Insights

• Posted on June 06, 2012 – Posted by: Laurie Craft

  Changing how we think of homelessness

  At Grand Rapids Community Foundation, we work to create a community that has all of the great qualities that West Michigan has—and to make it better. As an optimist, this is a great place to [...]

• Posted on April 27, 2012 – Posted by: Kate Luckert Schmid

  Get Out There and Hug a Tree Today!

  Arbor Day is the perfect time to stop and take notice of the tremendous value trees have on our community.  While the beauty of a tree is evident, only recently has research begun to prove [...]

• Posted on April 16, 2012 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  News at the ground level! The Rapidian is all about our community!

  My dad was an editor extraordinaire.  He was a valued employee at The Detroit News for more than 45 years starting as a carrier and climbing the ladder to become the highly regarded Sports Editor retiring [...]

• Posted on February 15, 2012 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  The Social/Nonprofit Sector - what will it look like decades from now?

  Provocateur: a person who provokes trouble, causes dissension, or the like; agitator.  OR, according to the Sieger definition, is it a person who causes one to step out of their zone and look at the [...]

• Posted on January 10, 2012 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  What was your first job? What summer jobs did you have? How did this impact your life?

  Shelley Irwin, host of WGVU Radio Morning Show as well as WGVU-TV programs, has had me on every month on her radio show in a segment known as “Perspectives in Philanthropy” for a number of [...]

• Posted on December 02, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  You Poor Souls! ;-)

  It's time for Diana's Soapbox! For years, I have been on a mission to help people understand that the nonprofit sector is not second class! While the sector has been hit hard by the recession, what [...]

• Posted on November 26, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  Lessons learned from a Generous Man

  Fred Meijer passed away on November 25th a few days shy of his 92nd birthday. He was a staunch and generous supporter of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. My memories of Fred are so wonderful [...]

• Posted on November 17, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  Joint Statement on the Charitable Tax Deduction

  Grand Rapids Community Foundation and Heart of West Michigan United Way have issued a joint statement regarding the possible threat and erosion of the charitable tax deduction. This is an important issue and could [...]

• Posted on October 17, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  Threat to the Charitable Tax Deduction

  Over the years, I have either participated in or witnessed the "great debate" around why people give to causes and various nonprofit organizations. Recently, I had a lively conversation on Facebook with a woman [...]

• Posted on September 15, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  I love our donors!

  This past Monday we hosted our annual Metz Legacy Society Luncheon at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College. In a word, it was fabulous! Metz members are those generous donors who have indicated [...]

• Posted on August 10, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  Penny Wise?

  I recently had a friendly debate with a woman on Facebook about whether tax incentives really matter when it comes to charitable giving. My summary of the discussion was "it doesn't hurt!" The [...]

• Posted on July 28, 2011 – Posted by: Diana Sieger

  Outraged!

  I am outraged! I have to say that after the horrific murders that occurred two weeks ago in Grand Rapids, I have yet to submit a positive GR6 six word entry that one would [...]