Gift Hub

Giving Talks on Philanthropy in Seattle

I joined Tracy Gary this week in Seattle in speaking to the Tacoma Foundation, Financial Planning Association, and Seattle Philanthropic Advisors Network. The topic was donors partnering with advisors for inspired outcomes, or the liberal art and financial science of philanthropic planning. The responses were positive. I hope to do more of this.

Fellowship Opportunity at Spikenyard Farm & Apiary

C.A. Fitts:

Spikenard Farm and Apiary
Strategic Relations Fellowship
http://www.spikenardfarm.org

Because of its unique position as an emerging center for honeybee research and its location in the North American heartland, Spikenard is poised to make a significant contribution to the future of agriculture.

World Wide Web Foundation

Via Knight Foundation: 

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, unveiled today the World Wide Web Foundation  to fulfill a vision of the Web as humanity connected by technology. The mission of the foundation is:

• to advance One Web that is free and open, 
• to expand the Web's capability and robustness, and
• to extend the Web's benefits to all people on the planet.

Faith Foundations Working Together

GiveFaith.org:

We are three faith foundations working together -- the Jewish Community Foundation,
the Lutheran Community Foundation and the Catholic Community Foundation . Our beliefs and practices may be different, but we share the same goals. We want to strengthen our communities. We want to leave the world a better place. We want our spiritual values to intentionally drive our actions.  And most of all, we want to meet the philanthropic needs of our faith-based clients.

Empire of Scrounge

Thivai:

Jeff Ferrell gave up life as a tenured professor and became a dumpster diver. His new book is "Empire of Scrounge."

Applications Open for Acumen Fellows

Acumen:

We are excited to announce that the application process for the 2009-2010 class of Acumen Fund Fellows is now open. Applications will be accepted online until noon EST on October 20, 2008. Detailed information about the program and application the process, as well as bios of current and past fellows, can be found on our website. To apply directly, please click here.

Trista Harris to Lead Headwaters

Trista Harris, who blogs at New Voices in Philanthropy, is leaving St Paul Community Foundation to be the ED at Headwaters: Foundation for Justice. Generational transitions and social justice: How will the boomers a) pass the baton and b) make themselves useful as they do so? I hope that what comes out of this is a more engaged social justice philanthropy. Boomers are not done yet, but how they make their leadership felt and transition it to rising stars like Trista is key.

Catalytic Communities

If you believe that people can come together even in poor communities to solve their own problems, since we are all active agents of positive change, does that make you a conservative, a progressive, or maybe just a decent human being and citizen? Catalytic Communities grew from working in the favelas in Brazil, teaching computer literacy, to an on-line self-organizing network of grassroots efforts worldwide. What's working in your grassroots network? You can post your project at Cat Com and find kindred spirits sharing best practices. I know two of the people involved, Michael Maranda, their US Strategic Director, and Jean Russell, on their board. What's their angle? Too idealistic, I am afraid, to have gotten around to one. If markets fail us, and governments too, and we all end up in post-collapse favelas, these are people who would still be hard at it, trying to make life more tolerable for those around them. 

Lord Conrad Black's Penitential Progress

Lord Conrad Black, former Board Member at Hudson Institute, appears to be doing well in his new surroundings:

Inside the prison, Lord Black has apparently created a "small fiefdom," regularly lecturing prisoners and guards on American history and politics, and orders around his cellmate as his "gofer and cleaner."

No bio at Hudson, no goodbye from his former gofers and cleaners, just the one spare line: On leave.  That base ingratitude must hurt more than the body cavity search.

ReelMedia.Org: Change the World One Film at a Time

J.D. Lasica interviews Hal Plotkin, founder of ReelChanges.org,  a curated, donor-supported site providing  documentaries. Those proposing a documentary can post their plan online. Funders can contribute tax-deductibly towards getting the project made. Is this the longed for alternative to advertising supporting corporate media news? (Crowd sourced patronage?) Via CauseWired.