onPhilanthropy: Articles: Seeing Volunteers in a New Light

onPhilanthropy: Articles: Seeing Volunteers in a New Light: "The trend toward skill-based employee volunteer programs came into focus at the annual National Conference on Volunteering and Service, co-convened by the Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National & Community Service recently in Philadelphia."

CNW Group-AFP Press Release-"AFP Urges Parliament to Increase Charitable Giving Incentives

CNW Group: "AFP Urges Parliament to Increase Charitable Giving Incentives <<>> OTTAWA, Aug. 15 /CNW/ -- The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) today called on Parliament to encourage charitable giving by eliminating the capital gains tax on gifts of land and real estate and creating a government-recognized National Philanthropy Day."

NPR: Easy Philanthropy: If You Aren't Mr./Ms. Moneybags, Buy a Feedbag

NPR: Easy Philanthropy: If You Aren't Mr./Ms. Moneybags, Buy a Feedbag: "asy Philanthropy: If You Aren't Mr./Ms. Moneybags, Buy a Feedbag So yesterday I ran through a list of super philanthropists who throw down millions and millions for good causes. No need to feel inadequate just because you can't donate the gross domestic product of Denmark. Here's a way to do good and feel good."

Future Leaders in Philanthropy: Food for Thought: Brainfood Students Get Cookin’

Future Leaders in Philanthropy: Food for Thought: Brainfood Students Get Cookin’: "Washington D.C. can finally satisfy your hunger for philanthropy - literally. Get out your cookbooks and aprons because Brainfood, a DC nonprofit for youth, is in the spotlight of teen culinary education. Brainfood is a nonprofit youth development organization designed in 1998 to provide cooking activities as an outlet for teens in the nation’s capital."

FresnoBee.com: Local: Fresno professor helps students buy the book

FresnoBee.com: Local: Fresno professor helps students buy the book: "Valencia said the new fund is unique because, unlike more general forms of financial aid, it will only buy textbooks. Olga Padilla, a junior from Parlier who works at the institute, said her $600 book bill last semester was 'twice my rent.' 'If somebody could help you with a book, that'd be great,' she said. 'Even if it's just one book.' Valencia -- also experienced in martial arts, triathlons, hiking and surfing -- decided to use himself as bait in a fundraising campaign. He billed his entry in June's 'Sharkfest' as 'Swimming for Books,' then tried to hook colleagues into donating."

Philanthropist boosts nonprofits efficiency

Philanthropist boosts nonprofits efficiency: "KINGFIELD -- Kingfield business consultant and philanthropist Warren Cook is putting his time, his innovative ideas and his money where his expertise is. But instead of advising a Maine research lab or a ski resort, he is focused on turning around flagging non-profit organizations. Cook is donating $50,000 of his own money through the Maine Community Foundation to support Common Good Ventures, a Brunswick-based non-profit organization he helped found eight years ago. Forrest Berkley and Marcie Tyre of Swans Island and Wayland, Mass. have matched Cook's $50,000 donation."

Richmond Magazine Awards the Top 20 Richmond Nonprofits:

http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/content.aspx?id=5454: "Christian Children's Fund (CCF) was recently named among the Top 20 Nonprofits as chosen by readers of Richmond Magazine. The non-profit organizations are featured in the magazine's 20th Anniversary Best and Worst issue for August."

Kaine meets with nonprofits during visit to Roanoke - Roanoke.com

Kaine meets with nonprofits during visit to Roanoke - Roanoke.com: "Kaine meets with nonprofits during visit to Roanoke By Mason Adams Gov. Tim Kaine is visiting the Roanoke Valley with his cabinet today. The visit kicked off this morning at the Dumas Center for Artistic & Cultural Development, where Kaine spoke about the importance of nonprofit groups in providing services that the government and churches cannot. Nonprofit groups 'create a quality of life that makes people want to stay, want to visit and want to come to an area,' Kaine said."

Phoenix Project: Social entrepreneurs see change | University Relations

Phoenix Project: Social entrepreneurs see change | University Relations: "The Phoenix Project, which has grown during the past year from a visionary attempt at social entrepreneurship between William and Mary and Petersburg to include Virginia State University and seven other institutions of higher learning, seeks to bring the research tools of universities to communities while providing students and educators with an intense real-world learning environment. During a recent showcase of projects conducted during the summer’s Nonprofit Leadership Program, it was apparent that the combined 8,000 hours of community service by 30 students from 14 universities had left city officials ecstatic."

