PULSE! CONTENT

1. Alliance Annual Conference - SAVE THE DATE! August 2-5, 2006
2. Cultural Competency: Call for Practitioners
3. Social Enterprise Alliance's 7th Annual Gathering in Atlanta, GA
4. Tropman Reports Highlight Motivation and Characteristics in Effective Capacity Building
5. Fairness in Philanthropy: Foundation Giving to Minority-led Nonprofits and Perspectives from the Field
6. Beyond Compliance: The Trustee Viewpoint on Effective Foundation Governance
7. Not All Grants Are Created Equal: Why Nonprofits Need General Operating Support from Foundations
8. Change Ahead, Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Transitions Survey
9. Generations and the Future of Association Participation
10. TECH TEMPO: Changing Lives and Building Community: Nonprofit Technology in Action
11. TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Collaborative Governance and Community Development Guides

1. Alliance Annual Conference - SAVE THE DATE! August 2-5, 2006

The Alliance for Nonprofit Management Annual Conference will be held August 2-5, 2006 in Los Angeles. The theme of the conference is "Collaborative Leadership ... Teaming Up to Strengthen the Sector." The Alliance conference provides the latest developments in nonprofit capacity building, and unparalleled networking and learning for those who provide management and governance services to nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.allianceonline.org/annual_conference.

2. Cultural Competency: Call for Practitioners

If your capacity building practice includes a high level of awareness of cultural identity in whatever ways you work to improve nonprofit effectiveness, we want to hear from you. As part of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management Cultural Competency Initiative, we are seeking to identify practitioners with experience working effectively to address cultural dynamics in all of their work. Please contact Brigette Rouson at culturalcompetency@allianceonline.org and visit www.allianceonline.org/about/cc_resources.page for resources on Cultural Competency.

3. Social Enterprise Alliance's 7th Annual Gathering, March 7-10 in Atlanta, GA

More and more nonprofits are awakening to the possibility of increased effectiveness and independence through earned income and are seeking help in developing strategies to generate additional funding. The Social Enterprise Alliance 7th Annual Gathering, scheduled for March 7-10, 2006 in Atlanta, GA, will draw from experts in earned income development from around the world and will deliver comprehensive education, training and networking opportunities. The conference will include a new session track specially geared towards consultants, co-sponsored by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. For more information and to register, visit www.se-alliance.org.

4. Tropman Reports Highlight Motivation and Characteristics in Effective Capacity Building

The Forbes Fund released four research reports as part of their 2005 Tropman Reports. The reports expand on earlier research on issues and challenges facing the nonprofit sector in the Pittsburgh region. The 2005 Reports include: The Cost of Meeting Compliance: A Case Study of Challenges, Time Investments, and Dollars Spent; Why Engage? Understanding the Incentive to Build Nonprofit Capacity; Nonprofit "Capacity-Building Orientation": The Role of Learning in Building Nonprofit Performance; and, Service Clustering: Building Cohesive Public Service Capacity. For copies of the reports, visit www.forbesfund.org/tropman/reports.cfm.

5. Fairness in Philanthropy: Foundation Giving to Minority-led Nonprofits and Perspectives from the Field

Analyzing grantmaking data from the country's largest foundations to determine how equitably foundation dollars are allocated across the sector, Greenlining Institute released two companion reports. Fairness in Philanthropy Part I: Foundation Giving to Minority-led Nonprofits finds that corporate foundations have done much better than both independent and community foundations to fully embrace diversity in their grantmaking programs. In Fairness in Philanthropy Part II: Perspectives from the Field, Greenlining surveyed minority nonprofit leaders and foundation presidents on their perspective regarding why foundation funding for minority-led nonprofits is low and how foundation diversity practices and policies affect giving priorities. To download a PDF copy of Part I, visit www.greenlining.org/uploads/pdfs/1202122910-Foundation1.pdf; for Part II, visit www.greenlining.org/uploads/pdfs/1202124352-Foundation2.pdf.

