Friday, July 21, 2006

CEN News : City Edition : Rob aims to quack duck race record

CEN News : City Edition : Rob aims to quack duck race record: "Rob aims to quack duck race record

ROB Rivers hopes to make history by holding the largestever rubber duck race on the River Cam.

The Cambridge PhD student is trying to raise £7,000 to support his plans to do mission work in Peru next year.

He was trying to think of ways to raise money when one of his flatmates suggested organising a duck race.

Rob, who is from Kentucky in the US, has been selling rubber ducks on Cambridge's Market Square, and hopes hundreds of people will take part in the event on Friday, July 28."

Home raffles grab attention - News - MSNBC.com

This article is no longer available online.

Home raffles grab attention - News - MSNBC.com: "Home raffles grab attention
Proliferation of them by nonprofits may be cutting into the bottom line.
By HEATHER IGNATIN
The Orange County Register
July 21

It sounds like a simple formula: Sell $200 tickets for a chance to win a dream home, and in the process raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a charitable cause. But with the proliferation of nonprofits holding house raffles groups have seen varying degrees of success."

Nonprofits' time lost in paper shuffle - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Nonprofits' time lost in paper shuffle - Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review:
snip snip>>>(Just a reminder that we don't always excerpt from the beginning of the article)

"RAND Corp. tracked a Southwestern Pennsylvania social services nonprofit group. It found that workers spent about the same amount of time reporting to groups providing money as they did providing services to clients.

It was the first study of its kind focusing on an individual organization, said its author, Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo of RAND, a nonprofit research organization with an office in Pittsburgh."

HHS Secretary's Fund Gave Little to Charity

HHS Secretary's Fund Gave Little to Charity: "HHS Secretary's Fund Gave Little to Charity

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 21, 2006; Page A01

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and his relatives have claimed millions of dollars in tax deductions through a type of charitable foundation they created that until recently paid out very little in actual charity, tax records show.

Instead, much of the foundation's money has been invested or lent to the family's business interests and real estate holdings, or contributed to the Leavitt family genealogical society."

courant.com | Ethics Rules May Hurt Schools

courant.com | Ethics Rules May Hurt Schools: "Ethics Rules May Hurt Schools
State Agency Asked To Clarify Law Restricting Gifts
July 21, 2006
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer

When state lawmakers prohibited state agencies from accepting certain corporate gifts, they probably didn't have in mind the laptop computer given to high school honors student Lucynette Bultron.

Bultron, who received the laptop from Northeast Utilities Foundation as part of a mentoring program award, graduated recently from A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford, a state-operated school."

Major Gifts and the Internet -- An Untapped Opportunity? :: PNNOnline ::

Major Gifts and the Internet -- An Untapped Opportunity? :: PNNOnline ::: "Major Gifts and the Internet -- An Untapped Opportunity?
Posted by: taitchison on Friday, July 21, 2006
Topic Expert Opinion


Although many organizations have successfully used the Internet for direct response and special events fundraising, few have tapped its potential for major giving. The question nonprofit professionals should ask is not whether donors will give a major gift online, but whether online marketing and constituent relationship management (eCRM) can support major donor identification and cultivation.


Historically, major gift efforts have primarily sourced donors through two avenues: 1) referrals from other key donors and board members; and 2) direct mail programs. In the referral model, development officers target high net worth individuals and find ways to speak to them via existing relationships. In the direct mail model, donors who give large gifts – by direct mail standards – or who fit certain predictive model factors, such as giving tenure and frequency, are commonly screened and targeted for a major gift.

"

Thursday, July 20, 2006

String Attached: Gates AIDS Gift Requires Collaboration - Forbes.com

String Attached: Gates AIDS Gift Requires Collaboration - Forbes.com: "String Attached: Gates AIDS Gift Requires Collaboration
Chris Noon, 07.20.06, 8:00 AM ET

London -

A vaccine for the destructive HIV/AIDS virus has so far proved elusive. Yet the world's largest philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is hoping a daisy chain of highly collaborative research consortia will work together to speed the creation of a treatment.

