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In The News …

Good morning! We’re mid-way through the week and ever-closer to Halloween. Check out some interesting non-profit news on this Wednesday morning, as well as some great coverage for Catalogue’s own organizations:

Where Do You Fit in the Market?: Hop over to Social Velocity for this post on the ideal position of (new) non-profits in the marketplace. The piece makes a smart, concise argument for high-impact services for a specific community, asserting that “a nonprofit is best positioned where their core competencies (those organizational assets they have that cannot be easily taken or replicated) intersect with a community need.”

Going ‘Mad’ for Pro Bono: I am digging this post from the Taproot Foundation, which delves into an intriguing episode of AMC’s Mad Men. Namely, the finale of the fourth season wherein the central ad firm loses Lucky Strikes as a client and goes on to partner with the American Cancer Society pro bono. As the fictional executives ultimately realize, “pro bono service … infuses the power and prestige of business with the vision and passion of the nonprofit sector to give birth to a wealth of entrepreneurial capital.”

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7 Questions – Kristine Thompson (Calvary Women's Services)

Welcome to GoodWorks, Kris Thompson! Kris is the Executive Director of Calvary Women’s Services, which provides homeless women with both temporary housing and the resources and support to live independently in the future. Read on to learn more about Calvary, Kris, and her heroes:

1. What was your most interesting recent project, initiative, partnership, or event?

With more women in need of housing, employment and support services, I’ve been working on expanding Calvary Women’s Services’ programs and housing capacity. It’s been great fun talking with long-time supporters about this project and having them respond positively to this opportunity to make further positive change in our community. I really can’t wait to see more women coming in our doors and having the resources to turn their lives around.

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In The News …

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to Wednesday! We have a number of news items that caught my eye in the past couple of days:

Top Fund Raisers in ‘Philanthropy 400’ Saw Steep Drop in Donations: according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Chronicle of Higher Education, “private giving to the nation’s biggest charities, including more than 100 colleges, dropped 11 percent last year.” More than 25% of those 400 are colleges or universities. However, four of the top 10 did experience an increase, including the AmeriCares Foundation (No. 3), which “achieved an 18.1-percent rise in giving, mostly in food, medicine, and other donated goods.” Continue reading

In The News …

Welcome to Wednesday, Greater Washington! The Blue & Orange lines are up and running again and we’re back to doing mid-week news & notes in the middle of the week. Let’s focus on two major items today:

First, Catalogue charity Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) recently completed an in-depth cost of living analysis for the Greater Washington area, calculating how much income was necessary for an area resident to feel “financially safe.” The report’s tables break down necessary expenses and income based on family size and home area and account for everything from child care costs to “rainy day funds.” The findings were featured in Monday’s Washington Post — which points out that, while the DC metro area is the most affluent region of the county, “it is also among the costliest.” So according to WOW Executive Director Joan Kuriansky, “even the highest estimates of how much a family needs to earn are conservative.” Here’s my question: are there specific expense categories on which local governments and non-profits should focus? Could defraying one particular cost make the difference? Or should we focus on the larger issue? Namely, that the cost of living is high — and the cost of living securely is both high and often unconsidered.

Also, as you likely heard last night, Michelle Rhee will resign as DC schools chancellor. Says the Post, Chancellor Rhee “survived three contentious years that made her a superstar of the education reform movement … but Rhee will leave with considerable unfinished business in her quest.” TBD.com, which tracked the probability of her resignation in mid-September, quotes several DC councilmembers who expressed both profound disappointment in her decision and faith in her interim replacement, deputy chancellor Kaya Henderson. I’m clearly writing this before Wednesday’s 10:30 AM press conference, but long after Mayor Fenty’s defeat in the mayoral primary. So it’s fair to say that this outcome is not surprising, yet it still feels incomplete. Or uncertain. What do you think? What comes next? Moreover, who is your pick for the next chancellor and why?

(Speaking of education reform: we posted this link several weeks back and countless opinions are appearing daily about the documentary Waiting for Superman and how we can answer its call. Check out “Tapping our Collective Superhero” over at Deep Social Impact and a post from this evening at Business Insider.)

Around Town: October 9-10

Looking for an adventure over the long weekend? How about several adventures? Check out these great volunteer opportunities, as well as fall-themed festivals (hay rides!), with our non-profits:

Saturday, October 9

9:00-11:30 AM – Fun Run (Latin American Montessori Bilingual Charter School): take your pick from a 10K, 5K, or 1 mile and run, walk, or push a stroller through Rock Creek Park; all proceeds will go to a new wing at the school.

9:30-4:30 PM – Volunteer Training (ASHA for Women): learn about current laws and social services affecting victims of domestic violence and find out how you can become an advocate.

Noon-12:30 PM – Sea Revels @ Magical Montgomery (Washington Revels): swing by this busy festival in downtown Silver Spring and catch a nautical song and dance performance, commemorating men and women of the sea.

1:00-6:00 PM – Oktoberfest at Hard Bargain Farm (Alice Ferguson Foundation): celebrate the season and support the Foundation’s education programs all at once; the afternoon will feature Barvarian dance, German cuisine, hay rides, and a silent auction.

2:00-3:30 PM – Volunteer Orientation (For Love of Children): both new and retuning volunteers are invited to learn more about tutoring programs and helping children succeed in school.

8:00 PM – Velocity DC Dance Festival (CityDance Ensemble): take a dancing tour around the world with The Washington Ballet, CityDance Ensemble, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Furia Flamenca, Urban Artistry, a DJ, and many more (really!).