6. Beyond Compliance: The Trustee Viewpoint on Effective Foundation Governance

The Center for Effective Philanthropy's Foundation Governance Project, in partnership with BoardSource and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, has released Beyond Compliance: The Trustee Viewpoint on Effective Foundation Governance. Based on a survey of nearly 550 trustees of 53 large grantmaking foundations, the report describes the steps these boards have taken to implement governance reforms on the basis of recent scrutiny and discusses how trustees' definitions of effective governance go well beyond compliance with minimum standards. The study shows that foundation trustees see board effectiveness as related to utilization of board members' capabilities and skills and board involvement in key areas, such as strategy development and assessment. To download a PDF copy of the report, visit www.effectivephilanthropy.com/images/pdfs/CEP_Beyond_Compliance.pdf.

7. Not All Grants Are Created Equal: Why Nonprofits Need General Operating Support from Foundations

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy's report, Not All Grants Are Created Equal, Why Nonprofits Need General Operating Support from Foundations, explores the debate on foundations providing project support versus operating support. The report investigates the types of organizations that receive the most general operating support and lays out the case of why nonprofits need general operating support and why foundations are often reluctant to provide it. To download a PDF copy of the report, visit www.ncrp.org/downloads/PDF/core-op_final_low_res.pdf.

8. Change Ahead, Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Transitions Survey

Managance Consulting and the Annie E. Casey Foundation have released a report on nonprofit leadership transition based on the survey results from 2,200 nonprofit executive directors. Change Ahead, Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Transitions Survey 2004 examines the potential implications, challenges and opportunities that the growing number of leadership transitions may have for the nonprofit sector. The study predicts that a shortage of leadership will arise during the generational workforce shift due in part as the 78-million strong Baby Boomer generation begins to retire. The study finds that Baby Boomers presently hold 73% of leadership roles in nonprofits and comprise over half of the current workforce, while the next generation consists of only 38 million workers. To download a PDF copy of the report, visit www.aecf.org/publications/data/executive_transition_survey_report2004.pdf.

9. Generations and the Future of Association Participation

Published by The William E. Smith Institute for Association Research, Generations and the Future of Association Participation, examines whether or not Generation X and Y workers will embrace memberships in trade associations, professional societies and other business-volunteer-governed organizations (other types of nonprofits were not part of the study). The study compares membership participation by generation, estimates membership numbers from 2005 to 2015 and suggests approaches to reaching members of the various generations. For a copy of the report, visit www.smithbucklin.com/wes/projects/ (free registration required).

10. TECH TEMPO: Changing Lives and Building Community: Nonprofit Technology in Action

The N-TEN 2006 Nonprofit Technology Conference will be held on March 22-24 in Seattle, WA. Building on the conference theme, Changing Lives and Building Community: Nonprofit Technology in Action, the conference will present leading research, case studies, and real world experience from the sector with an aim to provide participants with the strategies and skills they need to do even better work. For more information, visit www.nten.org/ntc.

11. TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Collaborative Governance and Community Development Guides

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation recently released two reports: Collaborative Governance: A Guide for Grantmakers, and Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes Through Good Process. The Collaborative Governance guide focuses on the changing relationship between citizens and government. The guide provides tools and examples on approaches grantmakers can use to strengthen collaboration amongst the sectors. The Community Development guide explores the importance of collaboration and community organizing in helping build an effective community development process. Based on Hewlett Foundation's experience, the guide provides strategies, tools and resources to help strengthen grantee capacity and foster better community development. To download a PDF copy of Collaborative Governance, visit www.hewlett.org/NR/rdonlyres/7D7A7C78-9B9B-421D-91BB-D92351CD2F30/0/HewlettCGWeb4.pdf; for a PDF copy of Community Development, visit www.hewlett.org/NR/rdonlyres/127CA823-7AF3-4C7A-9B8E-24E32A418469/0/CommunityDevelopment2.pdf.