The organization will stump up $287 million over the next five years, which will be divided into 16 grants for science squads across the world--with the proviso that they work collaboratively on new approaches. All the recipients of Bill Gates' largesse will be obliged to share their findings, even if they had been working on competing projects. "

PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Dutchess nonprofits bring nearly $2.47 billion to economy

PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Dutchess nonprofits bring nearly $2.47 billion to economy: " Thursday, July 20, 2006
Dutchess nonprofits bring nearly $2.47 billion to economy

By Craig Wolf

Dutchess County nonprofits account for about 38 percent - or $2.47 billion - of the total $6.5 billion in economic impact by nonprofits in the mid-Hudson Valley economy.

So said Kent Gardner, president of the Center for Governmental Research, which conducted a study for Millbrook-based Dyson Foundation.

Kansas City Star | 07/20/2006 | Coffee shop puts people before profits

Kansas City Star | 07/20/2006 | Coffee shop puts people before profits:
snip snip>>>

"YouthFriends, a mentoring program for schoolkids, was picked as one of the Ten Cup’s charities for this quarter.

Each fiscal quarter, the Ten Cup chooses 10 charities that will share 10 percent of the coffee shop’s profits. Also, the business at 651 E. 59th St. serves as a distribution point for the nonprofits’ brochures and business cards.

“I think the concept is really exciting,” Adkins said. “The civic and business example they are setting is impressive.”"

ICMA-RC/Story-Phoenix Wealth Survey Finds High Net Worth Have Great Expectations,...

Press RELEASE

ICMA-RC/Story: "Phoenix Wealth Survey Finds High Net Worth Have Great Expectations, But Lack Solid Plans for Building a Comfortable Retirement; Affordable health care in retirement is new worry for affluent Americans

Business Wire - Wednesday, July 19, 2006

HARTFORD, Conn., Jul 19, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- America's millionaires are a study in contradictions, possessing lofty financial dreams but often lacking the requisite plans to reach these goals, according to the seventh annual Phoenix Wealth Survey conducted by The Phoenix Companies, Inc. (NYSE:PNX).

They also have a new worry about their retirement. For the first time in the survey's history, high-net-worth individuals rank the risk of unforeseen health care costs wiping out their accumulated assets as their top financial concern, overtaking the worry of being able to live comfortably on their available assets."

Charlotte Observer | 07/20/2006 | Nonprofit's outdated office wins $15,000 upgrade

Charlotte Observer | 07/20/2006 | Nonprofit's outdated office wins $15,000 upgrade: "Nonprofit's outdated office wins $15,000 upgrade

CONTEST

The Latin American Coalition has been recognized as having the most outdated office among Charlotte nonprofits. As part of the 'Helping Hands' Office Makeover Contest, Xerox Corp. is awarding the coalition a $15,000 office upgrade. The weekend of Aug. 5-6, Brice Cooper, host and interior stylist for HGTV's show 'Design on a Dime,' will redesign the office interior with document technology donated by Xerox and furniture from The HON Co.Jess George, associate director of the coalition, said her staff encouraged her to apply for the contest in June. The eight-employee nonprofit was chosen from among 21 entries."

CIOs use board membership to advance careers

CIOs use board membership to advance careers: "Neal Guernsey is like a lot of CIOs: He separates the personal from the profession. So he never considered his volunteer job chairing a university parents association as anything but a good deed; a way to help out a worthwhile cause.

The veteran IT pro, now CIO at Feld Entertainment Inc., the Vienna, Va., company that produces Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, said it wasn't until he read an article advising CIOs to join external company boards that he considered it a career-enhancing move."
Tags:

GuideStar Charity Check Gives Instant Access to IRS Publication 78 :: PNNOnline ::

GuideStar Charity Check Gives Instant Access to IRS Publication 78 :: PNNOnline ::: "GuideStar Charity Check Gives Instant Access to IRS Publication 78
Posted by: laurakujawski on Thursday, July 20, 2006
Topic General Fundraising


GuideStar, the organization that connects people with nonprofit information, has launched an enhancement of GuideStar Charity Check, giving subscribers instant access to IRS Publication 78 data.


