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Sep 2013Philanthropy as Corporate R&D
A Posting by James V. Toscano In the current issue of McKinsey’s Voices on Society, Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company and current chair of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, writes that corporate philanthropy, in addition to helping individuals, “can help reduce business risk, open up new markets, engage employees, build the brand, reduce costs, advance technology and deliver competitive returns.” To Conant, philanthropy is a “discovery phase in investment in a social issue….Much like R&D, philanthropy allows companies to make thoughtful investments in sectors where the return profile is typically more speculative.” In his thinking, philanthropy is…
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Sep 2013The New Philanthropy
A post by James V. Toscano Headlines scream, “Philanthropy is Dead!!!” while other headlines retort, “Philanthropy is Alive and Well!!!” What’s up? The reality is that traditional philanthropy is suffering under a barrage of criticism (see the Charitable-Industrial Complex post), that there is a new philanthropy based on very different assumptions, and that there is an emerging brand of philanthropy that will not accept anything except solutions and cures. Philanthropy is iterating and that’s good. Generational differences, conceptual and methodological developments, vastly different expectations and many other factors are motivating change in the way we give money, time and other…
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Aug 2013The Qualities Needed in a Nonprofit Organization’s Board Chair
A Post from James V. Toscano and Dania Toscano Miwa This post dedicated to Amir Gharbi. With a million nonprofits now extant in the United States, we could assume that there may be almost a million unique individuals in the role of chair of the Board of Directors or Trustees. Given the diversity of the nonprofit sector, are there common qualities that all of these groups should be searching for in the individual who will serve as chief volunteer? Clearly, there are. Doing a Google search alone will produce hundreds of descriptions of what a chair does, should be and…
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Jul 2013The Charitable-Industrial Complex
A Post from James V. Toscano In a provocative op-ed piece in Saturday’s New York Times. Peter Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son, takes on the present system of philanthropy with deep insight, passion and some outrage. Buffett focuses on the growing inequality in the society, with the consequent increase in philanthropy by the rich, and the corresponding rise in the number of nonprofits to help “solve” the problems created by the inequality. He points out: “As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give…
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Jul 2013New Sources of Nonprofit Revenue
A post by James V. Toscano This post is dedicated in memory of Ron McKinley. For a few years now, these posts have been pointing out the need for new sources of nonprofit revenue. Now, in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, under the headline, “Social-Service Groups Won’t Survive Without New Sources of Revenue” Diane Aviv, the CEO of Independent Sector, and Antony Bugg-Levine, the head of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, agree. When national leaders make these kinds of announcements, it is clear that the sector is, indeed, undergoing seismic change. Read their words, “The financial base that underpins the social-service system…
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Jul 2013Nonprofit Resource Collaborative
A post by Dania Toscano Miwa We are very excited to join forces with other experienced experts in a new partnership called the Nonprofit Resource Collaborative. This consortium brings together experts whose skills include Human Resources, Nonprofit Law, Finance and Accounting, Process Improvement, Fundraising, Social Media, Marketing Strategy and more. The premise for the collaborative to is offer nonprofit organizations the specialized knowledge an organization needs, as they need it. We offer project based fees or retained services, highly adaptable for an organization’s specific needs. We will be holding a launch party Tuesday, July 16th and invite you to come…
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Jul 2013And Now For Something Completely Different
A Post from James V. Toscano Bush at 60 The Bush Foundation is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Founded by Archibald Bush, a legendary 3M executive, and his wife in 1953, the Foundation has been a force in philanthropy over these years in important ways. Bush was an early leader in funding education and scholarships. A substantial portion of the $800 million given away in its first sixty years went to education in a variety of ways, from challenge grants to scholarships.
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Jun 2013Ten Things to Look For in Prospective Board Members
A Post from Dania Toscano Miwa and James V. Toscano All of us need board members. With turnover, reluctance to serve and aging of that generation inured to board service, we are under constant pressure to recruit prospective members for nonprofit boards of directors. Where do we go? Who do we look for? What do we need? There are those mnemonics: 3W, 3G, 3T and 3M, to name just a few. Fun to recite, they are of very limited value in the actual selection process. Yes, wealth, wisdom and work (3W) nail it on one level, although point nowhere….
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Jun 2013Ten Steps Before Accepting a Nonprofit Board Position
A Post from James V. Toscano & Dania Toscano Miwa What a wonderful tribute and honor to be asked to serve on the board of Directors of a nonprofit organization. Being part of governance of a group providing benefit to society is a unique privilege. Nevertheless, boards have varying cultures, capacities and track records. Before acceptance, it may be wise to do some due diligence to ensure that you understand what you will be doing, what will be expected of you and how successful you will be. Here are ten things to do before accepting the invitation. 1. Read…
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Jun 2013The First 100 Days: Ten Things a New ED Should Do
A post from James V. Toscano Whether one’s first ED position or one’s Nth time around, there are some universally important, critical things to do in the first 100 days on the job, but often are not done, for a variety of reasons, most of which aren’t valid. Sometimes those not done come to haunt the ED. Here are ten of the most vital. There are more. 1.Walk around and meet all of the staff. Arrange to meet with others not on site or away. Try to remember names and jobs; use mnemonics if they help. Continue these walks daily….