The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park, California, has announced the results of its new Grantee Perception Report, which was prepared for the foundation by the Center for Effective Philanthropy in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For the report, the foundation’s third grantee perception report since 2003, CEP received five hundred and seventy completed survey responses from the foundation’s grantees and used them to compare Hewlett to other large foundations, the foundation world overall, and to survey responses provided by Hewlett grantees in 2006. According to the findings, grantees gave the foundation high marks for achieving its goals but wished it did more to communicate those goals and its strategies for achieving them to grant recipients.

In the latest survey, grantees rated Hewlett higher than average for large private foundations on several important measures such as impact on grantee organizations, influence on public policy, and understanding of grantees’ goals and strategies. When it came to communicating its goals and strategies, however, the foundation scored below the median rating.

Hewlett president Paul Brest noted that a 20 percent change in the grantees’ primary contacts at the foundation in the six months preceding the survey may have played a role in the rating, but he acknowledged that those surveyed also indicated that written materials received from the foundation were not always consistent with program officers’ messages, and that those messages sometimes varied depending on who they spoke with.

“The relationship between funder and grant recipient is an inherently unequal one, and these anonymous surveys offer an invaluable tool for us to learn and improve,” said Brest, who added that the foundation would incorporate what it had learned in its decision making. “This works to the advantage not just of funders and grantees but of those who ultimately benefit from the grants.”

“Recipients of Hewlett Grants Rate the Foundation.” William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Press Release 11/20/09.


Source: Philanthropy News Digest

Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leading national breast cancer awareness organization, has resigned. The departure was announced just three days after the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its controversial updated mammogram guidelines.

The organization did not announce plans for selecting Moddelmog’s long-term replacement. Komen Founder and Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker will take a more active leadership role in conjunction with the board of directors and senior leadership, according to a statement from the organization.

Komen spokesperson Emily Callahan said that Brinker has already taken a very active role, especially handling media requests to comment on the revised guidelines, as has Eric P. Winer, M.D., Komen’s chief scientific advisor.

Callahan said that Moddelmog decided to resign for personal reasons and to spend more time with family, especially since Komen is based in Dallas and Moddelmog’s home is in Atlanta. Callahan said the resignation did not have anything to do with the new guidelines.

Sources told The NonProfit Times that Moddelmog had a few months left on a three-year contract. There was a regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday (12/17) and she was gone by the end of that meeting, according to sources. Staff was told at 4:30 p.m. that day that she had resigned.

The sources said that the departure was not about the new mammogram guidelines but overall direction of the organization. Messages to Moddelmog have been unanswered.

USPSTF released its modified guidelines regarding mammograms on Monday to update its prior guidelines made in 2002. The newest guidelines include advising against routine screening mammography in women 40 to 49 years old, partially due to the increased number of false positives in that age demographic, but said the “decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 years should be an individual one and take patient context into account.” Prior guidelines recommended routine screening for women 40 years and older.

The USPSTF also recommended biennial screening for women ages 50 to 74 instead of the prior position for annual screenings. USPSTF also advised against teaching breast self-examination.

The Komen Scientific Advisory Board posted its perspective about the USPSTF recommendations on Komen’s Web site, which acknowledged “a longstanding debate” about age and frequency of examinations, but recommended that “as with all screening tests, the decision to perform a mammogram must include an evaluation of the benefits and the risks of the screening tool, as well as a consideration of patient preference.”

The perspective also included, “We want to eliminate any impediments to regular mammography screening for women age 40 and older. It is our view, however, that the exact timing of assessments is less important than guaranteeing access to screening. New screening approaches and more individualized recommendations for breast cancer screening are urgently needed. Susan G. Komen for the Cure supports research initiatives designed to improve screening, and we believe that it is imperative that this research move forward rapidly.”

Atlanta, Ga-based American Cancer Society (ACS) has taken a stronger stance against the USPSTF guidelines. ACS Chief Medical Officer Otis W. Brawley, M.D., said in a statement that the organization continues to recommend annual screening mammography and clinical breast examination for all women beginning at age 40.

“Hala deserves tremendous praise for the work she has done in elevating the organization and the cause, especially the strengthening of our affiliate grassroots efforts – the backbone of Susan G. Komen for the Cure,” said Alexine Clement Jackson, chairperson of organization’s board of directors, in a statement. “The organization is incredibly strong financially and operationally and is poised for tremendous growth.”



In a statement released by the organization, Moddelmog said: “As a breast cancer survivor myself, I have said since the day I joined Komen that I consider this job as a gift…to give back to the breast cancer movement that has saved so many lives. … I feel the same today and remain committed to doing all I can to help end breast cancer forever.”

