Marketing, Membership & Communications: Where Tech Comes in: Associations Now

Marketing, Membership & Communications: Where Tech Comes in: Associations Now: Technology was a persistent theme during ASAE’s 2013 Marketing, Membership & Communications Conference last week. Why? Well, when you peel away the outer layers surrounding tech issues, what you might find at the core are really membership issues

CITY REGAINS TOP SPOT IN PHILANTHROPY RATINGS | UTSanDiego.com

CITY REGAINS TOP SPOT IN PHILANTHROPY RATINGS | UTSanDiego.com: By Karla Peterson12:01 a.m.June 7, 2013Updated5:34 p.m.June 6, 2013


San Diego has gotten better at giving back. Thanks to the financial health and public accountability of our biggest charities, San Diego was named the top philanthropic city in the U.S. by Charity Navigator, which analyzes and ranks the nation’s nonprofits.

Why Can’t We Get Over Overhead? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Why Can’t We Get Over Overhead? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Fundraising, Part 2: Investment in capacity pays off � Philanthropy North Carolina

Fundraising, Part 2: Investment in capacity pays off � Philanthropy North Carolina: Note: This article, the second of three, is from a report written for Blackbaud, which asked me to look at fundraising strategies that nonprofits have found to be effective.]

Since the bottom fell out of the economy nearly five years ago, San Francisco-based Dignity Health has invested in building the capacity of its fundraising operation, an investment that has begun to help fuel growth in major gifts and planned gifts.

Operating over 40 nonprofit hospitals and care centers throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, Dignity Health raises roughly $100 million a year in private philanthropy and government grants through 33 separate foundations that support the hospitals.

Charities … Don’t Evaluate Your Work | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

Charities … Don’t Evaluate Your Work | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits: "Charities … Don’t Evaluate Your Work
By Tom Belford   |    June 10, 2013
This two-part series by Caroline Fiennes — Most Charities Shouldn’t Evaluate Their Work — in the Stanford Social Innovation Review left me scratching my head.

The tantalizing headline drew me in.

Then I tried to absorb the basic message of her formula:

Impact = Idea x Implementation"

'via Blog this'

At Grameen Foundation, an international nonprofit becomes a software developer - The Washington Post

At Grameen Foundation, an international nonprofit becomes a software developer - The Washington Post: hree years later, the foundation’s thesis has given rise to an open-source software platform called Mobile Technology for Community Health, or MOTECH, that an increasing number of nonprofits, non-governmental organizations and humanitarian groups are using to address pandemics such as tuberculosis and HIV.

Charity lunch with Warren Buffett sells for just over $1 million - latimes.com

Charity lunch with Warren Buffett sells for just over $1 million - latimes.com: A private lunch with Warren Buffett that benefits a charity was sold Friday on Ebay for $1,000,010.

The anonymous bidder will be able to take seven of his or her friends with them to a steakhouse lunch in New York City for a private meal with Buffett, the billionaire investor known as the "Oracle of Omaha."

Donors Lose Thousands to IRS for Inadequate Receipt - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Donors Lose Thousands to IRS for Inadequate Receipt - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: Unfortunately, the church didn’t follow all components of the four-part test for gift receipts, as detailed in IRS Publication 1771. For each gift to a charity over $250, the charity must document in writing a bank record or written communication, which must be contemporaneous. (This means that you must receive the written acknowledgement before you file your federal income tax return for the year of the contribution or prior to the due date—including extensions—of the return.) The written acknowledgement must state the amount donated, and it must also state whether goods or services were provided by the charity in return. If so, it must state their value, and if the donor received “intangible religious benefits,” the written acknowledgement must state this as well.

Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen: Philanthropy and the Wild West

Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen: Philanthropy and the Wild West: Yet while many disciplines are benefiting, the philanthropy component is missing. Filling that gap is my purpose in launching Giving 2.0 ProjectU on www.giving2.com today.

With 13 years of teaching philanthropy at Stanford Graduate School of Business behind me, I've designed Giving 2.0 ProjectU as an open-source initiative that will make 100 percent of my research, case studies and teaching materials available for free online (www.giving2.com) to any educator wanting to teach philanthropy and any student wanting to learn about it.

Columbia Moves to Strip Whites-Only Provision From 1920s Gift - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Columbia Moves to Strip Whites-Only Provision From 1920s Gift - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Columbia University is seeking court approval to alter the terms of a 93-year-old donation that established a graduate-student fellowship and stipulated that recipients be “of the Caucasian race,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

'Worst Charities' Paid $1-Billion to For-Profit Fundraisers - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

'Worst Charities' Paid $1-Billion to For-Profit Fundraisers - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: The 50 lowest-ranked groups collectively paid solicitors nearly $1-billion in the past 10 years. Some are founded by private firms to act essentially as fronts, while the leaders of others take multiple salaries, pay themselves consulting fees, or arrange fundraising contracts with family and friends, according to the center, a nonprofit online newsroom, and the Times.

