Sargeant taking break from teaching | Philanthropy Journal

Sargeant taking break from teaching | Philanthropy Journal: "Sargeant says he will work as an independent consultant while also conducting pro-bono research, and has the 'potential to go back' to Indiana as the Hartsook Chair, which is believed to be the only endowed chair in fundraising anywhere."

The AFP Blog: Donor-Centered Fundraising

The AFP Blog: Donor-Centered Fundraising: "Michael Rosen, CFRE, has written an interesting piece on his blog about his five most popular posts . The five posts tackle slightly differe..."

Maine Voices: Churches, charities need to learn how to avoid carelessness and fraud | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Maine Voices: Churches, charities need to learn how to avoid carelessness and fraud | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram: "FARMINGTON - Let me tell a fictional version of a story that many in the legal profession know by heart.


A concerned member of a nearly defunct but once thriving church or other charitable group walks through my door lamenting that some $50,000 of its funds just can't be located."

Stock Market's Gyrations Don't Cause Panic at Big Fund - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Stock Market's Gyrations Don't Cause Panic at Big Fund - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Stock Market’s Gyrations Don’t Cause Panic at Big Fund

August 11, 2011, 5:53 pm

By Holly Hall

The stock market’s gyrations this week are giving charities of all kinds the jitters. But some nonprofits feel the effects of the stock-market roller coaster more than others because a big share of their donations comes in the form of securities."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Using Scandal to Make a Point: Cuomo and Nonprofit Executive Salaries

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Using Scandal to Make a Point: Cuomo and Nonprofit Executive Salaries: "August 10, 2011; Source: Crain's New York | There is no question that the State of New York had plenty of evidence to raise questions about the million-dollar salaries paid to the two brothers running the Young Adult Institute. Governor Andrew Cuomo quickly followed up on a New York Times article about YAI's Levy brothers to create a task force to establish salary guidelines for nonprofits receiving Medicaid funds. In our Newswire coverage of the story NPQ suggested that the state might want to aim equal scrutiny at the salaries (and profits) of YAI's for-profit competitors. Abuse of Medicaid, as the public knows all too well, is hardly a problem limited to the nonprofit sector."

World Art Managers Find New Funding Models In D.C. : NPR

World Art Managers Find New Funding Models In D.C. : NPR: "Each year's class of fellows is a little like a United Nations of arts management. They come from every corner of the globe; Pakistan, Russia, Ecuador, Zanzibar, Cambodia and China to name a few. In most of these countries, nonprofit staples like capital campaigns and membership drives are unheard of.

'The funding system in the United States is different than most of the world,' says Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser. 'We developed this private philanthropy model because of a separation of art and state that really emerged from the Puritans who thought that music and dance were evil.'"

IU Dance Marathon competes for national philanthropy award | Campus | Indiana Daily Student

IU Dance Marathon competes for national philanthropy award | Campus | Indiana Daily Student: "After more than 20 years of hosting dance marathons on campus to raise money for the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, IU Dance Marathon may soon find itself under a spotlight of its own.

At the beginning of the summer, StayClassy notified IUDM it was nominated for the Most Influential College Student or Organization for the third annual Classy Awards. StayClassy is an online social fundraising site that helps to promote
non-profits."

Governor Rick Perry: Big On Prayer, Not So Big On Charity

Governor Rick Perry: Big On Prayer, Not So Big On Charity: "Michael Nilsen of the Association of Fundraising Professionals said Perry's giving is 'about average from what I've seen. Lower in some years, a little higher in some years' compared to other people in his income bracket."

Bill Nemitz: Mainer is giving back, one $10,000 check at a time | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Bill Nemitz: Mainer is giving back, one $10,000 check at a time | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram: "The letter, which comes with the promise of a check for $10,000, begins thusly: 'I have recently developed a charitable program specifically designed to benefit municipalities such as yours ... Due to the present economic conditions, I feel it might be an appropriate time to institute this program.'"

Giving Choices

Giving Choices: "Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The latest data
So this morning, I wrote 350 engaging words about research into WHY people give. If you want to read that, stay tuned for another day, because in the process of preparing that post, I discovered that last week the IRS released final data about charitable giving in 2009.

SO.....ta da. A quick look at what changed between 2008 and 2009 in the world of individual, itemized charitable contributions."

