College Endowments Sputter After Two Years of Sharp Growth - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

College Endowments Sputter After Two Years of Sharp Growth - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The annual survey of more than 800 institutions by nonprofit investment manager Commonfund and the National Association of College and University Business Officers showed endowments collectively lost 0.3 percent of their value in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Schools’ assets gained 19.2 percent in 2011 and 11.9 percent in 2010.

Attention Maine Job-Seekers: Think Nonprofit

Attention Maine Job-Seekers: Think Nonprofit: ORTLAND, Maine - Employment in the nonprofit sector in Maine has outstripped that of the state's private sector, according to a new report that comes amid news of higher-than expected hiring nationwide in January.

The report, compiled by the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP), found that one in seven jobs in the state is in the nonprofit field - including hospitals, charities, arts and culture groups

Museum Group Tightens Rules on Acquiring Antiquities - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Museum Group Tightens Rules on Acquiring Antiquities - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Museum Group Tightens Rules on Acquiring Antiquities

January 31, 2013, 10:36 am

The Association of Art Museum Directors has strengthened its regulations on acquisition of ancient artifacts, adding a requirement that institutions publicize information about items that do not meet previously established standards, writes The New York Times.

Nonprofit CEO Pay: Excessive or Too Low and How Do We Know? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Nonprofit CEO Pay: Excessive or Too Low and How Do We Know? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: The salary levels of nonprofit CEOs have come under fire quite a bit in recent years. Scandals at a variety of organizations around the country and revelations of multi-million dollar pay levels at some organizations have shocked some people. In fact, as NPQ recently noted, several states are considering or enacting legislation to regulate the pay scale of senior execs at organizations that are receiving government funding. Now comes Forbes with an article asking the question of whether or not a $1 million salary is too high for a nonprofit CEO. The article states that there are two ways to look at this issue.

Richest Black S. African Motsepe Joins Buffett Charity Vow - Bloomberg

Richest Black S. African Motsepe Joins Buffett Charity Vow - Bloomberg: Patrice Motsepe, chairman of African Rainbow Minerals Ltd. (ARI) and the richest black South African, pledged some of his wealth to charity, joining Warren Buffett’s initiative to boost philanthropy.

Charities saw 2012 contribution boom ahead of possible tax deduction curb - Business - The Boston Globe

Charities saw 2012 contribution boom ahead of possible tax deduction curb - Business - The Boston Globe: The threat of losing a tax break, it seems, can make some people feel especially generous.

Charitable giving soared in the final months of 2012, the heads of major Boston fund-raising organizations said, as donors raced to make gifts before Congress has a chance to limit deductions on such contributions this year.

OUDaily.com | Salvation Army sets donation record despite shortened season

OUDaily.com | Salvation Army sets donation record despite shortened season: Citizens of Cleveland County dropped a record amount of change into the Salvation Army’s red kettles during the 2012 Christmas season, according to a press release.

9 Ways for Nonprofits to Overcome 'Founder's Syndrome' : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success

9 Ways for Nonprofits to Overcome 'Founder's Syndrome' : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success: A disease found in nonprofits has its genesis in the inspiration and personality — or personalities — that created the organization. The ailment is called "Founder's Syndrome."

Nonprofits Hurt By New Postal Rules - TheNonProfitTimes

Nonprofits Hurt By New Postal Rules - TheNonProfitTimes: Nonprofits Hurt By New Postal Rules - 01/28/2013

Six of the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) new workshare discount rates, that took effect yesterday, are shallower for nonprofit mailers than for commercial mailers, and unfairly discriminate against nonprofits, contends the Association of Nonprofit Mailers (ANM), based in Washington, D.C.

Three of the new discounts -- high density letters, high density flats, and automated 5-digit flats -- are higher than the old rates, two categories (high density plus letters and high density plus flats) are new and the discount for non-automated 3-digit flats is slightly lower than the old rate. But the key issue is the discrepancy between the nonprofit and commercial rates.

Development Directors Are Not Miracle Workers - Against the Grain - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Development Directors Are Not Miracle Workers - Against the Grain - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Several weeks ago I had lunch with a board member of a small community-based nonprofit that does important work in the D.C. region. The board member also happens to be a seasoned consultant who has written several books on fundraising.

