Bring on Spring! Please.

So I hear we have officially entered a new season: Spring. But in name only. Does anyone have digits for the official Spring weatherkeeper? One of us needs to place an urgent call.

Actually, I did see stirrings of spring at the Pike Place Market when I was in Seattle for a conference earlier this week. The tulips and daffodils were just amazing. But I'm wondering if they were grown in greenhouses, as they show no signs of rain/sleet/hail/mud battering like the few brave flowers in my yard do. And Portland finally reached 60 degrees today, although it set a new record for tardiness in doing so.

It's not only spring, but the beginning of a new fiscal year here at MMT. Which brings us to the news:

• CEO Doug Stamm has just posted his new quarterly message, in which he lays out what grant seekers can expect from MMT in 2011. Doug also summarizes what we learned from a review of our work since we adopted and implemented a strategic plan in 2007 and shows you our report card.
• Wayne Pierson, MMT's Chief Financial & Investment Officer, has been honored by Institutional Investor's U.S. Investment Management Awards as Small Foundation Manager of the Year. Wayne will be feted at a dinner and ceremony in New York City on May 16, 2011, alongside financial luminaries like William Gross, Founder and co-CIO at PIMCO. The awards recognize "U.S. instituional investors whose innovative strategies and fiduciary savvy resulted in impressive returns over the past year." Wayne's work in promoting Mission Related Investing while maintaining market rate returns for MMT is noteworthy among small foundations (corpus less than $1 billion). We owe you, Wayne!
• A recent State of the Sector survey by Nonprofit Finance Fund finds that nonprofits expect 2011 to be another tough year (e.g., 85% of organizations expect yet greater increased demand for services but only 46% expect to be able to fully meet demand) but they see signs of hope (e.g., 44% of nonprofits reported ending 2010 with a surplus, 35% raised more revenue than expected in 2010). Lots more information is included in the report.
• We'll leave you with something cool (a nod to our spring temperatures so far): the Census Bureau's American Community Survey has made data available to map "every city, every block."  While the figures are based on samples and have a margin of error, you might find it fascinating to check out your city, neighborhood, zip code, etc.

So I was serious about calling the weatherkeeper to bring on Spring. If no one does, I'm afraid we might be needing Noah's number.

Until next time,

Marie

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