Small Foundations Ratcheted Up Giving in 2011 - TheNonProfitTimes

Small Foundations Ratcheted Up Giving in 2011 - TheNonProfitTimes: Small to mid-size private foundations in general gave more than twice the 5 percent minimum distribution requirement, with the smallest foundations giving away significantly more during 2011.

Private foundations with less than $10 million in assets increased giving by 20.6 percent compared to 2010, whereas foundations with assets between $10 million and $50 million scaled back their giving by 7.8 percent from 2010.

The nation’s smallest foundations disbursed 58.4 percent of assets during 2011.

U.S. National Slavery Museum loses its tax-exempt status - The Washington Post

U.S. National Slavery Museum loses its tax-exempt status - The Washington Post: The national slavery museum former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder hopes to create can no longer receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.

On Wednesday, the IRS added the U.S. National Slavery Museum to the list of organizations that have had their federal tax-exempt status revoked.

Whatcom charity helps people give: Pass the Hat asks for $2 - no more, no less | Bellingham Herald - The News Tribune

Whatcom charity helps people give: Pass the Hat asks for $2 - no more, no less | Bellingham Herald - The News Tribune: Those who click to contribute on pass-the-hat.org pay $2 a month to help people in Whatcom County who have experienced a tragedy, such as a fire or a car crash, that creates a significant financial burden.

9 questions to ask about insurance arrangements - TheNonProfitTimes

9 questions to ask about insurance arrangements - TheNonProfitTimes: Nonprofits carry insurance as part of a risk management strategy. These plans help spread risk and protect balance sheets against large losses.

Before you sign your nonprofit up for an insurance plan, there are some questions to be answered. In her book “Good Counsel,” Lesley Rosenthal presents nine questions your legal counsel should ask about your nonprofit’s insurance arrangements:

Do We Really “Know” Our Corporate Donors And Prospects? | Fundraising for Nonprofits

Do We Really “Know” Our Corporate Donors And Prospects? | Fundraising for Nonprofits: Do We Really “Know” Our Corporate Donors And Prospects?

By Tony Poderis on February 7, 2012

We should (and usually do) work hard to make our best possible case for support to corporations … wanting them to know as much as possible about us. But an equally important issue is, “What do we know about them?”

PhilanTopic: NPO Job Openings (January 2012)

PhilanTopic: NPO Job Openings (January 2012): NPO Job Openings (January 2012)

The January job numbers seem to confirm the view of many that the U.S. economy, while still battling headwinds, is picking up steam. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 243,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were created in January, with large gains in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing.

Irwin Jacobs strives to make lives better | UTSanDiego.com

Irwin Jacobs strives to make lives better | UTSanDiego.com: He and his wife, Joan, graciously accepted the billionaire challenge from Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to pledge at least half of their considerable fortune to philanthropic causes. Well known are the La Jolla couple’s generous pledges to medical care, research, education and the arts. These include $120 million to the San Diego Symphony, a similar amount to UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering, $75 million to a specialty UCSD hospital, $30 million to the Salk Institute of Biological Studies. The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked them as the 22nd most generous U.S. donors in 2011, with gifts totaling $64.9 million last year alone.

Johns Hopkins lawsuit highlights questions about schools’ obligations to donors - The Washington Post

Johns Hopkins lawsuit highlights questions about schools’ obligations to donors - The Washington Post: It took two years to negotiate the deal. But in the end, her family says, Elizabeth Beall Banks, well known in Montgomery County for her opposition to development, sold the 138-acre parcel where she raised Black Angus cattle to Johns Hopkins University for one simple reason: She believed that officials shared her vision for what would become of her beloved farm.

Now, seven years after Banks’s death, her heirs have taken Hopkins to court, alleging that the university has violated the terms of the deal it made with Banks 23 years ago. University officials maintain that they are abiding by Banks’s wishes as outlined in the two-page agreement.

Johns Hopkins lawsuit highlights questions about schools’ obligations to donors - The Washington Post

Johns Hopkins lawsuit highlights questions about schools’ obligations to donors - The Washington Post: It took two years to negotiate the deal. But in the end, her family says, Elizabeth Beall Banks, well known in Montgomery County for her opposition to development, sold the 138-acre parcel where she raised Black Angus cattle to Johns Hopkins University for one simple reason: She believed that officials shared her vision for what would become of her beloved farm.

Now, seven years after Banks’s death, her heirs have taken Hopkins to court, alleging that the university has violated the terms of the deal it made with Banks 23 years ago. University officials maintain that they are abiding by Banks’s wishes as outlined in the two-page agreement.

