Friday, January 09, 2015

Sun Santa raises $263G, sets record - Lowell Sun Online

Sun Santa raises $263G, sets record - Lowell Sun Online: "Two large donations -- $5,000 from Union Installations Inc. in Burlington, and $810 from Segue Manufacturing Services in Lowell -- propelled the 2014 Sun Santa total to $262,850, a new record."



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A Message for Nonprofits From the Charlie Hebdo Massacre: Comedy Matters - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

A Message for Nonprofits From the Charlie Hebdo Massacre: Comedy Matters - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "It is clear that comedy can be a powerful tool in conveying a message, be it social, environmental, political or otherwise.

As nonprofits plan their communications activities for the year ahead, they would be smart to infuse comedy into their messages. Not only will humor help imprint their arguments on the minds of the masses, but comedy’s demon"



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Sen. Grassley Asks Red Cross to Explain Its Finances - Government - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Sen. Grassley Asks Red Cross to Explain Its Finances - Government - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Sen. Charles Grassley has asked the American Red Cross to explain how it calculates figures showing how much of a donated dollar goes to services after recent media reports uncovered apparent discrepancies in how the organization portrays its overhead costs."



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IRS Says New ‘Dark Money’ Rules Still Months Away – Philanthropy Today - Blogs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

IRS Says New ‘Dark Money’ Rules Still Months Away – Philanthropy Today - Blogs - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "The Internal Revenue Service is unlikely to propose new regulations on political activity by nonprofit groups before late spring, decreasing the chance that any changes will affect the 2016 elections, ProPublica reports."



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Rebuilding Symphony Size by Endowing Musician “Chairs” - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Rebuilding Symphony Size by Endowing Musician “Chairs” - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly:



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Why Would the Red Cross Accept Money from Big Tobacco? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Why Would the Red Cross Accept Money from Big Tobacco? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "This contretemps is a very clear example of the problems of some kinds of corporate philanthropy. The American Red Cross defends its use of tobacco money with the argument that any contributions, tobacco or otherwise, that help the Red Cross with its disaster relief functions are welcome and worthwhile. In contrast, last month the Public Health Law Center, Action on Smoking & Health, and other U.S. health advocacy organizations wrote a pointed letter to ARC President Gail McGovern calling for a change in the ARC’s tobacco money policies:"



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Association for Healthcare Philanthropy | Sound Investing Brings Ample Returns to High-Performing Health Care Fundraisers

Association for Healthcare Philanthropy | Sound Investing Brings Ample Returns to High-Performing Health Care Fundraisers: "WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2015 /CNW/ -- As 2015 gets underway, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) delves into its annual Report on Giving to take the pulse of the highest performing development organizations that support nonprofit hospitals, health systems and related facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

"Our findings show that those who are able to invest the most in staff and operations raise the most money at the highest rates of effectiveness," reports Steven Churchill, president and CEO of AHP. "This is true for both the United States and Canada, despite their different approaches to health care delivery."

The Report on Giving defines high performers as organizations—primarily foundations affiliated with a hospital or health system—that raise more net funds than 75 percent of all institutions surveyed. In FY 2013, the most recent year for which data is available, the median amount each high performer raised was more than $20 million in the U.S. and almost $18 million in Canada—four to five times the median achieved by all surveyed."



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Corporate philanthropy increases workers' productivity -- ScienceDaily

Corporate philanthropy increases workers' productivity -- ScienceDaily: "Corporate philanthropy increases workers' productivity
Date:
January 6, 2015
Source:
University of Southampton
Summary:
Working to benefit a good cause increases productivity by up to 30 percent, according to the findings of a new study. When workers are given a social incentive such as a charitable donation linked to their job, performance increases by an average of 13 per cent, rising to 30 per cent amongst those who are initially the least productive, the researchers say."



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Wealthy under-40s are driving growth in socially-conscious investment, CAF study finds

Wealthy under-40s are driving growth in socially-conscious investment, CAF study finds: "A new study of the philanthropic activity of wealthy UK donors has provided clear evidence that those aged under 40 are significantly more likely to participate in socially-conscious investment than their older peers.
The Charities Aid Foundation survey, which gathered information in September 2013 from 1,005 people with an average wealth level of £7.5m, found that nearly two-thirds of all respondents appeared to be active, social-conscious investors.
However, that figure rose to 79 per cent among those under 40 – who comprised 285 of the respondents."



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3 Ways Companies Can Reach Millennials Through Cause Work | GuideStar Blog

3 Ways Companies Can Reach Millennials Through Cause Work | GuideStar Blog: "It’s not exactly a new concept: Millennials (individuals born from 1980 and 2000) are changing the ways businesses, organizations and communities operate. Millennials are arguably the most studied and critiqued generation of all time, and that is because they’re rapidly becoming the leaders and innovators directly shaping our culture."



