At St. Louis’ biggest nonprofits, it’s all in the family - St. Louis Business Journal

At St. Louis’ biggest nonprofits, it’s all in the family - St. Louis Business Journal: In this week’s paper, we took a look at the 16 local executives who serve on the boards of three or more of the region’s 25 largest nonprofits. But family ties expand even further the connections of some board members to the local nonprofit community.

Words Of Wisdom To Anyone Eager To Start An Encore Career - Forbes

Words Of Wisdom To Anyone Eager To Start An Encore Career - Forbes: . They’d just completed Encore! Hartford, a University of Connecticut workforce development program designed to help seasoned corporate professionals transition into encore careers through managerial positions in the nonprofit sector.

Vive (avec) la difference

Vive (avec) la difference: It’s 11pm in London. It’s 5pm in Minneapolis, 6am in Taipei, 3pm in Vancouver and 8am in Melbourne. Trying to work out the time zone makes my head spin. It’s midnight in Pretoria and in Vienna and they’re not on the call.

This is a monthly board meeting of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF). My question in my last blog was whether or not I would find that being on a global board would be any different from being on a UK board.

I have an answer for you. Yes it is.

Program trains future members of cultural boards � Philanthropy North Carolina

Program trains future members of cultural boards � Philanthropy North Carolina: So, building on efforts in cities such as Boston and Portland, Ore., the Council launched a program to prepare people to serve on boards.

Launched in 2005, the nine-month program

Straight Talk about Outcomes from a Nonprofit Executive Director Who Holds a Ph.D. in Sociology by Caryl I. Goodman of Hospitality Homes | Community Techknowledge

Straight Talk about Outcomes from a Nonprofit Executive Director Who Holds a Ph.D. in Sociology by Caryl I. Goodman of Hospitality Homes | Community Techknowledge: Most of the information on nonprofit organizations and outcome measures [1] suggests that assessing outcomes is something new, and that such organizations lack the experience and knowledge to perform this type of assessment. A quick literature review or chat with nonprofit leaders quickly reveals the inaccuracy of this assumption.

The NonProfit Times: The Top 10 Nonprofit Jobs That Employ The Most People

The NonProfit Times: The Top 10 Nonprofit Jobs That Employ The Most People: "The Top 10 Nonprofit Jobs That Employ The Most People
According to a recent study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society, nearly 7.4 percent of the world's workforce are employed at some type of nonprofit. The report doesn't state what types of jobs are the most popular, but that's exactly the kind of data The NonProfit Times' Salary and Benefits Reports has handy."

'via Blog this'

About High Fundraising Costs: It’s Complicated - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

About High Fundraising Costs: It’s Complicated - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: It’s time to make sure everyone understands that direct marketing is about the long run, not the short term.

As an example of what I mean by that, let me take you back to 2001, when the direct-marketing firm I was working at landed a new client. It had a small pool of donors—just 40,000—and raised about $7-million, mostly in small gifts.

Breaking Through the Noise: How to Get Media Coverage for Your Nonprofit | GuideStar Blog

Breaking Through the Noise: How to Get Media Coverage for Your Nonprofit | GuideStar Blog: "When it comes to pitching your organization to the media you are at a distinct advantage because everyone, including the media, loves a good story. That’s where nonprofits shine; they are never at a loss for powerful stories."

'via Blog this'

A simple retention calculation packs a powerful punch | Anita Lee |

A simple retention calculation packs a powerful punch | Anita Lee |: "It’s symptomatic of our approach to retention.  We focus on individual program delivery. We do it in bits and pieces, here and there and then cobble it together.  An overarching strategy that looks holistically at how we are going to grow our active supporter base and increase the amount that base gives is more powerful than a piece-meal approach."

'via Blog this'

Allison Fine: Bird-Dogging and Blogging the Primaries

Allison Fine: Bird-Dogging and Blogging the Primaries: Two years ago he helped launch the Nonprofit Congress housed at the National Council of Nonprofit Associations (ncna.org.) The purpose of the Congress was to develop a common voice for grassroots nonprofits on the importance of the sector to American communities. The Congress had its first national convening in 2006 and out of that meeting came the idea of the Primary Project (video description here). And it worked. For months, volunteers in New Hampshire asking candidates for the presidency three questions as reported in the Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Penn State says fundraising bounced back last year - SFGate

Penn State says fundraising bounced back last year - SFGate: STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State said Monday its fundraising efforts rebounded last year after a drop-off in donations followed the arrest of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on child molestation charges.

Yes, Kickstarter raises more money for artists than the NEA. Here’s why that’s not really surprising

Yes, Kickstarter raises more money for artists than the NEA. Here’s why that’s not really surprising: During a session at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen Institute president Walter Isaacson asked Perry Chen, founder of Kickstarter, whether it was true that Kickstarter now funds more arts-related projects than the National Endowment for the Arts.

The crowdfunding site has, Chen told Isaacson, funded over $600 million in arts projects. “And,” said Isaacson, “that might be now more than the federal government spent on the arts in a given year?” adding a bit later that “in some ways… you’ve invented something that does what the NEA used to do and can’t quite do now.

