Ken Burnett blog - what is a fundraiser?

Ken Burnett blog - what is a fundraiser?: A fundraiser is anyone who, either as a volunteer or paid, works to raise the money, commitment and enthusiasm that’s needed to fuel good works. Full stop.

Emmett Carson on Young Donors of Silicon Valley and Other Forces in Cutting-Edge Philanthropy - GiveSmart.org

Emmett Carson on Young Donors of Silicon Valley and Other Forces in Cutting-Edge Philanthropy - GiveSmart.org: Emmett Carson on Young Donors of Silicon Valley and Other Forces in Cutting-Edge Philanthropy

Silicon Valley evokes forward-thinking leadership, new business models, agile development, and new ways of collaborating. It’s fitting, then, that one of its most well-known philanthropic leaders, Emmett Carson, founding CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), embodies that ethos. As with eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, AOL’s Jean and Steve Case, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg (who gave $500 million in 2012 to the SVCF), and others, Carson has a vision for cutting-edge approaches to philanthropy. Here are three philanthropic insights he shares.

Charities Can Expect Tough Questions on Tax Breaks - Tax Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Charities Can Expect Tough Questions on Tax Breaks - Tax Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The charitable deduction took center stage at a Congressional hearing today as a string of nonprofit leaders warned lawmakers that messing with the tax break could have dire results.

Appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee, charity leaders and academic experts argued that limiting the value of the charitable deduction would dampen giving, forcing nonprofits to curtail services to vulnerable people, and that the tax incentive is unique because it rewards behavior that benefits society rather than the taxpayer.

Spotlight on All time most popular posts

Spotlighting our all time most popular posts.

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Survey: Nonprofits combating financial stress - Ba... Jun 30, 2009	413
Why Give to the Arts When People Are Starving in t... Jul 12, 2011	375
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Nonprofit Organizations with Active Fundraising Bo... Sep 25, 2012	164
How to Engage Your Board Members - and Keep Them T... Feb 7, 2013	152
Thatcher handbag fetches $40,000 at charity auctio... Jun 29, 2011	151
Five Secrets to Keep Your Fundraiser from Losing M... Dec 20, 2012	141
‘Invisible’ giving yields results | The Post and C... Nov 16, 2011	140
Five Ways to Improve Internal Communications at Yo... Jul 5, 2011	136
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The AFP Blog

The AFP Blog: One of the chapter members wrote an article about my presentation (thank you, Norma), and it’s worth highlighting because public policy issues such as the charitable deduction continue to remain paramount now. With sequestration (automatic budget cuts) approaching in March, the deduction is still on the table, and the Ways and Means Committee is set to have a hearing on the deduction very soon, at which I’ll be appearing and testifying.

Shar McBee: Best of Times, or the Worst of Times for Nonprofit Fundraising?

Shar McBee: Best of Times, or the Worst of Times for Nonprofit Fundraising?: At my local community college, enrollment is up 30 percent but the budget remains flat. Between 30,000 and 60,000 nonprofits disappeared last year and two-thirds of all charitable nonprofits experienced decreasing or stagnant contributions in the first nine months of 2012, according to GuideStar.

At the same time, tech moguls gave 1.4 billion to charity. Fidelity Charitable, an affiliate of Fidelity Investments, took in $3.6 billion, making it a record year and the stock market is at its highest level in five years.

So is it the best of times, or the worst of times for nonprofit fundraising?

Fundraising Chief Watt Calls on Congress to Preserve Charitable Deduction, Look at New Ways to Invest in Communities - Press - AFP

Fundraising Chief Watt Calls on Congress to Preserve Charitable Deduction, Look at New Ways to Invest in Communities - Press - AFP: Fundraising Chief Watt Calls on Congress to Preserve Charitable Deduction, Look at New Ways to Invest in Communities

Marc Chardon and Hal Williams: Nonprofit Brands in the Age of Supporter Shift (Part 1)

Marc Chardon and Hal Williams: Nonprofit Brands in the Age of Supporter Shift (Part 1): In the Supporter Shift series, Blackbaud CEO Marc Chardon and outcomes guide Hal Williams continued their discussion about nonprofit results, exploring the effects of generational shift -- and a related shift in expectations. In this series, the authors return with a focus on the nonprofit brand, an essential ingredient in supporters' search for meaning.

