The Blackbaud Index: Overall Charitable Giving Grew 1.1% in May, Online Giving Was Up 15.2% | Blackbaud News

The Blackbaud Index: Overall Charitable Giving Grew 1.1% in May, Online Giving Was Up 15.2% | Blackbaud News: The Blackbaud Index today reported that overall charitable giving increased 1.1% and online giving increased 15.2% for the three months ending May 2013 as compared to the same period in 2012. As reported in the recently released Charitable Giving Report, overall giving grew approximately 2% for the full year 2012 and online giving grew by about 11% in 2012 compared to 2011.

Continuing Education: Advantages of Attending Professional Conferences | Fundraising Views You Can Actually Use

Continuing Education: Advantages of Attending Professional Conferences | Fundraising Views You Can Actually Use: And yes, I speak from experience. Having been a frequent speaker and presenter at numerous professional conferences and seminars throughout the region, I remember only too well when I served in similar high-level positions. At the time, I thought I was doin

Building Leadership

Building Leadership: Leadership is most powerful when it is personal,” he said.

That ethic led him to chairing Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County’s inaugural CEO Home Build this year. The concept for the CEO Build was simple – take some of Greenville’s most influential business leaders and have them build a house together for a family that otherwise might not be able to afford to own a home.

In a world where corporate giving is usually by check and volunteers from lower ranks of employees, the CEO Build put leadership front and center. Each participant was required to put in four hours of hammering, sawing, painting and the like on-site and donate $5,000.

Boosting Philanthropic Impact Through Mission Investments - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy

Boosting Philanthropic Impact Through Mission Investments - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy: Boosting Philanthropic Impact Through Mission Investments

By Tracy Kartye



For more than 60 years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has worked to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and their families. Our objective to see low-income families achieve financial stability and raise healthy, well-educated children in stable permanent families in supportive communities requires a tremendous amount of resources.

Fundraising Takeaways and Quotables From Giving USA 2013 : FundRaising Success

Fundraising Takeaways and Quotables From Giving USA 2013 : FundRaising Success: here have been countless articles and blog posts on the Giving USA 2013 reportOpens in a new window … and here is another one. Last week, I was honored to attend the Philadelphia unveiling of the report held at the Union League of PhiladelphiaOpens in a new window, where Patrick M. RooneyOpens in a new window, associate dean for academic affairs and research at the Indiana UniversityOpens in a new window Lilly Family School of PhilanthropyOpens in a new window, presented some key findings from the report.

South Florida cities create nonprofit foundations to collect charity money - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

South Florida cities create nonprofit foundations to collect charity money - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: Cities throughout South Florida are turning to another way to make money — asking for your charitable donations.

Margate is joining the growing list of Broward cities that are creating — or re-starting — nonprofit "foundations" to raise money to supplement the city coffers.

NONPROFITS CAREERS NEED TO BALANCE FINANCE AND MISSION | UTSanDiego.com

NONPROFITS CAREERS NEED TO BALANCE FINANCE AND MISSION | UTSanDiego.com: n the nonprofit world, “finance” is a tricky subject. Most managers of nonprofit organizations would prefer to think about mission rather than the bottom line. No wonder a study of financial managers at mid-size nonprofit organizations revealed gaps in their finan

BERNAMA - CIMB Bank Brings "Color Run" To Singapore

BERNAMA - CIMB Bank Brings "Color Run" To Singapore: Since its January 2012 launch, it has become the single largest event series in the United States and is gaining attraction around the world.

For 2013, there are more than one million entries registered for over 100 international events and The Netherlands edition of The Color Run sold out within 18 minutes of the tickets going on sale.

Former Dallas mayors speak about city’s philanthropy through the years at foundation event | The Scoop Blog

Former Dallas mayors speak about city’s philanthropy through the years at foundation event | The Scoop Blog: Mayor Mike Rawlings and three former mayors said Dallas’ unique entrepreneurial spirit has led the city to be one of the most generous and philanthropic areas in the country.