IRS Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations, is the definitive source for verifying a nonprofit’s charitable status. GuideStar Charity Check allows subscribers to view this information instantly from GuideStar search results and reports."

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

cbs4denver.com - Debate Continues About Ken Lay's Charity

cbs4denver.com - Debate Continues About Ken Lay's Charity: "Debate Continues About Ken Lay's Charity

(AP) ASPEN, Colo. Along the pathway to the Benedict Music Tent is an inconspicuous sign acknowledging an awfully conspicuous name.

'Garden Court given by Linda and Ken Lay Family' reads the small blue marker just outside the Aspen Music Festival and School's award-winning performance hall nestled among aspen trees, well-manicured lawns and wide-open meadows. The tarnished name adorning the sign is the stuff of sound and fury, a peculiar juxtaposition to the tent's normally docile ambiance.

'It'll be interesting to see if that name stays,' Shelby Hodge, a society columnist for the Houston Chronicle, remarked during a recent visit to Aspen.

Elsewhere, the philanthropic deeds of Mr. Lay and the spectacular collapse of the company he founded, Enron Corp., are on a collision course that has institutions and organizations questioning where their appreciation of good deeds begins and their detachment from genuinely bad ones ends."

NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas' News Source-"Philanthropy should be contagious

NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas' News Source: "Philanthropy should be contagious

Posted on Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The philosophy underlying much of the charitable giving in America today can be traced to an essay written by wealthy industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1889. Titled “ The Gospel of Wealth, ” the piece laid out Carnegie’s belief that the very rich should give something back to the society that made their successes possible.

Carnegie argued that rather than simply bequeathing their vast wealth to heirs, the super rich should dispense chunks of their fortunes through trusts aimed at benefiting the general public. Carnegie’s ideas took hold. In the century-plus since his essay was published, many of America’s wealthiest people have followed in his philanthropic footsteps — and we’ve all benefited from their decisions."

CreateAthon to Assist New Orleans Nonprofits

CreateAthon to Assist New Orleans Nonprofits: "CreateAthon to Assist New Orleans Nonprofits

COLUMBIA, S.C., July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- CreateAthon(R), an annual 24-hour creative blitz for charity sponsored by advertising agencies throughout North America, announces its pledge to assist New Orleans nonprofits during CreateAthon 2006.

Through CreateAthon, advertising agencies provide 24 hours of marketing and creative services to nonprofit organizations that would otherwise not be able to afford them. Services include conceptual development, copy writing, and design on projects such as brochures, direct mail, outdoor, radio, television, identity and web development, in addition to overall marketing, public relations and event planning."

Northwest Herald - Online-Family meetings help pass down assets

Northwest Herald - Online: "Family meetings help pass down assets

[published on Wed, Jul 19, 2006]

Passing on family wealth from one generation to the next – whether involving a network of businesses and philanthropic organizations or simply the family home and prized heirlooms – never is easy. But holding periodic family meetings can go a long way in making that transition smoother, more effective, and less painful for the head of the family and their heirs."

Kansas City Star | 07/19/2006 | Fundraiser to lead PAC

Kansas City Star | 07/19/2006 | Fundraiser to lead PAC: "Fundraiser to lead PAC

By PAUL HORSLEY
The Kansas City Star
TAMMY LJUNGBLAD | THE KANSAS CITY STAR
On Tuesday, Jane Chu was named CEO of the Metropolitan Performing Arts Center.

The Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center has hired a local fundraiser with a background in music and art to be its first president and chief executive officer.

Jane Chu, 48, will lead the development, strategy, programming and community initiatives for the facility, both before its opening in late 2009 and afterward, the"

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

'I get paid to make kids happy'

'I get paid to make kids happy': "I get paid to make kids happy'
Mattel Children's Foundation coordinator finds it's a job that can make you cry.
By Muhammed El-Hasan
DAILY BREEZE

Don't let Deborah Dicochea's crying fool you.

She loves her job.


The Redondo Beach resident serves as senior coordinator of the Mattel Children's Foundation and corporate philanthropy for the El Segundo-based toy maker."

