Welcome to the Fourth Generation!

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Robyn Schein

As you have seen through this blog, over the last few years the Minneapolis Foundation has been experimenting with how to honor our history while being responsive to the changing field of philanthropy.  We have been looking for an effective way to reach out to young professionals, who we’ve found are more charitable than ever before but choose to give more collectively, with time and with impact.

I am excited to introduce a new initiative called Fourth Generation to help foster the next wave of charitable givers to make an impact in our community. The Minneapolis Foundation was founded in 1915 and this group truly represents the fourth generation of those committed to making a difference through the Foundation.

Who can participate?

Mid-career professionals interested in learning, doing, and giving through engaged philanthropy in our community are welcome.  By being part of the Fourth Generation you can:

  • Contribute and participate in the Fourth Generation Fund and get hands-on experience in strategic giving;
  • Gain access to community leadership and community knowledge through educational lunches with peers; and
  • Receive special invitations to Minneapolis Foundation events.

What is the Fourth Generation Fund?

The Fourth Generation Fund came about as an evolution of the long standing partnership between The Minneapolis Foundation and Community Capital Alliance.  Community Capital Alliance historically operated as a giving circle for young professionals, and we’re using that model for the Fourth Generation Fund.

As an all-volunteer run organization, Community Capital Alliance needed some assistance with operations in order to let members do the part they love best – grantmaking!  At the same time the Foundation was looking to formalize its offerings to young professionals.  So this was the perfect opportunity for us to join forces.

How does it work?

Members pool their resources (time and money!), learn about a community issue that they decide to collectively support, identify nonprofits working in that field, and invest in an organization effectively addressing the issue.  Through the process, members will gain access to The Minneapolis Foundation’s expertise and connections to community leaders and best practices in giving. (read here for more description of the giving circle)

Join us!

We will be officially kicking off Fourth Generation and the program year for the Fourth Generation Fund on Tuesday, September 21.  If you want to stay informed and consider getting involved us on Facebook.

Watch this video (click here or on the picture) to learn more about Fourth Generation from me (Robyn Schein) and Joe Mosher, Chair of the Fourth Generation Fund

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Fourth Generation of the At the Table Blog

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Robyn Schein

At the Table was our pilot program to test interest in The Minneapolis Foundation by the next generation. Based on interest, participation, and feedback over the last year we are excited to launch Fourth Generation (see here for more details on Fourth Generation.)

This blog, of course, was a critical part of the pilot and with the kick-off of Fourth Generation this blog will soon also be getting an update – a new kick-off of its own!  We are working on a new look to match our new name, so stay tuned.  The blog will also make its way to a new home on The Minneapolis Foundation’s new website which will be launching soon.  That is a lot of “news” for now, but we hope you’ll be patient as this transition takes place. We think it will be worth it.

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Watch, Listen and Comment – Next Minnesota Meeting

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Robyn Schein

I am excited to share with you and opportunity to watch, listen and comment on an important issue.

The Minneapolis Foundation is bringing together national and local community leaders to discuss the future of education in Minnesota.  Co-sponsored by the Itasca Project and the Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi Foundation for Children, you can participate in a live web broadcast of the next Minnesota Meeting  on Thursday, June 10th from 3-4:30.  Click here to register.

We are partnering with Twin Cities Public Television for this special Minnesota Meeting event. It will be broadcast live on the web from TPT (before a small studio audience) and will later air on TPT’s Minnesota Channel.

The featured speaker will be Alex Johnston, chief executive officer of ConnCAN, widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading state-level education reform organizations. Mr. Johnston has led ConnCAN’s effort to advocate for state policies that will ensure every Connecticut child has access to a great public school. In 2009, ConnCAN achieved three major legislative victories, including overhauling the state’s teacher certification rules.

Mr. Johnston will share his wisdom and experience around education reform efforts in Connecticut. Following his remarks with a panel and audience discussion of educational reform efforts in Minnesota, including a reflection on the outcomes of the recent legislative session.

Minnesota’s long-term vitality requires an education system that is flexible and innovative, in which every child has an equal chance to succeed. We are looking forward to an insightful dialogue around the future of education in Minnesota.

