Friday, October 14, 2011

What happened to the Hewlett Foundation's major gift? - Big Tech - Fortune Tech

What happened to the Hewlett Foundation's major gift? - Big Tech - Fortune Tech: The grant, a gift from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, has been one bright spot for the school through the economic downturn. With California's debt growing to $6.9 billion, the state passed a budget plan in June that raised the total to $650 million in cuts to the UC system. Fortune commended the Hewlett Foundation when the grant was originally announced in 2007. Four years on, the grant has allowed the school to remain competitive.

The money was to be paid in yearly increments over seven years, with the goal of creating 100 endowed chairs for faculty -- full professorial positions that are funded privately and come with a $25,000 yearly stipend for research, travel or graduate student employment. The chairs range from Art History to Journalism to Chemistry.

Corporations Keep Giving to Harlem Public Schools | The Uptowner

Corporations Keep Giving to Harlem Public Schools | The Uptowner: For the last two years, Zeimer has been principal of Harlem Renaissance, a school not only in the midst of its own renaissance – the graduation rate jumped from 17 percent to 39.9 percent in just one year – but also one looking to harness the benefits of working with the private sector. And in Harlem, it’s not the only one.

Despite the economic malaise, Michael Haberman, the president of PENCIL, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve student achievement in public schools by linking business leaders with educators, says that more and more private sector firms want to form relationships with some of the city’s most disadvantaged schools.

Penn State WB alum gives students an opportunity | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton PA - News

Penn State WB alum gives students an opportunity | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton PA - News: DALLAS -- Rick Barry’s time at Penn State’s Wilkes-Barre campus was short but it had quite an impact on him. Barry and his wife Sue have established a $1 million scholarship program that will help dozens of students with financial needs each year.

Fifty of those students shared in a meal with Barry during the school’s annual scholarship dinner at Apple Tree Terrace at Newberry Estate Thursday night.

The gift is the latest in a line that Rick, a 1980 Penn State University graduate, and his wife have made to the local campus and the University Park main campus in recent years.

Charles Howard: Anonymity in Giving: A Case Study of 52times52.com

Charles Howard: Anonymity in Giving: A Case Study of 52times52.com: The person on the other end of the phone line is a writer who has chosen to only be known as "Giver Girl." She and husband "Giver Boy" are the mysterious yet inspiring duo behind the website and project 52times52.com.

The premise is pretty straight forward. Starting this past January, they committed to donating $52 to a different charity, each of the 52 weeks of the year.

Nonprofit directory will be a valuable resource | Great Falls Tribune | greatfallstribune.com

Nonprofit directory will be a valuable resource | Great Falls Tribune | greatfallstribune.com: Once complete, the book will be distributed to professionals who help clients with estate and financial planning, attorneys, financial advisers, accountants and such. The book will be a resource for folks to find out their local options when it comes to charitable giving.

OtterBox a philanthropic honoree | The Coloradoan | coloradoan.com

OtterBox a philanthropic honoree | The Coloradoan | coloradoan.com: Within the past year, the company gave employees $200 grants to donate to charities of their choice and challenged them to raise additional funds.

Muhammad Yunus brings 'social business' to Haiti  | ajc.com

Muhammad Yunus brings 'social business' to Haiti | ajc.com

Wal-Mart Names a Head for Its Corporate Foundation - NYTimes.com

Wal-Mart Names a Head for Its Corporate Foundation - NYTimes.com: In another sign of how the lines between profit-making and nonprofit are blurring, Wal-Mart on Friday will appoint a former senior executive of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to head its corporate foundation.

Staffer charity picks benefit from Issa's wealth - John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman - POLITICO.com

Staffer charity picks benefit from Issa's wealth - John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman - POLITICO.com: Here’s how it works: Staffers pitch Issa each holiday season, suggesting a charity worthy of a donation from the Issa Family Foundation. Issa then decides who gets a check, and the staffer is “recognized for their recommendation to the charity that receives the contribution,” said Frederick Hill, an Issa spokesman. The aides do not get a tax write-off or any other benefit, the office says.

Summit County Boy Scouts using technology to raise funds | SummitDaily.com

Summit County Boy Scouts using technology to raise funds | SummitDaily.com: The new program, Buy Local with the Boy Scouts, is similar to Groupon but with a twist: 70 percent of collected fees go to the Scouts. If successful, its creators hope to benefit not only local troops and packs, but residents and businesses with deals and exposure.

Breckenridge Troop 187 assistant scoutmaster Chris John calls the model a “triple win.”

