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.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Family

Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Family: "Four-hundred-dollar-a-plate fundraisers have their place, but Denver is an athletic town that loves participation.

That's one of the reasons Denver's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has raised more money and had more participants than any other Komen race in the country, says race spokeswoman Dana Brandorff.

'The level of fitness in Denver contributes to the community's enthusiasm,' Brandorff said."

Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times - archives: "Tainan resident Ruth Brown and her husband Lin Cheng-hui (林澄輝) recently donated their home of more than 30 years, along with NT$60 million (US$1.84 million), to establish a service center for local senior citizens.

The 488-ping (1,613m2) parcel of land alone is valued at an estimated NT$100 million."

Hall Of Fame Magazine - Clarkson Alum Donates $2.2 Million Hockey Stick To Charity

Hall Of Fame Magazine - Clarkson Alum Donates $2.2 Million Hockey Stick To Charity: "Clarkson Alum Donates $2.2 Million Hockey Stick To Charity Print E-mail
HOFMAG.com Staff

Gorde Sharpe, a standout hockey player and Captain of Clarkson University's 1984-85 hockey team, sold a hockey stick that had kicked around his basement for 30 years for a record $2.2 million. And then gave the money to charity."

Boca Raton News - The Leader in Local News Online

Boca Raton News - The Leader in Local News Online: "t wasn’t exactly a circuitous route that brought Pam O’Brien to AVDA – Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse – in South County.

The Miami native came to AVDA from the YWCA of Palm Beach County. She had also worked for the Y in North Carolina, but moved to South Florida to be near her family – her brother in Boca Raton and mother in Key Biscayne.

“I ran nonprofits for many years,” said O’Brien, who also has a law degree from Wake Forest and practiced law in North Carolina until she gave birth to twins. It became “too challenging” to be a counselor and a mom, she said.

Four and a half years ago, O’Brien became executive director of AVDA – the organization that provides emergency shelter and support services to victims of domestic violence."

ARTICLE: January traditionally brings burst of volunteers to nonprofits (The Virginian-Pilot - HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com)

ARTICLE: January traditionally brings burst of volunteers to nonprofits (The Virginian-Pilot - HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com): "The Red Cross office at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center buzzed with activity Thursday.

New volunteers got badges, and the regulars made sure the newbies knew what was expected of them.

'If you have any questions at all, just give me a call,' Tanya Morgan, the station manager, told two new volunteers as they left the office.

January traditionally brings a flurry of new volunteers to organizations such as the Red Cross. The United Way of South Hampton Roads, the Salvation Army and other groups also say they receive more inquiries about volunteering this month each year."

O Googlers, where art thou? / Some employees found instant riches in the Internet search company's initial public offering -- affording them the luxur

O Googlers, where art thou? / Some employees found instant riches in the Internet search company's initial public offering -- affording them the luxury of pursuing new dreams: "Who in their right mind would leave a job at Google Inc., a company legendary for pampering workers with free annual ski trips and gourmet food?

Well, it turns out plenty of people do. And many of them are some of the Web giant's earliest employees.

Extremely wealthy from stock options that soared in value, 100 of Google's first 300 workers have quietly resigned to go to law school, help poor shopkeepers get loans or simply to live the good life."

Charitable groups find providence after storm

Charitable groups find providence after storm: "Charitable groups find providence after storm

By GREG MILLER of the Tribune’s staff
Published Sunday, January 7, 2007

About a month before Christmas, it didn’t look good for the Central Missouri Food Bank. The 40,000-square-foot Vandiver Drive food storage area was less than one-fourth full, donations weren’t coming in and the agency was about $250,000 in debt.

Then people learned about its plight.

'I just call it a miracle,' said Peggy Kirkpatrick, the food bank’s executive director. 'Everything just started pouring in, literally"

Centre Daily Times | 01/06/2007 | More workers being drawn to the nonprofit industry

Centre Daily Times | 01/06/2007 | More workers being drawn to the nonprofit industry: "More workers being drawn to the nonprofit industry
Salaries becoming more competitive
By Patricia Kitchen
Newsday

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Question: What employment sector has a do-good mission, rising salaries, expanding opportunities and an appetite for seasoned workers?

If you were to ask the 700 or so attendees of the recent 'Philanthropy Day' gathering, the consensus would most likely be: the not-for-profit industry, which encompasses organizations such as the Canine Companions for Independence and the National Organization for Women.

