Featuring Guest Blogger Andrea McManus, CFRE
The AFP Blog: Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of attending the Institute of Fundraising’s (UK) annual conference in London. Part of the great experience I had there was meeting with leaders of different fundraising organizations from around the world.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
If Donors Are Investors, They Need A Motley Fool - Tony Martignetti
If Donors Are Investors, They Need A Motley Fool - Tony Martignetti: As that continues, investors will need investment advisory services, like The Motley Fool, Raymond James, MorganStanley SmithBarney and others. They’ll seek advice on where to place their money to get maximum return on investment. There are companies providing such services today, but they all serve wealthy donors investing in our charitable sectors.
The need for this expertise will reach modest investors, just as Motley Fool offers a comparatively low-cost, web-based advisory practice for people who need not have millions in investible assets. They recommend buying, selling, holding or watching individual stocks.
The need for this expertise will reach modest investors, just as Motley Fool offers a comparatively low-cost, web-based advisory practice for people who need not have millions in investible assets. They recommend buying, selling, holding or watching individual stocks.
Five ‘must dos’ of bequest fundraising | SOFII
Five ‘must dos’ of bequest fundraising | SOFII: There are many ways you could approach the development of a bequest programme. Staff on the road making face-to-face asks, direct mail programmes, phone programmes, press advertisements, online programmes, or a combination of all of these. There are some highly successful programmes out there and no one magic formula. But there are some things you can do to really maximise your chances of success.
Having had the opportunity to analyse and work on a broad range of bequest programmes, I’ve come across some essential ‘must dos’ that underpin each successful one.
Having had the opportunity to analyse and work on a broad range of bequest programmes, I’ve come across some essential ‘must dos’ that underpin each successful one.
Shore Line Trolley Museum Damaged by Irene Floods - East Haven, CT Patch
Shore Line Trolley Museum Damaged by Irene Floods - East Haven, CT Patch: ronically, the museum’s board of trustees had just inaugurated an “Elevating the Collection” fundraising campaign in March aimed at building elevated housing for the collection to protect it against even the most devastating hurricane.
SPEA partnership explores gift influence to nonprofit groups | Campus | Indiana Daily Student
SPEA partnership explores gift influence to nonprofit groups | Campus | Indiana Daily Student: The School of Public and Environmental Affairs is partnering with charity Good360 to investigate how unsold, donated items influence nonprofit organizations, showing collaboration in sustainability and philanthropy.
Freshman Engineers Unlikely Day School Gift | The Jewish Week
Freshman Engineers Unlikely Day School Gift | The Jewish Week: he 17-year-old, a freshman mechanical engineering major at the upstate university, decided her alma mater needed the cash more than her family, which had already budgeted for the full tuition.
Editorial: Thank you, Austin, and welcome aboard, Herbst - Commentary - The Daily Campus - University of Connecticut
Editorial: Thank you, Austin, and welcome aboard, Herbst - Commentary - The Daily Campus - University of Connecticut: Acknowledging that the role of a university president is steeped in philanthropy, President Herbst recently announced that she and her husband were donating $100,000 of their own money as an example of how donations are important to the university's future. In an interview with "UCONN Magazine," President Herbst said, "We must all accelerate our efforts in philanthropy. I will work hard with our alumni, donors, and other stakeholders to build our endowment and achieve more protection against difficult economic trends. Public higher education is what made America what it is."
Golfers get to see where charity goes | Golf | Sports | London Free Press
Golfers get to see where charity goes | Golf | Sports | London Free Press: Not only do the golfers, who raised $24,000 at FireRock Golf Club in June, leave the tournament knowing all the money is going to a worthwhile cause but also some of them will head to Bolivia next month to help build homes in a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
After Irene: 5 Things Organizations Involved in Disaster Response Should Be Doing at VolunteerMatch | Engaging Volunteers
After Irene: 5 Things Organizations Involved in Disaster Response Should Be Doing at VolunteerMatch | Engaging Volunteers: Following Tropical Storm Irene, like many disasters, the real work will begin after the storm settles. Widespread flooding and wavering federal support for cleanup means the communities affected by the storm will also need help from the independent sector.
