Thursday, September 08, 2011

Donors Back Out of Philadelphia Superintendent's Buyout Deal - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Donors Back Out of Philadelphia Superintendent's Buyout Deal - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Donors Back Out of Philadelphia Superintendent’s Buyout Deal

September 8, 2011, 10:07 am

Plans for private donors to pick up part of Philadelphia’s nearly $1-million tab to buy out a school superintendent’s contract have unraveled amid mounting criticism of the secrecy surrounding the deal, says The Philadelphia Inquirer.

How Sept. 11 changed charity in America - Sep. 6, 2011

How Sept. 11 changed charity in America - Sep. 6, 2011: NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, inspired Americans to step up and help their neighbors like never before, donating billions of dollars to families who lost loved ones.

R.I. Sewing Network assembling giant sock for charity | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

R.I. Sewing Network assembling giant sock for charity | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal: This sock will never get lost in the dryer — it’s too big.

When it’s finished and hanging in the Rhode Island Convention Center this winter, it will be three stories tall and 17 feet wide.

The giant sock, which organizers hope will set a Guinness World Record, is designed to call attention to an invisible problem: that many children go without underwear because their parents are too poor to buy items that can’t be handed down or found at donation centers.

IRS, nonprofits still grapple with new tax rules | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

IRS, nonprofits still grapple with new tax rules | The Tennessean | tennessean.com: Some 4,500 organizations in the state have lost their nonprofit or tax-exempt status for not filing an annual report with the Internal Revenue Service, and about 9,300 additional organizations may face similar sanctions if they fail to file by Oct. 15.

Volunteering: Treat your charitable giving like an investment - Bakersfield.com

Volunteering: Treat your charitable giving like an investment - Bakersfield.com: A nonprofit organization ought to be run like a business."

I hear this comment often in my role as President and CEO of Kern Community Foundation. However, I do not necessarily agree with it. Instead, I believe that a nonprofit organization ought to be run like a good business, especially if I am going to make a personal donation to support its mission. Like many people, I have limited personal financial resources and want to see results from the charitable investments I make.

Facebook App 9/11 Memorial Lets You Dedicate Status Updates to Victims

Facebook App 9/11 Memorial Lets You Dedicate Status Updates to Victims: 573


Facebook, in collaboration with The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, will ask members to update their profile photos or dedicate their statuses in remembrance of the victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Six Ways to Make a Donor Thank You Letter Better - Donor Thank You Letters Deserve Your Best Effort

Six Ways to Make a Donor Thank You Letter Better - Donor Thank You Letters Deserve Your Best Effort: Here are six articles that will help you dot your "i"s, cross your "t"s and make your thank you letters sweet.

Best Links: Content Ideas, Landing Pages, Social Media for Volunteers

Best Links: Content Ideas, Landing Pages, Social Media for Volunteers: Nonprofit Blog Carnival

Kivi Leroux Miller organized the August Nonprofit Blog Carnival around all things kooky. Read the "out there" ideas she got from nonprofit pros in Quirky, Kooky, and Off-Beat Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising. They may inspire your own bravery as well as creativity

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Steel Magnate Pledges $265-Million to Carnegie Mellon - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Steel Magnate Pledges $265-Million to Carnegie Mellon - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Carnegie Mellon University has received the largest gift in its history, a $265-million pledge from a prominent Pittsburgh businessman, reports the Associated Press.

The unrestricted gift from William S. Dietrich II, former chairman of the steel supplier Dietrich Industries, will pay for programs at the Pittsburgh university after the 73-year-old donor dies. It brings Carnegie Mellon close to meeting a $1-billion target for a fund-raising campaign now under way.

The Lessons of 9/11 Philanthropy, a Decade Later - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

The Lessons of 9/11 Philanthropy, a Decade Later - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Could the nearly inconceivable challenges be met? How could nonprofit organizations play an effective role in the recovery?

The answer wasn’t immediately clear, but over time I learned two things that worked:

Local nonprofit organizations stepped away from their traditional missions and adapted quickly to respond to sharply changed circumstances. That decision was risky, because it could have hurt the people who had relied on the groups before the disaster, but few charities suffered such problems.
New leaders and organizations brought a fresh perspective to fill the gaps left by established players. While some people worried that the groups would duplicate efforts, the new charities’ impressive accomplishments overcame that concern.

