Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons^™

Shine A Light: The Role Of Consultants In Fostering A Learning Culture At Foundations, Jared Raynor, Ashley Blanchard, Marieke Spence

The Foundation Review

Noticeably absent on the list of reasons foundations cite for engaging consultants is learning – a particularly important attribute for foundations that grapple with complex issues in dynamic environments.

Consultants are particularly well positioned to help foundations in the learning process. They help organizations understand and create models and frameworks, implement strategies and mechanisms within them, overcome roadblocks to learning, and put them on a path toward a dynamic and sustainable learning culture.

This article proposes that being explicit about the value of fostering a learning culture in a foundation within the context of any consulting engagement will enable both …

Effective Consulting Partnerships To Philanthropy, Ellen Irie, Kim Ammann Howard, Ria Sengupta Bhatt, Naomi Orensten

The Foundation Review

This article explores the realm of partnerships among consultants who are supporting philanthropy, surfaces the forms those philanthropy-consulting partnerships take, and describes their benefits and inherent challenges. It also describes what foundations most need to know about initiating and supporting philanthropy-consulting partnerships.

Types of consulting partnerships are a function of the needs they address and the contexts in which they were initiated. A useful way of looking at consulting partnerships is according to their structure – whether the relationship with the client is primarily horizontal or vertical in nature. In a vertical structure, a client hires a consultant, who in …

Factors Associated With Philanthropic Giving And Their Correlation With Donation Amount: A Case Study Of The Indianapolis Zoo 2014 Donor Survey, Ashley N. Marcum

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Indianapolis Zoo, located in the heart of Indianapolis, is a staple of the community. Celebrating its 50th year anniversary in 2014, the Indianapolis Zoo is known worldwide for both its excellence in animal care and its dedication to local and international conservation efforts. The intent of this paper is to provide the Indianapolis Zoo Institutional Advancement Department with an in depth analysis of its 2014 Donor Survey. Understanding the factors that can affect donor motivation to give philanthropically and the correlation these factors may have with gift amount will help the development team hone their soliciting practices.

It is …

What We Have Learned About Grassroots Philanthropy: Lessons From Mexico, Artemisa Castro Félix, A. Scott Dupree

The Foundation Review

Mexico is going through a transition from traditions of authoritarian, top-down social and political management that have tended to marginalize the efforts of community groups in addressing social and environmental challenges.

While there are many important questions about strengthening civil society organizations in general, grassroots groups in particular are challenged by the weak enabling environment for social action.

Despite this, the Action in Solidarity Fund has found that it is very possible for philanthropists to reach small grassroots groups with the support they need and to begin to strengthen the social fabric for communities to act on their own behalf. …

Giving Circles In Asia: Newcomers To The Asian Philanthropy Landscape, Robert John

The Foundation Review

Amid the rapid development of philanthropy across Asia, over the past 10 years a number of giving circles have appeared in the region.

This form of philanthropy, where individuals pool resources and provide grants to nonprofit organizations in their community, is well known and studied in the U.S. This article examines the phenomenon in Asia, and finds giving circles there to be either indigenous or based on models transplanted from the United States or Europe.

While ancient traditions of charitable giving have existed for centuries in Asia, the concept of organized philanthropy in order to effect specific societal benefit is …

2014 A National Review Of Community Leadership Programs, Caster Family Center For Nonprofit And Philanthropic Research, University Of San Diego

Nonprofit Leadership and Capacity Building

In May 2014, LEAD San Diego commissioned the Caster Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research (Caster Center) to conduct a national review of organizations that support leadership development and civic engagement (i.e., community leadership programs). The Caster Center researched 32 such organizations and conducted phone interviews with 12 of them. The interviewed organizations included nine community leadership programs: six were independent nonprofits, two were nonprofits housed within a Chamber of Commerce, and one was a Chamber of Commerce program. The remaining interviews were with two statewide community leadership programs that were foundation funded and a university research center.

Financial Analysis For Measuring And Comparing Risk In Grantmaking Portfolios, Sheena Ashley, Lewis Faulk

The Foundation Review

· Risk has not been treated in a systematic way that allows for a rich understanding of the extent to which foundations are, or should be, incorporating or evaluating risk in philanthropy.

· In this article, we conceptualize and develop a tool to evaluate the levels of philanthropic risk that foundations maintain through their grant portfolios.

· We create an index of aggregated risk at the portfolio level using several financial indicators based on previous theory and literature. Then, we test the index on a sample of foundations and their grantees in the state of Georgia and compare risk levels …

Climbing The Mountain: An Approach To Planning And Evaluating Public-Policy Advocacy, Sam Gill, Tom Freedman

The Foundation Review

· This article proposes a new methodology for planning and evaluating public-policy advocacy. The methodology is designed around a series of stages, each with a different set of strategic planning and assessment requirements.

