Give and Take - Philanthropy.com

Give and Take - Philanthropy.com: "December 29, 2009
Ideas That Attracted the Most Attention in the Nonprofit World in 2009

The King of Pop was crowned Give and Take’s biggest attention-grabber of 2009, with a blog post on Michael Jackson’s philanthropy generating more views this year than any other item."

Twenty-second Century Philanthropy | Philanthropy Central

Twenty-second Century Philanthropy | Philanthropy Central: "Twenty-second Century Philanthropy

Many philanthropic foundations are created with relatively modest time horizons. These are the foundations that have spent down, that are in the process of spending down, or that have declared they will spend down at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Then there are philanthropic foundations designed with no end point in mind—the so-called perpetual foundations."

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "Giving Lagging, But Fundraisers’ Optimism Rising

Approximately one-third of charities are raising more funds so far during the 2009 holiday season compared to the same time period in 2008, according to the Holiday Giving Survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

These giving figures are better than they were in last year’s survey, and optimism for the rest of the year and 2010 is much stronger than the same time last year."

Nicholas Kristof: A refugee's gift changes lives : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

Nicholas Kristof: A refugee's gift changes lives : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis: "Here's a story for the holiday season. A 30-year-old former refugee is putting together a most extraordinary Christmas present -- the first high school his community has ever had."

CEP | Beyond Administrative Cost Ratios | The Center for Effective Philanthropy

CEP | Beyond Administrative Cost Ratios | The Center for Effective Philanthropy: "While agreeing that the nonprofit sector must dramatically step up its effectiveness, I suggested in my Duke posts that it is important not to lose our appreciation of the distinct role of the sector by simply assuming that “business thinking” has all the answers. I also suggested that we need to recognize the successes (and failures) of the past – and present – from which we can learn. The fact is, there are excellent examples of effective philanthropic strategy that are older than any of us."

TheGardenIsland.com > News > Kauai News > United Way goal-busting may come to an end

TheGardenIsland.com > News > Kauai News > United Way goal-busting may come to an end: "And while those checking out the thermometer at Kukui Grove Center showing the agency at 70 percent of its $615,000 campaign goal for 2009 might see that progress as good news in this down economy, it is not, said Scott Giarman, Kaua‘i United Way executive director.

“It’s stuck at 70 percent. No, it’s not enough,” said Giarman, adding that with how intense the demand is for services at KUW’s 26 member agencies, there is a real need to exceed this year’s goal."

Broad and Other Philanthropists Pay for Jobs at L.A. Schools - Philanthropy.com

Broad and Other Philanthropists Pay for Jobs at L.A. Schools - Philanthropy.com: "Broad and Other Philanthropists Pay for Jobs at L.A. Schools

More than a dozen senior staff jobs in the Los Angeles school district are financed by philanthropists, including Eli Broad and the Wasserman and Walton foundations, according to the Los Angeles Times."

Survey: 86 percent of nonprofits report fiscal stress | Alexandria Echo Press | Alexandria, Minnesota

Survey: 86 percent of nonprofits report fiscal stress | Alexandria Echo Press | Alexandria, Minnesota: "The survey of 280 Minnesota nonprofit and governmental organizations in late September found:

•Organizations experiencing widespread changes in volunteers’ interests. Forty-four percent of respondents reported increased numbers of inquiries from potential new volunteers. Fifty-two percent reported volunteers were more likely to have strong work skills and 54 percent said they were more likely to be unemployed."

Report on Colorado nonprofits reveals many struggles - The Denver Post

Report on Colorado nonprofits reveals many struggles - The Denver Post: "A report released this week by the Colorado Nonprofit Association shows 56 percent of the state's nonprofits reported a time in the past year when their total expenses exceeded their total revenue.

The association's 'Weathering the Storm' report surveyed 450 Colorado nonprofits that, in a weakened economy, are trying to balance their community's heightened needs with decreased donor funding."

Yosemite nonprofits join forces - Mariposa and Yosemite - MercedSun-Star.com

Yosemite nonprofits join forces - Mariposa and Yosemite - MercedSun-Star.com: "The Yosemite Fund and Yosemite Association, two of Yosemite National Park's major nonprofit groups, said they’re forming a unified nonprofit to support projects and programs that preserve park resources and enrich the visitor experience."

Donors Give Pluralistic School in Boston $12.25 Mil – Forward.com

Donors Give Pluralistic School in Boston $12.25 Mil – Forward.com: "Defying the recession and concerns about Jewish philanthropy after Bernard Madoff, a group of anonymous donors recently gave $12.25 million to Gann Academy, a 13-year-old pluralistic Jewish high school in suburban Waltham, Mass., enabling the school to retire its building debt."

