Take stock of your communications « Philanthropy North Carolina

Take stock of your communications « Philanthropy North Carolina: "If your nonprofit has not taken a look recently at your communications strategy, you should.

Communicating effectively is fundamental to everything your nonprofit does, including delivering programs; running your organization day by day; raising money; hiring and developing staff; recruiting, training and engaging board members and volunteers; enlisting partners and other supporters; and working with the news media."



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The Top 5 Presentations You Won’t Want to Miss at AFP International 2015

The Top 5 Presentations You Won’t Want to Miss at AFP International 2015: "The Top 5 Presentations You Won’t Want to Miss at AFP International 2015"



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The AFP Blog: How Much Are Fundraisers Giving Back?

The AFP Blog: How Much Are Fundraisers Giving Back?: "How Much Are Fundraisers Giving Back?

As fundraisers, the heart of our work is the impact we have—on our organizations, on our communities and on the world. It’s the core of our profession: inspiring others to get involved and create impact.

But what about our own personal ability to get involved and create impact? Do we walk the walk as well as we talk the talk?"



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5 Things You Didn't Know About Philanthropy | Jean Case

5 Things You Didn't Know About Philanthropy | Jean Case: "One of the greatest challenges for philanthropy today is the very term itself --philanthropy. Chances are that when asked, most people would associate the word with wealthy individuals writing big checks to charity. Yet, look up the word and etymologically, it simply means a "love of humanity." Call me a sap, but I've always believed most people have a love of humanity somewhere in their hearts. In practice, this love can be expressed by helping others through the contribution of time, money or other forms of support. Put simply, if you've done something to help another, you are a philanthropist."



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Social Giving IRL (In Real Life) for Nonprofits - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Social Giving IRL (In Real Life) for Nonprofits - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "Not all social giving IRL has to be tied to hosting a gala or 5K. People gather in places for lots of other reasons, and those are opportunities for the right charities with the right tools. The growth rate of U.S. adults with Internet-enabled phones (already surpassed two-thirds of the population) is huge; most donors can now give wherever they are rather than waiting to get to a desktop screen somewhere. New tools are just now coming into the market, with more players and ideas likely to join soon."



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How Indian NGOs are marrying Philanthropy with Social Innovations? | Business Insider India

How Indian NGOs are marrying Philanthropy with Social Innovations? | Business Insider India: "How Indian NGOs are marrying Philanthropy with Social Innovations?"



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Vince Vaugh and Lady Gaga plunge into freezing cold water for Chicago charity polar plunge | Daily Mail Online

Vince Vaugh and Lady Gaga plunge into freezing cold water for Chicago charity polar plunge | Daily Mail Online: "Actor Vince Vaughn and pop star Lady Gaga mustered up the courage to dive into freezing cold water for the Special Olympics charity the day after cities across the country broke cold records for last month."



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Tim Cook: Commencement speaker and future donor? - The GW Hatchet

Tim Cook: Commencement speaker and future donor? - The GW Hatchet: "While schools will look for a commencement speaker with “gravitas and experience,” Michael Nilsen, the vice president for public policy at the Association of Fundraising Professionals, said there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes as schools also consider a speaker’s ability to donate.

“Certainly, as you think of that group of people, you’ll look at relationships and how to get gifts later on. You can better believe there was a conversation about who should be speaking and what that might mean,” Nilsen said. “Whether that person may give now or later, I’m certain that is part of the whole cultivation process for a major gift.”"



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Eric Braverman Tried to Change the Clinton Foundation. Then He Quit. - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO Magazine

Eric Braverman Tried to Change the Clinton Foundation. Then He Quit. - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO Magazine: " December, the board of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation approved a salary of more than $395,000, plus bonus, for its Yale-educated CEO, Eric Braverman, while voting to extend his board term through 2017, according to sources familiar with the arrangement. Braverman, who had worked with Chelsea Clinton at the prestigious McKinsey & Company consultancy, had been brought in with the former first daughter’s support to help impose McKinsey-like management rigor to a foundation that had grown into a $2 billion charitable powerhouse. "



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Wells Fargo loans team member to Phoenix nonprofit - Phoenix Business Journal

Wells Fargo loans team member to Phoenix nonprofit - Phoenix Business Journal: "ToolBank Phoenix, is essentially a tool-filled lending library for nonprofits. An affiliate of ToolBank USA, it will be a storehouse of tools and supplies for nonprofits to use forwarding mission-based projects. The inventory ultimately includes a range of project-based tools, such as cordless drills, saws, rakes, ladders and shovels. The organization loans the hardware to other nonprofits when a group is pushing a project requiring repairs and construction."



