How $5 Can Change Charity - Forbes

How $5 Can Change Charity - Forbes: Michael Berman, while working in San Francisco for Eventbrite in 2011, had the idea for a philanthropic effort called Friday5.

N.Y. African Art Museum Sees Policy Role as Key to Future - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

N.Y. African Art Museum Sees Policy Role as Key to Future - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: As it campaigns to raise $60-million to complete its prospective Manhattan home, the Museum for African Art is broadening its mission to include an institute dedicated to African policy, business, and culture, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Is There Ageism In The Philanthropy World?

Is There Ageism In The Philanthropy World?: Is There Ageism In The Philanthropy World?
Posted on August 23, 2013 Written by Richard Marker 1 Comment




The obvious answer is “of course.” There is age discrimination everywhere in the U.S. employment realm and there is little reason to dispute it in our realm as well. A recent online conversation about ageism in the nonprofit world got me to thinking about whether it is true in our side of the sector as well.

Attracting the College-Age to Organized Jewish Life: A Case Study

Attracting the College-Age to Organized Jewish Life: A Case Study: Will they care? Will they commit? Will they give? These are questions every Jewish organization is asking about today’s Generation Y (See “NextGen Donors: The Future of Jewish Giving,” a major study issued in early August that has generated much attention in the press and elsewhere).

Rising to the Challenges of Philanthropy | John Low

Rising to the Challenges of Philanthropy | John Low: Peter Buffett, the musician son of billionaire investor and famed philanthropist Warren Buffett, caused much debate in philanthropy circles in the US and beyond last month, with an op-ed he authored in the New York Times criticising the "charitable-industrial complex". Given my position as Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, an organisation dedicated to promoting philanthropy and effective charitable giving, I rea

Volunteering England - Volunteering England

Volunteering England - Volunteering England: Volunteer Agreements

Volunteer agreements can be used to set out both an organisation's commitment to its volunteers, and what it hopes for from its volunteers. Such agreements act as a reference point for the volunteers, and a reminder to the organisation that it should meet the standards of good practice that it has set itself.

Duke Haddad-Who Validates Your Case For Support? : FundRaising Success

Duke Haddad-Who Validates Your Case For Support? : FundRaising Success: Ask yourself one question. Who says you are so worthy? Was your case for support generated internally based upon what you think donors want, or was it validated through external forces? The answer to this question is critical to the success of your short- and long-term program.

The key is validation — both internally and externally.

Strangers share a meal, give to charity - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Strangers share a meal, give to charity - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The concept for the grassroots social experiment, which is about a month old, is simple. A host brings a group of people who have little or no prior introduction to share a meal at a restaurant, potluck or home-cooked meal. It is encouraged to have no more than eight people so everyone can interact with each other. There, the host will collect $1 from each guest and donate it to Dinfinity. The host asks each guest to host his or her own dinner within the coming month.

Depending on how much money is in the account on July 1, 2014, the money will be distributed to nonprofit and community groups in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.

Wealth and Narcissism: Is Philanthropy a Mirror on the Wall? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Wealth and Narcissism: Is Philanthropy a Mirror on the Wall? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: According to recent studies by Paul Piff, a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, wealthy individuals spend more time looking in the mirror than low-income individuals. His “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall” study demonstrated that wealthy participants—those earning more than $200,000 a year in household income—who anticipated being photographed would groom and primp their way to perfection, whereas low-income individuals either bypassed the mirror or only gave it a cursory glance.

Pamela Barden-Shining a Light on the True Cost : FundRaising Success

Pamela Barden-Shining a Light on the True Cost : FundRaising Success: As the donor public has been focused on nonprofit overhead in recent months, it seems that nonprofits have in turn been focusing on their costs to raise money. That's perfectly logical and wise, but this has generated a lot of questions and misunderstandings about what and how consultants or agencies charge.

Rochester Man To Reach Milestone In Fundraising Effort On Cyclone Roller Coaster � CBS New York

Rochester Man To Reach Milestone In Fundraising Effort On Cyclone Roller Coaster � CBS New York: This summer has been the ride of a lifetime for Michael Moran of Rochester.

“My goal is 100 roller coaster rides in 100 days,” Moran told WCBS 880′s Jim Smith.

His fundraising effort is named Kevin’s Coaster Crawlers in honor of his late brother.

The name game not so fun for some | Aspen Daily News Online

The name game not so fun for some | Aspen Daily News Online: What’s in a name, really? Some in the local nonprofit world would say millions of dollars worth of identity — at least in the “Aspen Valley,” which technically doesn’t exist here.