Heinz sale not expected to alter philanthropy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Heinz sale not expected to alter philanthropy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The ownership changes coming to the H.J. Heinz Co. will have no impact on the sprawling philanthropic efforts in southwestern Pennsylvania of the Heinz family, which separated itself from the company decades ago.

Over 40 Nonprofit Officials and Experts to Testify on Charitable Deduction - Tax Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Over 40 Nonprofit Officials and Experts to Testify on Charitable Deduction - Tax Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The House Ways and Means Committee, sponsor of the mega-hearing, will receive testimony from representatives of trade associations including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, and National Council of Nonprofits and charities including the Associaion of Gospel Rescue Missions, Meals on Wheels, and Volunteers of America.

Donations to charity rise despite fewer donors - Business - CBC News

Donations to charity rise despite fewer donors - Business - CBC News: Fewer Canadians are giving to charity, but those who are making donations are giving more, according to the latest figures gleaned from tax records.

Nonprofits shouldn't abandon direct mail for fundraising | Nonprofit Strategies | SanLuisObispo.com

Nonprofits shouldn't abandon direct mail for fundraising | Nonprofit Strategies | SanLuisObispo.com: Direct-mail fundraising generates approximately one-fifth of all donations to nonprofit organizations. If done right, it is an effective and relatively inexpensive way to raise money. Direct mail will continue to generate donations even with the U.S. Postal Service ending Saturday home delivery later this year.

Philanthropy Must Do More to Influence Policy, Say Government Officials - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Philanthropy Must Do More to Influence Policy, Say Government Officials - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Philanthropy needs to step up its efforts to influence policy if it expects to produce big changes on pressing issues like poverty, criminal justice, health care, the environment, and education, government officials told an audience of grant makers, nonprofit leaders, and scholars this week at an event on philanthropy and politics.

Late schoolteacher bequeaths thousands to local nonprofits - Leader-Telegram: Front Page

Late schoolteacher bequeaths thousands to local nonprofits - Leader-Telegram: Front Page: Valentine's Day perfectly symbolizes how much Betty Rogstad loved Eau Claire.

Rogstad, who died Aug. 10 at age 74, has bequeathed a combined total of $825,000 to 10 local nonprofit groups and her college alma mater, and that doesn't surprise those who knew the career teacher.

Rogstad was a kindergarten teacher from 1959 to 1995 at Longfellow Elementary. Al Lechleitner was principal there during her last nine years.

Red Kettles Got Record-Setting Heavy - TheNonProfitTimes

Red Kettles Got Record-Setting Heavy - TheNonProfitTimes: The Salvation Army broke its record, set in 2011, for fundraising around its annual Red Kettle Campaign (RKC). The organization raised $148.7 million through its 122nd RKC this past holiday season, about $1.1 million more than the $147.6 million in 2011.

Rebranding Valentine's Day Into A Day Of Generosity | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

Rebranding Valentine's Day Into A Day Of Generosity | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation: hat brings me back to creating a day. I’d always felt that other people might also want and need to reconnect with generosity, but I didn’t know what to do about it. Then, two years later, just three days before Valentine’s Day, Katya Andreesen, Fast Company's Ellen McGirt and Scott Case and I hatched a plan to create “Generosity Day:” one day for everyone around the world to replicate my generosity experiment, to practice radical generosity.

Making sense of charitable giving statistics | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional

Making sense of charitable giving statistics | Voluntary Sector Network | Guardian Professional: Making sense of charitable giving statistics

When surveys produce contradictory findings about donations, it can be difficult for charities to glean any insight from them

8 Job Interview Tips -- Nonprofit Jobs - Resource Center, Articles, How Tos

8 Job Interview Tips -- Nonprofit Jobs - Resource Center, Articles, How Tos: 8 Job Interview Tips

Nonprofit job interviews can be very stressful if you aren't properly prepared. Not only do you have to deal with the considerable nerves you will probably be feeling, you also have to account for the fact that every organization has its own individual mission, culture, and expectations.