· The article suggests that both planning and evaluative approaches that fail to take account of the necessary stages required to develop and then implement an advocacy strategy will likely assign the wrong indicators of success.

· This analysis is based on direct experience working with both policy processes and a wide range of foundations and nonprofits that have invested in public-policy advocacy, including the Rockefeller, Ford, …

Where Heart Meets Smart: The Making Of A Grantmaker, Elizabeth A. Castillo, Mary B. Mcdonald, Christina P. Wilson

The Foundation Review

· Graduate programs in nonprofit management increasingly include philanthropic studies in their curricula. However, these programs generally focus on a grant seeker's point of view.

· This case study describes a graduate philanthropic studies course at the University of San Diego developed from a grant maker's perspective. Students partner with a local private foundation to serve as its program officers for a special initiative.

· By becoming grant makers the students experience the intellectual, emotional, and practical challenges of effective grant making. They develop grant making competencies and an appreciation for the art and science of philanthropy. The foundation benefits …

Raising The Bar – Integrating Cultural Competence And Equity: Equitable Evaluation, Jara Dean-Coffey, Jill Casey, Leon D. Caldwell

The Foundation Review

· Whether implicit or explicit, social justice and human rights are part of the mission of many philanthropies. Evaluation produced, sponsored, or consumed by these philanthropies that doesn’t pay attention to the imperatives of cultural competency may be inconsistent with their missions.

· The American Evaluation Association’s Statement on Cultural Competence provides those who produce, sponsor, and use evaluation an opportunity to examine and align their practices and policies within a context of racial and cultural equity and inclusion. The use of such a lens is paramount when evaluating a program whose goals touch on issues of equity or inclusion. …

State Of Nonprofits Annual Report: 2014, Mary Jo Schumann, Jennifer Amanda Jones, Kim Hunt, Christina Mitchell, Svetlana Krasynska, Laura Deitrick

State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy in San Diego

For the second consecutive year, the State of Nonprofits Annual Report chronicles the capacity, contributions, and overall economic health and well-being of the San Diego nonprofit sector over time.

It also documents the current state of the nonprofit sector in San Diego County based on perspectives of local nonprofit leaders in 2013.

The findings presented in this report are a culmination of various sources and represent different perspectives. Together, they help tell the story of the nonprofit sector in San Diego County (subsequently referred to as San Diego).

2014 North County Senior Connections: Needs Assessment And Asset Mapping, Mary Jo Schumann, Crystal Trull

Seniors

In December 2013, the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation (RSFF) commissioned the Caster Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research (Caster Center) at the University of San Diego to conduct a Phase I research study to provide RSFF Grants and Projects Committee (GPC) with relevant data and research needed to help make informed decisions about a new program titled “North County Senior Connections” (NCSC).

From Altruism To Investment: Venture Philanthropy And Its Impact On Shared Governance At Liberal Arts Colleges, Joshua D. Merchant

Dissertations

Competition for philanthropic dollars has escalated in recent years, particularly in higher education. A new type of charitable giving – venture philanthropy – has emerged and is impacting both educational policy and practice. Venture philanthropy involves donors using business models, championed practices of venture capitalists, and decision making procedures to drive their philanthropy and ongoing engagement with organizations they support.

Venture philanthropy has the potential to improve the financial vitality of colleges and universities. However, it also poses significant questions to the academy as more colleges and universities engage with donors who embrace its tenets. The primary research question seeks …

Lleap 2013 Survey Report : Leading By Evidence To Maximise The Impact Of Philanthropy In Education, Michelle Anderson, Emma Curtin

Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP)

There are people who wish to give in a structured and planned manner, money, time or talents to advance the education of students in need. However, they may not know what schools and their communities need or what prevents them from accessing this additional support. Conversely, what those from schools know and understand about philanthropy is limited. Historically, not-for-profit organisations, with their various programs or services, have been the intermediary between school communities and philanthropy.

The Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP) survey provides a comprehensive study on these issues.

Among the 2013 LLEAP survey findings:

The good news …

2014 Causes Count: The Economic Power Of California's Nonprofit Sector, Laura Deitrick, Jon Durnford, Andrew Narwold, Fred Galloway, Mary Jo Schumann

State of Nonprofits in California

Causes Count describes, in economic terms, the stunning size, variety, activities and impact of California’s large and diverse nonpro t sector. The research was conducted by The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego and was guided by an advisory panel of more than 30 leaders throughout California.

This study synthesizes multiple sources of data to generate the most complete picture of the power of California’s nonprofit sector to date.

