India's 2% corporate philanthropy law a good idea? | Corporate Social Responsibility

India's 2% corporate philanthropy law a good idea? | Corporate Social Responsibility: "s it CSR if it is forced? Part of the idea behind corporate social responsibility efforts is that it is corporate, not a mandate or regulation. In the US corporate social responsibility has come to refer to efficiencies, products, campaigns and business methods that at minimum do not harm the public and at maximum introduce obvious public benefit- and critically, do so without being told to. Once the government tells corporations to do something, it falls out of the realm of CSR and into compliance."

Thrill The World: Halloween Comes Early for Charity - Technorati Entertainment

Thrill The World: Halloween Comes Early for Charity - Technorati Entertainment: "Yet its not all merely for fun. While data from the 2010 event is yet to be released, last year over $100,000 was raised in sponsorship for various charities and causes. In total, 80 charities and not-for-profit organizations benefited from the money and awareness raised."

Deals link stars, charities - The Boston Globe

Deals link stars, charities - The Boston Globe: "About 80 percent of Fortune magazine’s top 200 US companies have a “branded cause-related initiative’’ involving a charity, daSilva said. According to the IEG Sponsorship Report, an industry publication, corporate spending on cause marketing was projected to grow about 6.1 percent this year, to $1.61 billion"

Sweet charity

Sweet charity: "This week, a thousand students in an introduction to psychology class at Virginia Tech will receive PayDay candy bars in wrappers that say 'Pay-It-Forward.'"

Recession Driving Changes in Corporate Philanthropy - US News and World Report

Recession Driving Changes in Corporate Philanthropy - US News and World Report: "Recession Driving Changes in Corporate Philanthropy
Companies also looking to incorporate volunteerism into their corporate culture

By Joshua Kucera

Not long ago, corporate philanthropy didn't involve much more than writing a check to United Way or the local opera. Nowadays that's changing. Blame corporate shareholders for tightening the purse strings, or credit Barack Obama and an entire generation raised on public service. All are forcing companies to get creative, to focus on making more of a difference while spending less cash."

Signs of Growth as Nonprofits Push for Strong Year-End - Press - AFP

Signs of Growth as Nonprofits Push for Strong Year-End - Press - AFP: "Some Good Signs

The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving reports that overall revenue increased by 1.4 percent for the three months ending August 2010 as compared to the same period in 2009. This was a move back into positive territory from July's 4.5 percent decline. This trend is based on $2.2 billion in 12-month revenue accumulated from 1,364 nonprofit organizations."

Penny theft starts flood of donations

Penny theft starts flood of donations: "The theft of a 5-gallon water bottle filled with pennies and dollar bills, donated to the Santa Maria Natural History Museum, has turned into an unexpected payoff for the nonprofit organization."

Most in Carolinas still feel charitable - CharlotteObserver.com

Most in Carolinas still feel charitable - CharlotteObserver.com: "The Divineys are among a majority of Carolinians who say their charitable giving hasn't changed in the past year, and will likely remain the same next year, according to a new poll. The survey didn't ask their level of giving."

Tame These Grant Writing Myths

Tame These Grant Writing Myths: "No one ever said that rolling out a grant writing program is easy.

Unfortunately, many smaller nonprofits think that it is impossible and thereby pass up an inviting source of funding for their causes. I asked Pamela Grow, of Pamela's Grantwriting Blog, to debunk the myths surrounding grant writing and provide her expert advice about setting up a grant writing program."

Blackbaud Research on Online Giving � A. Fine Blog

Blackbaud Research on Online Giving � A. Fine Blog: "I was very pleased by the response from the attendees, but it’s not what stuck with me for the day. I attended a presentation later in the day by Blackbaud. Chuck Longfield, the company’s head of research gave a presentation on the state of fundraising on land and on line that the company gathers from it’s 24,000 nonprofit users (quite a data set!) Here is a link to the findings they were reporting on. I asked Chuck if he was seeing any trends in the behavior of donors whose entry point is online. Do they give less over time? Do they give once and never again? Are the size of their donations less than the ones given by donors who begin through an in person event or through direct mail?"

Nonprofit groups feeling economic pinch - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Nonprofit groups feeling economic pinch - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'It's tough to make long-term philanthropic commitments of seven or eight figures when you're not even sure about your income,' said Albert J. Novak, Jr., vice chancellor for institutional advancement at the University of Pittsburgh.

The amount of money Pitt raised from individuals, foundations and corporations dropped 14.2 percent in fiscal 2009 to about $109.8 million, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, an independent newsweekly."

