Friday, May 31, 2013

Office of Management and Budget Issues New Conference Guidance: Associations Now

Office of Management and Budget Issues New Conference Guidance: Associations Now: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) this week provided federal agencies with additional guidance on travel and attendance at conferences, predicting that cutbacks will continue but recognizing the value of federal employees’ in-person attendance and interaction with other professionals.

The Do More 24 Support Group - The Nonprofit Roundtable

The Do More 24 Support Group - The Nonprofit Roundtable: "It was my third hour of my new internship with the Nonprofit Roundtable, and I was sitting in a room full of nonprofit leaders from Greater Washington who came to a meeting to collaborate on strategies for Do More 24. It was an initiative to brainstorm the ways in which these organizations could best promote themselves and the sector to generate the most individual donor involvement on June 6th. Frankly, I was just trying to keep up. But here’s what I came up with:"

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Claudia Jacobs: Why Philanthropy Should Steam Ahead and Support the Creative Economy

Claudia Jacobs: Why Philanthropy Should Steam Ahead and Support the Creative Economy: Philanthropies are more and more focused on impact, grantee accountability, metrics and getting results. Sound good? Not so fast. While these evaluation measures have importance, danger could be lurking. For the metric-merry this can have the potential of giving stepchild status to the arts as the less easily measured are most vulnerable to being cut from the roster. Some argue that the increased frenzy with metrics may indeed play a role in stifling innovation.

Mermaid Parade Donations Exceed Goal, Will Go On

Mermaid Parade Donations Exceed Goal, Will Go On: A fundraising campaign for the Mermaid Parade is going swimmingly.

Sequestration's Damaging Effects on Nonprofits and Communities They Serve | Sequestration's Effects on Nonprofits and the Communities They Serve

Sequestration's Damaging Effects on Nonprofits and Communities They Serve | Sequestration's Effects on Nonprofits and the Communities They Serve: Sequestration's Damaging Effects on Nonprofits and Communities They Serve

The sequestration cuts will hurt the work of almost every charitable nonprofit in America – even nonprofits that do not receive any direct government funding. Here’s how:

Nonprofits urged to be sure merging is right move � Philanthropy North Carolina

Nonprofits urged to be sure merging is right move � Philanthropy North Carolina: Nonprofits also have faced growing pressure, particularly from donors and funders concerned about duplication of services in the community, to consider collaborating with other organizations, or even merging with them.

Partnership strategies have seen some early successes, but they also have sparked cautionary warnings from experts about the need to think carefully before collaborating or merging.

May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival | Donor Dreams Blog

May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival | Donor Dreams Blog: Step right up . . . step right up! It is time for the May 2013 Nonprofit Blog Carnival.

You will be amazed by what many non-profit experts had to say in an open letter they composed to non-profit board volunteers.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Small Foundations Increased Assets and Grants Last Year - Grant Makers - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Small Foundations Increased Assets and Grants Last Year - Grant Makers - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Assets of foundations worth less than $50-million grew by 10 percent in 2012 over 2011, according to a study released today, and their giving increased by slightly more than 9 percent.

Grant makers of that size account for 98 percent of the country’s approximately 86,000 foundations but only about 30 percent of foundation wealth, according to the report.

Six surprising takeouts from Bill Gates on Q&A last night

Six surprising takeouts from Bill Gates on Q&A last night: Last night, Microsoft founder Bill Gates faced an Australian audience for a special edition of ABC program Q&A.

The program crowdsourced questions from the studio audience, most of which focused on his current work as co-chair of the philanthropic organisation he cofounded with his wife, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Here are six surprising things he said.

Get your lemonade here! - Living - Cape Breton Post

Get your lemonade here! - Living - Cape Breton Post: In 2010 Matthew was the youngest person ever to be named volunteer fundraiser of the year by the Nova Scotia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He has become a fundraising role model in his community and in the province.

The IWK telethon will broadcast live Saturday and Sunday from several locations throughout the Maritimes including Sydney.

$1.65 million approved for Broward nonprofits from estate of late Mary N. Porter - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

$1.65 million approved for Broward nonprofits from estate of late Mary N. Porter - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: On Tuesday, the board of the Community Foundation approved a total $1.65 million in grants from Porter's funds. It awarded $1 million to help the Broward Center build an arts-education pavilion; $500,000 for the Urban League of Broward County to develop a high-tech learning hub; and $150,000 for the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival to build a cinema in downtown Hollywood.

Each of the three projects will bear Mary N. Porter's name.

BILL GATES: When I Invest In Something, It’s Not Always For Philanthropy | Business Insider Australia

BILL GATES: When I Invest In Something, It’s Not Always For Philanthropy | Business Insider Australia: Billionaire Bill Gates has defended his philanthropic organisation’s investment choices, arguing that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is just a typical investor when it comes to managing its US$36.4 billion of assets.

The foundation has contributed more than US$26 billion to global health and development and US education to date, but has been criticised for owning stock in companies such as Monsato, Exxon and Shell.

