AFP Blog: Recent News of Note

This blog contains assorted news and commentary on the fundraising profession and philanthropy gathered by the AFP Fundraising Resource Center. Other Sites of Interest Section Disclaimer: AFP provides the following listing of hyperlinks to other Internet pages as a privilege to the user. AFP does not necessarily endorse, support or attest to the accuracy of information posted on those Internet pages. Some links may require registration to view and/or may only be available for a limited time.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Salvation Army gets Kroc grant

Salvation Army gets Kroc grant: "Salvation Army gets Kroc grant
$64 million will be used for Youth Center

Alison Stanton
Special for The Republic
Jun. 9, 2006 12:00 AM

For almost 40 years, the Salvation Army's South Mountain Youth Center has offered thousands of children and teens a place to have fun.

Now, thanks to a recent $64 million award from the Ray and Joan Kroc estate, the Phoenix facility will be able to provide more educational, recreational and spiritual benefits to inner-city kids.

'We were extremely excited when we found out we were chosen as one of six sites in the western United States to be a community center,' said Lt. Col. Don Mowery, Southwest divisional commander for the Salvation Army. 'This will touch the lives of 30,000 people in the community.' "

Local nonprofits get guidance on generating greater gifts

Local nonprofits get guidance on generating greater gifts: "Local nonprofits get guidance on generating greater gifts
Thank-you calls pay off, author and consultant Jerold Panas tells CNY fundraisers.
Friday, June 09, 2006
By Frank Brieaddy
Staff writer

Nonprofit guru Jerold Panas gave a gathering of professional fundraisers a laundry list of tips Thursday to squeeze more and bigger gifts out of their donors.

All of the advice he gave at a three-hour session at Turning Stone Resort and Casino, hosted by the Central New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, boiled down to hard work, close and frequent contact with donors and clear explanations of how their dollars 'change lives and save lives.'"

My Luncheon with Warren

My Luncheon with Warren:
snip snip>>
"These 'power lunches' raise money for Glide. Why did you choose Glide?
My wife [the late Susan Buffett] first introduced me to the organization 15 years ago. Originally, I was suspicious, as I am about most things. But when I went to Glide and met Cecil [Williams, the founder] a few years ago it was clear to me that it was a special organization run by a special man doing some very good things for thousands, that the world was ignoring.

I forget who came up with idea of a lunch and it sounded like a good idea to me. I'm delighted that people participate. The last few of them went on eBay for large sums.

Why do you think it attracts such large sums?
Most of these people have already checked out Glide themselves before bidding for the luncheons. They've been extremely impressed and felt good about where the money has gone and even give more separately.

Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/09/2006 | To some, Capano gifts are galling

This article is no longer available from the Inquirer.

Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/09/2006 | To some, Capano gifts are galling: "n Delaware, which bills itself as a small wonder, it seems as if almost everyone knows a Capano or a Fahey - or at least the infamous story that has forever linked their names:

In June 1996, Thomas J. Capano, a high-profile lawyer, killed Anne Marie Fahey, scheduling secretary for then-Gov. Tom Carper, after she ended their romantic relationship. The crime, its cover-up, and the eventual trial, conviction and appeals of Capano have gripped the public for years.

And fittingly, it seems, almost everyone has an opinion as two Wilmington Catholic schools - which educate family members of both the killer and his victim - move to name buildings after the Capano family."

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Chron.com | Katy YMCA drops Lay name at his request

Chron.com | Katy YMCA drops Lay name at his request: "YMCA leaders agree to drop Lay's name from facility
Request came from the former Enron chief

By BETTY L. MARTIN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Honoring a request from convicted former Enron chief Ken Lay, the YMCA of Greater Houston's executive board has agreed to remove his name from a Katy facility.

The 14-member board unanimously voted to rename the facility as the Katy Family YMCA after receiving a one-page letter Friday from Lay, who was found guilty May 25 on fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with the failure of the energy firm."

Stuck with labels | ajc.com

Stuck with labels | ajc.com: "She loves them.