Undetermined charity to receive $100,000 from TCU class | TCU 360 - with news and sports from the TCU Daily Skiff, TCU News Now and Image magazine

Undetermined charity to receive $100,000 from TCU class | TCU 360 - with news and sports from the TCU Daily Skiff, TCU News Now and Image magazine: A hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. There are many charities around Tarrant county in need of that money, and TCU students are in the process of deciding which one will receive it.

This is the second semester Ron Pitcock’s Nature of Giving class has been offered money to donate to charities. There are 25 students in his class who have the task of deciding how to divide up the money.

Calls swamp Bridgeport nonprofit after '60 Minutes' - NewsTimes

Calls swamp Bridgeport nonprofit after '60 Minutes' - NewsTimes: More than 350 calls had come in to The WorkPlace Inc., Monday morning after "60 Minutes" profiled the nonprofit's approach to helping the long-term unemployed find work again.

Product giving seen as good business | Philanthropy Journal

Product giving seen as good business | Philanthropy Journal: Companies can get a better return on investment by donating merchandise instead of liquidating or destroying it, a new study says.

Giving products to charities boosts corporate bottom lines, reduces waste in landfills, and provides relief for people in need, say The Business Case for Product Philanthropy by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Turnout steady at Komen charity race despite controversy

Turnout steady at Komen charity race despite controversy

Top endowments in state now exceed pre-recession levels | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Top endowments in state now exceed pre-recession levels | Richmond Times-Dispatch: Three Virginia universities with elite endowments have recovered from the recession, and Virginia Commonwealth University wants to join their billion-dollar ranks.

The public University of Virginia and the private University of Richmond and Washington and Lee University say their endowments exceed where they were before investments took a hit four years ago.

The market value of the University of Virginia's total investment pool rose from $4.4 billion to end fiscal 2011 at $5.34 billion, according to the University of Virginia Investment Management Co.

It's not what you tell them it's the way that you tell them... | Philanthropy UK

It's not what you tell them it's the way that you tell them... | Philanthropy UK: According to a leading economist, donors bombarded with fact and figures about impact may actually be less inclined to give.

Sir Howard Davies, former director of the London School of Economics and patron of Pro Bono Economics, made the claim to an audience of economists and charities in his lecture entitled ‘Why do people give their money away and how can we stop them acting so irrationally?’ at PricewaterhouseCooper’s London Bridge offices on February 7th.

A Receipt Is Not a Thank You: Online Donors vs Online Buyers

A Receipt Is Not a Thank You: Online Donors vs Online Buyers: So, why do nonprofits not worry about their online thank yous as much as their mailed thank yous? Why do thank you letters seem to warrant time and attention while the attitude toward online thank yous seems so nonchalant? This seems especially odd given that we also know that attrition for first time donors, especially online, is extremely high. Those donors are worth a lot, but only if we keep them.

Welcome | many helping hands 365

Welcome | many helping hands 365: We Are Many Helping Hands 365!

Welcome! This website is designed to make it easy for you to find ways to lend a hand and make a difference in the Cambridge (MA) community, and to help local nonprofit organizations make their volunteer needs known.

We encourage you to subscribe, so that you will know when new volunteer opportunities are posted.

You may also like us on Facebook and follow Many Helping Hands on Twitter (@MLKDayCambridge)

White House Explains Reasoning Behind Charitable Deduction Cap - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.

White House Explains Reasoning Behind Charitable Deduction Cap - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.: February 16, 2012; Source: White House Blog | The White House has heard from a number of charities expressing opposition to President Obama’s (fifth-time-around) proposal to cap charitable deductions at the 28 percent tax rate for individuals earning $200,000 or more (or households earning $250,000 or more). Although the charitable deduction would be the only major tax benefit exempted from elimination as part of the president’s proposed “Buffett rule” regarding the taxes of millionaires and billionaires, the value of the deduction would still be capped at 28 percent for the top two percent of income earners. Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the White House Office of Social Innovation, has posted on the White House blog to explain the elements of the president’s reasoning. Here they are, in paraphrased form:

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

Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: February 14, 2012, 2:16 pm
Valentines From the Nonprofit World

By Cody Switzer

We asked our followers on Twitter to share their best romantic messages in the language of nonprofits.

Below is a running list of some of the responses from the nonprofit world and the Chronicle staff. Join in and post using the hashtag #nonprofitvalentines.

