Catching our breath in 2012

Posted by Joanne Kelley

The holiday season is over (for now) but we’re still talking about the various projects that members of the Colorado Association of Funders gathered for throughout the month of December. Thanks to our friend Rachel Mondragon at The Colorado Trust for posting about her experience at The Gathering Place on the foundation’s Community Connections blog and for creating a brief slide show complete with music.

Former CAF staffer Abel Wurmnest heads out in a snowstorm to prepare meals at Project Angelheart with Kumella Aiu, his new program officer colleague from the Anschutz Family Foundation. The Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation staff also shared kitchen duties that day.

Several dozen funders teamed up throughout the city, not only at The Gathering Place, but also at Metro CareRing, Urban Peak/The Spot, and Project Angelheart, to lend a hand and get a closer look at the vital work these organizations do for our communities.

Philanthropy’s ‘network effect’

“None of us is as smart as all of us.”  –Management guru Ken Blanchard

Did you know the Colorado Association of Funders is part of a network of organizations that regularly share expertise so we can all do a better job of serving our members in our respective local communities?
We hosted our colleagues from across the country here in Denver last month for the annual conference of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.

 

Jamie Van Leeuwen, senior policy advisor to Gov. John Hickenlooper, visits with Nancy Roberts, president of Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, after speaking about his work with CAF to build connections between the Governor’s office and cabinet and Colorado’s foundation sector.

We met right downtown, which allowed us to show off the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Thanks to Buell Foundation for connecting us to folks who arranged behind the scenes tours) and the vibrant restaurant scene (Thanks to Craftworks Foundation and Western Union Foundation for sponsoring a great opening reception at the Rock Bottom Brewery. A bike ride along Cherry Creek on Denver B-cycles and a ballgame at Coors Field were also a hit with our visitors.
Aside from the Rocky Mountain backdrop and sightseeing, the main attraction and reason we all make the effort to get together each year is as simple as Blanchard’s observation above.
Collectively, our 35 associations serve roughly 4,000 foundations and funders. And by connecting almost daily through email discussions and conference calls, as well as at our annual conference, we’re able to exchange advice, stay informed and collaborate on the best ways to provide “on the ground” leadership in our geographic regions.

We all exist for the same reasons — to bring funders together and to strengthen philanthropy in our local communities. That work might involve developing new educational programs, improving our advocacy efforts, or finding more cost-effective, innovative ways of collecting data. If one of our members asks us a question and we don’t know the answer, this is generally the first place we turn for help. In this era of doing more with less, our network has become more relevant than ever. To learn more, go to www.givingforum.org.

 Posted by Joanne Kelley, executive director, Colorado Association of Funders

An anniversary

Posted by Joanne Kelley

Tom (with his two-year-old daughter Leela) on the first road trip doctors cleared him to take almost a year after the transplant.

We launched the Colorado Giving Voice blog last August with my personal reflections about donating bone marrow to my brother, Tom. He just left me a voicemail on his drive home from a checkup at Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York, where the transplant took place exactly a year ago today. All’s well.

The experience inspired me to prepare the following remarks recently when I was asked to speak about philanthropy.

I’m going to guess you’re all philanthropists – every one of you.

Some people have a million or even a billion dollars or more to start a foundation.

You might donate through a community foundation or your workplace.

Or you might give of your time, money or self in other ways.

Bill Daniels made a fortune in the cable television industry and left his billion dollar estate to a foundation that’s already invested $300 million in the past decade in the areas Daniels cared about most.

The Penrose family, which built the Broadmoor resort and made money in mining, started El Pomar Foundation, which seeks advice from people all over the state to help it decide where to make grants to help local residents.

That same year El Pomar was founded, the Boettchers, who made money in industries like cement and happened to have their own iconic hotel – the Brown Palace — also started a foundation that invests in capital intensive projects such as senior centers and boys and girls clubs.

Bonfils-Stanton. Buell. Coors. Johnson. These are all names now associated with Colorado’s foundation sector.

Western Union and Xcel Energy are among the many companies that have set up corporate foundations to invest in worthy causes. And new generations of entrepreneurs have been creating foundations, too. Software entrepreneur Tim Gill started the Gay and Lesbian Fund and Gill Foundation. David Merage founded Hot Pockets and used some of the proceeds from the sale of the company to set up a Colorado foundation focused on areas such as early childhood learning.

There are many, many small foundations with less than a million in assets.

In the span of just a decade, the number of Colorado foundations more than doubled, jumping to more than 1,200 from 600. Assets more than tripled, topping $10 billion vs $3 billion a decade earlier. Total foundation giving in Colorado rose to almost $700 million a year from $169 million.