Busiest weekend yet for Oregon Humane Society | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional

Busiest weekend yet for Oregon Humane Society | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional: "The public's response to two huge animal rescues last week has been nothing short of overwhelming,' reports an OHS press release. 'The shelter's storage areas have been overflowing with donated pet food while shelter staff have been working overtime to keep up with the public's demand to adopt the neglected dogs.'"

GETTING PERSONAL: Philanthropists Warily Watching Copenhagen - WSJ.com

GETTING PERSONAL: Philanthropists Warily Watching Copenhagen - WSJ.com: "Philanthropists attending the conference include Jet Li, martial artist, actor and founder of the One Foundation; Al Gore, former U.S. vice president and founder of the Climate Project; and financier George Soros, who recently announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in green technology and pledged $100 million to start the Climate Policy Initiative.

Philanthropists stress that, for their actions to be effective, more money needs to be aimed at slowing climate change. Donors directed only $6.58 billion, or 2% of overall giving in the U.S., to environmental causes in 2008, according to Giving USA."

Charities Feeling Economic Woes This Holiday Season - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Charities Feeling Economic Woes This Holiday Season - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com: "two recent surveys convey the extent of the challenges.

According to Catholic Charities, 76 percent of the agencies in its national network are seeing an increased demand for food while 72 percent have cut operating costs. The Bridgespan Group, a Boston-based adviser to charities, said 80 percent of the 100 nonprofits responding to its latest survey are coping with funding cuts.

Rebecca Brislain, executive director of the Florida Association of Food Banks, said many of her affiliates are experiencing unprecedented demand for assistance as the state reels from rampant home foreclosures and job losses."

Community Giving at MIT: power in numbers

Community Giving at MIT: power in numbers: "Local nonprofits need financial help now more than ever, and the MIT community is responding with a big heart. The Community Giving at MIT campaign invites you to join the equation of generous MIT employees and retirees. The campaign offers the easiest and most effective way to make your charitable contribution. Every gift, modest or large, counts and is appreciated."

The Rise of Mobile Giving : By Philip King : FundRaising Success

The Rise of Mobile Giving : By Philip King : FundRaising Success: "Now to today’s topic. As you read this article, consider that the world’s population will be approximately 6.8 billion people by the end of 2009. We believe that in that population, just more than 25 percent are Internet users or, in other words, 1.7 billion Internet users. Internet usage is highest in North America where we believe more than 74 percent of people are Internet users. That is a lot, right? Not when compared to mobile!

Global mobile statistics make Internet statistics look meager by comparison. Mobile subscriptions across the globe are expected to reach 4.6 billion by the end of this year, and mobile broadband subscriptions are estimated to top 600 million in 2009, having overtaken fixed broadband subscribers last year."

Innovative E-newsletter E-mails : By Christina Johns : FundRaising Success

Innovative E-newsletter E-mails : By Christina Johns : FundRaising Success: "Over the past couple of months, I’ve signed up for numerous organizations’ e-newsletters seeking innovators and strategic thinkers who look at an e-newsletter as more than a condensed version of their home pages. Here are some of my favorites and the reasons I chose them."

IRS Offers Tips for Year-End Donations | Planned Giving Design Center

From PGDC

IRS Offers Tips for Year-End Donations | Planned Giving Design Center: "Individuals and businesses making contributions to charity should keep in mind several important tax law provisions that have taken effect in recent years. Some of these changes include the following..."

From The Chronicle: Holiday Giving Lags - Philanthropy.com

From The Chronicle: Holiday Giving Lags - Philanthropy.com: "From The Chronicle: Holiday Giving Lags

A poll of 395 charities that The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted over the past week finds that one-third of nonprofit groups expect that by year’s end, donations will have declined by 10 percent or more from 2008 numbers."

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Pardee ditches holiday lunch for philanthropy

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Pardee ditches holiday lunch for philanthropy: "One home development company has opted to ditch its holiday luncheon in order to help victims of domestic violence and more than 100 special needs children.

Pardee Homes representatives presented Tuesday a $500 check donation to The Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley."

Speed Mentoring Event Hooks Up Entrepreneurs with Nonprofit Leaders | KCPW

Speed Mentoring Event Hooks Up Entrepreneurs with Nonprofit Leaders | KCPW: "(KCPW News) You’ve heard of speed dating. But what about speed mentoring? The Community Foundation of Utah hosted an event this morning that brought together entrepreneurs and non-profits at Salt Lake Community College’s Miller Campus in Sandy. Executive Director Fraser Nelson says the foundation wanted to find a way to harness the smarts and expertise of entrepreneurs to help nonprofits."

