blackenterprise.com

blackenterprise.com: "Funders Explain Giving
Source: Albuquerque Journal
Publication date: 2004-12-19
Arrival time: 2004-12-21


When donating to a charity, corporations look for stability in the organization, clarity of its role, vitality of its program, identity of its existing partnerships and whether the contribution will have a meaningful impact.
'We really want to make sure we are funding programs -- not just parties,' says Lydia T. Ashanin.
She is community and media relations manager for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico and also active in the Albuquerque Funders Group, a loosely knit collaboration representing a dozen or so people in the business world who coordinate charitable giving for their companies.
While corporations want to help the nonprofits, she said, economic conditions sometimes limit the amount of money available.
'We want to say yes, but sometimes we can't,' Ashanin said. 'How we get the nonprofits to understand the challenges we face is one of the goals of the Funders Group. Some nonprofits are very skilled, but others could use a little tutoring and support on how to do community outreach.'
To help this concept along, the Funders Group will explain charitable giving from the corporate perspective at the Jan. 13 luncheon meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals at the Sheraton Uptown. "