Monday, July 17, 2006

Hundreds Sock It To Em For Charity (from This Is Lancashire)

Hundreds Sock It To Em For Charity (from This Is Lancashire): "Hundreds sock it to 'em for charity
By Jane Lavender
From the Bolton Evening News
# From the Bolton Evening News

HUNDREDS of people donned a single red sock and headed to the Bolton Lads and Girls Club to run a mile for charity.

Almost 500 runners, aged between three and 90, braved the heat and took part in Sport Relief on Saturday.

Some were in fancy dress, others cycled or kicked a football round the course.

Jerry Glover, chief executive of the Lads and Girls Club, said: 'It was an absolutely fantastic day and the turnout couldn't have been better.
continued...

'We had a wide age range taking part, and a Dalmatian dog even joined in!"

Buffett's $31 billion gift to Gates puts spotlight on charities

Buffett's $31 billion gift to Gates puts spotlight on charities: "Buffett's $31 billion gift to Gates puts spotlight on charities
Questions are raised about how well money is spent

By CHARLES POPE
P-I WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON -- Warren Buffett's $31 billion gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ignited a boomlet of praise and public curiosity about the work and aspirations of charities worldwide.

But as the euphoria of Buffett's record-breaking act recedes, his gift has triggered another, entirely different result -- intensifying questions in Congress and elsewhere about how well charities spend their money, how accountable they are to donors and government and the general condition of 'civil society"

The Chronicle, 7/20/2006: Contribution to History

The Chronicle, 7/20/2006: Contribution to History: "Contribution to History
Investor's mega-pledge signals new era for philanthropy

By Ian Wilhelm

When the billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced his plans to donate 85 percent of his vast fortune to charity,



the nonprofit world reacted with near euphoria. But almost before the ink could dry on the deal, the applause faded and questions arose."

Employee of 50 years becomes president, chief executive of MDA | www.azstarnet.com ®

Employee of 50 years becomes president, chief executive of MDA | www.azstarnet.com ®: "mployee of 50 years becomes president, chief executive of MDA
By Becky Pallack
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.15.2006

The Tucson-based Muscular Dystrophy Association on Friday named a 50-year employee as president and CEO of the nonprofit group.
Gerald Weinberg, formerly MDA's chief operating officer, succeeds the organization's longtime chief executive, Robert Ross, who died June 5.
Weinberg was named CEO at the association's annual meeting in Los Angeles. The group is headquartered at 3300 E. Sunrise Drive in Tucson."

2theadvocate.com | Opinion | Our Views: Local nonprofits answered storms

You can read more about Disaster Relief on our Disaster Relief Blog

2theadvocate.com | Opinion | Our Views: Local nonprofits answered storms: "Our Views: Local nonprofits answered storms

Published: Jul 17, 2006


Since hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many of the policy reviews in the wake of the storms have focused on ways to improve the disaster response plans of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and local governments and, to a lesser extent, the American Red Cross.

But scores of small, local nonprofits also provided crucial safety nets. Recognizing what these groups did correctly — and acknowledging ways in which they might have performed better — also must be a part of planning for future disasters.

That is why we welcome a recent national report on the role of local nonprofit organizations in the aftermath of the hurricanes of 2005. We hope that local, state and national leaders consider its recommendations, which could be helpful if another disaster strikes here or elsewhere.

The report’s author, Tony Pipa, has extensive experience with various philanthropic organizations and also was in Louisiana shortly after Katrina to help with the recovery. He wrote the report for the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan, internationally respected think tank."

APP.COM - BON JOVI COMES HOME | Asbury Park Press Online

APP.COM - BON JOVI COMES HOME | Asbury Park Press Online: "Bon Jovi returns to Giants Stadium for three shows this month — Tuesday, Wednesday and July 29. With this summer being as rainy as it's been, there just might be a sequel to that rainy night.

But Bon Jovi is more concerned with people who find themselves in the elements all the time. He has always been known for his philanthropy, and recently his attention has turned toward urban homelessness and inadequate housing."

Buffet's kids likely to start gifts

Buffet's kids likely to start gifts: "Buffet's kids likely to start gifts

By The Associated Press
[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/business:Middle1]

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The foundations run by Warren Buffett's three children will likely be the first ones to start handing out the nearly $37 billion the world's second-richest man promised to start giving away next month.

