Friday, March 18, 2016

The Charity Defense Council & Wounded Warrior Project Connection: Follow the Money | Nonprofit Quarterly

The Charity Defense Council ; Wounded Warrior Project Connection: Follow the Money | Nonprofit Quarterly: "But today, NPQ did receive some kind of defense—not from the organization, but from the nonprofit Charity Defense Council (CDC), which distributed an 11-page “preliminary media advisory” defending the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and its terminated leadership from what CDC calls “material errors and omissions uncovered in media reporting” about WWP. The advisory specifically criticizes CBS’s and the New York Times’ reporting, which questioned WWP’s spending on fundraising and overhead costs as opposed to dedicating more of its budget to the wounded veterans for which the charity was formed. We should say that we are not addressing the points made in that missive here, but rather raising questions about the relationship between the two organizations that caused the Wounded Warrior Project to make a sizable grant to the Charity Resource Council in 2013–2014 when apparently no one else was doing the same. This was first reported by the New York Times in January, but as the situation has evolved it becomes an ever more important question. The advisory did contain a disclosure of significant support in 2014."



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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Michelle Obama, Zendaya, Missy Elliott drop charity single - NY Daily News

Michelle Obama, Zendaya, Missy Elliott drop charity single - NY Daily News: "This song’s for the girls.

First Lady Michelle Obama revealed Wednesday that she’s enlisted Zendaya, Missy Elliott, Kelly Clarkson, Lea Michelle and Janelle Monae to record a charity single to educate girls globally.

The empowering anthem “This Is For My Girls” dropped on iTunes on Wednesday for $1.29. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Peace Corps Let Girls Learn Fund as part of FLOTUS’s #62MillionGirls campaign to benefit the young women around the world without access to education."



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More European Museums Turning to U.S.-Style Fundraising - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

More European Museums Turning to U.S.-Style Fundraising - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "With European governments' austerity measures cutting into cultural budgets, major art museums abroad are increasingly seeking to tap private philanthropy along the American model writes, The New York Times as part of a package of articles on trends in the museum world."



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A Guide to Getting a Job in Fundraising or Development

A Guide to Getting a Job in Fundraising or Development: "On the other hand, Amy Eisenstein was graduating from a public administration and nonprofit management program and thought she wanted to be an executive director of a nonprofit eventually. She "hated" fundraising but knew that it was a necessary skill for nonprofit CEOs.

So, Amy got a job as a fundraiser in a small nonprofit where she had to do everything herself. She fell in love with it, to her surprise, and stuck with it. Today she is a respected consultant to nonprofits large and small and a highly sought speaker and author.

Today, you'll find many graduate programs that feed nonprofits with professionals. You can get a Master's of Public Administration, Master's of Public Policy or Master's of Urban Planning. And some universities, such as the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, now have degrees in philanthropy, "



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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Board Chair Takes Helm at Wounded Warrior—but Donors Have the Floor | Nonprofit Quarterly

Board Chair Takes Helm at Wounded Warrior—but Donors Have the Floor | Nonprofit Quarterly:



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Slicing Donors' Age Nearly In Half - The NonProfit Times

Slicing Donors' Age Nearly In Half - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times: "The organization considered a variety of steps forward for a rebound, including a move from a mix of street and door-to-door canvasing to a primarily door-to-door operation. A paper pitch card that was previously handed out was replaced by a menu of different places prospective donors could protect along with specific threats, tangible ways of helping and information on the benefits of monthly giving.



Onboarding was expedited. Tablets and online processing were used to sign up new donors and a welcome process launched within 10 days of a donor being added to a file. Video content was found to be effective, so new members of TNC’s online community were greeted with invitations to vote on content and participate in surveys. Overall, the tone shifted — from the work that TNC does to donors being the true rock stars.



The efforts have worked, according to Katie Valvo, the organization’s director of monthly giving.  TNC has managed to flip its one-to-four ratio between monthly and one-time donors to four-to-one in favor of monthly supporters. The organization has been successful in securing younger donors, with the average canvass-acquired donor being 35. With a new means of attracting a younger audience, TNC expects its average donor age to continue to drop in the coming years."



