Weekend Link Roundup (February 23-24, 2019)

A weekly roundup of noteworthy items from and about the social sector. For more links to great content, follow us on Twitter at @pndblog....

Democracy

"The key to improving the voting process," writes Adam Ambrogi, irector of the Elections Program at the Democracy Fund, "is straightforward: expand accessibility while also prioritizing security."

Giving

Have women's motivations for giving changed over time? Andrea Pactor, interim director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy; Hillary Person, a former development director at the Pensacola State College Foundation; and Dyan Sublett, president of the MLK Community Health Foundation, take a look at the data.

Governance

On the NCRP blog, Rick Moyers, former vice president of programs and communications at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and a board member at BoardSource, reminds readers that while "[d]iversity is only one aspect of a larger conversation about equity and power," many boards aren’t ready to have that conversation. With that in mind, there are four things senior leadership should look for to determine whether their board is ready for deeper work in pursuit of equity.

International Affairs/Development

GiveWell has announced a call fro proposals from outstanding organizations operating in Southeast Asia and, in partnership with Affinity Impact, a social impact initiative founded by the children of a Taiwanese entrepreneur, will  provide three grants — one of $250,000, and two $25,000 grants — to organizations that are operating programs in global health and development in any of the following countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam. More details here.

Philanthropy

In an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Allison Powell, Willa Seldon, and Nidhi Sahni argue that "historic growth in wealth globally and the rise of new philanthropists threaten the relevance of institutional philanthropy — while creating new opportunities for impact and influence."

On the Center for Effective Philanthropy blog, Naomi Orenstein, CEP's director of research, and Matthew H Leiwant, a former associate manager of research at the organization, share some suggestions for funders interested in helping their grantees, beyond the grant, with non-financial support.

Then again, says Nonprofit AF's Vu Le, sometimes the best thing donors can do to advance social justice is to just write a check.

In a piece on the foundation's website, MacArthur Foundation president Julia Stasch, who will be stepping down from her position later this year, reflects on the Foundation’s approach to work in our hometown, the nonprofit organizations we support, and their creative and effective efforts make the Chicago region a better place to live, work, and learn for everyone.

In a post on his blog, veteran philanthropy advisor Richard Marker explains the thinking behind the (modest) re-branding of his firm.

Social Change

Reflecting on Jo Freeman's 1970 essay "The Tyranny of Structurelessness," Rhodri Davies, head of policy at the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) argues on the HistPhil blog that the "power" imbalance between participants in a group is a helpful reminder for today's social movement organizers and their funders. And while "the offline power dynamics between members of a group may still have a determinate impact on their position in the online network...in the context of digitally networked movements, another dimension of power also emerges: namely, control of the platform on which the network operates." 

Transparency

On the Glasspockets blog, our colleague Janet Camarena chats with Maya Winkelstein, executive director of the Open Road Alliance, about the critical role transparency play in the initiative's philanthropic efforts.

That's it for this week. Got something you'd like to share? Drop us a note at [email protected].