Ventura County Reporter - Nonprofit with local roots has global reach

Ventura County Reporter - Nonprofit with local roots has global reach: "funds and did outreach for Third World and developing countries, drought-stricken, in urgent need of safe drinking water supplies. When Kuepper entered the picture, he had started writing for the group, quickly becoming director of its West Coast branch. Its offices in Oxnard are now its national headquarters, and Kuepper leads the all-volunteer nonprofit.

Because Global Water has its origins with the United Nations, it’s only fitting that Kuepper’s group is working to raise awareness of World Water Day on Monday, March 22."

Idealist.org: Don't search for jobs, search for people!

Idealist.org: Don't search for jobs, search for people!: "All right, all right – the title is a tad misleading. You’ll still have to search for jobs a little bit. But what if you changed your focus?

So that you weren’t doing the constant Idealist/Craigslist/local job board shuffle and instead spent more of your time searching for—and talking with—people who are doing interesting things and who may be able to hook you up with a job much more easily than you can on your own?"

Nonprofit Jobs: Interview with Idealist.org's Ami Dar and Meg Busse

Nonprofit Jobs: Interview with Idealist.org's Ami Dar and Meg Busse: "Ami Dar is founder and executive director of Idealist.org and Meg Busse directs their Career Transitions Programs. Look for additional posts from Idealist.org over the next month, as they will be contributing their own mini-series as part of this Nonprofit Job series with advice on working in the nonprofit sector.

Sokunthea: It’s March 2010 and as I've mentioned before, it seems like the overall job market still looks bleak. What have you witnessed in terms of the nonprofit job market?"

Boomers Seeking Personalized Volunteering - The Best Life (usnews.com)

Boomers Seeking Personalized Volunteering - The Best Life (usnews.com): "Surge in self-directed volunteering reflects desire to use specific skills and meet personal needs.

If you have time and an interest in volunteering, you literally can create your own program. Aided by Internet sites that match needs and volunteers, along with other 'do it yourself' online tools, boomers are rewriting the book on how volunteering works."

Do the Wealthy Really Need a Generosity Coach? - The Wealth Report - WSJ

Do the Wealthy Really Need a Generosity Coach? - The Wealth Report - WSJ: "Now some philanthropy advisers are rebranding themselves as “generosity coaches,” making the whole business seem more a matter of good morals than big money."

Human Resource Executive Online - Story

Human Resource Executive Online - Story: "That's why executives from a couple of the nation's more established, traditional nonprofits -- Girl Scouts of America and Mental Health America -- joined experts from Wharton and the University of Pennsylvania at the University's Fels Institute of Government to discuss innovative new approaches that might re-create some of TFA's recruiting magic for their own organizations.

'If you have ever been to a Teach for America event, it's amazing -- they have the schtick down,' says Doug Lynch, vice dean at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education."

Lloyd Webber to Sell $60.9 Million Picasso Portrait for Charity - Bloomberg.com

Lloyd Webber to Sell $60.9 Million Picasso Portrait for Charity - Bloomberg.com: "March 17 (Bloomberg) -- A Pablo Picasso painting of an absinthe drinker owned by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s charity foundation may fetch as much as 40 million pounds ($60.9 million) at a London auction in June."

Online Storytelling Marketing: The New (Old) Way of Delivering Your Brand Message : eMarketing & Commerce (eM+C)

Online Storytelling Marketing: The New (Old) Way of Delivering Your Brand Message : eMarketing & Commerce (eM+C): "Storytelling marketing is a critical part of online marketing. Telling a story is the one communication method that beats all others when it comes to delivering a memorable, motivating and meaningful message. And when combined with online marketing, it creates a very powerful way to deliver a brand message."

In the Arts: New Generation of Curators Helps Museums Modernize - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

In the Arts: New Generation of Curators Helps Museums Modernize - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "A new guard of curators is taking root at major American art museums as the organizations aim to recharge programming and attract younger audiences, The New York Times reports in a special section on the museum scene.

The article profiles nine up-and-coming curators, all in their 30s, at New York's Museum of Modern Art, Washington's National Gallery, and other venerable institutions."

The NonProfit Times - Market A Day, Hope For A Lifetime

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "The newest volunteering incentive is Disney’s “Give a Day, Get a Day” program, where volunteers who dedicate their time will receive a one-day pass to a Disney theme park. Those who sign up can search through volunteer opportunities on the Disney Web site and manage their volunteering accounts.