Take Control of the Message through a Media Frame: A Case Study in Cooperative Recasting - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Take Control of the Message through a Media Frame: A Case Study in Cooperative Recasting - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: Many groups are interested in convening colleagues to build an online hub of shared resources that will get members “on message,” but few invest the necessary time, energy, and financial resources to have an impact. Reflecting on their work over the past four years, the Security and Rights Collaborative, a Proteus Fund initiative, recently released a report, “Building a Field-Wide Communications Hub: Lessons Learned,” describing how a network of organizations concerned about Islamophobia went about reframing the public discourse on the “war on terror” and progressive national security policy. The report makes for an outstanding case study for any organization seeking to impact the national dialogue and public policy by engaging a cohort of nonprofits.

Writing Good. Writing Good? Writing. Good. | Agents of Good

Writing Good. Writing Good? Writing. Good. | Agents of Good: What is “good” writing?

John’s recent blog, What is “good” design? got my wheels turning about what is good writing. So I’m sharing the 6 things that circle (and circle and circle) through my head each and every time I write, and edit, fundraising copy.

Foundation Center - Press Release - Online Resource of Mexican Philanthropy Launched

Foundation Center - Press Release - Online Resource of Mexican Philanthropy Launched: Mexico City, Mexico, and New York, NY, USA — January 30, 2013. A new searchable database of more than 22,000 Mexican philanthropies, Fondos a la Vista, has been launched by the Foundation Center in New York in partnership with the Mexico-based Alternativas y Capacidades and the Philanthropy and Civil Society Project at ITAM (Instituto Tecnol�gico Aut�nomo de M�xico). The online resource provides the Mexican public with reliable, comprehensive information about domestic donors and their philanthropic activity, including the organizations they support.

What Type of Nonprofit Should We Register For?

What Type of Nonprofit Should We Register For?: "What type of nonprofit should we be considering? Does an unincorporated association make sense? I haven't done any other state filings. We are not a registered 501c3. Right now I'm leaning toward not needing a non-profit 501c3 tax status, since we don't plan on needing to write grants. We are doing this work in our volunteer ‘spare’ time.”

I asked nonprofit attorney Mollie Cullinane of the Cullinane Law Group and key author of the 501C Nonprofit Law Blog, to assist with the reader’s question. Here is her reply

Nonprofit Hiring Expected to Increase in 2013 - Jobs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Nonprofit Hiring Expected to Increase in 2013 - Jobs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Forty-four percent of nonprofit groups plan to hire more workers in the coming year, another sign charities are starting to feel confident about the economy, according to a new survey.

Health nonprofits, followed by environment and animal-welfare groups, were most likely to report plans to hire.

Governments Finding Creative Ways to Chip away at Tax Exemptions - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Governments Finding Creative Ways to Chip away at Tax Exemptions - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: “Where will it end?” asks Jon Pratt in relation to the proliferating practice of municipalities coming up with all kinds of devices to tax nonprofits (full disclosure: although he had no involvement in this newswire whatsoever, Jon Pratt is an editorial advisor for Nonprofit Quarterly). Pratt, the executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, lists only some of the various instruments local governments have come up with as mandatory taxes on nonprofit property owners that are, under the law, exempt from property taxes: “Snow removal fees? Street maintenance fees? Lighting fees? You could take the entire municipal budget and divide it into a thousand pieces. Then the whole concept of tax exempt is gone.”

Charitable Giving--Talkin' 'Bout the Generations | Millionaire Corner

Charitable Giving--Talkin' 'Bout the Generations | Millionaire Corner: When it comes to charitable giving, who is the most generous generation?

Not so fast, baby boomers. The so-called “matures” have you beat. Turns out they are the “Greatest” at charitable giving, according to a report by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies.

Corporate Giving Programs Still Going Strong

Corporate Giving Programs Still Going Strong: Corporate Giving Programs Still Going Strong
By Leon Kaye | January 29th, 2013 0 Comments
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Bill Gates Steve Ballmer mark 30 years of corporate giving programs

Corporate giving programs are still a large component of many company’s social responsibility strategies. The roots go back to corporate philanthropy dating back to the era of the Rockefellers, Morgans and Carnegies. The practice of giving has its share of critics, including here on TriplePundit. And while writing checks does not substitute for actually “doing good” on social, environmental and corporate governance issues, watch the practice to continue. And it should: at least here in the United States, many institutions, from leading cultural centers to public libraries, have their roots in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.

