Guest column: Corporate sponsorship changes philanthropy | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com

Guest column: Corporate sponsorship changes philanthropy | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com: This new and innovative approach to philanthropy — for-profit sponsors underwriting nonprofit outreach at entertainment events — could prove essential as traditional resources for those in need rapidly diminish.

Opera House finds success with corporate partners

Opera House finds success with corporate partners: n conjunction with its 10-year anniversary, the Napa Valley Opera House has launched a new corporate sponsorship program, which they hope will be a mutual success — raising money the Opera House needs while helping local businesses connect with the customers and clients they need.

According to the Opera House’s development director Jessica Thomason, they have always worked with local businesses in a sponsorship capacity, but they anticipate this new program will be an even greater success because of the way it was designed.

Corporate Sponsorship or Taxable Advertising? | CharityLawyer

Corporate Sponsorship or Taxable Advertising? | CharityLawyer: Generally, exempt organizations are taxed on income from any unrelated trade or business activities regularly carried on by the organization, less any permitted deductions. Promotion of private companies is generally considered advertising – an unrelated business activity. If the recognition given to corporate sponsors is deemed to be advertising, then the sponsorship payment may be taxed as unrelated business income and will not be counted as public support for purposes of qualifying as a public charity.

Livestrong and the Perils of Corporate Sponsorships - NYTimes.com

Livestrong and the Perils of Corporate Sponsorships - NYTimes.com: On Tuesday, Sporting Kansas City announced it had severed its sponsorship agreement with Livestrong, the cancer charity founded by the disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. The announcement came two days before Armstrong was to confess on television to doping during his career, which included seven Tour de France titles.

Fire Trucks in Baltimore: Brought to You by... - The Takeaway

Fire Trucks in Baltimore: Brought to You by... - The Takeaway: Council member William "Pete" Welch proposed the idea after city officials decided to close three fire stations. He says the advertisements could help save those fire stations, or avert similar cuts in the future. The legislation appoints a committee that will determine the size, shape, and nature of possible advertisements that would be placed on the fire trucks. This supervising body, Welch says, would be made up of the firefighters themselves.

If Your Company Is Giving Away Money, Make It Worthwhile | Fast Company

If Your Company Is Giving Away Money, Make It Worthwhile | Fast Company: "Back in the day, there were rarely candid conversations between funders and their grantees. But that's improving, at least with regard to corporate funders. Today, in the era of corporate social responsibility (CSR), many corporate funders and their nonprofit grantees are beginning to engage in meaningful discussions in order to learn from each other, benefit each other, and accomplish meaningful results for the community. Corporate executives, especially those who are involved on nonprofit boards, gain a great deal of perspective from nonprofits about leadership, as well as global and regional issues, such as water, poverty, workforce development, disaster relief, economic development, among others."

4 Social Media Efforts to Aid the Gulf Coast

4 Social Media Efforts to Aid the Gulf Coast: "The far-reaching Gulf oil spill tragedy has left many people feeling powerless to help out. But beyond the official Deep Horizon response, pockets of non-profits and people are starting to use social media tools to organize grassroots activities throughout the Gulf region. Here’s a quick look at four tools and efforts geared towards delivering aid and cleaning up crude oil in local coastal areas."

Myths About Women and Weight Lifting … Er, Grant Proposal Writing! | Pamela Grow's Grantwriting Blog

From Pamela Grows's Blog
Myths About Women and Weight Lifting … Er, Grant Proposal Writing! | Pamela Grow's Grantwriting Blog: "o, what, pray-tell does women’s weight lifting have to do with writing grant proposals?

Well, just like women and weight lifting, a lot of myths have built up around writing grant proposals over the years. Here are just a few:

We can’t rely on foundation funding.

Truth: Nonsense. I‘ve worked with organizations that derive a good 70-80% of their overall budgets from foundation funding. And, while well diversified, sustainable funding is important, there is no reason why, with a well run system of developing compelling proposals and sending and tracking your grant requests and reports on a regular basis, you can’t begin relying on foundation grant funding for a major portion of your budget today while you build upon other areas of support."

To Give or not to Give: Members of Associations Waiting to be Asked for Donations the Right Way, New Study Finds - About Us - ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership

To Give or not to Give: Members of Associations Waiting to be Asked for Donations the Right Way, New Study Finds - About Us - ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership: "To Give or not to Give: Members of Associations Waiting to be Asked for Donations the Right Way, New Study Finds
June 2, 2010

WASHINGTON—Members of associations across the country give generously to community causes and organizations, but fewer than 15 percent ever make a contribution beyond dues and fees to the professional associations to which they belong. A new study recently published by ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership, The Decision to Give: What Motivates Individuals to Support Professional Associations, explores giving by association members both to community causes and to associations, while also highlighting some opportunities to increase donations among association members."

Nonprofit groups to be counted by Mississippi � The Commercial Appeal

Nonprofit groups to be counted by Mississippi � The Commercial Appeal: "Many of the estimated 38,000 nonprofit groups operating in Mississippi will begin receiving letters from the state this week asking for verification that they're still in existence and doing business here, according to Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.

