It’s Called the Met Gala, but It’s Definitely Anna Wintour’s Party - NYTimes.com

It’s Called the Met Gala, but It’s Definitely Anna Wintour’s Party - NYTimes.com: "Last year, the single evening generated almost $12 million, was a trending topic on Twitter and attracted over 25 million page views on vogue.com the following day. This year, it will be part of a documentary by the filmmaker Andrew Rossi, and recorded by 225 approved photographers, repo"



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Why Pitch Competitions Matter in Spurring Nonprofit Innovation | npENGAGE

Why Pitch Competitions Matter in Spurring Nonprofit Innovation | npENGAGE: "lthough this event was all about for-profit ventures, the same phenomenon is happening in the philanthropic community. 
Last fall only a few miles from Patriot’s Point where the USS Yorktown rests, another competition ended with the Center for Heirs Property taking home a $20,000 seed grant from SVP Charleston.
SVP stands for Social Venture Partners and is a group of engaged donors who are interested in seeking out nonprofits in which they make not only and investment of money, but also of time and expertise."



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7520 Rate for May down to 1.8%

7520 Rate for May down to 1.8%

How will the voluntary sector change? Not much really | Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian

How will the voluntary sector change? Not much really | Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian: "How will the voluntary sector change? Not much really
Stuff will crop up, accompanied by the over-reaction of press, politicians and commentators, but the fundamentals of giving, volunteering and community action will never change"



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Boards under Greater Regulatory Scrutiny for Lack of Care - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Boards under Greater Regulatory Scrutiny for Lack of Care - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "The result could be that increased scrutiny will be placed upon nonprofits that often fly under the radar. With nonprofits making up over five percent of America’s gross domestic product and nine percent of all wages, this could mean a big impact.

“I consider it my responsibility to promote and protect the nonprofit sector,” the New York Times recently quoted New York’s attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman as saying. “In part, we do that by aggressively investigating and prosecuting fraud. But we work just as hard to prevent mismanagement before it starts and, whenever possible, get troubled charities back on track.”"



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On Human Creativity and the Liberal Arts: Walter Isaacson on Philanthropy - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

On Human Creativity and the Liberal Arts: Walter Isaacson on Philanthropy - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly:



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Foundations Take Broad Approach to Reducing Racial Inequalities - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Foundations Take Broad Approach to Reducing Racial Inequalities - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "As fires burned in Baltimore last week and thousands of the city’s residents expressed anger at police treatment of blacks, foundation executives meeting in San Francisco renewed their commitment to fighting racial inequality."



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Hoping to highlight good works, Clintons find controversy instead - The Washington Post

Hoping to highlight good works, Clintons find controversy instead - The Washington Post:



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Muscular Dystrophy Association Retires Its Telethon: Associations Now

Muscular Dystrophy Association Retires Its Telethon: Associations Now: "ast week, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced that it would end its annual Labor Day Telethon, an event that it had put on for the past five decades. Most of that time, the telethon had been hosted by legendary comedian Jerry Lewis over 21.5 nonstop hours each year, though the 89-year-old gave up the role in 2010. Here are the final moments of Lewis’ last telethon, which raised more than $58 million:"



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Staff wellbeing in the voluntary and public sectors - take our survey | Society Professionals | The Guardian

Staff wellbeing in the voluntary and public sectors - take our survey | Society Professionals | The Guardian: "Research shows that – on average – the annual absence from work in the public sector was 9.6 days, 8.3 days in the not-for-profit sector and 6.6 days in the private sector. This is costly for the sectors – with the median annual cost of public-sector absence being £899 per employee, which is nearly £300 more than other sector."



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Value of Volunteer Time | Independent Sector

Value of Volunteer Time | Independent Sector:



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Keep your strategy clear « Philanthropy North Carolina

Keep your strategy clear « Philanthropy North Carolina: "Where is your nonprofit headed and how do you plan to get there?

The strategic plan you create to tell that story should be short, to the point, and easy to understand.

Your plan should spell out the need you address, and the people and places you serve."



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Jargon-aught: Alleviate Overused Statements - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times

Jargon-aught: Alleviate Overused Statements - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times: "Just for fun, match the mission statements below with the organizations that use them. You won’t have to pass the second page of a Google search on “‘alleviate suffering’ mission” to cheat, but don’t."