If your organization is involved in disaster preparation and response, here are a few tips for making the most of VolunteerMatch following the disaster:
If your organization is involved in disaster preparation and response, here are a few tips for making the most of VolunteerMatch following the disaster:
Steve Jobs' philanthropy: whose business is it? - San Francisco Business Times
Steve Jobs' philanthropy: whose business is it? - San Francisco Business Times: Scratch at that surface, however, and it is highly unlikely that the couple does not engage in some level of philanthropy. Mrs. Jobs sits or has sat on numerous nonprofit boards (Teach for America, New Schools Venture Fund , KQED , Global Fund for Women, to name a few) and has helped to start more than one nonprofit. Only someone with a deep social commitment would do these things. And as anybody with even a passing understanding of the nonprofit sector knows, most nonprofit board seats come with an implicit or explicit financial commitment, particularly at high profile, big-budget organizations like Teach for America and KQED. Even more so if your last name is Jobs and the world knows your financial wherewithal.
Charities Struggle With Smaller Wall Street Donations - NYTimes.com
Charities Struggle With Smaller Wall Street Donations - NYTimes.com: Operation Hope built a nonprofit powerhouse over the last decade, spinning a stockpile of donations from Wall Street firms into 27 financial education centers across the country.
But the charitable organization’s donor base has retrenched in the wake of the financial crisis. Citigroup’s foundation last year cut its giving 60 percent, to $115,000. The ING Foundation delayed paying its $300,000 commitment to Operation Hope. And the CIT Group, a lender that was once one of the organization’s biggest benefactors, stopped giving altogether.
But the charitable organization’s donor base has retrenched in the wake of the financial crisis. Citigroup’s foundation last year cut its giving 60 percent, to $115,000. The ING Foundation delayed paying its $300,000 commitment to Operation Hope. And the CIT Group, a lender that was once one of the organization’s biggest benefactors, stopped giving altogether.
Steve Jobs’s philanthropy | Felix Salmon
Steve Jobs’s philanthropy | Felix Salmon: Some of Sorkin’s points are good ones. There’s no good reason, for instance, for Jobs failing to reinstate Apple’s philanthropic programs, which he cut on the grounds of wanting “to restore the company’s profitability.” Similarly, Apple’s failure to match its employees’ charitable giving does make it stand out — and not in a good way — from its Silicon Valley peers.
I think this is maybe a downside of Jobs’s famous micromanaging: if he’s personally not interested in something, then his entire company becomes uninterested in it.
I think this is maybe a downside of Jobs’s famous micromanaging: if he’s personally not interested in something, then his entire company becomes uninterested in it.
Nonprofits Retained More Donors in 2010, Report Shows - Press - AFP
Nonprofits Retained More Donors in 2010, Report Shows - Press - AFP: Nonprofits Retained More Donors in 2010, Report Shows
(Aug. 30, 2011) Nonprofit organizations in the U.S. were better at retaining donors and shored up their net losses in donations in 2010, according to the latest report of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP).
The FEP, a report of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, compares gains and losses of donors and donation amounts. More than just a look at total revenue and the total number of donors to a given organization, the FEP indicates year over year growth by comparing how many new donors are acquired with how many stopped giving, and the donation levels of each.
(Aug. 30, 2011) Nonprofit organizations in the U.S. were better at retaining donors and shored up their net losses in donations in 2010, according to the latest report of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP).
The FEP, a report of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, compares gains and losses of donors and donation amounts. More than just a look at total revenue and the total number of donors to a given organization, the FEP indicates year over year growth by comparing how many new donors are acquired with how many stopped giving, and the donation levels of each.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
On Charity, Steve Jobs Has A Right To Remain Silent - Deborah L. Jacobs - DJ Working - Forbes
On Charity, Steve Jobs Has A Right To Remain Silent - Deborah L. Jacobs - DJ Working - Forbes: Wouldn’t it be something if Jobs has been giving anonymously all long?
One of the few surveys on anonymous giving concluded that the primary reason donors like to keep their identities a secret is to avoid solicitations from other organizations. The 1991 study, Survey on Anonymous Giving, by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, was based on responses from 563 senior development officers who had either graduated from a training course at the university’s fund-raising school or been certified as fund-raisers by the National Society of Fund-Raising Executives.