Hosemann, in DeSoto County last week to update local leaders on a variety of topics, also outlined his goals for the 2011 legislative session. Among the priorities is better regulation of nonprofit groups."

The Nonprofit QuarterlyThe Four Horsemen of the Nonprofit Financial Apocalypse

The Nonprofit Quarterly: "As the recession loomed, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) realized that its clients—borrowers, financial advisees, and grant recipients—had been exposed to a virulent flulike virus. The financial crisis was like a pervasive, all-encompassing malady. And like health workers fighting a true epidemic, NFF’s clients would be exposed to the disease and expected to fight it simultaneously. There was no vaccination program, although there were some swift and thoughtful efforts by funders to maintain funding levels, release restrictions on grants, and provide real-time relief. And it was well understood that the disease could be fatal."

The Nonprofit Quarterly

The Nonprofit Quarterly: "As the recession loomed, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) realized that its clients—borrowers, financial advisees, and grant recipients—had been exposed to a virulent flulike virus. The financial crisis was like a pervasive, all-encompassing malady. And like health workers fighting a true epidemic, NFF’s clients would be exposed to the disease and expected to fight it simultaneously. There was no vaccination program, although there were some swift and thoughtful efforts by funders to maintain funding levels, release restrictions on grants, and provide real-time relief. And it was well understood that the disease could be fatal."

Bylaws Checklist | Blue Avocado

Bylaws Checklist | Blue Avocado: "Because regulations about nonprofit bylaws are done individually by state (rather than the federal government) there is quite a bit of variation. For example, in Ohio and New York, nonprofit boards must have a minimum of three members, but in California the minimum is one. It's important to obtain the applicable state laws and make sure that the bylaws are in compliance. In addition, some cities have further regulations for nonprofits. Ask your city attorney's office for guidance. For example, some states and cities have different rules for nonprofit organizations for which the board automatically includes an elected official or government employee as a result of that individual's election or employment."

CharityVillage� Research: Six tips to keep your team motivated

CharityVillage� Research: Six tips to keep your team motivated: "It’s no surprise that employees in the nonprofit sector are generally paid less than their contemporaries in the private and public sectors. While we’d like to believe the sector’s employees are equally motivated by salary as they are by the organization’s mission and impact on the community, the most recent voluntary and nonprofit labour force study released by the HR Council for the Voluntary and Non-Profit Sector indicates that we are losing a key group of young, talented, and innovative leaders to sectors better equipped to offer not only more enticing financial rewards, but also greater potential for career learning, growth, and opportunity. The HR Council also sites that only 29% of nonprofits took steps beyond salary increases to improve their work environment."

ADVOCACY MATTERS, NO REALLY - Association Bisnow - Washington

ADVOCACY MATTERS, NO REALLY - Association Bisnow - Washington: "Whether it's ol' fashioned guilt on the rise, or just more families finding coins in the couch, household charitable giving is expected to rebound 3-4.5% this year for a total between $222 billion and $227 billion, according to a new report from Boston College's Center on Wealth and Philanthropy. The study, published by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, is based on a new model that looks at an array of data from the Federal Reserve to the National Association of Realtors and beyond."

House Passes Extension of Charity Tax Breaks - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

House Passes Extension of Charity Tax Breaks - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "May 28, 2010, 03:00 PM ET
House Passes Extension of Charity Tax Breaks

By Grant Williams

The House of Representatives has approved legislation to extend through the end of 2010 several key tax incentives for charitable donations, including one designed to encourage older people to make donations through their individual retirement accounts.

The bill, HR 4213, will be considered by the Senate when it returns to work the week of June 7."

Paulette's Point of View: Philanthropic Decisions at the Bakery

Paulette's Point of View: Philanthropic Decisions at the Bakery: "You may have seen the news that Panera, a U.S.-based bakery and restaurant chain, has launched a new nonprofit store in St. Louis that will operate in exactly the same way as its other stores will. EXCEPT, it doesn’t offer any prices. Customers are told to donate whatever they want for their meal. It could be one cent, or ten dollars or 100 dollars. The company hopes to open additional nonprofit, pay-what-you-like restaurants if this one succeeds."

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "The Boston College/AFP 2008 estimate differs from the Giving USA estimate of $229.28 billion, published annually by the Giving Institute in conjunction with the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The 2009 Giving USA statistics are due out in a few weeks. The Giving USA estimate for 2007 was $235.58 billion given by individuals for a decrease of 2.5 percent compared to 2008."

Local summer festivals threatened by economy

Local summer festivals threatened by economy: "Around here everyone has a festival going on,” said the spokesman for Miamisburg Historical Society’s Memorial Day weekend events. “People around here just expect it.”

But economic pressures and reduced corporate sponsorship have several summer festivals in jeopardy. A few have already been canceled."

Volunteers' goal: 1 million meals for quake-stricken Haiti | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional

You can find links to other Disaster Relief Fundraising stories on the AFP Resource Center Disaster Relief Blog

Volunteers' goal: 1 million meals for quake-stricken Haiti | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional: "The massive effort involved 2,000 people who worked to pack a million meals for people still going hungry in the poverty-stricken, quake-ravaged country.

The prepackaged meals for six are being created by hand, one at a time."