He loves them not.
JOEY IVANSCO / Staff

BY THE NUMBERS

What happens to all those labels? Results of an informal electronic survey with 466 respondents:

52% Use the labels but don't send a donation.

17% Throw them away.

9% Use them and send a donation.

22% Other. Comments ranged from shredding to throwing them away to donating sometimes.

Those unsolicited sticky 'gifts' from charities that seem to multiply in your mailbox remain a successful fund-raiser for nonprofits — even in this day of e-mail and online bill paying. And guilt is a factor.
the charities.

Orlando charities adept at collecting - Orlando Sentinel : Orange County News Orlando charities adept at collecting - Orlando Sentinel : Orange County

Orlando charities adept at collecting - Orlando Sentinel : Orange County News Orlando charities adept at collecting - Orlando Sentinel : Orange County News: "Orlando charities adept at collecting
They rank last in savings, however, of 30 metropolitan areas around the country.

April Hunt | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 8, 2006

The Orlando area's largest charities spent just 6.5 cents to bring in every dollar -- the best in the nation and well below the national median of 10 cents, according to a new national study.

They may need those extra pennies."

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

St. Cloud Times | Local News-Online tool promotes charities’ outreach

St. Cloud Times | Local News: "Area nonprofit and business leaders learned Tuesday about a first-of-its-kind online tool to foster trust and transparency in Minnesota’s charitable sector.

Rich Cowles, executive director of the Charities Review Council of Minnesota, spoke in St. Cloud about the council’s new review process called Accountability Wizard.

Nonprofit organizations answer a series of questions about their finances, governance, public disclosure and fund-raising and provide documentation.

The council then verifies the information and issues a report online. Donors can view the results in the council’s Giver’s Guide at www.smartgivers.org.

“Treat your contributions as if you’re making an investment,” Cowles told a group of St. Cloud Rotary members at their noon meeting."

West Davidson Community News: Public relations pros offer help to nonprofits - Nashville, Tennessee - Wednesday, 06/07/06 - Tennessean.com

West Davidson Community News: Public relations pros offer help to nonprofits - Nashville, Tennessee - Wednesday, 06/07/06 - Tennessean.com: "West Davidson Community News: Public relations pros offer help to nonprofits

The Nashville Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, a professional organization for public relations providers in Middle Tennessee, has established a Nonprofit Committee to provide support for the public relations projects of local nonprofit organizations.

Examples of projects include, but are not limited to, educational campaigns, fundraisers, sponsorship kit development and development of a marketing/public relations plan for a growing nonprofit."

Gazette.com-Nonprofits thriving in Springs

Gazette.com: "Nonprofits thriving in Springs

By DEBBIE KELLEY THE GAZETTE

Charities in Colorado Springs are the fastest-growing in the nation, according to an annual study of the nation’s 5,000 largest charities.

The 36 biggest charities in the Springs increased their revenue by a median of 8.1 percent and reported a median income of $4.8 million for the most recent Internal Revenue Service filings studied by Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of nonprofit finances.

Those figures outpace the national median growth of 4.7 percent and a revenue median of $4.4 million. "

NetSquared and the New Wave of Online Volunteering

NetSquared and the New Wave of Online Volunteering: "NetSquared and the New Wave of Online Volunteering

For the past two years, I've said on more than one online forum that the most innovative, exciting things I'm learning about volunteer management and other community involvement rarely come from traditional volunteer management workshops and conferences but, rather, conferences focused on entirely different subjects. The NetSquared conference, May 30 and 31, 2006, by TechSoup / CompuMentor bore this statement out -- it was a conference focused on the emerging uses of more collaborative technologies by nonprofit organizations, particularly activist-organizations, but in the end, the lessons I heard again and again were on giving volunteers a bigger voice in what they do at an organization (and, in the end, actually giving them lots more to do, and even more responsibility, which they like very, very much), on engaging in activities that exude transparency and openness in all aspects of decision-making and management, and on being immediately responsive to volunteers' and other supporters' thoughts, suggestions and criticisms -- and how not doing so isn't because of a lack of resources but, rather, misdirected priorities and lack of transparency. Tiny nonprofit organizations with very little staff are doing extraordinary things with volunteers, and making the volunteers feel included and energized, not with pins and t-shirts but through greater and more-meaningful involvement -- and this movement is being fueled by inclusive uses of technology."

