Alissa Light

Thoughtful Stewardship Motivates Other Donors As seasoned fundraisers will attest, many major donors will, upon making a gift commitment, say they want no recognition and a surprising number say they would prefer to remain anonymous. I don't know how many say that because it's how they feel or because they think that is what they should say. It doesn't really matter. My standard response was "We need your example." Example is important in philanthropy and fundraising. I wanted to afford my donors recognition because I knew it would be inspiring and motivating to others - if we told their story in the right way. All too often we squander the opportunity of example. We announce the amount someone has given and make some banal statements about the transformative effect it will have but rarely do we follow up and demonstrate the actual transformational impact years down the road. Even sadder, we don't do enough to publicize why the donor gave or highlight the values that underpinned and motivated their giving. Yet, the story of why one donor gave can be highly motivating to other current and potential donors. We seem to forget that many of us spend our lives trying to become better people. We seek to liberate our big and altruistic side from our small, selfish and self-protective side. We don't always know how to do that but we try. It's why we look to the examples of others, why we look for people we can admire and emulate. It's not how much someone gave but why. When we hear about someone giving because they want to spare others from the loss or pain visited on them or their loved ones, we revisit our pain and loss and ask ourselves if we have done enough to spare others. When we hear about someone giving to return what they think was a good done for them years ago, we go back to our past and ourselves if we have paid due credit to those who were most helpful in our formative years. When we hear someone giving because they felt fortune smiled on them, we think more about our good fortune and how we might share it. The more we seize on the power of example through effective storytelling, we help others reflect and say to themselves: That's who I want to be like. That's how I could give more meaning to my life. That's how I can become a better person. It's not the size of the gift we celebrate, it's the examples of how people turn to philanthropy to forgive, to convert struggle and loss to purpose, to remember and honor those that shaped their lives, to chip away at injustices visited on them, to provide others opportunities they never had, and to bequeath more to the future than they inherited from the past. We need these examples and these stories. We want to be in the presence of people striving to do good with their lives. We look for ways to be better people. The more thoughtfully we steward and share each donor's story, the more we widen the philanthropic path.

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Interested in learning strategies to help you better advocate for inclusivity and justice in your communities? Explore Urban Institute and Race Forward Government Alliance on Race and Equity’s new Equity Resource Navigator, a tool designed to help local leaders find resources to advance equity in the communities they serve.  Check out the webinar for a live demonstration of the navigator and learn how equity work across the United States is evolving:  https://urbn.is/3yIGCle  #Equity

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“Two-Week Sabbatical Application Information for BIPOC Leaders What is the sabbatical opportunity? As a coalition, we recognize that being in good health and wellbeing are foundational to racial healing and social justice in communities. We are committed to normalizing rest and the practice of sabbaticals as a strategy to achieve health and wellbeing. Coalition members have shared with us that although the three-month sabbatical is an amazing opportunity for rest, not all leaders have the ability to take three-months off, and that shorter breaks are also needed and are impactful. In response to this feedback, we have expanded our Sabbatical Program to also offer grants for shorter sabbatical periods: Two-Week Sabbatical Grant One-Month Sabbatical Grant We aim to support nonprofit leaders with two-week and one-month sabbatical that allow them to step back from the exhaustion of work and re-connect with their own vitality and balance. These grants are intended to provide a two-week or four-week paid-time-off break, that is in addition to their vacation or other paid-time-off provided by their employer organization.” Two-Week Sabbatical Application Information for BIPOC Leaders – BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State

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💡 If you work with non-profits, then it’s no secret that it's getting harder and harder for them to reach their fundraising objectives. As a foundation or fonds de dotation (French endowment fund) a simple way help is to provide multi-year funding.   👇This article from KV Philanthropy Consulting offers a few insights as multi-year vs one-off donations and what impacts they can have for both associations and foundations. Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think! (Vous trouvez également la version française via le lien ci-dessous) #Donation #Multiyear #foundation #fondsdedotation #nonprofit #charity #association #grantmaking #fundraising #philanthropy

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Does your company distribute grants? run employee engagement programs? do other social impact work? What about measuring, managing and tracking the effectiveness and impact of its CSR work? The Corporate Measurement & Evaluation Community of Practice is conducting a benchmarking survey to understand the state of M&E across the corporate landscape - who is doing it, how, why and what tools and approaches are being used. If you are directly responsible for measuring and reporting on the impact of your companies CSR work, or you have visibility into it, we'd like to hear from you! https://lnkd.in/gv9Deiwi Please note, We have taken special care in crafting the survey so that we aren’t repeating information that can be found elsewhere. This benchmarking will complement that done by ACCP and CECP.  The responses are 100% confidential and data will only be reported in aggregate.  More information on the Corporate Measurement & Evaluation (M&E) Community of Practice in comments.

