Brave New Frontier: The Tweeted Proposal | Nonprofit Quarterly

Brave New Frontier: The Tweeted Proposal | Nonprofit Quarterly: "The Deluxe Corporation Foundation is replacing the tedious nature of grant writing with the ‘Short & Tweet’ campaign in which nonprofits can state their case in a mere 140 characters. Through this new Twitter campaign, small nonprofits can be nominated for a chance to receive a $10,000 grant."



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Drury launches Master of Nonprofit & Civic Leadership degree program

Drury launches Master of Nonprofit & Civic Leadership degree program: "SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Oct. 21, 2015 — Drury University will soon begin offering a new graduate degree for professionals seeking to enhance their skill sets in the nonprofit and civic sectors.

The Master of Nonprofit and Civic Leadership is a unique offering in a community where nonprofit organizations employ about half of all private workers and play an integral role in tackling pressing issues such as poverty, healthcare and education. The program aims to truly enhance the quality of life in the Ozarks by preparing emerging and mid-level leaders for executive service in these key institutions."



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Nonprofits move in on millennials in hopes of nabbing the next generation of philanthropists. The competition for these would-be do-gooders is fierce. | Crain's New York Business

Nonprofits move in on millennials in hopes of nabbing the next generation of philanthropists. The competition for these would-be do-gooders is fierce. | Crain's New York Business: "The Yellowstone Park Foundation invited several hundred 20- and 30-somethings to its first benefit for young patrons this month. Tickets to support a “national treasure” cost $100—a relative bargain for the opportunity to hobnob at the Bowery Hotel. For the foundation, it was an investment in the future: building relationships with young professionals who could one day become the philanthropic faces of the organization."



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Nonprofit’s local branches hammer out merger | Richmond BizSense

Nonprofit’s local branches hammer out merger | Richmond BizSense: "The two local affiliates of home rehab nonprofit Rebuilding Together are working to nail down a merger.

Rebuilding Together Richmond and Rebuilding Together Tri-Cities have announced their intention to combine forces in a merger that would see the Tri-Cities affiliate absorbed into its larger northern neighbor.

The nonprofit would maintain a physical presence in Petersburg; the Tri-Cities affiliate’s coverage area also includes Colonial Heights, Hopewell and the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George and southern Chesterfield. But operations and oversight would be combined with the Richmond office, which is located at 406 W. Franklin St."



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Recognition Circles: The Art and the Science, Part One | Lynne Wester | LinkedIn

Recognition Circles: The Art and the Science, Part One | Lynne Wester | LinkedIn: "This two-part guest blog from DRG Group member Debbie Meyers attempts to demystify the recognition circle, in theory and in practice. Part one discusses the rationale behind having recognition circles (the art), including why we should have them and how they should operate. Part two highlights some of the FAQ’s and logistics in setting up a family of circles (the science)."



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Bequests: Planning Ahead ... Way Ahead - NonProfit PRO

Bequests: Planning Ahead ... Way Ahead - NonProfit PRO: "For most of us, the fundraising we do is not the stuff of legend. Instead, it’s the bread and butter of our organizations—the consistent, hard and thoughtful work that reaps results online, through the mail, at events, in personal meetings and via other means.
Or perhaps it really is legend—because our fundraising is what keeps the lights on, "



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42% Of Americans Say They Can't Afford To DonateThe NonProfit Times

42% Of Americans Say They Can't Afford To DonateThe NonProfit Times: "Among the biggest obstacles to giving is affordability. Some 42 percent said they can’t afford to give. Almost 1 in 4 said they already give enough to nonprofits. About 1 in 8 said they it’s because they “can’t give enough to make a difference.”"



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Social Alchemy: Transforming Problems Into World-Changing Ideas | Exceptional Boards

Social Alchemy: Transforming Problems Into World-Changing Ideas | Exceptional Boards:



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Ask for 'strange amounts' and use red donate buttons, says US fundraising consultant | Third Sector

Ask for 'strange amounts' and use red donate buttons, says US fundraising consultant | Third Sector: "Speaking yesterday at a session of the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands, Nowers, who is chief executive of the US-based fundraising agency Nexus Direct, said that asking for an unconventional sum from donors – such as $17 rather than $10 or $20 – was an effective way to get them to increase their donations, according to focus groups in multiple countries.