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

AP Wire | 06/05/2006 | Napa Valley vintners raise $8 million for charity

AP Wire | 06/05/2006 | Napa Valley vintners raise $8 million for charity: "The high bid was $1.05 million fetched by an offering from Staglin Family Vineyard that included five large format bottles of its Meritage blend and a trip to French wine country with Garen and Shari Staglin and their winemaker, Luc Morlet. Philanthropist Joy Craft of Woodside emerged the winning bidder.

'On our Web site, it says 'Great wine for great causes,' and that's what we really believe in,' Shari Staglin said Monday."

On Board

On Board: "Board rooms might make you think of white-haired men in dark suits debating about ways to save a buck.

But, in Central New York at least, board room tables are sporting some younger faces.

That's thanks to an initiative started by a 40 Below task force in 2004. The group reached out to more than 100 local nonprofits, hoping to help young professionals join the boards of community organizations."

Hard lesson learned at Red Cross - Yahoo! News

Hard lesson learned at Red Cross - Yahoo! News: "In the torrid temperatures that mark the start of the steamy Mississippi summer, the biggest safety threat to the parched landscape of Jefferson Davis County at the moment is fire.

But on a recent morning under a cloudless blue sky, several dozen people gather to hear Charlie Conerly, the county emergency management coordinator, talk about hurricanes and how this county needs the Red Cross to help it prepare for a new season of storms.

'Were any of you ready when Katrina came?' Conerly asks the room in general. No hands go up. 'That's what I thought,' he says. 'That's why we're here.'"

BBC NEWS | Business | US firms raise charity donations

BBC NEWS | Business | US firms raise charity donations: "US firms raise charity donations
Bill Gates in Mozambique
Bill Gates is one of the world's richest men and top philanthropists
US companies increased charitable donations by 14% in 2005, though giving as a proportion of profits and revenues fell slightly, according to a survey.

The Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy said that the 91 companies it surveyed gave $10bn last year.

This was thought to be about half of all US corporate giving, with Wal-Mart and Citigroup among the largest donors.

But while giving climbed 14%, average income among 62 of the donors studied was up 17%, while profits rose 15%."

Monday, June 05, 2006

Bloomberg.com: U.S.-Red Cross, Salvation Army Add Volunteers for Hurricane Season

We also have more material on our Disaster Relief Blog

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "Red Cross, Salvation Army Add Volunteers for Hurricane Season

June 1 (Bloomberg) -- The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army added volunteers and backup communications systems to improve relief operations as the eastern U.S. today enters a hurricane season forecast to spawn 10 major storms.

The Salvation Army stepped up training and strengthened community and corporate partnerships. The Red Cross plans to have six times the space to hold necessities to shelter and feed 1 million families in the immediate days following a storm.

Seven months after the end of the most active year since record-keeping began, aid groups and the U.S. government say they're better prepared to handle this year's storms. They face a daunting task as thousands of people are still dependent on services after Hurricane Katrina killed more than 1,800 and displaced more than a million as it devastated the Gulf Coast."

calendarlive.com: CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK - Yes, you can be too rich

calendarlive.com: CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK - Yes, you can be too rich: "Yes, you can be too rich
*What separates the Getty Trust from its stakeholders in L.A. and the art world? $6 billion.

By Christopher Knight, Times Staff Writer

The J. Paul Getty Trust has a problem. I'm not talking about the possibly looted Greek and Roman antiquities in its museum collection or the investigation by the state attorney general's office of past financial shenanigans in the executive suite. Those are certainly problems, widely reported in these pages, which the Getty is now addressing with sobriety.

I'm talking about something else. I'm talking about a predicament at least as big, if not bigger. Think of it as the meta-problem — the one that helps to drive the others.

Simply put: The Getty is too rich."