Contribute to the Conversation

Weigh in on the state of education in Minnesota on the Minnesota Meeting blog. You’ll see some interesting posts already by Mary Brainerd, Chair of the Itasca Project, Al Fan, Executive Director of Charter School Partners, and our own CEO, Sandy Vargas.

Not Available June 10?

The webcast will be available for download and rebroadcast after the meeting. Please be sure to watch MinnesotaMeeting.com for updates.

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Learning and Giving

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Robyn Schein

Recently Community Capital Alliance (CCA)  celebrated the culmination of their program year by presenting a grant of $5,000 to the Walk-In Counseling Center. As I have shared before (check out this post), CCA is a partner of The Minneapolis Foundation and provides an experiential learning opportunity for young professionals about philanthropy.

For the last nine months CCA members focused on the topic of health care access. Members were charged with discovering and meeting a variety of nonprofit organizations that work in the health care field throughout the Twin Cities. Through a process of research, proposal review, site visits and much deliberation, members selected the Walk-In Counseling Center as this year’s grant recipient.

Walk-In Counseling Center is based in South Minneapolis and is the only counseling center in the nation to use large numbers of volunteer professionals working in teams to deliver immediate counseling to people in urgent need – free of charge. Any individual who enters the center is guaranteed to be seen – there are no barriers of price, paperwork or process. They utilize nearly 150 volunteer social workers and psychologists to provide services to over 1500 clients. This equates to over 5,000 counseling sessions and 2,000 phone consultations. The Center is believed to have the largest number of mental health volunteer professionals working under one roof in the world. Thanks to their skilled volunteer base, the Center operates with a talented, yet lean staff. At their own admission, they also have been operating with an outdated phone system. The $5,000 from CCA will pay for an upgrade to their phone system which will allow them to improve their communications to their valued volunteers and clients. Staff and Board members of the Walk-In Counseling Center graciously accepted the grant and expressed their gratitude to CCA not just for the funds, but also for their interest in learning about health care and the mental health field.

CCA presented the grant at a reception hosted by last year’s grant recipient, African Development Center.

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Sports, Policy, and the Common Good

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Robyn Schein

Cat Beltmann
Cat Beltmann is the Citizens League membership coordinator and has worked for the Citizens League since June of 2008.

On Tuesday, April 13th the Citizens League and the Minneapolis Foundation hosted a joint roundtable discussion with Lester Bagley, Vice President of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Vikings. Both the Citizens League and the Minneapolis Foundation have very similar roundtable event series – The Inter-Generational Roundtable Series and At the Table – and this event represented a unique intersection.

While it was great to learn about the ways the Vikings are involved in the community, as one might suspect, during the question and answer part of the program a lot of questions surrounded the proposed new Stadium. The Vikings have been working over time lobbying elected officials trying to gain support for their stadium bill. They’ve also been talking to the people, businesses, and organizations in the communities that will be impacted if a new stadium were to be built.
Lester Bagley
The Citizens League is a non-partisan, multi-issue, member funded policy organization based in St. Paul, and we study policy topics that impact Minnesota and Minnesotans. We have a unique approach to policy research and development in that we believe it’s important to bring those affected by an issue to the table to help identify a problem and propose solutions.

In the case of the Vikings Stadium, we are all impacted by the professional sports teams in Minnesota. Whether you attend a Twins or Vikings game, live in the same neighborhood as one of the stadiums, are part of a non-profit that players volunteer with, or just happen to get stuck in the pre-or-post game traffic on 35W. We might not ever come to a consensus on whether we should use public funds to pay for this stadium, but what’s important to remember is that we all need to play a part in the discussion. A key principle of the Citizens League is believing in the power and potential of all Citizens to impact policy. We all have the ability to gain an understanding of complicated public problems, of imagining innovative and effective policy solutions. And we can all govern for the common good.
At the Table event
The responsibility for making the stadium decision doesn’t just rest with our elected officials. It’s important that we provide feedback to them on what we feel the right or wrong decision is. Elected officials and the Vikings are also responsible for reaching out to those who will be impacted by the decision, whether the impact will be positive or negative, to engage them in a dialogue. Every Minnesotan is a policy maker and has the ability to affect policy decisions.

So what was my take-away from our discussion with Lester? We all have a responsibility to be involved with the debates that are taking place at the capital, no matter what the topic is. The only way to develop sound policy is by bringing those affected by a problem to the table. We are all responsible for finding the common ground in policy decisions so we can all achieve the common good.