Program places apprentices in nonprofit groups

Program places apprentices in nonprofit groups: "The Public Allies program, one of eight at the center, targets young leaders between the ages 18 and 30, who commit to a rigorous 10-month program of full-time, paid apprenticeships in community organizations, team service projects and weekly leadership training. Nonprofits applying to the Coro Center must pay a stipend of $1,400 a month to support the participants. The center reimburses nonprofits 15 percent of the stipend per month, or $2,100 over the 10-month period."

Charity attacks gap-year voluntourism | UK | Reuters

Charity attacks gap-year voluntourism | UK | Reuters: "LONDON (Reuters) - Gap year students should go backpacking rather than waste time and money on 'spurious' voluntary work, an international development charity said on Tuesday. Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) said many 'voluntourism' trips to developing countries are expensive, poorly planned and unlikely to help local people."

Opinion | Private foundations: spotlight spurs sharper focus, less secrecy | Seattle Times Newspaper

Opinion | Private foundations: spotlight spurs sharper focus, less secrecy | Seattle Times Newspaper: "n the year since Warren Buffett announced his historic $30 billion commitment to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, philanthropists — and especially this country's largest charitable foundations — have found themselves under the spotlight to an unprecedented degree. With more than $500 billion in charitable assets and annual grants exceeding $40 billion to nonprofit organizations around the world, what are foundations, anyway? What kind of impact have they made — and might they make — on our most pressing social problems? Are they effective?"

Leadership group to aid nonprofits - News - inRich.com

Leadership group to aid nonprofits - News - inRich.com: "Are you part of a nonprofit in Richmond? Care to have help from local leaders on your upcoming project? Leadership Metro Richmond, a 13-year-old community-service organization that pulls leaders from all over local industry and government, is accepting applications for its annual series of community-action projects. Leadership Metro Richmond sets out every year to train about 60 local professionals on the issues and problems that affect the Richmond area."

Remembering Brooke Astor - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog

Remembering Brooke Astor - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog: "For nearly four decades, Mrs. Astor dominated the city’s social scene through her charm and generosity. Her philanthropy began after the 1959 death of her third husband, Vincent Astor, the heir to the fur and real estate fortune of John Jacob Astor. Vincent Astor left about $60 million to his wife and an equal amount for a foundation “for the alleviation of human suffering.”"

Board Café-Organizing the Board to Support the Revenue Strategy

From Board Cafe

Board Café: "Organizing the Board to Support the Revenue Strategy Board members often have a general sense of what the organization does, and a general sense of where the money comes from, but may have a hard time understanding the combination as a 'business strategy.' Yet every organization needs a basic strategy for obtaining funds, staff and volunteers—its 'strategy for sustainability.' Once we understand how we're getting money now, we can later discuss how we might want to change it. This month in the Board Café we’ll look at organizing a board around its current revenue strategy."

Dancing in the street, for charity

Dancing in the street, for charity: "More than 100 people paid $25 to tap dance in the Falmouth Shopping Center parking lot on Saturday. The Maine Tap Event, organized by the Maine State Ballet, raised about $3,000 to benefit the nonprofit Maine Foundation for Cardiac Surgery. Eliza Miller, a volunteer, said the funds will be used by the foundation to help pay to bring children from around the world to Maine for heart surgery that may be unavailable in their country."

Pulling their weight (and a plane) for charity | IndyStar.com

Pulling their weight (and a plane) for charity | IndyStar.com: "More than 700 people who participated on 40 teams in the 2007 FedEx Plane Pull Challenge raised at least $83,000 for Special Olympics Indiana, a record, organizers said."

Wanted: nonprofit leaders | csmonitor.com

Wanted: nonprofit leaders | csmonitor.com: "Wanted: nonprofit leaders Charities seek to deliver results – and fill top jobs. By Jane Lampman | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the August 13, 2007 edition

Beth Millas has a clear sense of direction, though she's been out of college only a year. 'I definitely aspire to be in senior leadership in a nonprofit organization,' says the young professional at Points of Light & Hands On Network in Washington. Her aim: to help build charities' capacity for 'effective societal change.' Ms. Millas is well on her way thanks to nonprofit management training during her college years in Missouri. After internships at United Way, Harvester (the biggest food bank in Kansas City), and as a fundraiser for the YMCA, she took her first job in Washington in June 2006. Recently, she was promoted to director of corporate relations for the country's largest volunteer network. Millas joins the nonprofit world at an exciting but particularly challenging time – and as the need for leaders is soaring."

Artistic nonprofits strive for tempo as leaders exit stage

Artistic nonprofits strive for tempo as leaders exit stage: "But the Armory is hardly an isolated example when it comes to local cultural organizations and the revolving door. Take Ballet Florida: With the departure this summer of Executive Director David Scotch, who was hired in 2006, the West Palm Beach dance company is undergoing its ninth such administrative transition since 1992."

