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E-News

November 2007  

E-Newsletter

This edition of the Hauser Center E-News highlights activities and events from
September - October 2007.
 

Featured Research

Upcoming Activities

People in Action

People in the News

New Publications

Student Organization Activities Fund

 

FEATURED RESEARCH

Spotlight on "WIEGO Turns 10"
In April 1997, a group of ten experts on the informal economy - activists, practitioners, researchers, and statisticians met at the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy to discuss how to better support the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy.  That meeting gave "birth" to the research-policy network called Women and Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO).  For the past ten years, the Hauser Center has been the home of the WIEGO Secretariat.   Based at the Secretariat, Marty Chen, who also teaches at the Kennedy School, is the international coordinator, Suzanne Van Hook is the financial manager, and Beth Graves is the administrator of WIEGO.

Over the past decade, WIEGO has grown in size, capacity, and reputation.  The WIEGO network was formalized in 2006 with the adoption of the governance and accountability structure mandated in its Constitution and now has 120 Institutional and Individual Members from 30 countries.  Among its achievements, WIEGO has: developed expertise and a set of activities in three policy areas - trade, urban policies, and social protection as they relate to the informal workforce; collaborated with the UN statistical community, and national statistical services, to develop an expanded definition and related methods to fully capture all forms of informality in labor force and other economic statistics; worked closely with organizations of informal workers to help strengthen their policy analysis and advocacy capacity; and been able to advance the conceptual and empirical understanding of the informal economy and has developed several new conceptual and methodological frameworks that provide fresh insights into both the multi-segmented nature of labor markets and the links between informal employment, poverty, and gender inequality.  WIEGO marked its tenth anniversary with a series of strategic review and planning retreats: a retreat of the Steering Committee and donor representatives in May 2007, a research retreat of key researchers in the network in July 2007, and a staff retreat in October 2007.  For more details, see www.wiego.org and the June 2007 WIEGO e-newsletter.

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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
 

The following programs are collaborations between the Kennedy School of Government Executive Education program and affiliates of the Hauser Center:

Community Problem-Solving:  Skills for Civic Leadership
This program, held March 3-6, 2008, teaches teams of community leaders the skills they need to effect deep change.  The program is designed by Harvard Universitys John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Community Problem-Solving Project at MITs Department of Urban Studies and Planning.  Community Problem-Solving is for key decision makers from community-based organizations, public agencies, faith-based organizations, elected offices, and businesses including board members, CEOs, outreach and advocacy directors, and corporate social responsibility liaisons.  Participants will learn both practical skills and theoretical frameworks that will strengthen their ability to exercise effective civic leadership together.  Faculty include Xavier de Souza Briggs, Marty Linsky, and Linda Kaboolian.  For more information visit the program website.

Strategic Management for Leaders of Non-Governmental Organizations
This program, held March 25-29, 2008, is designed and taught by Harvard faculty and researchers and offered at the Athens Information Technology institute (AIT) in Athens, Greece, in collaboration with the Kokkalis Foundation and the Middle East Initiative at Harvard.  The program is designed to give NGO leaders from Southeastern and Eastern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East the tools, perspectives, and frameworks needed to strengthen their organizations, engage constituent communities, and cultivate long-term partnerships and commitments. The program will be chaired by Christine Letts and faculty include Dave Brown and Bill Ryan.  For more information visit the program website.

Strategic Frameworks for Nonprofit/Nongovernmental Organizations
This is a 10-week distance learning program from March 10-May 16, 2008, for leaders of nonprofits and NGOs in the developing world.  The program consists of five (5) two-week modules on topics including strategy frameworks, mission statements, portfolio management, marketing, and strategic positioning.  Participants will apply concepts developed at the Kennedy School to challenges facing their individual organizations using electronic workbooks and moderated discussion boards where they will share their experiences and gain insights from other leaders around the globe.  Each two-week module will culminate in a live discussion with faculty chair Christine LettsFor more information visit the program website.

Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations

Developed jointly by Harvard Business Schools Social Enterprise Initiative and Harvard Universitys Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.
This program, held June 16-19, 2008, is designed to show nonprofit leaders how to use performance measurement to enhance the effectiveness of their organization.  The program covers a range of approaches that address the specific performance challenges facing executives in the nonprofit world.  The program is designed for senior executives and other leaders of nonprofit organizations around the world who are committed to implementing effective performance measurement and management in their organizations. The faculty chairs are Christine Letts and Allen Grossman, and faculty include James Honan and Nava Ashraf.  For more information visit the program website.

