Friday, December 04, 2009

So Where’s the Proof Social Entrepreneurship Works? | Philanthropy Central

So Where’s the Proof Social Entrepreneurship Works? | Philanthropy Central: "In fact, there’s a good deal of compelling evidence—beyond default references to Muhammad Yunus and microfinance—that social entrepreneurs are producing results at scale.

Notice my language here. I’ve intentionally coupled “results” and “scale” rather than using the ubiquitous “going to scale” phrase, which suggests, to me anyway, that scale is more about an organization’s size than its impact. For the Skoll Foundation, it’s all about impact. Of course, to the degree organizational capacity fuels impact or achieves economies in driving order-of-magnitude results, a beefier organization may be entirely justifiable. But let’s be clear that what we’re after is that social ROI."

House establishes permanent 'death tax' branch (OneNewsNow.com)

House establishes permanent 'death tax' branch (OneNewsNow.com): "The House passed a permanent extension of the 45 percent federal estate tax yesterday over the objections of Republicans who say the death tax needs to be completely abolished. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer hailed the death tax extension as permanent 'tax relief' for American families, saying it 'strikes a fair balance between what we owe to families, farmers, and small businesses.' He also billed it as 'an important step toward fiscal responsibility.'"

Majority of Charities Would be Hurt by Proposal to Decrease Donation Value :: PNNOnline ::

Majority of Charities Would be Hurt by Proposal to Decrease Donation Value :: PNNOnline ::: "More than half of charitable fundraisers surveyed indicated their organizations would be hurt by a White House proposal to decrease the value of the charitable deduction, according to an informal poll by the Association of Fundraising Professionals."

Thursday, December 03, 2009

The World's Top 25 Philanthropists -- Barron's Ranking Based on Impact - Barrons.com

The World's Top 25 Philanthropists -- Barron's Ranking Based on Impact - Barrons.com: "THE NAME OF THE GAME IN PHILANTHROPY this year is to make your dollars go far -- very far. With the recession squeezing donors and charities alike, it's more important than ever to make sure your giving really makes a difference."

Low-Cost Event Benefits Both Charities and Consultants - Philanthropy.com

Low-Cost Event Benefits Both Charities and Consultants - Philanthropy.com: "Low-Cost Event Benefits Both Charities and Consultants

In New York City, pounded hard during the recession, local fund-raising consultants and charity officials came together this week for a mutually beneficial “speed consulting” event.

The benefit for charity officials: The chance to get 15 minutes of free advice from one or more consultants at the event."

Harvard Law Drops Free-Tuition Offer for Public-Service Pledges - Philanthropy.com

Harvard Law Drops Free-Tuition Offer for Public-Service Pledges - Philanthropy.com: "Harvard Law Drops Free-Tuition Offer for Public-Service Pledges

Harvard University’s law school is suspending its offer to waive tuition for students who promise to spend five years working for nonprofit groups or the government, citing economic pressures and the program’s surprising popularity, according to The New York Times."

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Tough Choices for Givers - WSJ.com

Tough Choices for Givers - WSJ.com: "When you sit down to consider your charitable contributions this year, you may want to bring your heart along with your budget.

Many of us, facing pay cuts, job worries and uncertainty about what's ahead, may not feel able to give as much this year as we have in the past, forcing us to make difficult decisions beyond dollars and cents. A recent American Red Cross poll found that 20% of givers planned to reduce their contributions this year, though 62% were hoping to give about the same amount."

Five Charity-Evaluation Groups Mount Effort to Educate Americans About Smarter Giving - Philanthropy.com

Five Charity-Evaluation Groups Mount Effort to Educate Americans About Smarter Giving - Philanthropy.com: "harity Navigator, poking holes in the value of overhead ratio? Actually, yes.

The watchdog group, which gives charities good scores for spending little on overhead in comparison to their program expenses, is one of five organizations trying to get Americans to pay less attention to administrative and fund-raising costs when they think about which groups to support. (See this press release from the five groups.)"

The outlook for fundraising in 2010 | Mal Warwick's Newsletter

From Mal Warwicks Newsletter

The outlook for fundraising in 2010 | Mal Warwick's Newsletter: "The outlook for fundraising in 2010
by Peter Schoewe
From December 2009

It would be easy to write off 2009 as a terrible year for fundraising. Because of the economic crisis at the end of 2008, the past 12 months have been a time of uncertainty and challenges for many fundraising programs. But there have been bright spots—believe it or not—amid the wreckage of falling donor counts and dropping average gifts in the past year. Here are a couple:"

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Ind. charities hope for more holiday donations -- chicagotribune.com

Ind. charities hope for more holiday donations -- chicagotribune.com: "INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana charities are hoping donations will pick up this holiday season to meet the skyrocketing demand for help during the slumping economy.

