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.

Friday, September 22, 2006

He's The Financier Who Fathered Philanthropy - Yahoo! News

He's The Financier Who Fathered Philanthropy - Yahoo! News:
snip snip>>>

"After he made it big financially, Peabody gave away much of his fortune to help others and establish several museums. He's considered the father of modern philanthropy, giving away more than $8 million.

Peabody spent much of his childhood helping on his father's farm and had just four or five years of formal schooling."

Thursday, September 21, 2006

News onPhilanthropy: Thinkin' About Tomorrow

News onPhilanthropy: Thinkin' About Tomorrow: "Thinkin' About Tomorrow

It's dangerous to get into the predictions business, but here at the Clinton Global Initiative I can't help thinking about future university courses in philanthropy, and what they'll be teaching about the way it all changed in the first decade of the 21st century. For all the hype about the new millennium, the dawning of 2000 has faded in memory with little more than a sigh of relief that Y2K wasn't a worldwide disaster. In reality, though, we've witnessed major transformations in what we think of as philanthropy as this decade has unfolded. And when they get into the business of writing textbooks on the topic, I would imagine the Clinton Global Initiative will require several chapters, if not volumes."

By Lincoln Caplan - Slate Magazine-Premium BlendIs Google.org the future of philanthropy?

By Lincoln Caplan - Slate Magazine: "Premium BlendIs Google.org the future of philanthropy?
By Lincoln Caplan
Posted Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006, at 7:48 AM ET

Spend some time listening to leading philanthropists and you might think they were business executives. The talk is of investments, rather than grants or donations, and of how to measure their performance. The foundations and nonprofits these philanthropists support are increasingly using tools of the market to help solve the problems of society. Google's decision to do much of its philanthropy through a for-profit company called Google.org, which the mother company has seeded with about $1 billion, is a theatrical step in this direction—and has the potential to solve a major problem for philanthropy."

New York Daily News - World & National Report - Donors give 1B in Bubba bucks

New York Daily News - World & National Report - Donors give 1B in Bubba bucks: "Donors give 1B in Bubba bucks

BY PAUL H.B. SHIN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Former President Bill Clinton rallied his coalition of the giving once again, persuading corporate honchos, philanthropists, do-gooders and even the U.S. government to ante up at least $1 billion to tackle some of the world's most stubborn problems.

The Clinton Global Initiative, which was on track to match the $2.5 billion raised during its inaugural gathering last year, kicked off a three-day conference yesterday with a $10 million pledge of government funds from First Lady Laura Bush to fund a project designed to provide clean drinking water for millions of Africans by 2010."

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Harvard's endowment up to $29.2 billion - Boston.com

Harvard's endowment up to $29.2 billion - Boston.com: "Harvard's endowment up to $29.2 billion

By Melissa Trujillo, Associated Press Writer | September 19, 2006

BOSTON --Harvard University said Tuesday its endowment rose by 16.7 percent to $29.2 billion in its latest fiscal year, extending its longtime growth despite recent changes in management."

Harvard's endowment up to $29.2 billion - Boston.com

Alum gives Syracuse money for students - Newsday.com

Alum gives Syracuse money for students - Newsday.com: "Alum gives Syracuse money for students
September 14, 2006, 5:03 PM EDT

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) _ The estate of the former chairman and CEO of Bristol-Myers Co. donated $26.5 million to Syracuse University _ the largest gift ever given to the school for student scholarship support, officials said Thursday.

The money was given by the estate of the late Frederic N. Schwartz, a 1931 graduate of Syracuse's College of Arts and Sciences. "

Corporate Giving: Philanthropy Journal Special Report

Corporate Giving: Philanthropy Journal Special Report: "Corporate philanthropy has become strategic.

In this special report, PJ examines how companies are integrating their giving, volunteerism and marketing, and aligning their philanthropy with their business."

Becoming Fearless | Sherry Lansing: A Season for Everything | The Huffington Post

Becoming Fearless | Sherry Lansing: A Season for Everything | The Huffington Post:
snip snip>>
"Somewhere in my midfifties I realized that I was seeing a line of sorts -- and that line was sixty. So, with sixty looming, I did it. It just felt right. I knew it was the right time, and so I retired from the entertainment business and committed myself to a career in philanthropy. I formed my own foundation dedicated to cancer research and education. I serve on the board of the Carter Center and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which disburses $3 billion in funds for stem cell research. I am a regent of the University of California and chair of its Health Services Committee. With my partner, Civic Ventures, I'm starting a movement, Primetime, for those sixty and older to retire and give something back to the community. The funny thing is that I'm busier than I've ever been."