The Oracle of Omaha plans to give the bulk of his nearly $44 billion fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is run by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, who is also Buffett's friend.

But the Gates foundation will likely need some time to determine how to handle Buffett's commitment of roughly $30 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the foundation over time. So the foundations run by Susie, Howard and Peter Buffett, which will each receive about $1 billion worth of stock in Warren Buffett's investment company over time, might start reinvesting their father's fortune sooner than the Gates foundation."

thedesertsun.com | Don't let Buffett's donation discourage you

thedesertsun.com | Don't let Buffett's donation discourage you:
snip snip>>

"There are probably many influences on Buffett to give the money over a series of years rather than all at one time, I am sure that one of them is the tax ramifications. Charitable gifts of appreciated stock such as his Berkshire shares can only be deducted when given to a public foundation to the extent of 30 percent of your income. Any amounts over and above the 30 percent are carried forward for five years.

Although I don't know what Buffett's adjusted gross income is, my guess is that the $1.5 billion will probably fit somewhere into that limitation. The Gates Foundation will continue to receive the gifts either directly from Buffett or through his estate, as long as Bill or Melinda Gates are active in the foundation. Here again, this will afford the Buffett estate a deduction for gifts after his death since they go to a charitable foundation.

Based on recent Internal Revenue Service statistics, estates that had over $20 million of taxable assets saw charitable giving actually fall by an average of $2 million or 9 percent from 1995 to 2004. Buffett has gone a long way in reversing this trend. Perhaps other charitable minded individuals will reconsider their charitable bequests. Even if you are not in the multi-million dollar category, there are many ways that you can take advantage of the gifts that you do make during your life or bequests on death."

Commentary: Charity vs. Philanthropy

Commentary: Charity vs. Philanthropy: "Charity vs. Philanthropy

by Karen Woods

Phi-lan-thro-py: goodwill toward one’s fellow men esp. as expressed through active efforts to promote human welfare.

Char-i-ty: the kindly or sympathetic disposition to aid the needy as a result of deep feeling or understanding of their misery or suffering.

Warren E. Buffett’s plan to transfer $31 billion of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation carries with it the potential to accomplish many good things, particularly in the health and education fields where Gates is focused. But let’s keep in mind that there are differences between the huge amount of charitable giving as practiced by most Americans every year, and the classic type of big foundation philanthropy that Buffett’s gift represents."

New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online-Comment: Happiness, money and giving it away

New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online: "WOULD you be happier if you were richer? Many people believe that they would be. But research conducted over many years suggests that greater wealth implies greater happiness only at quite low levels of income.

People in the United States, for example, are, on average, richer than New Zealanders, but they are not happier.

More dramatically, people in Austria, France, Japan and Germany appear to be no happier than people in much poorer countries like Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines.

Comparisons between countries with different cultures are difficult, but the same effect appears within countries, except at very low income levels, such as below US$12,000 (RM44,400) annually for the US. "

Saudi ambassador pledges to continue helping New Orleans

You can read more about Disaster Relief on the AFP Disaster Relief Blog

Saudi ambassador pledges to continue helping New Orleans: "NEW ORLEANS -- A Saudi prince pledged Wednesday that his kingdom will keep helping bankroll the relief effort in hurricane-torn Louisiana.

'After the floods have receded, after the ground settled, after the plagues have gone away _ we all feel the same needs,' Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's to the United States, said Wednesday during a to New Orleans.

The prince, the youngest son of the Saudi king and the kingdom's former head of intelligence, did not name a dollar figure, citing a Quranic passage which encourages anonymous giving."

The Chronicle, 6/15/2006: Class in Action

The Chronicle, 6/15/2006: Class in Action: "Class in Action
Alternative college in San Francisco lets students put their ideas on social change to work in the real world

By Sandy Asirvatham

When Darrick Smith was an undergraduate at the University of California at Santa Cruz, he found plenty of support from his faculty mentors as he created his own educational program for black boys. Trying to Uplift My Folks, or TryUMF, as it is commonly called, is a series of elective public-high-school courses that combine critical social theory with character development."