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International Giving Study Focused on High Net Worth Folk Projects 5% Increase in 2015 - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

International Giving Study Focused on High Net Worth Folk Projects 5% Increase in 2015 - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

The End of ‘Parks and Recreation’ Is Sad for Philanthropy - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

The End of ‘Parks and Recreation’ Is Sad for Philanthropy - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "But I will miss “Parks and Recreation” for a reason so nerdy even Ben Wyatt—congressman, husband of the show’s heroine, Leslie Knope, and inventor of the ninth-highest-selling multiplayer game in history—would approve.

“Parks and Rec” was the only show to give philanthropy a turn in the prime-time spotlight, making it funny while taking seriously its increasingly prominent role in society. "



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Crowdfunding Government Is a Bad Idea | Mark Rosenman

Crowdfunding Government Is a Bad Idea | Mark Rosenman: "Governments -- at the local, state and the federal levels ­-- are increasingly competing with charities for voluntary donations. Beyond their on-going appeals to philanthropic foundations, the rivalry has grown to include crowdfunding and other individual-donor focused campaigns. That's a problem not just for nonprofits, but for all of us who depend on government to address common problems and shared needs."



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Havana Dreams: Nonprofits and the Realities of Reinstating Diplomatic Relations with Cuba - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Havana Dreams: Nonprofits and the Realities of Reinstating Diplomatic Relations with Cuba - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: "Leenson addressed a gathering of foundations and nonprofits to talk about conditions in Cuba and what might be expected as the dynamic that awaits business investors, particularly those committed to social and environmental responsibility. With the participation of the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, Leenson started the Socially Responsible Enterprise and Local Development in Cuba Project with a mission “to understand and assist Cuba’s efforts to preserve the social achievements of the Revolution while creating a prosperous and sustainable economy.”"



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Microsoft employee donation campaign hits another record | The Seattle Times

Microsoft employee donation campaign hits another record | The Seattle Times: "Microsoft offers to match donations of up to $15,000 per employee each year. Included in that total is the reimbursement Microsoft offers employees who donate their time. The company pays nonprofits $17 for each hour Microsoft employees spend volunteering their time. That figure will rise to $25 an hour for 2015, Microsoft said on Thursday."



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Blended Value » The Metrics Myth | The Pursuit of Integrated Economic, Social & Environmal Value

Blended Value » The Metrics Myth | The Pursuit of Integrated Economic, Social & Environmal Value: "Some years later, as founding director of the nation’s second venture philanthropy fund, I led the team that in 2000[1] introduced what I believe was the first formalized methodology to track SROI—Social Return on Investment. Prior to that, I remember hearing foundation and social investors alike state, “We invest for Social Returns!” Yet when queried as to how, exactly, they tracked such returns they would laugh, saying, “Oh, no! It’s a metaphor—we don’t actually track social returns!”

I never did understand this."



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A Texas-Sized Scandal in Admissions at UT-Austin is Growing Bigger - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

A Texas-Sized Scandal in Admissions at UT-Austin is Growing Bigger - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Student research spots a flaw in planned giving perceptions - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders

Student research spots a flaw in planned giving perceptions - Information, research and resources for fundraisers and their leaders

New Charity Guidelines Deal With Online Fraud, Overhead, and Executive Pay - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

New Charity Guidelines Deal With Online Fraud, Overhead, and Executive Pay - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "n a continued effort to self-regulate, Independent Sector, a membership organization of nonprofits, today released a set of 33 principles for charities to follow when their members meet in the boardroom, solicit donors, manage their operations, and report their finances.

“Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations” is an update on a similar set of guidelines the group compiled in 2007."



