Bush Foundation blogs

A community conversation that starts with appreciating and inquiring

Eleanor T. Coleman — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:33:53 +0000

The Bush Foundation and the Meadowlark Institute partnered to offer small grants for communities, organizations and institutions to engage people in conversations around an issue, opportunity or project that is important to them or their communities. To date, over 100 grassroots organizations took advantage of these funds to host participatory community conversations around an important topic. These are some of their stories.

For more information about the Small Grants Facilitation Support Fund, including a list of some of the grantees, download this overview (PDF).

Super Bowl Sunday, 2003, Efrem and Donecia Smith gathered a few dozen people together in a basement to share their vision of bringing hope, justice and reconciliation to the heart of North Minneapolis. One by one, everyone spoke. And one by one, everyone listened. When the meeting was over, Sanctuary Covenant Church was born under a mission to reconcile the people of the city to God and one another.

It all started with a conversation between a few people. Sometimes, making the time for a constructive conversation is all it takes to tackle a problem that’s negatively impacting a community. Other times, a shared desire to hear multiple perspectives on a particular issue can be the catalyst for change. Either way, someone has to begin the conversation.

Fast forward 10 years and I found myself faced with the opportunity to lead the latter of the two while sitting in Sanctuary Covenant Church one stiflingly hot Sunday morning. Our new pastor, Dennis Edwards, suggested initiating a gathering of church leaders and congregation members in which a solution-focused conversation would play a key role in building our community and strengthening our efforts toward further realizing the founding vision for our church and neighborhood communities. He needed volunteers willing to “test the waters” through the first structured conversation of this kind since the church’s inception. He put a request for help out to the congregation to make it happen.

The pastor had to mention this call for help a couple more times before I realized that this was an opportunity for me to practice the Art of Hosting! Soon after, I set up a meeting with him to share my background and offer my services. Since the focus of this effort fell on solutions rather than problems, I suggested using the Appreciative Inquiry (or AI) Summit methodology, which I believed to be the best means to achieve his vision. As its name suggests, Appreciative Inquiry uses "appreciating" and "inquiring" to facilitate conversation and data collection. Appreciating involves creating and maintaining a positive mindset of valuing, affirming and building on strengths throughout an organization or community, while inquiring involves asking positive questions to explore, study, discover and build on new possibilities. The AI cycle includes four processes:

DISCOVER: The identification of organizational processes that work well.
DREAM: The envisioning of processes that would work well in the future.
DESIGN: Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well.
DESTINY (or DELIVER): The implementation (execution) of the proposed design.

Making the Most of What We Had to Work With

Because of Pastor Edwards’ desire to test the waters, we decided to try a three-hour mini-summit, rather than the three-day process normally required to complete an AI. At that point, I had a very limited knowledge of the deeper mechanics of the AI process, so I sought out an experienced member of the Art of Hosting community with whom to partner. That partner was AI-certified Jennifer Hegland. Bless her heart and adventurous soul—I couldn’t have dreamed of getting the summit off the ground without her.

We had only a month to plan and carry out the event. We were in need of a team to help with coordinating and facilitation, and it was about this time that I started wondering if our modified AI would sacrifice the integrity of the model. Thankfully, 20 people volunteered to be trained in AI. I’m still amazed at how awesome these folks were. With so little time to prepare, their willingness to step up and trust that we’d make the event happen was nothing short of inspirational. It is because of these people that we turned our mini-summit into a massive success.

Mission Accomplished

We not only reached but exceeded by more than 30 percent our initial expectation of 100 participants. The energy that these people brought to the room was contagious, and a majority of the feedback following the table discussions was overwhelmingly positive.

Several days later, our team got together to harvest the data from the table discussions. What emerged were themes that helped us design provocative propositions about the values, strengths, resources and dreams of Sanctuary Covenant Church.

Despite the challenges we faced, the moments of doubt and the limitations we worked with, I’m happy with the process and proud of its success. Most of all, I’m amazed at how quickly a community with populations as varied as ours can come together through conversation when the focus is on strengths rather than weaknesses.

Now, my mind is filled with future possibilities for applying this process … and who knows? You might see me leading a full AI summit one day.