This is a field of interest for all those corporate types looking for second or third careers, as well as the younger generation of workers bred with an instinct to give back even before they have taken very much."

JS Online:Baby boomer parents bequeathing philanthropy

JS Online:: "If Julia Jungen became an orphan, she would be sad - but well-off.
Photo/Michael Sears

Should her 50-year-old parents die, the 20-year-old from the Town of Lisbon would inherit life insurance policies and real estate worth around $2 million."

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story-The value of volunteer contributions: Calculation (im)possible?

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story: "The value of volunteer contributions: Calculation (im)possible?
Louise Chatterton LuchukBy Louise Chatterton Luchuk
January 8, 2007

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. -- Albert Einstein

We may not know if Einstein was an active community volunteer in his time, but his words provide context for understanding the growing interest in calculating the value of volunteer time.

Eric Plato, director of finance and administration at the national office of Frontier College, became interested a few years ago in how his organization could capture the value of their volunteers’ time. He felt that the organization’s financial statements didn’t show exactly what the organization was about. Explains Plato, “We always say we value our volunteers, but to actually see a number and dollar value has a bigger impact. When we calculated the value of our volunteer time, it showed that they are the biggest part of our resources - even bigger than government funding. That was eye-opening for the board and senior management.”"

Friday, January 05, 2007

South County Independent-"EDITORIAL: Coordination might help

South County Independent: "EDITORIAL: Coordination might help

A tale of two communities just miles apart shows the disparity in donations this holiday season. In one town, the town’s social services coordinator had so many offers from people willing to “adopt” families that it began directing donors to a nonprofit group in the northern part of the state. In another town, an agency scrambled to get its last few families adopted just days before the holiday, when the families usually are spoken for much earlier in the season.

There are many reasons why some local nonprofits reported a difficult fund-raising year: a tough economy, increased cost of living, reduced contributions from local municipalities and people contributing donations to national causes instead of local ones among them. After a challenging 11 months, some, such as the Galilee Mission to Fishermen in Narragansett and the Jonnycake Center in Peace Dale, report that critical donations came just in time for the holiday season."

Raising the Bar | emporiagazette.com

Raising the Bar | emporiagazette.com: "Bob Hartsook’s been a successful fund raiser for years. Now he’s trying to grow more of them.

Hartsook drew national attention in October when he gave $1.5 million to Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy to establish the nation’s first academic chair in fundraising. He said his hope is that by studying the theory behind fundraising, the methods of raising money can be made more effective.

“Philanthropy has been 2 percent of the gross domestic product since they started counting in 1949 and it’s never increased that percentage,” said Hartsook, the brother of Emporia’s Roger Hartsook. “I’m embarrassed by that 2 percent. I consider it a failure of our profession.”"

Thursday, January 04, 2007

GuideStar - News - Articles - Bridging the Gap between Volunteers and Coordination

From the Guidestar Newsletter

GuideStar - News - Articles - Bridging the Gap between Volunteers and Coordination: "Bridging the Gap between Volunteers and Coordination
'So Little Time ...'

Has this become a mantra at your organization? If so, you are not alone; it's a common theme at most nonprofits nationwide. One solution to this time shortage is, of course, to recruit additional volunteers. In fact, a 2004 study by the Urban Institute on volunteer management states that most nonprofit charities indicate a capacity and need for additional volunteers. With each volunteer's time worth an estimated $20 per hour, there is no question that they can be valuable assets to your organization."

N-TEN Connect: > 10 Easy Steps to Improve Email Delivery

AFP also has a Nonprofit Technology Blog

N-TEN Connect: > 10 Easy Steps to Improve Email Delivery : "10 Easy Steps to Improve Email Delivery

Tag_email It's January, which means we're all thinking about New Year's Resolutions, and starting the year off on the right foot. A little housekeeping is usually in order. Why not start with your email lists?

We see lots of questions in the NTEN Affinity Groups about email delivery - the problems we are all having making sure that our email ends up where it's supposed to. Adam Bernstein from Electric Embers will be leading a fabulous session on this topic at the 2007 NTC, but if you're looking for a few pointers in advance, we've got them for you."

UK Fundraising | Blogs | UK Fundraising Newswire | Blog Archive | Institute Announces Awards of Fellowship

Andrew Watt is recognized as a honorary fellow by the Institute of Fundraising.