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Donna Shalala Ready for ‘Messy’ Job Leading Clinton Foundation - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Donna Shalala Ready for ‘Messy’ Job Leading Clinton Foundation - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "The incoming head of the Clinton Foundation said Monday that her decades of experience handling "complex" jobs made her a good fit to run the grant maker, which has come under for fire for accepting contributions from undisclosed foreign donors.

"It is not that I am unflappable, but I love messy institutions," said Donna Shalala, who as president of the University of Miami raised $3 billion and navigated a two-year NCAA investigation."



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MDA Cancels Telethon After Half-Century RunThe NonProfit Times

MDA Cancels Telethon After Half-Century RunThe NonProfit Times: "The 58-year run of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Labor Day telethon is over.

After several years of tweaking its signature event, MDA today announced that it would discontinue production of the broadcast telethon this year, i"



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The Blackbaud Index: Overall Charitable Giving Increased 1.7 Percent | Blackbaud News

The Blackbaud Index: Overall Charitable Giving Increased 1.7 Percent | Blackbaud News: "The Blackbaud Index today reported that overall charitable giving to nonprofits increased 1.7% and online giving increased 9.9% for the three months ending March 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014.
As reported in the 2014 Charitable Giving Report, overall giving grew 2.1% while online giving grew 8.9% for the full year 2014 compared to the full year 2013. Learn more about charitable giving trends in 2014 and gain additional insight from nonprofit industry experts by downloading the report at www.blackbaud.com/charitablegiving."



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As Clock Winds Down, VA AG Herring Offers Help to Sweet Briar College Stakeholders - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

As Clock Winds Down, VA AG Herring Offers Help to Sweet Briar College Stakeholders - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "A few days after Virginia’s governor publicly expressed a willingness to try to help resolve the situation at Sweet Briar College and lawmakers called for an AG investigation into the college, Attorney General Mark Herring has also publicly offered to facilitate a conversation between the board who voted to close the college and stakeholders who are trying to stop the implementation of that decision through litigation.

In the letter, Herring indicates that he had reached out previously for the same purpose, but at least in this case, it appears both the board and the stakeholder group Saving Sweet Briar have accepted the invitation."



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The Marriage of Art and Technology - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

The Marriage of Art and Technology - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "Suitable Technologies recently partnered with eight U.S. museums to create virtual experiences for visitors. The eight inclusive museums include San Francisco’s de Young Museum, Seattle Art Museum, San Diego Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, San Jose’s Computer History Museum, and the University of South Dakota’s Natural History Museum.

“Museums are the perfect space for Beam experiences. The storytelling, history, and objects translate beautifully to a Beam visit,” explained Ch"



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Some Chutzpah! ED of Failed Nonprofit Claims She’s Owed $1.2 Million - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Some Chutzpah! ED of Failed Nonprofit Claims She’s Owed $1.2 Million - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "The bankruptcy of the 80-year-old FEGS Health and Human Services, one of New York City’s largest social service agencies, will require sorting through many claims from vendors and former staff members. One of the latter will be Gail Magaliff, who was the CEO during the period that the agency ran aground. She claims the agency owes her $1.2 million in deferred compensation. And while this kind of chutzpah is as common as corn among high-level executives at corporations, it is breathtakingly out of place in the nonprofit sector"



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Baylor philanthropy class to give nonprofit groups $75,000 during reception | The Baylor Lariat

Baylor philanthropy class to give nonprofit groups $75,000 during reception | The Baylor Lariat: "For the second semester in a row, Baylor’s Philanthropy and the Public Good class distributed thousands of dollars in grant money to nonprofits. At 1 p.m.  Monday, $75,000 from anonymous donors will be disbursed to the 14 grant-receiving organizations at an award reception at the Baylor Club."



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Our Short Attention Span on the Nepal Earthquake and Other Foreign Disasters - NYTimes.com

Our Short Attention Span on the Nepal Earthquake and Other Foreign Disasters - NYTimes.com: "The extent of American aid may be limited, however, by our collective attention span. In the days since the quake, the riots in Baltimore after a man died from injuries suffered while in police custody came to dominate the news cycle. Reporting on events there has pushed news about the earthquake off the front page and attracted extensive cable news coverage. What coverage remains of the aftermath has tended to focus on the fate of a small number of Western climbers on Mount Everest rather than the larger humanitarian crisis."