Governance as Leadership:  Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards

This program is offered from June 19-20, 2008, in conjunction with the Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations program.  Senior executives who are seeking innovative ways to tap into the full array of talent and energy within their boards will find this new governance approach illuminating and practical.  Faculty include Bill Ryan.  For more information visit the program website.


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PEOPLE IN ACTION

Dave Brown and Kirsten Lundberg developed and delivered a workshop on teaching and writing cases September 1-3rd for approximately 25 faculty of Chinese universities at the Center for Civil Society Studies at Beijing University.  Brown then spent several more days working with faculty at the Center on the design of a distance learning partnership for executive education, faculty capacity building, joint research and conferences to strengthen Chinese civil society organizations, to be funded by the Sun Culture Foundation over the next three years.

The 17th Emerging Issues in Philanthropy Seminar was held on September 7th in Washington, D.C., entitled "IRS Form 990 Redesign."  The seminar is part of a series of seminars co-sponsored with The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute and Marion Fremont-Smith on behalf of the Hauser Center.  At the seminar, over 60 attendees, including representatives from the Internal Revenue Service and the Congress as well as from sector organizations, practitioners and scholars, explored changes proposed by the IRS to the Form 990 - which are likely to have a substantial impact on core nonprofit policy issues - and provided comments to the IRS before changes are finalized.

On September 10th, Marshall Ganz met with Presiding Episcopal Bishop Kathryn Jeffries and President of the Episcopal House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson to plan the Episcopal Public Narrative Project.  The project will train Episcopal deputies to run four workshops (ones own calling, shared calling, call to action, and putting it all together) over the course of the 9-day national convention.  Deputy teams will return to their Diocese with the mission of teaching how to do what they have learned to do at the convention.

The Hauser Center held its annual Student Open House on September 10th to introduce students to the faculty and researchers affiliated with the Center, discuss the courses they are teaching and research they are developing, and familiarize students with the resources available at the Center.

Robert Putnam
presented at the first in a series of Hauser Center 10-Year Anniversary Seminars on September 13th on "American Grace: The Changing Contribution of Religion to American Civic Life."

On September 19th, Marshall Ganz spoke to "The Momentum Program: Changing Negotiation Leadership Culture in the Former Soviet Union," a negotiation workshop for a group of Georgians and South Ossetians organized by Mercy Corps.

Gabriele Bammer co-organized and attended a one-day workshop on "Knowledge Brokering" in Sydney, Australia on September 21st.  The workshop brought together nonprofit groups, policy makers and researchers to discuss how research informs policy and practice in the areas of child and youth health, development and wellbeing.

Marie Besanon joined the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC as a Public Policy Scholar from October-December, working on the project "Ending the Institution of War in the Sudan."

Marty Chen participated in and made a presentation at a UN Expert Group Meeting on the priority theme of the forty-sixth session of the Commission for Social Development entitled "Full Employment and Decent Work for All" on October 2-4th at the United Nations in New York City.

Peter Dobkin Hall presented a Kennedy School Faculty Research Seminar entitled "The Decline, Transformation, and Revival of the Christian Right in the United States," on October 3rd.

On October 3rd, Alnoor Ebrahim hosted a visit by Meg Taylor, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group and her colleague, Amar Inamdar, a Senior Specialist and Ombudsman.

Christopher Winship
presented at the second in a series of Hauser Center 10-Year Anniversary Seminars on October 4th on "Taking the Measure of the Voluntary Sector."

On October 10th, Marshall Ganz and Richard Parker spoke at the Boston Theological Institutes (BTI) Annual Dinner and Lecture. The topic of the talk was "Advancing the 'Beloved Community' People, Power and Change," and focused on building community in the 21st century.  Ganz and Parker were presented with BTIs Social Justice Award at this occasion.

As part of the Nonprofit Governance and Accountability Project and The Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative 2007-2008 Seminar Series "Problems and Prospects in Nonprofit Governance," Dutch Leonard presented on October 10th about "What is a Multi-Governed Organization?  And Why Should We Care?"

