Carly Fiorina

The Otto Bremer Trust is launching new approaches to grantmaking. After this upcoming June 6 application deadline, OBT will no longer accept applications. Their new grantmaking model is two-pronged: 💠 Strategic grants 💠 -initiated and provided directly by OBT 💠 Community Responsive Fund💠 -grants through selected intermediary partners We wait to see what will happen to unsolicited grants, grant sizes, deadlines and current grantees. Says the press release "All of these changes are part of our efforts to continuously improve our grantmaking, allowing us to reduce the demands of grant applications while having a larger impact on the communities we serve. While OBT is changing its processes, our objectives and mission will not change. We are simply adjusting the process we use to deliver on our mission in a more impactful way." #fundraising #grantwriting #foundations #nonprofits https://lnkd.in/gUAq6DcZ

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Learn more about the transformational work of Samaritan's Mary Ann Boccolini Institute for Education, Research & Innovation, and how you can support it: https://lnkd.in/emQ2E3Yv

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I am flying back from Chicago, where I attended an innovative conference sponsored by Council on Foundations, called #BuildingTogether. The meeting explored how to address toxic polarization at a moment when it is on the rise. Powerfully, I thought, the conference (which our partner, Mosaic, helped sponsor) focused on more than just skills and academics. Rather, it helped diverse attendees “develop the heartset, mindset, and skillset to lead collaboratively across difference.” Bridging difference, which is a component of effective #movement building, has to be approached with integrity and authenticity. It can’t occur if those engaged don’t fundamentally agree on the each other’s shared humanity, as The Greater Good Science Center emphasized. But the possibilities are significant when done well, with an open heart, mind, and the skills to engage with those who see things differently. This was the lesson of a panel on building a more powerful #climate movement I moderated with an exceptional group of leaders, Jacqueline Patterson, Susan Hendershot, Ariana Gonzalez, and Katie Robinson, who bring a range of skills and perspectives to the work. Without exception, they shared stories where bridging efforts generated impact and results by finding important zones of common ground, ranging from broad coalitions that helped ensure passage of the #IRA, to various new #environmental policies, to the expansion of efforts to advance #environmentaljustice in communities across the country. Katie Robinson, Mosaic’s director, said it well in the opening plenary in describing the bridging work that Mosaic’s Governance Assembly accomplished in recent years in making nearly $30 million in grants to build the shared capacity of environmental advocates. About this group, who are in many ways a fractal of the broader #climate movement, Katie said, “over the past several years these leaders have done the hard work to build the trust necessary to advance our collective capacity to solve climate challenges. They have moved from wariness to relationship.” I would add that this means they, and the groups they lead, share something that is both powerful and rare: each other’s insight. Given the pace and scale of the challenges we all face, that is no small thing. Check out the The Chronicle of Philanthropy story (with quotes from Katie, Kathleen Enright, Monica Guzman, The New York Times columnist David Brooks, Tracy Cutler, Paul Bachleitner, Allison K. Ralph, Ph.D., Eric Ward). https://lnkd.in/gFG9XtFz

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Episode 3 of the Anti-Authoritarian Podcast is now live. Our guest is Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Dr. Kleinfeld gives us insights into the authoritarian playbook, and how over the past 20 years authoritarians have polarized our politics and our culture. How are they strategically fighting across race, place, and gender lines, and how must we counter this attack to overcome polarization tactics and build the multi-racial democracy we deserve?

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For anyone beginning a new strategic initiative or strategic planning process, this article is a wonderful resource. Congrats to Marilyn Darling and Veena Pankaj for the recently published "Seeding Impact: Shifting from Orchestration to Emergence." Full article at https://lnkd.in/eHD6QMcm #impact #strategy #strategicplanning #emergentlearning #systemschange

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📢Announcing our newest publication developed in partnership with Julia Coffman: Making Visible Philanthropy’s Hidden and Conflicting Mental Models for Systems Change. The Foundation Review 15th Anniversary Celebration issue includes this new piece where we identify two mental models for systems change that are frequently being used—together, separately, in conflict—in philanthropy: the systems dynamics mental model and the systems emergence mental model. We argue that different systemic problems and inequities require understanding the elements, implications, and applications of each model and that each one should be fit for purpose. I know, I know - it sounds too conceptual and abstract, but actually our focus is making the concepts practical and hands on including through three case studies and a tool to help make your thinking visible. #thefoundationreview #systemsthinking #mentalmodels https://lnkd.in/gtsV-wyP