Statewide Nonprofit Association in the Works - WVNS-TV - WVNSTV.com

Statewide Nonprofit Association in the Works - WVNS-TV - WVNSTV.com: With estimates of more than 8,000 nonprofit entities, the sector employs more West Virginians than mining. And with the exception of natural gas development, it's the fastest-growing segment of the state's economy, according to Kent Spellman of the West Virginia Community Development Hub.

Still, the state is one of only four in the nation without a nonprofit association to provide support.

"West Virginia has a statewide disc golfers association, but not a nonprofit association," Spellman said.

That is about to change.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Philanthropist with Panache: The Homeless Billionaire Do-Gooder

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Philanthropist with Panache: The Homeless Billionaire Do-Gooder: ’s a little hard to discern exactly what the high-end WSJ Magazine defines as “philanthropy” in Berggruen’s case. Maybe it was his acquisition of Karstadt (for the sum of one euro, since Karstadt was insolvent at the time), which WSJ Magazine says saved 25,000 jobs. Maybe it was the fact that he loaned his art collection (his father, a friend of Picasso’s, was a major art collector) to museums as he sold off his homes (including an island estate in Florida and an apartment in New York) to become a homeless billionaire philanthropist.

A Quest for Hybrid Companies - Part Money-Maker, Part Nonprofit - NYTimes.com

A Quest for Hybrid Companies - Part Money-Maker, Part Nonprofit - NYTimes.com: California is the latest state to adopt a statute permitting what is called flexible-purpose corporations, new companies that are part social benefit and part low-profit entities. The companies are now allowed under laws in more than a dozen states and two Indian tribes.

States like New York and Massachusetts are weighing comparable legislation — sometimes also known as low-profit limited liability or benefit corporations

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The AFP Blog: Salutations de Montr�al!

The AFP Blog: Salutations de Montr�al!: Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Salutations de Montr�al!
This week, we’re headed to Montreal and the Leadership Academy, our annual gathering of chapter leaders from around the world.

Friday Book Club celebrates 100 years of reading, philanthropy and change � Knoxville News Sentinel

Friday Book Club celebrates 100 years of reading, philanthropy and change � Knoxville News Sentinel: After the meal, they have a business meeting to discuss philanthropy projects or other events they want to attend. The group does at least one philanthropy project every year, something they said Moore stressed.

The past three years they have donated time and money to Dogwood Elementary School library so children could share their passion for reading.

Keep communities vital by preserving charitable deduction

Keep communities vital by preserving charitable deduction: For nearly a century, the charitable contribution has created an expectation of a deeper relationship between the American people and the government, and has provided vital support for our communities through philanthropy. Since 1997, the state of Montana has also recognized the value of giving taxpayers an incentive for supporting charitable work. The Montana tax credit for planned gifts has built permanent endowments that will forever provide financial support for needed community services. Government at all levels needs to continue to promote policies that encourage people to be generous, and reject policies aimed at reducing incentives for giving.

Especially in tough times like these, Montanans value generosity and policies that promote generosity. Preserving the charitable deduction will help assure a stronger, more independent, more robust Montana for us and generations that will follow us.

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Hartford Nonprofits Hard Nosed and Determined in New Economy

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Hartford Nonprofits Hard Nosed and Determined in New Economy: In the Greater Hartford area, the latest United Way "Non-Profit Pulse Survey" concludes that nonprofits "have a renewed sense of optimism."

Perhaps it is the comments of nonprofits quoted in the HBJ article, but optimism doesn't exactly jump off the page (or the screen) from this article. The observations sound a bit more like nonprofits making the most out of a bad deal, such as these:

Lake County News | California - New law allows nonprofits to partner with state to keep parks open

Lake County News | California - New law allows nonprofits to partner with state to keep parks open: LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Thanks to a new law, state parks slated for closure – including Lake County's own Anderson Marsh – could be spared through cooperative agreements with nonprofits.


On Oct. 4, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 42 by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael).


According to a report from Huffman's office, AB 42 authorizes the California Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into operating agreements with qualified nonprofit organizations to operate a state park unit if the agreement will enable the state to keep open a state park that would otherwise be closed.