Sunday, October 10

Noon-3:00 PM – BSF 38th Annual School Fair (Black Student Fund): stop by the largest independent school fair in the region and meet representatives from over fifty schools, all ready to answer questions about testing, admissions, and financial aid.

Enjoy the three-day weekend and catch you on Tuesday!

In the News (More) …

Greetings! I wanted to focus on this post from Greater Greater Washington yesterday, so I moved the other news items-of-interest to today. Besides, why have a blogging pattern in place if you don’t break from it more or less immediately?

Game Changer? Gates Foundation Funds ABC News: an interesting one! The New York Times reported yesterday that, for the first time, the ABC network has accepted a cash grant from a foundation. The Gates Foundation will supply $1.5 million, which ABC News will supplement with $4.5 million of its own funds, “to back a yearlong project investigating global health problems and their potential solutions.” Any thoughts on this? Would you call it a “game changer?” (Two words that I have been hearing quite a lot recently …)

DC sheltering many homeless people from outside city: Washington Post reported last night that “about 10% of families receiving emergency shelter in the District live elsewhere” and questioned what effect this may have on the District’s human services budget.

Dancing With the Board – Against the Grain: Rick Moyers had a great piece over at the Chronicle for Philanthropy on Tuesday, regarding the Executive/Board relationship; he writes, “It’s complicated. It requires negotiation, practice, and constant attention. And when it works, the results can be beautiful.”

New Tools Available to Grant Seekers: the Foundation Center in New York has started GrantSpace, an online resource and “one-stop shop for grant seekers worldwide to get information they need.”

keeping the conversation going: check out Philanthropy 2173 for a very cool post about “attending” the SOCAP 10 conference from afar via Twitter, archived video, blogs, texts, and so on — “another great example of how this works when it works.”

Did we miss anything? Post more news items right here!

In the News …

I wanted to highlight this post from Greater Greater Washington; the piece was written yesterday morning, the City Paper picked it up yesterday afternoon, and the comments thread debate is still going now. Bryan Weaver, executive director of Hoops Sagrado, recounts his twelve-year connection to Jamal Coates, who was killed in the 13th & U funeral shooting. He concludes:

“I don’t profess to have the answers. If I did, Jamal would not be dead. But I do have some ideas about how we as a community — the entire community — can begin to frame the conversation that will hopefully bring about real change and possibly save some lives […] We need real action. We need people who are really willing to look at our system and fix it […] The best way to stop a bullet is an education and a job.”

The debate has focused, at least in part, on whether small and localized changed can make the difference or whether a national paradigm shift is necessary. For a simple answer, I’d say that the former is of course critical while we are waiting on the latter. But I’d also posit that education and outreach programs created for a single neighborhood, a single street, or a single block can have an impact (and an intimacy) that no national program could ever duplicate.

Do check out the post in full and TBD also has an interesting perspective. Moreover, take a look at some of the amazing work that our non-profits are doing in Education and Human Services. The changes may be local and specific, but that translates to deep and undeniable.

Around Town: October 2-3

Welcome to October! If weather.com tells the truth, we should finally have sunshine and clear skies this weekend … just in time for some great events and outdoor tours with our non-profits:

Saturday, October 2

9:30-11:00 AM – Volunteer Orientation (For Love of Children): learn how you can be part of the mission and goals of For Love of Children through their tutoring program. New volunteers welcome!

10:00-11:00 AM – Heart of L’Arche Tour (L’Arche Greater Washington DC): meet core people, assistants, and board members, and hear what a family member has to say about having his or her child or sibling live at L’Arche. Remember to call in advance for directions!

10:00-noon – White Flint Walking Tour (Coalition for Smarter Growth): take a tour along the Pike, learn about new neighborhood developments, and speculate on ones still to come. Along the way, chat with CSG staff about community engagement and how you can get involved.

Sunday, October 3

3:00-6:00 PM – Origins: The Mass in B Minor (Washington Bach Consort): in the season opener, enjoy the nucleus of what was to become the Mass in B minor, a work Bach hoped would garner him an official title at Court. Music from his rivals and colleagues is included as well.

As always, just drop by our Happenings page for more info. You can also search for events by date and check out a listing of volunteer opportunities.

In The News …

Welcome to Wednesday, Greater Washington! Just passing along some mid-week buzz from the non-profit news and blogsphere …

2010 Exponent Awards (Meyer Foundation) – many congratulations go out to the five incredible winners of the Exponent Awards, recognizing visionary non-profit leadership. Click here to learn more about the winners, four of whom lead Catalogue charities!

Urban Agriculture Challenge: Communities Helping Themselves (With Delicious Results!) – check out blog.globalgiving.org and the Huffington Post to learn how urban agriculture programs are improving food security, employment, and health in their communities and how online fundraising challenges are supporting their (tasty) aims.

Finding a Balance – The Philanthropic Initiative’s blog has sparked a multi-blog, multi-website debate on the “quantitative or technocratic elements of philanthropy” versus the “more amorphous elements,” such as values and emotional responses. Check it out! (More thoughts to come from here…)

Signal on DC education reform – the Washington Post is rerunning this Sunday’s opinion piece by former DC Council member Kevin P. Chavous regarding the future of DC schools and education reform under Vincent Gray. He argues that “maybe the change will provide the impetus we need.” What do you think?

Who Manages Your Group’s Facebook Page? – join the discussion over at philanthropy.com. As social media becomes ever more prevalent and powerful, who should be the organization’s online voice? Or need it have only one?