Charles Feeney, a Onetime Billionaire, Takes the Giving Pledge - NYTimes.com

Charles Feeney, a Onetime Billionaire, Takes the Giving Pledge - NYTimes.com: "The Shy Philanthropist is most decidedly going public.

Charles F. Feeney, who made a fortune as co-founder of Duty Free Stores, has become the 59th signatory to the Giving Pledge, the project created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren E. Buffett to encourage the mega-rich to commit at least half their wealth to philanthropy."

Religious Groups Fight for Tax Deductions - News

Religious Groups Fight for Tax Deductions - News: "Many religious nonprofits, which supplement their budgets heavily with donations from wealthy donors, are concerned that reducing the tax write-offs for charitable donations will cause a decrease in giving, said Diana Aviv, the president and CEO of Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofit organizations.

'The question is, 'Do tax incentives work, do they stimulate more money than they cost?'' Aviv said, 'Experts estimate that this proposal could reduce charitable giving by $7 billion dollars.'"

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Op-Ed: The Meaning of Wisconsin for Nonprofits

OP/ED
The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Op-Ed: The Meaning of Wisconsin for Nonprofits: "Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s power play is bad news for the nonprofit sector, not just unions and the middle class.

That’s because more than anything else it is a power play. Walker’s rhetoric is that it’s all about balancing a budget, but that’s a ploy. To understand the impact on Wisconsin’s nonprofit community, one has to look longer term at the consequences of the governor’s power move."

Foundation Keeps Up With Times - News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Foundation Keeps Up With Times - News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register: "Although the foundation has given more than $5 million to groups working to improve the area since it was founded in 1972, these two grants are the largest awards the foundation has made through its discretionary funds in its entire history."

Paulette's Point of View

Paulette's Point of View: "The AFP International Conference is the largest gathering of fundraising professionals in the world, and has to represent the full spectrum of the profession while still being all about you and your particular needs. To that end, we’ve made a lot of changes this year to the conference—and all of them based on your feedback and comments.

We’ve created a more compact conference, with no more sessions on Wednesday and much more programming throughout the day on Sunday. Our general sessions are shorter and streamlined, focusing on broad themes and featuring multi-media presentations throughout, culminating with our big speakers such as President Clinton, Queen Latifah and Blake Mycoskie. Our educational sessions have been themed and refocused to emphasize the changes in the profession while still acknowledging time-tested and proven techniques."

What Mark Zuckerberg's Money Is Doing in Newark | Fast Company

What Mark Zuckerberg's Money Is Doing in Newark | Fast Company: "Fast Company wrote about what we (and many innovative thinkers) would do to fix public schools with $100 million (post your ideas below!). Now Newark's public schools, the recipients of that sum from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, are rolling out their true plan. 'We want to make Newark the centerpoint of education reform in the nation,' David Nachtweih, spokesperson for the Partnership for Education In Newark, tells Fast Company. Here's how they plan to do it."

Britain's Philanthropy Ambassador Pushes Effort to Elevate Giving Globally - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Britain's Philanthropy Ambassador Pushes Effort to Elevate Giving Globally - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Wanted: Leading philanthropists willing to give time and money to serve as philanthropy ambassadors for their home countries. Posts open everywhere but the United Kingdom.

Qualifications: Demonstrated ability to inspire others, a high political profile—but enough independence to work with officials of any political view. Stellar career in hands-on philanthropy, not just writing checks.

The call for such ambassadors came last week at a conference at New York University’s Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising."

Into the sunset - BizTimes

Into the sunset - BizTimes: "“Foundations like these play an even greater role in our community, which might not immediately be recognized,” said Julie Whelan Capell, board president of the Milwaukee chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and director of planning and development at The Planning Council for Health and Human Services. “Foundations like these can create a bigger agenda than individual donors sometimes can. They can push for things to happen on a broader basis because"

EDITORIAL: The generous sex | A study says women are more likely to give to charities

EDITORIAL: The generous sex | A study says women are more likely to give to charities: "EDITORIAL: The generous sex
A study says women are more likely to give to charities

Published: Friday, Feb 18, 2011 05:01AM

Pop quiz: You have just been assigned the job of raising a million dollars for a worthy charity that helps needy children. You have only a short time to get the job done and need to focus your efforts, and you have a choice between two mailing lists: one consisting exclusively of women, and the other of men.

Which list do you choose?

According to a recent study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the University of Indiana, the smart choice would be the women."

FSU has the Largest Student Run Philanthropy in the Southeast

FSU has the Largest Student Run Philanthropy in the Southeast: "The 16th Annual Dance Marathon wrapped up Sunday and raised approximately $486,927.30.