Just Give ’Em the Money: The Power and Pleasure of Unrestricted Funding (August 3, 2011) | Opinion Blog | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Just Give ’Em the Money: The Power and Pleasure of Unrestricted Funding (August 3, 2011) | Opinion Blog | Stanford Social Innovation Review: "When I stumbled into philanthropy, seven years out of medical school, I had no idea that there was an accepted set of practices to follow. Through a combination of cluelessness, hubris, and too much time in remote field sites I remained blissfully unaware of the mores and norms of the grant-making world. In my ignorance, I figured that the best thing for the Mulago Foundation to do was to find high-impact organizations focused on the things we cared about most—and give them a bunch of money.

That’s worked out pretty well for us, and unrestricted funding remains a cornerstone of our funding strategy."

How the Downturn Changes Strategy Work - Good Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

How the Downturn Changes Strategy Work - Good Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Over the past three years, my thinking, like that of many of my colleagues, has changed radically.

First, strategy now seems to be as much about good decision making as good planning. Rather than thinking of myself as the expert architect of a process that will eventually yield strategy, I now work with executives to make good decisions in real time.

In arriving at those decisions, we draw on some of the tools in a typical strategic-planning process, but a decision-making orientation changes the consulting arrangement—for the better."

HKS Executive Education

HKS Executive Education: "Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government introduces a series of ONLINE Executive Education programs designed to reach an audience of nonprofit and NGO managers"

The Need for Good Advice - Good Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

New Blog from Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Need for Good Advice - Good Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "So today we start this blog to fill the void by offering advice from consultants to consultants.

We’ve enlisted a team of respected consultants as authors, and we’ll also invite nonprofit leaders to share their experiences working with consultants. And we hope you’ll help us shape the conversation by letting us know what you’d like to see explored here."

Holbrook Community Foundation and Working Waterfront

Four Fundraisers Earn Highest Credential From AFP - Member News - Member - AFP

Four Fundraisers Earn Highest Credential From AFP - Member News - Member - AFP: "Four fundraisers have earned the highest professional certification, the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE), from AFP.

The newest ACFRE recipients are Sharon Gleason of Washington, D.C., director of development for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, R. Scott Fortnum of Newmarket, Ontario, chief development officer for Saint Elizabeth Foundation, James K. Phelps of Vancouver, Wash., development director at the ACLU of Oregon, and Cecilia N. Soriano of Mission Viejo, Calif., who was most recently executive director of gift planning for University of California, Riverside."

EO Update August 8, 2011

EO Update August 8, 2011: "1. New Form for Miscellaneous Determination Requests

The IRS has released a new form that tax-exempt organizations will use to request certain determinations about their tax-exempt status. In addition to foundation status issues, organizations will use Form 8940, Request for Miscellaneous Determination, to obtain advance approval of certain activities and exemption from Form 990 filing requirements. Organizations applying for recognition of exemption and at the same time requesting advance approval of scholarship procedures or exception from filing Form 990 should include their request with their Form 1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3), rather than file Form 8940."

If donors knew what others gave, would they give more? � The Butterfly Effect (Blog) � Cause & Effect

If donors knew what others gave, would they give more? � The Butterfly Effect (Blog) � Cause & Effect: "the Summer 2011 issue of The Nonprofit Quarterly, you’ll find an intriguing article, “Fundraising Education: A Fork in the Road?”.

The authors, both professors at Indiana University, home of The Center on Philanthropy, lament the depressingly statistic that giving in the US has been static for decades at just 2% of GDP. They suggest that more robust interaction between academic research and practice — and more academically educated fundraisers – is a potential solution to lifting us out of this giving doldrums."

Volunteerism Holds Steady in America - Volunteers - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Volunteerism Holds Steady in America - Volunteers - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "The number of Americans who volunteer dropped slightly in 2010, according to a federal report released today."

The Rise of the Hybrid: Legal Headaches and Multibillion Bonanzas

The Rise of the Hybrid: Legal Headaches and Multibillion Bonanzas: "The term 'hybrid' describes an organization that mixes the characteristics of different sectors. The boundaries between the private, public and third sector have of course always been malleable. Thrift stores sell clothes and CBC sells advertising. The Canadian public health service uses private enterprises that need to make a profit, and holds lotteries to raise funds.

But blurring doesn't adequately describe or explain what is happening today. The terms of debate have shifted. They are about the need for new legal structures, in part driven by the need to increase private sector funding for public good."