While foundation investments took a hit during the recent economic downturn, we’re seeing things slowly recovery along with the rest of the economy.

But foundations aren’t ATM machines. And they’re not even just about charity.

Think of them as venture capitalists for social change. This is the description Gov. John Hickenlooper used recently when he was explaining how more than 30 foundations came together to provide the initial support and expertise for Denver’s campaign to end homelessness in a decade.

You might be surprised to know what types of things foundations have provided the seed money for: the 911 system, Sesame Street, even a study that showed painting white stripes on the outer edge as well as the inner edge of highway lanes prevented collisions.

A number of Colorado foundations – including The Colorado Trust and Colorado Health Foundation — are focused on tackling the health care crisis in creative ways, either by working to build public will for health reform or by encouraging and teaching school cafeteria lunch ladies how to cook healthy food from scratch

For those of you who don’t have a billion or a million dollars to give, there’s still plenty of opportunity to be generous. Community foundations in cities and counties all over this state are pooling money from people of more modest means so they can collectively have a larger impact in their communities.

There are workplace giving programs (Mile High United Way, Community Shares of Colorado, and Caring Connection, for example) where employees can contribute a specified amount toward favorite causes. It’s an extremely effective way to make sure you regularly open your heart and your wallet

If you don’t think you can make a difference, consider this:

Individuals are responsible for the most of the charitable giving in this country. That adds up to about 75 percent of the hundreds of billions donated in this country every year.

You don’t even have to contribute money to be a philanthropist. Maybe you’ve volunteered time or you’ve had an unexpected chance to help others in need.

Last summer when I returned home from my summer vacation there was a Fedex box waiting on my doorstep. There was a test kit for collecting tissue samples to see if my bone marrow might be a match for a patient who urgently needed a transplant.

In this case it was for my brother. He had just been diagnosed with a life threatening condition called Aplastic Anemia. I’m grateful to be able to say he’s doing fine a year later.

While I did this for my brother, I discovered that people do things like this all the time for strangers. BeTheMatch.org is only way to find out about how this works. There are all kinds of nonprofits helping people make these sorts of connections.

This is what philanthropy is really all about. Sure, the money helps. But its true definition is ultimately about showing compassion for humankind.

Everyone can be a philanthropist.

You can start a foundation.

You can donate to a community foundation or give through your workplace.

Or you can donate directly to a cause you care about – whether that involves giving of your time, money, or yourself.

There’s a philanthropist in all of us.

Joanne Kelley is executive director of the Colorado Association of Funders.

Thanks to those who made the C3 Forum a success

Posted by Joanne Kelley

Sincere thanks go out to the more than 375 of you who took part in the C3 Forum in Loveland on July 12.

This was the second year the Colorado Association of Funders collaborated with the Colorado Nonprofit Association and the Community Resource Center to bring funders and nonprofits together to network and learn from each other.

I thought the following note from Jeannine Truswell, executive director of the United Way of Weld County, summed it up well: “There are so many good things happening in our communities across Colorado. With all that is wrong with the world, it was energizing and uplifting to get us all together. For nonprofits to get away from the day to day and to elevate the conversations serves only to bring positive for all.”

You can also listen to Christie McElhinney of The Colorado Trust as she shares her take on the value of the C3 Forum. Click here to watch the video.

Thanks to all our member organizations that took part. For a complete list and to view photos of the day, click here.

Look forward to next year’s forum.

Joanne Kelley is executive director of the Colorado Association of Funders. Contact her at caf@coloradofunders.org.

Reaching out to rural Colorado

Posted by Joanne Kelley, Executive Director, Colorado Association of Funders

I’m pretty sure Rick Cohen was posing a rhetorical question in his recent post about why Colorado’s “Rural Philanthropy Days” works. In his Nonprofit Quarterly  blog, Cohen referred to the mountain region’s version of the event, which took place in Edwards last week.

“Since the last Rural Philanthropy Days [in the mountain region] four years ago, 14 donors increased their grant support to rural areas by 202 percent,” Cohen wrote. “Someone should talk to those 14 grantmakers and ask them what it is that got them to up their rural nonprofit grantmaking.”

You can read the complete Cohen post here.

And here’s an excerpt from the comment I posted in response:

I think a big part of the answer is that this is a year-in and year-out effort aimed at strengthening relationships between funders and nonprofits in the far reaches of the state. The Denver funders know these folks because they keep returning to see and hear about the good work they’re all doing.
Here’s a link to something we wrote about it in our report, “Seeing Potential, Creating Change: The Reach and Impact of Colorado Philanthropy.”