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - The serious business of philanthropy

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - The serious business of philanthropy: "The serious business of philanthropy

By Charles Handy

Published: September 19 2006 19:49 | Last updated: September 19 2006 19:49

Adam Smith famously argued that the pursuit of self-interest in a free market would benefit all in society. What is less well remembered is that he also said sympathy, by which he meant a concern for one’s fellows, was essential for the cohesion and stability of that society. Business eagerly embraced the self-interest part of the equation, leaving sympathy for others to deal with. In the long run that has undermined the spirit of capitalism, which many see as an invitation to selfishness on the part of companies and individuals. Altruism and capitalism seemed unlikely bedfellows."

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Civic Involvement Tied to Education - washingtonpost.com

Civic Involvement Tied to Education - washingtonpost.com: "Civic Involvement Tied to Education
High School Dropouts Unlikely to Vote

By Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 19, 2006; Page A19

High school dropouts are significantly less likely than better-educated Americans to vote, trust government, do volunteer work, or go to church, according to a new report that reveals a widening gap in 'civic health' between the nation's upper and lower classes."

$10 million donor to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts drops his anonymity in effort to inspire more donors - The Boston Globe

$10 million donor to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts drops his anonymity in effort to inspire more donors - The Boston Globe: "$10m donor to MFA drops his anonymity
Boost seen for fund-raising

By Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff | September 19, 2006

The Museum of Fine Arts announced yesterday that George D. Behrakis, with a gift of more than $10 million, has become the biggest identified contributor yet to the MFA's planned $500 million expansion campaign."

COF - Council on Foundations - Council - Council on Foundations Calls for “Revolutionary Philanthropy”

PRESS RELEASE

COF - Council on Foundations - Council - Council on Foundations Calls for “Revolutionary Philanthropy”: "Council on Foundations Calls for “Revolutionary Philanthropy”

Date: September 18, 2006

Jeff Martin
Director, Media Relations
202/467-0265
jeff.martin@cof.org

Council on Foundations
Washington , DC

Speaking to the largest assembly of community foundation leaders in America, Council on Foundations President and CEO Steve Gunderson today called for America's philanthropists, both modest and affluent, to promote the role of their community foundations as catalysts for strong communities.

Gunderson urged attendees at the annual community foundation fall conference in Boston to join the Council in a 'town-by-town, county-by-county campaign to education members of the House and Senate not just about our institutions, but about philanthropy the movement."

Monday, September 18, 2006

The Daily Journal-Will ordinary altruism be enough for Gen Y?

The Daily Journal: "Will ordinary altruism be enough for Gen Y?

Health insurance deductibles. Tuition. Gasoline. Road tolls. As the 1980s laundry detergent ad lamented, 'Calgon, take me away!'

The problem is, even Calgon will dent a pocketbook these days: 20 cents per ounce compared with four cents for Borax and five for Arm & Hammer. Who knew it cost so much to spell relief?

America's young know. While economic indicators show stability, they are rightfully watchful. Reports on Social Security and the War on Terror may sound like mere news bites to most, but ring a loud cha-ching to Generation Y. Off their checks will such debts be paid, worthy as they are, for many years to come."

Need for house gutting seems endless in N.O.

Need for house gutting seems endless in N.O.: "Need for house gutting seems endless in N.O.
Nonprofits taxed by a shortage of labor
Monday, September 18, 2006
By Valerie Faciane

The telephone at New Orleans ACORN has been ringing off the hook.

Stephen Bradberry, head organizer of the nonprofit community service agency, said his office has received about 1,000 requests for the free house-gutting service offered by ACORN since he went on the radio in late August to talk about the program. The thousand requests are on top of the 1,000 or so homes that were already on the organization's waiting list for gutting -- a full year's work, Bradberry said -- with applications still being accepted."

Charity Village® Research: Think a nonprofit fundraising job is just asking for money? Think again!

Charity Village® Research: Think a nonprofit fundraising job is just asking for money? Think again!: "Think a nonprofit fundraising job is just asking for money? Think again!
By Matthew Hugg
September 18, 2006

“I can’t ask for money.”

How many times have I heard that? With those simple words, thousands of people each day take themselves out of a career that could easily be one of the most rewarding, interesting, and passionate experiences of their life.

To be sure, not everyone is cut out to be what is known in professional circles as a 'development officer'. But what they don’t know, and what most development officers find out the hard way, is that a ridiculously small percentage of their time is spent actually making 'the ask'. In fact, if you do your job right, the person or organization is so enthusiastic about your mission that it is not as much a request for funds as it is their offer to help a critical mission."

