Field Notes in Philanthropy hosts conversations exploring the places where politics, current events and philanthropy intersect and their impact locally and globally. Hosted by: Patrick Center, News and Public Affairs Director, WGVU Public Media, PBS & NPR Tory Martin, Director of Communications and Engagement for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy Matthew Downey, Director of Nonprofit Services for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
Current Focus: Data and the Sector In April, May, and June, we’ll explore how data can drive effective philanthropy. We’ll hear from colleagues across the sector and identify resources from years of research and engagement. We’ll gather what we learn and share it with you, presenting perspectives on all the ways data impacts our work and our missions. Related reading, webinars and other resources. Curated content, resources, & tools focused on topics and concepts important to philanthropy right now. Field Focus is an initiative to empower our networks by bringing practitioners, thought leaders, and issue experts together around one theme.
Professional Development for Grantmakers and Donors Events, courses, and webinars.
This practitioner-led learning series of webinars and workshops, offered by the Council of Michigan Foundations and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy, teaches the techniques of effective grantmaking to both new and seasoned foundation professionals. The sessions are highly practical, academically rigorous, and designed to be as accessible and affordable as possible. Participants who complete the series will receive a Certificate of Completion.
11 trends: 1. Giving More by Giving Together: The Johnson Center’s W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair Jason Franklin has conducted significant research on collaborative giving, including as part of a research team that recently released a report on giving circles. He anticipates seeing the growth of more democratized and diversified philanthropy. Franklin said giving circles and other collaborative giving groups have tripled in number since 2007 and that number is expected to grow. 2. Next Gen Donors and the “Golden Age of Giving”: Gen-Xers and Millennials with the capacity for making major gifts will likely become the most significant generation of philanthropists in Read more
This new study’s findings provide strong evidence that giving circles are an increasingly significant philanthropic force, engaging a greater diversity of donors, including women, people of various ethnic and racial backgrounds, and donors of all wealth levels.
Designed and led by leaders in the field, our program helps professionals bridge research, knowledge, and good practice. Courses are available for your whole staff or individuals, and we offer standard curricula as well as customized learning experiences. Our standard courses are listed below — view our calendar for upcoming courses, or contact us to customize a course for your organization. Advanced Proposal Analysis intentionally focuses on the essential skills of proposal review, recommendations, project management, and other core competency areas. We strongly believe that mastering this work is the key to excellence in grantmaking. Financial Analysis in Grantmaking provides grantmakers with the necessary knowledge and Read more
To help explore and understand the trends and challenges that inform our work, we are providing brief descriptions of trends we see as both forming and challenging the work of philanthropy.
This report explores unique challenges and opportunities, and offers a set of recommendations for how to realize the promise of working better together. The insights here are based primarily on in-depth dialogues about family philanthropy collaboration that occurred during the third National Summit on Family Philanthropy.
Based on new analysis of data collected for the Next Gen Donors: Respecting Legacy, Revolutionizing Philanthropy report, this report examines the ways in which these high-capacity, Jewish next gen donors think about and experience philanthropy.
This report seeks to identify and describe state-of-the-art approaches to valuing social returns on social investments (SROI), to review the organizational challenges to implementing an SROI measurement process, and to examine in detail organizations in the Netherlands and the United States that have attempted to use SROI measurements. The focus of each piece of the project was SROI methods and valuation in the health care field, specifically. In the conclusion, the report distills some best practices and practical tips for conducting SROI measurements.
Based on the candid peer conversations and insights from thought leaders that were offered during two “National Summits” on family philanthropy, this brief envisions the changes in the field, and suggests ways to adapt family giving for a better future– a future of new families, new generations, new kinds of relationships, and new methods for creating change.
This first-of-its-kind research examines the next generation of major donors and studies this crucial group directly, rather than summarizing what others think about them. This project is a partnership of The Frey Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy, and 21/64, a nonprofit consulting practice specializing in next gen and multigenerational strategic philanthropy.
This study assesses the initial impact of the 2011 repeal of the Community Foundation Tax Credit in Michigan. The Council of Michigan Foundations commissioned the study with the hope of using the data to better understand the role of incentives in charitable giving and to leverage legislative support for community foundations.