Day of national giving aims to raise $100 million for grassroots organizations | Philanthropy Journal

Day of national giving aims to raise $100 million for grassroots organizations | Philanthropy Journal: There's not much left to May, but a group of philanthropists and technology experts already have their sights set on May 2014. On a day to be announced, charitable organizations across the U.S. will collaborate for Give Local America!, an event organizers hope will transform grassroots philanthropy forever.

Pamela Hartigan: Putting the "Venture" Back into Venture Philanthropy

Pamela Hartigan: Putting the "Venture" Back into Venture Philanthropy: This past week I spent two days in Venice - my first visit to this legendary Italian city. I had been invited to speak at the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) that has the good sense to hold its annual meeting in Venice. No wonder the EVPA keeps growing, and its yearly get together convenes almost 100% of its members.

Foundations Bring Philanthropy, Know-How, Vision

Foundations Bring Philanthropy, Know-How, Vision: he topic: climate change. Around the table: representatives of some of the world’s top philanthropic foundations and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

They met at the World Bank in Washington earlier this month to look for ways to work together on one of today’s most pressing issues – how to stop the Earth from warming to the point where millions of people, rich and poor, will be threatened by extreme weather, rising seas, and declining agricultural yields.

Few funders make loans, equity investments � Philanthropy North Carolina

Few funders make loans, equity investments � Philanthropy North Carolina: Total investment by foundations in program-related investments such as low-interest loans and equity investments grew to $701 million in 2009 from $139 million in 1990, while the average size of those investments grew steadily to more than $1.5 million in 2009 from just over $660,000 in 2000, says the study by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, which cited IRS data.

Yet over the past 20 years, only about 1 percent of U.S. foundations each year made program-related investments, or PRIs, the report, Leveraging the Power of Foundations, which was sponsored by Mission Throttle.

Featured Topic: Disaster Planning and Recovery

Featured Topic: Disaster Planning and Recovery: Disaster preparedness isn't just about being ready for a fire or earthquake; it's a nimble, flexible approach to your organization's day-to-day programs and operations. A natural disaster may never hit your office, but by adopting certain technologies and strategies, you can deepen your nonprofit's impact and make your work faster and more efficient. The resources in this toolkit will not only prepare you for a crisis, but also deepen the impact of your nonprofit or charity in times of health.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Bill Clinton, other celebs at Vienna AIDS charity - seattlepi.com

Bill Clinton, other celebs at Vienna AIDS charity - seattlepi.com: VIENNA (AP) — Cross-dressers, half-naked revelers, a famed fashion designer, entertainment icons and a former U.S. president shared the spotlight in the Austrian capital for the Life Ball, a night of hedonistic revelry for a good cause — the funding of AIDS research.

As in past years, Vienna's city hall and the huge square in front of it was transformed into a magical stage, this year with the theme being "Tales of 1,001 Nights

Online philanthropy course eases access to grant funds | The News Desk

Online philanthropy course eases access to grant funds | The News Desk: Rozek wanted to begin the course to distribute the foundation’s funds to as many localities as possible. After learning about online courses offered by colleges such as Stanford and Harvard he wanted to include the philanthropy courses already provided at universities by the foundation in the online-learning movement.

Currently the Learning by Giving Foundation has 30 classes at universities across the county dedicated to philanthropy, including one at the University of Mary Washington.

This online course opens these classes up to an unlimited number of students.

My Thoughts on Dan Pallotta’s “The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong”- Part 3: The Idea of Taking Risks in Pursuit of New Revenue- Non-Profit vs. For-Profit | Non-Profit Musings

My Thoughts on Dan Pallotta’s “The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong”- Part 3: The Idea of Taking Risks in Pursuit of New Revenue- Non-Profit vs. For-Profit | Non-Profit Musings: Dan asserts that in the non-profit world, organizations are afraid to take risks in pursuit of new ideas for generating revenue because, if the endeavor fails, the NGO will get a bad reputation (which is not the case in the for-profit world). But as Dan also wisely says, “When you prohibit failure, you kill innovation”. If you can’t raise revenue then you can”t grow, and if you can’t grow you can’t raise even more funds to help the cause for which you are working.

Pay It Forward with Service | Blackbaud News

Pay It Forward with Service | Blackbaud News: "often write about service and how Blackbaud and my colleagues give back to our communities.  Service can take on many forms and over the past week, Blackbaud employees have demonstrated how you can make a difference through hands-on and skills-based volunteerism.
Last Friday and Saturday, I was visiting Austin, TX and had a great time volunteering with my Texas-based colleagues.  Friday, 90 of us participated in the Spring Service Day hosted by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas.  Spring Service Day brought together more than 500 volunteers from 23 companies.  We worked at two East Austin schools - building a track, building raised gardens, painting parking lots, spreading mulch and so much more.  Our team got to build the track at Linder Elementary School and we had a blast.  It’s such a great way to get to know people outside our normal work days.  I look forward to this day every year and Blackbaud is a proud sponsor of this event."

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