"Using a strange amount will always improve your results," she said"



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Fundraisers barely lasting a year - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times

Fundraisers barely lasting a year - The NonProfit TimesThe NonProfit Times: "The average tenure of a major gifts officer in the philanthropic sector is 16 months, according to the Philanthropy Leadership Council. With the expense in time, money and missed opportunity associated with turnover, organizations have a number of reasons for wanting to keep quality officers onboard."



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Sunsetting in Michigan: Local Foundation Prepares to Shut its Doors | Nonprofit Quarterly

Sunsetting in Michigan: Local Foundation Prepares to Shut its Doors | Nonprofit Quarterly: "Readers can read more about the arguments for this practice here in this extraordinary article by Buzz Schmidt , which is also published as our feature today. In it, he makes a good case for making a careful choice between perpetuity and a deliberate and more time-limited deployment of philanthropic assets.

“Shutting down in 2017 was always part of the plan,” "



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Face-to-face fundraising is ‘recession proof’, IFC delegates hear

Face-to-face fundraising is ‘recession proof’, IFC delegates hear: "Income levels from face-to-face fundraising tends to grow during a recession, delegates at the International Fundraising Congress were told yesterday.
In a masterclass at the conference in Holland held by Resource Alliance, delegates were told that data from Europe and South America shows that face-to-face fundraising is “recession free”. The session was led by David Cravinho, head of regular giving at Unicef (Switzerland), and Daryl Upsall, of Spanish based Daryl Upsall Consulting International."



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Center for Effective Philanthropy Gets a Surprise $1.1M Grant

massnonprofit news ::: "October 17, 2015 — The Center for Effective Philanthropy, a Cambridge nonprofit that develops research on grant makers’ performance, was one of two organizations to recently receive an unsolicited $1.1 million grant to enhance its capacity to support philanthropy."



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Crowd Fundraising for the Arts: No Running, Walking, or Freezing Plunges Required | npENGAGE

Crowd Fundraising for the Arts: No Running, Walking, or Freezing Plunges Required | npENGAGE: "In 2011, in the name of raising money for the Special Olympics, I participated in the Polar Plunge. As a native Texan going to graduate school in Wisconsin, I signed up on a sunny September day not only to support the cause, but also because it seemed like something that would make for a good story one day. When February rolled around, it was with shock and horror that I realized exactly what I had signed myself up for—blocks of ice had been removed to make a hole in a lake that was completely frozen solid several feet deep. After jumping in, you swam across the short length of the hole (about 10 yards), and emerge, wet and freezing, only to get to race through temps in the teens to try to warm up in a lukewarm hot tub. As a Texas girl, I am not exaggerating when I say I thought I literally might freeze to death."



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Opinion: Hilton Prize Offers Important Lessons for Foundations - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Opinion: Hilton Prize Offers Important Lessons for Foundations - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "As men and women in their best evening dress gathered at the Waldorf Astoria last week for the awarding of the 20th annual Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, they were there for more than a run- of-the-mill gala.

Outside the ballroom, massive and stunningly beautiful backlit photos portrayed the people whose lives have been changed by the winners of the prize, the biggest philanthropic honor for humanitarian groups. As guests cradled cocktails and munched mini crab cakes, the huge lighted images provided an arresting backdrop for a prize competition that in many ways demonstrates how more of philanthropy should work."



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N.J. Town Panel OKs Demolition of Doris Duke Mansion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

N.J. Town Panel OKs Demolition of Doris Duke Mansion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "Officials in central New Jersey have approved plans by the nonprofit that manages the late socialite and philanthropist Doris Duke's rural estate to raze her 122-year-old home, reports the Associated Press. The vote Thursday night by the Hillsborough Township Historic Preservation Commission culminated a lengthy hearing process over the demolition plan, which drew strong opposition from local preservationists."



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Your #GivingTuesday 2015 Prep List - Third Sector Today

Your #GivingTuesday 2015 Prep List - Third Sector Today:



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Jack Dorsey Pledges Fifth of Tech Firm Square to Charity - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Jack Dorsey Pledges Fifth of Tech Firm Square to Charity - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "Tech mogul Jack Dorsey has launched a foundation to aid needy communities around the world and will give it a nearly one-fifth stake in mobile-payments company Square, Quartz and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report. Mr. Dorsey, Square's chief executive officer and biggest shareholder, revealed the donation in the firm's filing Wednesday for an initial public offering valued at $275 million."