One size truly does not fit all when it comes to interviewing in the nonprofit sector. You need to individually prepare for the organization in question if you are to impress the interviewer, and you can achieve that goal by following these eight tips:

The Founding Fathers Write a Grant Proposal | Blue Avocado

The Founding Fathers Write a Grant Proposal | Blue Avocado: "Just look at this second sentence!" groaned Samuel Adams. "'We hold these truths to be self-evident . .' This flies in the face of 'evidence-based practice'! We'll never get funded!"

Nonprofit revenue, donor numbers drop � Philanthropy North Carolina

Nonprofit revenue, donor numbers drop � Philanthropy North Carolina: Nonprofit revenue fell slightly in the first nine months of 2012 as nonprofits continued to face the erosion in overall donor numbers they have experienced for most of the past five years, fueled mainly by declines in acquisition of new donors, a new report says.

In the face of those declines, median revenue in the first three quarters of 2012 fell a median 2 percent from the same period in 2011, according to the Target Q3 Index of National Fundraising Performance.

Ruderman Family Foundation Announces Global Competition for Innovation in Inclusion of People with Disabilities

Ruderman Family Foundation Announces Global Competition for Innovation in Inclusion of People with Disabilities: he Ruderman Family Foundation has announced the launch of the 2013 Ruderman Prize in Disability, its second year, which will provide $250,000 in funding to recognize innovative programs and services that foster full inclusion of people with disabilities in the Jewish community worldwide.

4 Steps Livestrong Took to Cope With Founder’s Scandal - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

4 Steps Livestrong Took to Cope With Founder’s Scandal - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: 4 Steps Livestrong Took to Cope With Founder’s Scandal

By Raymund Flandez

The nonprofit group Lance Armstrong founded to fight cancer was ready as early as 2010 to kick the cyclist out of his leadership role, said Katherine McLane, vice president for communications and external affairs.

Charitable deduction a key giving incentive | Other voices | Fort Worth, Arlington, Northeast...

Charitable deduction a key giving incentive | Other voices | Fort Worth, Arlington, Northeast...: Three hundred billion dollars can do a lot of good.

That is the amount Americans donate to charities annually. That figure will be on the minds of lawmakers as the House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing Thursday to hear from charities that may be affected by proposals to modify the charitable gift deduction. I will be among those speaking on behalf of the charities affected, urging members of Congress not to accept approaches that would remove the incentive for many to make these critical donations t

Philanthropy beat: Doing good is good for love life | StarTribune.com

Philanthropy beat: Doing good is good for love life | StarTribune.com: Of the 2,059 Americans surveyed, 52 percent said a person who "cares about giving to others'' was sexy. That was just 1 percentage point lower than having a "physically fit body.''

The survey, released for Valentine's Day, was sponsored by Razoo, an online fundraising platform that facilitated more than $60 million in donations to charities and causes last year.

Can nonprofit organizations boost a regional economy? - The Washington Post

Can nonprofit organizations boost a regional economy? - The Washington Post: In Montgomery County, at least, a new report concludes that nonprofit groups have indeed played an important role in boosting the labor market and the broader economy, a finding that the study’s sponsors hope will inform policymaking and corporate strategizing in the community.

From Gates Foundation CEO to Leader of Food Pantry - People - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

From Gates Foundation CEO to Leader of Food Pantry - People - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: To many in the nonprofit world, it was a shocking move: Patty Stonesifer, the former head of the largest foundation in the world, taking the helm of a hunger-relief charity in Washington.

After leading the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization with $37-billion in assets and a global reach, Ms. Stonesifer would seem to have more than enough experience to run the $6-million Martha’s Table.