Dr. Eleanor T. Coleman is a life coach, motivational speaker, author, Human Systems Dynamics Associate, and a leader in education, entrepreneurship and community service. She provides coaching sessions through her organization, C3P Coaching.

Talk Back to Bush
Have you participated in facilitated conversations to tackle tough problems in your community? What benefits do you think might emerge from “appreciating” and “inquiring” to find solutions to those problems? We want to know what you think.

Developing leaders in our region: Neighborhoods, USA comes to Minneapolis

Catherine McGuire — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:35:57 +0000

When I was asked to write a blog post for the Leadership team, I had a hard time deciding what to write about—there is so much that could be of interest to people. Would they want to know about the fantastic training session Arts Midwest did just last week for our Regional Arts Development Program participants (RADP) on evaluation? How about the upcoming Rural Arts and Culture Summit happening in June up at the University of Minnesota-Morris campus organized by Springboard for the Arts? And let’s not forget about the Community Development Society conference in July at which Bush Foundation staff and program participants will conduct a workshop on our current Regional Systems Engagement Pilot program.

Though all interesting, I decided it would be best to focus on what’s right around the corner— the Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) conference, taking place May 22-25, 2013, in Minneapolis.

The conference features themes on cultural diversity, social justice and equity, and “passing it on to the next generation,” all components of NUSA’s mission: to build and strengthen neighborhood associations and to promote productive communications and collaborations between those associations and both the public and private sector.

Part of what NUSA and the local partners do is develop leadership at the community and neighborhood level including showcasing national and local best practices of community leadership development. Local partners include the City of Minneapolis – Neighborhood and Community Relations, Nexus Community Partners and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

The Foundation’s support of the learning track on partnering with youth to expand leadership is an example of our ongoing commitment to and support of leadership development in our region. Participants in this track will take part in workshops on:

The Next Generation: Youth for Positive Change presented by the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods (South Carolina)
Involving Immigrants in Neighborhood Organizations presented by the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing
Putting Creativity to Work presented by Juxtaposition Arts
Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song: Creating intergenerational and multicultural opportunities for communities to prosper presented by Community Celebration of Place, Minneapolis

Participants will have the opportunity to make connections to people and programs, developing networks that will help them and their neighborhoods now and into the future. We hope to see you there!

Talk Back to Bush
How does your community or neighborhood approach leadership development? Is your community engaged in efforts to partner with youth to develop new leaders? We want to know what you think.

Partnering to Prepare Tomorrow’s Teachers

Katie Rose Dailey — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:48:01 +0000

Since 2005, the Teachers for a New Era (TNE) Learning Network, of which I’m a co-director, has brought together 30 university teacher preparation programs from around the country to learn from one another’s successes and challenges. We at the TNE Learning Network know how a community of peers can spread the word about good ideas in innovative teacher preparation, and we’re not alone. As part of the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) initiative, the Bush Foundation and 14 teacher preparation programs in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota are working together to transform the way they recruit, prepare, place and support great new teachers for their communities and states.

The TNE Learning Network has always encouraged and supported our network members to develop strong relationships with their local P-12 schools and districts, but after a few years we took a step back to reassess and redefine our network. We wanted to be more explicit that teachers and school administrators are also teacher educators, and they need to be part of any conversation about getting the best new teachers into tomorrow’s schools.

With that in mind, in 2011 we set out to visit exceptional partnerships to explore how schools and universities can be good partners in preparing new teachers—and how some programs are already partnering effectively. With colleagues in tow from schools, colleges of arts and sciences, and colleges of education, we spent several days in diverse communities talking to veteran, new and future educators about how their partnerships are changing schools and universities for the better.

These strong partnerships can prepare better teachers for tomorrow while helping schools today. Teacher candidates benefit from longer, more intensive and more collaborative stints in local schools, and are ready to hit the ground running as new teachers. Meanwhile, two adults co-teaching in the classroom— with a common vision of good teaching— can collaborate to keep more students actively engaged. As one high school principal from Ohio told us, “Having positive role models around is so helpful…We have found that having an extra adult in the classroom has actually driven improvement.”

