Meyer Foundation | Rosetta Thurman

Rick Moyers is Blogging

September 27, 2010 by rosettathurman · 1 Comment

I’m always excited when people I know start blogging in the nonprofit space! Especially when those people are super smart and thoughtful like Rick Moyers, director of programs at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in Washington, DC. Especially when those people work at foundations, which are known for being closed door everything and rarely encourage their staff to share their thoughts with the greater nonprofit community through social media.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Rick quite a bit over the years as Meyer has funded many of the organizations I have worked for or volunteered with. He also served as a thought partner as we developed several leadership programs in my previous role at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. The thing I most appreciate about Rick is that he always gives it to you straight. He’s upfront about what nonprofit organizations really need and is also very aware of his privileged role in philanthropy.

Rick’s new blog on the Chronicle of Philanthropy website is called “Against the Grain” and you can check it out here. Be sure you read his first post, When Executive Directors Disappear. Here’s an excerpt:

A few weeks ago, I received a terse e-mail from an organization announcing that its executive director of the past 10 years had stepped down (and was already gone). While acknowledging the contributions of the departed executive, the announcement fell far short of thanks or praise. It offered no explanation for the transition, not even the vague but utilitarian “has left to pursue other interests.” That left me to conclude that the executive director had departed involuntarily. Most likely under Circumstances That Cannot Be Discussed.

Welcome to the nonprofit blogosphere, Rick! Your voice will be a much-needed addition to the collective conversation.

Photo credit : Chronicle of Philanthropy

Filed Under: Nonprofit Management, Social Media · Tagged With: Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation, Meyer Foundation, nonprofit bloggers, philanthropy bloggers, Rick Moyers

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Danielle Reyes, Program Officer at the Eugene & Agnes Meyer Foundation

October 7, 2009 by rosettathurman · 1 Comment

This is the third interview in this month’s series celebrating the leadership of Hispanics in the nonprofit sector. I’m profiling several nonprofit leaders I admire for the impact they make on their communities every day.

In my experiences working in fundraising, it’s not a rare thing to meet a program officer at a foundation who has never worked in a nonprofit organization, and doesn’t immediately seem to understand the work that we do. That is refreshingly not the case with Danielle Reyes, Program Officer at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation located in Washington, DC. A former nonprofit Executive Director, teacher, and Peace Corps volunteer, she understands the unique challenges nonprofits face. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Danielle through my DC nonprofit work, committees we’ve served on together, and, of course, Facebook. If I had to describe Danielle in one word, it would be: thoughtful. She is always thinking about how to connect organizations, people, and resources for the greater cause. She sees the big picture of social justice and our Washington, DC nonprofit community is much better for it.

Over the last 17 years Danielle Reyes has worked on issues concerning low-income, minority, and immigrant populations, with an emphasis on education. Before joining the Meyer Foundation, Ms. Reyes served as executive director of the Latino Student Fund. She also worked as a senior program specialist for the national nonprofit, Reading Is Fundamental. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector, Ms. Reyes spent several years teaching as a public school teacher, a university instructor, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. Ms. Reyes received her bachelor’s degree in English and in Spanish from the University of Michigan. She also holds a master’s degree in teaching English as a foreign language from Manhattanville College and a master’s degree in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University. Ms. Reyes was a Council on Foundation’s Emerging Philanthropic Leaders Fellow 2005-2007. She is the Vice Chair of the board of directors of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. She is the founding Chair of the Metropolitan DC Hispanics in Philanthropy Funders’ Collaborative.

Check out my full interview with Danielle after the jump… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interviews, Leaders of Color, Leadership · Tagged With: Danielle M. Reyes, Danielle Reyes, Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation, Hispanics, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Latinos, Meyer Foundation, National Hispanic Heritage Month

Most DC Area Nonprofits Are Living Hand to Mouth

June 24, 2009 by rosetta · 1 Comment

It’s 2009. Do you know where your nonprofit’s reserves are? For most nonprofits, the answer is a solemn one. A new Meyer Foundation report shows that in Washington, DC, most nonprofits are living hand to mouth, thisclose from closing their doors if they don’t bring in enough funding each year.

(via press release)

A new report released by the Urban Institute and funded by the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in Washington, DC. found that most nonprofits in the DC area don’t have the financial reserves needed to weather the current economic crisis. The study, the first of its kind, examined the operating reserves of more than 2,500 nonprofits in the Greater Washington area, ranging in mission from soup kitchens and job training centers to schools and local arts groups.

Operating reserves-cash and other liquid assets without donor restrictions that can be tapped when income falls short of expenses-are an important indicator of an organization’s financial health and its ability to survive challenging times. The study reviewed financial data for Greater Washington’s locally-focused nonprofits over a six-year period from 2000 to 2006.

Among the report’s key findings:

In 2006, a time of relative economic stability, nonprofits in the Greater Washington area had a median operating reserve of 2.1 months of expenses. Most nonprofit financial management experts recommend a minimum of three.
57% had operating reserves of less than three months of operating expenses; 28% of those had no reserves at all.
The percentage of organizations with less than three months in operating reserves increases with size, making large organizations (those with annual budgets of $5 million or more) especially vulnerable to the economic downturn.
Arts, culture, and humanities organizations had the highest percentage of groups with less than the minimum reserve (62%); environment and animal organizations had the lowest with 46% falling below recommended levels.
Nearly one in six nonprofit organizations that filed tax returns in 2000 appeared to have gone out of business or had shrunk below the IRS reporting threshold ($25,000 in revenue) by 2006; these groups had lower operating reserves and were more dependent on private contributions than the organizations that survived.

For more context on this issue, check out today’s related Washington Post article, Nonprofits Imperiled By Low Reserves:

Operating reserves are especially critical for nonprofit groups because of the way they receive funds. Many rely on occasional large gifts and grants rather than a consistent stream of revenue throughout the year. If a government grant is delayed or a foundation cuts its giving, charities without reserves could be forced to reduce services, lay off staff or close.

For the full copy of the Washington Area Nonprofit Operating Reserves report, visit www.meyerfoundation.org/reserves.