Roque Barros	John Fanestil	David Lynn	Briana Wagner

SDG newsletters now quarterly

We know that you're bombarded with information at every turn these days.  So to help minimize the backlog in your inbox, we're making each of our four e-newsletters -- SDG Update (this one), Public Policy Bulletin, Corporate Link and Family Ties -- quarterly publications.  But so you don't miss out on timely information we'll still provide periodic updates about our programs and other resources that are important to your grantmaking.  It's about quality, not quantity.  And for those of you who are social media savvy, please engage with SDG's LinkedIn and Twitter accounts!

Volunteerism and Voice: Two Key Ingredients in the Recipe for Nonprofit Success

Feb. 2, 2012, 12:00PM-2:00PM

SDG Office 

Just as nonprofit services are critical to supporting our communities, adequate nonprofit infrastructure is critical to supporting the sector as a whole.  If key ingredients of this recipe are missing, the entire San Diego region can suffer.
 
SDG is pleased to have two esteemed leaders in the nonprofit sector traveling from Sacramento to discuss two of these important ingredients -- volunteerism and voice.

• Karen Baker is the first-in-the-nation state cabinet Secretary of Service and Volunteering, and will share her perspective on the link between a culture of volunteerism and nonprofit success -- a particularly timely topic since the closure of Volunteer San Diego in late 2011.
• Jan Masaoka is the new CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN).  She will discuss the role of nonprofit associations in advocating on behalf of the sector -- again, a timely topic in light of SANDAN's (San Diego Association of Nonprofits) current re-invention of itself after years of funding challenges.

Additionally, Jennifer Tankersley, president of the San Diego-based consulting group NP Strategies, along with a representative from the University of San Diego's Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research, will provide local context for the discussion by presenting research about the essential elements of a strong nonprofit infrastructure and findings from the Caster Center's recent State of Nonprofits Quarterly Index report.

Surf, Sun, and Smart Growth: Building Great Communities in California 

Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2012 

San Diego Sheraton Marina & The San Diego Foundation 

This annual statewide convening by the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities will address key federal, state, regional, and local policies affecting land use, transportation, and community development in California and other regions.  Together, attendees will learn about and identify strategies to ensure that these policies promote healthy, just, and sustainable communities, and will learn about the role that grantmakers can play in this important work.  Presented in partnership with:

WEBINAR: Improving Internal Practices in Philanthropy
Feb. 21, 2012, 11:00AM-12:30PM
This Council on Foundations webinar is open to all SDG members.  Participants will hear from E. Thomas Brewer, director of programs at the Archstone Foundation and Jeffrey Malloy, director of finance and administration at the Irvine Foundation, who will:

• Examine efficiency in an internal grantmaking process
• Apply change management tips to the grantmaking process
• Examine what motivates people and improves performance
• Review a proposed model that captures staff needs and values
• Discuss creative ways to address the varying values and needs of a multigenerational workforce

Save the date!

Environmental Grantmakers Association State of the States Policy Briefing

Feb. 28-29, 2012

San Diego, CA

This briefing seeks to explore the connected themes of local engagement, a vibrant democracy, models of sustainable food systems, green energy and infrastructure, and effective state policy-making and regional planning.  SDG members will receive a special discount, so stay tuned for more information about this in the coming weeks!

How Will the Federal Budget Impact the Poor? (December 7 webinar)

Presentation slides from this webinar presented in partnership with The Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers are available on the SDG website by following the link at the bottom of this section. 

(LtoR: Valerie Jacobs, Kathy Patoff, Nancy Jamison, Nancy Sasaki)

SDG members gathered for our annual celebration of the year's grantmaking successes and shared lessons learned during a brief (YouTube) Yule log fireside chat while enjoying some fine local Mexican fare amid the ambiance of decorated palm trees.  How Southern California appropriate!

Funders Briefing on Citizenship (December 13)

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), The California Endowment, Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund, San Diego County Bar Foundation, and SDG all partnered to present this meeting to inform funders about a new national citizenship initiative.  Follow the link at the bottom of this
section to access a copy of the program presentation.

Representatives from REDF and The Annenberg Foundation at the reception.

Special Reception: Network with Grantmakers from Near & Far (January 10)

SDG was pleased to host grantmakers from the likes of Washington D.C., Illinois, Kansas, Oregon, and Washington state as they gathered in San Diego for Grantmakers for Effective Organizations' (GEO) "Engage for Results" seminar, which took place at the SDG office.  To help them connect with our members, we organized a special reception at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, a rare cultural institution and is located in the heart of downtown La Jolla.  It was a valuable experience for the nearly 40 people who attended!

View photos and materials from these programs.

■ In December, Gary and Mary West Foundation Executive Director Erin Spiewak stepped down from her position to become the CEO of the Monarch School for homeless children in San Diego.  All our best to you, Erin!