“Dallas is the one city out there that has no reason for existing,” said former mayor Tom Leppert. “It’s not a port city, there are no rivers or lakes or mountains near by. But it bred this entrepreneurial spirit.”

The AFP Blog: Good Signs for the Deduction...For Now...

The AFP Blog: Good Signs for the Deduction...For Now...: "Good Signs for the Deduction...For Now...
AFP has been a champion for the charitable deduction for some time now, and we’ll continue to be so.

Part of that is because Congress, despite all of our assumptions to the contrary, can move very quickly when it wants. An amendment can be added at the last minute that changes everything. We believe that, given our contacts on Capitol Hill, AFP would know of a situation ahead of time. But back-room deals and sudden amendments are still the norm."

'via Blog this'

Employee engagement - lessons on loyalty from the non-profit sector | Toronto Star

Employee engagement - lessons on loyalty from the non-profit sector

Last week, Dr. Harvey Schipper spoke with me about managing volunteer workforces in the non-profit world. A Director on and advisor to many non-profit boards, Dr. Schipper was highlighting one of the most significant differences between these particular organizations and corporate, for-profit businesses.

Employee engagement - lessons on loyalty from the non-profit sector | Toronto Star:

National Aquarium Elects Bob Carter as Chair of Board of Directors | Baltimore Citybizlist

National Aquarium Elects Bob Carter as Chair of Board of Directors | Baltimore Citybizlist: "Carter is also Chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals' (AFP) International Board of Directors. He is a current Board member of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, is Board Chair-Emeritus at Mote Marine Laboratory and is a past Board Chair of the Gateway Rehabilitation Center, the e-Philanthropy Foundation and the Boys' Latin School of Maryland. He is also a member of the USA Advisory Board of PlaNet Finance, a multi-national microfinance organization headquartered in Paris, France."

Employees Aren’t Grabbing Access To Retirement Plans | The NonProfit Times

Employees Aren’t Grabbing Access To Retirement Plans | The NonProfit Times: ven as more nonprofits are offering retirement plans to their employees, participation rates remain relatively low. But at the same time, studies show nonprofit employees are worried about their retirement nest egg.

According to three-year trending data from The NonProfit Times and Bluewater Nonprofit Solution’s annual Nonprofit Organizations Salary and Benefits Reports,

Proposed San Francisco Bar Pairs Drinking with Philanthropy | TIME.com

Proposed San Francisco Bar Pairs Drinking with Philanthropy | TIME.com: t a bar slated to pop up in San Francisco, the drunkest patron might actually be the most altruistic.

A group called United Libations is raising money to open a bar of the same name with an unorthodox business model. United Libations is a non-profit organization, and it plans to give every dollar of profit to selected charities. The first two projects on the non-profit’s list are to fund English classes for Haitian orphans and a rainwater collection system in Uganda, according to the group’s Indiegogo page.

Reports raise issue of nonprofits' effectiveness | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com

Reports raise issue of nonprofits' effectiveness | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com: The Association of Fundraising Professionals responded to the story by saying, “The examples and stories cited in the article are far removed from the reality of the vast majority of charities and do not reflect how they function every day as they work to advance their mission and serve our communities.” You’ll hear more about this report in next week’s column.

City Bills Shakespeare in the Parking Lot for Summer Use - NYTimes.com

City Bills Shakespeare in the Parking Lot for Summer Use - NYTimes.com: But this spring the city’s Department of Transportation sent a surprising e-mail: Because of a change in rules for the agency’s 33 municipal lots, the troupe would have to start reimbursing the city for using empty spaces at the lot on the corner of Broome and Ludlow Streets.