Now we’re releasing Partnering to Prepare Tomorrow’s Teachers: Examples from Practice to share what we’ve learned about building mutually beneficial school-university partnerships. We’ve arrived at seven essential elements for effective partnering—things like:

Mutual responsibility for preparing good teachers.
Clear commitments and shared financing.
Respect for complementary knowledge from research and practice.

We hope you’ll read the full brief to learn about all seven essential elements. Partnering to Prepare Tomorrow’s Teachers provides inspiration for new and stronger school-university partnerships; its concrete examples of collaboration strategies should help sustain this inspiration in practice.

Caitlin Rose Dailey, better known as Katie Rose, co-directs the TNE Learning Network from FHI 360 in Washington, DC. Katie Rose is a project manager at FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. FHI 360 coaches work with the Bush Foundation and NExT institutions to help drive change in teacher preparation.

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Do you remember your favorite student teacher? How can stronger relationships between schools and teacher preparation programs benefit the students and schools in your community? We want to know what you think.

Thank a teacher

Julie Cohen — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:45:59 +0000

It's National Teacher Appreciation Week and today is National Teacher Appreciation Day. I'd need a whole bushel of apples to thank all the teachers who had a positive impact in my life. How about you?
The Bush Foundation has shown its appreciation and support for education, teachers and school leaders for the last 60 years in a variety of ways. For instance, from 1976 to 2000, the Bush Educators Program provided more than 700 school leaders with the training and support needed to improve instruction in elementary and secondary schools.

Our education work continues today as we recruit, train, place and support the NExT generation of teachers through the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) initiative. Once they're in the classroom, it's important that they have support from school leaders too. That's why the 14 NExT institutions partner with K-12 schools (52 and counting!) to ensure both teachers and students succeed.

Talk Back to Bush
Are there teachers who helped you succeed in and out of the classroom? What kind of a positive impact did they have on your life? Show your appreciation by using the #ThankATeacher hashtag on Twitter, share your story with our Facebook community, or post a comment here.

Community foundations join forces to strengthen South Dakota philanthropy

Candy Hanson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:16:18 +0000

This article originally appeared in the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation Spring 2013 newsletter.

SFACF joins statewide push to strengthen South Dakota philanthropy

Visibility is a big issue for nonprofits. No matter how important the mission, without an effective message, raising the money needed to make a difference is always a challenge.

The situation is no different for Community Foundations. “Actually, it can be tougher for us,” says Candy Hanson, CEO of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. “We fund an enormous range of charitable programs. It’s hard to define a mission as broad as ours in a sentence or two.”

Now, thanks to a $110,000 grant from the Bush Foundation, St. Paul, the four Community Foundations in South Dakota—Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Black Hills Area Community Foundation, South Dakota Community Foundation, and Watertown Community Foundation—have undertaken a joint project to tell their philanthropic story.

It’s called Dakota Legacy, and it’s a public awareness campaign aimed at letting folks across the state know how supporting the Community Foundation serving their area enhances the quality of life in their hometowns.

The idea of a joint project to promote philanthropy arose when leaders of the four Community Foundations visited by phone this past summer. Understanding that the local needs each addresses are very different, the group focused on figuring out how to reach donors to encourage them to make a significant contribution to their hometown, either now or with a bequest.

“Timing is everything,” says Stephanie Judson, president of the South Dakota Community Foundation, which is based in Pierre. “Over the next 10 to 50 years, more than $100 billion in property, investments, and insurance will pass from one generation to the next. We want everyone to consider giving back to South Dakota through their estate.”

The “South Dakota Wealth Transfer Report”, commissioned by Judson’s organization and published in 2012, shows that our state is anything but poor. In 50 years, if donors designated just five percent of their assets to a local Community Foundation endowment, nearly $40 million would be strengthening our cities and towns for good, for ever.

Regina Jahr, executive director of the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, agrees. “An endowment gift creates a permanent, philanthropic legacy. Donors who want to help their community now can contribute any amount to their Community Foundation’s unrestricted endowment. That’s the money each of us uses to make grants to charitable programs meeting needs in the area we serve. It’s a great way to connect people who care to causes that matter.”

