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Accomplishments

The power of partnerships is clear in the Center’s 2008–09 accomplishments. From synergies among the Center’s own programs to relationships with people and organizations worldwide, these partnerships magnified results beyond what could be accomplished individually, helping us to better generate knowledge and improve practice.

See some of our accomplishments below, and watch video highlights from key partnerships.


FOCUS: Academic Programs and the Third Millennium Philanthropy and Leadership Initiative

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Center on Philanthropy faculty traveled to Beijing, China, to work with leaders at Peking University’s (PKU) Center for Civil Society Studies. The Center has hosted two visiting faculty members from PKU, and the two institutions collaborated to offer workshops for the Society for Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE).

Thirty-seven students graduated with a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies degree, including 12 from the Center’s executive format and 5 who earned dual degrees—the M.A. in Philanthropic Studies and the Master of Public Affairs in Nonprofit Management. With a deep understanding of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector and a commitment to impact, these reflective practitioners are working for organizations such as Christel House International, the Kansas Community Foundation, Taylor University, Rhode Island Campus Compact, and National Safe Place, building their communities.

One of philanthropy’s greatest needs is people. The Center developed a new Bachelor of Arts in Philanthropic Studies degree to launch in fall 2010. It will attract the best and brightest students to study and work in philanthropy, offering a career path for young people passionate about making a difference.

Public Affairs Impact | Lois Lerner, director of the Internal Revenue Service Exempt Organizations Division, gave a public lecture entitled “Interesting Times” in Indianapolis. Presented by the Center and the Indiana University Foundation, the event addressed the IRS’s role in oversight and outreach to the nonprofit sector, as well as challenges faced by tax-exempt organizations in the current economic climate. Attendees gained important context on meeting increased demands for efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency, and walked away with links to helpful resources.

The Center’s Third Millennium Philanthropy and Leadership Initiative convened 37 presidents, chief development officers, and other leaders from Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) for a five-day course on fundraising fundamentals and the unique challenges faced by TCUs. Taught by a Center team led by The Fund Raising School, the first-of-its-kind event was a successful culmination of several discussions with Native American educators regarding their unique strengths, traditions, and needs regarding philanthropy in the 21st century.

International Impact | In many parts of the world, there is a fervent and growing desire to build civil society. The Center continues to expand its international outreach and services. It hosted faculty members and students from the Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) in Bangkok, Thailand, and representatives from the Songkhla Community Foundation in Songkhla Province, Thailand. The Songkhla nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders studied U.S. community foundations and with Center staff, NIDA developed the framework for a master’s degree in philanthropic studies to be offered in Thailand.


FOCUS: The Fund Raising School and the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving

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The Center’s burgeoning international partnerships require global perspectives on ethical, effective fundraising practices. The Fund Raising School (TFRS) taught courses or workshops in Dublin, Ireland; Cairo, Egypt; Vienna, Austria; Beijing, China; and Madurai, India, giving fundraisers and NGO leaders the tools and research to advance their vital missions.

The Center and United Way of America launched a new phase of their groundbreaking partnership, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., by expanding and enhancing United Way’s approach to fundraising and resource development. To help United Way of America increase its impact and meet current challenges, TFRS is creating a new set of educational experiences for personnel at all levels, in United Way’s 31 largest metropolitan focus areas, and throughout the United Way of America system. Extensive Center research focusing on changes in individual giving patterns and the roles and relationships of corporate partners was completed, providing critical context and enhancing TFRS training adaptations that speak directly to United Way experiences. TFRS also trained international associates of the United Way of America.

The Fund Raising School used its proven approach to teach the historical and philanthropic context, the current issues, and the art and science of fundraising and philanthropy to nonprofit leaders and fundraising professionals from more than 1,500 organizations, including the American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of America, Children’s Aid Society Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, George Washington University School of Business, Global Fund for Women, Habitat for Humanity, Independent Colleges of Indiana, Indianapolis Children’s Choir, La Plaza, Mayo Clinic, National FFA Foundation, Oklahoma State University Foundation, Outward Bound—Los Angeles, Red Cloud Indian School, Salvation Army, Stanford University, and the U.S. Air Force.