Buffett gets philanthropy award at Forbes event - Salon.com

Buffett gets philanthropy award at Forbes event - Salon.com: ideo from the Forbes event (http://onforb.es/186UwKh) shows U2′s Bono singing a version of “Home Sweet Home” that he rewrote in tribute to Buffett.

In the song, Bono sings about how Buffett wants “No honors, no plaques, just a higher estate tax. Till his wealth is but a rich memory.”

Bono says Buffett’s advice and encouragement helped him in his own philanthropy.

Ask an Expert: How to Raise Money With a Newsletter - Ideas & Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Ask an Expert: How to Raise Money With a Newsletter - Ideas & Advice - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "o answer her question, we recruited Tom Ahern, a direct-marketing expert and author of four books on communications with donors. He writes:

“E-mail newsletters and print newsletters are not equivalents, as you suspected. They are very different reading experiences, for one thing. E-mail newsletters are a clicker’s medium, quickly dismissed. Printed newsletters are physical, and readers tend to sit down to read them (assuming that what you’ve written is worth reading)."

'via Blog this'

Marshall Democrat-News: Local News: MVC to offer certified nonprofit leadership program online (06/05/13)

Marshall Democrat-News: Local News: MVC to offer certified nonprofit leadership program online (06/05/13): Dr. Sharon Weiser, Missouri Valley College vice president of academic affairs, has announced that MVC will collaborate with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance to offer a Certified Nonprofit Professional program online.

Marc Joseph: Charity Is in Our DNA

Marc Joseph: Charity Is in Our DNA: Many of us participate in charity in some form. It can be as simple as taking cookies to an aging neighbor or donating items you no longer use to a good cause. The Corporation for National & Community Service reports that 64.3 Million Americans volunteered in a formal organization, an increase of 1.5 million from the year before. This is 26.8% of the population giving 7.9 Billion hours which has a value of $171 Billion. The 4 most popular service activities were: fundraising or selling items to raise money (26.2%); collecting, preparing, distributing or serving food (23.6%); engaging in general labor or transportation (20.3%); and tutoring or teaching (18.2%). One in three volunteers is a senior age 55 and older, giving this group a lifetime of experience to tap into to help those in the greatest need.

Feasibility Studies: An Unnecessary Expense Designed to Make Consultants Rich, or an Important Part

Feasibility Studies: An Unnecessary Expense Designed to Make Consultants Rich, or an Important Part: These are the questions that many organizations are asking as they ponder paying for a feasibility study at the beginning of their fundraising campaigns. After all, you know your donors, right? Can't you just do the study yourself—and aren't you just itching for a chance to talk to your donors for real, and not just as part of an invented cultivation visit?

Want Charities to be Evaluated Based on Impact? Be Careful What You Wish For - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Want Charities to be Evaluated Based on Impact? Be Careful What You Wish For - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: For these reasons, the passion with which many hate accounting measures is often matched by their ardent belief in the promise of impact-based performance measurement. At the risk of sounding like an accounting apologist, I believe the nonprofit sector should be careful what it wishes for when it comes to pushing for evaluating charities based on impact measures rather than accounting measures. I fear that the same voices expressing hatred for accounting may one day redirect their ire toward impact measures, pining for the “good old days” when accounting reigned. As I see it, there are three key things about impact measures that could make the flaws in accounting measures pale in comparison.

Save the Children CEO: 'Our bottom line is children's lives' - CNN.com

Save the Children CEO: 'Our bottom line is children's lives' - CNN.com: With a budget of $1.6 billion a year, a global staff of 14,000 and operations in 120 countries, Jasmine Whitbread could be in charge of a multinational corporation.

In fact, she is head of the charity, Save the Children International.

As the first global chief executive of the world's largest kids' not-for-profit, she leads the organization with the business acumen and astute professionalism of a Fortune 500 company.

Overhead Costs Pose Dilemma for Charities 6.3.2013

News: Overhead Costs Pose Dilemma for Charities 6.3.2013

By Suzanne Perry

Last fall, the International Rescue Committee mailed an eight-page newsletter to supporters that highlighted the work it was doing to help people displaced by famine, drought, and conflict in Africa’s Sahel region.

It included photos, articles, interviews, and statistics—and a prominent pie chart labeled: “IRC efficiency.”