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Sports, Stadiums, and Philanthropy

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Robyn Schein

Nick Scheibel
This post is by Nick Scheibel, Fund Administration Associate at The Minneapolis Foundation. In addition to managing Donor Advised grants for the foundation, Nick is a Cheesehead who has (mostly) adapted to life in Minnesota.

When it comes to professional sports teams and the community, it seems that everyone has an opinion. For many people, the local team is the definition of community. Putting on your favorite player’s jersey and spending an afternoon at the stadium or at a local sports bar with hundreds or thousands of like-minded fans can inspire a sense of belonging and develop shared bonds.

Vikings Planting Trees
But for others, professional sports reek of elitism and greed. Tickets to games are often prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest fans, and billionaire owners often plead for public assistance to build new stadiums, despite their ample means. In many cases, distaste for professional sports comes down to the individual players, who reap huge financial rewards for their performance, but may not give back to the communities that support them.

Last year an online debate was held on the issue of athletes giving back. Sports stars such as Mario Lemieux and Warrick Dunn argued both sides of the question: do professional athletes have an obligation to give back to the community? Unsurprisingly, no athletes publicly made the case that giving was not necessary, but some did say that they should not feel obligated to the communities in which they play.

Locally, the Minnesota Vikings have been involved in an ongoing debate over public financing for a new stadium. Several financing options have been explored, but at this time no consensus has been reached. Governor Pawlenty recently proposed using lottery proceeds to help finance a facility.

I have been a sports fan my whole life. As an avid supporter of the Green Bay Packers, I have always felt that my team keeps me connected to my home state. My annual trips to Lambeau Field are one of the highlights of my year. I can relate to Vikings fans who would do anything to keep their team in Minneapolis. However, as a taxpayer, I can also relate to those who do not wish to see any of our state’s already stretched resources go to a sports franchise.

Working in philanthropy, I have also been exposed to some of the great things Vikings players have done to support our community. The E. J. Henderson Youth Foundation provides holistic opportunities to urban youth, and earned Henderson the Vikings 2009 Community Man of the Year Award. Former Vikings star Alan Page is a founder of the Page Education Foundation.
Lester Bagley
In light of the many issues surrounding professional sports teams and the Vikings, we have invited Lester Bagley, Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development for the Minnesota Vikings, to join At the Table for a discussion of the Vikings role in the community. This event is co‑hosted by the Citizen’s League and will be held at The Minneapolis Foundation on April 13, 2010. Please click here for more information about the event and to register online.

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On Life as a Philanthropy Professional

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Robyn Schein


Jeneen Hartley Sago is a Program Officer at Family Philanthropy Advisors; a national boutique firm that manages and advises families on their philanthropic giving. She also serves as co-chair of the Minnesota chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.

I can’t stop thinking about a recent MinnPost article about how workers aged 30 and younger have unusually high unemployment rates these days and how recruiters fear that a whole generation of future workers will not get the proper experience to be effective in the workforce. (Gen Y’ Feeling Left Out of Job Market, Causing Big Problem for Them—and for Business World, Recruiter Says)

Perhaps I shouldn’t comment on this as I am of the Gen-X generation (and the very top end, at that) and according to an article I read about a month ago we Gen-Xers are supposed to be the lost/jealous generation between those traditional Baby Boomers and those nonconformist Gen-Yers. (Who comes up with this stuff?) But comment I will.

I graduated college in 1995 which means Mac computers were square and beige and, like now, jobs were hard to come by upon graduation. I suppose there were those of us who worried about what they were going to do without direct access to entry-level jobs at Target, General Mills or Anderson Consulting, but I recall that many of us didn’t want to be trapped in the employment ways of our parents and were happy (eventually) to be spun out in the abyss of the employment unknown.

I recall an unprecedented number of people in my class joined the Peace Corps, or a stateside or faith-based version of it. Some took low-paying internships at social service agencies or dot-com start-ups. Some continued their schooling and some joined Teach for America. Being denied the traditional routes, we chose journeys that were guided by our passions and therefore ignited our energies and helped us develop a fuller understanding of the world.

