Weekend Link Roundup (September 17 - 18, 2011)

Our weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector....

Advocacy

The New York Times' Stephanie Strom profiles San Francisco hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, who with his brother, Jim, is funding the Center for the Next Generation, a nonprofit organization that aims to be a progressive voice in major public policy debates.

Communications/Marketing

On her Non-Profit Marketing blog, Katya Andresen has a few tips for nonprofit marketers looking to better manage their time while engaging audiences on social media channels.

Education

Responding to the news that Hilary Pennington, Mark David Millron, and Tom Dawson are leaving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Postsecondary Success program "to get closer to work on the ground," the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's Kevin Laskowski challenges the idea that program officers aren't "in the field" when working at a foundation. Writes Laskowski:

Grantmakers of any size and impact should have a tough time pretending that they're not players in their chosen fields of interest. If you're doing work that's at all relevant, you're "in the field," making important decisions that will affect other people's lives. And, in a democratic society, that discretion is accompanied by appropriate scrutiny and accountability. It may be messy and uncomfortable at times, but it comes with the territory. That's the game we signed up to play....

Philanthropy

The Tactical Philanthropy community weighs in with a list of potential successors to Hewlett Foundation president Paul Brest, who recently announced his planned retirement from the foundation, effective nex summer.

Social Media

In the latest installment of her Chronicle of Philanthropy Social Good podcast series, Allison Fine chats with Suphatra Laviolette of the Marguerite Casey Foundation and the Case Foundation's Michael Smith about how foundations "are using social media to support movement building."

On her Philanthropy 2173 blog, Lucy Bernholz shares a list of social media resources for grantmakers. Is there anything you'd add to her list? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.

And Beth Kanter has a few suggestions for nonprofits interested in prolonging the shelf life of their online content.

That's it for now. What did we miss? Drop us a line at rnm@foundationcenter.org. And have a great week!

-- Regina Mahone