No Time to Research Nonprofits? The Giving Library Has Done It for You

No Time to Research Nonprofits? The Giving Library Has Done It for You: The Laura and John Arnold Foundation last week released an online library with information about hundreds of American nonprofit organizations to help donors explore giving opportunities in one place and make informed decisions.

The new Giving Library also allows philanthropists to communicate directly with participating nonprofits through the library’s Connection Center.

How to Share Bad News with Your Supporters and Keep Your Choir�Engaged - Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media -

How to Share Bad News with Your Supporters and Keep Your Choir�Engaged - Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media -: You look forward to sharing victories with your community. Who wouldn’t? A big win offers a jolt of enthusiasm and shows that your hard work is paying off.

As any seasoned campaigners know though, advocacy work isn’t always smooth sailing. You are bound to hit patches of rough water. The way you address these challenges and how you share bad news with your community are critical to the long-term health and strength of your movement.

Charity Works: A match made in a recession - The Washington Post

Charity Works: A match made in a recession - The Washington Post: It was a marriage born during the Great Recession. Until then, both nonprofits were too engulfed in their own passions to entertain thoughts of companionship. Then the markets dropped and the plausibility of a union rose. Timing was everything.

Nearly one year since the vows, two nonprofit darlings of the District — N Street Village and Miriam’s House —are calling their merger a success.

Jay Leno sells Fiat 500 for charity; raises $350,000 for wounded soldiers - National Celebrity Headlines | Examiner.com

Jay Leno sells Fiat 500 for charity; raises $350,000 for wounded soldiers - National Celebrity Headlines | Examiner.com: Jay Leno definitely brought much needed funding to the men and women of the armed forces who are looking to get treatment for their wounds. The entertainer sold his special 2012 Prima Edizione Fiat 500, the second one imported to the U.S. by Chrysler, for ten times the asking price at a charity auction on Saturday night. The auction house listed the car at $35,000 but since it was for charity the final offer was ten times the asking price.

ASAE's Dallas attendance highest since 2007 - Dallas Business Journal

ASAE's Dallas attendance highest since 2007 - Dallas Business Journal: “Dallas did an excellent job hosting our event, and our members’ noticed the effort and hospitality. They returned home with fantastic experiences and learned more about what Dallas has to offer,” ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham said in a statement.

During the conference, ASAE attendees raised $61,442 for the North Texas Food Bank.

Sotheby’s Auctions Brooke Astor’s Treasures - NYTimes.com

Sotheby’s Auctions Brooke Astor’s Treasures - NYTimes.com: Five years later, after a corrosive battle over her $130 million estate, Sotheby’s will auction 901 lots of furnishings, decorative art, fine art and jewelry on Sept. 24 and 25, to support causes Mrs. Astor championed during her life, like the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Historic Hudson Valley and the Animal Medical Center.

Seth's Blog: In Defense of Raising Money: a Manifesto for NonProfit CEOs

Seth's Blog: In Defense of Raising Money: a Manifesto for NonProfit CEOs: In Defense of Raising Money: a Manifesto for NonProfit CEOs

I wish I had written this. Sasha did. Check him out.

I’m sick of apologizing for being in charge of raising money.

I work at a great nonprofit organization (1) that is doing great things in the world, one that’s attacking daunting problems in a powerful new way. I believe in what we do, and think that we may be catalyzing a shift in how the world fights poverty.

Nonprofit Inquiry Reignites Debate on Fundraising Costs - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Nonprofit Inquiry Reignites Debate on Fundraising Costs - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Despite their different missions, the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, a veterans charity, and SPCA International, an animal charity, have a lot in common.

They have both received F’s from CharityWatch, the charity-ratings group, because most of the money they raise from the public pays for direct-mail operations.

Can We Meet? How to Respond When Donors Resist Meeting with You

Can We Meet? How to Respond When Donors Resist Meeting with You: Sooner or later you'll have this experience.

After a few words of explanation—"Hi Leroy, this is Andy Robinson. I'm following up on the letter I sent about our fall fundraising campaign"—the person on the other end of the phone will say, "Sure, Andy, I'd love to get together. When's a good time for you?"

But until that day you must learn how to respond to the most common telephone objections when trying to schedule an appointment with your prospect.

Acronym: Digital Event Engagement Manager: A New Role for Association Pros

Acronym: Digital Event Engagement Manager: A New Role for Association Pros: At any rate, that's how I came to attend the Learning Lab "The Strategic Impact of Digital Events on Meetings," even though I'm not a meeting planner (currently; in past jobs I have done meeting management). As luck would have it, the session felt a lot like a social media session—a lot of talk about traditional versus new, with face-to-face meetings being the gold standard (like traditional communication media) and virtual or hybrid events the shiny new thing (like social media).

