FP#2 - Frozen thoughts & Australian futures...
Ideas & opportunities for innovative social sector leaders
Hi all,
Newsletter #2 is here! It’s a week earlier than usual as I have been dangerously confined with my thoughts as I and fellow Texans navigate the harrowing week that was. No electricity, no water, a frozen phone and just the company of curious 5 & 2 year old minds (being careful to not put them in any particular order). We were fine, just inconvenienced, hundreds of thousands more were not. My heart goes out to them, knowing that in times like these our governments, systems and infrastructure are put to the ultimate test. They were all found wanting and again people lost their lives because of it.
Let us all be the leaders we wish we had.
What I’m Writing
Now is the time to commit to long term investments in nonprofit staff (6 min read)
The John’s Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies has just released their latest analysis on nonprofit job growth, and folks, it isn’t great. LinkedIn has found that 74% of staff are “sheltering in job.” This is a dangerous mix which might see a potential staff exodus when the fog of COVID clears. Nonprofit leaders need to address this pronto, understanding that the civic leadership ‘cliff face’ is real and that pipeline development is essential for not only our service providers but the community at large.
Nonprofits must make plans to reclaim their identity in light of reactionary Facebook flex (5 min read)
There’s a battle brewing down under and there are lessons to be learned for nonprofits from the recent Facebook news ban in Australia. The first is to always control your content and know what your real value is.
Australia is the gift that can unlock the ‘Asian Century’ of philanthropy (7 min read)
Keeping my finger on that regional pulse, it was interesting to see China’s economy grew by 2.3% even through the pandemic which has led to a new recalculation by economists that it will be 2028 when the Chinese economy (based on current projections) eventually overtakes the U.S. I discuss whether Australia is the perfect location for a new global philanthropy hub to help leverage this upcoming shift of global wealth & influence.
What I’m Reading
Mindset Shifts: What Are They? Why Do They Matter? How Do They Happen? by FrameWorks Institute (a long read)
I love the work of the FrameWorks Institute and get all giddy when a new report drops.
Shifting mindsets can be a decades-long process, and there isn’t just one right way to go about it. Their latest report walks through what mindsets are and identifies four approaches to shifting them.
Philanthropy’s Rural Blind Spot by Robert Atkins, Sarah Allred & Daniel Hart (Stanford Social Innovation Review) (a long, long read)
The most economically distressed communities are the least likely to apply for funding and the least likely to have the local resources to address inequity. Grant makers must rethink their strategies to ensure that their resources go where they will do the most good.
“many grant makers assume that urban centers have higher rates of poverty than rural areas. Moreover, many funders believe that they maximize impact and do more good when their grants go to addressing distress in densely populated areas.”
What I’m Sharing
Conference Invite: Power of Engagement Summit hosted by the Fundraising Academy (Feb 24-25). I will be the Keynote here discussing many of the themes from my upcoming new book Future Philanthropy. Cost: FREE
Call for Sessions/Speaking Opportunity: 2021 Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) National Conference - submit by March 12th
Job: Fund Manager, International Community Foundation (keeping with the theme’s of this newsletter + I know the staff so feel free to reach out if you want more context)
Job: Program Associate, San Diego Diplomacy Council (NB: I was a recent board member here before I moved to Austin - terrific organization)
Scholarship: The Nonprofit Technology Conference - applications due March 12th
Shoutout
Congrats to Krystian Siebert (who will be a featured emerging leader in Future Philanthopy) who received his PhD confirmation of candidature this week - topic is ‘Rationales for the Regulation of Structured Philanthropy in Australia’. Good luck & we look forward to reviewing in the future!