Blog

A Leadership Forum organized by the University of Southern California, titled Philanthropy,: Imagination, Innovation and Impact contains  a series of short, very readable commentaries on personal philanthropy. One couple, who have pledged to give away one-half of their personal wealth to philanthropy summarized five principles that have guided their thought process about giving back. They are simple, but […]

The Monitor Group, a consulting forum ( part of Deloitte’s ) spotlights promising new ideas and practices, including pioneering new models of philanthropy. They are associated with a Canadian task force focusing on philanthropy – Northern Lights. As more information and results from this task force become public, we’ll share in future the findings and highlights.

A recent article in a US philanthropy publication reported that endowment funds held by charities and foundations were reporting average 5% returns (2011) and that investment performance has still not fully recovered from the steep market declines in 2007-2008. The article indicated, in this environment of low returns, some organizations were moving to ‘protect’ the endowment value by  lowering

I recently read a comprehensive outline for a strategic framework for investing in the arts. Based in California, the paper by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a superb description of the role of a foundation as funder, a descriptor of why we should invest in the arts, and an outline of what is

Looking at the mission statements of arts organizations, you see references to community engagement. The term can have many different interpretations across organizations and disciplines. I found a helpful definition in a recent (September 13, 2013) blog post by ArtsBlog.  It referred to definitions that I found simple and clear:     Community : refers to individuals and

We often think of Canada’s tax laws as dry and unchanging. Charity law and tax regulation actually changes quite a lot and shouldn’t be thought of as dormant. I recently attended a seminar and here are some tax related highlights arts organizations should be aware of :     First Time Donor Tax Credit – this

A recent study on charitable giving from foundations, individuals and corporations indicates that overall amounts are still below levels raised in 2007, the start of the recession and market downturn. While the securities markets have recovered, the ‘psychology of giving’ has not. An article from the Chronicle of Philanthropy confirms that donors at all income

“I am the winner of the Lambton County Music Festival Lady’s Sacred Concert Group.  I would like to thank you for your contribution.  Without donors like you, the prizes for this festival would not be possible.”  Samantha   “I just wanted to send you a little note to say thanks for the donation to the Festival. 

At the end of April, Canadians had the opportunity to recognize and thank the volunteers who support charitable/not for profit organizations. A part of almost every charitable organization are volunteers, those individuals who commit time, energy, their talents ( often also financial contributions ) to supporting the programs and work of a charitable organization. Their

There is no shortage of material to read about the challenge of securing arts funding at a time when government sources are static or facing cutbacks. A recent article in the Toronto Globe and Mail (April 20, 2013) references this in the context of arts organizations winding up, which can be one way of ‘freeing resources’ for