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Providence: Bike-share program still on track - News - providencejournal.com - Providence, RI

Providence: Bike-share program still on track - News - providencejournal.com - Providence, RI: "The city has not given up hope of finding a corporate sponsor willing to finance a bike-share system officials have been trying to develop for the last two years.
"Bike share is alive and well," said Evan England, spokesman for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza last week.
The company working for the city on the project is "optimistic we will reach a sponsorship agreement" to make Providence bike-share a reality, said Sheila Dormody, Elorza's director of policy in a phone interview."



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Investments in Art Fertilize Growth in Rural Towns | Nonprofit Quarterly

Investments in Art Fertilize Growth in Rural Towns | Nonprofit Quarterly:



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The Diversity Crisis: Do Nonprofits Need Quotas? - 101fundraising

The Diversity Crisis: Do Nonprofits Need Quotas? - 101fundraising: "Look at your board and your leadership team…
How many are men?
How many are over 50?
How many are white?
If the answer is: “most of them” – you are leaving money on the table. Lots of money."



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Stress Testing the Charitable Organization | Planned Giving Design Center

Stress Testing the Charitable Organization | Planned Giving Design Center: "There are more than 1 million nonprofits in the United States, and more than 70% of these entities receive annual support of less than $200,000.  Philanthropic advisors play an important role in guiding these volunteer-driven nonprofits in the performance of their vital community work.  Here's a tool to help them stay healthy and improve sustainability."



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Calendar Confusion: Year-End Communications on a Summer Fiscal Year | Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Calendar Confusion: Year-End Communications on a Summer Fiscal Year | Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog:



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N.Y. State Shutters Pet Hospice Supported by Celebrities - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

N.Y. State Shutters Pet Hospice Supported by Celebrities - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "New York State officials have closed an upstate shelter for ill and injured dogs and cats, accusing its owner of multimillion-dollar mismanagement, reports the Associated Press. The group had won televised kudos from Oprah Winfrey.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Susan Marino, owner of the Angel's Gate animal hospice, steered $3.1 million raised from 2007 to 2012 into personal expenses and failed to file required financial reports."



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Thanks to Penn State Football, the Open Wounds of the Sandusky Scandal Still Fester | Nonprofit Quarterly

Thanks to Penn State Football, the Open Wounds of the Sandusky Scandal Still Fester | Nonprofit Quarterly:



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Philadelphia Orchestra Players OK Deal, but for Just One Year - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Philadelphia Orchestra Players OK Deal, but for Just One Year - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "Philadelphia Orchestra Players OK Deal, but for Just One Year
Philadelphia Orchestra musicians approved a new contract Monday, but the unusual deal lasts only 12 months and appears to have been adopted with reservations, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer."



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Contest Philanthropy Mutates—Can It Be Made to Fit? | Nonprofit Quarterly

Contest Philanthropy Mutates—Can It Be Made to Fit? | Nonprofit Quarterly: "It’s no secret that NPQ is not a big fan of contest philanthropy, but we are appreciative of taking the best of an overall abominable idea and using it for good.

The idea of “venture philanthropy” is not new, nor is the practice of making nonprofits compete for funding while admonishing them to cooperate. In 2014, Nonprofit Quarterly outlined the basic tenets of this way of giving, as some major donors make use of a model of engaged investment (also not a new notion). Recent variations on this theme of lusting after business methods while wanting to appear hip have included the “shark tank” for nonprofits, adapted from the reality show of the same name."



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Seeking Billions, N.Y. Arts Groups Rev Fundraising Engines - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Seeking Billions, N.Y. Arts Groups Rev Fundraising Engines - The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "With 16 New York City cultural institutions engaged in campaigns to collect $3.47 billion for expansions and renovations, The New York Times looks at the art and practice of big-league fundraising, and whether the donor pool is deep enough to support so many big-dollar drives."



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Show the value of planned giving « Philanthropy North Carolina

Show the value of planned giving « Philanthropy North Carolina: "Planned gifts can make a big difference for charities by providing a long-term source of critical support.

So charities should invest the time and effort to tell the story of why those gifts matter, how they are created, and their impact on the people they serve, their communities and their donors."



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11 questions that donors ask themselves - The NonProfit Times www.thenonprofittimes.com/The NonProfit Times

11 questions that donors ask themselves - The NonProfit Times www.thenonprofittimes.com/The NonProfit Times: "uring “Why Developing an Integrated Marketing Program Must be Your Number One Priority” at the recent National Catholic Development Conference event, Don F. Olson, owner of DonO Communications in Michigan City, Ind., shared the 11 questions every donor asks themselve"



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