Students from La Sierra University in California won the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) National Championships (World Cup 2007) for their Darfur community development project administered through the American Sudanese Partnerships, a nonprofit organization run by Marie Besanon.  The competition and awards took place October 10-12th in New York City.

Marty Chen was the keynote speaker at the Asia Society in New York City on the topic of widows in India after a showing of a new film, entitled "White Rainbow," on contemporary Indian widows on October 11th.  Chen also chaired and spoke on a panel on "Making Ends Meet: Urbanization and Womens Livelihoods" at the annual summit of the American India Foundation in New York City on October 18th.

Marshall Ganz led the plenary session at an organizing training for World Vision on October 12th.  The core set of participants in the training were young people working on college campuses and with evangelical Christian groups on global AIDS and the ONE campaign.

Peter Dobkin Hall was a commentator on Robert M. Wuthnow's paper, "Global Civil Society: Does U.S. Religion Contribute?" as part of the Tufts Civic Engagement Research Prize Lecture at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University, on October 15th.  On October 16th Hall co-presented a seminar as part of the "Problems and Prospects in Nonprofit Governance" series with Marion Fremont-Smith on "Preliminary Observations on the Structure and Governance of Multi-Governed Organizations."  On October 19th, Peter Dobkin Hall was a Humanities panelist for the Ives Vocal Marathon "Songs of Religion, Nature, Fantasy and Love," at Wesleyan University.  Hall, along with other Humanities panelists, discussed the religious, philosophical and aesthetic roots of Ives's music.

Marie Besanon joined the Harvard Business School Board of Fellows and attended their kick-off meeting for this academic year on October 16th.

Christine Letts traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil the week of Oct 22nd at the invitation of the Bradesco Foundation. During the trip she presented a case about the education programs of the Foundation to the Bradesco Bank (the largest in South America) and Foundation leadership, and taught the case to an MBA class at the Ibmec Business School.  She also gave lectures on corporate social responsibility at the University of Sao Paulo and on building capacity in nonprofit organizations at Grupo de Institutos, Fundaes e Empresas (GIFE - Group of Institutes, Foundations, and Businesses).  Additionally, she participated in a meeting organized by the newly-opened David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) office in Sao Paulo to meet with faculty from three universities to discuss case development and teaching.

Alnoor Ebrahim
gave a presentation on "Strategy vs. Compliance: Managing Accountability in Business, Government, and Nonprofits," at the Harvard Business School, Social Enterprise Initiative, on October 22nd.

From October 22-24th, Marty Chen co-organized and spoke at a conference at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex entitled "Economic Growth, Informal Work and Social Protection: Exploring the Relationships," in Brighton, UK.

Alnoor Ebrahim participated in a workshop hosted by the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Independent Evaluation Office on October 23rd in Washington, DC.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the methodology for an evaluation of the IMF's corporate governance.

On October 25th Mark Moore presented the third of the series of Hauser Center 10-Year Anniversary Seminars on "Not your father's nonprofit sector: Beyond instrumental conceptions of philanthropy, voluntarism, and nonprofit organizations," with commentary provided by Peter Dobkin Hall.

Marion Fremont-Smith
presented at the conference "Forces for Rectitude: Who Oversees Nonprofit Organizations and Their Overseers?" on October 25th sponsored by the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law, New York University School of Law.  The paper she prepared for the conference Attorney General Oversight of Charities can be downloaded as Hauser Center Working Paper #41.

Marshall Ganz, Dave Brown, and Kash Rangan gave short talks on the challenges of doing research on multi-governed organizations for the seminar on "Multi-Governed Nonprofit Organizations: Building Practice and Theory," on October 31st.  This seminar was part of the Nonprofit Governance and Accountability Project and The Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative 2007-2008 Seminar Series "Problems and Prospects in Nonprofit Governance."

Mark Moore and Dave Brown, in cooperation with other Kennedy School faculty, delivered the annual Innovations in Governance Executive Education Program from October 28 - November 2nd sponsored by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS


I
n the Harvard Crimson article from October 26th, "U.N. official draws HBS crowd," about the presentation of Srgjan Kerim, president of the UN General Assembly, Dutch Leonard is quoted.  Link to the
article here.