M.B.A.s have big roles to play in nonprofits | Inquirer | 08/13/2007

M.B.A.s have big roles to play in nonprofits | Inquirer | 08/13/2007: "The new era of philanthropy needs more M.B.A.s and other private-sector professionals to run effective and efficient nonprofit organizations. With business-savvy leaders come essential tools - marketing, finance, accounting, operations and organizational leadership - that maximize philanthropists' 'social return on investment.' For example, two-thirds of nonprofits fail to measure the results of their marketing programs, according to a survey conducted by Nancy Schwartz & Co. Such basic management techniques lie at the core of an M.B.A. curriculum."

TCW: Venture Philanthropy is on the Rise, Reaches $75M in 2007

TCW: Venture Philanthropy is on the Rise, Reaches $75M in 2007: "Venture Philanthropy is on the Rise, Reaches $75M in 2007 By Sara Gambrill Venture philanthropy is a term coined in the past few years to describe the funding that disease foundations provide to biopharmaceutical companies to research potential drugs and therapies in their respective diseases. Investment by U.S. disease foundations in the biopharmaceutical industry this year will be about $75 million—10 times as much as its investment in 2000, according to CenterWatch estimates."

The NonProfitTimes - eNewsletter-Consumers Want More Charity-Corporate Links

The NonProfitTimes - eNewsletter: "Consumers Want More Charity-Corporate Links By Marla E. Nobles It's no secret that consumers and employees expect corporations to support a social issue or cause and to stand for something. Americans are actually looking at what the company's doing from not just a business standpoint, but from a cause standpoint as well."

Red Cross Faces Criticism Over Aid Program for Hurricane Victims

National

Red Cross Faces Criticism Over Aid Program for Hurricane Victims

By SHAILA DEWAN and STEPHANIE STROM

Published: August 10, 2007

A program intended to help Hurricane Katrina victims is too secretive and strict, say critics, and its money is too limited.

sonomanews.com-Volunteers build

sonomanews.com: "Last weekend about 100 volunteers participated in the installation of a state-of-the-art playground at the Sonoma Charter School"

CQ Homeland Security - Handling Post-Katrina Aid Often a Tricky Diplomatic Task

CQ Homeland Security - Handling Post-Katrina Aid Often a Tricky Diplomatic Task: "Handling Post-Katrina Aid Often a Tricky Diplomatic Task By Eileen Sullivan, CQ Staff Foreign countries and organizations came forward with more than 400 offers of assistance in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, ranging from cash to forensic experts to 3.5 tons of sardines. The federal government was berated for lacking a system in 2005 to efficiently process such donations, and specifically for not acting on more than $800 million pledged by the international community."

Copper thieves cause thousands in damage to Detroit charity - NewsFlash - mlive.com

Copper thieves cause thousands in damage to Detroit charity - NewsFlash - mlive.com: "A charity that feeds thousands of the city's poor each year temporarily is unable to accept fresh or frozen food after vandals destroyed cooling units while searching for copper.

Thieves broke into the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's Services Center on Detroit's east side between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning, destroying five heating and air conditioning units and two compressors, The Detroit News reported Wednesday."

Bloomberg.com: Muse-Arts Groups Await Funding Impact as `Earmarking' Is Scrutinized

Bloomberg.com: Muse: "Aug. 9 (Bloomberg) -- When the Museum of the Moving Image embarked on a $50 million fund-raising campaign to expand its Queens, New York, building last year, it turned to one prospective donor for the first time: the U.S. Congress.

Democratic Representative Carolyn Maloney, whose district includes the museum, responded by tucking a $150,000 grant into broader legislation -- the 2006 federal transportation spending bill. It's a time-honored practice known as ``earmarking.''"

The Most Charitable Companies - Forbes.com

Some additional stories on Corporate Giving

The Most Charitable Companies - Forbes.com: "New York -

Philanthropy was on the rise last year, thanks to increases in earnings in 2003. Since most companies budget their charitable donations on the basis of the previous year's profits, that would seem to bode well for giving this year, too."

Danville Register Bee | Push America bikes through Danville

Danville Register Bee | Push America bikes through Danville: "DANVILLE - Push America riders made their annual trek through Danville on Tuesday, hoping to raise awareness and money for various disabilities."

Newton Daily News

Newton Daily News: "Simon Estes and a group of reserved ticket holders met for lunch and conversation Friday afternoon at DMACC/Sodexho in Newton.

Estes dined and discussed his singing talents, career and philanthropic work which has spanned the globe for more than four decades."