UK Fundraising | Blogs | UK Fundraising Newswire | Blog Archive | Institute Announces Awards of Fellowship: "The Trustees of the Institute of Fundraising (‘Institute’) are delighted to announce the election of four Fellows, including the first award of an honorary Fellowship – to Andrew Watt - in ten years. Fellowship of the Institute is an honour that recognises substantial contribution to both fundraising and the Institute. The new Fellows are as follows:

The Wealth Report - WSJ.com : A Buffett Bonanza

The Wealth Report - WSJ.com : A Buffett Bonanza: "A Buffett Bonanza

Charitable giving by the super-rich broke a record in 2006, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The main reason: Warren Buffett.

According to the Chronicle, which began compiling an annual list of individual gifts and pledges in 1997, there were 15 donors who gave gifts or pledges of $100 million or more last year. In 2005, there were only 10 gifts of that size."

Courier News Online - Couple give $2M for kids in need

Courier News Online - Couple give $2M for kids in need: "Couple give $2M for kids in need
Somerset County couple's charity largest individual donation in Make-A-Wish history

By CHRISTA SEGALINI
Staff Writer

A Somerset County couple have donated $2 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation -- the largest individual donation ever bestowed upon the organization in its 26-year history.

Joe and Nancy Plumeri's generosity will be used to further plans for construction of a 'Wishing Place,' a headquarters building for the foundation's New Jersey chapter that spokesman Ted Deutsch said is being planned for Monroe."

Independent Weekly: News: National/ International: Charities get creative as giving gets harder

Independent Weekly: News: National/ International: Charities get creative as giving gets harder: "Charities get creative as giving gets harder
The Triangle's social service organizations are giving donors more options to help them meet increasing need

BY FIONA MORGAN

Charities depend on the month of December for much of their revenue, just as retailers do, and so as our mailboxes fill with catalogs, they also fill with end-of-year appeals from nonprofits.

Nationally, both need and donations went up in the first nine months of 2006, according to a study published recently by GuideStar, a national nonprofit that gathers financial information about nonprofits to allow donors to make better-informed decisions. But not all organizations saw increased donations to meet their growing needs, particularly among social service organizations that rely most on holiday giving for their annual budget.

To compensate, many are turning to creative appeals that draw donors who want to do more than just write a check."

News 8 Austin | 24 Hour Local News | LOCAL NEWS | Executives tour nonprofits they help

News 8 Austin | 24 Hour Local News | LOCAL NEWS | Executives tour nonprofits they help:

United Way took executives from 3M on an impact tour Wednesday to show them places where their donations have made a difference. They hope that showing givers the results of their charity might encourage more help."

CU enjoying record fundraising - The Denver Business Journal:

CU enjoying record fundraising - The Denver Business Journal:: "The University of Colorado is on a record fundraising pace, collecting $54.1 million in six months -- nearly as much as it raised in the entire previous year."

M.U.S.E. Foundation closing its doors - Neighborhoods

M.U.S.E. Foundation closing its doors - Neighborhoods: "The M.U.S.E. Foundation, which produced the Music from the Mountains concerts for Maryland Therapeutic Riding and concerts for many other charities nationwide, is closing its doors in the first quarter of 2007.

'This was not an easy decision and arrived at only after thoughtful contemplation,' said Larry Kushner, executive director of the Music Unites the Soul of Everyone Foundation, formerly of Severn and now of Bel Air in Harford County."

How to go to M.I.T. for free | csmonitor.com

How to go to M.I.T. for free | csmonitor.com: "nline 'intellectual philanthropy' attracts students from every nation on earth.
By Gregory M. Lamb | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
By the end of this year, the contents of all 1,800 courses taught at one of the world's most prestigious universities will be available online to anyone in the world, anywhere in the world. Learners won't have to register for the classes, and everyone is accepted.

The cost? It's all free of charge.
In the Monitor
Thursday, 01/04/07

The OpenCourseWare movement, begun at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002 and now spread to some 120 other universities worldwide, aims to disperse knowledge far beyond the ivy-clad walls of elite campuses to anyone who has an Internet connection and a desire to learn.

Intended as an act of 'intellectual philanthropy,"

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Give your old job a makeover. - Jan. 3, 2007

Give your old job a makeover. - Jan. 3, 2007:
snip snip>>>

"3) Look outside the workplace, especially at nonprofits.