A Brief History: Aligning Budget to Outcomes & Impact | Community Techknowledge

A Brief History: Aligning Budget to Outcomes & Impact | Community Techknowledge: Nonprofits are at a turning point. The ability to track how we use resources and how we produce impact (not just outputs) for our missions has become accessible for most nonprofits. The question is no longer, “Can we reasonably afford the technology tools that correlate resources to demonstrated impact?” That question is increasingly an affirmative as these tools for nonprofits become more affordable. The question now is, "How are we going to use that correlated data to demonstrate impact and get funded before some other nonprofit does a better job at it and gets funded instead of us?

World's first Advanced Diploma in fundraising starts this year | UK Fundraising

World's first Advanced Diploma in fundraising starts this year | UK Fundraising: he Institute of Fundraising has developed a new advanced qualification in fundraising in association with the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the European Fundraising Association. Recruitment for the first students for the Advanced Diploma in Fundraising is underway and the course will begin in the 2013/14 academic year.

Although a number of Higher Education institutions in the UK offer masters level qualifications in various nonprofit studies, the Advanced Diploma is the first international masters level qualification in fundraising.

Study Finds Board Diversity Stagnant: Are Nonprofits Similar?: Associations Now

Study Finds Board Diversity Stagnant: Are Nonprofits Similar?: Associations Now: As in the corporate world, gains in minority representation on nonprofit boards have been small over the last couple of decades, said Vernetta Walker, vice president of consulting and training at BoardSource, a nonprofit organization that works with other nonprofits to develop governance strategies.

Giving Circle forms to help community | HeraldTribune.com

Giving Circle forms to help community | HeraldTribune.com: Carter was inspired by the Giving Matters initiative, a program sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southwest Florida Chapter, and the annual "Gems of Philanthropy" luncheon it co-sponsored with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in April.

What The Field of Philanthropy Really Needs? - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy

What The Field of Philanthropy Really Needs? - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy: As we approach the fifth anniversary of the economic correction and reflect on how much the landscape has changed for the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, it is important to consider whether grantmakers fully recognize that we have entered what Mario Marino describes as "an era of scarcity."

SOI Tax Stats - Split-Interest Trust Statistics

SOI Tax Stats - Split-Interest Trust Statistics: Split-interest trusts make distributions to both charitable and noncharitable beneficiaries, while providing tax benefits to their donor. All split-interest trusts must annually file Form 5227, Split-Interest Trust Information Return, to report financial activity and determine if they should be treated as a private foundation. Based on the method and timing of distributions, split-interest trusts are divided into the following four categories:

Google Survey Reveals Patterns Of How We Donate Money Online | Co.Exist | ideas impact

Google Survey Reveals Patterns Of How We Donate Money Online | Co.Exist | ideas impact: n a survey released this week, Google tracked consumer search patterns, analyzed nonprofit donation behavior, and talked to nonprofit researchers about their survey behavior.

Some of the results are predictable--but still may be news to nonprofits who are used to working offline. "This is a space that's new to the digital realm," says Jessie End, the head of Google's advertising operations for customers in the nonprofit sector. "We wanted to have robust research for strategies helping them to develop." Here's what Google found:
People Starting Thinking About Donations Before The Holiday Season

The Association Executive Blog: How Necessary is “Industry-Specific” Knowledge for Executives?

The Association Executive Blog: How Necessary is “Industry-Specific” Knowledge for Executives?: here are CSOs who work in associations and come to their roles with experience built up specifically within the sectors their association represents. On the other hand, there are others who come to their role as association management experts with general knowledge from a variety or sectors associations may represent.

Which is better? An industry specific background to lead an association or is management experience in various associations better? There may or may not be one direct answer that fits all situations but I do believe it is a debate that begs more thorough discussion in the association world. I believe it is one where Boards tend to favour their own while executives tend to be more open to the idea that someone can learn “the issues”.

Collaborating with Advisors to the “Self-Made”: A Fundraiser’s Next Frontier - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Collaborating with Advisors to the “Self-Made”: A Fundraiser’s Next Frontier - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: Visionary and effective planning for large gifts in the context of a donor’s ideals, overall wealth, and family situation is necessarily a team exercise. The wealthy potential donor already has advisors who call that donor a client. You will, as a nonprofit gift planner, have to work with or against advisors if you are to tap into the larger dollar. How advisors will respond to you depends on whether you have “control of the case.” To gain control, your key strength is your willingness to engage in the conversation of purpose—one to which you are well suited and well positioned, working for an organization devoted to what is best in humanity. Properly conducted, that conversation of purpose, meaning, and community will drive and redirect the otherwise dry and often self-regarding planning processes that run their course daily in the offices of attorneys, CPAs, insurance professionals, investment advisors, and others who serve the wealthy. You can lift that conversation to a higher level, with a more inclusive view of what counts as winning in life for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Crowdfunding is the New Donation . . . editor notes issue #89 | Blue Avocado

Crowdfunding is the New Donation . . . editor notes issue #89 | Blue Avocado: One of the benefits of being a nonprofit, muses Jon Pratt, is that we have an unlimited supply of free advice from people in business, government, and philanthropy. Recently that advice has included many exhortations to raise money via Twitter and through crowdfunding.