The cost is relatively modest — eight spaces at $8 a day each, or $64 a performance, that is, $1,152 for 18 total performances. But leaders of the Drilling Company, which produces the plays, were taken aback. They view the performances as public art and a community service — shows typically draw 150 to 200 people apiece — and their budget for the Shakespeare plays, financed by grants, fund-raising and donations, is only $15,750.

National Service Movement Inspired by Veterans Gains Traction - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

National Service Movement Inspired by Veterans Gains Traction - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Many returned veterans have found renewed focus and drive through community service, inspiring a national movement toward increased service opportunities for people age 30 and under, writes Time magazine.

Justice Department Freezes Funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Justice Department Freezes Funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: government audit has found that Big Brothers Big Sisters co-mingled $19.4-million in tax dollars from the Justice Department with general funds, reports CBS News.

Because of the co-mingling of funds, the organization can’t show whether the money provided by the Justice Department was spent on the intended programs, according to the department’s inspector general. The Justice Department has frozen all funds to Big Brothers Big Sisters as result.

Give To Lincoln Day checks in nonprofits' wallets; in-person donations change totals : The Lincoln Journal Star Online

Give To Lincoln Day checks in nonprofits' wallets; in-person donations change totals : The Lincoln Journal Star Online: Although the donors gave money back in May, many nonprofits just now are learning how much money they received from the 24-hour charity event. The grand total of $2.1 million remains the same, but offline donations changed individual nonprofit totals.

MTV’s Nonprofit Makeover – The Power of Social Storytelling - Viacom Corporate

MTV’s Nonprofit Makeover – The Power of Social Storytelling - Viacom Corporate: n a recent article, “Before And After: How MTV Gave One Nonprofit A Makeover And Got Schooled In Social Storytelling,” Fast Company spotlighted how MTV and skilled volunteerism-match platform Catchafire partnered to find a nonprofit in need of a “makeover,” for which MTV would lend its expertise in marketing, branding and social media.

Online Giving Grows as Charities Polish Their Methods

Online Giving Grows as Charities Polish Their Methods: According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, online giving is growing at a blistering pace. Two studies cited by the Chronicle indicate that online donations to 115,000 nonprofits rose by 14 percent to $2.1-billion, just between 2011 and 2012; and that online contributions to the largest 149 charities in the US also grew 14 percent, to $785-million.

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

Why Can’t We Get Over Overhead? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: hat slapping noise you hear every holiday season is the sound of philanthropic experts briskly applying palms to foreheads as they watch the perky nightly-news broadcaster reminding viewers to be generous, but to give only to groups that spend far more on programs than on overhead.

The program/overhead distinction, though denigrated for years by the most articulate and determined nonprofit professionals, simply refuses to die. Somehow, the general public doesn’t want to let go of it.

Why not? Will the simple-minded rubes whose donations constitute the overwhelming majority of charitable giving in America ever realize that it’s a meaningless if not downright pernicious distinction? Will they finally turn instead for giving guidance to the shiny new outcomes metrics upon which our experts have been beavering away?

Student project gives charity $5K boost

Student project gives charity $5K boost: YFC Youth Unlimited St. Catharines has received a big boost in its bid to open a new location.

As they work towards moving to a new home for The Deck, at 226 Merritt St. in Merritton, the organization earned a $5,000 donation through a Youth and Philanthropy Initiative project at Eden High School.

Venture philanthropy takes root | Westfair Communications

Venture philanthropy takes root | Westfair Communications: he SVP model first began in Seattle in the 1990s when former Microsoft employees wanted to do more than just make charitable donations, Kendall said. They wanted to lend their business and financial expertise to help grow charities to make an even bigger impact.

And now that idea has quickly spread. Today there are more than 35 SVP chapters across the globe that have contributed more than $46 million to hundreds of nonprofits.

With the support of the Fairfield County Community Foundation (FCCF), Fairfield County will now have its own chapter, but with a small twist. The group doesn’t plan to work with charities. Instead it plans to work only with scalable social enterprises or businesses that have charitable aspects built into their business models.

