PNW Global Donors Conference - Friday, May 4th

The 3rd annual Pacific NW Global Donors Conference is happening on Friday, May 4, 2012 at the Best Western Executive Inn (under the Space Needle in Seattle!).

Keynote speakers include Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, author of Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World and Chimamanda Adichie, Nigerian author of Purple Hibiscus, The Thing Around Your Neck, and Half of a Yellow Sun.

This half-day conference is designed expressly for Northwest grantmakers and philanthropists active and/or curious about global philanthropy, with a particular focus on next-gen attendees!

Registration is only $75 and includes a post-conference reception at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an exclusive tour of the new Visitor Center.

Register now by visiting www.globaldonorsconference.org

3.26: EPIP Seattle & TFN Funders Mixer & Dinner

In conjunction with the TFN conference coming to Seattle, WA on March 26-28, EPIP Seattle is planning a special funders mixer and dinner for all interested EPIP Seattle members. This will be a chance to mix and mingle not just with your fellow EPIPers, but with TFN conference attendees (i.e. a variety of funders from across the country visiting our beautiful Emerald City)!

The evening agenda will include an ice breaker, great food and drinks, and a brief “Get to Know EPIP” presentation by the EPIP Seattle Steering Committee. Please bring cash for your dinner and drinks, business cards to share with new friends, and wear your party pants because – hey – it’s EPIP!

In early March, keep your eyes peeled for an Evite from EPIP Seattle for this special event. You’ll want to respond fast because the first 5 people to RSVP will get a free drink on EPIP Seattle!

What: EPIP Seattle & TFN Funders Mixer & Dinner

When: Monday, March 26, 8:00 PM

Restaurant: Local 360 Restaurant, downtown on the corner of 1st and Bell. Local 360 sources all of their food within a 360 mile radius of Seattle.

Bring: Cash for your dinner/drinks & business cards to share.

RSVP: Evite coming in early March.

Foundations Hold Money for the 1%. How Can We Stand With the 99%?

Our friends at the Quixote Foundation have been spending time thinking about the Occupy Movement and what it means for foundations and the work that we do. Below, an excerpt:

What do foundations have in common with the 1%? We’re organizations, not individuals, it’s true; but our raison d’être is using untaxed wealth to carry out the wishes of its “former owners.” As long as we stick to a few regulations, only the founders or their heirs and appointees can have a say in what we do. If this tax break can pay for itself by channeling riches into the public good, why is there no equivalent deduction for ordinary folks who make nonprofit gifts, unless they have sufficient income or assets to itemize? Why are foundations allowed to hold $672 billion in assets—often invested in companies that help create the problems our programs try to solve—while spending as little as 5% per year no matter how well our portfolios have performed?

The Quixote Foundation has nine suggestions on how we can support the movement, besides spending beyond the 5% (what Quixote calls "spending up"). Here are a few examples - but click here to read the complete article.

• Support organizations that help the Occupy movement. The National Lawyers Guild links demonstrators with free emergency legal help. Ruckus Societyprovides training. The Funders Committee for Civic Participation can connect grantmakers with nonprofits helping in many ways, including sustained action on issues like corporate political power; and Resource Generation works with both individuals and foundations to generate social change.
• Support those who make the movement visible when big media looks the other way. Mother Jones covers Occupy demonstrations and gives practical information for engaging through events like Bank Transfer Day. Resources like the Center for Media Justice and MAG-NET ensure we can hear stories not covered by corporate news. Media Democracy Fund contributes money, strategy, and connection for the work these groups do.
• Align our investments with our missions. Renewal is exceptionally smart about activating whole portfolios for social benefit, and PRI Makers Network fills in the how-tos.

Six Ways to Rock Your Career

Six Ways to Rock Your Career - here is a quick digest of the pages and pages of notes that I took during last night's workshop with Trista Harris, Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice, author of the New Voices in Philanthropy blog and author of "How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career".