The money is raised for Children's Miracle Network Hospital, Shand's Children's Hospital and the FSU College of Medicine Pediatric Outreach Program.


The Dance Marathon reached an all time high with over 3,500 student participants."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Texas Philanthropist: Our Contributions Can Not Replace Public Funding

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Texas Philanthropist: Our Contributions Can Not Replace Public Funding: "According to Janet Harmon of the KDK Harmon Foundation of Austin, last week Texas grantmakers who support public education took a field trip to the Statehouse to talk with legislators. It was the first time they had ever done so, although they have been involved in public private partnership efforts for some time. They spent some time listening to lawmakers and finance experts apparently, but they also had a message to send – 'don’t depend on philanthropy to replace public money!'"

Daniel Rubin: Experts on nonprofits explain mailings game | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/17/2011

Daniel Rubin: Experts on nonprofits explain mailings game | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/17/2011: "Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog in Chicago, said one way for people to protect themselves from solicitations was to be more proactive.

'The number-one reason people in America give is because they're asked,' he said. 'If people would research charities they want to give to on their own, there wouldn't be as much soliciting.'

Rather than spreading the love, benefactors should consider making fewer but larger contributions."

Don't Miss the Opportunity to Strengthen Your Organization through Legacy Giving

Don't Miss the Opportunity to Strengthen Your Organization through Legacy Giving: "Legacy Giving—A Major Growth Opportunity

Nearly 70 percent of Americans make gifts to charity during their lifetime, yet fewer than 10 percent create legacy gifts. Why are people generous in supporting nonprofits during life but make no provision for them at death? Most have never been asked to do so!

Though we are in the midst of a significant generational transfer of wealth, organizations are not seizing the opportunity to talk with their supporters about the impact legacy giving can have on their mission-based goals.

Legacy gifts can enable organizations to achieve long-term financial stability and sustainability. Studies show that legacy giving offers a powerful means to enhance and diversify a charity's fundraising efforts because:

* It's a revenue source that typically increases during tough economic times.
* Almost everyone has the ability to create a legacy gift.
* For most people, it's the largest gift they can make.
* Investing in legacy giving efforts has a high rate of return.
* Legacy donors make larger annual gifts than non-legacy donors.
* There are many forms of legacy gifts that are very easy to create"

Nevada Court Says Donor-Advised Funds Can Ignore Donor Advice - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Nevada Court Says Donor-Advised Funds Can Ignore Donor Advice - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "The Nevada Supreme Court last week decided in favor of a donor-advised fund that was sued by a client for going against his wishes on spending his contributions, Dow Jones Adviser reports."

PHILANTHROPER - Association Bisnow - Washington

PHILANTHROPER - Association Bisnow - Washington: "Philanthroper

Instead of offering half off manicures or Malaysian cuisine, a new Groupon-style site is raising money for small non-profits. Philanthroper, which features a new non-profit every day, aims to get people in the habit of giving with $1 donations."

Stop Giving Donors What You Think They Want - Dan Pallotta - Harvard Business Review

Stop Giving Donors What You Think They Want - Dan Pallotta - Harvard Business Review: "Most donors don't know what they really want because they haven't had time to think about it. Those of us who lead philanthropy and humanitarian organizations have a duty to share our expertise with them and to do it in a way that engages them. We have a duty to lead, not to follow. Imagine if your dentist let your teeth rot because she didn't want to tell you that you needed a root canal because she knew it wasn't what you wanted to hear."

Wexner, Limited foundation to give OSU $100 million | The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State University is about to receive the largest gift in its history.

Leslie H. Wexner, his wife and the foundation of the company he founded will donate $100 million to the university in what OSU President E. Gordon Gee calls "a transformative moment" for the school.

Wexner, Limited foundation to give OSU $100 million | The Columbus Dispatch

Wexner, Limited foundation to give OSU $100 million | The Columbus Dispatch

Wexner, Limited foundation to give OSU $100 million | The Columbus Dispatch: "Ohio State University is about to receive the largest gift in its history.

Leslie H. Wexner, his wife and the foundation of the company he founded will donate $100 million to the university in what OSU President E. Gordon Gee calls 'a transformative moment' for the school."

Study shows that athletic success, media hype negatively impact academic donations - Oregon Daily Emerald - News

Study shows that athletic success, media hype negatively impact academic donations - Oregon Daily Emerald - News: "Over the past decade, outright donations for the University's current operations routed to athletics have increased threefold, while similar gifts to academic divisions have seen barely any growth.

According to data retrieved from the Council for Aid to Education, a New York City-based nonprofit established to conduct higher education policy research, the University's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics received $5.6 million worth of outright donations in 2000, increasing more than 200 percent to $18.1 million in 2010. Donations to academic divisions during the same time period increased less than 12 percent from $4.3 million in 2000 to $4.9 million in 2010."