Opera House finds success with corporate partners

Opera House finds success with corporate partners: n conjunction with its 10-year anniversary, the Napa Valley Opera House has launched a new corporate sponsorship program, which they hope will be a mutual success — raising money the Opera House needs while helping local businesses connect with the customers and clients they need.

According to the Opera House’s development director Jessica Thomason, they have always worked with local businesses in a sponsorship capacity, but they anticipate this new program will be an even greater success because of the way it was designed.

Valerie S. Lies: It's Time for Real Talk About Real Nonprofit Overhead Costs

Valerie S. Lies: It's Time for Real Talk About Real Nonprofit Overhead Costs: This is a welcome development for donors and nonprofits alike. For too long the laser-like focus on nonprofits doing more with less when it comes to overhead and administrative expenses has unnecessarily limited their abilities to fulfill or expand their missions.

To be sure, ratios can be a measure of an organization's effectiveness and should be used as one of a set of tools to identify mismanagement or malfeasance. But we ask charities to do too much with too little to achieve effective ratios. It's time we start looking at an organization's outcomes -- in addition to what they spend to achieve them -- when determining where our charitable dollars go.

Foundation Center - Press Release - Pioneering Research Illuminates Global Human Rights Philanthropy

Foundation Center - Press Release - Pioneering Research Illuminates Global Human Rights Philanthropy: Pioneering Research Illuminates Global Human Rights Philanthropy
New Report Uncovers Grants Totaling More Than $1.2 Billion

New York, NY — June 20, 2013. A partnership between the Foundation Center and the International Human Rights Funders Group (IHRFG) has produced the first data-driven portrait of how foundations are advancing human rights around the world. According to new research released today by the two organizations, over 12,000 human rights grants supported more than 6,800 organizations worldwide, amounting to $1.2 billion in 2010. Advancing Human Rights: The State of Global Foundation Grantmaking confirms that human rights philanthropy is a global phenomenon: the 703 funders included in the analysis represent 29 countries across seven major world regions.

Start Planning Next Spring's Golf Fundraiser Now: Interview with Golf Fundraiser Tom King

Start Planning Next Spring's Golf Fundraiser Now: Interview with Golf Fundraiser Tom King: Tom King, author of Going for the Green! An Insider's Guide to Raising Money with Charity Golf, recently spoke with his publisher about golf fundraisers. GuideStar has published an excerpt from the book, and we're pleased to be able to share Mr. King's additional thoughts with you.

This is our first tournament. We're able to mobilize a decent number of volunteers and our cause is fairly well known. We've even got a connection to the local country club. How much can we hope to net on this virgin effort?

Giving USA 2013: Giving Coming Back Slowly and Different After Recession - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Giving USA 2013: Giving Coming Back Slowly and Different After Recession - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: The overarching news that this year’s Giving USA report shows us is that we are still climbing only very slowly out of the recession. (If you remember, the title of last year’s NPQ report on Giving USA was, “Giving USA 2012 Indicates Long Slow Uphill Slog…If We Are Lucky.”)

So although giving has increased by 3.5% in real dollars and 1.5% in inflation-adjusted dollars, giving overall is still down 8% in inflation-adjusted dollars from where it was in 2007. Is this five-year (so far) recovery on par with those that followed earlier recessions?

Looking at the graph below, we appear to be setting a record for slowest recovery.

National Philanthropic Trust comments on 2013 giving USA report on philanthropy

National Philanthropic Trust comments on 2013 giving USA report on philanthropy: Superstorm Sandy made a significant impact on human services giving category ($40.40 billion; 3.8 percent overall increase). In the last two months of 2012, an estimated $223 million was given to support organizations working on Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. For 2013, Giving USA estimates $100 million in additional Sandy-related donations.

“Historically, giving is a lagging indicator of the economy,” said Heisman. “The positive data in Giving USA’s report indicates Americans may be feeling more confident about the global economy.”