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$5 million gift from Hebron Brick CEO is largest ever for MSUM, will fund business school scholarships | INFORUM

$5 million gift from Hebron Brick CEO is largest ever for MSUM, will fund business school scholarships | INFORUM: "$5 million gift from Hebron Brick CEO is largest ever for MSUM, will fund business school scholarships"



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Hilarious video launches fundraising campaign for Baltimore Rock Opera Society - Baltimore Sun

Hilarious video launches fundraising campaign for Baltimore Rock Opera Society - Baltimore Sun: "Only the Baltimore Rock Opera Society would launch a fundraising campaign with a video featuring an assortment of muppets, armor-clad warriors and the alcohol-fueled death of a golden egg-laying chicken."



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Crowdfunded donations for Elijah’s family prompt new questions | Toronto Star

Crowdfunded donations for Elijah’s family prompt new questions | Toronto Star: "Toronto rallied. Canadians rallied. People everywhere did what they could — they gave. Their “flash philanthropy” now prompts uncomfortable questions: What will happen to all this money? What should happen to it?
Justin Kozuch, who set up the fundraiser on Tilt, told the Star in an email that he “would love to see a scholarship or a grant be established in Elijah’s name, or a donation to a community organization,” but will leave it to the family to decide."



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Legacy Charity Walks and Runs Are Stumbling, New Report Says - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Legacy Charity Walks and Runs Are Stumbling, New Report Says - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Several major charity walks and runs extended a yearslong revenue slump in 2014 as newer, sometimes offbeat fundraising events grew in popularity, according to a report released today."



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massnonprofit news ::Context Lets Nonprofits Make Their Case

massnonprofit news ::: "Most stakeholders like to read your stories, but they want to see your numbers, and even if they don’t say it, they also need to understand the context, which an effective case for support provides.
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Mailers Play The Match Game To Boost Response - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times

Mailers Play The Match Game To Boost Response - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times: "Mailers Play The Match Game To Boost Response
By Richard H. Levey - February 20, 2015
What’s in a name? A 22-percent increase in donations, based on a direct mail test, is the answer.

TechnoServe offers capitalism-based poverty-reduction assistance to people in developing countries. When its leadership wanted to increase its unrestricted funds, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offered an asset at least as valuable as cash: The right to use the foundation’s name in a donor-match mailer."



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UT System, UT-Austin break philanthropy records | The Daily Texan

UT System, UT-Austin break philanthropy records | The Daily Texan: "The UT System broke its philanthropy record this year, according to a report released at a Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 11.
According to the report, overall giving topped $1.73 billion among all UT System institutions in fiscal year 2014, up from $1.23 billion in fiscal year 2013."



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A surprising tweak to increase donor retention | FundraisingCoach.com

A surprising tweak to increase donor retention | FundraisingCoach.com: " The webinar was presented by the legendary fundraiser Ken Burnett. He was talking about how effective stories can be in the answering the donor's question, "Did my gift make a difference?"

Then he dropped a bombshell: Ken said that when a donor makes a gift, the need to know "Did my gift make a difference?" is almost instantaneous! When it comes to answering that question, 2 weeks is too slow. It is almost like donors get "buyers remorse," that feeling of let-down we experience after making a big purchase. Apparently donors seem to get that after making a gift."



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Keep your proposals consistent - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times

Keep your proposals consistent - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times: "Keep your proposals consistent
by The NonProfit Times - February 20, 2015
Inconsistencies in a grant proposal are evidence of a faulty planning process, rushed writing, or carelessness. “Inconsistencies can cause the reviewer to wonder if you know what you’re doing,” said Holly Thompson, contributing editor of The Grantsmanship Center, in Los Angeles, Calif. Pay particular attention to the following elements; they’re where problems are most likely to occur."



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The Baker’s Dilemma and the inequity of restricted funding | Nonprofit With Balls

The Baker’s Dilemma and the inequity of restricted funding | Nonprofit With Balls: "Today, I want to talk about unrestricted funding. A couple of weeks ago, Paul Shoemaker published this piece speaking against what he calls “Quite Damaging Dollars” (QDD), funds that come with burdensome restrictions and are not just unhelpful, but actually detrimental to nonprofits’ work."



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What Should We Make of "Pay What You Want"?: Associations Now

What Should We Make of "Pay What You Want"?: Associations Now: "The no-price price tag blends a purchase with a donation, turning the conventional transaction on its head. Could “pay what you want” work for association membership dues?"



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