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Independent Sector's Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice outlines 33 principles of sound practice for charitable organizations and foundations related to legal compliance and public disclosure, effective governance, financial oversight, and responsible fundraising.
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Miss an issue of Forum Bits?
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How Does Your RA Work With Your Region's State Priorities Partnership's Partner Organization
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Please tell us how your RA collaborates with the State Priorities Partnership's partner organization in your state(s).
What are State Priorities Partnerships? State Priorities partners use evidence and analysis to advance policies that give more people the opportunity to prosper. They do this by equipping lawmakers, journalists, advocacy organizations, nonprofit service providers, and the public with unassailable information that helps children get a quality education, families get medical care, and working people get the assistance they need to build a better life. See a list of partners
The Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, home of the State Priorities Partnership, is fielding a similar poll for its members and we plan to produce a joint overview of the results highlighting various ways that the organizations are collaborating.
If possible, please complete the brief poll by Monday, March 2. The poll should take less than two minutes to complete.
Take the poll
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Have You Submitted a Program to the Grantmaker Education Programming Directory?
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 Last year the Forum launched the Grantmaker Education Programming Directory. Has your regional association submitted any of your best programming?
Submitting is easy through our web form.
Thank you to the following RAs for their submissions to the directory!
- Arizona Grantmakers Forum
- Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers
- Connecticut Council for Philanthropy
- Council of Michigan Foundations
- Donors Forum
- Donors Forum of Wisconsin
- Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington
- Indiana Philanthropy Alliance
- North Carolina Network of Grantmakers
- Southeastern Council of Foundations
- Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
If you have any questions about the directory, please feel free to contact Dan Brady.
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Latest Additions to the Forum Website
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 New Resources
Bank Trust Departments as Members
Compiled responses from a February 11, 2015 listserve query to the Membership listserve regarding bank trust departments as members of regional associations.
Cloud Storage and Remote Access
Compiled responses from an February 4, 2015 listserve query discussing great speakers on education topics.
How regionals are defining some of the common foundation types eligible for membership.
Latest News
Does Philanthropy's Awareness Gap Still Exist?
Guest post by Kristen Holway, Senior Manager, Ethnography & Learning Practice, Philanthropy Northwest
How New OMB Rules Are Challenging the Overhead Myth
In a new post titled "A Social Sector Game Changer" for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation's blog, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers President Nina Stack explains how changes in payments to nonprofits by the federal Office of Management and Budget signals a new baseline for funding a grantee's core operations.
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 Funder Brief: Investing in Justice
The Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers developed this with its member, the Maryland Legal Services Corporation. The two organizations are partnering to increase awareness and understanding of the value of civil legal aid among the members of Maryland's philanthropic community.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: A Snapshot of Promising Practices Among Indiana Foundations
A follow-up to its Giving in Indiana study, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance shares a snapshot of promising practices for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in Indiana philanthropy.
 Fast Forward: Jenny Harms, Council on Foundations
In this month's episode of Minnesota Council on Foundations' Fast Forward podcast, MCF President Trista Harris speaks with Jenny Harms, Network Manager for the Midwest at the Council on Foundations. They discuss the benefits of infusing regional foundations like MCF with ideas from across the country, and let MCF members know what Jenny will be up to in the coming months and how to get in touch.
 Trends in Northwest Giving 2014
Philanthropy Northwest has released the latest edition of Trends in Northwest Giving, its signature biennial report on foundation and corporate giving across its six-state region. In this fifth edition PNW analyzed 24,013 grants to Northwest organizations from 245 funders in 2012, totaling $979,171,356.
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Resources from Recent Programming
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 Fund the People! Strengthen Your Region's Social Sector: Educate Funders about Investing in Nonprofit TalentFebruary 17
Webinar featuring Rusty Stahl and Jessica Bearman of Talent Philanthropy to learn about the latest data on nonprofit workforce, the benefits of talent-focused grantmaking from the funders' perspective, and practical new resources that will be produced in 2015.
Watch the recording
How Can Funders Work Together To Have An Impact On Public Policy?
February 25
An overview of how your RA staff and funders groups can utilize the new tools to further your policy work, Ask the Right Questions: A Toolkit for Funder Groups Working on Public Policy, led by Mark Sedway, The Giving Practice.
Listen to a recording and download the toolkit
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Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Programming
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What's Next for Community Philanthropy: Helping Community Foundations in Your Region Adapt to Changing Times (RA Staff Only)
Monday, March 9: 3-4pm ET
We all know that the world around philanthropy is changing rapidly. Community foundations and other place-based funders operate in an environment today that is dramatically different from the one in which many of their current practices and structures were developed. And it's becoming harder than ever to keep pace with the shifting needs of their communities.