■ On Dec. 1, 2011 - World AIDS Day - the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative (SDHFC) and AIDS Walk San Diego announced more than $400,000 in grants being awarded to 10 local agencies.  Each year, the SDHFC at the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation serves in the grant-making role for AIDS Walk San Diego.  Other funders of this effort include SDG members The Parker Foundation, the McCarthy Family Foundation, Alliance Healthcare Foundation, and the Sunshine Brooks Fund at the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation.

Read more Member News
 
Send us your news! We'd love to help promote your grants, programs, people, and more!

The opportunity to have your voice included in Our Greater San Diego Vision ends this month! an unprecedented effort to plan for the future of the greater San Diego region. Approximately 15 minutes of your time spent responding to questions about development, education, jobs and recreation in San Diego County will help contribute to a 50- to 100-year strategic vision and subsequent action plan for our region.  Remember, the more people who respond, the more representative future planning for San Diego will be!

New Vision Leader

Lori Holt Pfeiler has been named Associate Vice President of Our Greater San Diego Vision.  Lori most recently served three consecutive terms as Mayor of Escondido, and has also served as the chair of SANDAG, the regional planning agency, where, during her tenure, she chaired the Regional Comprehensive Plan.

 for Grantmakers

New data about children
Kidsdata.org, a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, has just posted Data Briefs on four key topics in children's health (child abuse/foster care, school meals, weight and fitness, and special education). Each brief includes:

• Recent San Diego County data
• A description of the importance of the issue
• Links to related research
• A summary of high-level policy implications

State of Nonprofits Quarterly Index released

On December 8, the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego released its San Diego State of Nonprofits Quarterly Index with a kick-off symposium and mixer. 

Video about diverse voices in giving
D5 Coalition, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, recently premiered the video "I am a Philanthropist: Diverse Voices of Giving," which tells the stories of several diverse donors and what inspires their creative and effective philanthropy.

Expanding philanthropy within communities of color

The report, Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color, explores trends in giving within and on behalf of communities of color; lessons for the field; and ways funders can collaborate with and advance identity-based philanthropy.  

New GEO briefing paper about nonprofit capacity building
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) has released its seventh briefing paper from the "Reframing the Conversation on Growing Social Impact" series, Expanding the Impact of Grantees: How Do We Build the Capacity of Nonprofits to Evaluate, Learn and Improve? 

Engaging Californians beyond the Census
Beyond the Count: Leveraging the 2010 Census to Build New Capacities for Civic Engagement and Social Change in California, a new report from USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity and funded by The California Endowment, looks at how California Counts -- a coordinated, statewide strategy to reach the "hard-to-count" -- built and strengthened capacities to engage disenfranchised Californians beyond the actual census tally.

Website lets donors give aid directly to people in need
A firm launched last year is pioneering an online-giving model in which donors can direct help to specific individuals and families who post their stories and detail their needs on the Internet.  

Nonprofit Collaboration Database

The Foundation Center has created the Nonprofit Collaboration Database to find real-world examples of how nonprofits are working together.  

Worth the Read

Opinions & Insight About Philanthropy

Looking back at 2011 and ahead at 2012

• The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Outlook 2012 
• Seven predictions for philanthropy in 2012 from The Nonprofit Quarterly 
• Philanthrocapitalism authors Matthew Bishop and Michael Green gaze into their "philanthrocrystal ball" and offer a list of ten predictions for philanthropy around the world in the new year.
• From PhilanTopic's series of "Year In Review" blogs: Legislative Sound and Fury Signifying...?, Foundations Bet Big on New Initiatives, The Giving Pledge Advances, Microfinance Vows to Do Better, A Disastrous 12 Months, and A Tale of Two Economies.

Where the poor live in San Diego
Murtaza Baxamusa, director of planning and development for the San Diego Building Trades Family Housing Corporation, contributed this article to VoiceofSanDiego.org about poverty statistics in the county.

New book presents a history of American philanthropy

Released in December 2011, Philanthropy in America by Olivier Zunz is a book that reminds us that not everything interesting in philanthropy was invented today, or even yesterday.

The State of the San Diego Region: Unveiling the 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard
Jan. 24, 2012
University Club atop Symphony Towers
Please note that this is an invitation-only event extended exclusively to members of San Diego Grantmakers. 

Council on Foundations' 2012 Family Philanthropy Conference: "Fusion"

Feb. 13-15, 2012
Miami, FL

Southern California Grantmakers Public Policy Conference
Feb. 28, 2012, 8:30AM-5:30PM
The Center for Healthy Communities, Los Angeles, CA
FREE to SDG members

EF 2012 Corporate Citizenship Conference: "Corporate Social Impact"
March 9, 2012, 7:30AM-4:30PM
eBay Town Hall Conference Center, San Jose, CA 

2012 GEO National Conference: Smarter Grantmaking. Stronger Nonpfrofits. Better Results.
March 12-14, 2012
Seattle, WA

7th Annual Grants Managers Network (GMN) Conference
March 19-21, 2012
San Antonio, TX

For more non-SDG philanthropic events, click here.