Inside Clinton's annual meeting: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Inside Clinton's annual meeting: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "Fortune
Inside Clinton's annual meeting
Monday September 18, 5:46 am ET
By Bethany McLean, Fortune editor-at-large

By far the glossiest, most glamorous part of the Clinton Foundation is an offshoot called the Clinton Global Initiative, a celebrity and CEO-studded conference held in New York City each September. This year's event, Sept. 20 to 22, will be the second CGI, and it's expected to draw some 1,000 eminences, ranging from executives (Rupert Murdoch, Josef Ackermann) to activists (Carl Pope of the Sierra Club) to governmental types (Jacques Chirac, Laura Bush, and most likely Hank Paulson, whose wife, Wendy, went to college with Hillary Clinton)."

Friday, September 15, 2006

The Geniuses | Chicago Tribune

The Geniuses | Chicago Tribune: "The Geniuses
Acclaim, money, no strings attached

Contributing: Charles Storch, Patrice M. Jones, Nara Schoenberg, Patrick T. Reardon, Colleen Mastony
Published September 15, 2006

On Tuesday, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the giant Chicago philanthropy, is to announce this year's batch of 'exceptionally creative' people who will receive $500,000 over five years. No strings attached, not even a thank-you note required.

The new class of 25 'geniuses,' as they will come to be known, will join a select society of MacArthur fellows, to which only 707 before them have been admitted since 1981."

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Stanford Social Innovation Review : Articles : A New Take on Tithing (August 29, 2006)

Stanford Social Innovation Review : Articles : A New Take on Tithing (August 29, 2006): "Too often, individuals make decisions about how much money to donate to charitable causes on an ad hoc basis. As a result, many people give less money than they can actually afford. If the affluent contributed as much to nonprofits as the authors believe they can, charitable giving in the United States would increase by $100 billion a year – enough to solve many of the world’s most pressing problems.

By Claude Rosenberg & Tim Stone
Fall 2006

Malnutrition, illiteracy, disease – the problems of the world often seem insurmountable. But we see grounds for hope. According to our calculations, individual charitable donations in the United States alone could increase more than $25 billion a year if affluent households donated as high a proportion of their assets to charity as do the middle class and those below. This 17 percent “generosity gap” is our low-end estimate of how much additional money could be donated. If affluent donors gave as much as we think they could afford, based on our conservative donation benchmarks, charitable giving in the U.S. would rise by about $100 billion per year."

Record number of ND alums donate money - News

Record number of ND alums donate money - News: "Record number of ND alums donate money
By: Amanda Michaels
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: News

If the screaming blue-and-gold thousands who pack into Notre Dame Stadium aren't enough to prove that loyalty to the University lasts far longer than four years, the latest alumni giving rate certainly is.

During the 2005-06 fiscal year, 53.2 percent of Notre Dame alumni gave some sort of monetary donation to the University - setting an all-time record for the school, said Lou Nanni, vice president of University Relations. "

Star-Telegram | 09/14/2006 | Small clubs pack big fundraising punch

Star-Telegram | 09/14/2006 | Small clubs pack big fundraising punch: "Small clubs pack big fundraising punch
By O.K. Carter
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

While flipping through data about civic/service clubs in Arlington and their philanthropic and related fundraising activities recently, a fascinating nugget of information emerged: Every year, the little Pantego Lions Club, 34 members strong, typically makes about $60,000 worth of grants and scholarships spread across perhaps 20 recipients.

That's a powerful investment not only in building social capital, but also as proof that that some civic groups, of which the Pantego Lions Club is clearly an example, are considerably more efficient at raising money for charitable activities than others.

This ability prompts curiosity. What fundraisers are some of the more efficient clubs using?"

NPQ - Back Issues - Contents by Issue - Summer 2006 V13i2: On the Road to Find Out - Phoenix in Calgary

NPQ - Back Issues - Contents by Issue - Summer 2006 V13i2: On the Road to Find Out - Phoenix in Calgary: "Phoenix In Calgary: How the Calgary Philharmonic Survived Bankruptcy and Flourished

by Donna S. Finley, Alana Gralen, and Larry Fichtner

Editors’s Note: This is the story of a turnaround. And as with any turnaround situation, the organization was near death, with many in favor of a do-not-resuscitate order. What struck us as important in this story, among other things, was the primary strategy employed—to engage as many stakeholders as possible in the development of a cohesive plan for the future. This plan had to be produced quickly and had to pass muster with the court-appointed receiver, because the organization had already filed for bankruptcy protection.