Josh Baron: Is Doing Good "Good Enough?" Unleashing the Power of Self-Interest in Philanthropy

Josh Baron: Is Doing Good "Good Enough?" Unleashing the Power of Self-Interest in Philanthropy: Encouraging businesses and individuals to identify what they can get out of philanthropy can feel uncomfortable, even tawdry. But there are two problems with relying on altruism as the main motivation for philanthropy. First, most people are altruistic only a small percentage of their time. To really get their attention, they have to see some value for themselves. Second, it is relatively easy to do good. Real change is more likely to happen when there is a goal in mind in addition to satisfying the altruistic urge. Therefore, to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities for philanthropy to make a difference in society, we have to encourage people to think more consciously and creatively about: "What's in this for me?"

William Brindley: Three Trends That Will Shape the Nonprofits of 2043

William Brindley: Three Trends That Will Shape the Nonprofits of 2043: If we look out to the far horizon, how does the nonprofit world look? What new forces have influenced the nonprofits of 2043? Has the role of implementer and beneficiary shifted, or even flipped? I think by considering the following three trends, we can begin to forecast of how future humanitarian work will change in the next 30 years:

CTK Foundation Awards over $55,000 in “Heart & Soul” Grants to Nonprofits | Fort Mill Times - Fort Mill, SC

CTK Foundation Awards over $55,000 in “Heart & Soul” Grants to Nonprofits | Fort Mill Times - Fort Mill, SC: Unique Grants Program Celebrates the Mission of Nonprofit Work and Promotes the Use of Technology in Managing Mission Achievement

AUSTIN, Texas --

Nonprofits and their supporters were out in force last night at the CTK Foundation’s Heart & Soul Gala to honor this year’s recipients of the organization’s grant awards. The annual event, which was held at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, featured the Grammy Award-winning Original Blind Boys of Alabama performing an original song inspired by a poem written and submitted by Furniture Sharehouse, the winner of the 2013 Heart & Soul main award grant.

The main award licenses the song to Furniture Sharehouse in perpetuity and is accompanied by a $10,000 grant to help the organization raise awareness of their mission, which is to provide free furniture to economically disadvantaged individuals and families living in the vicinity of Westchester County, New York.

Pitchers and Catchers and Fundraisers: Why Nonprofits Don't Really Play Moneyball - Forbes

Pitchers and Catchers and Fundraisers: Why Nonprofits Don't Really Play Moneyball - Forbes: But as someone who is always poking around the nonprofit sector looking for a new trend or a new measurement, I’m struck this week by the massive gap between, say, baseball data and philanthropy data. Baseball data is rich: every player’s appearance since turning professional is recorded and tracked. There are all sorts of new, modern statistical indexes to measure performance that now supplement batting average and runs batted in. Any fan can sift the data endlessly because you basically have the same dataset as the professionals do. Any fan can play Moneyball. If there’s a golden age of baseball statistics, this is it.

A Strong Year for Community Funds Includes Megagifts From Young Donors - Philanthropy 50 - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

A Strong Year for Community Funds Includes Megagifts From Young Donors - Philanthropy 50 - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that he would donate nearly $500-million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation gave leaders of community funds some measure of hope that their organizations wouldn’t go the way of the buggy whip.

The 2013 Philanthropy 50 - Philanthropy 50 - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

The 2013 Philanthropy 50 - Philanthropy 50 - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The 50 Most Generous Donors of 2012

America's biggest donors committed a total of more than $7.4-billion to nonprofits in 2012. Click on any photo to learn how much each donor gave last year, where the money went, biographical information, and more.

Volunteering: A corporate talent development program that is socially responsible | Asian Insights on Nonprofit Leadership

Volunteering: A corporate talent development program that is socially responsible | Asian Insights on Nonprofit Leadership: have been a keen observer of the recent discussion threads on the Harvard Business Review Linked Group on the impact of volunteering on individuals from the corporate sector, Reminiscing the experience of working with volunteers in over 20 countries across Asia/ Pacific, I would like to share three key benefits that I see emerging.