborate on this!

T H I N K I N G A L O U D: An Obligation to Engage? In the early 1980’s AIGA / Chicago produced a panel discussion at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Accomplished design professionals and educators discuss whether or not designers have an obligation to act as a public conscience. Panelists were: Rick Valicenti, Dietmar Winkler, Katherine McCoy, Bob Vogele and moderated by Joseph Michael Essex. The discussion was quite wide-ranging. The panel addressed, educational, sociological, cultural, environmental and political issues, both local and Presidential. Several members of the panel were quite adamant and articulate when suggesting designers possess, by discipline, a particular set of skills capable of presenting complex concepts clearly, making those concepts understandable to almost everyone. Others on the panel (and in the audience of 250+) had other thoughts. This video tape is only one of many such items. Next Spring the Chicago Design Archives will host a fundraising event where hundreds of donated posters and publications as well as art and artifacts will be auctioned; raising funds to support an expansion of CDA. Other activities are anticipated; community building and educational. These initiatives are designed to help strengthen and sustain the Archives for the next generation. Information about donating items, participating and volunteering for the auction will be available after the first of the next year. Say Something, Do Something.

Although Hope Circuits is grounded in the post-secondary sector, my hope was that the conceptual tools and systems-level approach to re-wiring structures might resonate beyond universities and colleges and inspire people in different industries and contexts. Since the book launched itself into the world in May 2024, I have been heartened by the reception of the ideas beyond the academy. One of the sectors that has been an enthusiastic and early adopter is the charitable field - in advancement, fundraising, communications, donor engagement, cultivation cycles, private/public partnerships, community building, engagement, and professional development. While I knew I wanted to extend conversations beyond higher education (while staying true to my own context, knowledge, and purpose work), I did not attempt to foresee what form that might take: I had to trust that alignment would unfurl in ways I could not imagine. One example of this generative unfurling shows up in a recent newsletter from Kimberley MacKenzie, CPCC, ACC, thought leader in the charitable field, who cites Hope Circuits as a way to re-imagine giving and philanthropy. Below is a link to her article, and with it an invitation to think about how hope circuits - and the conceptual tools - might be transferrable or translatable into different industries and sectors: https://lnkd.in/eDS26KRv

Dear Friends of FindingFive, Happy Holidays! 2024 is a rather transitional year for us at FindingFive. We gave a lot of thought into the nature of the service we provide, and our own identity as a nonprofit first, as opposed to being just a web platform for behavioral research. In that vein, we have made a big push for strengthening the use of FindingFive in pedagogical settings, most notably, via the addition of a course credit management feature. We can now support an entire department in using FindingFive to not only conduct research, but also manage undergraduate students who take researcher studies for course credits. With the help of Kent State University, we have been piloting this system for a year, and learned a lot of valuable lessons. Undergrad students do not follow instructions very well -- who would have thought that, right? ;) We spent a lot of time and effort on optimizing the user experience of our platform to smooth out the workflow for both researchers, administrators, and the students. Looking ahead to 2025, we are investing more time into "business development", with the goal of raising awareness of this institution-friendly system as a primary goal. At the same time, we are continuing to improve the core services of FindingFive - enabling researchers to run online experiments more easily! This year, we have launched integration with Prolific, and in early 2025, we'll make it possible to run anonymous sessions, so that participants don't have to sign up on FindingFive to participate in a study. These types of sessions will be useful for "field" settings (such as running participants in public venues, or with special populations). Running a tech nonprofit aimed for a niche audience, with a team of volunteers, has been a fulfilling yet challenging experience. I'd like to thank you for your unwavering support for our endeavor, and make a plea for donation: if you are in a position to do so, a small tax-deductible donation of any amount will greatly help us reach our goals in 2025: https://lnkd.in/efYhZThm Thank you so much in advance! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