Girl Scouts’ CEO set to retire amid growth � Philanthropy North Carolina

Girl Scouts’ CEO set to retire amid growth � Philanthropy North Carolina: Now, as Mitchell Sinclair prepares to retire from the Scouts on Jan. 31, 2013, the Council is sponsoring a series of events and raising money as part of a $1 billion “To Get Her There” campaign by Girl Scouts USA for its 100th anniversary this year to boost equal representation of women in public and professional life over the next generation.

Many Foundations Haven’t Discussed Atlantic-Style Spend-Down - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.

Many Foundations Haven’t Discussed Atlantic-Style Spend-Down - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.: A recent New York Times profile of Atlantic Philanthropies founder Charles F. Feeney provides a glimpse of the mindset of a philanthropic leader who is set to close—in five years—one of the largest granting organizations in the U.S. Whether or not Feeney’s (age 81) high level of engagement in his organization’s spend down is or is not reflective of a broa

Georgia Tech Helps Nonprofits Master Logistics

Georgia Tech Helps Nonprofits Master Logistics: A new certificate program at Georgia Tech is teaching health and humanitarian organizations how to better manage and move their supplies.

The idea is to help humanitarian groups better plan inventories of supplies, forecast needs and then efficiently move those supplies where they’re needed.

TU to offer course in philanthropy | Tulsa World

TU to offer course in philanthropy | Tulsa World: he response was an offer to create an elective course this fall as part of its entrepreneurial certificate. Haney agreed, though teaching college students will be a first for him.

"It's almost inconceivable that someone could graduate in business enterprise but know nothing about philanthropy," Haney said. "In this day and age, people in business like to see employees with a community commitment, a sense of obligation to society and an understanding of giving."

But, unless a student is taught about the business of nonprofits, they may not have an understanding of how they operate, Haney said.

Small charity, big government not a good mix - NorthJersey.com

Small charity, big government not a good mix - NorthJersey.com: Sandra Sobilo just wants to continue running her small animal-rescue charity out of her Teaneck home.

The Internal Revenue Service just wants to comply with Congress' demand that it do a better job keeping track of tax-exempt charitable organizations.

Those two objectives wouldn't seem to be incompatible.

But the interaction of a one-woman charitable operation with the ultimate federal bureaucracy hasn't worked out too well:

Report Details Second Mile Response to Sandusky Crisis - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Report Details Second Mile Response to Sandusky Crisis - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Report Details Second Mile Response to Sandusky Crisis

August 13, 2012, 10:52 am

What officials at the youth charity the Second Mile knew about the extent of child-abuse allegations against the group’s founder, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, and how they responded is the subject of a special report by Harrisburg, Pa., daily The Patriot-News.

Humor Site Aspires to Be 'The Onion' for Nonprofits - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Humor Site Aspires to Be 'The Onion' for Nonprofits - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: John Suart wants his humor Web site to be The Onion for nonprofits. But first he must grapple with the earnestness of nonprofit workers trying to save the world.

Second consecutive rise in employment - charity jobs increase - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society

Second consecutive rise in employment - charity jobs increase - Charity governance and trustee news - News - Civil Society: Voluntary sector employment has risen for the second consecutive quarter with an additional 20,000 paid employees entering the workforce in the first three months of 2012.

Charity Navigator Says Aid Groups Can Revise Financial Information - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Charity Navigator Says Aid Groups Can Revise Financial Information - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Charity Navigator Says Aid Groups Can Revise Financial Information

By Caroline Preston

Charity Navigator, one of the nation’s most-prominent watchdog groups, says it doesn’t want to punish nonprofit aid groups whose revenues are shown to be lower since they adopted a more conservative approach to valuing their product donations. The watchdog, which rates charities in part on their financial health, will give organizations the chance to revise past financial statements so they won’t be hurt by plummeting revenues.

Angels' passing changes local philanthropic landscape | Cincinnati.com | cincinnati.com

Angels' passing changes local philanthropic landscape | Cincinnati.com | cincinnati.com: For half a century, Cincinnati grew accustomed to the kindness of angels. Whenever a worthy cause needed funds, calls went out to tap the generosity of Patricia Corbett, Carl Lindner, Manny Mayerson and Louise Nippert.

No more.

Growing citizen philanthropy in Philadelphia and Detroit - Knight Foundation

Growing citizen philanthropy in Philadelphia and Detroit - Knight Foundation: Detroiters gathered at Crank Up the Cause to learn more about Citizen Effect's Detroit4Detroit initiative. Photo Credit: Khaaliq Thomas for Citizen Effect.

Growing up, Clarence Wardell cultivated a love of learning and technology at the Detroit Area Pre College Engineering Program. So when he came across Citizen Effect’s Detroit4Detroit, a platform that helps people find projects that meet their interests and raise funds to support them, he immediately joined to help send one student from the Detroit area to spend a summer learning about engineering at the University of Michigan.

Changing of the Guard at GuideStar: A Conversation with Incoming CEO Jacob Harold - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.

