The Street Value of Outcomes Measurement and Best Practices for Nonprofits by Kathryn Engelhardt-Cronk of CTK | Community Techknowledge

From the CTK guest blog
The Street Value of Outcomes Measurement and Best Practices for Nonprofits by Kathryn Engelhardt-Cronk of CTK | Community Techknowledge: Fast forward 30 years, and nonprofits are awash in a vast new lexicon representing the advent of technology as a business requirement. Outcome modeling, asset mapping, and impact measurement are at the forefront of our new nonprofit thinking. Gone are the days of counting outputs, telling an inspiring story to open checkbooks, and mission passion as the be-all and end-all of nonprofit motivation.

Portland introduces new diversity goals for local arts and culture groups seeking public funds | OregonLive.com

Portland introduces new diversity goals for local arts and culture groups seeking public funds | OregonLive.com: Specifically, arts groups will be asked to increase the ethnic makeup of their staff, boards and contractors. Their audiences, too, may become more diverse through marketing and outreach. Organizations will also be expected to spend more of their budget -- 30 percent being the ideal -- on communities of color. The figure is based on the percentage of city of Portland residents who are not white, taken from studies of Multnomah County done by the Coalition of Communities of Color.

Burnout in the non-profit sector � Minding the Workplace

Burnout in the non-profit sector � Minding the Workplace: Non-profits generally

It strikes me that Bader’s excellent commentary applies to the non-profit sector generally. I don’t necessarily equate “non-profit” with progressive political leanings, but I definitely see the connections between non-profits and dedication to cause-oriented work.

Software to Support Program Evaluation by Laura Quinn of Idealware | Community Techknowledge

Software to Support Program Evaluation by Laura Quinn of Idealware | Community Techknowledge: Defining Your Evaluation Process

Program evaluation is not primarily a technology issue. Software can help you track and analyze the data you’ll need, but in order to make any meaningful conclusions, you need to first carefully identify certain things. What are you trying to accomplish? How can it be effectively measured? Which data points will you actually use, and what will be most helpful in truly understanding what’s working? No matter how powerful it is, software can’t help with evaluation until you’ve defined the process that will be most effective for your organization.

Cargill Heiress Leaves $6 Billion to Support Art, Animal Rights - Businessweek

Cargill Heiress Leaves $6 Billion to Support Art, Animal Rights - Businessweek: Cargill Heiress Leaves $6 Billion to Support Art, Animal Rights

New Report on California Foundations | The Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy

New Report on California Foundations | The Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy: New Report on California Foundations

A new report conducted by The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy shows philanthropic giving by California's foundations jumped from $2.8 billion to $6 billion over the past decade despite two economic recessions during that period. California's growth in the foundation sector continues to outpace the nation in all areas studied - the total number of foundations, their assets and total giving.

Charities Aid Foundation of America Press Release.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Press Release
Ted Hart appointed New CEO of Charities Aid Foundation of America
Aims to Make Unique Organization US Leader in International Philanthropy
Today, Charities Aid Foundation of America announced that Ted Hart will join as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) starting March 1, 2012. Charities Aid Foundation of America is a leader in global philanthropy, connecting a multitude of American donors to overseas humanitarian and charitable causes, so that anyone can make a significant difference internationally.
Charities Aid Foundation of America Press Release.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Philabundance Takes on “Food Desert” in Chester, Penn. - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.

Philabundance Takes on “Food Desert” in Chester, Penn. - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.: n Chester, the plan to establish a new grocery is nonprofit from start to finish. The nonprofit emergency food aid group Philabundance has purchased a vacant building that hosted the last supermarket in the city before it closed in 2001. Philabundance plans to open a 13,000 square foot “Fare and Square” grocery there in about a year’s time.

Q&A: Maxim Thorne ’89 LAW ’92 | Cross Campus | Yale Daily News

Q&A: Maxim Thorne ’89 LAW ’92 | Cross Campus | Yale Daily News: Maxim Thorne ’89 LAW ’92, teaches the Yale College seminar “Philanthropy In Action.” The buzz behind the class began when those who chose it learned they’d have the chance to donate $100,000, a grant from the Once Upon A Time Foundation. Thorne is a senior vice president of the NAACP, worked extensively on the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, and has written for the Huffington Post.

The Benefits of Converting Donors to Monthly Giving

The Benefits of Converting Donors to Monthly Giving: What are the benefits of converting donors to monthly giving?
Cynthia's response:

Donors who opt for monthly giving demonstrate a strong commitment to their favourite causes. Not only do they provide regular, predictable income, they are the most likely constituents to leave a legacy to their charities of choice.

Sometimes referred to as "sustainers" or "recurring donors" this method of fundraising got its start in child sponsorship programs. I still remember writing to my "foster siblings" in faraway lands almost fifty years ago, generously supported by my caring parents. Monthly giving programs have come a long way since those early days and yet the principles remain the same. What kept our family engaged in the Foster Parents Plan? It was the translated, handwritten notes on onionskin accompanied by photographs that marked the healthy growth of our chosen sponsor children.