With each chapter I read of Warren Berger’s “A More Beautiful Question,” I am constantly finding connections to our work in philanthropy – especially in the relationships between funders and nonprofits, and I wanted to share them with colleagues! Here are a few quotes from the book, and some ideas for how we might consider their application in philanthropic practice. Berger tells the story of NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development professor Deborah Meier, who in the 1970s created a radical model for a school designed to foster inquiry. In her work, she raised several interesting questions: “Is a test-driven education the most likely path for producing an inventive and feisty citizenry?” and “What would it look and sound like in the average classroom if we wanted to make ‘being wrong’ less threatening.” Think about how this applies to the interactions between a nonprofit and a current/potential funder. Is a highly structured and formal application process the best path for encouraging nonprofits to be inventive or “feisty?” What can funders do to make ‘being wrong’ less threatening when it comes to developing and fostering positive relationships with their grantee partners? Here’s another one… Berger quotes Dennie Wolf, an education professor and consultant, whose research “The Art of Questioning” found that questions “were used by teachers primarily to check up on students, rather than to try and spark interest; such questions were apt to leave a student feeling ‘exposed’ rather than inspired.” Funders and grantmakers, do you use the questions in your application simply to “check up” on your grantees? How are you using your application or discussions with program officers to spark interesting conversations with your partners? Do those discussions leave those nonprofits feeling inspired? Or are your questions unintentionally leaving your partners feeling exposed? I hope these might spark some creative or innovative thinking as we head into the fall. I’d be delighted to work with you to explore how these and similar provocative questions can have a positive impact on your philanthropy. Feel free to reach out if I can be of any service. The concept of powerful questions is important to me! Later this month, I will be presenting a session for grantmakers entitled “Change Up Your Questions” at Blackbaud’s annual BBCON conference in Seattle. https://lnkd.in/emaCMq5u

Do you work in fundraising? Have you wondered how your advancement team's size, composition, and organization contribute to effective fundraising? Benefactor Group is conducting research on how different staffing structures support fundraising operations. Are you open to contributing to this research? If so, complete this 10-15 minute survey by May 31 and receive an advanced copy of our team's findings. #Fundraising #Fundraisers #Nonprofits #Philanthropy #CharitableGiving #Survey

This is why I began opening my yearly Fundraising - Charitable Gala Events for 14-17y/o (minors registration fee waived). The reality is, this is nothing new - it's actually been going on since I was in Junior - H.S (back in the early 80's). The reason we're hearing/reading more about it is - more young girls are beginning to use their voice(s) to come forward. I'll ask the question? Why don't many parents know what's going on in their teens lives? Could it be, "communication"- lack thereof? Yet, many teens are being allowed to roam freely-anywhere. Some parents actually believe, "it's allowing them to explore their individuality." Yeah, Okay - Right. People, children 14 are being subjected to domestic violence; UNACCEPTABLE. This shouldn't be occurring - but it is. There was a time, parents knew "every friend's" name & "their friend's parents" names & visa-versa. Parents "knew" where & what their child(ren) were doing & who they were w/& where they were going. Unfortunately, the advancement of technology & social medias have bombarded many homes, from having family time - so, this is what we have to look forward to until more parents take time to spend & talk to their children. Ask them, "how was your day in school"; "was your day eventful or uneventful - & why"? It's topics of discussions like this; amongst many others that, so many are so reluctant or simply afraid to have dialogue - WHY? - b/c the fear of being denounced by their business colleagues or peers; therefore, they avoid these types of discussions - it's tabu - No, it's just simply sad (SMH). Many children lack respect for authority (their parents - teachers - police - etc); yet, who are the first person some "children" often call when they get into trouble? Mommy. No-one, not even a domesticated animal deserves mistreatment or abuse of any kind; especially, not a 14-year old "child" from "another" child. Clearly, this young "boy" has been exposed to this type of behavior - this will be the tainted pathology that will continue into their next generation -when they have children - if - they don't seek counseling; both the Victim & the Abuser. Parents, please get involved in your children activities- if you're not already or barely, now - Ask questions. So what your teen(s) gets upset! They're under your roof; eating your food; using electricity & water to bathe. As a parent - you have every right until they turn 18; when they turn 18 & if they're still disrespecting you; while living in your home-that's where you do like the mama bird- let them go & fly their wings- When they realize how difficult life can be as an adult - they'll return- when they do; setting ground rules & boundaries will be key-as well as- setting a time frame- what are the plans for their life? Either enroll in a local college (if they hadn't been accepted or applied to a university); or join the military. If none of the two options are accepted; then-pray them well & let them fly on to find their way.

When I first started writing DM copy, I used to put my dad’s name as the salutation to remind myself that a) my work is read by real people, not <firstname> <surname> and b) I am not my audience. If you work in DM, read this article!