University of Minnesota Libraries’ Post

Are we helping or hurting? That is a question many residents of San Francisco ask ourselves in the midst of a stark and increasing equity gap. As a parent, community member, and incoming board member of the Horizons at San Francisco Friends School, I’m keenly aware of the potential learning loss our public school students in the Mission District experience in the summer months without our support. Our city is undergoing another crisis - looming budget cuts threaten vital programs like Horizons at SFFS that provide equitable learning for Mission youth. We urgently need your support to secure bridge funding and ensure our summer enrichment continues. Our scholars and families are relying on Horizons' high-quality academics and social-emotional growth.  Horizons has been successfully leveraging the months when students are out of school to stem summer learning loss for children in San Francisco for ~10 years. The program has also intentionally increased impact by supporting their scholars through their educational journey during the school year and into High School. Last year, Horizons impacted 150+ scholars with targeted small classroom instruction, confidence-building, and joyful community enrichment experiences- thanks to our dedicated summer education workforce. But we can't continue without you. Please join me in supporting Horizons at SFFS today to expand partnerships, engage more crisis-impacted families, and grow our supportive community stronger. In past years, the SF Department of Children, Youth and Families has been a partner to increase access to education for our students. This summer, as we face a potential 40% loss to our summer program due to DCYF funding cuts that have impacted so many vital programs in our city, we’ve decided to celebrate Horizons Giving Day, the whole month of May. Please join me in our movement - your gift saves the summer for San Francisco scholars and helps bridge the educational equity gap in our city. Let’s help together. In gratitude, friendship and community, Aneesha #GiveTheGiftofSummer #SparkPassions #HorizonsGivingDay https://lnkd.in/gJAYnibC Links for reference: Horizons at SFFS: https://lnkd.in/gfsdugDX Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/gZc2jn85 Press Release on DCYF Loss of Funding: https://lnkd.in/gNprpSyB

During the pandemic, when many grantees were forced to operate in crisis mode, College Futures deliberately aimed to foster a sense of care, support, and community, paired with stable and flexible funding. This was the start of a new policy grantmaking strategy that eventually grew to an “ecosystem” of 16 organizations, intentionally designed to advance connections, knowledge, and movement-building across higher education equity. We offer insights to the philanthropic community to strengthen equity-focused movement-building and grantmaking, especially in support of statewide policy and systems change: https://buff.ly/3WzEjuK.

Please Nominate Page Ahead to win $10,000! My organization, Page Ahead, is in the running to win $10,000 from First Tech Federal Credit Union, and your vote can make it happen. This funding would go directly toward helping children build the literacy skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Since joining this incredible team, I’ve learned some profound truths about literacy and its impact: --Children in low-income groups who can't read are at a significant disadvantage in closing the earning and wealth gaps in our country. --By age 4, vital neuron connections form that lay the foundation for a child's reading and learning abilities. Missing this window has lifelong consequences for academic and professional success. --Children who aren’t reading proficiently by third grade often struggle to catch up in every subject through middle and high school. This is why the work we do is so critical—and why this $10,000 would mean the world to the children and families we serve. ✅ Please take a moment to vote for us here: https://lnkd.in/gKGkS_-y (No personal information is collected). 📢 And help us spread the word by sharing this post! Thank you for your support! 💙

🎉 Big News from the Student Basic Needs Coalition! 🎉 We’re excited to share that SBNC has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This grant will enable us to expand our peer navigator program to more community colleges, helping thousands of students gain access to SNAP benefits and tackle food insecurity. Community colleges are a vital gateway to education for students from low-income backgrounds, yet many eligible students still face barriers to receiving SNAP benefits. The SNAP gap—where students miss out on benefits they’re entitled to—can have serious consequences, from increased stress to lower academic performance. Thanks to this generous grant, we’re expanding our peer navigator program, where student leaders with lived experience guide their peers through the SNAP application process. These peer navigators play a critical role in reducing stigma and making the process more accessible. We’re also creating a new full-time Campus Program Manager role to oversee these efforts and ensure more students get the support they need. This initiative is about more than just increasing SNAP enrollment—it’s about creating a sustainable model that can be replicated across other schools, amplifying our impact. We’re incredibly grateful to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for their commitment to this crucial work. Stay connected with us as we continue to push forward in our mission to make college more affordable and accessible for all students. Learn more about this initiative and how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/gsYfE7dz #SocialJustice #StudentAdvocacy #SNAPGap #FoodInsecurity #CommunityColleges #StudentLeaders #SBNC #HigherEducation #CollegeAccess #PeerSupport #NonprofitOrganization #EducationEquity #StudentSuccess #CampusCommunity #AdvocacyWork #SocialImpact #StudentAffairs

