Business Commons^™

2017 Food, Friendship, And Health: Working Together To Serve Seniors In North County San Diego, Michelle Ahearne, Meghan Kelly, Mary Jo Schumann

Seniors

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a three-year evaluation of the North County Senior Connections Thyme Together Food Truck Lunch Program.

Looking In The Mirror: Equity In Practice For Philanthropy, Ashlee Young, Jaime Love, Nancy Csuti, Christopher J. King

The Foundation Review

Philanthropy still needs to be reminded that there is no such thing as a post-racial America, and that systemic racism continues to underlie the problems foundation funding attempts to address. While many foundations have found it challenging to address equity in their grantmaking, they have found that process far more comfortable than addressing equity within their own organizations.

This article will describe the efforts of three foundations in various stages of seeing themselves through an equity lens: the Consumer Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, and Interact for Health. This article will discuss why these foundations are on this journey, what …

Community Foundation-Led Giving Days: Understanding Donor Satisfaction And Philanthropic Patterns, Benjamin S. Bingle

The Foundation Review

This article examines Give Local America 2016, a giving day beset by a technology failure that created challenges for donors and community foundations throughout the United States, and explores the experiences of donors as giving day participants.

Philanthropic giving days have gained popularity as opportunities for community foundations to engage new donors, create excitement about organized philanthropy, and democratize charitable giving. This article, examining survey data collected after a giving day led by a community foundation in northern Illinois, provides unique insight into donor satisfaction levels, opinions, and giving patterns.

Data suggest that giving days are not crowding out donations …

Philanthropy: Evidence In Favor Of A Profession, Heather L. Carpenter

The Foundation Review

Philanthropic employees have been cautious in implying that they are pursuing a career in philanthropy. Karl Stauber (2010) presented an argument in support of such caution: that philanthropy failed to meet all seven standards posited by Burton J. Bledstein, that when met, define a profession.

This article presents a literature review and findings from a survey of 500 members of the Council on Foundations that offer evidence for the counterargument that philanthropic work requires specialized education and training to master a set of core competencies.

While this article does not argue for or against the question, determining whether philanthropy as …

2017 Nonprofit Sector Employment Trends And Career Opportunities, San Diego Workforce Partnership In Partnership With The Nonprofit Institute

Nonprofit Sector Issues and Trends

The Nonprofit sector plays a critical, but often unseen role in supporting and promoting activities that improve the lives of county residents, filling gaps in critical social services when needed. This study aims to inform the workforce development system—educational training institutions, Workforce Development Boards and community workforce development organizations—on how to best prepare the future workforce for this sector. The full report analyzes data on job growth, training gaps, hiring challenges and in-demand skills from firms in the Nonprofit sector.

2017 The Role Of Books And Reading In Stem: An Overview Of The Benefits For Children And The Opportunities To Enhance The Field, Vitaliy Popov, Tessa Tinkler

Youth, Education, and Literacy

In April 2017, STEM Next, in partnership with the Hoag Foundation and the Molina Foundation, commissioned the Institute for Entrepreneurship in Education (IEE) and the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego to provide an overview of literacy learning within the disciplinary context of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This overview includes (1) a literature review on the benefits of integrating literacy and STEM for elementary and middle-school-aged children, (2) an environmental scan of reading programs, organizations, and materials that focus on Literacy in STEM, and (3) a set of criteria for …

2017 Fostering Whole Person Care Through A Care Coordination Network: Community Information Exchange San Diego, The Caster Family Center For Nonprofit And Philanthropic Research, University Of San Diego

Seniors

2-1-1 San Diego commissioned the University of San Diego’s Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research to conduct the Community Information Exchange (CIE) Cohort 2 evaluation, which focused on the senior (defined as ages 60+) population in the San Diego region.

Using a technology platform where agencies can enter and share client data, CIE strives to foster whole person care for the populations it serves (e.g., homeless, seniors, military), as well as reduce duplicative intakes and services provided by healthcare and social service agencies. By consenting into CIE, clients give permission for data sharing and may receive multiple referrals …

2017 The Impact Of Reading Aloud To Children: An Evaluation Of The Words Alive Read Aloud Program, Caster Family Center For Nonprofit And Philanthropic Research, University Of San Diego

Youth, Education, and Literacy

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is an evaluation of the Words Alive Read Aloud Program. Words Alive is a nonprofit organization focused on creating opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

2017 Annual Report: State Of Nonprofits In San Diego, Laura Deitrick, Jon Durnford, Emily Young

State of Nonprofits in San Diego

The 2017 State of Nonprofits in San Diego report showcases current statistics on what nonprofits and philanthropy look like in the San Diego region, as well as the critical trends in organizational readiness, workforce development, fundraising, and public policy directly related to the sector’s ability to fulfill their social purpose mission.