'Usually, nonprofits want to tap you to do things you're already good at. But for your own career growth, it's better to look for a 'stretch' assignment that will give you new skills you can take back to work with you,' says McCauley. 'For example, you can join a start-up nonprofit, to get experience at establishing something new. One executive told me he deliberately chose an advocacy organization, so he could practice persuading people of a point of view. You can also gain global or cross-cultural experience through nonprofits. I know a woman who works for a very U.S.-centric company, but who spends two weeks a year working for a nonprofit that provides educational services overseas. It's a valuable perspective.'"

PND - News - Charities Make Case for Funding Administrative Costs

PND - News - Charities Make Case for Funding Administrative Costs: "Charities Make Case for Funding Administrative Costs

After years of listening to donors insist that the funds they donate should be devoted exclusively to programs, a growing number of nonprofits are trying to convince donors that spending money on overhead isn't necessarily a bad thing, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Often influenced by charity-watchdog sites, many donors have become extremely selective about the kinds of charities they will support, often supporting only those which spend a tiny fraction of their budget on administrative costs. Charities have countered by seeking gifts specifically to help fund overhead, arguing that such gifts are vital to their ability to grow, attract quality staffers, and deal with rising costs. 'The key,' said Eric Schwarz, CEO of Citizen Schools, Boston, 'is you don't call it overhead. Talk about metrics. Show that to get even better results and expand to reach more kids we need to invest in our team.'"

Make a Charitable Pledge [Fool.com: Foolanthropy] January 3, 2007

Make a Charitable Pledge [Fool.com: Foolanthropy] January 3, 2007: "Make a Charitable Pledge

By Dan Caplinger
January 3, 2007

As the new year begins, you may be breathing a sigh of relief. You've gotten through the holidays, hopefully having gotten everyone on your list a present they like. If you're charitably inclined, you've probably made another annual round of December gifts to your favorite charities. January is a nice time to relax and take a break from the stress and constant activity of the holiday season."

Laurie Garrett - The Challenge of Global Health - washingtonpost.com

Laurie Garrett - The Challenge of Global Health - washingtonpost.com: "Health philanthropy that just five years ago witnessed 'large' donations in the tens of millions now routinely hears of awards exceeding $200 million, targeting single projects. A sense of urgency, both genuinely driven by expanding pandemics and politically propelled by a wealthy-nation public that demands immediate results, is pushing money into the coffers of poor nations' ministries of health and a vast array of nongovernmental and faith-based humanitarian organizations"

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ New rules in effect for giving car to charity

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ New rules in effect for giving car to charity: "New rules in effect for giving car to charity
By SANDRA BLOCK, USA Today
Posted Sunday, December 31, 2006

For years, giving a car to charity offered multiple benefits. You could get rid of your beater, help a worthy cause and pocket a sizable tax deduction.

There are still many charities that will happily haul away your 1987 Chrysler LeBaron, but a law that took effect last year has deflated the tax deduction. Now, most donors can deduct only the amount the charity receives when it sells the vehicle -- which is usually much less than the amount claimed under the old rules."

Car donations are both an act of charity and an income tax write-off - The Boston Globe

Car donations are both an act of charity and an income tax write-off - The Boston Globe: "Car donations are both an act of charity and an income tax write-off

By Michelle Krebs, Cars.Com | December 31, 2006

If you think your car won't fetch much as a trade-in and don't want the trouble of selling it yourself, you can always explore the possibility of donating it to charity. It's an act of good will, and the donation can serve as a tax write-off."

MercuryNews.com | 01/01/2007 | Charitable instinct lacking

MercuryNews.com | 01/01/2007 | Charitable instinct lacking: "Charitable instinct lacking
Mercury News Editorial

The wealthy in Silicon Valley are the stingiest in California or, using another measure, next to the stingiest, when it comes to charitable giving, according to a new study.

The actual picture is probably a lot worse. The study of state tax data by NewTithing Group based calculations only on income-producing wealth, but a huge portion of wealth in the valley is derived from high-tech stocks that don't pay dividends. NewTithing, a San Francisco non-profit, must have substantially underestimated the assets of the richest 3 percent. That means they donate an even smaller portion of their wealth than the already paltry percentage that the study found.

Welcome, Emmett Carson. That is your dilemma: figuring out how to entice the rich in the valley to give back more of the money they've been fast accumulating."

Md. foundations gave 7% more in 2004 - baltimoresun.com

Md. foundations gave 7% more in 2004 - baltimoresun.com: "Maryland foundations gave 7 percent more money in 2004 than they did the year before, growth that topped the average increase nationwide, a new report shows."