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Thursday, January 08, 2015

Ten Philanthropists From Finance to Watch in 2015 - Wall Street Philanthropy | Grants | Donors - Inside Philanthropy

Ten Philanthropists From Finance to Watch in 2015 - Wall Street Philanthropy | Grants | Donors - Inside Philanthropy: "Earlier this year, we released a list of "The 18 Most Generous Most Generous Philanthropists in Finance." Here, we look ahead to 2015, and examine some of Wall Street philanthropists we think stand above the rest as the most likely to make waves in coming year."



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Physician Giving – Part One » Pride Philanthropy Blog -

Physician Giving – Part One » Pride Philanthropy Blog -: "’m often asked to discuss ways to get physicians to participate in fundraising activities at their organization.  My answer usually starts with a story about how healthcare and the hospital environment has changed during my career to illustrate a point."



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3 tips to increase #GivingTuesdayCA success next year - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders

3 tips to increase #GivingTuesdayCA success next year - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders: "Over the past couple weeks we’ve heard about the continued growth and success of the #GivingTuesday movement, hashtag #GivingTuesdayCA in Canada.  Over 15,000 nonprofits across 68 countries participated this year, with an estimated $45.68 million raised, a 63% increase in total donations over 2013 according to the Case Foundation. Significant gains were seen in Canada too, Giving Tuesday Canada’s blog notes an increase in charitable donations in Canada by 75% on top of last GivingTuesday’s lift of 169%."



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Local Governments and Nonprofits Test Crowdfunding for Civic Projects - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Local Governments and Nonprofits Test Crowdfunding for Civic Projects - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "About a year ago, they launched a crowdfunding campaign similar to what’s found on Kickstarter, the online platform where artists, entrepreneurs, and others seek donations to bankroll creative projects. Using a Kickstarter-like website, the former mill town posted a proposal to beautify and clean up its landmark park. It promoted the project through videos, mass emails, and social and mainstream media—typical fundraising tools. Within weeks, it had raised $10,000 to buy new bins for trash and recycling in the park, designed by local artists as public art."



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Giving thanks: How an exceptional thank you is critical for retaining your donors

Giving thanks: How an exceptional thank you is critical for retaining your donors: "Giving thanks: How an exceptional thank you is critical for retaining your donors"



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Nonprofit Employment Actually Grew During The Recession: Report

Nonprofit Employment Actually Grew During The Recession: Report: "Nonprofits are becoming an increasingly vital aspect of the American economy, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

For the first time, the bureau has released jobs data regarding charitable organizations, as Trib Live Media reported. It found nonprofit employment, standing at 11.4 million jobs in 2012, is the third largest by sector when compared to all industries in the U.S. It comprised 10.3 percent of all non-government jobs."



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Wednesday, January 07, 2015

The AFP Blog: Happy New Year!

The AFP Blog: Happy New Year!: "Happy New Year!
AFP enjoyed a great year in 2014—from new programs and research to growing membership numbers around the world and greater member participation in our work. I hope your organization had a tremendous year as well—the news I’m hearing from charities as I talk with chapters and members is very positive.

But now 2015 is here, and it’s natural to think about what the fundraising profession may experience over the next 12 months."



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Community Foundations Embrace Impact Investing

Community Foundations Embrace Impact Investing: "A small, but growing, number of community foundations are starting to embrace impact investing in a big way.

That’s one of the conclusions of  A New Anchor Mission for a New Century, a report recently produced by Takoma Park, Md-based Democracy Collaborative. The authors studied 30 foundations  focused on  two areas, which sometimes overlap–impact investing and economic development."



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Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Fostering a Culture of Diverse Philanthropy | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Fostering a Culture of Diverse Philanthropy | Stanford Social Innovation Review: "After my recent post on how communities can build a culture of philanthropy, a lot of people asked me how communities can best build a culture of philanthropy that is inclusive and diverse. This is an important and difficult topic to address. Philanthropy and social impact participation must be diverse to ensure that we are addressing the most important social problems in the most effective and culturally relevant ways."



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Best fundraising blogs for 2015 - Future Fundraising Now

Jeff Brooks has one good list here



Best fundraising blogs for 2015 - Future Fundraising Now:



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How can 501(c)(3) unwind merger? | Nonprofit Issues

From Don Kramer

How can 501(c)(3) unwind merger? | Nonprofit Issues: "How can a 501(c)(3) that previously merged with another 501(c)(3) unwind that merger for the purpose of re-establishing the separate existence of the entity that merged out of existence?
Assuming that there was no unwind provision in the original merger agreement, there are basically two ways it can be done.  If you are lucky enough to be in a state (such as Pennsylvania) that permits “divisions” of nonprofit corporations, "



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