Friday, November 14, 2008

Business Day - News Worth Knowing

Business Day - News Worth Knowing: "There is little doubt that Obama will make use of the new brand of US philanthropy. Private foundations, although also hit by the economic crisis, still have resources that can be leveraged. Africa will get a rhetorical nod in the short term, but it will get its due down the line."

Investment Executive : Demand for advice on charitable giving set to soar, advisors told

Investment Executive : Demand for advice on charitable giving set to soar, advisors told: "Philanthropic giving is beginning to play a growing role in financial planning in Canada, and advisors should be prepared to discuss the topic with their clients, experts told financial advisors at a conference in Oakville, Ont. on Thursday.

In fact, charitable donations are expected to double in the next decade, and more Canadians are discussing their giving practices with their financial advisors, according to Brad Offman, vice-president of strategic philanthropy for Mackenzie Financial Corp.

“It’s very important in the overall context of an advisor’s professional practice,” he said, adding that a vast majority of charitable donors expect financial advisors to have the knowledge and capabilities to facilitate charitable giving."

Paul Brest: Strategic Philanthropy

Paul Brest: Strategic Philanthropy: "This is a post about strategic philanthropy, expanding on Hal Harvey's and my recent book, Money Well Spent: A Strategic Plan for Smart Philanthropy. The idea of strategic philanthropy may seem so obvious that there's nothing to write about."

keeping a close eye...: Regulation is Good for Philanthropy

keeping a close eye...: Regulation is Good for Philanthropy: "Thursday, November 13, 2008
Regulation is Good for Philanthropy

By Aaron Dorfman

According to an article published on October 23, 2008 in the New York Times, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan “admitted on Thursday that he ‘made a mistake’ in trusting that free markets could regulate themselves without government oversight.”

If there is a silver lining to the current economic crisis, it is the new consensus emerging that government regulation, in proper proportions, is absolutely necessary. The lesson is applicable to all sectors, not just in the country’s financial industry."

Asian American Nonprofits are Struck Hardest - NAM

Asian American Nonprofits are Struck Hardest - NAM: "Asian American Nonprofits are Struck Hardest

Pacific Citizen, News report, Lynda Lin, Assistant Editor, Posted: Nov 13, 2008 Review it on NewsTrust

With less funding coming in, the most vulnerable victims are the communities these vital organizations serve.


Forget the clichés about Wall Street and Main Street. What about Girard Street in Washington, D.C.?"

The Daily News Record: Local News

The Daily News Record: Local News: "HARRISONBURG - Corporate philanthropy in the Valley can take shape in many ways, from hammering nails to volunteering legal expertise or simply writing a check.

And local nonprofits are finding out that the giving doesn't diminish, even in hard economic times.

Employees at Andersen Corp., the parent company of EMCO Enterprises Inc. in Luray, began building a Habitat for Humanity home Monday."

Seven years later, faith-based initiative gets mixed reviews | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Seven years later, faith-based initiative gets mixed reviews | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com: "When President Bush launched his faith-based initiative in 2001, the Rev. Geoffrey V. Guns thought it would open a floodgate for federal grants for church-run social programs."

Professional Fundraising | Face Value

Professional Fundraising | Face Value: "t is arguably the most controversial practice in fundraising, but face-to-face is still going strong more than a decade after it was first introduced to the UK by Greenpeace.
The novelty of fundraisers approaching members of the public directly and asking them for a monthly direct debit donation in the late 1990s quickly prompted a host of new donors and provided a valuable new regular income stream for growing numbers of charities."

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Brownwood Bulletin - Brownwood, TX > Archives > News > Donations to schools total almost $90,000

The Brownwood Bulletin - Brownwood, TX > Archives > News > Donations to schools total almost $90,000: "Donations to schools total almost $90,000
By Gene Deason - Brownwood Bulletin
Published: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 8:05 AM CST
Three major gifts totaling almost $90,000 have been received by the Brownwood Independent School District. Acceptance by the school board Monday night made the donations official."

Divas tie fun and fashion to charitable giving - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

Divas tie fun and fashion to charitable giving - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):: "Organizers of a grass-roots fundraising campaign are using fun and fashion to get more young adults vested in charitable giving.

Divas Doing Good is the brainchild of Tanna Dang, co-owner of The Wedding Cafe at Ward Warehouse and Manoa Marketplace, who wanted to expand the styling and shopping workshops she had been hosting for years to benefit nonprofits and charitable causes.

And she knew she wanted to target individuals under the age of 35."

National Philanthropy Day Recognizes Importance of Giving in Tough Economy :: PNNOnline ::

We have additional stories on National Philanthropy Day on the NPD Blog


National Philanthropy Day Recognizes Importance of Giving in Tough Economy :: PNNOnline ::: "National Philanthropy Day Recognizes Importance of Giving in Tough Economy
Posted by: philcrosby on Thursday, November 13, 2008
Topic General Fundraising


More than 50,000 people across North America will celebrate the 22nd anniversary of National Philanthropy Day throughout November as a way of reminding the public about the importance of giving and volunteering, especially during difficult economic times.


National Philanthropy Day (officially recognized on Nov. 15) is coordinated by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and pays tribute to the extraordinary contributions that charitable giving and volunteerism have made to society."

