The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "3 Reasons For Prospect Research Before The Economy Improves

Nonprofits are coming around to the notion of prospect research is to fundraising what the research and development (R&D) department is to a for-profit corporation, according to Tony Glowacki, CEO at Bethesda, Md.-based WealthEngine.com"

Are Charity Leaders Ignoring a Spike in Nonprofit Fraud? - Philanthropy.com

Are Charity Leaders Ignoring a Spike in Nonprofit Fraud? - Philanthropy.com: "Are Charity Leaders Ignoring a Spike in Nonprofit Fraud?

The recession has brought a variety of ills to the nonprofit world, and one that may be going overlooked is an increase in fraud — theft, embezzlement, and other financial skullduggery."

Seattle nonprofits band together to save money - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

Seattle nonprofits band together to save money - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):: "A half-dozen Seattle nonprofits are looking into saving money during the recession by joining together in a coalition and combining some of their office operations."

Giving While Living ... And Beyond - Forbes.com

Giving While Living ... And Beyond - Forbes.com: "So how has the current recession affected your philanthropy? For many donors, a reduced asset base has meant refocusing their charitable giving. Some are shifting priorities, choosing to focus on the communities and issues hit hardest by the economic downturn; others are adjusting gift amounts to reflect changes in their finances and still others see the recession as an opportune time to revisit their legacy plan and review and rethink the question of what kind of legacy they hope to leave. They are taking a hard look at the charitable designations named in their estate plans, which, for many, is a long overdue exercise, since interests, intent and financial circumstances will have changed since the estate plan was first drafted."

FayObserver.com - "Philanthropy must adapt to change

FayObserver.com - Current Article Page: "Philanthropy must adapt to change

By Hodding Carter III
Chapel Hill


Private foundations are among the greatest of American innovations. They funnel private wealth into tax-sheltered institutions that in turn support public institutions and purposes. At their best, they have been catalysts for civic and cultural development, economic revitalization and educational innovation."

Environmental Foundation Expires, as It Always Wanted - NYTimes.com

Environmental Foundation Expires, as It Always Wanted - NYTimes.com: "John Hunting, an heir to the Steelcase office furniture fortune, always knew that his foundation, the Beldon Fund, would have a limited life span."

Reuters AlertNet - Aid agencies struggle as soaring global needs outpace funding

Reuters AlertNet - Aid agencies struggle as soaring global needs outpace funding: "Aid funds are running short for worsening humanitarian emergencies in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Horn of Africa, as political complexities and the global economic crisis dampen the generosity of governments and individual donors"

British Group Urges Members to Identify Unethical Fund Raising - Philanthropy.com

From the Chronicle Prospecting Blog

British Group Urges Members to Identify Unethical Fund Raising - Philanthropy.com: "British Group Urges Members to Identify Unethical Fund Raising

A British association of fund raisers is asking its members to become whistle-blowers when it comes to unethical direct-mail solicitations.

According to Third Sector, a British publication about nonprofit groups, the Institute of Fundraising, in London, last week sent a message to its 5,000 members that asks them to tell the organization, even anonymously, about campaigns that violate its direct-mail code of conduct."

SOI Tax Stats - SOI Bulletin: Spring 2009

SOI Tax Stats - SOI Bulletin: Spring 2009: "SOI Tax Stats - SOI Bulletin: Spring 2009"

Hire More Fundraising Rain-Makers During Recession, New AHP Study Concludes - Examiner.com

Hire More Fundraising Rain-Makers During Recession, New AHP Study Concludes - Examiner.com: "These and other important findings come from the latest series of reports from the AHP Performance Benchmarking Service for fiscal year 2007, which takes in the early months of the current recession. The AHP's annual surveys examine the performance of organizations, such as hospital-affiliated foundations, that raise funds for nonprofit health care facilities."

