Perspective: ‘Voluntourism’ as a Powerful Learning Tool

Perspective: ‘Voluntourism’ as a Powerful Learning Tool: Voluntourism’ has gained popularity over recent years and has inspired many debates. Some question the effectiveness of sending volunteers overseas to do work people overseas are more than capable of doing.

Cole Hamels Runs An Athlete Charity That Actually Works - Forbes

Cole Hamels Runs An Athlete Charity That Actually Works - Forbes: Off the field, Hamels has managed to pull off a similar feat with his philanthropy, which he has pursued with his wife, Heidi, a former Playboy Playmate and Survivor contestant. The Hamels Foundation, which funds childhood education programs in Africa and in Philadelphia, is a tiny operation, with an annual budget of just under $1 million. But because Hamels covers all of the foundation’s expenses, 100% of every dollar raised actually goes to its programs, a rarity in the world of athlete-backed philanthropies designed more for buzz than impact.

Network hosts tours of local nonprofits | The Columbian

Network hosts tours of local nonprofits | The Columbian: The Nonprofit Network Southwest Washington is continuing the Community Cares tours it began in 2011 and expanded in 2012. The tours draw attention to community issues and show what local nonprofit agencies are doing to make a difference, the network said.

Wise Words About Charities And Branding | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

Wise Words About Charities And Branding | The Agitator - Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits: The other day blogger Jeff Brooks headlined a post … How to kill your fundraising. And the answer he gave was: Investing in brand. Well, I thought that was one of the most annoying things I had ever heard from Jeff (who I regard very highly).

So I read on and discovered he was passing along the admonition of Sean Triner, another smart blogger. Sean’s original post was titled: The first of two good ways to destroy your individual fundraising. Now I was really juiced up!

Opinion: Tax Steps Could Reduce Inequality in Schools Giving - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Opinion: Tax Steps Could Reduce Inequality in Schools Giving - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Giving by affluent parents to foundations serving their children’s schools has “unintended, pernicious effects” that widen inequalities in education funding, says the co-director of Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society argues in a New York Times opinion column.

Charlotte United Way investing in collaboration for impact � Philanthropy North Carolina

Charlotte United Way investing in collaboration for impact � Philanthropy North Carolina: CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One year ago, United Way of Central Carolinas began working with 16 of its partner agencies to provide better data to track their impact on the academic performance of at-risk kids they serve.

This month, in partnership with the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Foundation for the Carolinas and roughly 40 other nonprofits, United Way began spearheading a new effort to improve service to the homeless by improving the way agencies collect information from them and identify their needs for services when they first seek assistance.

Corporate Volunteer Grants - Also Known as Dollars for Doers

Corporate Volunteer Grants - Also Known as Dollars for Doers: n a previous article we outlined 7 types of corporate giving programs. While matching gifts are the most common form of employee giving program, volunteer grants are one of the newest and fastest growing forms of corporate social responsibility.

Big Boston Charity Funds Report Robust Donation Gains - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Big Boston Charity Funds Report Robust Donation Gains - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Three of Boston’s largest philanthropic groups took in record gifts in the past fiscal year, with the gains attributed to the rising stock market and donor concerns over possible changes to the charitable deduction, The Boston Globe writes.

PPP Blog: What Donors Actually Did—And How They Did It

PPP Blog: What Donors Actually Did—And How They Did It: What Donors Actually Did—And How They Did It
Much of what we know about charitable planning comes from living people. They tell us in surveys that they’ve included a bequest in their will, or established some type of life income gift. But we also know that some people simply won't disclose about their giving, and, for some others, social desirability bias leads some to exaggerate their philanthropy. After our survey subjects have died, it’s difficult to compare their reports with actual behavior, especially for estates that fall below the estate tax threshold. There are various formulas for estimating the number of Americans who make charitable bequests, but the truth is, we don’t know exactly how many do.

Beyond Input - What Happens When Nonprofits Really Engage The People They Serve? | Willa Seldon

Beyond Input - What Happens When Nonprofits Really Engage The People They Serve? | Willa Seldon: Nearly all nonprofits collect input and other kinds of data from those they serve--at a minimum, demographic information and satisfaction surveys. But some leading nonprofits are engaging clients or beneficiaries or residents--here we use the term constituents--in order to have more impact on the social concerns they are trying to address. Of course, some organizations are constituent-led--parent groups, neighborhood associations, civil rights organizations, membership groups.

Yet for many social sector organizations, constituent engagement is a challenge, as listening is a challenge for many people.