Food drive strives for world record - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

Food drive strives for world record - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com: "An effort to pack four GoWest buses with donated food continued late into Wednesday night as volunteers hoped this is the year to break the Guinness World Record for pounds collected.

For the third year, Sodexo, Western Illinois University's food service provider, participated in the national 'Cans Across America' food drive. Last year sculptures were built from the donated food, and in 2006 donors tried to snake the donated food end-to-end for one mile around the WIU campus."

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "John Havens, associate director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College, is still optimistic about an economic rebound. The $41-trillion transfer of wealth predicted by the center some 10 years ago assumed no deep or prolonged recession or depression. “We have to see how this market downturn is going to affect wealth in the longer run,” Havens said. After the dot-com bubble burst earlier this year decade, wealth dropped about 15 percent"

Student organizes show to benefit Kenya orphans - Arts

Student organizes show to benefit Kenya orphans - Arts: "In an attempt to raise both awareness and economic support for orphaned children in Kenya, the Kenya Orphans Benefit Concert, an event long in planning, will take place in the Donahue Café on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The show was the idea of Kelly Bates, a Suffolk University senior and Political Science major, who had been hoping to hold a benefit event for the orphans at Suffolk for a long time. Bates has visited Kenya a total of three times thus far in her lifetime. Without the affiliation of any student club or group, or an off-campus organization, Bates pushed for the Benefit Concert entirely on her own."

Penn State Live - President Spanier on the University, the economy and philanthropy

Penn State Live - President Spanier on the University, the economy and philanthropy: "A Message from Penn State's President on the University, the Economy, and Philanthropy

By Graham B. Spanier

It is a sign of the tremendous loyalty of Penn State's alumni and friends that even as many of you have been personally affected by the current economic downturn, you have also taken the time to express your concern about how the University and its students may be impacted. I would like to respond to some of the most common questions that I have heard from Penn Staters in recent weeks. While Penn State, like many other institutions and individuals in our country, will face challenges, our benefactors have helped us to achieve a position of financial stability that will see us through the present economic situation."

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Foundation Center Research Update

Foundation Center Research Update: "Do Foundation Giving Priorities Change in Times of
Economic Distress?
by Steven Lawrence, Senior Director of Research

As nonprofit organizations brace themselves for the possibility of reduced charitable giving, we have been asked whether specific funding areas may be more vulnerable to cuts than others. For example, do foundations reduce their funding for the arts to increase support for social services, or do they cut back on international giving to address increased domestic demand? Some fear that society in general, and grantmakers in particular, may not place as high a value on staging a new symphony, funding economic development activities in Africa, or preserving green space at a time when domestic unemployment is rising and the social safety net is growing weaker."

Charities that invest 'can prosper in the recession' - Third Sector

Charities that invest 'can prosper in the recession' - Third Sector: "Charities that invest 'can prosper in the recession'

By David Ainsworth, Third Sector, 12 November 2008

The recession will offer opportunities as well as threats to charities that are prepared to make investments, according to charity finance professionals.

The possible benefits of the economic downturn included the chance to hire high-calibre staff, snap up cheap property and take advantage of lower advertising rates, they said.

Quinton Seeman, a resourcing adviser at Save the Children, said the current conditions gave charities a 'once-in-a- generation opportunity' to recruit people with essential skills."

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

From a Corporate Job to a Nonprofit - WSJ.com

From a Corporate Job to a Nonprofit - WSJ.com: "As the country continues to shed jobs, laid-off employees may be rethinking their careers. For some, that may mean shifting from just doing well financially to also doing good. Turning your veteran business skills and experience to the world of nonprofit organizations can be rewarding. But there are also challenges. When making a transition to nonprofit management, consider the following:"

Dubai Charity Gives Millions to U.S. Group - WSJ.com

Dubai Charity Gives Millions to U.S. Group - WSJ.com: "A year-old Dubai philanthropy is investing in a California-based education nonprofit organization, extending the growing reach of new well-funded Arab charities."

Bracing for Lean Times Ahead - NYTimes.com

Bracing for Lean Times Ahead - NYTimes.com: "Given the financial tremors that have obliterated wealth and driven the economy deep into the doldrums, will charitable giving, which reached record levels in the United States over the past decade, show sharp declines? Will foundations, faced with shrunken endowments, scale back their grant-making? Will individual charities, squeezed by reductions in both private and public money, be forced to cut programs?"

Training to Lead Nonprofits - NYTimes.com

Training to Lead Nonprofits - NYTimes.com: "There are people like myself who will be retiring in the near future,” said Paulette Maehara, the chief executive of the Association of Fund-Raising Professionals, who started her career in 1977 as a fund-raiser for the March of Dimes. “It is a serious concern because we can’t keep up with the demand. Getting more people in the pipeline is one of our top priorities.”"

Monday, November 10, 2008

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story: "Changing the volunteer paradigm
Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf By Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf
November 10, 2008

Canadians have seen tremendous change these last two months. Whether it was the stock market collapse, the renewed Conservative government (slightly larger version), or the resounding election of President-elect Barack Obama in the US last week, our world is being altered and a generational shift is taking place."

MU surpasses $1 billion fundraising goal - Columbia Missourian

MU surpasses $1 billion fundraising goal - Columbia Missourian: "The milestone makes MU one of about 20 public institutions in the country to have successfully completed such a campaign."