SOI Tax Stats - Exempt Organizations' Unrelated Business Income (UBI) Tax Statistics

SOI Tax Stats - Exempt Organizations' Unrelated Business Income (UBI) Tax Statistics: Snapshot of Unrelated Business Income Tax Statistics

Because tax-exempt organizations generally operate for charitable or other beneficial purposes, most income that they receive is exempt from tax under the Internal Revenue Code. Tax-exempt organizations are permitted to engage in income-producing activities that are considered to be unrelated to their exempt purposes. However, income from these activities may be taxable. This study measures income, deductions, and tax imposed on tax-exempt corporate and trust entities' unrelated business income. Data are compiled from Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return.

TheDartmouth.com: New contest promotes philanthropy

TheDartmouth.com: New contest promotes philanthropy: The competition, which begins today, seeks to promote philanthropy within the College’s Greek community and serves as an opportunity for new members to assume leadership of an “exciting and fulfilling experience,” Lu said.

New members will engage in fundraising activities that they will organize on behalf of their Greek organizations through Nov. 29, PAAR director of communications Julia Harvey ’13 said. At the competition’s end, the organizations and individuals that raise the most money or demonstrate the most creativity will win prizes including cash awards and roundtrip airplane tickets from Boston to Miami during spring break, she said.

Nonprofits show optimism despite serious concerns, United Way survey finds | Hartford Business

Nonprofits show optimism despite serious concerns, United Way survey finds | Hartford Business: Even as the economy continues its slow recovery, many Hartford-area non-profit organizations have a renewed sense of optimism, according to the United Way’s eighth annual Non-Profit Pulse Survey.

Alfred Mann, entrepreneur and philanthropist: Career path - latimes.com

Alfred Mann, entrepreneur and philanthropist: Career path - latimes.com: Mr. Philanthropy: Mann says he has given away about $500 million primarily to support research causes. Among his beneficiaries is the Alfred Mann Foundation, a nonprofit organization based on the sprawling grounds of the Mann Biomedical Park in Santa Clarita . It develops medical devices — such as the cochlear implant and an artificial pancreas — with the aim of bringing inventions to the marketplace.

Yes, research microvolunteering, however... - Jayne Cravens / Coyote Communications blog

Yes, research microvolunteering, however... - Jayne Cravens / Coyote Communications blog: October 10, 2011
Yes, research microvolunteering, however...

I was oh-so-excited when I read that the Institute for Volunteering Research in the UK is going to be undertaking a project to research microvolunteering, a form of online volunteering/virtual volunteering that's been around for many, many years - long before there were smart phones.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Metropolitan Opera’s Donations Hit a Record $182 Million - NYTimes.com

Metropolitan Opera’s Donations Hit a Record $182 Million - NYTimes.com: In the warren of Met administrative offices, the people who run one of the world’s busiest opera houses had something else to applaud: a record amount of contributions for the fiscal year that ended in July. According to preliminary figures released for the first time, the Met hauled in $182 million, an astonishing amount in a tough economic climate and 50 percent more than it raised just the year before.

Tiny grants keep ‘awesome’ ideas coming - The Boston Globe

Tiny grants keep ‘awesome’ ideas coming - The Boston Globe: They were both awesome ideas, the trustees agreed, but only one of them could win money that month. And so they had to ask the ultimate question: Which idea was more awesome?

This is the basic premise behind the Awesome Foundation, which is not an actual foundation. It is more like a support group for good ideas. It began in Cambridge in 2009 when a group of tech-savvy twentysomethings frustrated by the bureaucracy of traditional funding got together and, in essence, said: “You know what would be awesome? If there were an organization that gave you money if you had an awesome idea.’’ Then they became that organization, loosely.

Volunteers, What Do They Want? - 10 Ways to Make Volunteers Happy

Volunteers, What Do They Want? - 10 Ways to Make Volunteers Happy: s now the golden age of volunteerism? More people than ever want to find ways to give back to their communities, and volunteer work is encouraged, from the halls of congress to the words and images in the media. Now could be the very best time to take a look at your volunteer program and spiff it up so that your volunteers will want to come and stay.

Volunteers are not that hard to please. Here are a few things they have a right to expect from you - master these and you should be able to recruit and keep your volunteers.

MCF | Charitable Giving in Minnesota Drops as Recession Continues

MCF | Charitable Giving in Minnesota Drops as Recession Continues: Charitable Giving in Minnesota Drops as Recession Continues
Source: Minnesota Council on Foundations 10/10/2011

(Oct. 10, 2011) ― The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) today released its Giving in Minnesota, 2011 Edition research report, the most comprehensive analysis of charitable giving in the state. The report shows giving by individuals, foundations and corporate giving programs totaled $4.9 billion for the 2009 research year, a decrease of 9.3 percent from 2008.