Non-profits fear shrinking donations

Non-profits fear shrinking donations: "Local non-profit organizations expect individual giving to decrease more than 5 percent this year due to strains on the economy. Corporate giving is expected to shrink as well.

Some charitable groups say they've already experienced a hit in donations from corporations and individuals.

'The last time (about five years ago) there was a downturn, the individual giving went down 3 to 4 percent. The corporation giving leveled,' said Patrick McWhortor, Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits president and chief executive officer."

Poor Give More to Charity - National Business News - Portfolio.com

Poor Give More to Charity - National Business News - Portfolio.com: "Charitable giving is an American tradition. Surveys consistently find that between 65 and 85 percent of U.S. families make charitable donations each year, and we give away more than twice as much per capita as the citizens of even the most generous European nations. According to the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study, the average American family that gave to charity in 2002 donated $1,917. And contrary to what some might assume, this giving does not all—or even mostly—support houses of worship. The Giving U.S.A. Foundation reports that only about a third of individual gifts go toward religious causes; the rest are earmarked for secular concerns like education and health."

Grants can have a dark side, too : Local News : Ventura County Star

Grants can have a dark side, too : Local News : Ventura County Star: "Her career may be a sign of how vital grants have become. But it's not the only tipoff: Classes in grant-writing are the most popular offerings in a nonprofit management center operated by the Ventura County Community Foundation. They top accounting, board leadership and new ways to use technology."

Next Gen Giving: Charity and Social Networks

Next Gen Giving: Charity and Social Networks: "Want to lend me a few bucks?!?

You'll feel better if you do. You'll meet lots of new friends. You won't really risk a thing. And my life will be forever changed - for the better.

That's the embedded promise of what's various social lending, online giving and Web-based micro-finance. This new tech trend combines the online power of social networking with inherent human instincts of cooperation and generousity to create the charitable Web."

HeraldNet: Stillaguamish will increase charitable giving

HeraldNet: Stillaguamish will increase charitable giving: "The tribe hands out about $300,000 each year to nonprofit groups, said Stillaguamish Tribal Executive Eddie Goodridge.

'We hope to get that number up to $500,000,' he said.

Stillaguamish Tribal Chairman Shawn Yanity handles the casino's charitable donations. He said information on the tribes' recent mitigation costs was not immediately available."

Charities see little from marketers' pitches

Charities see little from marketers' pitches: "Even the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Arlington, Va., which has 30,000 members, takes a critical view of percentage-based fund raising.

'Anytime you see a firm taking 92 percent of the money, it raises a ton of red flags,' said Michael Nilsen, the association's director of public affairs.

The practice gives all nonprofits a black eye and erodes public trust, he says.

'In the end they are hurting not just their own reputation but the entire sector,' Nilsen said."