The research identifies and documents trends in the financial health of nonprofits, employment, volunteerism, foundation grantmaking, and civic engagement, as well as provides …

2014 California's Lanterman Act 45 Years Later: A Study Of Service Recipients' And Providers' Experiences With The Law's Legacies, Caster Family Center For Nonprofit And Philanthropic Research, The Nonprofit Institute, University Of San Diego

Legislation

The California Disability Services Association (CDSA), an association of community-based nonprofit and for-profit organizations that provide assistance to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, decided in 2013 that it was time to take a close-up look at the impact of the legislation 45 years after the act became law. It collaborated with the University of San Diego’s Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research (the Caster Center) to conduct a focus group study exploring perceptions of, and experiences with, disability services in California.

Goal-Free Evaluation: An Orientation For Foundations’ Evaluations, Brandon W. Youker, Allyssa Ingraham

The Foundation Review

· Goal-free evaluation (GFE), in program evaluation, is a model in which the official or stated program goals and objectives are withheld or screened from the evaluator.

· Several obstacles must be overcome in persuading foundations and programs to consider GFE as a viable option, because both tend to view goal attainment as intuitively and inextricably linked to evaluation.

· This article presents the case for GFE as a perspective that belongs in a foundation’s toolbox. In particular, this article demonstrates GFE’s actual use, highlights aspects of its methodology, and details its potential benefits.

Integrating Racial Equity In Foundation Governance, Operations, And Program Strategy, Yanique Redwood, Christopher J. King

The Foundation Review

· This article is intended to provide the field of philanthropy with a useful framework for organizing racial-equity efforts.

· When the Washington-based Consumer Health Foundation became a staffed foundation in 1998, its initial grantmaking focused on health promotion and access to health care. As a learning organization, however, it took steps that led to greater support for efforts addressing the interconnectedness between health status and racial equity. This included support for advocacy as a strategy to create systems change benefiting low-income communities of color.

· This commitment to racial equity is not a separate initiative; it is integrated into …

Education Par Excellence: Developing Personal Competencies And Character Through Philanthropy-Based Education, Shirine L. Mafi, Marsha Huber

Business, Accounting and Economics Faculty Scholarship

This teaching note presents an innovation in accounting education called the Philanthropy Project. The Philanthropy Project emphasizes experiential learning and is designed to promote the learning of discipline-specific concepts while simultaneously addressing the social needs of the surrounding community. In the Philanthropy Project, students receive money to distribute to not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) based on a competitive proposal process they help to develop and administer. A distinguishing characteristic of this project is that it is not a simulation. Students make real decisions that have immediate consequences to certain groups of people in their own communities. They have to make …

2013 Volunteering In San Diego: A Needs Assessment, Sue Carter-Kahl, Laura Deitrick

Volunteering

In Fall 2011, Volunteer San Diego closed its doors leaving a perceived gap in volunteer matching services in the region. Nonprofit and corporate leaders anecdotally indicated that the remaining volunteer matching services and programs were not meeting local needs sufficiently. The University of San Diego's Caster Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research conducted a needs assessment with support from local funders to better understand the nature of San Diego's volunteer matching needs.

2013 Applied Projects Evaluation Organizational Impact Report, Svetlana Krasynska, Jennifer A. Jones, Mary Jo Schumann

USD Evaluation of Applied Learning Model in Nonprofit Leadership and Management Master's Program

University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management (NLM) master’s degree program places a special focus on experiential learning, requiring students to complete multiple applied projects as part of the program’s curriculum. Applied projects give students various opportunities to work in teams to provide real-world consulting services to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. In developing this curriculum, the NLM program serves both the students who are given these real-world consulting opportunities, as well as the client organizations who benefit from the services provided by the students.

In Fall 2010, the University of San Diego’s NLM program initiated an Applied Projects Evaluation …

State Of Nonprofits Annual Report: 2013, Laura Deitrick, Taylor Peyton Roberts, Jennifer A. Jones, Svetlana Krasynska, Elaine Lewis, Sue Carter Kahl, Pat Libby

State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy in San Diego

It is hard to believe, but prior to the Caster Center’s first publication in 2006, A Spotlight on San Diego’s Third Sector, nobody knew how many nonprofits were located in San Diego County, let alone anything about their major activities, capacity, or contributions to our larger economy. Since that time, the Caster Center team has been pushing the boundaries of nonprofit data collection to tell the sector’s story in a more timely, complete, and meaningful way. This report represents a new milestone in these ongoing efforts.

Much has transpired since the publication of the Center’s first report, not only in …

Feeding America San Diego (Fasd) Board Manual, Elisabeth Landa, James Wright

Governance

The Feeding America San Diego (FASD) Board Manual was created to formalize the organization’s bylaws, charters, and policies, as well as to ensure a more uniform and comprehensive orientation process for existing and new board members. A needs assessment was conducted with the FASD Executive Director, Director of Development, Board Chair, and the Board Governance Committee Chair to assess the current state of the governance documents and to establish the biggest governance needs of the organization.