By the end of their conference call, the group decided their awareness campaign should be designed to include both information for those who are planning their estates and for those who wish to make a current gift to their Community Foundation’s grantmaking endowment.

With the two goals in mind, Hanson asked Paul Schiller, founding partner of Lawrence & Schiller, and Jay Huizenga, president and general manager of KELOLAND Television, for help creating a marketing plan. With that in place, the four Community Foundations submitted their proposal to the Bush Foundation, which funded the campaign to promote philanthropy in South Dakota, now known as Dakota Legacy.

The campaign launches in April. It includes sponsorship messages on South Dakota Public Broadcasting, a nine-month television advertising series (watch the commercial!), and a shared website, www.dakotalegacy.net, which allows donors to connect with their local Community Foundation and to make online contributions to the grantmaking program serving their area.

"We’re all incredibly grateful that the Bush Foundation has given us a chance to collaborate on a visibility project that’s vital to our state’s future,” says Jan DeBerg, executive director of the Watertown Community Foundation. “This is a way for us to show donors how to look forward and give back.”

SFACF is administering the project. The four Community Foundations hope that improving their statewide visibility and understanding of their role in philanthropy will increase both online giving and inquiries and requests for assistance with planned giving from those visiting www.dakotalegacy.net.

Candy Hanson is the president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation – a $98 million, publicly-supported foundation serving the Sioux Falls area. Hanson is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, which she attended as a Bush Leadership Fellow (1989). She currently serves on the board for the Sioux Falls Woman’s Alliance and on the Business Leadership Council for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

Talk Back to Bush
Do you support the community foundation in your area? What role do community foundations play in enhancing the quality of life in your hometown? We want to know what you think.

Standing in the polarized chasm: using love and healing to moderate a transformative discussion

Tom Esch — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:03:35 +0000

On November 17, 2012, I was honored to be one of 64 people gathered at the University of St. Thomas to take part in the sharing of personal experiences with clergy sexual abuse and the misuse of power that often accompanies it. Newspaper articles addressing this topic have become fairly common in the past two decades, but conversations in large groups are still quite rare. This meeting possessed an altogether uncommon element: every side of the issue was represented, including survivors, perpetrators, and friends and family of both. Also in attendance were priests, academics, devout Catholics, former clergy, therapists and others who felt a personal connection to the issue.

When I was invited over a year ago to plan and moderate this dialogue-driven event, I could not refuse the invitation despite how challenging I knew it would be. In my planning, I realized that one way to lessen the polarization the topic of sexual abuse causes—and hopefully move toward resolution—was to bring people from across the spectrum together in the same place for a facilitated conversation.

On the day of the event, I moderated a panel that included a survivor, a perpetrator, a psychologist specializing in sexual abuse, a person involved in the restorative justice field, and a priest who pastored two parishes where sexual abuse had occurred. The panel discussion began with each panelist sharing his or her personal story and insights about clergy abuse, each with an incredible vulnerability. Each panelist answered three questions:

“How has the abuse issue affected you? Your faith?”
“What is the way forward… for you and the church?”
“What about our conversation gives you hope?

Those in attendance listened intently. Following the responses of the panelists, everyone in attendance participated in facilitated discussions around the same questions in small groups, where anger and grief emerged from some individuals.

As the moderator, I expected that there would be challenging moments during the conversation. The most significant and challenging part of the afternoon was the conversation about power. Many agree that misuse of power is a major factor in religious sexual abuse. I noted that many Catholics, particularly earlier generations’ parents and grandparents, consider priests to be holier than themselves. This creates a power dynamic that complicates the clergy-layperson relationship, and I believe it can even contribute to opportunities for sexual abuse.

One person asked what Catholic seminaries were doing to teach priests about the responsibility of power and how to use it productively in their ministries. Though there were a number of people in the room who had studied in Catholic seminaries, no one was able to share any information about how seminaries are teaching about the proper use of power.

In that moment, and in others too numerous to recount here, I saw that the event was a success. Two of the stated purposes of this event were to loosen the bonds of secrecy and silence that cloud this topic and keep people polarized; and to demonstrate a model that can be replicated in other places for talking about clergy sexual misconduct and other challenging topics. I believe we created an environment where both of these purposes became transformative realities for all in attendance.