IRS Updates, October 2010: Draft 2010 Forms 990 and 990-EZ and Last Workshops for the Year

IRS Updates, October 2010: Draft 2010 Forms 990 and 990-EZ and Last Workshops for the Year: "2010



IRS Updates, October 2010: Draft 2010 Forms 990 and 990-EZ and Last Workshops for the Year

Drafts of the 2010 core Form 990 and Form 990-EZ are available for review and comment,"

Against the Grain - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Against the Grain - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "How on earth does this relate to nonprofit boards?

The nonprofit board environment, much like soap operas, seems to distort the passage of time.

Many times I’ve asked board members how long they’ve been on the board. And they’ve shrugged and said they don’t remember exactly.

I’ve also asked board members if their boards conduct annual executive-director performance reviews. And the board member says of course. And when I ask when the last one happened, the answer turns out to be two years earlier."

News: Changing Course - Inside Higher Ed

News: Changing Course - Inside Higher Ed: "As a growing number of nonprofit colleges hire for-profit companies to lay tracks for their new online programs, academics generally have been the third rail. Technology and information systems are one thing, the colleges say; to outsource teaching and curriculum is quite another.

Now, two major e-learning companies have teamed up to disprove that truism. Blackboard and K12, Inc. announced last week that they will begin selling online remedial courses to community colleges beginning next year. The details will be hashed out over the next few months, but the basic outline is this: The companies will design the courses and provide the instructors from K12’s stable, and the colleges will offer the courses through their normal catalogs."

Our View: Charities thrive on optimism, generosity � Editorials � The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Our View: Charities thrive on optimism, generosity � Editorials � The Free Press, Mankato, MN: "t should be no surprise that the recession has brought a drop in charitable giving.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported this week that charitable donations in the United States went down 11 percent in 2009, the biggest drop in 20 years.

Against that backdrop, it is heartwarming to see some local charities optimistically forging ahead with major fund drives to expand and enhance their services."

Symbiotic Ways Private Foundations Use Community Foundations and Other Organizations | Planned Giving Design Center

Symbiotic Ways Private Foundations Use Community Foundations and Other Organizations | Planned Giving Design Center: "As philanthropic advisors, our job is to recommend the best method to meet our client's charitable objectives. If a direct gift is not appropriate, we generally begin to weigh the pros and cons of public foundations (i.e., community foundations or supporting organizations) and private foundations. All too often, the final recommendation tends to be one vehicle over the other when, in fact, using a combination of vehicles may be the perfect way to meet the client's needs. What follows are ten planning ideas, with accompanying case studies, that illustrate the synergies created by private foundations utilizing community foundations. Community foundations, in this context, will extend to religious foundations, colleges and universities, healthcare institutions, national donor advised funds or any nonprofit sponsoring donor advised funds."

Fundraising Well — October 2010

Fundraising Well — October 2010: "s Your Organization’s Constituent Information Being Shared?

It’s generally understood that information in your constituent database — especially data such as giving history and social security numbers, is private. But do you know what happens when a trustee, who happens to be in sales, calls your data entry staff and asks for a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of constituents within a specific ZIP code? Perhaps the data entry staff member wants to please the trustee, who is a major donor, and emails him a spreadsheet of 250 constituents from your database."

Millionaire club charts a new course for giving | StarTribune.com

Millionaire club charts a new course for giving | StarTribune.com: "Those early philanthropists took risks and changed with the times,'' he said later. 'We should, too.'

The club will continue recruiting Minnesota millionaires, much like Microsoft founder Bill Gates began doing with the world's billionaires this year. But it also wants to crank up its public profile, enlist younger leaders and prod its members to volunteer more with their chosen charities."

Gates' giving helps build United Way center in Alexandria

Gates' giving helps build United Way center in Alexandria: "But it is her name that graces a new $17 million conference and learning center at the Alexandria headquarters of United Way Worldwide. Her husband, Bill Gates Sr., and son, who founded Microsoft, were at the conference center's unveiling last Wednesday to talk about the status of philanthropy today and the creation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, considered the largest charitable foundation in the world."

Athletic department receives $5.5 million – The Maine Campus

Athletic department receives $5.5 million – The Maine Campus: "The Memorial Gym and Alfond Arena — the two primary athletic buildings at the University of Maine — received a $5.5 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation on Friday.

The seven-figure gift is the third largest philanthropy gift in the university’s history. It also increases the total amount of giving that the Alfond Foundation has bestowed upon UMaine to a"

LSE, Reliance Foundation to set up universities in India - The Economic Times

LSE, Reliance Foundation to set up universities in India - The Economic Times: "LONDON: The London School of Economics will collaborate with Reliance Foundation, run by the promoters of India's largest corporate house, for setting up world-class universities in the South-Asian nation.