Orono school finds treasure in scarborough - Aimee Dolloff (176)

Orono school finds treasure in scarborough - Aimee Dolloff (176): "Orono school finds treasure in scarborough
Monday, June 05, 2006 - Bangor Daily News << Back

ORONO - It's a teacher's dream.

Rooms filled from floor to ceiling with colored pencils, paper, glue sticks, fabric, filing cabinets, chairs and just about anything you'd want to use in a classroom - and it's all nearly free.

For a fee of $2 per child at the school, or a minimum of $350, teachers can visit Ruth's Reusable Resources in Scarborough and walk away with as much as they can carry.

Ruth's takes in excess supplies from businesses and industries so that schoolteachers, students and nonprofit organizations have access to practical and creative materials they wouldn't have been able to find or afford elsewhere.

As a result, more than 70,000 students and 7,500 teachers have benefited from resources donated by more than 300 companies. "

Future Leaders in Philanthropy: Meet A FLiP - Leah Wu

Future Leaders in Philanthropy: Meet A FLiP - Leah Wu: "Meet A FLiP - Leah Wu

Lw2_2Leah Wu currently serves as Assistant Director of Development at the NYU Stern School of Business. There she provides stewardship to a portfolio of scholarship donors, manages events such as roundtable lunches and alumni receptions, and provides briefings for deans and staff before one-on-one meetings with VIP prospects and donors."

National News-New Trend In Jewish Giving

National News:
snip snip>>

"These gifts followed a $20 million gift in 2001 from the Sidney Kimmel Foundation to The Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School, a Solomon Schechter school in Wynnewood, Pa, that is affiliated with the Conservative movement. Until recently, gifts of that magnitude to Jewish institutions were exceedingly rare. The fact that such large gifts came so close together has left some in the Jewish community asking -- fingers crossed -- if they bear witness to a new trend: an increasing number of Jews making mega-gifts to Jewish organizations.

Others, though, wonder whether the spike in mega-giving has more to do with a concerted effort in recent years to boost day-school awareness than with a more general philanthropic trend. They're asking whether such large gifts now can be expected in other corners of the Jewish world, or will be limited largely to the educational realm."

DEVELOPMENT: Giving Takes Smart New Ways

DEVELOPMENT: Giving Takes Smart New Ways: "Giving Takes Smart New Ways
Miren Gutierrez*

ROME, Jun 5 (IPS) - Michael Karlin, co-founder of Security First, the first Internet bank, retired in 1999. He was 31.

Karlin is now doing more than making money in a successful business; he is a full-time philanthropist. 'At the Mythic Imagination Institute, I am now doing basically the same things as before: leading people around the same idea, connecting people,' he says in a telephone interview from Atlanta. 'The aim is to bring more creativity, passion, and empathy in the world.'

Giving away money for social causes is no longer about soup for the poor. It has moved to the world of markets and competition, it has found new creative ways to solve problems governments and profit organisations do not reach. It is now philanthrocapitalism, social entrepreneurism, social investment.

Giving is booming new business among the rich and famous. "

Nonprofit organizations seek strength in mergers | csmonitor.com

Nonprofit organizations seek strength in mergers | csmonitor.com: "Nonprofit organizations seek strength in mergers
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
When representatives from some 75 nonprofits convene in Boston Tuesday, they'll tackle a subject that was seldom discussed 10 years ago because it smacked too much of corporate America.

The notion of mergers among nonprofit organizations 'used to be an 'm-word' I didn't dare say in public,' says Thomas McLaughlin, a management consultant to nonprofits at Grant Thornton in Boston."

Popular charity cruises aren't ending, after all - The Honolulu Advertiser

Popular charity cruises aren't ending, after all - The Honolulu Advertiser: "ABOARD THE PRIDE OF HAWAI'I — As a shipful of Island revelers got under way on an overnight 'cruise to nowhere' yesterday evening aboard the new Pride of Hawai'i, Norwegian Cruise Lines officials announced that this would not be the last of its kind.