Charities in Indiana have reported increased requests for help with rent, utility costs, food and other services. Many people asking for help have never done so before, and cities with high unemployment rates, such as Elkhart, Kokomo and Marion, are seeking more aid."

Americans still have giving holiday spirit: poll | Lifestyle | Reuters

Americans still have giving holiday spirit: poll | Lifestyle | Reuters: "The poll commissioned by the American Red Cross showed that nearly 70 percent of people believe it is more important to donate this year because of the state of the economy.

'People are still giving,' said Roger Lowe of the American Red Cross, 'but they're giving less.'"

Monday, November 30, 2009

Area leaders talk about shared success and giving back | New England Business Bulletin

Area leaders talk about shared success and giving back | New England Business Bulletin: "Lanagan was one of the founders of the South Coast Business Alliance (SCBA), which has the goal of joining talented people from a diverse mix of industries, while raising money for youth-based organizations and the arts.

'It's very important to give back to the community in which you draw your business from and it's important to genuinely know what's going on in your city,' Lanagan said.

Among its efforts, SCBA members built a boxing gym at the Boys & Girls Club of New Bedford."

Roanoke’s Hope Fund partnership featured in O Magazine - Roanoke College - Salem, Virginia

Roanoke’s Hope Fund partnership featured in O Magazine - Roanoke College - Salem, Virginia: "Roanoke College provides four-year scholarships for Palestinian students

Yahia Abu Hashem came to Roanoke College from a different background than most students. A Palestinian student from the Gaza Strip, Hashem came to Roanoke in the fall of 2007 through a program called the Hope Fund, a program for young Palestinian refugees who excel academically but whose poverty makes it difficult for them to achieve higher education."

New Hospice chief maps vision | dailyworld.com | Daily World

New Hospice chief maps vision | dailyworld.com | Daily World: "Hospice of Acadiana is in its 26th year of service to southwest Louisiana, established as the only nonprofit hospice in the area and still one of the few nonprofit hospice facilities in the nation.

'This organization attracted me because it has an outstanding reputation in the community,' Trout said. 'We have over 400 volunteers, who are champions of the organization. For a community this size, that's a lot of people."

South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame offers new executive education for nonprofits

South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame offers new executive education for nonprofits: "Quantcast
November 28. 2009 6:59AM

Notre Dame offers new executive education for nonprofits
Tribune Staff Report

SOUTH BEND — The University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business is adding executive education to its nonprofit training programs.

Executive education refers to programs at the graduate-school level aimed at working managers and other professionals. Classes typically are offered on weekends or on flexible schedules designed to accommodate working adults."

Local: In The Mission : Today's Mission

Local: In The Mission : Today's Mission: "Earlier this month the San Jose Mercury News reported that the Urban Institute released a study that found that even though Latinos make up one third of the California population, only six percent of executive director positions at nonprofits are held by Latinos. Additionally, only 9 percent of Board of Directors seats are held by Latinos.

San Francisco is defying these numbers. The research also references a study done by the University of San Francisco and CompassPoint that measures nonprofits with budgets between $500,000 and $15 million. They found that in nearly 30 percent of San Francisco nonprofits, at least half their management is of color and only 20 percent of the organizations had no people of color in the board."

Turkey trot raises $25,000 for nonprofits - Vallejo Times Herald

Turkey trot raises $25,000 for nonprofits - Vallejo Times Herald: "Building up an appetite was easy for participants in Solano County's first Turkey Trot on Thursday.

The early-morning fundraiser included 5k and 10k walks and runs through pastoral Suisun Valley.

The race started in front of Solano Community College, wound toward Wooden Valley Winery with a 5k turnaround near Rockville Cemetery and a 10k turnaround near Morrison Lane."

Volunteers find the key to happy holiday is giving back | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Volunteers find the key to happy holiday is giving back | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star: "The Thanksgiving tradition for many families is to help the needy through a ministry of food.

'We're here because we're supposed to help,' said Carl Clark Sr., who brought his wife, son and two daughters to help with the holiday meal served at Lawrence United Methodist Church."