Susan Ellis, president of Energize, Inc., in Philadelphia, said the Disney giveaway and other days of service “validate that you only have to do the minimum. Go do something for one day and get in.” Firms offering these volunteer days and incentives mean well but might be sending the wrong message, according to Ellis."

Mixing It Up On Nonprofit Boards: Diversify or Fail | Leading Companies for Good | Fast Company

Mixing It Up On Nonprofit Boards: Diversify or Fail | Leading Companies for Good | Fast Company: "Diverse perspectives and heuristics can be engines of joy,' says Page. This is one of the primary reasons that I so enjoy training and placing business executives on nonprofit boards. Through nonprofit boards, people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives have the opportunity to come together to help drive towards a common mission for which they are passionate.

As board members, they also gain a deeper understanding about the issues that their organizations address--whether the issue is the availability of potable water in the world, poverty and hunger, or human rights. Board members have the chance of a lifetime to learn from people they might never have otherwise met, travel together to the nonprofits' sites, see the world through the eyes of others, and help nonprofits to find and implement solutions to address global challenges. The experience is often transformative."

Insuring against the next recession | Philanthropy Journal

Insuring against the next recession | Philanthropy Journal: "'For the most part, it's an uninsurable exposure,' says Melanie Lockwood Herman, executive director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, located in Leesburg, Va. 'Most of the harm nonprofits faced during the recession were things for which there was no insurance.'

Because of competitive forces in the insurance industry, many nonprofits have solid coverage these days, with excellent policies offered for relatively low rates.
'The downturn hasn't turned up any gaps in coverage, but it has exposed weaknesses in risk management,' says Herman."

Fundraisers facing major hurdles

Fundraisers facing major hurdles: "Ms. Fredricks, now a consultant based in New York, will share details next week of how she and her staff at Pace were able to mount a successful fundraising effort in that difficult time. She is scheduled to be a keynote speaker at a conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Western Pennsylvania Chapter and the Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council.

The other keynote will be on planned giving and will be delivered by Debra Ashton, a Quincy, Mass.-based consultant. She has held staff positions at Boston University, Boston College and WGBH, the Boston public television and radio station, and has run her own firm for the last decade."

Are corporate social responsibility rankings irresponsible? / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

Are corporate social responsibility rankings irresponsible? / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com: "Corporate social and environmental performance is all the rage in today’s investment environment. With increasing frequency, analysts are monitoring, evaluating, and ranking that performance. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) lists – ranging from Corporate Knight’s Global 100 to Ethisphere Institute’s Most Ethical Companies and Corporate Responsibility magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens – grow more plentiful and visible each day. Publishers now vie to position their lists as strategic holy grails for corporations making the cut, and Wall Street has taken notice. Nearly one out of every nine dollars of professionally managed assets in the United States – valued at an estimated $2.71 trillion – has been invested in companies that perform well in CSR rankings."

A small act, multiplied (video)

A small act, multiplied (video): "As an impoverished youth in Kenya, Harvard Law alum Chris Mburu LL.M.’93 was threatened with expulsion from his primary school because he couldn’t afford the fees. A woman named Hilde Back decided to help, and wrote a check for $15 dollars to sponsor the Kenyan"

The Nonprofit Quarterly | The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Survey: The Ultra-Wealthy Are Giving Less

The Nonprofit Quarterly | The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Survey: The Ultra-Wealthy Are Giving Less: "Based on a sample of 1,046 respondents, (867 nationally and 179 from South Florida, over half with more than $1 million in assets, the remainder had more than $500,000 in assets), polled in the last quarter of 2009, PNC found sharp reductions in charitable giving by the ultra wealthy (with $5 million or more in assets): donation totals of $1 million or more were made by 15 percent of PNC’s ultra-wealthy in 2007 to 1 percent in 2009."

Number of Charities and Foundations Passes 1.2 Million - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Number of Charities and Foundations Passes 1.2 Million - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "The number of charities and private foundations registered with the Internal Revenue Service increased by 4.3 percent from 2008 to 2009, reaching a total of more than 1.2 million, according to figures released by the tax agency."

