Our weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector....
Civil Society
On the NCRP's Keeping a Close Eye blog, Niki Jagpal discusses a recent article from the Poverty & Race Research Action Council about the "unsettling statistics on the status of voting rights in our country." According to PRRAC, voter identification laws, early voting restrictions, purging of "legitimate registered voters because of baseless suspicion of their citizenship status," and felon disenfranchisement continue to marginalize low-income individuals, communities of color, younger voters, and the elderly.
Disaster Relief
In the days following the devastating landfall of Superstorm Sandy near Cape May, New Jersey, nonprofit bloggers were busy sharing resources for those interested in contributing to relief and recovery efforts. On her Have Fun, Do Good blog, Britt Bravo has compiled a list of articles and Web sites that suggest ways to donate and volunteer; Idealist's Allison Jones has a few additional suggestions for New Yorkers looking to get involved in relief and recovery efforts; and longtime New Jersey resident Nancy Schwartz suggests three organizations on the ground in that state -- the NYC Rescue Mission, the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey -- that are "providing services right now and need your help to keep it up."
Looking at the response to the storm through a tech/data lens, Philanthropy 2173 blogger Lucy Bernholz tracks, in a series of posts, the many ways in which organizations and individuals used information communication technologies during and after the storm, while the Weakonomist looks at how Sandy might affect the economy.
Professional Development
After another season of conferences and events, you're probably wondering what to do with all the business cards you collected. New York Foundation for the Arts program officer Eleanor Whitney has some advice about how to deepen your connection to individuals with whom you swapped cards, including how to prepare for the initial communication and what you can do to move the conversation offline.
In a post on her blog, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar author Rosetta Thurman reminds us to invite young professionals to the table when discussing the future of the sector.
Social Media
On her blog, the tireless Beth Kanter, reflects on her experience to date as a "social media ambassador" for the #GivingTuesday campaign, an effort to make the Tuesday after Thanksgiving a national day of giving.
Urbanism
And on the Huffington Post, Charles A. Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, explores the significance of hedge fund manager John Paulson's recent $100 million gift to the Central Park Conservancy. "The gift is important in two ways," writes Birnbaum, "it directly benefits the park and the [conservancy]...and it impacts public perception. This gift places the park and designed landscapes on the same plane with other philanthropic beneficiaries -- cultural institutions including museums, libraries and performing arts centers, medical facilities, universities, etc. This helps elevate the understanding of landscape's fundamental role and value, and it could also spur similar acts of philanthropy for other parks in New York and around the country."
That's it for now. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those who experienced the wrath of Sandy. Drop us a line if we missed anything at rnm@foundationcenter.org.
-- The Editors