To help funders adapt, the Monitor Institute's free, do-it-yourself What's Next for Community Philanthropy toolkit includes a series of interactive exercises, conversation starters, and even games designed to help community philanthropy organizations challenge old assumptions, understand the full range of possibilities, and generate creative new approaches and models for the future. According to Suzanne Allen of Philanthropy Ohio, "The What's Next for Community Philanthropy toolkit should contain a disclaimer: 'Open this toolkit at your own peril, because your life and your organization will be forever changed.' In a rapidly changing world, it truly equips community foundations to break out of their status quo. I've now used the toolkit with a number of foundations in Ohio and it pushes people's thinking in amazing ways. This is powerful work."
The What's Next toolkit has been highlighted at keynote sessions at the Council on Foundation's Fall Conference for Community Foundations in Cleveland last year and in San Diego in 2013, and has been recently featured at regional conferences in Michigan, Kansas, Florida, and Iowa. The toolkit has also been the subject of articles in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Center for Effective Philanthropy blog, the Global Fund for Community Foundations blog, and Alliance magazine.
The Monitor Institute is now looking for ways to work with regional associations of grantmakers to share the tools more extensively in the field. Join us for an interactive webinar with Gabriel Kasper of the Monitor Institute on March 9 at 3:00 ET to learn more about the What's Next toolkit, to find out how you can get involved, and to discover how the tools can help community foundations and other community philanthropy organizations in your region.
Register online to participate
Public Policy Round Robin (RA Staff Only)
Tuesday, March 10: 2-3 pm ET
These monthly calls are an opportunity for regional association staff to exchange information on policy work, both legislative and administrative.
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Forum Network in the News
|  Recent media mentions of regional associations around the country:
Connecticut Council for Philanthropy: Philanthropy conference attracts hundreds (quotes President, Maggie Osborn)
Donors Forum: Donors Forum on Rauner Budget: Nonprofits Cannot Pick Up the Slack After Budget Cuts Anymore (written by President and CEO, Eric Weinheimer) and Easing barriers to college completion (cites data from a recent report)
Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers: Changing the Game: How to Make Your Human Service Organization a Powerful Policy Advocate (written by Forum Board Member, Laural O'Sullivan)
Philanthropy Northwest: Philanthropy Group Says Foundations Plan To Boost Grantmaking As Assets Recover (highlights release of PNW's latest Trends in Northwest Giving report)
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Highlights from RA Blogging
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Upcoming Events
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FOR REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Monday, March 2, 1-2 pm ET: FOTH 2015 Delegation Captain Call #2. Conference Call.
Monday, March 9, 3-4 pm ET: What's Next for Community Philanthropy: Helping Community Foundations in Your Region Adapt to Changing Times. Webinar.
Tuesday, March 10, 2-3 pm ET: Public Policy Round Robin. Conference Call. To participate dial 866-740-1260, 2632687.
July 21-23, 2015: Forum Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD. Save the Date!
March 18-19, 2015: Foundations on the Hill. Washington, DC. Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers in partnership with the Council on Foundations.
April 22, 2-3 pm ET: PolicyWorks Quarterly Webinar- Moving Affinity Groups to Policy Work. Webinar. Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.
Tuesday, May 19: Lifting All Boats: Leadership, Capacity, Impact. Somerset, NJ. Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.
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Forum Office Contacts
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 Dan Brady, Communications Manager (202-521-9161)
- Contact Dan with questions about the Knowledgebase, content management, listservs, social networking, and online content strategy.
Courtney Moore, Member Services and Operations Manager (202-888-7428)
- Contact Courtney for general information about Forum membership and services, regional association contact information, conference and teleconference logistics, member surveys, and orientation for new regional association staff. Courtney is also the main contact for regional association staff updates.
- Contact Mary with questions about grantmaker education, public policy, organizational partnerships, and special projects such as the Essential Skills and Strategies for New Grantmakers.
Val Rozansky, Director of Knowledge Services (202-888-7430)
- Contact Val with questions about the Forum's Knowledge Management Initiative, KM system partnerships, membership databases, and all issues relating to technology and electronic communications.
- Contact Erin with questions about the Forum's public policy work including protecting the charitable deduction, building capacity of regional associations to engage in policy, and the PolicyWorks for Philanthropy initiative.
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Courtney Moore, Member Services and Operations Manager  Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers |
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