bloggin' on arc...philanthropy and other good stuff

 Please be sure to check out today's posting on www.newvoicesofphilanthropy.blogspot.com.  The conversation focuses on the role of philanthropy in times of crises.  After the collapse of the bridge on Interstate 35W in Minnesota, practitioners all over the world have the opportunity to evaluate and prepare their response practices should something of this magnitude (or larger) occur in their community. 

A significant role of philanthropy is to build and maintain a civil society, and the involvement of philanthropic organizations is absolutely critical in re-building the community after an event like this.

In realizing that there are many forms through which philanthropy is represented, I am most familiar with the work of community foundations, and I feel very strongly about the role of cfs in times and situations like this. In order to uphold our charge of responding efficiently to the changing needs of a community, community foundations can direct their immediate work to effectively address the most pressing needs. Some community foundations have done meaningful work in preparation for and recovery from disastrous events – some acts of duty involve funding, others don’t.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Responsible Convening: by convening the frontline, relief, and recovery organizations in a community, cfs can have an active role in guiding the community through the process of recovery.

2. Information Gathering: As a result of convening, cfs can assess the current situation and gather vital information from all constituents involved.

3. Effective Partnering: By partnering with relief organizations such as Red Cross and United Way, cfs can utilize all their resources (staff time and expertise, community relationships, familiarity with the community, etc.) in a combined relief effort.

4. Resource Collecting: I work at a cf where we have a memorandum set up with the town to accept contributions from all over the world in the event of a natural disaster. We hope that we will not have to implement it, but it’s certainly a centralized and valuable plan.

5. Message Delivering: With the community’s leaders, cfs can develop a message about the current situation and then deliver it to the national philanthropic community. Whether the call is for collecting contributions or requesting guidance on more logistical matters, the philanthropic world is very tightly knit, and cfs in a community where disaster strikes certainly have a high degree of leverage in calling national leaders to the table.

I hope this is a meaningful post, and I look forward to adding more. 

Best,
Allyson