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When it comes to walking the talk of city leadership, it just doesn't get any better than Angela Hunt...
Unfair Park - Hunting Down the Garbage Some Sanitation Workers Contend With
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2008/06/hunting_down_the_garbage_sanit.php
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The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Business Journal both released stories on the big news of May for nearly 100 of the largest and most effective non-profits in Dallas:
United Way gives more than $46 million to 93 area charities
I am proud to say that Central Dallas Ministries received the largest increase of any of the 93 agencies, increasing its allocation to over $800,000 this year.
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The Family Place is now accepting nominations for its Man of Influence Award, which recognizes a North Texan who is leading by example to make domestic violence a “community issue” rather than a “women’s issue.” Through his lifestyle, he is setting a standard of compassion, support and commitment that promotes healthy relationships.
Download the 2008 Man of Influence Nomination Form here.
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Ross Perot Jr. claimed that, although the national economy is sluggish, charitable giving in Dallas has never been more robust. He then backed this up with a 
$50 million gift to the Museum of Nature & Science.
The problem with Perot's claim is that mega-gifts like this can easily mask a declining philanthropic environment. In a city like Dallas -- where Boone Pickens, Harold Simmons and others secure national headlines for their philanthropy -- it is easy for the general public to assume that charitable giving is up.
My concern, which I have seen borne out at Central Dallas Ministries, is that this gives many donors an excuse to avoid contributing: the attitude can almost be that "the mega-rich are taking care of that," followed quickly with a quieter "and they should."
For example: Central Dallas Ministries has raised over $25 million through public and private sources for the first phase of our capital campaign. Some of our donors have not realized that these funds are highly designated and do not help us to pay for operations.
As we have often joked in our office, "we could have marble desktops but be unable to afford the light bill."
Thankfully, overall fundraising is up at Central Dallas Ministries by more than 20% this year. This may not be the trend at other organizations: we benefit from a highly public profile.
Not all organizations are as fortunate, even though they are seeing the same increase in demand for services that we are -- the nation's food banks are reporting facing higher costs but feeding more people. At CDM, we have seen nearly 40% more people than at this same time last year.
What are you seeing at your organization?
Is fundraising up? More importantly, is fundraising up more than demand?
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If you are anywhere near the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, please consider joining the members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) - Greater Dallas Chapter along with the members of AFP - Ft. Worth Metro Chapter for the AFP DFW Philanthropy Conference 2008!.
Among the key features will be the "best CFRE Review Course in Texas." Here is the agenda for the course, which will be taught by veteran fundraiser and CFRE master James Holcomb:
For those of us who don't even have our CFRE (Certifed Fundraising Executive designation) yet, this is likely a lifetime of planning away... but it's good to know.
For those of you who DO have your CFRE and would be interested in the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive designation, this likely comes as great news:
Philanthropy.com reports in their article What Senior Fund Raisers Need to Know:
The Association of Fundraising Professionals this month announced that it is revising the certification examination for its highest credential, known as the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive designation.No longer will fund raisers seeking advanced certification be expected to answer questions on the exam about federal tax laws or bequests and other types of planned gifts.For those of you who are in Dallas and who are interested in taking the CFRE, a few of us are organizing a regular study group for a few Tuesdays prior to the AFP DFW Philanthropy Conference 2008 and the CFRE Review Course. We're meeting at the Center for Nonprofit Management from 5:30 - 7:00 on Tuesday June 3 and Tuesday June 10. Let me know if you're interested in joining us!