Moddelmog succeeded Susan Braun as president and CEO in September 2006. During Moddelmog’s tenure, Komen For the Cure has continued to grow and be among the largest nonprofits in the nation. Total revenue among its 125 affiliates was $242 million for the Fiscal Year Ending March 2006 compared to $305 million for the Fiscal Year Ending March 2008, according to the most recent available tax forms. Last year, she earned almost $482,000 in total compensation as president and CEO.

A former Fortune 500 executive, Moddelmog also is a breast cancer survivor. During her time at Komen, the organization established the Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Scientific Advisory Board and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Promise Fund.

A pioneer in cause marketing and event fundraising, the organization was known as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation since its inception in 1982 until a rebranding and renaming effort in conjunction with its 25th anniversary.

Prior to joining the Komen, Moddelmog was founder and CEO of Catalytic Ventures, a private equity firm that consulted and invested in the food service industry. She was the first woman in corporate America to lead an international Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand in 1995 when she was appointed president of Church’s Chicken, a division of Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises. She subsequently led Church’s to record sales and profit performance. She also held executive management and marketing positions at Church’s Chicken, Arby’s Franchise Association and BellSouth.

Moddelmog served on the boards of Leadership Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Foundation, B.B. King Museum Foundation and Women Looking Ahead magazine. She is a recipient of the Women’s Foodservice Forum Emerging Leader Award, the International Franchise Association Bonny LeVine Award, the Restaurant Hospitality Rising Star Award and the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice Pacesetter Award. She received the Women of Achievement Award in 2003 from the YMCA of Greater Atlanta.


Source: NonProfit Times - By Michele Donohue and Mark Hrywna

United Way Silicon Valley is helping nonprofits and its own bottom line by making office space available in its San Jose building.

Gary Rummelhoff, United Way’s CFO and vice president of operations, said there’s been “an increase in new tenant activity this year because nonprofits are looking for affordable options, prefer to associate with other community organizations and enjoy the benefits of the building’s central location and large meeting rooms.”

The four-story building at 1922 The Alameda has 12 tenants currently, Rummelhoff said. The primary tenant, the YMCA, takes up the entire third floor but will soon move out because of its merger with Mid-Peninsula YMCA.

Rummelhoff said the agency is in talks with four prospective tenants at the moment. While rates can vary, a standard package — a 42-month deal — includes six months’ free rent to entice potential tenants. From that point on, rentals can range from about $1.55 per square foot to $1.60. Comparable spaces in the area can go for as much as $2 per square foot, he said.

Source: Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal - by Elizabeth Kim

The Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation was awarded $1.25 million by the U.S. Department of Labor to be used to support job training for expanding green industries and related occupations.

Florida’s training grant was part of $55 million in green job grants announced today by U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The grant funds were authorized as part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Two types of grants were awarded Wednesday:

Green capacity building grants totaling $5.8 million that are designed to increase the training capacity of 62 current Labor Department grant recipients. Targeted groups include American Indians, women, at-risk youth and farm workers.

State labor market information improvement grants totaling $48.8 million that will help connect job seekers with clean industry industries after completing job training.

Other Florida groups that received grants include the Urban League of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, $100,000; and the Florida Institute for Workforce Innovation Inc. in Melrose, $100,000.

Meanwhile, in Central Florida, green industry has been a hot topic lately. A study released in October by Orange County showed the four-county metro region could grow its economy and become the nation’s “cleantech hub” by funding its own green grants and launching a new business incubator aimed at growing green companies.

“When it comes to cleantech, I think we’re talking about the next big thing,” said Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty.

Source: Orlando Business Chronicle

There’s no getting around it. If you have a job, more than likely you have experienced some job stress. If you haven’t, chances are you will at some point in the future. Still, how individuals handle stress often involves such characteristics as personality type and their individual coping style. What is Job Stress? According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, job stress is defined as harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Stress also occurs when workers feel little or no control over a particular situation.

Granted, job stress is not limited to any one particular job or industry, although some jobs tend to generate more than others. Fire fighters, policemen and healthcare workers spring to mind, as does those individuals who work with demanding customers on a daily basis. Still, the first step to reducing job stress is to first identify what factors may be causing it.

There are many causes of job stress. Layoffs, a downside to a trouble economy generates job stress not only for those affected, but creating excessive workloads that require those remaining employees to work longer hours or to frequently take work home. Lack of opportunities for promotion or other advancement opportunities is another. Likewise, conflicts with supervisors or co-workers can create stress.