One of the few surveys on anonymous giving concluded that the primary reason donors like to keep their identities a secret is to avoid solicitations from other organizations. The 1991 study, Survey on Anonymous Giving, by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, was based on responses from 563 senior development officers who had either graduated from a training course at the university’s fund-raising school or been certified as fund-raisers by the National Society of Fund-Raising Executives.
Love the Loyal | BLACKBAUD'S Prospect Research Blog for Non-Profit Fund Raising
Love the Loyal | BLACKBAUD'S Prospect Research Blog for Non-Profit Fund Raising: n the early days of building predictive modeling services for nonprofits, I was hoping to prove that there are two separate concepts — likelihood to give and capacity to give — that we could statistically combine in different ways to rank our prospects and understand the giving choices they were most likely to make. I believed that likelihood, also known as affinity, inclination, or propensity to give offered us more insight to future behavior than capacity.
Staff Turnover
Related articles on Turnover
Staff turnover study from the UK
Charity staff turnover falls, survey finds - Third Sector: Survey found that staff turnover in charities fell to 16 per cent last year
But proportion leaving their jobs is still higher than the national average, according to annual People Count Third Sector poll
Staff turnover in charities fell from 20 per cent last year to 16 per cent this year, according to a new human resources study.
AFP material on Turnover and Retention
Staff turnover study from the UK
Charity staff turnover falls, survey finds - Third Sector: Survey found that staff turnover in charities fell to 16 per cent last year
But proportion leaving their jobs is still higher than the national average, according to annual People Count Third Sector poll
Staff turnover in charities fell from 20 per cent last year to 16 per cent this year, according to a new human resources study.
AFP material on Turnover and Retention
Rice MBA students make their mark on Houston with nonprofit board service - Your Houston News: News
Rice MBA students make their mark on Houston with nonprofit board service - Your Houston News: News: For the fourth consecutive year, Rice University MBA students are making a mark on the city of Houston with their involvement in nonprofit boards as part of the Jones Graduate School of Business Board Fellows Program.
OUDaily.com | Fraternity members hit the road to raise funds for self-operated nonprofit
OUDaily.com | Fraternity members hit the road to raise funds for self-operated nonprofit: OU greek brothers took their philanthropy to the next level this summer in an event of extreme volunteerism.
Every summer, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members commit to work with Push America, the fraternity’s self-operated, nonprofit organization.
For some, the involvement involves 4,000 miles of bicycle riding, the construction of playgrounds and nature paths or the donation of grants to aid people with disabilities.
Every summer, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members commit to work with Push America, the fraternity’s self-operated, nonprofit organization.
For some, the involvement involves 4,000 miles of bicycle riding, the construction of playgrounds and nature paths or the donation of grants to aid people with disabilities.
$10 Million Investment to Enhance Philanthropy among UT Institutions - UT Dallas News
$10 Million Investment to Enhance Philanthropy among UT Institutions - UT Dallas News: The University of Texas System Board of Regents has authorized a $10 million investment to strengthen fundraising capacity among the 15 UT institutions.
The initiative, called Strength in Numbers, is part of Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa’s new action plan for advancing excellence throughout the UT System.
The initiative, called Strength in Numbers, is part of Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa’s new action plan for advancing excellence throughout the UT System.
Reinvigorating a Humanistic Philanthropy | Tactical Philanthropy
Reinvigorating a Humanistic Philanthropy | Tactical Philanthropy: Several recent threads here on Tactical Philanthropy and elsewhere (see here, here and here) – on values and love in philanthropy; on the “blurring of the lines” between government, business and philanthropy; and on the relations between philanthropy and “nonprofits” – have raised questions of fundamental definition. As such, they express the paradigm-shift that is currently transforming philanthropy, and the fact that the Old Paradigm was dominated by social sciences, to the neglect of philanthropy’s original, value-intensive, tradition.
True Joy Acoustics mixes ukeleles, philanthropy
True Joy Acoustics mixes ukeleles, philanthropy: Since the company’s launch, it has donated one ukulele for every nine sold to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Music Therapy program. And every ukulele kit is packaged by the Clovernook Center for the Blind, which pays visually-impaired workers through its Contract Packaging department.