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Over half of local policymakers are considering leaving #USpolitics due to #threats and #harassment.  For the first time, CivicPulse, in collaboration with the Bridging Divides Institute at Princeton University, surveyed #school board officials on their experiences of threats and harassment. Our new data show heightened hesitancy among school district leaders to run for a higher office compared to elected city, county, and town officials.  For a more complete picture of the most recent findings, check out our latest #research brief: https://lnkd.in/g23CcaY2 Interested in our threats and harassment benchmarking #data? Our Threats and Harassment interactive dashboard including survey response data since 2022 is available here: https://lnkd.in/gJmyUSYE  Don’t have time to read our brief? Then check out data spotlights below.  #SchoolBoard #LocalGov 

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New, free teaching cases with educator guides on designing efforts to engage residents in urban problem-solving. Examine what works - and what doesn't - in participatory governance and learn to evolve your city's approach intentionally.

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A new media intelligence survey from American Families for Cultural Exchange (AFCE) explores the online conversation surrounding proposed State Department regulations on the au pair program. The findings echo concerns and perspectives voiced in the 10,000+ written comments submitted around the proposal:   🌎 American families primarily chose to participate in the au pair program because of the cultural exchange opportunity and affordability it provides. 👩‍👧‍👦 Host families are concerned about proposed State Department regulations, particularly around increased program costs and diminished cultural exchange opportunities. 📉 Only 5% of the anonymous online conversation surrounding the proposed regulations was supportive of the changes.   This survey highlights the need for careful consideration by the State Department to preserve the essence and accessibility of this cherished program! Check out more insights here: https://bit.ly/AFCE-Blog #ChildCare #AuPairProgram 

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Sadly, theft of collections can happen anywhere at any time. Are your collections secure? Are you sure? Join us on 9/25 at Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany for the workshop Security Solutions. Don't wait for the unthinkable to occur before you decide to take collection security seriously! Here is another sad example: "100-year-old coal miner’s hat stolen from museum and thrown away may be lost to time" https://lnkd.in/eZAVavjJ

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: HOW A CASE FOR SUPPORT DEVELOPS Most people consider The Case for Support the main ‘sales piece,’ the colorful, expensively printed brochure that is part of a typical capital campaign.  An effective case rarely starts out in finished form, as Athena sprung from the head of Zeus fully formed in Greek mythology. In its first stage of life, the Case may simply be a typewritten draft, marked DRAFT to encourage input.  In whatever form, the Case is the raison d’etre for why funds are needed and how they will build and expand, or simply preserve or strengthen, a cause deserving of philanthropic support. It must be clear, compelling, and credible. The most effective wording often comes from the comments of Board members and donors who read the initial drafts. The Case is a tool to educate and engage leadership. It must provoke comments from (a) donors with the capacity to make gifts of $1 million, $2.5 million, $5 million, $10 million and more as well as (b) potential leadership of a Capital Campaign Cabinet. It will also (c) form the basis for grant proposals for individual projects, (d) justify annual funding and project support, and (e) help individuals to justify making planned gifts and bequests for endowment. The immediate role for a Case Statement is to have a subject for discussion in initial conversations with the inner circle of Board members and other long-time contributors. It is the equivalent of a preliminary Master Plan. Think of is as the block of granite sculptor starts with before chipping away portions to reveal a final work of art. Board members and early interview subjects are the sculptors, guiding the phrasing of the eventual finished product. A good Case for Support emerges after four stages of development, to be described in a post later this week.

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Really enjoyed this conversation with Bret Keisling and Adria Scharf, and still feeling really optimistic about the potential for #EmployeeOwnership--including #ESOPs, worker-owned #cooperatives, #EOTs, or simply broad-based equity or profit-sharing--to make a meaningful contribution to improving #jobquality, strengthening #smallbiz, mitigating #inequality, and building strong communities.

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U.S. Department of the Treasury White House Historical Association 183 years ago today is when U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history. The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January 1836. The bank's formal name, according to section 9 of its charter as passed by Congress, was "The President, Directors, and Company, of the Bank of the United States". While other banks in the US were chartered by and only allowed to have branches in a single state, it was authorized to have branches in multiple states and lend money to the US government. The essential function of the bank was to regulate the public credit issued by private banking institutions through the fiscal duties it performed for the U.S. Treasury, and to establish a sound and stable national currency. The federal deposits endowed the bank with its regulatory capacity. Failing to secure recharter, the Second Bank became a private corporation in 1836, and underwent liquidation in 1841. There would not be national banks again until the passage of the National Bank Act. John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the tenth president of the United States from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticket with President William Henry Harrison, succeeding to the presidency following Harrison's death 31 days after assuming office. Like Harrison, Tyler had been expected to adhere to Whig Party Congressional public policies and to defer to Whig party leader Clay. Initially Tyler concurred with the new Whig Congress, signing into law the preemption bill granting "squatters' sovereignty" to settlers on public land, a Distribution Act (discussed below), a new bankruptcy law, and the repeal of the Independent Treasury. But when it came to the great banking question, Tyler was soon at odds with the Congressional Whigs, and twice vetoed Clay's legislation for a national banking act. Although the second bill was originally tailored to meet his objections in the first veto, its final version did not. This practice, designed to protect Clay from having a successful incumbent president as a rival for the Whig nomination in 1844, became known as "heading Captain Tyler", a term coined by Whig Representative John Minor Botts of Virginia. Tyler proposed an alternative fiscal plan known as the "Exchequer", but Clay's friends who controlled the Congress would have none of it.