6 steps for handling embezzlement - TheNonProfitTimes

6 steps for handling embezzlement - TheNonProfitTimes: Embezzlement and fraud have negative effects on all businesses, but they hit nonprofits especially hard given the nature of their finances.

Fundraising Roles, Responsibilities for Staff - Memphis Daily News

Fundraising Roles, Responsibilities for Staff - Memphis Daily News: art Four in a Five Part Series Have you heard this before: “We’ll hire the right person and they will raise the money”?

Hmm … if only fundraising were so simple. Here’s a short list of problems associated with this perspective. First, the board is ultimately responsible for fundraising and needs to be engaged at all times. Then there’s the issue of how to identify, hire, manage and retain experienced fundraisers. Let’s not forget the adage “people give to people,” which includes peer-to-peer fundraising.

Get Away From Your Desk And Remind Yourself WHY | Margaux Smith | 101fundraising

Get Away From Your Desk And Remind Yourself WHY | Margaux Smith | 101fundraising: That’s why last week, I was excited to get out of the office for a few hours and head south of the Thames to do a couple of interviews. I got to speak to two women who work for one of the UK’s leading medical charities, helping people to pick up the pieces and move on after being suddenly struck with a serious medical condition. By acting as a support system to their patients, aiding them with almost every aspect of their lives – sometimes for years as they recover, they are heroes to those they help.

Ray Charles Foundation Demands Gift Back as Arts Center Never Built - NPQ

Ray Charles Foundation Demands Gift Back as Arts Center Never Built - NPQ: Between 2001 and 2002, Ray Charles gave Albany State University in Georgia $3 million to build a performing arts center named after him. The celebrated artist never lived to see the center built, dying in 2004 at age 73. In fact, were Charles still alive today, he would still not see the center because it has never been built; and now the Ray Charles Foundation wants its money back.

True to your school: US college donations rise dramatically in 2011 | Education | guardian.co.uk

True to your school: US college donations rise dramatically in 2011 | Education | guardian.co.uk: True to your school: US college donations rise dramatically in 2011

Charitable giving to American universities was up to $30.3bn in 2011 – the second highest amount on record

• See America's top 20 fundraising universities (pdf)

Nonprofit’s giving portal aims to drive more donations to charities - The Washington Post

Nonprofit’s giving portal aims to drive more donations to charities - The Washington Post: The Catalogue for Philanthropy Greater Washington, an organization that connects local nonprofits with donors, has established a workplace giving portal which officials say they hope will help drive more corporate funding to charities.

College Giving Rebounded Last Year - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

College Giving Rebounded Last Year - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: After two lackluster years, donations to U.S. colleges and universities rose last year to an estimated $30.3-billion. That’s an 8.2-percent increase or 4.8 percent after inflation, according to a report by the Council for Aid to Education.

Weingart Foundation | Current E-Newsletter

Weingart Foundation | Current E-Newsletter: February News

Capacity-Building Planning Grant Award Announced
The Weingart Foundation is pleased to announce that the $100,000 planning grant for developing a comprehensive Capacity-Building Information Exchange has been awarded to a collaborative that includes Nonprofit Finance Fund, Center for Nonprofit Management and Taproot.

Assessing A Donor’s Legal Capacity - TheNonProfitTimes

Assessing A Donor’s Legal Capacity - TheNonProfitTimes: The nature of a charitable gift planner’s work is to come into regular contact with elderly donors. Along with this contact sometimes comes the question of whether the donor has the mental capability to make a gift.

In a presentation during the recent National Conference on Philanthropic Planning in San Antonio, Texas, Marcia Inger Navr�til and Laura Hansen Dean of The University of Texas at Austin discussed the issues that arise when a donor’s mental capacity becomes an issue.

massnonprofit.org ::

massnonprofit.org ::: ebruary 9, 2012 — Fifteen months after discovering that its executive director had embezzled funds, nearly forcing it to close, Boston Living Center, a nonprofit that helps people living with HIV/AIDS, announced that it will merge with Victory Programs, another Boston nonprofit that works with individuals and families facing homelessness, addiction, or other chronic illnesses.

The merger of Boston Living Center with Victory Programs on March 1, unanimously approved by both boards last month, was announced yesterday.

Could Philanthropic Equity Revolutionize the Nonprofit Sector?

Could Philanthropic Equity Revolutionize the Nonprofit Sector?: here is a fairly new concept in the nonprofit world that has the power to completely transform the sector. "Philanthropic equity" (or "growth capital") is just a fancy term for the money many nonprofit organizations desperately need.