“Unique is sort of an understatement; no one is doing what Greg is doing,” says Brian Schreck, Music Therapy Coordinator in the hospital’s Division of Child Life and Integrative Care. “He’s taking into account the business side of things and the community at large.” So far, True Joy Acoustics has donated seven ukuleles to the hospital, an instrument that Schreck finds very useful in his therapy.
“Unique is sort of an understatement; no one is doing what Greg is doing,” says Brian Schreck, Music Therapy Coordinator in the hospital’s Division of Child Life and Integrative Care. “He’s taking into account the business side of things and the community at large.” So far, True Joy Acoustics has donated seven ukuleles to the hospital, an instrument that Schreck finds very useful in his therapy.
New Organizations Pose Challenges for Nonprofit Consultants - Good Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
New Organizations Pose Challenges for Nonprofit Consultants - Good Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: First, it helps to understand how two of the most popular socially oriented companies are structured:
* Low-profit, limited liability corporations, known as LC3s, were first created in 2008 and are constructed primarily to meet social needs or provide a social benefit. They are not tax-exempt, but they can attract investment dollars and apply for foundation grants. They can retain their profits.
* Low-profit, limited liability corporations, known as LC3s, were first created in 2008 and are constructed primarily to meet social needs or provide a social benefit. They are not tax-exempt, but they can attract investment dollars and apply for foundation grants. They can retain their profits.
The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving - NYTimes.com
The Mystery of Steve Jobs's Public Giving - NYTimes.com: espite accumulating an estimated $8.3 billion fortune through his holdings in Apple and a 7.4 percent stake in Disney (through the sale of Pixar), there is no public record of Mr. Jobs giving money to charity. He is not a member of the Giving Pledge, the organization founded by Warren E. Buffett and Bill Gates to persuade the nation’s wealthiest families to pledge to give away at least half their fortunes. (He declined to participate, according to people briefed on the matter.) Nor is there a hospital wing or an academic building with his name on it.
Wealthy Should Give Their Tax Cuts to Charity, Millionaire Says - The Wealth Report - WSJ
Wealthy Should Give Their Tax Cuts to Charity, Millionaire Says - The Wealth Report - WSJ: A Washington state travel tycoon and TV host says he’s donating the $1 million he’s saving from the Bush tax cuts to charity.
Can the symphony be saved? - Music News: Artists. Songs. Videos - Salon.com
Can the symphony be saved? - Music News: Artists. Songs. Videos - Salon.com: The problems are easy to identify: The recession has pummeled charitable giving and endowments, while the audience has continued to age. Many large orchestras have been juggling high operating costs and diminishing revenues for years, so they were especially vulnerable to the downturn. Local governments and benefactors, under pressure of their own, are less able to save the day.
2 states say they are reviewing 9/11 charities - seattlepi.com
2 states say they are reviewing 9/11 charities - seattlepi.com: NEW YORK (AP) — Officials in Arizona and New York have launched investigations into charities that claim to serve 9/11 causes, probing whether they failed to follow state laws — and may have misspent millions intended to help and honor those affected by the terrorist attacks
Jumo ‘Acquired’ for $0 and a Graceful Exit | Betabeat — News, gossip and intel from Silicon Alley 2.0.
Jumo ‘Acquired’ for $0 and a Graceful Exit | Betabeat — News, gossip and intel from Silicon Alley 2.0.: Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has struggled with his ambitious solo start-up, the social network for activism Jumo, ever since its bumpy launch. Waning traffic and disinterested users were making it obvious that the site was not going to catch on, despite multiple redesigns; a tough pill to swallow for the wunderkind whose second act after Facebook, online strategy at the Obama presidential campaign, was another huge success story.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Happy Staff Are Loyal Staff
Happy Staff Are Loyal Staff: But many organizations have found that retaining staff doesn't just boil down to who can pay the most dollars or offer the most non-wage benefits. There are other means of retaining employees and an important one is a welcoming and "nurturing" workplace, with a focus on employee satisfaction as much as the work to be done.
Bend. Stretch. Flex.
Jennifer Wenzel, HR Consultant at Blume Consulting in Ottawa, advises that to keep staff, the first, and obvious, step is to create a working environment that doesn't give staff any reason to start looking for work elsewhere. Furthermore, cultivating that positive atmosphere can lead to more recruitment.
Bend. Stretch. Flex.