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The “Future of Freedom” program, produced by America's Talking Network, often features Freedom Conservatism signatories and allies in pro-con forums with other right-leaning analysts. Hosted by Hillsdale College’s Scot Bertram, “Future of Freedom” is a top-50 podcast on American politics. Recent episodes about #FreeCon-related topics include: • Scott Lincicome and Stephen Miran on whether the U.S. should pursue industrial policy. • Andrew F. Puzder and Allison Schrager on whether tip income should be taxed. • Jarrett Dieterle and Brian Albrecht on whether government should ban non-compete clauses. • Andrew Walker and I on Freedom Conservatism and the future. You’ll find links to these and other FreeCon-related podcasts here: https://lnkd.in/ewHZb_nT

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"Immediately following the 2016 presidential election, 25 funders that participated in CEP’s Grantee Perception Report chose to add an optional module of questions about actions grantees and their funders were taking in response to a changed political environment. As a result, 2,226 nonprofits offered suggestions in response to the question: “What advice would you give to the Foundation as it seeks to be as effective as possible in this changing U.S. political landscape?” What a timely and practical set of suggestions!

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Questions We Can Ask To Turn Advancement Toward More Sustainable Practices I feel it, so do many of you. We're forming a critical mass of new thought. We're moving from gift getting to partnership building, from fundraising to philanthropic facilitation, from measuring success not just on dollars but donors retained and donors enlivened, from "acquiring donors" to attracting and nurturing kindred spirits. There's real movement toward the substantive and the sustainable. Each one of us can contribute and help this movement gain momentum by asking the right questions at the right moment every day. Every day. Just a few questions. We have to have the courage of our convictions but we also have to be diplomatic, respectful and professional. You won't cause anyone to rethink their assumptions, if you remain quiet, frustrated or disillusioned. You won't cause anyone to come on board our wagon by scoffing, bristling, or rolling your eyes (even if done inside your head). You know what to do. You've done it a thousands of times with donors and volunteers and others. You rebuff the unfounded and redirect the mistaken by asking "But what about...." You create alignments by asking, "Could we look at this together?" You don't put yourself above or below others. You engage as equals using the most effective community building and relationship building tool ever invented - genuine conversation. We learn and grow together by listening to and learning from each other. That's it. That's the only practical and sustainable way forward. So, as someone who has labored long but joyously in this vineyard and tried to make it better, may I ask a favor of you? Will you commit to asking at least a few good questions each day? Will you share this idea with others and ask them to share with you what they have learned so we can all learn together? Do you see how thousands and thousands of thoughtful practitioners around the world, by asking a few good questions each day, can become the water of hope that wears down the rock of transactional complacency and eventually turns from a trickle to a river racing to a new sea of possibility, a new way of achieving what we want together? Yes, of course it will never be perfect but water, not rock, brings life and feeds life. Choose to be water. Feed the trickle. Share your questions. Even if you don't always get the right answers, remember good questions never go away. They live and persist, waiting for good answers. They are seeds borne on the water of hope looking for fertile ground in which to take root. Be a sower. Sow a few thoughtful questions every day.

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Here's the Agenda for our workshop next week. NOTE: The materials will be available after the event, in case you can't make it. May 14, 1:30 1. Overview of Access Philanthropy 2. Determining when to send an LOI 3. How to draft an LOI 4. Next steps  5. Helpful Tools 6. Q&A #fundraising #nonprofits #grantwriting #foundations

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In our closely divided politics, eight key house races could actually determine the outcome of the Presidential race by selection within Congress. See my piece with Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Ph.D. on what to watch, what could happen, and how we can shape a better course for our politics. Hat tip to Daphne Nwobike on the research https://lnkd.in/e2wMkuCQ

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Hear, hear

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