An Overview of Secure Credit Card Donation Processing & PCI Compliance : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success

An Overview of Secure Credit Card Donation Processing & PCI Compliance : Page 1 of 2 : FundRaising Success: The reality is that online credit card processing is very safe and secure, thanks in large part to the Payment Card Industry Data Security StandardsOpens in a new window (PCI DSS) created by the PCI Security Standards CouncilOpens in a new window (PCI SSC). PCI SSC was created by the major credit card companies to unify their security standards. The objective was to protect sensitive credit card information and reduce credit card fraud.

McKnight Dance and Choreography Fellowships Find New Partner in Northropthropy Potluck

Minnesota Council on Foundations Blog – Philanthropy Potluck: McKnight Dance and Choreography Fellowships Find New Partner in Northrop
September 6, 2011

Good news for the Minnesota dance scence – the McKnight Foundation’s Artist Fellowships for Dancers and Choreographers has found a new partner in the University of Minnesota Northrop Concerts and Lectures administration.

Volunteering Will Save Your Career (Or Put You In A New One) | Fast Company

Volunteering Will Save Your Career (Or Put You In A New One) | Fast Company: Starting today, LinkedIn will let users list their public-spirited deeds and philanthropic efforts alongside job experience under a new section called "Volunteer Experience and Causes." According to a survey by the social network, more then ever volunteer experience is valuable information that could give job hunters the boost they need to get promoted or hired.

Identify Your Funding Model That Makes the Most Impact - Resource Center - AFP

Identify Your Funding Model That Makes the Most Impact - Resource Center - AFP: (Sept. 6, 2011) Following up on their previous work about funding models, The Bridgespan Group has released a new guide for nonprofit leaders aimed at helping organizations identify strategies for identifying, creating and implementing long-range funding models.

The Bridgespan Group had previously released a paper on “Ten Nonprofit Funding Models.” This guide, “Finding Your Funding Model,” builds on that knowledge, outlining six steps organizations should take to determine the most effective funding model for their operations and how to implement them.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Sports scandal blemish could hamper University of Miami fundraising

Sports scandal blemish could hamper University of Miami fundraising: "As it stands now, the scandal should hurt Miami's fundraising ability to some extent, but there could be a bigger impact if more damaging information comes out, said Michael Nilsen, a spokesman for the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
"I could see this having an impact for a couple of years, but I don't see it having a major impact," Mr. Nilsen said. "But if it gets bigger, and becomes an institutional thing, or if it involves (Univer"

Boston Mayor Offers Credits to Nonprofits for Hiring Local Jobless - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Boston Mayor Offers Credits to Nonprofits for Hiring Local Jobless - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Boston Mayor Offers Credits to Nonprofits for Hiring Local Jobless

September 6, 2011, 10:00 am

Boston hospitals, universities, and other nonprofit groups would get the equivalent of a tax break for hiring out-of-work city residents under a jobs plan unveiled Monday by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, The Boston Globe writes.

Feeney's new formula for giving | The Australian

Feeney's new formula for giving | The Australian: Feeney's new formula for giving

Jill Rowbotham
From: The Australian
September 01, 2011 12:00AM



Mr Charles F Feeney, Founding Chairman, The Atlantic Philanthropies and Professor Susan D. Desmond-Hellmann MD MPH Chancellor of the University of Californa, San Francisco at a University of Queensland reception held in Customs House , Brisbane last night Picture: Sproule David Source: The Australian

ENCOURAGING responses to pilot philanthropy projects at the University of Tasmania and the University of New South Wales have reinforced American billionaire Chuck Feeney's new strategy for donating.

Mr Feeney, 80, is renowned for the $500 million he has donated to medical research facilities in Australia in the past 13 years. It is always a condition of a grant made by his foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, that institutions to which it donates find matching funding.


But in the past three months Mr Feeney has held talks with local high net worth individuals to encourage them to join him in Giving While Living networks, collaborating on donations to various projects, Atlantic's Australian director, David Kennedy says.

10th Anniversary of 9/11 Unlike Any Other

10th Anniversary of 9/11 Unlike Any Other: On the other hand, it is hard to escape the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Not that anyone wants to, sad as it is. In a USA Today article about the trauma of the anniversary, sociologist Brian Monahan said, "There's an inherent sadness, but alongside that is a celebratory undercurrent for how far we've come."

One of the nicest things any of us can do for the 9/11 anniversary is to visit 911.org and join the "I Will" campaign.

Monday, September 05, 2011

In down economy, nonprofits explore profit-making ventures - The Washington Post

In down economy, nonprofits explore profit-making ventures - The Washington Post: The panel discussion is one in a series of conferences that Booz Allen has organized since 2007 to provide small nonprofits with management and fundraising insights.

Panel members spoke about their successes, failures and challenges with launching an earned-income venture, which is the sale of goods and services by a nonprofit.