Changing of the Guard at GuideStar: A Conversation with Incoming CEO Jacob Harold - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.: Jacob Harold: I first came across GuideStar, I think, in 1999 when I began in the nonprofit sector in Green Corps. And, at first, as you might imagine, I didn’t think of it as a piece of infrastructure for a system. It was just a resource. And, I think if I had to summarize the evolution of my own thinking about GuideStar, it would be from being basically a website that’s a resource with some great information towards, over time, evolving into a core piece of infrastructure for the nonprofit community, something that can weave together disparate efforts across organizations and provide a sense of commonality. GuideStar can help organize that information, and, I’d argue, that order can actually reveal the diversity in the nonprofit sector. Information standards and shared structure doesn’t make us all the same; it actually shows how we’re different and I think that’s really powerful.

Advisers kicking in, get credit for surge in charitable giving - InvestmentNews

Advisers kicking in, get credit for surge in charitable giving - InvestmentNews: Charitable contributions to the nation's three largest donor advised funds increased an average of 12% for the year ending June 30, 2012, compared to the previous fiscal year. The three funds collected a total of nearly $4.8 billion.

The Gender Gap in Pay Among Young Nonprofit Workers - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

The Gender Gap in Pay Among Young Nonprofit Workers - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The Gender Gap in Pay Among Young Nonprofit Workers

Even early in their careers, women are likely to make less than their male counterparts, according to a Chronicle survey. The study of more than 900 people who have been in the nonprofit work force less than five years also found that women have lower salary expectations than men do.

In the chart below, see what men and women earn in their current jobs and what they expect to earn in their next ones. To view these numbers for people with different levels of education, choose a degree from the drop-down menu.

CU raises $228.6 million during last fiscal year, setting new fundraising record - Boulder Daily Camera

CU raises $228.6 million during last fiscal year, setting new fundraising record - Boulder Daily Camera: The University of Colorado raised $228.6 million in donations in the past fiscal year, an all-time high, the school announced Thursday.

Donations are up 7 percent over the previous year, when the school and its fundraising arm brought in $213.6 million.

"People have a lot of confidence in us," said CU President Bruce Benson.

Colo. Charities to Get First Funds to Aid Shooting Victims by Week’s End - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Colo. Charities to Get First Funds to Aid Shooting Victims by Week’s End - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: With more than $2-million raised for the victims of Friday morning’s shooting rampage at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., the Community First Foundation, the main local organization collecting donations, plans to give the first $100,000 raised, plus an additional $100,000 from the foundation, to local charities by the end of this week.

The Need for Philanthropic Champions of Transparency - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.

The Need for Philanthropic Champions of Transparency - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.: Even if it might be uncomfortable for institutions used to operating at a relative distance from public scrutiny, several public benefits might be realized by increased foundation transparency. As Vikki Spruill, the new leader of the Council on Foundations, noted in one of her first official communications to the Council’s membership, institutional philanthropy faces “its most critical moment…right now. At a time when our world faces a storm of converging challenges with dwindling resources, philanthropy’s positive impact remains a mystery to far too many…[W]e must seize the imperat

Heroes of Philanthropy: Shi Wen-Long Breaks Out the Violins - Forbes

Heroes of Philanthropy: Shi Wen-Long Breaks Out the Violins - Forbes: But Shi has never been merely the acquisitive tycoon, his collection tucked away on an estate for only friends, family and dinner party guests to see. The violins and the other items he’s amassed—Western paintings and sculpture, arms and armor—all belong to the nonprofit Chi Mei Culture Foundation he started back in 1977. The collections are on display in the Chi Mei Museum in Tainan, which boasts the country’s largest privately owned treasure trove and is free to the public. The foundation also lends the violins free of charge (except for an insurance charge) to students and visiting musicians. China-born Huang Bin, the first Asian female to win the Paganini International Violin Competition, held in Italy, and American cellist Yo-Yo Ma have �borrowed instruments for concerts in �Taiwan. Taiwanese students may apply for one-year loans, a tradition borrowed from the Royal Academy.

Launching a workplace giving program? 6 questions to ask | GreenBiz.com

Launching a workplace giving program? 6 questions to ask | GreenBiz.com: As the market for corporate philanthropy grows ever more crowded, companies are looking to get more value from their giving. And that's a good thing. Today, companies are aligning their CSR and community development efforts with their business strategies and working to engage the workforce with their goals in meaningful ways. As a result, though, the search for the right tools, the right partners and the right measurement parameters keeps getting more challenging.

The balanced scorecard: From strategic plan to effective execution

The balanced scorecard: From strategic plan to effective execution: Sound strategic planning is critical for an organization’s success because it helps define and communicate what the organization wants to accomplish and the steps necessary to get there. Unfortunately, less than 10% of strategies are effectively executed according to Fortune Magazine. Further, success is often defined primarily in terms of dollars raised which can be a narrow and short-term outlook to measuring how well a strategic plan was executed.