How To Hold Onto Your High Performers - Resource Center - AFP

How To Hold Onto Your High Performers - Resource Center - AFP: If you think that hiring and rehiring fundraising staff is draining more than your patience, you are right. Renowned author and researcher Penelope Burk has just published her latest book, Donor-Centered Leadership in which she reveals the startling cost of premature staff turnover.

It costs about 1.2 times the salary to replace a front-line development officer who stays only sixteen months in their first or second job—the average length of stay for young fundraisers today. But extending their tenure for an additional year saves money while ensuring that both employer and employee reap the return on their collective investment. As Burk points out:

Meet the New Director of the Social Innovation Fund

Meet the New Director of the Social Innovation Fund: Friends,

It is my honor to share some great news from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

In July, Michael Smith, a recognized leader in the world of innovation, philanthropy and public-private partnerships, will join our agency as the Director of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF).

Maryland, Virginia among most generous states - WTOP.com

Maryland, Virginia among most generous states - WTOP.com: WASHINGTON -- When tragedy strikes, many Americans pride themselves on helping those in need through donations, volunteering and charitable contributions.

So where do the most generous people live? In Maryland and Virginia, reports The Motley Fool via Daily Finance.

Long-lasting philanthropic bodies 'often become sclerotic', says unnamed wealthy donor

Long-lasting philanthropic bodies 'often become sclerotic', says unnamed wealthy donor: Long-lasting philanthropic institutions can become "sclerotic and bureaucratic", an anonymous wealthy donor has told the Institute for Philanthropy as part of a study on giving behaviour.

The donor was one of 22 from around the world to contribute to the paper After the Giving Pledge: Giving Behaviours of 22 Donors, published today.

Building social purpose through partnerships | Philanthropy Journal

Building social purpose through partnerships | Philanthropy Journal: Turn to any daily news source, and it's clear that an astounding number of people around the world are calling for greater social engagement and accountability from corporations.

With this resounding call to action comes a world of opportunities for businesses that have a desire for a deeper social connection.

Opinion: Patty Stonesifer Gets 'Boots Dirty' at D.C. Charity - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Opinion: Patty Stonesifer Gets 'Boots Dirty' at D.C. Charity - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Columnist Maureen Dowd accompanies Ms. Stonesifer during a workday at Martha’s Table, a food bank that also supplies clothes, day care, and educational programs for needy Washingtonians. She took up her post with the $6-million charity in April, about five years after she stepped down as chief executive of the $39-billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Nonprofits Fight Overhaul of Government’s Charity Drive - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Nonprofits Fight Overhaul of Government’s Charity Drive - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: An Obama administration plan to overhaul the federal government’s charity drive has angered nonprofits that say the changes would be a major blow to an effort that raised $258-million last year for nearly 25,000 groups.

The Combined Federal Campaign has been a reliable source of annual revenue for charities nationwide since it began in 1961.

22 major donors share their giving motives and values | UK Fundraising

22 major donors share their giving motives and values | UK Fundraising: 22 major donors share their giving motives and values
Published on 4 June 2013, by howardlake


The Institute for Philanthropy has published details of the values and beliefs which motivate 22 major donors to give to charity.

The paper, "After The Giving Pledge: Giving Behaviour of 22 Wealthy Donors", was written in the year that the Giving Pledge, founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010, was extended to wealthy donors outside the US. Eight signatories from non-US countries have brought the total number of those who have taken the Pledge to 105.

The donors interviewed by the Institute for Philanthropy come from the UK, the US, Brazil, Canada, Lebanon and Mexico. Their foundations have an average endowment of $79 million and they give away each year an average of $2.1m.

Let charities keep their donors secret: Opposing view

Let charities keep their donors secret: Opposing view: However, we must not confuse the public's right to know who is funding partisan political activity with requiring disclosure of donors to charitable organizations that engage in their constitutionally protected right to participate in public policy debates.

West battling ‘donor fatigue’ in recovery efforts - WacoTrib.com: West Explosion

West battling ‘donor fatigue’ in recovery efforts - WacoTrib.com: West Explosion: Michael Nilsen, vice president of public affairs for the Association of 
Fundraising Professionals in Arlington, Va., said West might benefit in its fundraising efforts because of the uniqueness of the tragedy, one caused by something other than natural disasters.

“There is no magic silver bullet that will keep people interested in giving. You see this phenomenon all the time. It has to be a continuing process, but we can only go to the well so much because there are others who say, we need, we need and we need, too.

Tax-exempt groups should disclose donors: Our view

Tax-exempt groups should disclose donors: Our view: Mixing politics and the IRS is bound to lead to trouble, so the bipartisan uproar over the agency's targeting of Tea Party groups is entirely appropriate. But so far, the underlying cause of the problem is largely getting overlooked.

The driver of the scandal is that political organizations of all kinds want to keep the sources of their money secret