Philanthropy as an Export: The annual Transatlantic Community Foundation Network plenary meeting took place in Newcastle (England) March 28 - April 2, 2003, despite the Iraq-war. Community Foundation experts from the USA, Canada, Mexico and 10 European Countries came together, hosted by the Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, Europe's most successful Community Foundation (33 Mio. Euro in assets). The TCFN-conference gives strong evidence for the consistency and reliability of the Transatlantic relations on the level of Community Foundations. These feelings were emphasized by Sir John Weston, former British ambassador to the UN and NATO, in his Dinner Speech. Sir John is now chairman of the Community Foundation Network UK. Currently 46 Community Foundations from 14 different countries are members of TCFN. During the past decade the Community Foundation concept has spread rapidly around the globe. Although first invented in the US, its no longer a uniquely American concept. Much of the growth in continental Europe has taken place in Germany, thanks in part to the Bertelsmann Foundation which established Germany's first Community Foundation in its hometown of Gutersloh -- since then 46 Community Foundations have been established. The results of the network are published on TCFN's website .

America's Most Prestigious Boards: Make no mistake, serving on the board of directors of a charitable institution is special. But what if you also had the opportunity to serve with the likes of actor Denzel Washington, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, or FedEx Founder and CEO Fred Smith? Worth magazine interviewed dozens of experts in the 20 largest metropolitan areas to compile a list of the 100 most prestigious nonprofit boards of directors. Worth is currently redesigning their website, so we have included the list of the nonprofits. A complete description of the institutions can be found in Worth’s March 2003 edition.

GuideStar Expands Horizons: Buzz Schmidt, and his new executive team at GuideStar have been very busy as of late, offering a new high-tech charity screening service, and a British version of their service.

The Barnes Fails While Peers Thrive: Millionaire art collectors Albert C. Barnes, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Henry Clay Frick had this in common: Each formed a world-class collection that subsequently became a public museum. All three are world-renowned, and each is distinctive and compelling in a way that reflects the personality and taste of its founder. The Gardner and the Frick, established with enlightened and public-spirited philanthropy, did not have their founder trying to administer them from the grave, as the Barnes did. As donors contemplate their philanthropic legacy, this article by the Philadelphia Inquirer's art critic Edward J. Sozanski provides a cautionary tale of how good intentions went bad, resulting in disastrous consequences for the Barnes Musuem and its future.

Giving Benefits Corporate Bottom Line: Companies have a symbiotic relationship with their communities that extends well beyond the factory floors and board rooms. Unfortunately the trend has been to reduce their corporate philanthropy. I have always believed that if you went to a shareholder's meeting, and polled the audience as to what percentage of pre-tax profits should go to charity (5%, 10% or 15%) the majority would select one of the two higher numbers. But wait...the average company only gives 1.2% of their pre-tax dollars to charity! So if shareholders even selected 5%, we would increase corporate philanthropy fourfold!

This is not to chastise corporate America. Their ultimate responsibility is to provide well-paying jobs and stable employment. But if your typical Fortune 500 company took a small percentage of the compensation paid to their CEOs and senior executives and directed it toward philanthropic endeavors that improve the communities in which they and their employees reside, would result in a more attractive economic and social environment to retain and attract prospective employees.

If you don't believe me, Harvard professor Michael Porter and Mark Kramer, a business consultant and cofounder of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, present compelling evidence in their report, "The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy." (this is a pdf file, you need Adobe Acrobat to view). If you want to read a nice summary, read this article from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Want more...visit Professor Porter's Initiative for a Competitive Inner-City, or read another piece featured by Wachovia.