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When thinking back to my time as a nonprofit CEO, I recall many sleepless nights wrestling with funding challenges. Conversations often focused on writing grants, annual campaigns, and donor engagement, but the results stayed the same. It wasn’t until we started thinking differently that we saw real change. 🚀Imagine a nonprofit and philanthropic world where innovation drives fund development, creating sustainable impact within our organizations, where new ideas are celebrated, and risks are seen as opportunities.  🌟 In my latest Coaching Innovation Blog, Innovating Fund Development for Greater Impact, discover how embracing innovation can transform your organization's approach to funding. ❓How can nonprofits elevate their fund development strategies to create greater impact? 🧠 Cultivate a Culture of Innovation: Encourage an environment where creativity thrives, and risks are part of the growth journey. 🔍 How can you foster a culture of innovation? Reflect on your organization's openness to new ideas and discuss your risk tolerance and risk threshold. 💡 Innovation Pop-ups: Organize regular brainstorming sessions to bring together diverse perspectives and generate innovative new fund development strategies. When we create a culture of innovation that leverages technology and embraces diverse funding sources, we can transform our organizations and the communities we serve. How have you leveraged innovation to support fund development? 🔗 Check out the full article at www.Jordansydnor.com . 

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Yes yes and more yes. Time to free public health from health care and the traditional ways that “health” is funded and valued. They talk innovation and social determinants but they place value on immediate and direct clinical outcomes when the science shows that that’s not how it works. If you want to address SDOH then you have to put your money where your mouth is. And let us address the things that matter without holding the checkbook over our heads that’s tied to healthcare savings.

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One important step is to include Native representation on governance boards!

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We have a lot of work to do when it comes to health equity across the U.S.             Racial health disparities exist in every state. Even in states with above average healthcare systems for all racial groups, Black and Native Americans are far more likely to die early from preventable deaths than white and Asian Americans. Racial disparities in health are driven by factors inside and outside state health care systems. "The policy choices that federal, state and local leaders have made over many decades have led to economic suppression, unequal educational access, and widespread housing segregation, all of which have contributed in their own ways to worse health outcomes for people of color." Racial health disparities are further perpetuated by less insurance coverage and unequal access to quality primary care. We have a long way to go to achieve health equity — but it is possible. According to the report, we can bridge the gap by ensuring universal, affordable and equitable healthcare coverage; strengthening primary care systems and improving delivery of services; and investing in social services. Let's work together to ensure everyone regardless of race or ethnicity can access their full potential to live long, healthy lives.

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How do we define 'poverty' and what can we do to reduce it? Kelly Jones from YWCA Muskoka, along with Christine Bushey from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit joined United Way Simcoe Muskoka and CFS Counselling + Wellbeing on their podcast to provide insights on local poverty-reduction efforts. In this episode, Kelly shares how poverty reduction requires community collaboration and how YWCA programs like Getting Ahead, Bridges out of Poverty, and Circles Muskoka help individuals and families navigating poverty develop resources to thrive. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eTFCqdeA

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LinkedIn Network, Check out this important conversation featuring one of my favorite people, Antoinette Malveaux!

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Insightful and compelling insights from my colleague Mark Muckerheide on measuring ROI, particularly how much community wealth, and wealth for women, is generated for each $1 invested. Her money, her voice, her decision.......Empowering women to manage their finances directly addresses systemic gender disparities is KEY CARE work across the world is working to measure and deliver a higher ROI for the women and girls, and the communities we serve. 

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Today is Policy Day of Black Maternal Health Week, so let’s talk about a few policies we should implement to improve maternal health care for Black pregnant people. Here’s a to-do list for policymakers on this year’s BMHW: ✔️ Expand Medicaid to 12 months postpartum in all 50 states: Dr. Jessica Pineda of Brown University found that “Black mothers are twice as likely to experience maternal mental health conditions but half as likely to receive treatment compared to White mothers.” Expanding Medicaid could help expand access to vital mental health services for conditions like postpartum depression. ✔️ Expand Medicaid to cover doula and midwife care: OB-GYN Dr. Dawn Owens Robinson said “Doulas save lives,” and the data proves it. Doulas help reduce disparities in Black maternal health care, and shouldn’t just be a privilege for the wealthy. ✔️ Protect reproductive rights: Black women living in states where abortion access is restricted face disproportionate risks from unintended pregnancies. Access to the full spectrum of reproductive care is important for maternal health overall.

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I just want to amplify this new study. That’s being done around community centric fundraising and philanthropy. Are you using community centric fundraising principles? Have your lead fundraiser or your entire fundraising team sit down together and fill this out.

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This study highlights the need for institutional and community collaboration. After 21 years of working in hospitals and LTC, and 5 months working in the community, I could not agree more. What I will challenge here is that if we are going to utilize community organizations to be active members of the health care team, we need to fund these organizations as such. Parkdale Food Centre receives about 10% of funding from government. The rest is donation and grant based. This is not reliable funding. I deeply believe community social service work is the answer to a holistic approach which will keep people out of hospital, but we need to fund these organizations properly to ensure they can provide in a reliable fashion.

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This looks like a great workshop for public health communicators, especially those working in HIV. "When Dis-, Mis-, and Incomplete Information Meet Health and Science: Impacts On Society and Our Well-Being" When communities or individuals are misled or not fully informed about crucial health or science information, the impacts on public health and societal well-being can be consequential. Join the Institute for Storycraft and Information Gathering (ISIG) in an intimate fireside chat with Tufts Trustee and health care strategy advisor and advocate, Kalahn Taylor-Clark PhD, MPH, who will share techniques and insights for how health advocates and the layperson can navigate this complex space, especially in the context of AI and built-in biases that affect marginalized groups. https://lnkd.in/ejPdPrWZ

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