Charity News: UK: Rise of foodbank charities - New research confirms food charities increasingly in demand in UK due to cost of living pressures...

Charity News: UK: Rise of foodbank charities - New research confirms food charities increasingly in demand in UK due to cost of living pressures...: New figures by the Citizens Advice charity reveal a 78 per cent rise in enquiries about foodbanks across the UK...

The advice charity says almost every region across the country has reported a spike in requests for information about emergency food supplies...

Why nonprofits need succession planning - Greensboro - The Business Journal

Why nonprofits need succession planning - Greensboro - The Business Journal: As Baby Boomers approach retirement age, nonprofit organizations will face a changing makeup of their boards of directors. To help, the N.C. Center for Nonprofits started a statewide initiative to help nonprofit boards of directors and executive directors plan for the massive changes in leadership expected as Baby Boomers retire.

N.Y. Hospital Ordered to Repay Millions to Endowment - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

N.Y. Hospital Ordered to Repay Millions to Endowment - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: A New York judge has ordered financially strapped Long Island College Hospital to repay tens of millions of dollars it borrowed from a $135-million endowment bequest, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Duke Haddad-The Integrated Special Event : FundRaising Success

Duke Haddad-The Integrated Special Event : FundRaising Success: The point is that a special event is not just a simple activity that comes and then goes until next year. This event was treated as a complex endeavor that encompassed elements of annual gifts, major gifts, planned gifts and development services. The event itself had time, talent and treasure values assigned to it.

Donate a dollar at the register? Checkout charity is big business for nonprofits | Tampa Bay Times

Donate a dollar at the register? Checkout charity is big business for nonprofits | Tampa Bay Times: Checkout charity, as it's sometimes called, has become big business for nonprofits and retailers. Charities love it because it raises money from the masses at little cost. Companies love it because it makes them look caring and generous, even if it comes on the backs of customers.

Greensboro United Way regroups in ‘building year’ � Philanthropy North Carolina

Greensboro United Way regroups in ‘building year’ � Philanthropy North Carolina: GREENSBORO, N.C. — For each of the past four years, United Way of Greater Greensboro fell short of the goal for its annual fundraising campaign.

This year, United Way is regrouping: Rather then set a goal for the annual campaign, it will be working to raise awareness in the community about the impact of the programs in which it invests at 29 partner health and human services agencies.

And it will be working to connect in a more personal way with donors, and provide better customer service for companies that run United Way drives in the workplace.

Copley Raff's Giving Take: The Myth of Advancement Benchmarks

Copley Raff's Giving Take: The Myth of Advancement Benchmarks: here seems to be this belief that by “benchmarking” an organization to other “peer” organizations that something useful can be learned. Or that insights will emerge that will help your organization…or make it feel bolstered or diminished in some way.

Consultants are often asked to do benchmarking as part of an assessment engagement, but unfortunately, the reporting on federal 990s is so inconsistent, and sometimes downright fraudulent, that very little can be learned from the numbers. Let’s look at some key metrics:

South Florida Times: Miami , Broward, Palm Beach, Breaking News & Weather at SFLTimes.com

AFP members can access our Hot Topic as well on Fundraising Policies 
(Requires member login to access the Hot Topic)

South Florida Times: Miami , Broward, Palm Beach, Breaking News & Weather at SFLTimes.com: Details on policies and procedures for consideration are available from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) website afpnet.org. We also include examples of policies (and what they related to) in our recent book Prerequsites for Fundraising Success. Following the AFP Donor Bill of Rights and the AFP Code of Ethics are two items all nonprofits should review and consider adopting as part of their fundraising policies.

School fundraising grows up with mobile wallets, daily deals — Tech News and Analysis

School fundraising grows up with mobile wallets, daily deals — Tech News and Analysis: With the growth of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, services like Fundly, Razoo and Dibbee have made it easier for schools (and other nonprofits) to solicit donations from their communities online. But other startups are pitching schools with even more interesting fundraising models that take a page from the books of consumer e-commerce companies.

Changing the Culture of Philanthropy in Michigan: From Audacious Beginnings to Real Results - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy

Changing the Culture of Philanthropy in Michigan: From Audacious Beginnings to Real Results - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy: Changing the Culture of Philanthropy in Michigan: From Audacious Beginnings to Real Results

keeping a close eye... by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Five Lessons for Philanthropy from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

keeping a close eye... by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy: Five Lessons for Philanthropy from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: In reflecting on that indelible image from the Memorial steps, on King’s words, and on the history surrounding that moment, I’d like to offer five thoughts for the trustees and staff of today’s foundations:

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a charitable achievement, not a philanthropic one. One thing that has stunned me is how absent philanthropy is from this moment. I’m told that philanthropy is a uniquely American practice, one that can catalyze social change and even save capitalism. And yet, in this uniquely American moment, I don’t see much of anything that seems to define the grantmaking field today. Where’s the philanthropy?

