Picks of the Week: September 2 - 8, 2012

Website of the Week -- Coalitions Work
Coalitions Work is a consulting group based in the Hampton Roads region of eastern Virginia that is dedicated to serving public and private clients throughout the world. Coalitions Work offers your organization, partnership or coalition the benefit of 20 years of coalition skill building and change strategies. Coalitions Work offers training and technical assistance in strategic planning and management, health promotion and education, social marketing, advocacy, research, and evaluation. Coalitions Work has the tools and resources needed to mobilize the power of collaboration in your community or organization. The website includes links to an extensive collection of resources. Go to: http://coalitionswork.com.

Publication of the Week --  Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists by Valaida Fullwood and Charles W. Thomas Jr.
From the publisher: Giving Back lifts up seldom-celebrated traditions of giving among Americans of African descent. Rarely acknowledged as philanthropy, these centuries-old cultural customs and beliefs nevertheless continue to have an impact on lives and communities. Images and narratives of more than 200 people commemorate the legacy of black philanthropists - from generous donors of wealth to ingenious givers carving a way out of no way. In Giving Back, Valaida Fullwood poignantly chronicles the African American philanthropy experience. Intimate vignettes and candid reflections reveal a myriad of philanthropic practices grounded in faith, mutuality, and responsibility. Fullwood juxtaposes personal accounts from a cross section of black philanthropists with fascinating quotes from givers and game-changers across cultures to illuminate transcendent truths and elicit new thinking about philanthropy. Photographer Charles W. Thomas Jr. beautifully captures images that portray the joy, aspirations, remembrance, and resilience that characterize black philanthropy. Pairing photographic portraiture and narrative, Thomas and Fullwood give readers over 160 artful page spreads that enliven the soul of philanthropy and honor the legacy of America's black philanthropists. Every book purchased will keep giving, since the proceeds will be invested in philanthropic causes - and since the stories themselves will inspire readers to give.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.

Trend of the Week – Women’s Growing Importance As Donors

The new report is the third in a series of research reports by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University that offers deeper insights as to how gender differences affect philanthropy. The Women Give studies complement a growing body of research that affirms women’s growing importance as donors in the nonprofit sector. They also benefit decision-makers and fundraisers seeking to expand their donor base and attract more volunteers by providing key insights to inform their strategic efforts to more deeply engage women. For more information, go to: http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/research-by-category/women-give-2012.

Resource of the Week – Online Diagnostic Tool for Leadership Development Bridgespan has released an online diagnostic tool to use as a first step in understanding an organization’s relative strengths and weaknesses in leadership development. As valuable as these Bridgespan resources are, I feel compelled to share some additional perspective that I hope the Bridgespan team will incorporate in future iterations: It’s hard for me to imagine a better path for developing great leaders within an organization than putting those people in positions that move them out of their comfort zone and into situations that require growth; set a clear expectation for what is to be achieved; and ensure there are people (ideally their managers) with the explicit purpose of supporting and stretching their growth. To access the tool go to: http://www.bridgestar.org/Library/LeadershipDiagnostic.aspx.

Tech Tip of the Week -- Keep a file on the Office 2007/2010 Recent Documents List
An excellent new feature in Office 2007/2010 which works in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, is the ability to keep or “pin” a file in the Recent Documents list, here’s how:

·       In 2007 click the Microsoft Office button  or in 2010 click the File Tab and then click Recent

·       Click the pin icon beside the document you want to keep on the list
·       The pin button changes to a push pin viewed from the top