Tom Esch is president of Creating Resolution, LLC, a business that helps people have important and courageous conversations that raise awareness and catalyze interpersonal transformation. He leads training seminars, and works with individuals or groups interested in finding ways to work together more productively, especially concerning how positional and contextual power is utilized in relationships.

Talk Back to Bush
Are there issues in your community that people find difficult to discuss? Do you think your community could benefit from bringing diverse voices to the table for a facilitated conversation? We want to know what you think.

The finance guy goes back to school

Gregory Keane — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:06:23 +0000

As part of the Bush Foundation’s cross-function learning efforts, I joined the Educational Achievement Team on their April 8 site visit to the University of Minnesota, where we met with a most impressive team. The UMN is one of 14 partners working to improve their teacher training program as part of the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT). The team included College of Education and Human Development leaders plus key community partners. The team is laser focused on improving the effectiveness of the teachers they produce for K-12 classrooms in an effort to increase educational success and close achievement gaps. They have defined their effort as the Teacher Effectiveness Redesign Initiative (TERI).

It was incredibly encouraging to see this cross-discipline team working with a sense of urgency to reach that ultimate goal of better outcomes in the classroom. As CFO of the Foundation spending most of my time with finance and investments, I don’t always make enough time to experience the great projects we get to be a part of. This UMN team and improving the effectiveness of teachers are really great things.

A few of the topic areas discussed in this meeting reflect the breadth and depth of the effort:

Co-teaching—what we are learning as we go deeper
Metrics and data—measuring student and teacher performance
Increasing institution capacity for teacher mentoring and coaching
New frontiers in using technology to coach teaching candidates
Academic language and English learners—training our teachers
Spotlight on school partnerships

Likely one of my lasting impressions from the meeting is the partnership that the UMN has formed with Roosevelt High School (among others) in the Minneapolis School District. Roosevelt's academic performance is on the rise with the advent of new approaches and enthusiasm. The UMN is working closely with Roosevelt to train teacher candidates on-site to be absolutely sure that they can be effective in the Roosevelt classroom—and to be sure that all of the learning can be brought back to the U of M classroom to produce ever-better teachers. This train/learn/feedback cycle between customer (Roosevelt) and supplier (UMN) is very exciting.

It’s worth mentioning that the UMN is doing this critical teacher effectiveness work alongside several other higher education institutions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, along with institutions in other parts of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. It takes a village.

Thank you to the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development and its TERI team for hosting the meeting and for the great work they are doing to improve the effectiveness of our teachers. I hope they have a moment to pause and take note of the game-changing work they’re doing. (OK, now get back to work! No time to waste! This is really important stuff!)

Talk Back to Bush
How do you see institutions of higher education working together to increase teacher effectiveness? How do you see this work continuing into the future to maintain sustainable progress in teach effectiveness? We want to know what you think.

A community evolves with an eye toward future leaders

Darlene Macklin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:42:03 +0000

The Worthington Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a community conversation in partnership with the Bush Foundation and Twin Cities Public Television’s Redesigning MN documentary series to begin exploring our community’s ongoing battle with “generational shift.” That is, Worthington is seeing a boom in retirements among business and institutional leaders, and we are struggling to replace these leaders as we lose young people to higher education and career opportunities in other towns.

The issue of generational shift is not unique to Worthington. Statewide, the number of retirees is growing as Baby Boomers enter the next chapter of their lives, creating shifts in economic and public service demands.

But Worthington has an advantage that few other Greater Minnesota communities possess: a young and growing population. This year, 164 students graduated from Independent School District 518, and more than 1,100 kids are enrolled in our pre-kindergarten through fourth grades. Where other communities are grappling with fewer and fewer young people, we have a growing body of future leaders with family and emotional ties that will make them want to establish roots in our town. Still, we must create the community and economy that will entice them do so.

Creating a Worthington where these young people will want to start their careers and raise their families was the focus of our conversation (watch the video), and I was astounded at the response we received. The conversation attracted more than 30 people—hospital administrators and youth leaders from the high school, retirees and college students, long-time residents of Worthington and the children of immigrant families.

