Our MISSION is to connect, educate, develop and inspire a diverse group of foundations and corporations to stimulate effective philanthropy in the San Diego region.

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National Events of Interest

TOP STORIES

SDG Job Opportunity
San Diego Grantmakers is seeking an Administrative Coordinator. Click here for more information.

New! Essential Skills & Strategies for Grantmakers Workshop

San Diego Grantmakers, the Council on Foundations and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers are joining together to present an Essential Skills and Strategies Workshop—a comprehensive program for grantmaking staff and trustees. Grantmaking professionals will develop a framework and learn about best practices for ethical and effective grantmaking. This workshop will be relevant for a broad audience of all types and levels of grantmakers. Click here for more information.

Save the Date: 2008 SDG Annual Conference October 23

Join us on October 23 at the premier event for grantmakers in our region: your chance to develop your skills while you network with a wide variety of grantmakers from private, family, public, community, and corporate foundations and giving programs as well as donor-advised funds. Click here for more info.

Diversity in Philanthropy

Northern California Grantmakers, Southern California Grantmakers, and San Diego Grantmakers, working in partnership with the Foundation Center, are pleased to announce the release of Embracing Diversity: Foundation Giving Benefiting California's Communities of Color (pdf). We have commissioned this report to help provide a clearer view of the giving landscape of our members in California. The report provides findings from a comprehensive new analysis that assesses the extent to which communities of color are being served by foundation giving in California. Click here to download the full joint press release.

In addition to being one of San Diego Grantmakers' Guiding Principles, diversity is a hot topic all over our sector. COF has launched a major Diversity & Inclusiveness initiative, several national funders have formed a Diversity in Philanthropy Project. Additionally, in 2007, California State Assemblymember Joe Coto introduced AB 624, which would require larger foundations to track and disclose diversity-related data (note: as of June 24, 2008, a non-legislative resolution has been reached between legislators and philanthropic leaders, and as a result AB 624 will no longer be considered by the California legislature). Click here for more information on the topic of diversity in philanthropy.

Philanthropy and the Economy
The economic downturn has had wide-ranging impacts on the nonprofit sector and philanthropy. How do state budget cuts, the real estate and credit crises, and other fiscal issues impact grantmaking? Many people in the sector have been asking these questions. Uncertainty during economic downturns can add financial stress to grantees, just as demand for their services rises and stock market losses shrink grantmaker endowments. Click here for updates and resources relating to this timely and important issue.

Report on Public Confidence in San Diego Nonprofits

The Appreciated Sector: Public Confidence in San Diego County Nonprofit Organizations (pdf) presents results of a survey of residents' awareness of local nonprofit organizations and sub-sectors, their confidence in the sector's ability to deliver services and to spend funds wisely, and their involvement through donations and volunteerism. Funded by the San Diego Foundation and produced by the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research at University of San Diego.

Disaster Grantmaking
The recent tragic events in China and Burma/Myanmar have again brought disaster grantmaking to the fore. Click here for our resource page on this subject, which includes general information as well as sections on philanthropic responses to the earthquake in China, cyclone in Burma/Myanmar, and last year's wildfires in San Diego.

Guiding Principles Announced

SDG has released our Guiding Principles. Click here to review them.

2007 Fires Philanthropic Response
We send thoughts of support to the entire San Diego community in the wake of 2007's devastating fires.  Another developing story is about the philanthropic community's contributions toward the relief efforts. Click here for information about how SDG members and others are responding to the fires, and for helpful resources related to disaster grantmaking.

Thursdays with SDG Program Series

Building upon the success of last year’s series, we are offering a wide range of topics to meet the varying interests of our membership. Please take a few minutes to read about the individual programs and mark your calendars! Click here for the full listing of Thursdays with SDG programs.

Materials Online!
SDG 2007 Annual Conference: November 8, 2007

The 2007 Annual Conference was held on Thursday, November 8. Click here for the conference page with session information, presentations, and handouts (SDG member login required, contact us if you need login information).

Press Room
Click here for our press room, including links to recent news stories that feature San Diego Grantmakers.

San Diego Business Journal Publishes Supplement on Corporate Philanthropy
San Diego Business Journal, San Diego Grantmakers, and Volunteer San Diego worked together to launch this special supplement on local corporate philanthropy. Published on May 28, 2007, the piece highlights the contributions of current corporate giving and employee volunteer programs and will hopefully inspire more companies to get involved. To download the supplement (large pdf), click here. If you would like to receive a hard copy, contact us.