Do you know about the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at RMU? They build a stronger community by helping to build stronger, more knowledgeable nonprofits. Check out their offerings if you are looking to strengthen your nonprofit!

Last day to register! As racial equity goes back to being a radical idea for some, the SDGs help show how we ALL want clean air and water, child and maternal health, freedom from hunger, shelter, jobs, and peace. Now what is needed to get us all there? ABFE. A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, CFLeads #sustainabledevelopmentgoals

Over 1,900 nonprofits use Alchemer to collect feedback from members, guests, donors, and other constituents. These nonprofits use feedback generated in Alchemer to make better decisions. Take Renew Partnerships, for example. When Christian universities, churches, and ministries want an assessment of their racial dynamics, they often turn to Renew Partnerships. And Renew Partnerships relies on Alchemer to run their assessments. With the data coming in, Renew Partnerships is able to make better decisions and help guide others to do the same. Read the case study here: https://lnkd.in/gzzNdM_K

The article "We, the Nonprofit Institutions: Transformation for Liberation" on the Stanford Social Innovation Review explores how nonprofits must transform to contribute to building a multiracial democracy. Authors Ashleigh Gardere and Jeff Bradach discuss the need for nonprofits to reimagine their roles and practices to better serve diverse communities and support systemic change. This transformation involves embracing new strategies, fostering inclusivity, and committing to social justice to create institutions that reflect and serve all members of society equitably (SSIR - Stanford Social Innovation Review) (SSIR - Stanford Social Innovation Review). For more details, you can read the full article on the Stanford Social Innovation Review website: https://lnkd.in/eeEKMKZF

We get a lot of reports of unreasonable space limits in grant applications, but today’s call out goes to the only funder who’s been reported to us TWICE for this issue. (https://lnkd.in/epDJ4sD9) ArtsHERE, a program of National Endowment for the Arts, asks good, meaty questions like “Describe how your organization demonstrates a commitment to equity,” and gives instructions like, “Be as detailed as possible to demonstrate your organization’s authentic understanding.” And gives applicants 500 characters to answer them. For reference, this post is over 1,000 characters. Specific word counts and character counts force nonprofit staff to spend extra time rewriting their already-written descriptions to match every funder’s different requirements. And that’s assuming it’s even possible to answer the question in the space provided. Come on ArtsHERE! What do you think you can learn about an organization’s “authentic understanding” in one paragraph? Report your own unreasonable funders here! 📢 https://lnkd.in/gStX7dBd

This past week, we delved into the donorCentrics overall program assessment on alumni giving, highlighting the remarkable strides in alumni contributions at USC over the past year. Reflecting on our success, three key strategies stand out: - Reorganizing our Annual Giving Programs and Services team's approach from unit-based to university-based solicitation, with team members serving as liaisons to specific colleges and schools, ensuring dedicated resources for implementing annual giving plans. - Introducing more affinity-based and cause-related appeals, enabling us to showcase programs close to our alumni donors' hearts. - Enhancing our communication frequency significantly, providing alumni with more avenues to contribute through USC. Looking ahead, our focus shifts to critical areas demanding attention: - The upsurge in giving from Gen X alumni. - The renewal of support from 2-year lapsed donors with over 15 years of giving history, showcasing substantial contributions to USC. - Early philanthropic giving from student donors before their senior year, signaling the need for continued education on philanthropic backing. The dedication and efforts of my team have yielded tangible improvements, fueling incredible progress. I’m excited to witness our ongoing progress. #AlumniGiving #USC #Philanthropy