2017 Executive Summary- The Learning Group Effect: Leadership Development As Capacity Building A Five-Year Examination Of The Fieldstone Leadership Group Program, Michelle Ahearne, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a 5-year examination of the Fieldstone Leadership Group Program, a six-month peer-based learning community model to support the leadership development of both executive directors and senior leaders of nonprofit organizations.

2017 Fieldstone Leadership Network's Learning Group Effect: Leadership Development As Capacity Building, Michelle Ahearne, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a 5-year examination of the Fieldstone Leadership Group Program, a six-month peer-based learning community model to support the leadership development of both executive directors and senior leaders of nonprofit organizations.

Building Vietnamese Community Philanthropy: Understanding The Experiences And Expectations Of Donors To The Lin Center For Community Development, Dana Doan

The Foundation Review

Vietnam’s steady economic growth over the past two decades interacted with existing patterns of inequity, social exclusion, and geographic disparities to widen the gap between those who can and cannot obtain quality education, a stable income, and access to quality basic services. Meanwhile, after the World Bank classified Vietnam as a lower middle-income country in 2010, several international and bilateral donors announced plans to gradually decrease their development assistance.

It was under these circumstances that Vietnam’s first community foundation, the LIN Center for Community Development, was established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2009. Its mission is to build a …

Who Benefits From Giving Circles In The U.S. And The U.K.?, Angela M. Eikenberry

The Foundation Review

Giving circles have emerged around the world as an alternative to mainstream, bureaucratic philanthropy. This article examines the types of organizations that benefit from giving circles in the U.S. and the U.K., drawing on data from interviews, surveys, observations, and documentation collected in both countries.

The findings show that giving circles tend to fund certain types of organizations — often those that are small and locally based, startups and newer organizations that are reorganizing or transitioning, those that have a business orientation, and those that can engage members or show significant impact in relation to their size.

While some populations, …

Community Philanthropy In Russian Remote Areas, Julia Khodorova, Larisa Avrorina

The Foundation Review

Russia’s “back country” — remote, nonindustrial areas that are home to almost 40 percent of the population — was largely excluded from the changes brought about by perestroika. People who live in these areas, where NGOs are almost never present, are often unaware of the resources available to address local issues. These regions require new development models that focus on fostering community engagement, and the community foundation model has proven to be the most useful and adaptable.

This article is based on the results of research conducted by CAF Russia in 2016 on the development of community foundations in remote, …

The Effect Of Ceo Background Characteristics On Corporate Philanthropy And Firm Diversification Profile, Wonsuk Cha

Theses and Dissertations

During the past three decades, the practice of corporate philanthropy (CP), as an important dimension of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has evolved from a morally-driven initiative to a more strategic perspective that addresses both business and societal objectives. During this time, there has been a growing scholarly interest on the relationship between organizational leadership contexts and CP. Despite the apparent significant influence of CEOs on CP, whether CEO background characteristics (i.e. CEO founder status, functional background, civic engagement, and education) influence CP has not received much attention in the literature. In addition, the effect of CEO background characteristics on CP …

Marguerite Casey Foundation: Reflecting On 15 Years Of Philanthropic Leadership Through A Summative Evaluation, Mavis Sanders, Claudia Galindo, Luz Vega-Marquis, Cheryl Milloy

The Foundation Review

This article presents the findings of a summative evaluation of the Marguerite Casey Foundation that was conducted on the occasion of its 15th anniversary. The evaluation was designed to gauge stakeholders’ perceptions of the foundation’s operations to facilitate organizational learning. In sharing these results, the authors seek to elucidate the role of evaluation as a learning practice within the field of philanthropy.

The article describes the foundation’s organizational elements and evolution and discusses key themes that emerged from qualitative data collected from foundation leaders and staff, as well as findings from a survey of current grantees.

The article presents a …

Foundations Don’T Know What They’Re Risking, Maya Winkelstein, Shelley Whelpton

The Foundation Review

Critical gaps exist in philanthropy’s definitions of and approach to risk management. This article describes the scope of the problem and a framework for philanthropists to adopt risk-management practices that better equip the sector to address the challenges of our time.