Lleap Dialogue Series (No.2) : A Practical Guide To Grow Your Ideas For Maximum Impact, Michelle Anderson, Emma Curtin

Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP)

This Guide, number 2 in the series, has been designed as a user friendly tool that could be used by different groups within education and philanthropy to suit their needs (e.g. in the training of philanthropic program managers in education; in the development of educational projects in schools; or supporting school-philanthropic-not-for-profit collaborations). Included are two ‘think pieces’ around collaboration: one on socially intelligent schools by Bill Lucas; the other on philanthropy and Indigenous education by Tony Dreise. These are followed by frameworks and guiding principles; and specific tools, tips and strategies for improving collaboration and engagement. Fifteen cases are also …

2013 Study On Children Of Seriously Wounded Service Members, Mary Jo Schumann, Erika Nash Cameron, Laura Deitrick, George Reed, Dezaree Doroliat

Military

Over the course of one year, researchers from The Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic at the University of San Diego interviewed a total of 125 participants, including seriously wounded service members, their spouses and children, as well as military, civilian and nonprofit professionals who work with this population. The study included two phases to ensure a comprehensive understanding around the population and its unfulfilled needs: The first phase focused on understanding the specific needs of children of seriously wounded service members through interviews, focus groups, and reviews of existing research; the second phase focused on an assessment of …

Karen Organization Of San Diego Bylaws Paper, Jennifer Fleming, John Godfrey, Laura Purdom, Andrew Rae

Governance

The Karen Organization of San Diego was established in 2009 to meet the needs of the Karen and other ethnic minority groups from Burma that reside in San Diego. According to the organization’s mission statement, the Karen Organization of San Diego is committed toeducationaland social enhancement of various ethnic minority groups from Burma who reside in San Diego, California. The primary purpose of the organization is to provide social services and opportunities for culture preservation for the Karen and other ethnic minority groups from Burma whoresidein San Diego to improve their quality of life.

Upon undertaking a review and revision …

Kroc Fit Kids Needs Assessment, Brandon Dotts, Jason Jarvinen, Maria Todaro, Morgan Wilson

Program Design and Evaluation

The Salvation Army Kroc Center, a 12.4-acre family support, education, recreation, and cultural arts center located in the Rolando neighborhood of San Diego, is interested in designing an intervention program to alleviate the issue of low levels of physical activity and combat the childhood obesity problem. The Kroc Center is well suited to designing such an intervention because it works closely with six partner elementary schools in its surrounding neighborhoods. To assist the Kroc Center in developing an intervention, this needs assessment examines factors that may lead to low fitness scores, and the potential dangers to students, and the community, …

Benchmarking Evaluation In Foundations: Do We Know What We Are Doing?, Julia Coffman, Tanya Beer, Patricia Patrizi, Elizabeth Heid Thompson

The Foundation Review

· Evaluation in philanthropy – with staff assigned to evaluation-related responsibilities – began in the 1970s and has evolved, along with philanthropy, in the four decades since. What has not changed, however, is a regular questioning of what foundations are doing on evaluation, especially since the world of philanthropy regularly shifts, and changes in evaluation resourcing and positioning tend to soon follow.

· This article presents new findings about what foundations are doing on evaluation and discusses their implications. It is based on 2012 research that benchmarks the positioning, resourcing, and function of evaluation in foundations, and follows up on …

2012 Reboot Program Evaluation: A Report To The Kisco Foundation, Laura Deitrick, Ian Martin, Roxanne Ruzic

Military

The Kisco Foundation commissioned researchers at the Center for Education Policy and Law and the Caster Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego to work with REBOOT, a nonprofit based in Southern California, to conduct an evaluation of its program, REBOOT WorkshopsTM (REBOOT). REBOOT is a three-week-long program designed to assist members of the military in making the social and career transition from military service to civilian life by “re-booting” their skills, attitudes, and behaviors. The evaluation detailed in this report was conducted during the summer and fall of 2012, two years after the first …

Lleap 2012 Survey Report : Schools, Not-For-Profits, Philanthropic Foundations And Trusts In Australia : Building Knowledge To Maximise The Impact Of Philanthropy In Education, Michelle Anderson, Emma Curtin

Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy (LLEAP)

LLEAP – Leading Learning in Education and Philanthropy began because of a widespread view that effective engagement of philanthropy in education was hampered, in many cases unnecessarily, by gaps in knowledge, understanding and ways of doing things better. LLEAP explores issues from the perspectives of philanthropic education grant making foundations and trusts, schools, and not-for-profits working with schools. One key part of LLEAP is a national annual survey.

In 2012, the LLEAP Survey received a total of 507 responses from 359 school (Government 69%; Independent 20%; Catholic 11%, from every state and territory), 87 not-for-profit and 61 philanthropic foundation or …