The first week of March, I attended the annual meeting of Grantmakers in Health (GIH), a national affinity group for foundations that fund health-related activities. Although I don't attend every year, I always come back from meetings with information that I can incorporate into my work. I thought that I would share what I learned this year with you.
• Many foundations approach prevention from an advocacy point of view: converting vacant lots to vegetable gardens, making sure a park is a safe place for walking and other activities, lobbying for better fluoridation of water, or smoke-free environments, etc. Here at the Health Foundation, we have developed the Assistance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Center which approaches prevention from a different perspective. The ASAP Center is less about advocacy and more about teaching individuals and groups to use specific prevention practices. It was interesting for me to contemplate how we might use the other approach. One foundation shared a readiness assessment they use when working with communities that are trying to change their community environment or social norms. I wonder how this might be helpful for communities in the Health Foundation's region.
• One session was a breakfast meeting for the Behavioral Health Funders Network, a group of about 70 funders within GIH. John O'Brien, senior advisor on healthcare financing at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), shared the SAMHSA strategic plan for 2011-2014. As a group, we discussed ways that the federal government might partner with foundations in behavioral health. Even though I had heard the SAMHSA strategic initiatives before, I recognized nuances of the SAMHSA strategic plan I had not seen before. This will hopefully turn into an improved ability to coach grantees attempting to get SAMHSA funds.
• In a session about "what keeps you up at night," I learned that many foundations are in the midst of transitions in leadership. Since we have just gone through a transition in leadership here, it was good to listen to others and offer some guidance from our experience. I was reminded of some transition practices that might be helpful for our grantees that are or soon will be going through transitions. These included developing a succession plan before the time for new leadership emerges, using both board and staff involvement in the search process for new leadership, and forming a transition team from all parts and levels of the organization to help guide the new leader in the first few months of the job. For new leaders, those present recommended taking at least a year to get situated before making major changes.
• In many of the sessions, I was reminded that as grantmakers it is important to start where our communities are. What works in Los Angeles or New York or a small rural community in Nebraska might not necessarily work here in Greater Cincinnati. It might sound great, but I can't push it on people here. I can share, but forcing people to do something "my way" rarely works.

Does any of this raise questions for you? What did you learn at your last conference that you want to share?

The Chronicle on Philanthropy released its latest Philanthropy 400 report on October 18. This report showed that donations to the nation's biggest charities dropped by 11% overall in 2009. This was the biggest decline in the 20 years the Chronicle of Philanthropy has kept a tally. The report includes the top charities raising money from the public and the charities included in the 2009 report raised a total of $68.6 billion in contributions. The national United Way and Salvation Army, both based near Washington, continue to dominate the ranking, despite the 2009 declines. An earlier report by the Giving USA Foundation found overall charitable giving declined 3.6% in 2009. This report included giving to private foundations and to smaller charities.

Those of you who have attended the Introduction to Fundraising workshop (which will be held again December 7-8, 2010) know that getting and continuing to receive donations from individuals who have a relationship with your organization are the best ways to obtain general operating support. Key to this strategy is developing a relationship with your donors. Perhaps their support will be less in tougher economic times. In some cases, donors will choose the organizations they most care about and feel they get the best value for their contributions. Doing business the same as usual will not change the fundraising results in more challenging times. How can you improve your fundraising strategy? Now is the time to look at which staff, board members, or development committee volunteers can benefit from attending the workshop and practicing these skills. Jamie Levy is an excellent instructor who connects with attendees helps them learn how to effectively work with donors. Sign up for the workshop today and help your organization through these tough times.

In March 2010, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced their 10 Strategic Initiatives. As I read these over, I was reminded of how interwoven many of the problems that we face in our communities are. Employment and healthcare are linked, as we all know, but homelessness, addiction, returning military, trauma, and criminal justice are all connected to these issues as well. I have two reactions to all of this: despair and conviction. I am dismayed that all that we have done over the years seems to have had limited impact on these problems. But I am also convinced that we have the tools available to make an impact on the lives of individuals who have health and social concerns. Things can be different if we work together.

SAMHSA seems to be addressing some of these ills in a manner that makes sense...they are demanding collaboration across systems. A recently released request for applications for the Community Resilience and Recovery Initiative from SAMHSA requires the involvement of public leaders, behavioral health prevention and treatment providers, criminal justice systems, employment services, and veterans' services. Although it seems overwhelming to get everyone working together, I know that it can be done. I've seen it happen in some of the communities that we cover with our grants. And when everyone is working together, amazing things happen.

Think about what seems impossible in your community. Now, think about who has a stake in this problem. Start talking to them about what solutions might be. Share with them the strengths that you see in the community. Begin to gather a group. And if you need help getting started, call me.

Remember - "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

I wanted to call this blog from ice picks to applesauce, but I didn't think as many people would read it.

As many of you know, I recently had a second child. This means double the preparation every morning for daycare. My husband and I use a large backpack to carry all the things my kids need for the day. Last week, as I was packing this backpack, I realized that it had been completely repurposed. I purchased the very expensive backpack 5 or 6 years ago, before my husband and I had children. At that time, we were living in Italy and doing some serious alpine hiking. Last week, I put my son's applesauce in the compartment designed for my ice pick. Oh how life changes!! This backpack is a very expensive way to carry stuff to and from daycare every day, but it's what we already have so I will continue to use it.

This same thing happens often when nonprofits purchase technology: they use what they have. Sometimes this means trying to do things in Excel or Access that specialty software could do much better. Or, it means spending a lot of money on specialty software when a simple Access database could do the trick.

It is difficult to know what or how much your organization needs now and for the future. This is particularly true with donor management. I sometimes get asked about good donor management systems. There are so many options out there and each organization has different needs so this question is always difficult for me to answer. Luckily, a friend just sent me the Nonprofit Technology Network's (NTEN) excellent (and free!) report that thoroughly compares donor management systems for differently situated organizations. If you're in the market or wondering if what you have is a good fit, check out: A Consumer's Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems. I hope that this report will help you make a more informed choice.