Colorado foundations are headed next to the San Luis Valley in September.

Here’s a blurb from the invite:

“This year’s event will be held in the town of Saguache, listed as one of Colorado’s most endangered places by Colorado Preservation Inc. in 2009. The event location gives attendees a view of the rustic beauty of the Valley and some of the challenges rural isolation poses.”

By the way, Rural Philanthropy Days has worked so well that we realized we could do an even better job of building relationships in the metro areas, too. We launched what we call the “C3 Forum” last year in partnership with the Colorado Nonprofit Association and Community Resource Center, the nonprofit that organizes Rural Philanthropy Days. The C3 Forum is a full day of small group discussions between funders and nonprofits. We’ll be in Loveland on July 12 and expect about 75 funders and 350 nonprofits to spend the day connecting and networking. Come out and join us!

Connecting the dots

Scott Downes, The Colorado Trust

‘Connecting the Dots’

The Colorado Trust’s Scott Downes talks about “collective impact” and how “interconnected strategies will help move us closer to making sure that every Coloradan can get the coverage and care they need to stay healthy.”

To read his blog post about his participation in the Colorado Children’s Campaign‘s It’s About Kids retreat in Pueblo, click here.

Please join the conversation by adding a comment below or by letting us know what you think at caf@coloradofunders.org.

CAF Legislative Review Offers Mixed Review on Session

Reported by Christie McElhinney, Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs, The Colorado Trust. 

A panel of Colorado lawmakers offered mixed reviews this week as they recapped the just-concluded legislative session for members of the Colorado Association of Funders .

Senate President Brandon Shaffer, Senate Majority Leader John Morse, along with House Minority Whip Claire Levy, represented the Democrats. House Speaker Frank McNulty and Sen. Shawn Mitchell offered the Republican view on the session.

Speaking to foundation leaders and funders gathered at the Denver Public Library, the panelists discussed the challenges presented by having a different party in control of each chamber. This year marked the first time since 2002 that the chambers have been split — with the Democrats in control of the Senate and Republicans in control of the House.

The panelists agreed that compromise was key.

“We spent some time learning how to operate in a mixed environment,” Levy said. “What suffered were the core missions within each party.”

Sen. John Morse

Morse noted that “The results were mixed, just like the Legislature.” He added that he felt the media spent too much time focusing its coverage on the fights.

Still, the panelists pointed to a number of accomplishments. Shaffer said the Legislature “accomplished three or three and one-half of our five priorities.” Passing legislation to balance the budget, create a health care coverage exchange and overhaul the unemployment insurance trust fund were among the goals achieved, while agreement was not reached on constitutional reform or redistricting.

In response to a question posed by moderator Vincent Carroll of the Denver Post about whether the K-12 education system would likely suffer more cuts in the future, panelists offered disparate views while largely agreeing that the answer was “yes.”

Mitchell said, “Resources for K-12 and the postsecondary education systems, and other vital services, requires a rebounding economy.” However, he said, he doesn’t think the state’s education system is underfunded.

While noting that the state’s education systems now account for about 54 cents of every $1 of the general fund, Senator Morse expressed concern that more funding is needed, particularly in light of a spike in special needs kids. Still, he agreed that the legislature would most likely be required to make as many cuts to education next year as they did this year.

The panelists offered very different points of view when asked about the health care coverage exchange, which Governor John Hickenlooper signed into law earlier in the day.

House Speaker Frank McNulty

Speaker of the House McNulty said he “does not support federal health care reform,” and is “concerned about the effects this [federal law] could have in Colorado. We need to build a firewall.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Senator Shaffer said the health care coverage exchange is “about providing affordable access for Coloradans.” Noting that the idea of an exchange originated in the bipartisan plan developed by Colorado’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform, Shaffer said “We need to focus on what we can do here in Colorado.”

McElhinney is a member of the Colorado Association of Funders’ Communications Committee.

Celebrating philanthropy in Colorado

Posted by Joanne Kelley, Executive Director, Colorado Association of Funders

We created this blog so we would have a way of regularly sharing stories and news about philanthropy in Colorado.

Once a year, almost 1,000 people come together to do the same. National Philanthropy Day has become an annual tradition in Colorado. It’s a chance to reflect on the important work of philanthropists, grantmakers, fundraisers and volunteers. Celebrating their good work helps to raise awareness about what can be accomplished when we reach out to help others.

The deadline for nominating worthy candidates for 11 different awards is July 22 — less than two months away. You can visit www.npdcolorado.org to learn more and to download nomination forms.

We hope to see you at the awards ceremony on Nov. 18th.