New Knight Handbook on the Logistics of Giving Days an Excellent Contribution - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

New Knight Handbook on the Logistics of Giving Days an Excellent Contribution - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: Last week, the Knight Foundation released an unusually well composed Web-based guide called The Giving Day Playbook, which NPQ thinks will be instructive to anyone doing online fundraising in general. Depending largely upon links, the text is organized for practical use, but very thoughtful and chock full of examples and ready-to-use formats. The table of contents extends from planning through implementation and evaluation.

Misericordia University helps United Way break Christmas in July Food Drive record - The Abington Journal

Misericordia University helps United Way break Christmas in July Food Drive record - The Abington Journal: The Misericordia University Campus Ministry donated 723 pounds of food to the Commission of Economic Opportunity’s Weinberg Food Bank as part of the Christmas in July Food Drive hosted by the United Way of Wyoming Valley. The MU donations, along with others from across the community, helped the United Way collect a record 77,451 pounds of food and supplies for the underserved of the area.

Australia on top of World Giving Index | Money | Banking and Money Investment News | | Herald Sun

Australia on top of World Giving Index | Money | Banking and Money Investment News | | Herald Sun: DONATIONS to charities have risen 11 per cent since January 2010, despite the cost of living being the greatest cause of consumer anxiety.

Australia was ranked at the top of the 2012 World Giving Index ahead of Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Robert De Iure, senior economist with the National Australia Bank, is not surprised.

Big Give’s success spurs 2nd effort | The Columbus Dispatch

Big Give’s success spurs 2nd effort | The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohioans will get another chance to show exactly how generous they are, with a second Big Give, an online fundraising drive for hundreds of local charities on Sept. 17.

The last such demonstration was astounding.

Fifty Years after the March on Washington: Nonprofit Leadership on the Legacy of MLK - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Fifty Years after the March on Washington: Nonprofit Leadership on the Legacy of MLK - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: t’s the evening before the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, at which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired the civil rights movement with his “I have a dream” speech. On television, the most visible face speaking about the 50th anniversary march is the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist who maintains his own nonprofit advocacy arm, the National Action Network, and has crafted a new career as a regular political commentator with his own show on MSNBC. Occasional interviews pop up with Congressman John Lewis, who was with Rev. King at that march. Fifty years ago, he spoke just before King’s historic oration, and, as some know, is a hero to the civil rights movement, having taken an absolutely brutal beating at the hands of police and thugs in Selma, Alabama.

2013-2014 Youth in Philanthropy Program applications now available - Your Houston News: Living

2013-2014 Youth in Philanthropy Program applications now available - Your Houston News: Living: Today’s philanthropists are getting younger and younger. As early as their teenage years, many students are discovering their passions and concerns about community and/or global issues, and increasingly using social networking sites to raise awareness and funds for charities. Our community’s students are a powerful asset and a force for social change within our county.

SOI Tax Stats - Domestic Private Foundation and Charitable Trust Statistics

SOI Tax Stats - Domestic Private Foundation and Charitable Trust Statistics: Private foundations organized for charitable purposes are exempt from income taxes. They are differentiated from tax-exempt public charities by their narrow bases of control and financial support. Statistics on private foundations are compiled from Form 990-PF, an annual information return that includes data on excise tax liability, charitable distributions, administrative expenditures, as well as income statement and balance sheet information. Data are available for the following types of organizations:

Jewish ‘next gen’ major donors want impact � Philanthropy North Carolina

Jewish ‘next gen’ major donors want impact � Philanthropy North Carolina: Despite research showing that new generations of Jews are less involved than previous generations in formal religious practice, Jewish “next gen” donors continue to fund Jewish organizations, and they identify religious and faith-based organization as the second most common area of their giving, a new report says.

Driving those donors in their giving are inherited values they often learn from their parents and grandparents, says the report, Next Gen Donors: The Future of Jewish Giving, from 21/61 and the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

Group Volunteering | Volunteer Canada

Group Volunteering | Volunteer Canada: People are generally social creatures. We often like to do things with other people. Volunteering is no different. A circle of friends, a company’s employees, a youth group, a service club, a class, a faith group, a family or a neighbourhood can do group volunteering.