PhiLab’s Post

Some community leaders asked me this question during a community meeting: Why are funders funding things that we have no problems with as a community? My response was, why are we applying for funds that don't address or help us resolve problems we have? Why aren't we adding problems we have to what the funder is willing to fund? In most cases, funders have a specific interest in what to fund, but they don't restrict us from incorporating other issues of societal interest. When a Request for Proposal is issued, include your organizational programs in what the funder is interested in. This will help your organization remain true to its purpose and maintain its brand identity. Many organizations have folded because of this; the civil society space has shrunk. Thought-provoking questions on this are: Who else knows about your problem? How significant is your problem to society? What statistics do you have related to your problem? Whom do you want to work with in resolving your problem?

Is America as divided as it seems? Drew Lindsay reports for #TheCommons on researcher’s efforts to answer that question and how they often find that we have more in common than expected. Read the full story at: https://bit.ly/3xHl6gd The Commons is a new project from The Chronicle of Philanthropy exploring how America’s nonprofits and foundations are working to heal the nation’s divides and build community. With guest essays from leaders in the nonprofit and philanthropy sector, we are looking at how the country is splintered along political lines but also by income, race, geography, culture, and more — division that can threaten progress and even the nation’s stability. This week, April 15-21, is National Week of Conversation. Organized by the Listen First Project and CitizenConnect.US, the event is designed to foster communication to build bridges across differences and help people #DisagreeBetter. All week the Chronicle will be sharing content from The Commons.

Huey G. and Mary Copeland believe a thriving community is one that is inclusive of everyone, and they view their giving back as an investment in the future of our community. Learn more about the causes they support in our recent annual report: https://ow.ly/OyXM50U7aUe

At TechSoup we’ve had an opportunity to work with partners from around the world serving more than 275,000 nonprofits every 12 months. In the last few months, our teams have been working to add the data about that service to TechSoup’s Data Commons. My colleagues have written a short article describing the effort: https://lnkd.in/gYnarvbs Here’s why I believe this is important: 1. Making this data available as datasets makes them directly useful to others in ways we cannot imagine. 2. It’s vitally important that we document the shape of global civil society so that we can understand what changes and how, what needs to be supported and where. This is our contribution to that effort. 3. We want to make sure that the data can be looked against other relevant data about issues, funding demographics in a way that reduces the cost of curiosity and allows to better form and test hypothesis. 4. We want these to be in the hands of local actors, in the hands of groups of all sizes because they have what no dataset will ever have: context, experience, and insights. 5. In the world of generative AI, we want to be sure there are cited facts that underlie what is delivered back to us in response to our prompts. And we want to be sure, as a sector, we are contributing to those facts.

Carefully crafted grantmaking strategies are at the heart of a private foundation's efforts—whether fostering community development, sponsoring education, or supporting sustainability. These strategies ensure effective resource allocation and meaningful change while embodying the foundation's mission. To optimize impact and comply with tax laws, it's important for foundations to thoughtfully develop and refine their approaches. #PrivateFoundations #Grantmaking

Carefully crafted grantmaking strategies are at the heart of a private foundation's efforts—whether fostering community development, sponsoring education, or supporting sustainability. These strategies ensure effective resource allocation and meaningful change while embodying the foundation's mission. To optimize impact and comply with tax laws, it's important for foundations to thoughtfully develop and refine their approaches. #PrivateFoundations #Grantmaking

As the New Year unfolds, many of us set individual goals. Why not broaden that perspective to include your community? Explore ways to strengthen your community through giving in our new blog post. Read more: https://wix.to/z5NlNeB #NewYearsResolution #CommunityImpact #ProfessionalDevelopment

Will you answer just 6 questions to help us make Partnership.LA impactful? In order to create a meaningful program, we are asking the social impact community of Southern California (and beyond!) to help us identify the most important topics for attention. TAKE THE SURVEY: https://lnkd.in/gadSmQMQ

🌟 Explore the nonprofit sector like never before with our Nonprofit Sector State Profiles! This interactive dashboard is your go-to resource for national and state-level data on the size, economic impact, workforce, and inspiring success stories of nonprofits making a difference in communities across the country. Whether you're advocating, researching, or just curious, this tool is for you! Start exploring today ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eanYvaTy

I am enjoying the research completed by the Community Opportunity Alliance's "Money Meets Community" study - which documents the ways the community development field is being sustained. Today's webinar provided an insightful discussion around how 80% of the organizations in this arena have a substantial disadvantage in terms of revenue and assets. As pointed out by the moderator, the lack of assets makes an organization more vulnerable, just as it would a family. We need sustained investment in the growth of the sector, prioritizing these under resourced, minority and women led organizations. I view the health of these nonprofits as a proxy for the communities they serve because without a healthy, nonprofit organization, the public institutions will not be responsive and serve those individuals. They will deliver impact, so bolstering core operating support should be a priority nationwide. Keep up the good work! https://lnkd.in/gUNwC7Pm https://lnkd.in/g4Jfg9Gn