The enormous energy and wisdom that this strategy drew to the situation should tell us something about the resources available to us that may not typically be used in our own organizations. The high-engagement strategy is transferable, but it requires a deep shared passion and a willingness to work together to co-create a solution for the thing that is to be saved and given new life."

Daily Independent (Ashland, KY) - Cash, cars & boats

Daily Independent (Ashland, KY) - Cash, cars & boats: "Cash, cars & boats

Residents walk away from Bash with hundreds, thousands in prizes
By ALLEN BLAIR - The Independent

GRAYSON — As usual, thousands swarmed into Grayson this past weekend for the annual Summer Bash.

Many came away richer, or at least driving a newer car.

All came away happier, said organizers of the community’s big-ticket raffle fund-raiser.

This was the fourth year for the bash, a joint venture of the Carter County Fair Board and the Grayson Area Chamber of Commerce.
"

The Columbus Dispatch - Local/State-"10 million donation is museum’s biggest

The Columbus Dispatch - Local/State: "10 million donation is museum’s biggest
Walters want to shine light on art institution with rare show of public philanthropy
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Bill Mayr
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

As a volunteer in the Columbus Museum of Art’s cafe during the 1990s, Peggy Walter served soups and salads.

Yesterday, she and her husband, Robert D., served up something a bit more substantial: a $10 million gift to the museum, the largest single financial donation in the institution’s 128-year history.

The Dublin couple’s contribution will substantially increase the museum’s endowment for operations."

Philanthropy Google's way: not the usual - Business - International Herald Tribune

Philanthropy Google's way: not the usual - Business - International Herald Tribune: "Philanthropy Google's way: not the usual
By Katie Hafner The New York Times

Published: September 14, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO The ambitious founders of Google, the popular search engine company, have set up a philanthropy, giving it seed money of about $1 billion and a mandate to tackle poverty, disease and global warming.

But unlike most charities, this one will be for-profit, allowing it to fund start-up companies, form partnerships with venture capitalists and even lobby Congress. It will also pay taxes.

One of its maiden projects reflects the philanthropy's nontraditional approach. According to people briefed on the program, the organization, called Google.org, plans to develop an ultra-fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid car engine that runs on ethanol, electricity and gasoline.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Tax Law Changes - Museum Donations - Report - New York Times

Tax Law Changes - Museum Donations - Report - New York Times: "Museums Fear Tax Law Changes on Some Donations

*
By JEREMY KAHN
Published: September 13, 2006

Directors and trustees of the nation’s top art museums are preparing a major lobbying effort to reverse a federal tax provision approved last month that they say will significantly harm their ability to acquire new artworks."

The Sun News | 09/13/2006 | Area nonprofits look to inflate tight funds

The Sun News | 09/13/2006 | Area nonprofits look to inflate tight funds: "Area nonprofits look to inflate tight funds
By Steve Jones
The Sun News

SHALLOTTE, N.C. - For many nonprofits in the coastal Carolinas, finding enough money to run their programs is becoming a bigger and bigger job.

A fast-growing population brings fast-growing needs, area nonprofit officials say, and things such as changes in funding rules and the economy can rock a nonprofit's budget like a series of hurricanes.

Most agencies already look to a variety of sources for money, but one - Brunswick County's Communities in Schools - has an idea it hopes can provide for its future needs and also help other area nonprofits make money."

newsobserver.com | Dine with a big name

newsobserver.com | Dine with a big name: "Dine with a big name
Contributors to United Arts get a chance to meet a celebrity

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Volunteer on the Road - Louisiana, Mississippi | Travel + Leisure

Volunteer on the Road - Louisiana, Mississippi | Travel + Leisure: "Volunteer on the Road

The Gulf Coast, though, was desperate for able bodies after the hurricane. 'People from outside the state have come in droves, rolled up their sleeves, and helped us get our lives back together,' says Bill Stallworth, a Biloxi city council member who set up a command center to handle the influx of volunteers. According to recent research by Independent Sector, a nonprofit coalition of charities and foundations, each of those volunteers saved the region about $18 an hour. They also gave a direct boost to the local economy. Johnson's crew bought all of their supplies on-site, paying particular attention to independent stores and restaurants—places that would benefit from a spike in busines"

TimesDispatch.com | Southside charities suffering

TimesDispatch.com | Southside charities suffering: "Southside charities suffering
Residents generous during disasters, but little is left for home

BY JAMIE C. RUFF
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Sep 11, 2006

SOUTH BOSTON -- Generosity may begin at home but some Southside Virginia charitable organizations are finding it often ends up elsewhere."