Aurora Parts’ Post

One of the best parts about managing your own firm is that you can build initiatives that pay things forward without having to convince the higher-ups it’s a worthwhile “marketing investment”. You also don't have to convince anyone that focusing on under-represented candidates is good for the “bottom line”. Both of which are ideas I had shot down by other search firms when I decided to enter the legal recruiting industry. Being able to integrate values-based policies that extend beyond immediate financial gain is one of the biggest reasons I decided to chart my own path after learning from industry greats at larger recruitment shops. I continue to strongly encourage other legal recruitment shops to follow along! Law firms donate meaningful sums of money and time to nonprofits and I see no reason why the search firms who serve them and profit from their success can’t do the same!

Here is what the parent of a 2nd grade student says about Commonpoint Queens after school program: #SEEDimpact #nonprofitconsulting #nonprofitschanginglives #nonprofit #theoryofchange #nonprofitevaluation #hardtomeasureoutcomes #quantifylifechangingresults #SELevaluation #philanthropy #CommonpointQueens #communityhappenshere #CommonpointYouth #YouthEd @commonpointqueens

Here is what a middle school participant says about their after school experience with Commonpoint Queens: #SEEDimpact #nonprofitconsulting #nonprofitschanginglives #nonprofit #theoryofchange #nonprofitevaluation #hardtomeasureoutcomes #quantifylifechangingresults #SELevaluation #philanthropy #CommonpointQueens #communityhappenshere #CommonpointYouth #YouthEd. @commonpointqueens

You can do double good

As a seasoned fundraiser with extensive experience in philanthropy, I would like to emphasize the critical lessons from the recent setbacks at FAMU, as discussed by Marybeth Gasman. Due diligence in philanthropy isn’t just a procedural step; it’s a cornerstone of sustainable and ethical fundraising. It’s essential to rigorously vet donors and understand their motivations to align their interests with the core values and mission of the institution. This approach safeguards the organization’s integrity and ensures that the philanthropic relationships we build are transparent and mutually beneficial. As we navigate these complex dynamics, we must remain vigilant in our commitment to due diligence to uphold the trust placed in us by our community and stakeholders. This article is a potent reminder of the vigilance required in all philanthropic engagements.

Community programs that bring together older adults (65+) and young people (-18) have resulted in fewer depressive symptoms and better emotional and mental health. This is one of the ways that we can address loneliness and increase collective efficacy, social capital and social cohesion. #rethinkaging

Of the $390.05 billion in charitable gifts in 2016, $18.21 billion went to Arts, Culture, and Humanities. Overall contributions to all nine major philanthropy subsectors increased for the sixth time in the last four decades, with giving by individuals growing by nearly 4 percent, driving the rise in total gifts. —Giving USA 2017: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2016

Are changes coming to tax-exempt statuses for nonprofits? How do donations over the last year compare to the year prior? Plus, see how one Arizona credit union gave back! That's this episode of the Nonprofit News Minute, hosted by the ASU Lodestar Center's Riva Surana #nonprofitnews #nonprofit #philanthropy #givingback #donations #donors #news #nonprofitpolitics

This article is a needed take on the long momentum that has impelled LA’s philanthropic shift toward supporting trust-based giving practices, community organizing, and advocacy for policy change. The props to Liberty Hill Foundation are overdue and gratifying to see. This is the profound and difficult work of narrative shift and norm change, which is so particularly slow to occur in philanthropy—and is usually not owned up to publicly by private foundations to avoid the discomfort of a critical lens on their past benevolence. I admire these foundation leaders leading by a new example. One enormous oversight in the article is the omission of The Women's Foundation California, whose Solis Policy Institute has trained intersectional feminist and lbtqi community activists in cohorts at the local and state level for 15-20 years on how to develop and drive legislative bills and policy proposals. And there’s a Funders Policy Institute to train foundation staff across the state on the guidance for funding these vital, momentous change efforts. I expect that some of the staff at the foundations in this article have taken part in it. There are many examples of change that these bills have wrought in lives across Los Angeles and the state for racial, economic, gender, and lbtqi justice and equity (a few examples: the Dignity in Pregnancy & Childbirth Act, the Trans Wellness and Equity Fund, California Momnibus Act)—perhaps The Women’s Foundation California deserves a feature all its own.