Jennifer Wenzel, HR Consultant at Blume Consulting in Ottawa, advises that to keep staff, the first, and obvious, step is to create a working environment that doesn't give staff any reason to start looking for work elsewhere. Furthermore, cultivating that positive atmosphere can lead to more recruitment.
N.Y. Nonprofit Pay Study Could Put Governor and Donors at Odds - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
N.Y. Nonprofit Pay Study Could Put Governor and Donors at Odds - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: N.Y. Nonprofit Pay Study Could Put Governor and Donors at Odds
August 29, 2011, 10:00 am
New York’s examination of executive salaries at state-financed charities could put Gov. Andrew Cuomo on what the New York Daily News terms a “collision course” with several big donors to his campaign.
The newspaper lists several nonprofit health-care executives who earned more than $1-million in 2009 and have given between $12,000 and $67,000 to Cuomo campaigns since 2007.
August 29, 2011, 10:00 am
New York’s examination of executive salaries at state-financed charities could put Gov. Andrew Cuomo on what the New York Daily News terms a “collision course” with several big donors to his campaign.
The newspaper lists several nonprofit health-care executives who earned more than $1-million in 2009 and have given between $12,000 and $67,000 to Cuomo campaigns since 2007.
MCF | Education Receives Largest Share of Minnesota Grant Dollars
MCF | Education Receives Largest Share of Minnesota Grant Dollars: Education Receives Largest Share of Minnesota Grant Dollars
Source: Minnesota Council on Foundations 08/29/2011
(August 29, 2011) – Education received the largest share of Minnesota’s philanthropic giving in 2009 – about 26 percent – according to new research by the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF). Education was one of only two subject areas for which funding didn’t decline in 2009, the most recent time period for which complete data are available.
Source: Minnesota Council on Foundations 08/29/2011
(August 29, 2011) – Education received the largest share of Minnesota’s philanthropic giving in 2009 – about 26 percent – according to new research by the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF). Education was one of only two subject areas for which funding didn’t decline in 2009, the most recent time period for which complete data are available.
Nonprofits must prepare for transitions | Philanthropy Journal
Nonprofits must prepare for transitions | Philanthropy Journal: Study after study reinforces the impending turnover of top leadership in the nonprofit sector - and potential crisis as a result - with roughly 67 percent of executive directors and CEOs reporting that they plan to leave their jobs within the next five years, according to Daring to Lead, a study by the Meyer Foundation and CompassPoint.
Hyundai boss to give $462m to charity
Hyundai boss to give $462m to charity: Chung Mong-Koo will donate shares worth 500 billion won in Hyundai Glovis - a Hyundai Motor subsidiary - to help children from poor families, the company said in a statement.
The money will be donated to a charity group founded by Hyundai, it said, adding the sum was the largest personal donation ever made in South Korea.
The money will be donated to a charity group founded by Hyundai, it said, adding the sum was the largest personal donation ever made in South Korea.
The AFP Blog
The AFP Blog: Just a couple of weeks ago I blogged about the debt ceiling compromise and how the sector needs to get engaged with government. In my last post, I mentioned that we have to include government and other stakeholders when we talk about how to grow philanthropy.
Quimby foundation gives nonprofits $1.3 million | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Quimby foundation gives nonprofits $1.3 million | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram: The Quimby Family Foundation granted $1.3 million to 70 Maine nonprofit organizations that focus on conservation, education, sustainable agriculture, and the visual and performing arts. The foundation hosted a gift-giving celebration Friday at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport.
It's the seventh year that the foundation board, made up of members of the family of Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of Burts Bees, presented awards that ranged from $2,600 to $50,000 to Maine organizations.
It's the seventh year that the foundation board, made up of members of the family of Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of Burts Bees, presented awards that ranged from $2,600 to $50,000 to Maine organizations.
President Obama: Unity, charity should be focus on 9/11 anniversary
President Obama: Unity, charity should be focus on 9/11 anniversary: Solidarity should be America's focus in the weeks leading up to the 10th anniversary of 9/11, President Obama said Saturday.
U.S. citizens should, "recall how the worst terrorist attack in American history brought out the best in the American people," he said in his weekly radio and Internet address.
U.S. citizens should, "recall how the worst terrorist attack in American history brought out the best in the American people," he said in his weekly radio and Internet address.
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