More than impacting performance, continued or chronic job stress can lead to serious health problems that include, but are not limited to emotional health issues, cardiovascular disease, musculosketal disorders (a “catch-all” phrase for a variety of soft-tissue ailments in the upper limbs such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, and are not specific medical diagnoses). While the symptoms below frequently may be something other than job stress, some early warning signs of job stress include:

• Low morale
  
• Depression
  
• Anger/irritability
  
• Physical problems (headaches, stomach problems)
  
• High Absenteeism
  
• Problems with relationships
  

There are things that individuals can do to reduce or manage job stress.

Prioritize tasks and tackle them in order of importance.
Instead of putting off an unpleasant task, why not do it first and get it out of the way? That way you can focus the rest of your day on those less stressful tasks or more pleasant ones.

Strive to become better organized.
Sounds too simplistic? Before you scoff, think back to the number of times that you have lost important files or papers that you knew were somewhere on your desk. How about riding your desk of clutter and files that you aren’t currently working on? Knowing where things are saves time and reduces stress. As does stocking your desk with Post-its or other items that you use on a daily basis.

Managing your time wisely can reduce stress.
It may also decrease how often you work overtime or take work home. If you must take work home, try to limit the number of times of week that you do this. Likewise, if you must stay late, try to limit staying late to no more than once or twice a week, if possible.

Take a break during the day or whenever you start to feel stressful.
If the weather allows, why not take a short walk outside? Walk around your building if unable to walk outside. Using the stairs instead of the elevator offers excellent cardio benefits as well.

Get enough rest or sleep.
Not getting enough rest sets the stage for stress on the job.

Take regular vacations.
And refrain from taking work with you. Use vacations to reconnect with friends and to strengthen family ties.

Beware of the stressors that you create yourself. For example, if you always seem to be running late in the morning try setting your clock ahead, giving you extra time. Nothing jumpstarts your morning stress level like arriving late to the office. Lastly, while interacting with bosses or co-workers can sometimes prove daunting, by practicing good communication skills you can improve your daily interactions. By keeping the above tips in mind you may soon notice a reduction in your stress level.



Carol Gee

About the Author
Carol Gee, M.A. has worked in education for 26 years in positions ranging from teaching to administration. Currently she is an editor and business writer at Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She is also the author of books, The Venus Chronicles and Diary of a ‘Flygirl’ Wannabe (Life Lessons of a Cool Girl in Training,) and a contributor to the baby boomer book, Age Smart-Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond. Carol is a recipient of the Center for Women’s 2009 Unsung Heroine Award for recognition of her dedication to issues that affect women at Emory or in the larger community.
www.venuschronicles.net
venuschronicles@aol.com

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have initiated legal actions to seize properties across the country where several mosques are located in order to limit the activities of the Alavi Foundation, a New York City-based organization accused of illegally providing money and services to Iran, the New York Times reports.

The foundation, which owns the land on which the mosques sit as well as a majority interest in an office tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, is accused of spending millions of dollars to obtain and develop the properties in violation of federal laws that ban trade with Iran. Prosecutors did not specify how much money they were seeking from the foundation but indicated that the foundation had tried for years to hide its relationship with the government of Iran. In the government’s complaint, filed in federal district court, no allegations were made against the mosques or other tenants of the properties owned by the foundation.

“There are no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of any of these tenants or occupants,” said Yusill Scribner, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office. “No action has been taken against any tenants or occupants of those properties.”

The prosecutors’ action came on the same day that the White House announced the president had renewed longstanding economic sanctions against Iran. “The Alavi Foundation is disappointed that the government decided to bring this civil forfeiture action,” said attorney Daniel Ruzumna. “The foundation has been cooperating fully with the government since the investigation began. The foundation intends to litigate the government’s claims and expects to prevail when the litigation is over.”

Weiser, Benjamin. “U.S. Moves to Seize Properties Tied to Iran.” New York Times 11/12/09.

Source: PND

By Kelly Johnson Staff writer

Society for the Blind has been awarded $499,701 in federal stimulus dollars for a program that provides intensive training to seniors experiencing vision loss.

With the money, the local service agency that serves Northern California will be able to reinstate its Senior Impact Program that it discontinued three years ago because of lack of funding, a news release said. The program provides a week of intensive training in a residential setting for seniors experiencing vision loss.

“This will allow the Society to bring back and restructure the residential portion of the project and re-introduce the element of peer support and leadership to our senior program. It will have a huge impact on community development,” Heather Frank, the nonprofit’s director, said in the release.

Society for the Blind also will be able to hire between four and eight full- or part-time new workers to staff the program.

The week-long intensive training includes daily living skills, cane travel, Braille and computer skills — abilities that enable seniors to maintain their independence. The residential experience also allows seniors to meet other seniors experiencing vision loss and participate in seminars on blindness and activities in the community, the release said.

Society for the Blind is moving in February to new headquarters at 13th and S streets in Sacramento, where the nonprofit will quadruple its space.

Source: Sacramento Business Journal