The unexpected challenges and benefits of building a business plan - Civil Society - Governance - Blogs - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

The unexpected challenges and benefits of building a business plan - Civil Society - Governance - Blogs - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: In last month’s blog I wrote about my new focus on developing our charity’s organisational capacity and the varied work this is entailing. Since then, I’ve been working on the one thing that ties all of this wide-ranging work together: creating our business plan.

Although I was familiar with the term “business plan” before we started the process, this is the first time I’ve ever been involved in creating one.

The business plan encapsulates pretty much everything about our charity. From articulating what we do and how we manage ourselves, to describing how we plan to build upon identified opportunities and tackle weaknesses - the business plan covers it all.

Our IRS Is Helping You - Tony Martignetti

Our IRS Is Helping You - Tony Martignetti

The #1 Reason You Need a Recurring Giving Program and 3 Expert Examples | NetWitsThinkTank.com

The #1 Reason You Need a Recurring Giving Program and 3 Expert Examples | NetWitsThinkTank.com: What’s the #1 Reason you need a recurring giving program, you ask? Let’s take a look.

The lifetime value of an online acquired donor is roughly $128 dollars to your organization.

As Charity and Fraud Move Online, Survey Finds Canadian Millennials are Cavalier with Personal Info - Press Release - Digital Journal

Press Release

As Charity and Fraud Move Online, Survey Finds Canadian Millennials are Cavalier with Personal Info - Press Release - Digital Journal: TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2012 /CNW/ - A new survey commissioned by CanadaHelps.org and Capital One Canada, as part of Fraud Awareness Month, found that 45% of millennials (aged 18-34 years) are taking no steps to ensure a charity is legitimate before making a donation, and more than half (52%) are spontaneous, "on the fly" donors. This kind of behaviour puts millenials at risk for fraud because they are casually handing over their hard-earned money and personal information with little to no planning or due diligence.

Government Grants for Nonprofit Organizations - 8 Ways to Compete

Government Grants for Nonprofit Organizations - 8 Ways to Compete: Competition for all grants has intensified significantly since the recession began in 2009. And by the time government grant competitions are announced, deadlines are generally just four to eight weeks away. That doesn't give you the time you need to develop a competitive grant proposal. So before you spend 80 to 100 hours of your precious time writing a grant application for government funding, consider if your nonprofit is positioned for success.

Tips For Winning Back Your Lapsed Donors - TheNonProfitTimes

Tips For Winning Back Your Lapsed Donors - TheNonProfitTimes: Winning back lapsed donors is critical to an organization's growth. The long-term value of a recaptured donor is usually better than that of a new donor. In addition, the cost to recapture a lapsed donor is less than the cost to acquire a new donor.

Prior to lapsing, these individuals were committed donors and might have supported your organization for an extended period. Circumstances that caused a change in their behavior could no longer be an issue, and therefore, understanding why they lapsed will help you develop a strong program focused on recapturing their loyalty.

Nonprofit Finance Fund Awarded Tax Credit Allocation - TheNonProfitTimes: The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) announced today that it was awarded a $40 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation (NMTC) to support community development projects in low-income areas across the country.

NMTC programs, established by Congress in 2000, provide incentives for investments in traditionally hard-to-finance projects, mostly in low-income areas.

Komen Fund's Attempt to Reassure Donors Stumbles, Experts Say - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Komen Fund's Attempt to Reassure Donors Stumbles, Experts Say - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Komen Fund’s Attempt to Reassure Donors Stumbles, Experts Say

February 24, 2012, 6:10 pm

By Holly Hall

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is conducting a poll to learn more about the best ways to apologize for the furor it aroused a few weeks ago when it cut off support for Planned Parenthood, then reinstated it after sustaining days of protest from angry donors and others.

Nonprofit experts say the poll may well do the opposite of what Komen wants to do—soothe donor anger—and offers a lesson to other nonprofits on what not to do when it comes to managing an image problem.

Brenda Hunt: Philanthropic groups vital to economic health | The Enquirer | battlecreekenquirer.com

Brenda Hunt: Philanthropic groups vital to economic health | The Enquirer | battlecreekenquirer.com: Does the philanthropic community have a role to play in economic development? It would be impossible to have economic development without philanthropy. One ignites the other, in an ever-expanding cycle. Philanthropy is what helps make our community a desirable place to live and, like a magnet, draws development. People loving where they live is the greatest impact we can have as a philanthropic institution.

Donors coming back – with thinner wallets - Business Courier

Donors coming back – with thinner wallets - Business Courier: t’s a good news/bad news story for nonprofit groups in their efforts to raise money.

First, the good: Giving appears to be ticking up. It rose nationally 7.5 percent last year, according to Dallas-based philanthropic research firm Atlas of Giving . But it expects growth in giving this year to slow to just a 3.9 percent increase.