In 2015, the Open Road Alliance surveyed hundreds of funders and grantees to explore questions about risk and contingency funding. The next year, Open Road partnered with Arabella Advisors for a qualitative analysis of existing foundation policies and procedures related to risk. The combined results suggest a need for contingency funding – and a lack among most funders and …

The Philanthropy As One Big Impact Investment: A Framework For Evaluating A Foundation’S Blended Performance, Rohit T. Aggarwala, Claudine A. Frasch

The Foundation Review

While some foundations have put their entire focus on impact investing, philanthropy still lacks the tools that enable such investments to be made with the same rigor as the best financial investments and philanthropic grants. This reveals a more fundamental problem: We do not currently manage foundations as the integrated portfolios that they are.

This article proposes a framework for evaluating a foundation’s blended performance that enables both grantmaking and endowment investing to be evaluated jointly, and thus also allows a complete evaluation of how impact investments could improve — or fail to improve — overall performance.

The article demonstrates …

Giving Back: An Unbroken Record Of Giving To Future Generations

Business Exchange

Alumnus Tom Blasczyk has an unbroken record of 40 years of philanthropic support to DePaul. He finds giving back to future generations more important than ever in these challenging times for students.

2017 Zero8hundred's Continuing The Promise Of A New Day: Support For Service Members Transitioning To Civilian Life In San Diego, Kim D. Hunt, Mary Jo Schumann

Military

This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a 2-year evaluation report about zero8hundred. Zero8hundred is a cross-sector community initiative whose mission is to proactively link transitioning service members and their families to resources and opportunities in the community, helping them successfully transition to civilian life.

2017 Executive Summary- The Nonprofit Sabbatical As A Catalyst For Capacity Building: An Evaluation Of The Fieldstone Leadership Network’S Clare Rose Sabbatical Program, Ahearne Michelle, Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

Year 2 Executive Summary 2017

This report, prepared by the Caster Center and funded by the Clare Rose Foundation, is a year two executive summary report on the Clare Rose Sabbatical Program. The program is intended to support the well-being of nonprofit leaders, build organizational capacity, and elevate leadership within organizations.

2017 Corporate Playbook For Supporting Military Families, Caster Family Center For Nonprofit And Philanthropic Research, University Of San Diego

Military

This report, by Blue Star Families and the Caster Center and sponsored by USAA, examines the unique strengths and challenges of military families, best practices for supporting military families, why your company should support these families, and the steps to begin or strengthen your company's plan to support military families.

2017 Two-Legged Stool: New Findings From California On Nonprofits And Overhead, Nancy Berlin, Jan Masaoka, Mary Jo Schumann

Nonprofit Sector Issues and Trends

Nonprofit overhead is a prevalent and controversial topic in the non- profit and philanthropic sector. Online raters (such as Charity Navigator) point to the overhead rate as a key indicator of nonprofit worthiness. Different govern- ment entities use wildly different indirect cost rates when contracting with nonprofits, which translate into billions of dollars of funding being gained or lost. Foundations rarely have explicit guidelines, but most have informal rules of thumb that affect how a nonprofit can use grant funds. Meanwhile, nonprofit executives struggle to make sense of it all as they manage their operations amidst the conflicting requirements of …

Examining Hybrid-Gift Philanthropy In Division I Intercollegiate Athletics: A Mixed Methods Study, John Thomas O'Sullivan

Dissertations

Over the past few decades, the money and attention associated with Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) has exploded. At the same time, however, many ICA departments claim to be at a financial crossroads with coaching salaries and operational costs soaring upwards. Not surprisingly, ICA departments are responding by focusing on increasing their fundraising in innovative ways. Perhaps the most interesting of these is in the area of hybrid—or blended—giving, which combines cash with a deferred gift. While these gifts have the potential to help generate substantially more revenue for ICA, unfortunately there is limited empirical research surrounding them.

In an effort to …

African American Charitable Giving In Charlotte, North Carolina: Engagement Strategies, Keith Eric Cradle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit agencies are instrumental in U.S. society and local communities. While there is significant outreach targeted for wealthy and middle-class Caucasian families, there is a lack of targeted effort for African Americans. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies development directors use to engage and retain African American donors. The focus of the research questions was what factors lead to successful engagement campaigns for African Americans. The qualitative case study was suitable for gathering data from multiple sources of information, including an interview questionnaire and existing literature. A purposeful sampling strategy was appropriate for choosing 5 …