Sour economy good for Vehicles for Change - wtop.com

Sour economy good for Vehicles for Change - wtop.com: "WASHINGTON - A non-profit is using the sour economy to help provide tax breaks while giving people a chance to drive themselves to work.

Vehicles for Change is a group that takes used cars, refurbishes them and sells them cheaply to the working poor. Chief Executive Officer Marty Schwartz says he is selling 40 to 50 cars a month and donations are up 25 percent because of a change in the tax law."

Virginia Business - News: The disappearing donor

Virginia Business - News: The disappearing donor: "According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, only 46 percent of charities raised more money in 2008 than in 2007, a new low in the survey’s eight-year history. Usually that number is around 60 percent. Forty percent of organizations surveyed reported raising less money in 2008 than the previous year. The remaining 14 percent of respondents raised the same amount as in 2007. “Fundraising decreases were seen across the board, regardless of issue, size or geography,” the association reports."

Local News | New CEO: Gates Foundation learns from experiments | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | New CEO: Gates Foundation learns from experiments | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Some people might cringe while recounting how much money the foundation spent figuring this out. But the foundation's new CEO, Jeff Raikes, smiles and uses it as an example to explain that the charity has the money to try things that might fail.

'Almost by definition, good philanthropy means we're going to have to do some risky things, some speculative things to try and see what works and what doesn't,' Raikes said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press."

Muhammad Yunus: Lifting People Worldwide out of Poverty - Knowledge@Wharton

Muhammad Yunus: Lifting People Worldwide out of Poverty - Knowledge@Wharton: "Knowledge@Wharton: Our guest today is Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the microcredit movement -- based on the idea of making very small loans to the world's poorest people, thereby giving them the opportunity to raise themselves and their families out of poverty. Thank you for joining us."

NONPROFIT: Foundation study finds billions in charity potential : North County Times - Californian 05-27-2009

NONPROFIT: Foundation study finds billions in charity potential : North County Times - Californian 05-27-2009: "SAN DIEGO ---- Officials with San Diego County's largest charitable foundation say a recent study of wealth, incomes and population trends makes them optimistic about soliciting donations from residents throughout the region.

The study by the San Diego Foundation showed households in the coastal strip from Del Mar to Oceanside with the greatest wealth and largest incomes, and South Bay cities as the least well off. Those results were expected, but the differences from one area to the next were encouragingly small, an executive at the foundation said."

Charitable giving: how generosity can hold up | Money | The Guardian

Charitable giving: how generosity can hold up Money The Guardian: "There is no historical evidence that charitable giving decreases in recessions. If trends in North America during the Great Depression are anything to go by the proportion of individual income given to charity will remain generally constant, although it may be redirected from bigger charities towards local, community-based organisations, which are seen to be working at the frontline helping victims of the economic downturn."

White House Official Defends Deduction Proposal - Philanthropy.com

White House Official Defends Deduction Proposal - Philanthropy.com: "White House Official Defends Deduction Proposal
An Obama administration official is advising charities not to worry about the White House’s plan to limit charity tax breaks for the wealthy and to keep in mind the “broader context” of President Obama’s plan."

Charity Leaders Perform Public Stunts to Raise Money - Philanthropy.com

Charity Leaders Perform Public Stunts to Raise Money - Philanthropy.com: "Charity Leaders Perform Public Stunts to Raise Money
Are you looking for a way to boost interest in a fund-raising campaign? Perhaps public humiliation of your executive director is the answer.
Well, that might be putting it a little strongly, but Nancy E. Schwartz, a charity marketing consultant, suggests on her blog Getting Attention that sharing something personal, “can deepen understanding, interest and the connection” between donors and charity leadership."

A winner by a nose in Target's charity horse race

A winner by a nose in Target's charity horse race: "the results are in for the 10 charities that competed for Facebook members' votes to determine how $3 million from Minneapolis-based Target would be divided."