Don't try all of these at once! You can always come back to these - and the rest of the tips in the book as you move forward in your career! (Click panoramic image to enlarge)

1. Develop Expertise

• Be the first to know about what is happening in your sector and that relates to your job - this will make you the "go-to" person and increase your value at the organization.
• Do informational interviews with people in other organizations who do your job - build a network of such people so you'll know if you are getting paid a competitive salary compared to your peers.
• Pay attention to gossip - now, this is not about SPREADING gossip, but it's always useful to know who is making a move, what's changing at an organization and where a position might open up.

2. Build your network

• Attend conferences - but keep in mind that all of the good stuff happens in the hallway! Figure out how to sit on a panel or volunteer for the conference so you can capture the content without having to pay registration fees.
• People should hear about you from other people - increase your visibility.
• Feeling down about your job? Find a group of people who are excited about what they do and peer mentor one another.

3. Establish a Great Personal Brand

• Consistency, clarity, authenticity - people should see you, talk to you, and talk about you as one person.
• Be one person - your social media profile is permanent so think about the short-term need v. long-term cost of what you post.
• Who you are needs to match the person who walks into the room.
• Be yourself, but in the context of where you are working. Blue hair in a roomful of 65 years olds means you won't be taken as seriously, so figure out how you can be yourself and maintain your creativity while fitting in.
• Never start a sentence with "Oh I just... (insert how you describe your job)". Start with "I lead (this or that project)" NOT what your portfolio includes.

4. Practice authentic leadership

• Try leading a committee to gain leadership experience - that way, you can say you've managed people when asked at an interview.
• Saying "yes" to projects that help raise your standing w/in the organization. "Stretch assignments" help position you in a different way.
• Mentor somebody else!
• The advice you give is often the advice you can use yourself.

5. Plan for Balance!

• If you're burnt out in your job, what you're doing isn't worth much. Figure out what made you fall in love with your job in the first place.
• Keep a file of Thank You notes to refer back to when you're having a tough day.
• UN-VOLUNTEER / DON'T VOLUNTEER FOR FREE! You should be getting some new skills out of what you're doing!

6. Move on Up

• Take a seat at the table. Have you ever been asked to sit along the sidelines? Make sure you get a seat up front.
• Be paid what you are worth.
• Keep track of your goals - purchase the Nonprofit Rockstar Workbook that can help you to prioritize what those goals may be.
• Think 3-4 jobs ahead and consider the fact that what you're doing RIGHT NOW is a stepping stone to get there.

Making Philanthropy More Personal: your thoughts?

Did you see this article in the Seattle Times today? What are your thoughts?

Microsoft veterans aim to make philanthropy more personal

By Kristi Heim

Microsoft veterans are launching two Seattle nonprofits aimed at encouraging a new generation of philanthropists by using mobile phones, social networking and online connections between donors and people in need.

Each started by asking the same question: How could they involve more people, particularly the younger and less affluent, in philanthropy?

They eventually came to the same conclusion: More people would donate if they saw the difference even a small amount of money could make in another person's life.

"If they can actually see the impact of a $17 gift on a human life somewhere around the world, I believe that will open up the floodgates of hundreds of millions of micro-donors impacting the hundreds of millions of needy people around the world," said Scott Oki, a retired Microsoft executive and philanthropist for nearly two decades.

Oki and software entrepreneur Digvijay Chauhan started SeeYourImpact, a micro-charity portal that connects donors to causes and uses mobile phones to capture photos and videos from the field, showing how the donation is working.

Adnan Mahmud, a program manager at Microsoft Research, started the Jolkona Foundation with his wife, Nadia Khawaja, a University of Washington graduate student.

In the Bengali language, Jolkona means a drop of water. The site offers ways to invest in projects around the world, share with friends and see "proof of their impact."

Both SeeYourImpact and Jolkona are tapping into a generation that demands more control of their philanthropy. A generation accustomed to connecting around the world through Facebook now wants a face and a direct connection to someone they're helping.

Technology is "democratizing" philanthropy by giving people quick access to information about the issues and tools to take action, said Trevor Neilson, president of the Seattle advisory firm Global Philanthropy Group.

Click here to read the full article!