Two of my favorite people in the world -- Catherine Cuellar and Pam Gerber -- apparently know each other. See Catherine's profile of the incredibly awesome Pam here:
People you s"hood" know: Oak Lawn's Pam Gerber | Dallas | pegasusnews.com
And yes, this is the ONLY picture I can find online of Pam. Amazingly elusive, that one! More about her here:
http://www.efnt.org/content-about-staff.asp?type=1&id=90
And more on Catherine here:
http://www.catherinecuellar.com/
And here:
http://www.pegasusnews.com/contributor/catherine-cuellar/
And here:
http://www.peoplenewspapers.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=&AudID=3E017068694948C3BE75FD51480D8A7D&tier=4&id=FC93B1255CF74A44AE4138E7B3A8315D
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Thanks to Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas for linking to this article about "the history of Dallas and how our city developed, 100 years after the Great Flood of 1908":
Ever wondered just why it is the Trinity looks the way it does downtown or who came up with the idea to have a White Rock Lake Park in the first place? The Morning News published an interesting historical look at the development of Dallas after what is now known as the great flood of 1908. Among the things you'll find out by reading the story is why Central Expressway goes north but not south (a dispute over land prices with the railroads), how Union Station came to centralize Dallas' rail service, and who came up with the designs for Turtle Creek Boulevard and Stemmons Corridor. It's an informative look at how things came to be the way they are here in Dallas.See the full article in The Dallas Morning News here:
The Dallas Business Journal just published an article entitled, "$46 million Hope Center to house area ministries."
I felt embarassed that this was the first I had heard of it.
But then I saw the $46,000,000 still won't buy you much of a Web site, and I felt better:
http://www.thehopecenterfoundation.org/
Seriously. Come on, people.
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"The Center for Nonprofit Management is hosting the Get On Board Fair Thursday (tonight!) for people who want to serve on the board of a nonprofit group and other potential volunteers," reported Bob Miller of The Dallas Morning News.
Attendees can visit with more than 100 North Texas nonprofit organizations and learn about what skills they will need to get involved as a nonprofit board member or as a volunteer.More info here:
The fair is from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Cityplace Conference Center, North Central Expressway at Haskell Avenue. It's free and open to the public.
To register, find the list of participating nonprofits and get directions, visit www.cnmdallas.org or call 214-826-3470.
Thanks to PegasusNews.com's Catherine Cuellar and Scott Guthrie for posting the first story from the actual event cited below: Dallas celebrates opening of long-awaited homeless assistance center
I had the fortunate opportunity to stand next to Scott during the event and speak to him briefly about my perspective on the affair. I am grateful for his honest approach to the event -- pointing out both its highs and its lows. Kudos for his bravery.
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Congratulations to the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance for today's wonderful announcement: the grand opening of The Bridge, Dallas' homeless assistance center. The event drew hundreds of neighbors together to celebrate this wonderful step forward.
But let us remember: this is a mighty step forward, but we have not reached the end of our journey to end chronic homelessness. The road ahead is long, and we must walk it hand-in-hand with our neighbors... those who are homeless and otherwise.
I was greatly encouraged by the editors of The Dallas Morning News, who made a similar statement in their editorial this morning: Editorial: A step toward ending homelessness.
Ending homelessness in Dallas is a marathon event, not a 100-yard dash. Today's opening of The Bridge homeless center in downtown marks an innovative change in the way this city confronts the homeless problem. But it's important to remember that this is still just an initial step in a long and arduous slog.Thanks also to one of The Dallas Morning News' finest reporters, Kim Horner, for prefacing the event with this piece: $21 million downtown Dallas facility will focus on chronically homeless
And congratulations to Judy Noble, wife of my dear friend and college mentor Peter Noble, for launching the MDHA's new Web site:
Thanks to Foundation Center's Philanthropy News Digest for this important update on one of the country's largest funders of health & human services:
The United Way of America has announced that it will direct most of its giving toward a ten-year effort to halve the high school dropout rate and number of working families struggling financially while increasing by a third the number of youths and adults considered healthy, the Washington Post reports.
Congrats to Mosaic Family Services for starting an organizational blog! This is a great way to promote the important work of your organization.
For those who don't know about Mosaic, download their latest newsletter here.
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Charles Kisers shakes what his mama gave him over at Justice and the Mission of God « Dallas 2008.
Says Will Ferrell, "that's the way you BLOG!"
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The Dallas Morning News reports that "Pat and Emmitt Smith served as the honorary chairs of the April 12 Shelton School Stampede Benefit Auction, which raised the largest amount of funding in the auction’s 19-year history, $559,430."
More here:
http://neighborsgo.com/stories/15148
The 32-year old Shelton School is the largest private school in the world for students with learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD, speech, and language disorders.
Way to go, Emmitt and Pat.
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Guess what I'll be doing on September 29, 2008?
