This million-dollar gift 50 years in the making - Winnipeg Free Press

This million-dollar gift 50 years in the making - Winnipeg Free Press: LAURIE Johnston took a gift of $200 more than a half-century ago and turned it into $1 million.

The retired pharmacist donated $500,000 on Friday to both the Misericordia Health Centre Foundation and the Riverview Heath Centre Foundation.

The impetus for his philanthropy dates back to 1949 when Johnston was a cash-strapped student in his fourth year of pharmacy school. He was considering taking a year off to work when a friend of the family called him over one day and handed him an envelope containing $200.

3 R’s for Time-Strapped Fundraisers : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success

3 R’s for Time-Strapped Fundraisers : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success: How we learn depends on who we are. Some of us prefer to hear, others to read and still others to experience.

It’s really no different with our donors. Some of them enjoy our letters and newsletters, and are pleased to see them in their mailboxes. Others want everything to arrive via their inboxes. Some like photos and truly believe a picture is worth 1,000 words. And another group will search YouTubeOpens in a new window for videos of your work

Marlo Thomas: Danny Thomas at 100... and Today's Celebrity Dreamers

Marlo Thomas: Danny Thomas at 100... and Today's Celebrity Dreamers: There came a moment in my father's career when he said to himself, "I've made it. I've got everything I need. Now it's time to give back." This would eventually come to mean years of tirelessly building his dream -- a research hospital dedicated to the study of cancer in children, where no child would ever be turned away for a family's inability to pay. And what a reality that dream has become. Fifty years after its launch, St. Jude is the premier research and treatment center in the country for children stricken with cancer.

Today there are many front line fighters among us who use their spotlight to focus on causes and passions of their own. One of the finest examples is my friend Michael J. Fox, whose midlife collision with Parkinson's Disease inspired him to launch a relentless drive to find a cure for that illness once and for all. I believe he will win that fight. Then there's Bono's crusade to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease in Africa and around the world; Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's conscientious devotion to protecting children, families and wildlife in endangered regions in Asia; and the work of heroes like Robert Redford, who have changed the world with their environmental activism.

I want to donate directly to a grassroots group - The Globe and Mail

I want to donate directly to a grassroots group - The Globe and Mail: It’s attractive to donate directly to truly grassroots projects, without the middleman of government or large international organizations. These local groups are more closely in touch with their community’s needs, and they don’t spend your money on advertisements or fundraising. However, besides not being able to grant charitable tax receipts, they’re also less likely to have audited statements, impact assessments or other formal means of oversight to ensure from a distance that your donation is being well used.

Know Your Arts Advocates: The League Of American Orchestras' Heather Noonan : The Record : NPR

Know Your Arts Advocates: The League Of American Orchestras' Heather Noonan : The Record : NPR: This weekend, a handful of those arts advocates convened in New York City as part of the annual conference for Association of Performing Arts Presenters. We spoke with representatives from the Future of Music Coalition, Americans for the Arts and APAP itself. Here's what some of the tiny number of people who lobby for arts in America have been up to:

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Students Don’t Delay in Joining the Nonprofit Sector

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Students Don’t Delay in Joining the Nonprofit Sector: As examples of this new crop of nonprofit leaders, the story highlights Elie Lowenfeld, an NYU sophomore with Americorps experience, who started Jewish Disaster Response Corps, which organizes Jewish volunteers to provide support to disaster areas throughout the country. In just the past three years, and with support from NYU's Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, Lowenfeld’s annual organizational budget has grown from $10,000 to $187,000.

One in four Brits reduced donations in 2011 - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: One in four Brits say they gave less to charity last year than the year before, according to a new study released today.

Charities saw a 12 per cent drop in total donation values in 2011, with the average falling to �186.15. Only one in ten of the more than 2,000 people surveyed, in research commissioned by Investec, claimed to have given more in 2011 than in the previous year. A minority of people, 6 per cent, who gave to charities in 2010 gave nothing in 2011.

Strategies for Finding and Keeping the Best Employees

massnonprofit.org ::: During flush economic times, as well as those that challenge even the most resilient nonprofit organizations, a sound recruiting game plan is a priority for building a winning team.

Hiring mistakes not only lead to frustration for everyone involved, but they can also prove to be a costly and wasteful expense for businesses.

There are several steps nonprofits can take to help avoid costly blunders and recruit the right employee.