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Morehead State University :: April :: ‘Chuck it for Charity’ slated for May 1-11

Morehead State University :: April :: ‘Chuck it for Charity’ slated for May 1-11: "“Chuck it for Charity” is a campus move out donation campaign in which Goodwill of Kentucky is providing donations bins in several locations on campus so that students can donate gently used clothing, shoes, small appliances, decor, books and school supplies and miscellaneous household goods"



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Gayle Sierens honored as Lightning Community Hero - Tampa Bay Lightning - News

Gayle Sierens honored as Lightning Community Hero - Tampa Bay Lightning - News: "Away from the news desk, Sierens has been a staunch supporter multiple local charitable and humanitarian causes. In light of her philanthropic contributions to the community, The Association of Fundraising Professionals created a “Volunteer of the Year Award” in her name."



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Lessons Learned from Recent Terrorist and Man-made Disaster Relief Funds: Part 2 of 3 | Planned Giving Design Center

Lessons Learned from Recent Terrorist and Man-made Disaster Relief Funds: Part 2 of 3 | Planned Giving Design Center: "Some lessons from natural disaster preparedness, donor solicitation, and relief distribution can apply to terrorism and mass-killing funds. However, several differences in both the nature of the attacks and in victims’ needs exist, making this study a worthwhile exercise. The acts profiled here generated a spectrum of approaches to victim relief. Some efforts focused on community recovery, others on victim compensation. Some tragedies spurred creation of ad-hoc funds established specifically for those harmed (such as the Boston Marathon bombing). Others received the attention of thousands of charities and a huge outlay of federal government money (in the case of the September 11th attacks). Still others, such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., took a hybrid approach, with several charities coming together to coordinate fundraising and distribution under the auspices of a well-respected, established entity."



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Another Misuse of Nonprofits? Local and State Agencies “Transform” - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Another Misuse of Nonprofits? Local and State Agencies “Transform” - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "The trend to create nonprofit organizations to do work that had once been the responsibility of a government agency continues despite questions about effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. Recently, NPQ reported on a situation in San Diego where a development program is being questioned for its ability to spend public dollars on projects with no requirement to get approval or demonstrate that it fits an impact plan. Now, Illinois appears poised to join the ranks, considering creating a nonprofit agency that would replace the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, overseeing economic development in the state."



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Best Senior Staff Development Idea We Have Heard in a While—Or Maybe Ever - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Best Senior Staff Development Idea We Have Heard in a While—Or Maybe Ever - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "Taylor Strange is director of special programs at the Center for Nonprofit Advancement in Washington, and in that position she struggled with the very common problem of the mismatch of traditional development opportunities and the needs of senior-level staff.

“You see so much available for executive directors and the man or woman at the top,” Strange said. “But it gets harder and harder for those at the senior level to find something that’s a little bit different out there. I can’t tell you how many classes, conferences, and seminars that I’ve been to, but they’re more on the basic level, and I need something a little bit higher.”

Then she took notice of what a local theater company was doing in response to the problem.

“They started sending a senior staff person to another arts organization throughout the country to shadow them, and I thought ‘How interesting,’” Strange said. “I wanted to take the idea and replicate it and tweak it a little so it’s a little more appropriate for my profession at a nonprofit association.”"



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$2-Million Trademark Deal for Charity Founder Raises Questions - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

$2-Million Trademark Deal for Charity Founder Raises Questions - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "A charity’s deal to pay its founder nearly $2-million over 20 years for the right to continue using the organization’s name and logo points out how valuable and tricky trademarks can be — and why nonprofits should pay attention to legal issues involving them."



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Plane carrying Bill Clinton makes abrupt stop in Africa - CNNPolitics.com

Plane carrying Bill Clinton makes abrupt stop in Africa - CNNPolitics.com: "The former president, along with his daughter, Chelsea, and a 20-person traveling party of donors and supporters, are in Africa for a series of visits to the foundation's project sites. In addition to Tanzania, Clinton and the delegation will visit Kenya, Liberia and attend the CGI Middle East and Africa meeting in Morocco."



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Let’s start an inclusion revolution! - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders

Let’s start an inclusion revolution! - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders: "A few months ago, Blackbaud came out with a report called "Diversity in Giving: The Changing Landscape of American Philanthropy" (you can download it here). It's based on a survey of just over 1,000 adults.

One of the statements in the report really hit home for me was this one:

"Philanthropy today looks like the america of 25 years ago." "



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Eight Anchors for a Successful Major Campaign Jeff Jowdy : FundRaising Success

Eight Anchors for a Successful Major Campaign Jeff Jowdy : FundRaising Success: "Here are eight anchors that should be in place before you begin the vital pre-campaign phase, a phase that should include a campaign feasibility and planning study:"



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