‘From Innovation to Inventiveness’

Posted by Joanne Kelley, Executive Director, Colorado Association of Funders

John Mullaney, Executive Director, The Nord Family Foundation

We ran across this guest post on the “Let’s Talk Philanthropy” blog published by our colleagues at the Ohio Grantmakers Forum. It’s written by John Mullaney, executive director of the Ohio-based Nord Family Foundation. Nord also happens to be a member of the Colorado Association of Funders because the foundation makes grants to a variety of nonprofits here in Colorado.

You can read Mullaney’s thoughts in his post, “From Innovation to Inventiveness,” which touches on the foundation’s work in Denver and explains how the foundation took an invention in Cleveland and helped bring it to scale nationwide.

Join the conversation by commenting at the end of this post. And, remember, we’re looking for more stories to share about philanthropy. Please let us know if you have an idea or if you want to try out blogging yourself. Email me at jkelley@coloradofunders.org.

‘Lasting Impressions’

The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation held an annual ceremony yesterday to honor achievements in the arts and humanities, community service, and science and medicine. The foundation also introduced its 2011 Livingston Fellows. They hail from five different nonprofit organizations and include Alyssa Kopf, CEO of Community Shares of Colorado and a board member of the Colorado Association of Funders.

We’re reprinting the reflections from a past winner of the Bonfils-Stanton community service award. The essay appeared in “Lasting Impressions,” a book published last year about the recipients of a prize that has become known as “Colorado’s Nobel.”

By Sam Gary

It’s an honor to be asked to share my personal philosophy. It’s also a little confusing because, at 83, I’m still trying to figure out if I have one. I don’t exactly have a philosopher’s background.

IBM used to have a one-word motto: Think. I was very young when it occurred to me that maybe I didn’t know how to do that. I didn’t do well in school—I was always thinking about fishing when I should have been thinking about geometry. Teachers told me to try “doubly hard,” so I’d try triply hard, but it didn’t seem to get me anywhere.

Somehow I managed to make it through high school and several years in the Coast Guard and the Maritime Service, but I really had no direction. I had friends studying medicine and law, going into business, but there was nothing I felt driven to do. On top of that, I seemed to have a real limitation. Today, they call it dyslexia.

But since they made it easy for veterans to go to college, I ended up at Cazenovia Junior College—for women. I got a good job stoking the furnace in a girls’ dormitory. (An incentive was that my dog could live there with me, in the basement.) I thought no one would realize my major motivation wasn’t education but the opportunity to be around all those girls.

One man did, though—Charles Schwerin, the dorm master. He was smart enough to know what was going on, but we still had a comfortable, open relationship. He knew I was having trouble in school, but he never lectured me or told me to try doubly hard, and eventually he suggested I transfer to Syracuse University, a much more demanding school nearby. “You don’t have to love college,” he said, “you just need to hang in there.”

Hanging in there turned out to be a pretty important skill. I graduated from college in two-and-a-half years, with a grade point average of 2.5, which didn’t exactly catapult me into graduate school but impressed me all the same. In retrospect, I couldn’t have done it if Chuck hadn’t been only twenty miles away, reminding me that I could.

Nearly fifty years later, I called his old number in Massachusetts.

I said, “Chuck?”

After a long pause, he said, “Sam?”

He remembered me!

By this time, I was an established oilman. Since this was a more prestigious career than stoking the furnace in a girl’s dormitory, I’d sometimes been tempted to reinvent myself as an accomplished, hard-working person. But I knew much of my success was due to nothing more than my ability to get up in the morning, and to having gotten to connect with other people like Chuck. By then, I also knew that some people are born on the wrong end of the stick, through no fault of their own, without the basic tools it takes to participate in society. When I got involved in philanthropy, I realized that we have a tendency to put these people in cans, to try to fix them. When that doesn’t work, we tend to dismiss them as hopeless.

Instead of doing that with me, Chuck had given me a little encouragement, a little time to figure out how to think. It’s as if he looked at me and thought: Why not?         

Since then, I’ve approached a number of potentially impossible situations by asking that exact question: Why not? There are usually plenty of reasons not to do something, and it’s never hard to find someone who’s happy to point them out. Others have not only entertained the question, but hung in there with me as I tried to find an answer. I’ve been lucky.

If you want philosophy, how about this:

Recognize potential.

Hang in there.

Why not?

—–

In founding the Piton Foundation, Sam Gary pioneered a model of urban philanthropy that unites neighborhood schools, churches, businesses and nonprofit organizations to improve public education, create economic opportunity, and strengthen civic leadership.