Myself, I chose Lutheran Volunteer Corps. I spent my first year out of college working to shape welfare legislation. I attended Congressional hearings on Capitol Hill, met with public advocacy organizations, coordinated advocacy and lobbying efforts and wrote a weekly newsletter for the Coalition on Human Needs – all for about $70 a month (if I remember correctly) to spend on groceries and entertainment (rent was paid by LVC). Entertainment quickly became spending evenings at home talking with my housemates about issues that came up while they worked with the homeless, the hungry and the sick.

During those couple of years out of college I learned so many lessons that I continue to use every day —both real-world and workforce lessons. I believe I learned more about effective communication, technology, operations and about how the world, organizations and people work than I could have anywhere else. Not finding a traditional job after graduating college was the best thing that happened to me, as I learned to work effectively with people, on projects, and in environments I never would have encountered had I been welcomed into the warm and open arms of traditional employment. I am a much better employee and leader now because of it.

So never-fear, Baby-Boomers, I think our companies, agencies, organizations and governments will be okay—if not better—by allowing this latest group of graduates to gather their workforce experience by forging their own unique path through life.

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Active Volunteerism

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Robyn Schein

Jeanna Hensler

Jeanna Hensler has been working at The Minneapolis Foundation since October 2006. She worked in the Community Philanthropy Department for two years and currently holds a position in the Development and Client Services Department. She spends her time with The Wildcat Sanctuary as an on-site and special events volunteer and with Retrieve A Golden of Minnesota (RAGOM) as the Volunteer Meeting & Training Coordinator and as an Intake volunteer.

If your calendar’s anything like mine, free time is almost impossible to find. But of all the activities that jam my calendar, volunteer days are one of my favorites.  Many of us support our favorite organizations and causes with cold hard cash, but volunteerism is a particularly generous way to personally connect to the people and causes that you love.

For the past 3 years, I’ve been spending time as a volunteer, playing several different roles with several different organizations.  The cause that is nearest to my heart is animal welfare.  After 8 years working in the field, I decided to make a career shift but didn’t want to lose my connection to animals and the animal welfare work in which I had been so deeply involved.  Volunteerism was a natural choice.

I chose to take a volunteer position with The Wildcat Sanctuary, a group that I worked along side during my career as an animal shelter director.  I chose this group because I was already familiar with the work of the Sanctuary and because they have a reputation as a leader in their field.  Most of us have some idea of where we would like to spend our time, but if you aren’t sure, there are number of resources available to help you find your way.  Check out websites for Volunteers of America, Volunteer Match, HandsOn Twin Cities, and even Craig’s List.  Just as it is important to understand the mission, philosophy, and financial health of an organization that you would donate dollars to, it is equally important to understand these aspects of an organization when you are considering donating your time and energy. Taking the time to “interview” and research a prospective organization before accepting a volunteer position is a great way to ensure that you will find a fit that will be prosperous and long-lasting.

While the commitment of a volunteer isn’t as binding or as time consuming as that of an employee, it is important for volunteers to take their positions seriously and to honor their volunteer commitments.  There are so many non-profits that depend on the time, energy and expertise of volunteers to fulfill their missions. Often times the bulk of the work falls into the laps of a few, fiercely dedicated volunteers.  When you find a position with an organization that suits you, set expectations for your contribution and don’t feel like you have to do it all.  Remember, volunteering should be fun; it should make you feel good about how you spend your time; it should be a contribution; it will be rewarding.  One of the best contributions you can make to an organization and to your community is to be a dependable and dedicated volunteer.

Get out there!

Find what motivates you!

Make a difference!

And do it all out of the goodness of your heart!

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Corporate Volunteerism

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Robyn Schein

Katy Friesz
This post is by Katherine E. Friesz, Manager of Community Relations for Ameriprise Financial. Her work focuses on engaging more than 10,000 financial advisors, nationwide, in community involvement through effective communications and relationship building.

I work in corporate philanthropy, and one particularly rewarding aspect of my job is helping our employees engage with the community through volunteerism. And if there’s one metropolitan area where you’d want to be a volunteer leader, it’s Minneapolis-St. Paul.
  • In 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service ranked Minneapolis-St. Paul #1 in volunteerism for the second consecutive year, with 38.4% of its population volunteering.
  • Our state ranks third in volunteerism, which translates to 1.6 million Minnesotans who contributed nearly 170 million hours of service from 2006 to 2008, valued at $3.4 billion of service, according to the Independent Sector’s estimated dollar value of volunteer time.