Red Cross reorganizes - KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports

Red Cross reorganizes - KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports: Amarillo, Texas - From a nationwide reorganization, to a whole new staff at the Amarillo chapter, the Red Cross is making major changes in an effort to bring more transparency to their operations.

After last year's February wildfire donation debacle, some people remain skeptical about contributing to the organization.

But a new system will provide more clarity to donors on where exactly their money is going and will be more helpful to those in need.

William Daroff: Now Is Not the Time to Discourage Charitable Giving

William Daroff: Now Is Not the Time to Discourage Charitable Giving: I was hopeful that the new White House budget released last week would be more friendly to charities and charitable tax deductions than the proposed budgets in past years. Yet I was once again disappointed. Fortunately, thanks to the overwhelming number of Members of Congress from both parties who understand the critical importance the tax code plays in incentivizing charitable contributions, it is unlikely that the proposal will become law.

Multiplication Philanthropy - Dan Pallotta - Harvard Business Review

Multiplication Philanthropy - Dan Pallotta - Harvard Business Review: The cutting edge is investment in fundraising. Yet everyone tries to suppress it, invoking a flawed theory of social change that says the less you spend on fundraising, the more you have for programs. That's true if it's a zero sum game. But it's not. Imagine a $10 million pie with $8 million going to programs and with the 20% fundraising slice taking $2 million away from programs. The last thing we want to do is make that a $3 million slice, leaving only $7 million for programs. But that's not how it works. If done correctly, the extra million enlarges the pie — substantially. A $10 million pie becomes a $15 million pie, and the $7 million available for programs grows to $12 million.

keeping a close eye... by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Where Do Environmental Grant Dollars Go?

keeping a close eye... by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Where Do Environmental Grant Dollars Go?: In NCRP’s latest report Cultivating the Grassroots: A Winning Approach for Environment and Climate Funders, author Sarah Hansen contends that environment and climate funders can be more effective and secure more policy wins by investing heavily in grassroots communities that are disproportionately impacted by environment and climate harms.

Sharing Nonprofit Collaboration Knowledge and Experience | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Sharing Nonprofit Collaboration Knowledge and Experience | Stanford Social Innovation Review: One of the best outcomes of the Lodestar Foundation’s Collaboration Prize (a competition to identify the best nonprofit collaboration) is the Nonprofit Collaboration Database, a searchable database of nonprofit collaboration models in the US that were submitted through the competition. There are currently 670 collaboration examples in the database, which was recently upgraded and is now housed on the Foundation Center’s website. I spoke with Cynthia Bailie, director of the Foundation Center’s Cleveland office and of Special Information Initiatives, about the improvements to the database. Cynthia explained that the Foundation Center had two goals for the upgrade: 1) to encourage community dialogue and share knowledge around nonprofit collaboration; and 2) to allow nonprofits from anywhere in the world to submit their collaboration stories to a growing collection of models.

How Government Should Help Philanthropy: The Council on Foundations Perspective - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.

How Government Should Help Philanthropy: The Council on Foundations Perspective - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active an engaged democracy.: In any case, realizing that this lack of knowledge and some skepticism about philanthropy exists among legislators, Schulz has begun to shift the Council’s approach to Congress, from presenting one-sided issue papers to position papers that show not only the council’s position but also what “detractors” say in opposition.

And unsurprisingly, COF is largely focused on tax proposals this year. The proposal to flatten the private foundation excise tax, currently a confusing two-tiered tax that most foundation and nonprofit policy people think should be simplified to something in the one percent range, not only gets endorsed broadly within the nonprofit sector, but usually in the federal budget proposals of successive presidents.

Local News | Elks lodges are hot again in Seattle | Seattle Times Newspaper

raLocal News | Elks lodges are hot again in Seattle | Seattle Times Newspaper: Just a year ago, the sight of 20- and 30-somethings inside Seattle's Elks lodges — places long known for secret meetings, bingo games and square dancing — was fairly uncommon. Membership in fraternal clubs across the nation has been plummeting for decades.

Top 20 fundraising universities - CBS News

Top 20 fundraising universities - CBS News: The 20 schools that enjoyed the largest charitable windfalls received 27.2 percent of all of the contributions people made to colleges and universities in 2011. That's mind boggling considering that these schools represent only 2 percent of the 1,009 institutions surveyed. Here is another fact that illustrates just how lopsided higher-ed giving is: 25 percent of the institutions attracted 86 percent of the donations.

In contrast, the bottom half of institutions, in terms of donations, attracted a mere 4.5 percent of charitable contributions.

Charity Donates $1.5M to Philly Schools | NBC 10 Philadelphia

Charity Donates $1.5M to Philly Schools | NBC 10 Philadelphia: The William Penn Foundation has promised $1.5 million to the city's deficit-ridden schools and its president says he'll help the district solicit money from other private donors.

The AFP Blog: Add it all together with the newer generations’ interest in engagement and philanthropy, and I think we’ll see a lot of young people join the profession over the coming years. That’s why we created the Young Professional category, and the influx will help keep the profession vibrant with new energy and perspective.