Marshall Ganz is mentioned in the October 3rd Guardian article "Barack Obama's grassroots appeal" for his organizing training work with Camp Obama.  Link to the article here.

In the Harvard Crimson article from October 3rd, "Reich offers new tax structure," Peter Dobkin Hall provides pointed comments in response to the altered tax structure proposed in an editorial by Robert Reich.  Link to the article here.

Michael Pirson
co-authored the op-ed article "Successful leaders must manage stakeholder trust," in the September issue of The Resource, a publication for the Harvard community.

In the article "The political machine vs. the grass roots" in the September 4th issue of the Los Angeles Times, Marshall Ganz is quoted on his organizing work with Camp Obama.

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NEW PUBLICATIONS


New publications from Hauser-affiliated authors include:

Mattie, John A., McCarthy, John H., Turner, Robert M., and Johnson, Sanda L., eds., Understanding Financial Statements: A Strategic Guide for Independent College and University Governing Boards, 2nd Edition (Washington, DC: Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, 2007).  Link to information about the book.

Levitt, Peggy, God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape (New York, NY: The New Press, 2007).  Link to information about the book.

Ebrahim, Alnoor and Weisband, Edward, eds., Global Accountabilities: Participation, Pluralism and Public Ethics (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2007).  Link to information about the book.

Levitt, Peggy and Khagram, Sanjeev, eds., The Transnational Studies Reader: Interdisciplinary Intersections and Innovations (London, UK: Routledge, 2007).  Link to information about the book.

Ebrahim, Alnoor
and Steve Herz. 2007. "Accountability in Complex Organizations: World Bank Responses to Civil Society," Harvard Business School Working Paper #08-027.  Link to the paper.

Marion Fremont-Smith is acknowledged in the October 2007 publication Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations, for her contribution.  Link to the publication here.

Bammer, Gabriele and The Goolabri Group, "Improving the management of ignorance and uncertainty. A case illustrating integration in collaboration" in Shani, A.B., Mohrman, S.A., Pasmore, W.A.; Stymne, B.; Adler, N. (eds) Handbook of Collaborative Management Research (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007): 421-437.

New additions to the Hauser Center Working Paper Series include:
Hauser Center Working Paper No. 39
What Matters to Whom? Managing Trust Across Multiple Stakeholder Groups
by Michael Pirson and Deepak Malhotra (May 2007)
Abstract
Download Paper No.39

Hauser Center Working Paper No. 40

The Road Less Traveled: Funders Advice on the Path to Nonprofit Sustainability
by Primary Author - Kathleen W. Buechel and Secondary Author - Esther Handy (July 2007)
Abstract
Download Paper No.40

Hauser Center Working Paper No. 41

Attorney General Oversight of Charities
by Marion R. Fremont-Smith (October 2007)
Abstract
Download Paper No.41

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STUDENT ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES FUND

The Hauser Center is inviting proposals for the 2007-2008 round of funding from the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations Student Organization Activities Fund.  We have up to $7,500 available for student groups activities from across the University.  Because of the size of the fund and the number of applications, we are reviewing proposals just once this academic year.  Please keep this in mind when applying, especially if your event is in the spring.  Examples of previously-funded student organizations include: KSG Arts Council; Corporate Responsibility Council; Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy; Human Rights PIC; KSG Latino Caucus; Progressive Caucus; Social Enterprise in Action (SEIA); HBS Social Enterprise Club (SEC); and Human Rights PIC.  Criteria for selection include: 1) Relevance to the Center; 2) Level of student involvement; 3) Clarity of proposal and budget; 4) Need versus availability.  Please note that we will not fund requests for individual student projects.

Click here for additional information, the funding requirements, and application form.  Please submit your applications to Maryann Leach via email or hard copy, in accordance with the instructions, no later than close of business on December 6th.  Applicants will be notified not later than December 14th
.

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This edition of the Hauser Center E-News highlights activities and events from September - October 2007.

The Hauser Center E-News provides bi-monthly updates of Hauser Center events, activities, people and publications.  Past issues of the E-News can be found here.  The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations is a University-wide research center based at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government (KSG). The Center is not a degree granting institution.  Please email Laura Ax with E-News questions and feedback.

The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
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