Is Your Nonprofit Mission Statement Analog or Digital?

Is Your Nonprofit Mission Statement Analog or Digital?: "We all seem to agree that mission statements need to change. Like our old analog TV that needs to be replaced with a sleek, up-to-date digital model, our clunky mission statements need to be traded in for sleek, jargon-free, concise, hard-hitting ones suitable for a digital, wired, and fast-moving world."

Donations to Tennessee colleges seesaw | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

Donations to Tennessee colleges seesaw | The Tennessean | tennessean.com: "In a bad economy, colleges need every penny they can raise. But nothing makes it harder to raise money than a bad economy.

Even so, Tennessee colleges and universities received hundreds of millions of dollars worth of donations in 2010. That's money the schools rely on for everything from scholarships to building projects."

Filling the gap | The Cavalier Daily

Filling the gap | The Cavalier Daily: "The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported Sunday that in 2010 nearly half of the donations of $5 million or more made by the nation’s 50 most prolific donors went to institutions of higher education. This reflected a reality that has become increasingly evident at the University in recent years. With public funding of higher education dwindling — the share of the University’s Academic Division operating budget covered by the state declined from 15.8 percent during the 2002-03 academic year to only 10.3 percent this year — private philanthropy has become a crucial source of support for large-scale projects."

San Francisco Spelling Bee for Cheaters fundraiser

San Francisco Spelling Bee for Cheaters fundraiser: "Why have 826 Valencia, a nonprofit dedicated to helping students with their writing skills, the highbrow City Arts & Lectures and the 'Putnam County Spelling Bee' colluded to promote cheating on spelling, especially at a time when cheating is the norm, thanks to the ubiquity of spell-check programs"

Tax Law Now Provides Certainty, but for Only Two Years - NYTimes.com

Tax Law Now Provides Certainty, but for Only Two Years - NYTimes.com: "he tax law enacted in December included a variety of income, gift and estate tax breaks for people with significant incomes and net worth, along with some potential traps.

Over all, Mr. Septimus said, people with less than $10 million need to refocus their estate plans, moving from tax avoidance toward flexible plans for the distribution, protection and management of their assets no matter how Congress tinkers with the tax laws."

Charities Stand to Benefit in Continuation of Tax Cuts - NYTimes.com

Charities Stand to Benefit in Continuation of Tax Cuts - NYTimes.com: "ALTHOUGH many critics have denounced the tax deal reached in December by Congressional leaders and the Obama administration as tax cuts for the rich, personal wealth advisers who specialize in philanthropy also foresee benefits for charities."

Mayor Bloomberg's $279 million in charitable giving last year was second in the nation - NYPOST.com

Mayor Bloomberg's $279 million in charitable giving last year was second in the nation - NYPOST.com: "While many leading philanthropists were pulling back last year, Mayor Bloomberg was stepping up his giving to become the No. 2 contributor to charities in the United States.

Figures compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy show the mayor donated $279.2 million to 970 non-profit groups in 2010, up from $254 million in 2009."

massnonprofit.org ::

massnonprofit.org ::: "February 8, 2011 — Watertown-based Catalogue for Philanthropy today announced it will launch the Massachusetts Philanthropic Directory, the nation's first complete, systematic, statewide directory of charities, an effort aimed at raising philanthropy “to a new level.”"

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | What Denominations Take Tithing Most Seriously?

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | What Denominations Take Tithing Most Seriously?: "January 31, 2011; Source:Christianity Today | How much of your income do you devote to charitable giving? According to emptytomb.org, Christians donated 2.43 percent of their income in 2008, down from 2.57 percent in 2007. Evangelicals give an estimated 4 percent. Those are solid proportions compared to all Americans, but less than a 10 percent tithe."

Donors trimmed charitable giving in 2010 - USATODAY.com

Donors trimmed charitable giving in 2010 - USATODAY.com: "In 2010, the most generous donors in America gave $3.3 billion to charity, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Slate magazine's report out today.

That is the lowest amount since the Chronicle began tracking donors in 2000."

Local Rowers to Attempt World Record and Raise Funds in Sarasota on Sunday - The Bradenton Times - Free News for Bradenton, FL and Manatee County

Local Rowers to Attempt World Record and Raise Funds in Sarasota on Sunday - The Bradenton Times - Free News for Bradenton, FL and Manatee County: "SARASOTA--Sarasota Crew will hold its fourth annual Ergathon Fundraiser in front of Whole Foods Market, downtown Sarasota on Sunday, February 6th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sarasota Crew’s One hundred and eighty team members will be attempting to break three Guinness World Records while Erging on stationary rowing machines to raise money for equipment and scholarships."