Most Popular PhilanTopic Posts of 2011

As we put the final touches on our special year-in-review issue and clear the decks for 2012, we thought it would be fun to look back at the most popular PhilanTopic posts of the year. Written by a diverse group of bloggers and covering a broad range of topics, here are the ten most popular posts of 2011.

• 'Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You'
• Jumo: Get Grant, Do Good, Sell
• 7 Tips for Finding Stories in Your Organization
• Philanthropy and...Job Creation
• Steve Jobs and Occupy Wall Street: Two Ways to Disrupt Philanthropy
• Jumo-GOOD: The Future Is Now
• A 'Flip' Chat With...Amy Sample Ward, Membership Director, NTEN
• Why Measuring Impact Remains an Elusive Goal
• Christopher Doyle, Former Colleague and Friend (1982-2011)
• Sustainability: It Requires More Than Money (Pt. 1)

What were your favorite posts -- here on PhilanTopic or anywhere else, for that matter -- of the year? Inquiring minds want to know...

Talking Philanthropy: Swanee Hunt, Founder and Chairman, Hunt Alternatives Fund

In the latest installment of their Talking Philanthropy podcast series, hosts Larry Blumenthal and Bill Silberg talk to Swanee Hunt, founder and chairman of the Hunt Alternatives Fund, about the fund's focus on advocacy and transparency. A former ambassador to Austria during the Clinton administration, Hunt also chairs the Institute for Inclusive Security, which works to integrate women into peace processes around the globe, and is the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. She is, in addition, the founder of the Women and Public Policy Program at KSG, on the faculty at the school's Center for Public Leadership, and a senior advisor to the working group on modern-day slavery at the Carr Center for Human Rights.

 

Running time: 00:23:33

(Right-click to download mp3)

Should foundations be doing more to address social issues through advocacy and community organizing? What else can or should they do to "move beyond just writing checks"? And do you agree with Hunt that the "process of social change can be as important as the product"?

Have a topic you'd like to hear Larry and Bill address? Let us know in the comments section below, or drop us a line at mfn@foundationcenter.org.

Talking Philanthropy: Phil Buchanan, President, Center for Effective Philanthropy

In the latest installment of their Talking Philanthropy podcast series, hosts Larry Blumenthal and Bill Silberg talk to Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, about the current state of foundation assessment. A recent survey by CEP, which helps foundations do a better job of evaluating their work, took an in-depth look at the current thinking around assessment of philanthropic work and revealed some interesting trends.

 

Running time: 00:15:44

(Right-click to download mp3)

What do you think? Are foundations moving too far in the direction of data collection and assesment at the expense of innovation? Is the recent passing of Apple CEO Steve Jobs a reminder, as Buchanan suggests, that there's a "real difference" in the way consumer products are developed as opposed to finding solutions to social problems? And where do you think foundation assesment is heading?

Have a topic you'd like to hear Larry and Bill address? Let us know in the comments section below, or drop us a line at mfn@foundationcenter.org.

Talking Philanthropy: Leslie Crutchfield, Co-Author, 'Do More Than Give'

In the latest installment of their Talking Philanthropy podcast series, Larry Blumenthal and Bill Silberg talk to author Leslie Crutchfield about her book Do More than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World. In the book (which was co-authored by FSG managing directors John Vania and Mark Kramer), Crutchfield advocates for "catalytic philanthropy" -- a somewhat radical approach that pushes foundations out of the comfortable world of making grants into the dynamic world of being agents of social change. Crutchfield, a leading authority on high-impact philanthropy, is a senior advisor at FSG, a nonprofit consulting firm specializing in social sector strategy, evaluation, and research. 

 

Running time: 00:17:35

(Right-click to download mp3)

In the podcast, Crutchfield talks about the process and goals of catalytic philanthropy, the challenges donors are likely to face in adopting a catalytic approach to social change, whether private foundations are looking for alternatives to the status quo, and the power of collective action.

Have a topic you'd like to hear Larry and Bill address? Let us know in the comments section below, or drop us a line at mfn@foundationcenter.org.

Talking Philanthropy: Jeff Jarvis, Interactive Journalism Program Director, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

In the latest installment of our monthly podcast series, hosts Larry Blumenthal and Bill Silberg talk to media expert Jeff Jarvis about his notion of the "radically transparent foundation" -- a concept he put forward in a session at this year's Council on Foundation's annual meeting. Jarvis, who is the director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism and author of the BuzzMachine blog, talks with Larry and Bill about the reasons foundations need to embrace this growing trend of "publicness."

 

Running time: 00:14:56

(Right-click to download mp3)

In the podcast, Jarvis says that rather than revealing more information for the sake of revealing it, a "radically transparent foundation" would be "more process-oriented" and would think more collaboratively. It would also find "ways to leverage resources more wisely." What do you think? What are the characteristics of a "radically transparent" foundation?

Do you have a topic you'd like to hear Larry and Bill address? Let us know in the comments section below, or drop us a line at mfn@foundationcenter.org.

Talking Philanthropy: Holly Ross, Executive Director, Nonprofit Technology Network

In the latest installment of our monthly podcast series, hosts Larry Blumenthal and Bill Silberg talk to Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) chief Holly Ross about how philanthropic organizations are harnessing technology to more effectively pursue their goals. Larry and Bill spoke to Holly at NTEN's recent -- and very busy -- annual conference in Washington, D.C.

 

Running time: 00:11:06

(Right-click to download mp3)

Is your organization experimenting with new technologies such as GPS or video? What have you found are the value-adds? Any lessons learned along the way that might help others?

Do you have a topic you'd like to hear Larry and Bill address? Let us know in the comments section below, or drop us a line at mfn@foundationcenter.org.

Talking Philanthropy: Doug White, George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, New York University

My colleagues and I are big fans of Larry Blumenthal's incisive commentary on philanthropy and the brave new world of social media. So when Larry approached Matt Sinclair, PND's editor, about teaming up with consultant Bill Silberg, a veteran philanthropy practitioner, and PND to produce a podcast series featuring the people who are changing the way foundations and nonprofits do their work, we didn't think twice.

Why now? And why this particular focus? Larry put it well in a post on his Open Road Advisors blog:

Foundations are recognizing that they are more than grant makers. They are in the business of driving social change. They are increasingly understanding that communicating the "stories" of their work can be as important as the work itself. Through social media, they are beginning to open their typically closed processes and engage with the field in ways that help them drive change....

As is often the case with new intiatives, it took a bit longer than expected to pull the pieces together. But after listening to the first installment -- in which Larry and Bill chat with Doug White, academic director at NYU's George H. Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, about nonprofits and the economic recovery, the importance of organizational transparency, and the outlook for the year ahead -- we're excited.

Have a listen...

Running time: 00:17:13

(Right-click to download mp3)

Looking ahead, the plan is to roll out a new conversation every month -- and maybe more frequently, if time allows. In the meantime, we want to hear from you. What topics would you like to hear Larry and Bill address? Who should they talk to? And, given everyone's busy schedules, what's a good running time for a podcast?

Leave a comment below, or drop us a line at mfn@foundationcenter.org.