Fundraisers 'should measure long-term impact of campaigns on donors'

Fundraisers 'should measure long-term impact of campaigns on donors': The consultant Roger Lawson tells the Institute of Fundraising's national convention that charities should focus on cost per acquisition and lifetime value

Fundraisers should be "measuring the donor" in addition to the basic details of campaigns, according to Roger Lawson, a fundraising consultant.

Lawson told delegates at the Institute of Fundraising’s national convention on Wednesday that the sector needed to move away from analysing campaigns and look at the effect that campaigns have on donors’ behaviour in the longer term.

College students learn how to optimize resources in philanthropy course | UChicago News

College students learn how to optimize resources in philanthropy course | UChicago News: When a dozen students enrolled last spring in a UChicago College class on philanthropy began talking about how they would spend $50,000, it quickly became clear to them that disadvantaged people in Chicago were in need of some help.

“The students thought that dealing with inequality in Chicago was a persistent problem that needed to be addressed,” said Elisabeth Clemens, the William Rainey Harper Professor of Sociology and the College and Chair of Sociology, who taught the new class for the first time

Using Outcomes to Measure Nonprofit Success - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Using Outcomes to Measure Nonprofit Success - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: Those who donate to nonprofit organizations naturally want to feel their gifts will be used successfully in a way that will improve society or some part of it, like children, the sick, students, etc. But how can donors evaluate whether or not a charity will ultimately deliver on their promise or mission?

Success in the business world is generally measured by the amount of profit—the bottom line—that is reported in the business’s financial statements. There are other aspects that can mark a successful business: Does it treat its workers fairly? Does it protect the environment? Is its advertising truthful, and are its products or services of good quality? But failure in these aspects eventually leads to diminished profits, as workers, customers, and investors desert that business for more socially responsible companies whose products or services are of better quality.

Largest to Smallest, Businesses Around the Globe Are Giving Back - Forbes

Largest to Smallest, Businesses Around the Globe Are Giving Back - Forbes: The more research I do into corporate social responsibility, the more I find that corporate giving is almost ubiquitous. Everywhere I turn, I find increasing evidence of corporate generosity coming from the largest to the smallest organizations.

The 8 Basics of Donor Retention : FundRaising Success

The 8 Basics of Donor Retention : FundRaising Success: There was an interesting stat that caught my eye from the Association of Fundraising Professionals about growth and retention. Its research states that "every $100 gained in 2011 was offset by $100 in losses through attrition." In Haguewood's article, he reminds the industry that sometimes we just need to get back to the basics. I'll let you read it for the detail, but his basics are centered around customer service being the foundation for achieving good retention across your constituent base.

Think Carefully and Ask Questions Before Hosting an Event

massnonprofit.org ::: Determining the appropriateness of hosting an event is the most important step a nonprofit can take—before forging ahead—as events can provide a tremendous return on your investment or strain your resources by costing more than they gain.

Rediagnosing “Founder’s Syndrome”: Moving Beyond Stereotypes to Improve Nonprofit Performance - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Rediagnosing “Founder’s Syndrome”: Moving Beyond Stereotypes to Improve Nonprofit Performance - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: This is because it has become fashionable in governance literature to assume that a disease called “founder’s syndrome” can explain every challenge that nonprofits face once their founders have done the heavy lifting. This literature diagnoses founder’s syndrome in four different situations, which I have dubbed the “four symptoms” of founder’s syndrome. This article will begin by examining these so-called symptoms and explaining why they lead to a harmful misdiagnosis. It will then suggest that, instead of pointing fingers, a board should address each of these symptoms, if they exist, from a mission-centric point of view. This approach will lead to a better result for all involved.

A Blank Slate is a Full Opportunity

The AFP Blog: A Blank Slate is a Full Opportunity
The debate over tax reform and the charitable deduction has taken another surprising twist.

Half of people give up when trying to donate by mobile

Half of people give up when trying to donate by mobile: It takes givers too long to navigate the donation process, delegates heard

More than half of people who try to donate to charity online by using a mobile device never get as far as making the donation, delegates at the convention heard yesterday.

Understanding Nonprofit Overhead Costs - Memphis Daily News

Understanding Nonprofit Overhead Costs - Memphis Daily News: A public discussion is stirring on the topic of nonprofit overhead and the extent to which overhead costs should influence giving. The three leading sources of information about nonprofits recently issued a call to action asking individual and institutional donors to stop using “overhead” as the measure of a nonprofit’s success. GuideStar, Charity Navigator and BBB Wise Giving Alliance have issued a call to donors to move beyond the “Overhead Myth.”

Veteran Fundraiser Jerold Panas on the Subject of Asking

Veteran Fundraiser Jerold Panas on the Subject of Asking: Jerold Panas has helped a diverse range of organizations raise an estimated $11 billion. He recently spoke with his publisher about asking for major gifts. GuideStar has published excerpts from Mr. Panas's books (see the links on the right), and we're pleased to be able to share his additional thoughts with you.

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