Real Talk About Real Costs

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If We Want Our Funding to Change the World...

 

We need to have more "Real Talk About Real Costs" -- more conversation on what it takes for nonprofits to make a significant impact. Please share this 1 min, 40 second video -- "If We Want Our Funding to Change the World..." -- with others in the philanthropic and nonprofit community. Like it on YouTube, then email it, embed it on your site, post it on Facebook, orTweet about it (#DFrealcosts).

This video is a new tool, one of the first in a concerted effort being launched by Donors Forum and The Bridgespan Group, to help funders and nonprofits:

- Wrestle with what it costs -- really, fully, all-in -- for nonprofits to make a significant impact.
- Tackle the role that overhead plays in long-term sustainability.
- Stimulate open, honest communication about sharing costs among nonprofits and funders

Click here to learn more about the story behind this video, including the Donors Forum Community of Practice that conceived of it. The video debuted at our March 12, 2013 event, "Real Talk About Real Costs," gathering almost 300 nonprofits, funders, and advisors who belong to Donors Forum.

Tell us below what you think of the video, and, if you're going to use it, how you plan to do so.

Click here (http://eepurl.com/wH2nT) -- it's quick and easy -- to receive occasional updates on actions you can take and resources you can use to encourage honest communication and good practices on measuring impact, nonprofit overhead, nonprofit finances, and effective grantmaking and grantseeking. We won’t share your email address with others, and we won’t email often.  You can unsubscribe easily.

Video Highlights from Real Talk About Real Costs

On March 12, 2013, nonprofits, funders, and advisors who belong to Donors Forum convened to discuss how to advance the conversation and better communicate the true effectiveness and impact of nonprofit work. If you missed the convening, here are some highlights from the keynote speakers and presenters. 

Denis Pierce, President, Pierce Family Foundation, introduced the convening topic and why the conversation about nonprofit overhead is essential:

 

Ann Goggins Gregory, Senior Director, Knowledge, The Bridgespan Group: "In the nonprofit starvation cycle, where we anchor on the wrong thing-- where funders have unrealistic expectations, where nonprofits feel pressure to conform to those expectations and where, as a sector, we chronically underinvest in and fail to understand the true costs of delivering outcomes." 

 

 

"Real Talk About Real Costs," March 12 Convening For Donors Forum's Members, Partners + Associate Members

Like last year’s well received convening, “Real Talk About Real Costs” on Tuesday, March 12, will bring together the funders, nonprofits, and advisors who belong to Donors Forum to have real dialogue and develop practical solutions to obstacles that stand in the way of effectiveness in our field.  In collaboration with The Bridgespan Group, we will tackle a controversial issue that has never been addressed collectively in our sector: the perception of overhead costs and the deleterious impact this mindset wreaks on nonprofit sustainability. Participants of the Convening will:

• Wrestle with what it costs – really, fully, all-in – for nonprofits to deliver strong impact
• Tackle the role that overhead plays in long-term nonprofit sustainability
• Shape resources that support open, honest communication about costs among nonprofits and foundations

The Convening will lay the groundwork for Donors Forum to advocate in Illinois and beyond for practices that honor the true cost of delivering impact.

Ann Goggins Gregory, Senior Director, Knowledge, The Bridgespan Group and co-author of the seminal article “The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, which sparked this national conversation, will present and provide context.  She will be joined by  Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO, Nonprofit Finance Fund.  Donors Forum constituents, including participants of our Communities of Practice  will share stories about how this issue affects their organizations.  Small-group discussion will take place throughout the event about the true, fully-loaded cost of delivering strong outcomes.  With the analysis from national experts, data gathered from a pre-event research survey, and the knowledge and experience from our diverse community, we hope to develop ideas for needed resources and tools that can lead to change.  

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of joining Donors Forum, including invitations to events like this, please download or review this brochure, visit www.donorsforum.org/join, or call us at 888—578-0090 and ask to speak to someone about the benefits of joining.

Engage 2013: Real Talk About Real Costs--Donors Forum's Second Convening of Members, Partners, & Associate Members

Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Standard Club of Chicago, 320 South Plymouth Court, Chicago
Program, 2:30 pm-5 pm, Reception with beverages and hors d’oeuvres, 5-7 pm