From the Field » Blog Archive » The Preliminary Steps for The Art of Asking!

From the Field » Blog Archive » The Preliminary Steps for The Art of Asking!: "You think that you know all the earthly sins in the world, particularly those surrounding the Art of Asking, well what are the three most flagrant ones in all of philanthropy?

You are right if you immediately uttered -
“I forgot to ask the prospect for financial support“,
“I didn’t ask for a specific project, amount or need“, and
“At the last moment, I had another event to attend and did not visit the prospect personally - just sent a little hand-written note.”

In nine out of every ten solicitations that are not successful, these three items are, at least, one of the main reasons for failure and no bacon!"

AFP Holiday Giving Survey Shows Giving Still Lagging, But Optimism Rising Among Charitable Fundraisers - Press - AFP

AFP Holiday Giving Survey Shows Giving Still Lagging, But Optimism Rising Among Charitable Fundraisers - Press - AFP: "AFP Holiday Giving Survey Shows Giving Still Lagging, But Optimism Rising Among Charitable Fundraisers

December 15, 2009

About one-third of charities are raising more funds so far during the 2009 holiday season compared to the same time period in 2008, according to the Holiday Giving Survey by AFP.

These giving figures are better than they were in last year's survey, and optimism for the rest of the year and 2010 is much stronger."

Study Finds U.S. Residents Give Twice as Much as Canadians - Philanthropy.com

Study Finds U.S. Residents Give Twice as Much as Canadians - Philanthropy.com: "Study Finds U.S. Residents Give Twice as Much as Canadians

Canadians give less than half as much to charity as Americans relative to income, the Toronto Sun reports, citing data from the Canadian research group the Fraser Institute."

Idealware: Get Ready For A Sea Change In Nonprofit Assessment Metrics

Idealware: Get Ready For A Sea Change In Nonprofit Assessment Metrics: "ast week, GuideStar, Charity Navigator, and three other nonprofit assessment and reporting organizations made a huge announcement: the metrics that they track are about to change. Instead of scoring organizations on an 'overhead bad!' scale, they will scrap the traditional metrics and replace them with ones that measure an organization's effectiveness.

The new metrics will assess:

* Financial health and sustainability;


* Accountability, governance and transparency; and


* Outcomes."

Bebo founder drops $1 million at charity auction | The Social - CNET News

Bebo founder drops $1 million at charity auction | The Social - CNET News: "On Monday night, at the annual benefit gala for the nonprofit Charity Water, Bebo founder Michael Birch, one of the event's co-hosts along with the likes of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and entrepreneur Sean Parker, made a surprise announcement. Shortly before the event's live auction to solicit donations for new wells, Birch declared that he would personally match all donations up to $1 million."

Marin natives behind holiday benefit party for philanthropic-minded 20-somethings - Marin Independent Journal

Marin natives behind holiday benefit party for philanthropic-minded 20-somethings - Marin Independent Journal: "Anderson Pugash and Kelly Cregg know how lucky they are to have grown up wealthy in Marin County, with all the opportunities and privileges that brings. And now they feel it's time for them to give back.

Both are college grads in their 20s who come from prominent Marin families that instilled in them the value of art and music and culture."

Hugh Jackman And Daniel Craig Raise Record $1.5m For AIDS Charity « ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

Hugh Jackman And Daniel Craig Raise Record $1.5m For AIDS Charity « ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip: "Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig received wide praise for their performances in the Broadway two-man drama A Steady Rain; and while they were at it helped bring in a record $1.5 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The annual competition, now in its 21st year, pits Broadway, Off-Broadway and National Tour companies against each other for six weeks to see who can bring in the most money for AIDS relief. The winners are proclaimed “The Gypsy of the Year”."

Eight Strategies for Stronger Fundraising at Hospitals

Eight Strategies for Stronger Fundraising at Hospitals: "Presently, philanthropic efforts nationwide aren't booming. So, it's not surprising that healthcare philanthropy has also had difficult year. The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) reports that its members nationwide have seen donations fall off considerably since mid-2008, and it's not clear when they will pick back up again"

New nonprofit model for a down economy | Philadelphia Daily News | 12/15/2009

New nonprofit model for a down economy | Philadelphia Daily News | 12/15/2009: "Recognizing that a recovery is still some way off, leaders from several of Philadelphia's most venerable nonprofits have come together to create a solution and chart a new course for building support and raising the dollars necessary to fund long-valued programs.

This new coalition is called Give Philly - and it consists of seven of the city's leading nonprofits serving children and families:"