Paulette's Point of View: Preventing Exploitation and Putting Donors First

Paulette's Point of View: Preventing Exploitation and Putting Donors First: "Preventing Exploitation and Putting Donors First
One of the issues I’ve seen arise from time to time, and on several occasions over the past few weeks, is controversies of contributions and donor intent when gifts are made by elderly and/or sick donors."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Philanthropic Gusher in Alaska Expected

The Nonprofit Quarterly | The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Philanthropic Gusher in Alaska Expected: "Two years ago the state established the 'Pick-Click-Give' program that encourages Alaskans to designate a portion of their Permanent Fund Dividend, which in 2009 totaled $1,300 a piece. (Donations are done online at a state website at the same time residents apply for their annual dividend.) At the time, the Rasmuson Foundation pledged nearly $1 million the support the program, including costs to administer and promote it, during the first two years."

MinnPost - 'Silent philanthropist' Margaret Cargill's new foundation suddenly surfaces as Minnesota's largest

MinnPost - 'Silent philanthropist' Margaret Cargill's new foundation suddenly surfaces as Minnesota's largest: "A new and largely unknown charitable entity, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, has sailed into the top spot as the state's largest philanthropic foundation."

New Inland Empire United Way chief takes job among tough times | Local News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

New Inland Empire United Way chief takes job among tough times | Local News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California: "Gregory Bradbard had been on the job for only four days when he was asked about the challenges he faced as the new president and CEO of the Inland Empire United Way.

'Yes, it's a tough time for fundraising,' he said, 'but it's also time for people who are doing well to do whatever they can for those who aren't doing so well.'"

KnightNews.com » ZBT Rolls Out Signature Philanthropy

KnightNews.com » ZBT Rolls Out Signature Philanthropy: "The Delta Iota chapter of Zeta Beta Tau will be unveiled their signature spring philanthropy just before Spring Break on the University of Central Florida campus. The brothers of Zeta Beta Tau rolled out a giant, 6-foot ball throughout the campus to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network."

Generations X and Y Make Up Majority of Potential Donors, Study Finds - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Generations X and Y Make Up Majority of Potential Donors, Study Finds - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Members of Generation Y, the term most often used for this group, tend to be less loyal to an organization and hold high expectations for online attempts to attract them. But they also have a strong desired to help others and to raise money and attention for their favorite causesfrom friends and acquaintances.

Those are just a few of the findings of a new survey released by Convio and Sea Change Strategies about how members of different generations learn about charities, interact with them, and support them."

Nonprofits, state can achieve symbiosis | delawareonline.com | The News Journal

Nonprofits, state can achieve symbiosis | delawareonline.com | The News Journal: "It's now that they need the support of a strong nonprofit sector.

Unfortunately, that sector itself is vulnerable. For decades, as Delaware's population has grown older and poorer, its nonprofits have grown more financially fragile. More than one-third of the state's nonprofits operated in the red each year from 2002-07, and corporate, foundation and individual giving provide them less support than they need to ably serve their increasing and increasingly needy constituents."

Disrupting Philanthropy Report: A Conversation | Geoff Livingston's Blog

Disrupting Philanthropy Report: A Conversation | Geoff Livingston's Blog: "Today, Lucy Bernholtz, Edwards Skloot, and Barry Varela hosted a conversation at the Pew Conference room on their recent Disrupting Philanthropy Report. In attendance where folks from some of the largest foundations and technology companies in the world. The following is a liveblogged account of the conversation."

Wood River Valley non-profit groups seek regional training

Wood River Valley non-profit groups seek regional training: "Smith unveiled the results of a new study sponsored by such organizations as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a workshop organized by the Wood River Women's Charitable Foundation.

Smith said that the new study, which he planned to introduce to others in several states on Friday, indicated that non-profits are 'passion-rich but resource-poor.'

Leaders need to be able to take a step back and assess what their staff needs. But grant makers tend to award grants to 'sexy' things rather than the day-to-day operating needs, which often are where the biggest needs are, Smith said."

Even with bad times, people are giving | Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post

Even with bad times, people are giving | Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post: "n Rowan County, the trend seems to lean more toward people continuing to give in spite of the economy.

When it comes to donating, people seem to remember Main Street Mission in China Grove, said Director Anne Corriher.

'We have benefited in a bad economy and it's been amazing to see,' she said.

Beginning around the holidays in 2009, Corriher said she anticipated few donations."