Mortgages and Conservation Easements: Not a Good Mix | Planned Giving Design Center

Mortgages and Conservation Easements: Not a Good Mix | Planned Giving Design Center: "In this article, University of Baltimore law professor Wendy Gerzog reviews Kaufman and the Tax Court's reconsideration of its summary judgment decision that rejected the taxpayers' deduction for a facade easement charitable deduction. The issues newly considered are the deductibility of the taxpayers' required cash payments to the charity in connection with obtaining a facade easement charitable deduction and the application of various penalties."

"Managing Many Generations in the Nonprofit Workplace

massnonprofit.org ::: "Managing Many Generations in the Nonprofit Workplace

By Jackie Shannon


With more people of all ages working in the nonprofit sector than ever before, each age group brings its own strengths, but generational differences can pose management challenges for nonprofit organizations.

Many organizations today find that four generations of employees are now working together: Traditionalists, age 66 and up; Baby Boomers, 47 – 65; Generation X, 31 – 46; and Generation Y/Millennials, 30 and younge"

The Great American Giveaway - Ideas & Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

The Great American Giveaway - Ideas & Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "The 32-year-old former newspaper photographer is on a cross-country road trip this summer to visit thrift stores in 32 states. Her goal? “To show people that thrift stores are not just places you go and donate stuff,” she says. “You’re saving money, you’re helping people, you’re helping your community, but you’re also saving things from your landfill.”"

4 Easy Email Tests to Start Today | NetWitsThinkTank.com

4 Easy Email Tests to Start Today | NetWitsThinkTank.com: "Are you testing your email messages (i.e. subject lines, time of the day, etc)? If not, you’re missing an opportunity to improve your results."

Live from #BlogHer: PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on the leadership principles that guide her | SmartBlog on Leadership

Live from #BlogHer: PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on the leadership principles that guide her | SmartBlog on Leadership: "emale business leaders hold an advantage over their their male counterparts because they nurture and add humanity to the position, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi said during her keynote address at BlogHer last week. “Women globally represent 70% of the buying decisions around the world,” Nooyi said. ”There’s a shift happening among women in the world.”"

How to Write a Great Direct Mail Fundraising Letter

How to Write a Great Direct Mail Fundraising Letter: "It is very problematic to provide examples of fundraising letters. They vary tremendously, depending on the nature of the charity, the resources that charity has to apply toward direct mail fundraising, and the creativity of the person who writes that letter."

The Trivialities and Transcendence of Kickstarter - NYTimes.com

The Trivialities and Transcendence of Kickstarter - NYTimes.com: "But this time something occurred to me: What about that Kickstarter thing? Kickstarter has been around online for just over two years, and various artists, filmmakers, musicians, writers and designers have used the site to raise more than $75 million for 10,626 “creative projects,” to use Kickstarter’s preferred term."

Fund Raisers Mull Effects of a Double-Dip Recession - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Fund Raisers Mull Effects of a Double-Dip Recession - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Fund Raisers Mull Effects of a Double-Dip Recession

August 8, 2011, 10:37 am

By Holly Hall

With the drumbeat of bad economic news in the United States and around the world threatening the nation’s fragile recovery, fund raisers are wearily bracing themselves for a possible double-dip recession and the likelihood of a slowdown in giving in coming months."

Don’t Measure Fundraising Costs, But Cost-Effectiveness. | Sharpe Tips

AFP has a Hot Topic on Fundraising Costs which is available to Members
http://www.afpnet.org/HotTopic/FundraisingCosts

Some related links on Fundraising Costs

Don’t Measure Fundraising Costs, But Cost-Effectiveness. | Sharpe Tips: "Don’t Measure Fundraising Costs, But Cost-Effectiveness.
Posted on July 29, 2011 by Alan Sharpe

The only number in fundraising that matters is net revenue.

Net revenue is the money you have left over after you subtract your fundraising expenses from your fundraising income. Net revenue is the only money you can do mission with. The more net revenue you have, the more good you can do in the world."

Thank-You Note Prompts Unexpected Foundation Gift - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Some additional coverage

Thank-You Note Prompts Unexpected Foundation Gift - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Thank-You Note Prompts Unexpected Foundation Gift

August 3, 2011, 9:39 am

By Raymund Flandez

Many foundations don’t accept unsolicited proposals, but sometimes a heart-felt “thank you” can lead them to break that rule."