GIA Blog

Thinking About Nonprofit Evaluation as Affected by Time
Posted on September 4, 2013 by Steve

From Paul T. Hogan, writing for Nonprofit Quarterly:

Two critical factors seriously limit our ability to measure “impact and outcomes.” One is time. Change takes a very long time to achieve, especially in the behavior of humans, and measuring what happens to people within a 12- or 24-month period based on an intermittent (at best) intervention is not likely to reflect true or lasting change.
From Artist to Enterprise: Organizational Structures for Artists
Posted on September 4, 2013 by Steve

Raya Sehgal covers the SOCAP13 conference for Creative Capital’s blog The Lab:

The idea of artists structuring their practice as an organization or enterprise was explored in a series of Focus Sessions at the recent Creative Capital Artist Retreat. Organized with independent arts consultant Laura Callanan, the “Artist to Enterprise” series included sessions on creative entrepreneurship, structures for artist-run organizations and the importance of protecting intellectual property.
September Member Spotlight on The New York Community Trust
Posted on September 3, 2013 by Abigail

During the month of September, GIA's photo banner features grantees of GIA member The New York Community Trust. Founded in 1924, the Trust supports the vitality and security of New York City through grants in a wide range of program areas, including community development, health, education, and human justice. Below, in their own words, Trust staff outline their arts and culture funding program:

Artists and their institutions make New York unique—and add thousands of jobs and billions in revenue. The New York Community Trust, the City’s community foundation, is dedicated to making this sector even stronger.

‘Strategic Philanthropy’ Shifts Too Much Power to Donors
Posted on August 29, 2013 by Steve

From Pablo Eisenberg, writing for The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

The debate over whether “strategic philanthropy” is a good idea was ignited again this month when the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation — a key pioneer and promoter of the approach — invited William Schambra, head of the Hudson Institute’s philanthropy center, to visit the fund and give an unvarnished view of whether it works.

Mr. Schambra, who is a Chronicle columnist, is not a fan. But the debate on nonprofit blogs and elsewhere that ensued after his remarks were published by Nonprofit Quarterly fails to grapple with the real issues raised by strategic philanthropy: It marks a fundamental shift in control and power by donors to call all the shots and exclude nonprofits with great new ideas.

NEA Webinar: Building Collective Impact Initiatives
Posted on August 28, 2013 by Steve

The National Endowment for the Arts will host a public webinar on how to begin and build collective impact initiatives on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. EDT. NEA Arts Education Director Ayanna Hudson will be joined in the conversation by two leaders in the field: Giselle “Gigi” Antoni, president/CEO of Big Thought in Dallas, Texas, and Denise Grande, director of Los Angeles County’s Arts for All initiative. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A discussion.

MacArthur Fellows Program Increases Stipend to $625k
Posted on August 27, 2013 by Steve

The MacArthur Foundation has released its latest review of the Fellows Program that includes a decision to increase the no-strings-attached stipend from $500,000 to $625,000, beginning with the next class of Fellows scheduled to be announced on September 25.

Webinar: The Role of Philanthropy in Disaster Relief Legislation
Posted on August 27, 2013 by Steve

Environmental Grantmakes Association will host a webinar on Wednesday, August 28 entitled “The Role of Philanthropy in Disaster Relief Legislation.” The presentation will have a specific focus on the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act), which dedicates 80 percent of all Clean Water Act penalties paid by those responsible for the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil disaster to “Gulf Coast restoration.”

2013's Fifty Most Powerful and Influential People in the Nonprofit Arts (USA)
Posted on August 27, 2013 by Tommer

The sixth annual Barry’s Blog listing of the Most Powerful and Influential Leaders in the Nonprofit Arts.

 

Mary McCullough-Hudson to Retire from ArtsWave in 2014
Posted on August 23, 2013 by Abigail

From ArtsWave's My.Arts.Blog, posted August 22:

Mary McCullough-Hudson, President and CEO of ArtsWave, announced today her intent to retire at the end of the organization's fiscal year in August 2014. With this announcement, the Board of Trustees agreed to implement a succession plan that began with the hiring of Alecia Kintner as Chief Operating Officer in 2012. At the October Annual Meeting for ArtsWave, Kintner is expected to be promoted to President and COO. McCullough-Hudson will continue as CEO of the organization.

Either-Or is Harmful to Charities and Society
Posted on August 22, 2013 by Janet

By Janet Brown from her blog Better Together

Peter Singer’s Sunday, August 11 New York Times opinion piece entitled “Good Charity, Bad Charity” was a shocker. One would expect something a bit more far-reaching and not quite so simplistic from a bioethicist.