Archive for June, 2009

Standby Letters of Credit: The Underdog of Charitable Financing

Published June 25, 2009 Thought Leaders 2 Comments
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John Hoover

By John Hoover
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies

At ACBP, our President has a top ten list that quotes Tom Peters. One item is, “Try easier, not harder.” As a foundation that invests in the next generation and is not afraid to take risks, we (with our partners) take innovative ideas and create programs; then develop programs into vibrant charities. One of those is Birthright Israel International, an organization that sends young adults to Israel for a 10-day educational experience. Its annual revenue surpassed $100 million in recent years, yet it is only now celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

As with any entrepreneurial endeavor, there are growing pains and a tendency to make things harder, not easier. Working capital is one of those items where being short can quickly make many things harder.
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Corporate Philanthropy: The Challenges and Opportunities

Published June 19, 2009 Thought Leaders 1 Comment
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Chris Park

By Chris Park
Chair of the Board of Directors, Philanthropy New York
President, New York Life Foundation

I need to open with a disclaimer: the thoughts I am sharing below are my own and are not connected in any way to my employer, New York Life.

I often get the feeling that philanthropic professionals who work in private, family, or community foundations have a cynicism about the work done by those of us in the corporate sector. On behalf of my current colleagues in corporate giving, and all the up-and-comers who might want to work in this arena one day, I want to share what makes charitable giving through the corporate framework so challenging and rewarding, and every bit as impactful as grantmaking done by other types of foundations.
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Internet to Newspapers: Drop Dead—A Program Recap with Nicholas Lemann and Victor Pickard

Published June 12, 2009 Program Recaps 1 Comment
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Nicholas LemannVictor Pickard 

 

 

 

 

 
Philanthropy New York hosted a recent program on the current crisis affecting print media and newspaper companies throughout the United States. (Vincent Stehle has also contributed a post on this issue.) We asked two of the presenters from that program—Nicholas Lemann (pictured left), Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Victor Pickard, a Senior Research Fellow at Free Press (who will join the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University this fall)—to share their thoughts on the subject with Smart Assets.
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Capacity Building Begins At Home

Published June 4, 2009 Thought Leaders 3 Comments
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Charles Hamilton

By Charles H. Hamilton
Senior Fellow, Philanthropy New York

Thus began an article in 2000 by Robert Mayer, then Chair of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. At any time—and especially during an economic downturn—the question we should ask is “what is the best use of foundation resources?” The whole independent sector would be better served if foundations invested resources more wisely in their own capacity to do a more effective job.
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