Research Report:  California Foundations 2004: Trends and Patterns
The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy has released California Foundations 2004: Trends and Patterns, an update of the Center’s 1999 baseline analysis of California foundations. This update examines changes in the size, growth, and structure of California foundations as well as the changing patterns in foundation capacity and grantmaking across the regions of the state over the 1999-2004 period. The report reveals that California foundations have weathered the economic downturn of 2000-2001 and are now returning to the peak asset levels from earlier in the period and an increased pace in the growth of giving. To find a summary of the report, click here. To read the press release, click here. Click here to download (pdf) the Foundation Center's highlights of the report.

Congressional News...

On August 17, 2006, the President signed into law a bill that will impact grantmakers and donors.  The new charitable provisions, part of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 4), include the first comprehensive regulation of donor-advised funds, as well as reforms or incentives that will affect private foundations, supporting organizations and individual donors.  The provisions are many and complex, but SDG has a brief overview of what the law could mean for you: click here to download.

The Council on Foundations Charitable Reform Resource Center offers the latest on charitable reform efforts. Check for new analyses on COF's H.R. 4 Resources web page. For more information, also visit Independent Sector.

Latest SDG Newsletters
San Diego Grantmakers electronic newsletters are always available here at the site! You can access this month's edition of SDG Update (our regular monthly newsletter) or click here for archived editions.

SDG in the Union Tribune
The San Diego Union Tribune ran an op-ed by Nancy Jamison on August 3, 2006: "I have the good fortune to work with philanthropists every single day. Not Warren Buffett or Bill and Melinda Gates, but good people right here in San Diego County who are all, in their own ways, making a significant contribution to the well-being of our community. Nearly everyone can be a philanthropist – and you don't have to have billions. Philanthropy – which translates from Greek as “love of mankind” – is no longer the domain of the Rockefellers and Carnegies. Today's philanthropy is much more widespread, democratic and even scientific." Click here for the entire article.

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RESOURCES

MicroEdge GIFTS Grantmaking Software - 10% Discount
Through this program, members of San Diego Grantmakers are eligible for a special 10% discount on GIFTS and Essential GIFTS new system sales or upgrades (through December 31, 2008). Contact MicroEdge at 800/899-0890 x 250 or solutions@microedge.com. For more on this offer, click here to download an information form. To learn more about the software, go to www.microedge.com.

Collaborations: San Diego Partnerships
Assistance with collaboration is the number-one service that members request from San Diego Grantmakers. After all, SDG is itself the result of collaboration among funders, and collaboration remains one of our core values. Still, collaboration can be a vague--and overused--term. What do we mean, as grantmakers, when we talk about collaborating? This article features several local grantmaking partnerships, including San Diego Neighborhood Funders, the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, SDG Working Group on Homelessness and the Child Welfare Services Working Group. Click here to read more (pdf).

San Diego Common Grant Application
The San Diego Common Grant Application (CGA) is now available. Designed to help make the grantseeking process simpler and more efficient for nonprofits, the CGA has become a standard concept and practice among grantmakers and regional associations in the U.S. To learn more about the San Diego CGA and participating organizations, click here.

Click Here to Download the Common Grant Application

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NATIONAL EVENTS OF INTEREST

Hispanics in Philanthropy and COF Tour for Philanthropists
From Guanajuato to North Carolina: A Tale of Two States
September 7-13, 2008 
North Carolina and Mexico

California Grantmakers in the Arts State-Wide Meeting
September 9, 2008
San Diego, CA

COF Seminar: Achieving Excellence in Investment Management Strategies
September 11–12, 2008
Arlington, VA

Association of Small Foundations National Conference (SDG members can register at the member rate--mention discount code COLLEAGUE!)
September 18-20, 2008
Denver, CO

GEO, Engage for Results: Involving Grantees in Your Grantmaking Strategies
September 25-26, 2008
San Francisco, CA

Global Strategic Management Institute CSR Performance 2008
September 30-October 2, 2008
San Diego, CA

The Grantmaking School: Advanced Grant Portfolio Management I & II
October 22-24, 2008
Las Vegas, NV

Business for Social Responsibility Conference
November 4-7, 2008
New York, NY

University of San Diego's Fifth Annual Nonprofit Governance Symposium (SDG is a sponsor)
January 9-10, 2009
San Diego, CA
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, contact Laura B. Stein at (619) 260-7442.

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