AFP Blog: Recent News of Note

This blog contains assorted news and commentary on the fundraising profession and philanthropy gathered by the AFP Fundraising Resource Center. Other Sites of Interest Section Disclaimer: AFP provides the following listing of hyperlinks to other Internet pages as a privilege to the user. AFP does not necessarily endorse, support or attest to the accuracy of information posted on those Internet pages. Some links may require registration to view and/or may only be available for a limited time.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Massive peaches raise money for charity

We have additional International Philanthropy related News stories on the AFP International News Blog

Massive peaches raise money for charity: "Massive peaches raise money for charity
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-26 08:57

Two giant peaches, weighing in at 400 grams and 350 grams, were auctioned for 10,800 yuan (US$1,330) at a charity auction on Saturday."

The Sun Herald | 07/25/2006 | Red Cross chief named

The Sun Herald | 07/25/2006 | Red Cross chief named: "Red Cross chief named
Brent worked on Coast before
By QUINCY COLLINS SMITH
qcsmith@sunherald.com

BILOXI - Bill Brent, former executive director of the South Mississippi AIDS Task Force, has returned to the Coast to lead the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross as it balances recovery and normal chapter duties.

During the early 1990s, Brent came to the Coast as the regional director for the American Heart Association. He later headed the South Mississippi AIDS Task Force."

Lesson No. 1: Nonprofits Are Marketers

Lesson No. 1: Nonprofits Are Marketers: "oel Zimmerman, director of consulting services for Creative Direct Response, addressed a session this month at the Direct Marketing Association of Washington's annual Bridge conference on the basics of nonprofit marketing.

His point was simple: Nonprofits are, in fact, marketing agents."

Donor-advised funds take charity to new heights - MarketWatch

Donor-advised funds take charity to new heights - MarketWatch: "iving more than Buffett and Gates combined
Rise in donor-advised funds show others big on charity too

By Thomas Kostigen, MarketWatch
Last Update: 9:15 PM ET Jul 25, 2006

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) - Donor-advised funds are on the rise, eclipsing the enormous giving efforts of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates -- combined.
Brokerages and mutual fund companies report more assets under management in these charitable giving programs. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that some $12 billion flows annually into charities from donor-advised funds, which are designed to act like foundations but require far less time and money to start."

A meal can be a reason for giving

A meal can be a reason for giving: "Sarah Fritschner

There's a great new reason to gather at the dinner table.

You have heard the old ones -- kids raised with evening dinners are less likely to do drugs, abuse alcohol or have sex too early.

Now there's a phenomenon called 'giving circles,' where groups of people meet to raise money for organizations of their choosing. New Ventures in Philanthropy calls it 'collective philanthropy.'"

A Mammoth Wealth Transfer Awaits the Area, Study Predicts

A Mammoth Wealth Transfer Awaits the Area, Study Predicts: "A Mammoth Wealth Transfer Awaits the Area, Study Predicts

By Jacqueline L. Salmon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 26, 2006; Page A01

Washington area residents are expected to bequeath $2.4 trillion over the next 50 years -- an amount to be divided among heirs, charities and estate taxes -- in what is believed to be the largest transfer of wealth in the region's history, according to a new study.

Their beneficiaries will inherit about half of those assets, charities will get close to $460 billion and estate fees and taxes will eat up the rest, according to the study by Boston College's Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, to be released this week."

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

For Top Law Students, a Sidebar With the Arts - New York Times

For Top Law Students, a Sidebar With the Arts - New York Times: "DOWNSTAIRS at the Pratt Mansion on a Friday night last month, representatives of nine of the city’s leading cultural institutions — the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, the Guggenheim and the New York City Ballet, among them — sat behind small tables covered with white cloths, like a ring of eager co-eds waiting to be asked to dance. They had their eyes on a pack of young summer associates from six of the city’s top law firms, a small army of patrons-to-be who they hoped might grow up to be the junior committee leaders, season subscribers, donors, board members and art buyers of the future."

An urgent cause for philanthropy - The Boston Globe

An urgent cause for philanthropy - The Boston Globe: "An urgent cause for philanthropy

By Ralph Kaplan and Harvey Silverglate | July 23, 2006

AMERICAN PHILANTHROPY, in the news lately due to huge donations to wealthy foundations devoted to worthy causes, is nonetheless missing a critical opportunity to turn the private sector's attention to the most urgent threat to human life. As the pace of scientific and technological developments continues to accelerate, the potential for enormous benefits is coupled with the potential for far more severe -- indeed, lethal -- costs."

United Way disputes high overhead costs

United Way disputes high overhead costs: "United Way disputes high overhead costs
print | email this story

United Way of Santa Fe
By Wendy Brown | The New Mexican
July 23, 2006

Local group says it's investing in its own projec"

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide-"Non-Cash Gifts to Charity Reach $37 Bln, First IRS Study Shows

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: "Non-Cash Gifts to Charity Reach $37 Bln, First IRS Study Shows

July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Six million Americans claimed $37 billion in tax deductions for non-cash charitable donations in 2003, including 2,179 households that wrote-off $1.5 billion for simply agreeing not to alter household facades or landscapes, new Internal Revenue Service data show.

The tax collection agency, in its first detailed study of the loosely regulated area, said 4 million households filed tax returns claiming an average of $1,440 in deductions for donated clothing and 2.4 million taxpayers claimed an average of $1,356 for donated household goods in 2003, the most recent year for which data were available."

$60.6 million, a record, donated to UMB last year - baltimoresun.com

$60.6 million, a record, donated to UMB last year - baltimoresun.com: "$60.6 million, a record, donated to UMB last year
Originally published July 25, 2006
The University of Maryland, Baltimore plans to announce today that it received a record $60.6 million in donations over the past year, exceeding the downtown campus' fundraising goal by 5 percent.

'We are especially pleased that the number of seven-figure gifts has increased by 50 percent over the previous fiscal year,' said Mary Campion, associate vice president for development, in an e-mailed statement."

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story: "AFP's 2005 State of Fundraising Survey Results
Andy Levy-AjzenkopfBy Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf
July 24, 2006

On July 10, 2006, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) published the results of their yearly State of Fundraising Survey. Now in its fifth year, this AFP-sponsored study uses e-mail to solicit its member organizations in the U.S. and Canada to look back on their fundraising goals for the preceding year and determine whether they performed better or worse than before. We'll leave the U.S. results aside (they had a poorer showing than Canada anyway). The good news is the 2005 report heaps praise upon Canadian fundraisers. The bad news is that the future may not be so rosy for Canadian charities seeking funds in the future."

Sunday, July 23, 2006

HHS Secretary Defends Family Charity

HHS Secretary Defends Family Charity: "HHS Secretary Defends Family Charity
By KEVIN FREKING
The Associated Press
Friday, July 21, 2006; 7:10 PM
WASHINGTON -- Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt on Friday defended his family's charitable giving, as two senators called for tighter regulation of private foundations.
The Washington Post reported Friday that Leavitt and his relatives have claimed million of dollars in tax deductions through a charitable foundation that until recently paid out little in actual charity."

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."

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."