Abilene colleges report charitable giving is up � Abilene Reporter-News

Abilene colleges report charitable giving is up � Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene's four-year universities said that giving has generally trended up of late — in many cases soundly beating national trends, where growth was fairly small.

Donations to higher education as a whole rose 0.5 percent during the 2010 fiscal year, according to findings of the annual Voluntary Support of Education Survey

I Live Here, I Give Here - an update

I Live Here, I Give Here - an update: "Almost two years ago, philanthropy supporters launched 'I Live Here, I Give Here,' a campaign to increase charitable giving in Central Texas.

So what's been going on since then? This week we find out more about the effort — which is funded by local businesses and nonprofit groups — in an interview with the campaign's director, Patsy Woods Martin."

Economy could test Abilene's giving nature : Local News : Abilene Reporter-News

Economy could test Abilene's giving nature : Local News : Abilene Reporter-News: "Abilene nonprofits and others concerned with charitable giving in the community said donations were largely on pace in 2008.

But some said 2009 might prove to be the true test economically."

Nonprofit groups might find 6,300 is a crowd, study says

Nonprofit groups might find 6,300 is a crowd, study says: "A new study questions whether Austin has too many nonprofits — and, if so, what to do about it.

According to a recently released report by Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, there are more than 6,300 501(c)(3) public charities in the Austin area, which includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. Of those, 73 percent have budgets of less than $100,000."

Microfinance: Ready For Its Big Leap? - 02..2009 - U.S. Banker Article

Microfinance: Ready For Its Big Leap? - 02..2009 - U.S. Banker Article: "As the CEO of Accion Texas, Janie Barrera has plenty of lending success stories to tell. There’s the Colombian woman in Dallas who launched a translation business, and today counts the likes of 3M and Southwest Airlines as clients. Or the African-American man in Houston whose idea of leasing beds to nursing homes was met with skepticism by traditional banks and today is doing well. She also has some odd tales to share, including the one about the woman in southern Texas who pledged goats as collateral for a small loan to start a restaurant. “The next time I visited her, I asked to see the goats,” Barrera recalls. “She said, ‘What do you mean? We used them for lunch.’”"

New site aims to increase transparency of Texas nonprofits - Austin Business Journal:

New site aims to increase transparency of Texas nonprofits - Austin Business Journal:: "The Texas Attorney General’s office has launched a new online resource that allows users to search Texas nonprofit’s tax filings with the goal of providing greater transparency of charities.

The newly created database , dubbed Charity Search,"

Economy squeezes Dallas-area nonprofits | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News

Economy squeezes Dallas-area nonprofits | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News: "Already, there are fewer classes on diabetes prevention, checks for emergency rent assistance and runners at the biggest cancer race in Dallas. In Mesquite, there are 286 applicants hungry to get their high school equivalency diploma, but there's no money.

These are the front-line challenges for nonprofit agencies working to provide services to the most vulnerable as the recession deepens and worry spreads."