OK, so we’ve got statistics to prove we’re above average. But that’s not the end of the story when it comes to volunteering.

Every year, around this time, I’m reminded of the unlimited potential of volunteerism. My colleagues and I are gearing up for National Volunteer Week in April. Meanwhile, the Fifth Annual HandsOn Twin Cities Volunteer Expo recently connected more than 130 area nonprofit organizations with the thousand or so visitors who frequent the Mall of America (MOA) on any given Saturday.

I’m no stranger to the MOA; its proximity to my South Minneapolis home and LRT access often make it my most convenient shopping destination. For the past couple of years, I have represented the Corporate Volunteerism Council – Twin Cities at the volunteer expo, and I can tell you that the energy in the mall is somehow changed for those few hours. Yes, the positive energy has much to do with the line-up of talented local community groups performing on the HandsOn stage and the participating nonprofits’ tireless dedication to strengthening our communities, but the impromptu conversations are really what get me.

At the Corporate Volunteerism Council booth, my exchanges with passersby usually begin with them scanning our member list, then telling me about the great time they had volunteering with their colleagues at work and the important need their company’s nonprofit partners meet. (Music to a corporate volunteer manager’s ears!) Many employers use volunteerism as a teambuilding and retention tool, and, increasingly, skills-based volunteerism, which leverages a person’s specific talents and training, is finding its way into professional development plans and performance reviews around the world.

The conversations eventually turn to other ways in which these people give back – maybe as a mentor, a coach or through their faith community – on their personal time and why they volunteer. Suddenly the statistics have names, the power and potential of giving by doing are personified, and HandsOn’s (and Gandhi’s) call to “Be the Change” walks among us.

The year is still young. Challenge yourself to volunteer. Together, we can effect change – one person at a time.

Related links:

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The State of Minnesota Nonprofits

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Robyn Schein

With so much attention being placed on the economy today, I was very interested to hear from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits on the economic state of Minnesota’s nonprofit sector. John Pratt, Executive Director, and Ruth Duran Deffley, Membership and Chapter Coordinator visited our office to present the 2009 Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report and the December 2009 Nonprofit Current Conditions Report.

While the Nonprofit Economy Report utilizes macro data from 2008 to assess trends, the Current Conditions report analyzes results from a survey conducted in the first week of December that was completed by 639 organizations representing 32,589 staff and a combined budget of $2.5 billion. The purpose of the survey is to compliment the Nonprofit Economy Report with quick, real-time analysis of the challenges nonprofits experienced in the last year.

Fortunately the nonprofit sector has not experienced the same magnitude of unemployment as the for-profit sector. The nonprofit sector employs 11% of employees across the state. In 2008 this represented one out of every nine workers in the state. The healthcare industry continues to represent the largest portion of employees. In 2009, nonprofits chose several measures to weather the recession. 32% reduced their number of employees, 52% implemented hiring and/or salary freezes, and 25% have reduced employee benefits. The larger the organization the more likely it was to have cut employee benefits.

Demand for services has increased in recent years particularly in the areas of mental health and crisis intervention, food and/or housing, and employment and jobs. Meanwhile organizations saw a decline in revenue. Organizations most frequently reporting declining revenue were environment related, education and employment and jobs. A few bright lights for the sector appeared in individual giving. 21% of organizations reported an increase in donations from individual donors compared to 2008. A significant factor was GiveMN.org’s “Give to the Max Day” which raised $14 million in charitable donations in one day.

Minnesota’s nonprofits also benefitted from Federal stimulus dollars. Of the respondents to the Current Conditions Report, 30% applied for stimulus funding and 53% were successful in receiving funds. Employment and job related organizations and food or housing organizations were most likely to receive funding. 64% have used the funds to retain existing staff and 50% have hired new employees.

There have been some closings of long-time organizations and mergers, but not at the rate locally that was predicted by national leaders. As John and Ruth spoke it was clear that the Minnesota nonprofits are a hearty bunch. Cutting where needed, relying on volunteers and a strong commitment to their mission, organizations are pulling through and are optimistic about 2010.

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