Northern California Grantmakers

This is turning out to be quite a Thursday here in San Francisco. The Giants are one game away from the World Series (that bit of well-known trivia won me a free coffee this morning) and this morning we experienced a city-wide earthquake drill (hope the sirens didn’t alarm anyone).

But of course here on NCG’s blog that “T” in Thursday stands for Twitter. Twitter Thursday is our weekly blog feature where we highlight members, philanthropic organizations and thought leaders we’re following on Twitter.

And you can always follow NCG on Twitter at twitter.com/NorCalGrant.

Here’s Who We’re Following on Twitter

CalEndowment
CalEndowment is…that’s right, you guessed it, they’re NCG member The California Endowment. One of our state-wide members, the Endowment’s “mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.”

Naturally, the Endowment uses Twitter to reach an online audience and share information to support their efforts. Here are some of their most recent tweets:

This Saturday a block party for downtown LA that celebrates healthy living http://bit.ly/9pMQfj

Community health law education events mix fun, fruit, and in Sacramento, Francisco Garcia http://bit.ly/9xGu6L http://fb.me/KN7XAvY8

Toon splains it all http://bit.ly/cpF18p http://fb.me/I9Lp8yrj

Hewlett_Found
NCG member The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation uses the much shorter Hewlett_Found handle on Twitter (which is a smart move considering that tweets can only be up to 140 characters).

Hewlett uses Twitter to share organizational news. Here are some examples of just how they do that:

Q&A with Global Dev Program Officer C.R. Hibbs. http://bit.ly/cJRkhr How did her work increase transparency and accountability in Mexico?

Read Barbara Chow’s commentary published in Ed Week about Deeper Learning and how it is preparing students for college. http://bit.ly/cfPmNH

This month we’re looking at the state of civic journalism: @ProPublica, @CaliforniaWatch and more http://bit.ly/d40ARQ

lblumenthal
The “L” in lblumenthal stands for “Larry”, as in Larry Blumenthal, the former director social media strategy for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. After nine years at RWJF, Larry launched Open Road Advisors “to help foundations, nonprofits and other organizations navigate the ever-changing world of the Web.”

Larry uses Twitter to muse on philanthropic trends and share resources related to social media. Here’s his latest Twitter activity:

The amazing, growing list of foundations that blog. Come help me finish it. http://bit.ly/c54Uan

Check this out. Great idea. RT @tactphil: Philanthropedia Launches Expertise on Demand http://bit.ly/9lQqdc

Excellent insight from @geoffliving on crowdsourcing for social good. http://bit.ly/cRlNGu

npquarterly
Foundations aren’t the only organizations we follow on Twitter. Case in point, npquarterly a.k.a. The Nonprofit Quarterly.

Tweeting about nonprofit news, research and trends affecting the nonprofit field, following npquarterly is just one way we’re able to keep our fingers on the pulse of the nonprofit sector. Take a look at some of their most recent tweets:

New study says the majority of Americans plan to give the same in the 4th quarter. #philanthropy http://bit.ly/ae9u6t

Facebook app, Causes, raises $9Million. Lessons? http://bit.ly/9CmNL3

Mergers for #nonprofits are on the rise, here’s one success story http://bit.ly/97fojT

Have any Twitter recommendations for us? Let us know who you think we should be following.

“You broke it, you bought it.”

Sounds like an easy enough policy, right? Of course, we’re not talking about a gift shop trinket, we’re talking about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. You know the one I’m talking about it, it’s being called “the worst worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.”

Yet, despite being “the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history,” donations aren’t exactly pouring in. In fact, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported earlier this month that since the tanker explosion last April, only $4 million has been raised. Compare that with the $6 billion raised after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf in 2005.

Why the disparity in donations?

The Nonprofit Quarterly proposes it’s because we’re all waiting for BP to pick up the tab.

“Unlike Hurricane Katrina, the explosion of BP’s deep water oil rig is a completely man-made phenomenon. (Although the response to Katrina, on the other hand was surely man-made.) BP as the corporate culprit in charge ought to pay, right?”

But The Nonprofit Quarterly article by Rick Cohen is quick to point out that “the money from BP isn’t going to flow quickly.”

Meanwhile oil is washing up on Louisiana and Florida beaches; sea animals and coastal wildlife are covered with oil; and the people who live along the coast are struggling as their local economies feel the impact of the oil spill on fishing industries, tourism, etc. And they all need assistance now.

What Can Philanthropy Do?

Rick Cohen suggests Philanthropy consider funding advocacy and watchdog groups.

“Because we can all be assured about one guaranteed outcome—BP will try to get out of as many of their responsibilities as they can, and the government, given political contributions to local and national politicians, may turn a somewhat blind eye to the insufficiencies of BP’s response.”

Perhaps that’s the kindling needed to light a fire under donations.

What do you think? How should philanthropy help?

Read The Nonprofit Quarterly article by Rick Cohen online.

Read a recent Washington Post article about BP oil spill donations online.

Read a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article about BP oil spill donations online.