Here's the amazing thing: we nonprofits are already experts at crowdsourcing! We've been doing it for decades! The sobering thing: we've been calling it fundraising.

donors | NGO Pulse

donors | NGO Pulse: The Nonprofit Salary Bill Comes under Scrutiny

IRS Kills Tax Exemption Of Foundation Pushing Eternal Life - Forbes

IRS Kills Tax Exemption Of Foundation Pushing Eternal Life - Forbes: Benjamin Franklin famously wrote that nothing is certain except death and taxes. These days, it seems, maybe not even those. In a previously unreported action, on May 10th, the Internal Revenue Service revoked the long-held charitable tax exemption of the Life Extension Foundation Inc., an organization dedicated to denying the certainty of death. The Foundation is contesting the revocation in a lawsuit filed on August 7, 2013 in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. (The revocation is available in redacted form here as PLR 201331008. )

September 7520 Rate Unchanged at 2.0% | Planned Giving Design Center

September 7520 Rate Unchanged at 2.0% | Planned Giving Design Center: For purposes of determining the present value of an annuity, an interest for life or a term of years, or a remainder or a reversionary interest, Revenue Ruling 2013-18 indicates the applicable federal rate under section 7520 for September 2013 is 2.0%; unchanged from the August rate of 2.0% and up 0.6% from the July rate of 1.4%.

Boomers at top in charitable giving � Philanthropy North Carolina

Boomers at top in charitable giving � Philanthropy North Carolina: eventy-two percent of Boomers, or 51 million donors ages 49 to 67 in 2013, give to charity, supporting 4.5 charities on average and making an annual gift that averages $1,212, says the study, Next Generation of American Giving.

The study, commissioned by Blackbaud and based on an online survey of 1,014 U.S. donors conducted by Edge Research, also found that while most Americans give, overall giving remains flat.

Charity bounce 'sets world record' - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

Charity bounce 'sets world record' - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk: A group of friends believe they have broken a world record after completing a 36-hour bouncy castle charity marathon.

PPP Blog: Shake Up at the Epicenter of Philanthropy

PPP Blog: Shake Up at the Epicenter of Philanthropy: Shake Up at the Epicenter of Philanthropy
“Silicon Valley has become the epicenter of philanthropy in the U.S., if not the world. Along the span of entrepreneurs’ lives, my guess is we’ll look back at this period and see a lot of them did a lot of philanthropy over a long period of time.” Bradford K. Smith, President, The Foundation Center (quoted in the New York Times)

Profiles in Excellence: Trista Harris – a career of giving

Profiles in Excellence: Trista Harris – a career of giving: In 2008, nonprofits pulled together in an amazing way," said Harris. "That habit of collaboration has continued and I was proud to see that happen."

One of those coming together instances Harris pointed to is the formation of Generation Next, a broad-based effort of several organizations working to close the achievement gap in Minnesota schools.

"Since the formation of Generation Next, there's been a much more open conversation around the issue," said Harris. "These are some of the transformative efforts we'll look back on 10 to 15 years from now and say that's where we were able to close the achievement gap and that's why Minnesota schools are some of the best in the nation."

Top 10 nonprofit risks | The NonProfit Times

Top 10 nonprofit risks | The NonProfit Times: Top 10 nonprofit risks
by The NonProfit Times - August 19, 2013

Speaking of known knowns and unknown knowns and all the possible combinations thereof, it is also worth considering the risks nonprofits face.

In some cases the risks are known, but in many cases they are not. Either way, they pose a danger.

L.A. Museum Criticized for Car Sales Unveils Renovation Plan - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

L.A. Museum Criticized for Car Sales Unveils Renovation Plan - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The Petersen Automotive Museum, which has drawn fire for auctioning off vintage cars in its collection to help pay for remodeling its Los Angeles building, will spend as much as $20-million on the renovation project, writes the Los Angeles Times.

Altruists with a taste for adventure

Altruists with a taste for adventure: Charity walks and marathons became popular in the 1990s, but today, fundraising campaigns are increasingly venturing into the unusual, said Michael Nilsen of the Association of Professional Fundraisers,