Hawai'i charities have benefited from the overnight cruises each time NCL has launched new ships here. This time, Child and Family Service, 'Aha Punana Leo, the Council on Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Hawai'i Maritime Center are receiving the proceeds from the all-inclusive evening of food, drink and entertainment. A total of $250,000 was raised for the four organizations."

Profit hurdles seen in US wealth management-study | Reuters.com

Profit hurdles seen in US wealth management-study | Reuters.com: "Profit hurdles seen in US wealth management-study
Fri Jun 2, 2006 2:25pm ET172

NEW YORK, June 2 (Reuters) - Managing money for wealthy Americans is a highly competitive business that poses challenges to profitability, according to a new study by research firm Cerulli Associates.

Based on interviews and a survey conducted in early spring, the study found that many firms want to move 'upmarket' and serve the 'ultra' wealthy."

Money man's big task: Make Stanford richer

Money man's big task: Make Stanford richer: "Money man's

John Powers has a big job: to make Stanford University richer than it already is.

The 53-year-old investment research executive takes over later this month as chief executive officer of the Stanford Management Co., becoming the person responsible for pushing the university's massive $12.2 billion endowment even higher into the financial stratosphere."

The Morning News :: News Page-Chasing Charity

The Morning News :: News Page: "Chasing Charity
By Jeff Niese
The Morning News

Zac Lehr, The Morning News
Ivette Wooton always checked off the box sending a part of her pay to the United Way, although she never really knew where that money went. The retired Army nurse figured it supported a good cause.

Then she got a chance to find out.

Allocation season for the United Way kicked off earlier this year as Wooton joined up to 60 volunteers who decided how the fund-raising umbrella should divvy up to $1.4 million in donations."

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ Give a little bit -- it does matter

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ Give a little bit -- it does matter: "Give a little bit -- it does matter
Volunteering time is reward in itself, even if your time is limited
News Journal file/BOB HERBERT
In February, Andy Goodwin gathers supplies at Grace Episcopal Church in Brandywine Hundred to go to hurricane victims.

By STEVE BIEN-AIME
06/04/2006

You can't go anywhere without hearing about a volunteer opportunity: reading to children, feeding the hungry, spending time with the elderly.

Some groups tug at your heartstrings to win you over. But, not all who donate their time have purely altruistic motives.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, a 2005 study by Opinion Research Corp. said 81 percent of working Americans feel volunteering boosts their professional reputations. The report, conducted for financial advisory firm Deloitte & Touche USA, found almost 80 percent of people said doing service work also gives them a chance to develop leadership skills."

Stocks With Scruples [Fool.com: Commentary] June 2, 2006

Stocks With Scruples [Fool.com: Commentary] June 2, 2006: "Stocks With Scruples

By S.J. Caplan
June 2, 2006

Socially responsible investing isn't about whether you sit around with friends and gab about your stock picks. Nor is it about whether you've thought long and hard about each investment decision before making a trade: Of course you've done that! It's also not about whether you file your brokerage statements away in a neat and timely fashion. Each of those things may be deemed 'social' or 'responsible' -- perhaps even admirable -- but it's not what the investment world means when it talks about SRI."

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.-"Eastern Connecticut foundations cheer merger

Norwich Bulletin - www.norwichbulletin.com - Norwich, Conn.: "Eastern Connecticut foundations cheer merger
By JULIE A. VARUGHESE
Norwich Bulletin

NORWICH -- Corporations aren't the only ones merging nowadays.

Two community foundations serving New London, Tolland and Windham counties decided to pool their resources and create the Community Foundation of the Tri-County Area, based in Willimantic with an endowment of $1.2 million."

The Daily, Monday, June 5, 2006. Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating

The Daily, Monday, June 5, 2006. Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating: "Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating

2004

Canadians are extremely generous with the money and time they give to charitable and other nonprofit organizations. But it is a relatively small proportion of the population that provides the bulk of the help, according to the latest survey on giving and volunteering.

Although many Canadians give money, charitable and other nonprofit organizations rely on a relatively small group of donors for the majority of their support. The top one-quarter of donors (21% of Canadians) who gave $325 or more during 2004 provided 82% of the value of all donations, the survey showed."