Make Your Annual Report Sing: 5 Ways to Choose and Use Stories | Nonprofit Marketing | Getting Attention

Make Your Annual Report Sing: 5 Ways to Choose and Use Stories | Nonprofit Marketing | Getting Attention: Whether told through gestures, symbols or spoken words, carvings on a cave wall or YouTube videos, we humans have used stories as a communications strategy for thousands of years. It’s intuitive in many respects to tell a story.

Yet stories aren’t necessarily the first thing nonprofits think of when it comes to putting together an annual report. You have financials and organizational milestones to report; funders to update; donors to recognize. What will grab your readers, though, are the stories, about real people and their challenges, discoveries, resilience and change.

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | As the Year Turns: 10 Trends We Are Watching at NPQ

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | As the Year Turns: 10 Trends We Are Watching at NPQ: As NPQ notes the passing of 2011 and the beginnings of 2012, we want to note some trends that we think will span the two years and have profound implications for civil society, at least in the near future. These trends are overarching, and not simply about nonprofits; they have to do with the relationship between people/communities and institutions such as government and corporations, and even nonprofits. They have to do with civil society—and citizen (understood in its broadest sense) action.

4 UBIT facts to understand - TheNonProfitTimes

4 UBIT facts to understand - TheNonProfitTimes: So, you think you know UBIT? It is no secret that unrelated business income tax (UBIT) is a huge headache, as well as a catastrophe waiting for any nonprofit unaware of it.

In his book “Finance Fundamentals for Nonprofits” Woods Bowman presents a few tidbits about UBIT, some of which are well-known and others that are more obscure. All of them could spell trouble for the unaware. For example:

Kindness: Charity, Philanthropy, & Social Responsibility - USATODAY.com

Kindness: Charity, Philanthropy, & Social Responsibility - USATODAY.com: From eating to shopping, Americans are going local.

Now, our impulse to keep it in the community is striking the charity world, too.

"Local giving is really important in that we can all personally experience giving in community and see the impact we're making," says Perla Ni, founder and CEO of GreatNonprofits.org. "While you may not have money to donate, you have time or talent that you can give to a local organization, which is something you can't easily do when giving internationally."

Woodbridge company to donate $50K to charities | InsideNova

Woodbridge company to donate $50K to charities | InsideNova: This year, through the com�pany’s 2012 Corporate Chari�table Gifting Program, FederalConference.com will donate $50,000 to more than 40 local and national charities, Trapp said.

Each of the company’s 46 em�ployees was given $1,000 to give to the charity of their choice, Trapp said.

“We really wanted to involve our employees in the process,” he said. “We wanted to see what was important to them.”

MCF | Minnesota Grantmakers Anticipate Stable Giving in 2012

MCF | Minnesota Grantmakers Anticipate Stable Giving in 2012: MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 9, 2012) ― The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) today reported that the state’s grantmakers expect relatively stable giving in 2012. According to MCF’s 2012 Outlook Report, foundations and corporations believe their grantmaking will remain flat or possibly increase about one percent from 2011.

Jewish Philanthropy: Us, Them, – or All of Us? | eJewish Philanthropy: Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

Jewish Philanthropy: Us, Them, – or All of Us? | eJewish Philanthropy: Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource: I recently had an extended “twitter” exchange on the topic of where Jews should give their charitable dollars. Of course, 140 characters, no matter how abbreviated the words or clever the post is no replacement for a real in-depth discussion, but it did uncover a disagreement about “first claims” on our philanthropic dollars. And implicitly it addressed the question “what is Jewish philanthropy?”

The Durango Herald 01/05/2012 | Government can learn from local nonprofit groups

The Durango Herald 01/05/2012 | Government can learn from local nonprofit groups: What is not limited, though, especially in Southwest Colorado, is the dedication and commitment of the people working in all of these areas who do incredible things that we in state government would do well to learn from. Before serving as a legislator, I served on a number of nonprofit boards, and it’s apparent that those in the nonprofit world know how to squeeze two dollars out of one, maximizing their resources with volunteers who contribute much more than just time to their efforts.

Guest commentary: Even as economy improves, nonprofits will feel the pinch | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Guest commentary: Even as economy improves, nonprofits will feel the pinch | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Even as Michigan's economy picks up in 2012, nonprofits in metro Detroit shouldn't expect things to go back to normal. For some, the end of the state tax credit for certain charitable gifts is likely to be a hardship. For others, the problem will be that some corporate donors may still hold back.

All, however, will be challenged by a fund-raising environment that has grown steadily tougher and more competitive over the past few years