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Nonprofit spotlight: Easter Seals redirects focus to early education | Columbus CEO

Nonprofit spotlight: Easter Seals redirects focus to early education | Columbus CEO: "Stepping away from its previous core service has allowed Easter Seals to double interventions where it is more effective.

When Pandora Shaw-Dupras took the helm of Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio, the organization was finding it difficult to fund its signature service—pediatric outpatient therapy.

Declining government reimbursements and increasing program costs meant the organization was struggling to pay therapists to work one-on-one helping children learn to walk and talk—services many have associated with the organization since its inception nearly 100 years ago. Easter Seals had always supplemented program costs with dollars donated through its various fundraisers, but following the recession, those dollars also were shrinking"



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United Way CEO to speak at White House forum on preschool prep - Crain's Detroit Business

United Way CEO to speak at White House forum on preschool prep - Crain's Detroit Business: "Herman Gray, president and CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan will be in Washington, D.C., on Friday to speak on the Detroit-based agency’s use of Social Innovation Fund support in Southeast Michigan.

Gray was invited by the fund’s director to give the opening remarks at the White House forum.

He plans to share stories of how United Way is successfully utilizing Social Innovation Fund support to change lives in here in metro Detroit and also demonstrate the importance of the fund for nonprofits across the nation."



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Monday, March 14, 2016

What’s the Alternative to Giving Tuesday? Community Foundation Raises $1.3M in 30-hour Event | Nonprofit Quarterly

What’s the Alternative to Giving Tuesday? Community Foundation Raises $1.3M in 30-hour Event | Nonprofit Quarterly: "o determine what was and was not working in this growing phenomenon of community foundation giving days, the Knight Foundation launched a study to follow the progress and processes of 17 different community foundations that conducted giving days in fall of 2013 or spring of 2014. From that data, the Knight Foundation created its Giving Day Playbook. It also developed platforms, such as a specific community foundation giving day Facebook page, to encourage conversations between community foundations on how best to implement giving days. However, the Knight Foundation was careful not to declare such giving days a foolproof strategy, stating that their long-term effects remain to be seen.

One of those long-term effects still to be determined is the impact of the social media–driven Giving Tuesday. "



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Local nonprofits prepare for the future - MRT.com: Philanthropy

Local nonprofits prepare for the future - MRT.com: Philanthropy: "“A downturn in the local economy typically equates to an increase in services needed throughout the community. People remain here without the resources needed to support their family,” said Ryan Loyd, president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Permian Basin.

“We currently see this to be true as the West Texas Food Bank, the Jubilee Center, the American Red Cross, the Genesis Center and other benevolence service providers diligently work to provide support for community members who are without work,” he said Friday.

With an eye on the nonprofit sector at large, Loyd said that these days, any funds are welcome."



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SisterFund giving circle seeks community change | Richmond Free Press | Serving the African American Community in Richmond, VA

SisterFund giving circle seeks community change | Richmond Free Press | Serving the African American Community in Richmond, VA: "Twenty philanthropically minded women have come together to have a greater impact on giving in the Richmond community.

With their spirit and their dollars, they have created SisterFund, a giving circle dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls in the Greater Richmond areas."



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Vet Groups Worried About Donations After Wounded Warrior Firings - NBC News

Vet Groups Worried About Donations After Wounded Warrior Firings - NBC News: "s the Wounded Warrior Project suffers fallout following the ousting of two top executive in the wake of a spending scandal, other charities that work with American veterans were left wondering whether the high-flying non-profit's fall from grace would affect them.

"We have no idea. I think that's the question every organization in the military and veteran support space is asking today," said Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Families Association. "We would certainly hope that the American public says we still need to support military families and vets through nonprofits, because there's so much need. But nobody knows how this is going to affect donor behavior at this point.""



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Giving Day Breaks Records | Bridgeport News

Giving Day Breaks Records | Bridgeport News: "
Fairfield County’s Giving Day on March 10 exceeded all expectations. In just 24 hours, thousands of community members joined together to give nearly $1.25 million in support of 410 local nonprofits serving Fairfield County.

Initiated in 2014 by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, with lead sponsor Bank of America, Giving Day is a 24-hour period when everyone in Fairfield County is encouraged to “give where you live” by going to FCGives.org and donating to participating local nonprofit organizations."



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