Reliance Foundation is the philanthropy arm of Indian billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries group, while the LSE is one of the world's most reputed business schools."

Nonprofit Email Benchmarks in 2010 - eMarketing Essentials

Nonprofit Email Benchmarks in 2010 - eMarketing Essentials: "Nonprofit Email Benchmarks in 2010
Posted: Oct 15, 2010 by Naomi Hamilton | with no comments

I have just finished reading the 2010 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study. While focusing on U.S-based organisations, I thought it had some very interesting findings. I also thought it wasquite a relevant study to take a quick peek at as we head into the last quarter of the year.

Some of the key benchmarks from the study include:"

Open Community, the little book of big ideas for associations navigating the social web — SocialFish

Open Community, the little book of big ideas for associations navigating the social web — SocialFish: "Open Community

A little book of big ideas for associations navigating the social web

Available November 1, 2010

Written for the complicated and quirky world of associations and membership organizations, Open Community is about how associations can—and why they should—build community online. (Not to be confused with building a successful private social network. That’s just one small part of a really big picture.)"

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Charities Bet on Gambling to Make Up for Lost Donations

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Charities Bet on Gambling to Make Up for Lost Donations: "October 13, 2010; Source: The Daily Citizen | A growing number of Indiana nonprofits are betting there are better ways to raise money than relying on donations. According to the state's Gaming Commission, applications for charitable gaming licenses, which would allow nonprofits to collect money from games of chance"

Outreach Toolkit for Partner Use - Revocation of Small Tax-Exempt Organizations That Failed to File for Three Consecutive Years

Today's the day.

Outreach Toolkit for Partner Use - Revocation of Small Tax-Exempt Organizations That Failed to File for Three Consecutive Years: "Outreach Toolkit for Partner Use - Revocation of Small Tax-Exempt Organizations That Failed to File for Three Consecutive Years


IRS Exempt Organizations provides the following materials for use by stakeholder groups and others interested in helping small tax-exempt organizations qualify for one-time filing relief and retain their tax-exempt status. We encourage you to take advantage of these educational materials, and other materials that can be found on IRS.gov under Charities & Non-Profits, at www.irs.gov/thelist."

Copyright mark makes it easier to find royalty free works - The Inquirer

Copyright mark makes it easier to find royalty free works - The Inquirer: "Copyright mark makes it easier to find royalty free works
Tries to lower confusion
By Lawrence Latif
Tue Oct 12 2010, 12:41

NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION Creative Commons (CC) has announced its release of the Public Domain Mark (PDM), a way of distinguishing works that are free of known copyright.

CC said the PDM will 'increase the value of the public domain' by making those works that carry it easier to find over the Internet. It is being pitched to academics and artists to show that they are able to freely re-use the material without fear of triggering takedown notices or risking litigation."

Forms & Policies

Some forms and policies from Lakehead University

Forms & Policies: "Forms & Policies
1) Approval of Donation Solicitation"


__________________________
AFP members can also access a variety of material on Fundraising Policies on our website via our hot topic. (This requires member log in)
http://www.afpnet.org/bbtdetail.cfm?itemnumber=4287

Folk Festival crowd donates record $88,000 | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Folk Festival crowd donates record $88,000 | Richmond Times-Dispatch: "Organizers of the three-day festival in downtown Richmond announced yesterday that on-site bucket-brigade donations reached $88,000 -- $31,000 more from the previous year. This year's total is tops for the 3-year-old event as well as the National Folk Festival that preceded it for three years."

Wall St.'s Best Athletes Compete for Charity - NYTimes.com

Wall St.'s Best Athletes Compete for Charity - NYTimes.com: "More than 25 representatives of financial firms gathered at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Long Island on Sunday afternoon to compete in the Decathlon, a charity fund-raiser for Livestrong, the cancer foundation established by the cyclist Lance Armstrong."

Universities and colleges benefit from agreements with nonprofits that receive state capital funds | cleveland.com

Universities and colleges benefit from agreements with nonprofits that receive state capital funds | cleveland.com: "The so-called joint use agreements between nonprofit organizations and public universities have been arranged by legislators and approved by the Ohio Board of Regents for at least 20 years.

Nonprofits frequently work with legislators to secure state capital funds for buildings and equipment, said Claire Rosacco, vice president for government relations at Tri-C. Because of restrictions on the use of state bonds, which fund capital projects, a nonprofit agency must work with a designated state fiscal agent, such as a state college or university, to qualify."