Together, we developed a shared understanding of the challenges presented by our generational shift, and we found a shared sense of urgency in bringing all perspectives—from all ages and ethnicities—together in search of shared solutions. We understand that solutions will require redesigning our public services to strengthen our schools, harnessing a 21^st-century workforce, encouraging housing development for renters and buyers alike, and providing community amenities that will set Worthington apart.

It’s a big task, but one with an even bigger payoff. By making Worthington attractive to young families and future leaders, we can keep our community strong and growing for generations to come.

Darlene Macklin is executive director of the Worthington Chamber of Commerce. The community conversation, co-hosted by the Chamber, was one of three community conversations sponsored by the Bush Foundation to support emerging redesign conversations at various stages in communities across Minnesota. The events were filmed by Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) to support its Redesigning MN documentary series.

Talk Back to Bush
What challenges do your community face as more and more people retire or move away to pursue educational and career opportunities? How is your community coming together in search of shared solutions? We want to know what you think.

Proving the power of teacher effectiveness through value-added measurement

Stacy Duffield — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:40:48 +0000

In 2010, the Bush Foundation challenged 14 teacher preparation programs in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota to join the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT). The first three years of this partnership have been filled with planning, trial and error and much success, and it is exciting to be coming to a point in the project where we are able to see results. Our preparation programs have been changed—we approach the recruiting of future teachers in different ways, and we now see teacher preparation as extending beyond graduation with support into the first years of teaching.

As I reflect on where we are right now, the meetings with our K-12 school partners and the Value Added Research Center (VARC) stand out as being particularly impactful. The Bush Foundation contracted with VARC to help the NExT institutions determine the effectiveness of their graduates in supporting K-12 student learning. As an added benefit, VARC meets annually with regional K-12 administrators to provide value-added reports based upon state standardized test scores. Value-added reports go beyond the typical attainment model currently used by schools to account for variables not within a teacher’s control such as poverty (receiving free or reduced-cost lunch) or English Language Learner (ELL) status. Value-added scores allow educators to see how much impact a teacher has had in helping students grow from one year to the next.

A few months ago, I was sitting with a group of K-12 principals who were reviewing their schools’ value-added reports. One principal was from a school that serves predominantly upper-middle class neighborhoods. Very few students in this school qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch, and there is a low ELL population. Another principal was from a school where many students receive free or reduced-cost lunch, and there is a high ELL population. As might be expected, the report for the school serving the well-to-do students showed high achievement scores. The school with the high poverty population had much lower achievement, but their value-added ratings were quite high—higher than those from the wealthy school. The principal from the wealthy school noted how low her value-added ratings were and how high her colleague’s ratings were. She commented that she needed to meet with him to find out what was going on at his school, because they must be doing a lot of things right to get these kinds of results. She wanted to know what she could be doing in her school to have both high achievement and high value-added ratings.

This conversation struck me for several reasons. First, the educators in the high-need school are able to be recognized for their hard work and success. When we only look at traditional achievement measures, we miss the extraordinary learning that may be happening just because scores may not yet achieve what is determined to be “proficient.” Second, through interaction among schools, these educators may also be able to reach beyond their school to positively impact practices in other schools. Third, as a faculty member in a teacher preparation program, I am excited by the opportunity that exists for my teacher candidates. Partnering with diverse and successful schools like the one described above offers our future teachers the chance to learn from veteran teachers who are making a difference and supporting high levels of learning with their students.

Soon, we will also be able to see the impact the graduates of our newly designed teacher preparation programs are making on their own students. In addition to the value-added measures, the 14 institutions of the NExT initiative have collaboratively designed and implemented measures to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs, including an Exit Survey for student teachers, a Transition to Teaching Survey for first-year graduates, and an employer survey for the principals who hire our teachers. Through this common metric work, we have had the opportunity to examine teacher preparation beyond our university walls to the impact our graduates are having on K-12 student learning, where it matters the most.