The Lake Institute on Faith & Giving provided two resources to help congregations and faith-based organizations understand and cope with implications of the economic crisis: a white paper (PDF) and the Religious Giving in Uncertain Times conference, which included the Center’s latest research about giving and the economy. Clergy and nonprofit leaders discussed what they have learned from the current economic crisis, and how they moved forward to address financial issues and fundraising plans. With their peers, participants translated information shared during the day into proactive plans for their own organizations.

Renowned leaders Rabbi Elliot Dorff and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) Founder and Executive Director Eboo Patel engaged the public in critical conversations about faith and giving. As the Lake Distinguished Visitor, Patel spoke to more than 200 college and high school students, professors, clergy, business executives, and civic leaders about the rapidly growing interfaith movement. Rabbi Dorff presented the sixth annual Thomas H. Lake Lecture.

The Lake Institute awarded the 2009 Lake Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship to Sarah Hammond, a doctoral candidate at Yale University. The fellowship encourages and supports original multidisciplinary research and scholarship that sets the agenda for critical inquiry into the relationship between faith and giving.

International Impact | With the Center’s international community development initiative, The Fund Raising School conducted a Green Leadership Training Program for the Society for Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) in Beijing, China. A group of more than 100 Chinese entrepreneurs who are supporting ecologically positive development in their companies, SEE’s members combine and develop resources to support NGOs throughout China. TFRS offered the program in collaboration with the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs Executive Education Program, Peking University’s Center for Civil Society Studies, and Sun Yat-Sen University’s Institute for Civil Society.


FOCUS: Research and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute

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Center research informed crucial discussions about giving and the economy and public policy. A white paper on the Obama Administration’s proposed tax policies helped clarify how tax policy affects giving, and the December 2008 Philanthropic Giving Index—the Center’s semiannual confidence index for giving—and two special briefings on the economy and charitable giving helped nonprofit professionals, policymakers, and the public understand the implications of the economic crisis.

Public Affairs Impact | The Center’s public affairs work with the news media provides the public with context and perspective on news about philanthropy. The Center’s faculty and staff responded to almost 600 media requests last year. News organizations such as The Associated Press, The New York Times, Newsweek, National Public Radio, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal utilized Center commentary and provided extensive coverage of our research on the economy and giving and proposed changes to tax policy.

Giving USA 2009, published by the Giving USA Foundation and written and researched by the Center, provided vital estimates about who gave, how much, and to whom in 2008 amidst a turbulent economy. The quintessential study of giving in America, Giving USA informs benchmarking, nonprofit management, and fundraising strategy nationwide.

The 2008 Bank of America Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy, conducted by the Center on Philanthropy for Bank of America, examined the giving behaviors of the wealthiest U.S. donors. A follow-up to the organizations’ landmark 2006 study, the 2008 research is helping nonprofit professionals communicate more effectively with these important partners.

The Center conducted three regional giving studies—Georgia Gives, Indiana Gives 2008, and Giving Memphis 2008—that helped communities benchmark local patterns, plan for the future, and compare regional habits to national trends.

Interest in understanding how and why women give has grown exponentially. Women around the world are leveraging their intellectual, social, and financial capital for the common good. The Center’s 20th annual symposium, Moving Women’s Philanthropy Forward: Influences, Intent, Impact, brought together leading nonprofit and for-profit professionals, scholars, and leaders to reflect on the roles and engagement of women in the nonprofit sector.

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) awarded its first Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship to Deborah Skolnick Einhorn, a doctoral candidate at Brandeis University. The fellowship supports research and dissertation writing that contributes to understanding of women’s philanthropy or gender differences in philanthropic behavior.

WPI Director Deborah Mesch completed a review of research on women’s philanthropic giving. The review charts key findings to date and provides questions for further research on women and giving.

International Impact | The Center recognizes and advocates for a robust recognition of the role of philanthropy, social enterprise, and nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations in addressing the complex, interdependent world we share. Barbara Ibrahim, director of the Gerhart Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at the American University in Cairo (AUC), was a visiting scholar at the Center in fall 2008. She presented a series of lectures on civil society and philanthropy in the Middle East, where foundation and corporate philanthropy has grown exponentially in recent years. As part of a formal agreement with AUC, the Center is building training and research programs focused on philanthropy in Muslim societies.