GVSU report provides insight into next-gen philanthropists - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel

GVSU report provides insight into next-gen philanthropists - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel: Allendale —

A new report from Grand Valley State University’s Johnson Center for Philanthropy and 21/64, a non-profit consulting practice, provides a first-of-a-kind study on the habits of next-generation donors, who will inherit an unprecedented $40 trillion and are poised to be the most significant philanthropists in history.

The report, called Next Gen Donors looks at how the major donors of the future are approaching their giving and how it differs — and remains the same — from their parents and grandparents.

Service 2.0: The New Giving Will Transform Philanthropy | Service on GOOD

Service 2.0: The New Giving Will Transform Philanthropy | Service on GOOD: Charitable giving is a part of life for most Americans. 65 percent of households with incomes less than $100,000 donate, and 98 percent of high net worth households donate. I predict that the future of giving is getting even brighter. I think that more Americans will give, and I think that more Americans will give more and smarter.

Nonprofit Startups Are Just Like Their Counterparts - WSJ.com

Nonprofit Startups Are Just Like Their Counterparts - WSJ.com: What's different about building a successful for-profit and nonprofit startup?

Not much, according to Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, an elite accelerator program in Mountain View, Calif., that accepted a nonprofit for the first time this month, Watsi.org. "You could never tell there was a nonprofit mixed in," he said in a phone interview on Friday

1 | Sandy's Driftwood Becomes Color-Blocked Art For Charity | Co.Design: business innovation design

1 | Sandy's Driftwood Becomes Color-Blocked Art For Charity | Co.Design: business innovation design: Two New York art directors collected, dried, and painted wood they found on the Jersey Shore after the hurricane. Now, the pieces are being sold to benefit local reconstruction efforts.

To Sue or Not to Sue Over Unpaid Pledges? | Michael Rosen Says…

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To Sue or Not to Sue Over Unpaid Pledges? | Michael Rosen Says…: To Sue or Not to Sue Over Unpaid Pledges?

Sometimes, nonprofit organizations sue philanthropists over unpaid pledges. This was recently the case with the Kansas City Art Institute. When a charity pursues this type of legal action, it sends shockwaves throughout the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

I do believe there are times when a nonprofit can and should sue a donor. However, this should only be done as an absolute last resort. The three instances when a lawsuit might be acceptable are:

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy | Stanford Social Innovation Review: Andrew Carnegie once said, “It is more difficult to give money away intelligently than to earn it in the first place.” This statement still holds true today—it can seem like a daunting task.

For many of us, it’s simply a matter of giving to charities from which we feel the most “tug.” But ad hoc philanthropic actions, however well intended, are often not enough to make a real difference. Worse, they can have negative unintended consequences on the social issues they aim to fix. In Africa, for example, funders distributed mosquito nets for free to reduce the incidence of malaria but found that they were in

Bigger is Always Better (Except When it’s Not!) How Big Should Your Nonprofit Board Be?The Fundraising Resource Group | The Fundraising Resource Group

Bigger is Always Better (Except When it’s Not!) How Big Should Your Nonprofit Board Be?The Fundraising Resource Group | The Fundraising Resource Group: Bigger is Always Better (Except When it’s Not!) How Big Should Your Nonprofit Board Be?

Philanthropy, Not Fundraising: I Have a Dream - Clairification

Philanthropy, Not Fundraising: I Have a Dream - Clairification: I have a dream for 2013 – and beyond. I have a dream this is the year your organization will move beyond defining yourself by what you’re not (nonprofit) and will begin to define yourself by what you are (social benefit). I have a dream this is the year your people will move from an attitude of taking and hitting people up (aka “fundraising”) to a mindset of giving and lifting people up (aka “philanthropy”). I have a dream this is the year your staff and volunteers will move from enacting transactions to enabling transformation.

Armstrong-Affiliated Sports Nonprofit Cuts Ties to Cyclist - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Armstrong-Affiliated Sports Nonprofit Cuts Ties to Cyclist - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Armstrong-Affiliated Sports Nonprofit Cuts Ties to Cyclist

January 28, 2013, 10:53 am

A charity co-founded by Lance Armstrong to help high-profile athletes channel their philanthropy has severed ties with the former cycling champion following his public confession of doping, according to The Wall Street Journal.