Stacy Duffield began her education career as a middle level and high school English teacher. Her graduate degrees include a master’s in reading education and a Ph.D. in secondary and higher education. Currently, she is a faculty member in the Teacher Education initial and advanced programs at NDSU (North Dakota State University). She also serves as assessment and program coordinator for the Teacher Education programs. Her main teaching and research interests lie in middle level education and teacher preparation. Stacy lives in Fargo, ND, with her husband, Jeff, and their three teenagers: Jace, Brenan and Cory Ann.

Talk Back to Bush
What do you think the most beneficial aspect of “value-added” is? How would you suggest using the “value-added” results to continue work focused on closing the education achievement gap? We want to know what you think.

Donors “click” with charities, give record $3.6 million on Giving Hearts Day

Julie Haugen — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:14:58 +0000

Six years ago, the Impact Foundation and Dakota Medical Foundation, which serve North Dakota and western Minnesota, were testing uncharted waters. We had a newly minted website to process online donations for charities of the region. Around a hundred organizations were set up on impactgiveback.org to raise funds online and gain exposure, when a staff member came up with the idea for a “Giving Hearts” day.

The idea was simple: tap into the abundant love and generosity of Valentine’s Day to inspire online charity donations in a 24-hour give-a-thon.

Remember that while online giving has steadily grown in the U.S., it was hardly mainstream in 2008.

We had 40 nonprofit partners eager to test the idea. They asked donors to contribute $10 or more at impactgiveback.org on February 14. Dakota Medical Foundation matched up to $4,000. We were pleased when, in the inaugural year, Giving Hearts Day raised $325,000 through 1,350 online donations. In 2012, we were elated when the event topped $1 million.

With 2013 Giving Hearts Day behind us, we’re still pinching ourselves at the staggering numbers: an 83% increase in donations. Gifts to 179 charities in North Dakota and western Minnesota reached $3,679,665! One veteran organization in the Fargo-Moorhead area singlehandedly raised $249,000.

The other part of this success story has to do with organizations that were new to Giving Hearts Day. Support from the Bush Foundation played a role in some nonprofits’ fundraising success, particularly in parts of the state where participation had been low in previous years. A Foundation grant supported both fundraising training for charities and advertising for Giving Hearts Day that raised new public awareness of charities in Bismarck and Minot.

Thirteen Bismarck charities and five Minot charities joined together to raise $147,388 and $29,970 respectively over the 24 hours. We’ll be presenting achievement awards of $3,000, $1,500 and $500 to these top fundraisers in western North Dakota. (Yes, these charities were motivated to succeed through our little competitive challenge, too!)

While a few Bismarck charities had one year of Giving Hearts Day experience under their belt, it was the first year for most, and for all five Minot charities. Their first-year numbers were typical of results in the Fargo-Moorhead area in 2008, so things look bright for continued growth in the future.

We’re very proud of the fundraising by newcomer charities in Bismarck and Minot. It was exciting to watch them band together to create a loud chorus of voices to generate enthusiasm for charitable giving. Gov. Jack Dalrymple and First Lady Betsy Dalrymple supported the effort by broadcasting from the state capitol building and proclaiming February 14 as Giving Hearts Day in North Dakota.

Here are a few lessons learned:

All boats rise when we work together. Donors typically give to more than one charity on Giving Hearts Day, some giving to dozens.
Fundraising training is an investment with tremendous return. Nonprofits that have built this their fundraising capacity ultimately are vastly better prepared to serve their communities.
Acceptance for online giving is growing among people of all ages and giving capacities. It may yet account for fewer than 10% of the dollars collected by charities in the U.S., but ignoring this giving channel denies an organization a valuable pipeline of new donors. Typically, charities find that a third of their Giving Hearts donors are contributing to their organization for the first time.

Julie Haugen, MPA, is the director of Impact Foundation’s Institute. Julie led the development of the online giving website www.impactgiveback.org and has helped build Giving Hearts Day into the premier online giving event in the region. In 2012, Julie was selected as one of Prairie Business Magazine’s 40 Under 40.

Talk Back to Bush
How can charities in your city or region inspire and cultivate more giving? How have you partnered with other organizations to increase your impact? We want to know what you think.