Report gives some hope for major giving | UK Fundraising

Report gives some hope for major giving | UK Fundraising: "A new report into philanthropy in Ireland indicates that it is not inevitable that major giving will decline during the current recession and an unprecedented fall in the paper wealth of many of Ireland’s highest net-worth individuals."

Principal says sponsorship is important for charities, community | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Principal says sponsorship is important for charities, community | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register: "When a California bank sponsored a golf tournament after selling stock to the federal government as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, congressmen criticized the spending as irresponsible and arrogant.

So why would Principal Financial Group, which was approved to receive $2 billion from the Treasury as part of the same program, still want to sponsor a golf tournament?"

Secrets of giving: Masonic Philanthropies over the years - Washington Times

Secrets of giving: Masonic Philanthropies over the years - Washington Times: "'The Masons spend over $2 million a day, over three-quarters of a billion dollars a year, in philanthropy,' Brent Morris says when asked about the impact of his organization's charitable giving. Mr. Morris is the managing editor of the Scottish Rite Journal and author of 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry.' During a recent tour of the museum and library at the temple, Mr. Morris went into greater detail about the organization's charitable work."

Passion and Purpose Video Page 1 of 4

Passion and Purpose Video Page 1 of 4: "In June of 2008, when the Boston Foundation published its first major report on the state of the nonprofit sector in Massachusetts, called Passion & Purpose, one of the goals was to explore ways to enhance this powerful sector’s financial viability and maximize its impact. The data in the report uncovered the strength and the vulnerabilities of the sector. With $87 billion in revenues, $207 billion in assets, and close to 450,000 workers, the Massachusetts nonprofit sector emerged as a major economic force. But the impact of the sector’s growth—combined with a lack of growth in financial support and increasing community need—had taken its toll, resulting in a weakening economic condition. By 2007, the sector had just about recovered from the recession that started in 2001 and worsened after 9/11. We had no way of knowing, of course, that the next recession was just around the corner—and that it would be the most serious economic downturn since World War II."

The NonProfit Times - Build Circles Of Support The Old-Fashioned Way

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "Trust is personal. It’s a value shared between individuals. Why does Kevin Rogers, long-time friend of your new executive director, now donate to your organization? Is it because he likes your mission? Maybe, but initially it’s because he trusts and supports his friend.

For thousands of nonprofits, it’s these types of personal and professional relationships that will be the saving grace in what will continue to be a year of uncertainty."

Meeting on Financial Trends Raises Millions for Cancer Research - Philanthropy.com

Meeting on Financial Trends Raises Millions for Cancer Research - Philanthropy.com: "Meeting on Financial Trends Raises Millions for Cancer Research

Some 1,000 hedge-fund managers will pay $3,000 a head to attend a charity fund-raising event tomorrow that doubles as an often-prescient conference on financial-market trends, Bloomberg reports."

Nonprofit groups might find 6,300 is a crowd, study says

Nonprofit groups might find 6,300 is a crowd, study says: "A new study questions whether Austin has too many nonprofits — and, if so, what to do about it.

According to a recently released report by Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, there are more than 6,300 501(c)(3) public charities in the Austin area, which includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. Of those, 73 percent have budgets of less than $100,000."

Move Out For Charity Program To End Tomorrow - Durham County - MyNC.com

Move Out For Charity Program To End Tomorrow - Durham County - MyNC.com: "Move Out for Charity, a program of Duke Recycles, is recycling with an environmental and social conscience. The program will be collecting donation items from Wednesday April 29th through May 12th in various locations on East, West and Central campuses
[see locations & times] ((http://www.duke.edu/sustainability/news_events/items/2009_04_26MoveOut.html))"

Nonprofit groups struggling to keep up

Nonprofit groups struggling to keep up: "Salvation Army volunteers ringing bells at red kettles usually signal Christmas is around the corner.

But for the first time out of the holiday season, the San Antonio Salvation Army, which turned 120 this year, is bringing out the red kettle to help augment a serious need."