Friday, December 16, 2011

The EO graduate student summer internship program

The EO graduate student summer internship program is an exciting opportunity to learn – on the inside – about the federal tax code and the projects and programs the IRS uses to promote education and enforce compliance among tax-exempt organizations nationwide.
eo_2012_summer_internship_factsheet.pdf (application/pdf Object)

IR-2011-120: Filing Deadline Extended to March 30 for Some Tax-Exempt Organizations

Filing Deadline Extended to March 30 for Some Tax-Exempt Organizations
WASHINGTON — Tax-exempt organizations with January and February filing due dates will have until March 30, 2012, to file their annual returns, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.

IR-2011-120: Filing Deadline Extended to March 30 for Some Tax-Exempt Organizations

IRS offers advice for holiday charitable giving | digitalBURG.com

IRS offers advice for holiday charitable giving | digitalBURG.com: ST. LOUIS — Any discussion on charitable giving during the holidays has to start with a warning. Watch out for scams!

“Scam artist are active year round,” said IRS spokesman Michael Devine. “Don’t let them take advantage of your good intentions. Research unfamiliar organizations, check with the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general’s office before making a donation.”

The IRS offers some reminders that individuals and businesses should keep in mind when making contributions to a charity.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Report Says Charity Giving Down In NC, But Up for Charities At Home | digtriad.com

Report Says Charity Giving Down In NC, But Up for Charities At Home | digtriad.com: The report also stated that people in North Carolina supported non-profits that got better returns from their fund-raisers than charities supported by donors in other states.

The 2010-2011 Secretary of State Charitable Solicitation Licensing Division Annual Report states that charities licensed by the NC collected $26,716,762.18 from North Carolinians during the 12 month period recorded.

Fit Your Fundraising to Your Donor's Personal Giving Style

Fit Your Fundraising to Your Donor's Personal Giving Style: Do you ever worry that you will ask for a gift and get the Blank Stare? If you know how a donor thinks about giving, it will help you get a smile and a nod instead of the dreaded Blank Stare. All donors are unique. However, they tend to fall into one of three basic categories: Leaders, Followers, and Loners.

Charities snap up free video cameras from CTT in record time - Civil Society - IT - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits

Charities snap up free video cameras from CTT in record time - Civil Society - IT - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: ll 1,500 Flip Video cameras made available through the Charity Technology Trust’s CTXchange donation programme were snapped up within five hours of the offer being made yesterday.

CTT received a donation of 250 boxes each containing six cameras, from Cisco Consumer Products which bought Flip in 2009. It is now closing Flip Video down and making discontinued stock available to charities through the US-based Techsoup donation programme, of which CTT is the UK partner.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Salvation Army lieutenant ringing for a cause — and a record | The Desert Sun | MyDesert.com: Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, Kelsey will compete against 26 Salvation Army representatives around the nation to set a new record for most consecutive hours spent ringing a bell for the Red Kettle campaign

Don’t like the name of new art museum? Move on - Michael Putney - MiamiHerald.com

Don’t like the name of new art museum? Move on - Michael Putney - MiamiHerald.com: But I’ve reconsidered. After speaking to Perez and looking at how other arts institutions are funded here and across the country, I’ve concluded that Perez should be thanked, not condemned for his $35 million gift to MAM. If the price is for the museum to bear his name, hang his art and be his legacy, well, why not? He’s certainly not the first South Florida art patron to make a deal like this. The Arsht Center? Taxpayers kicked in about $440 million toward the PAC and Adrienne Arsht got her name on it for $30 million, supplanting Carnival Cruise Lines, which had given $20 million.

How Fund Raisers Can Use Seduction Techniques - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

How Fund Raisers Can Use Seduction Techniques - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Mr. Strauss, the author of The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, spent years testing and perfecting the techniques men use to meet and attract women. One of the most effective techniques could also be useful to fund raisers, he said at the annual NextGen: Charity conference, in New York.

“The best way to sell yourself is to have somebody else selling themselves to you,” he says.

The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance

The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance — HBS Working Knowledge: How can nonprofit leaders address such conflicting demands? Harvard Business School Working Knowledge recently spoke with two leaders in the field of nonprofit performance management. Mario Morino is cofounder and chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners, which strategically invests money and expertise to improve the lives of children and youth of low-income families in the Washington, D.C., region. Morino is the author of Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity.

12 Days of Giving

12 Days of Giving: Welcome to the 12 Days of Giving!

In the spirit of the season, the Community Foundation is celebrating the many ways the people of Lancaster give of themselves and help create extraordinary community. We know that it takes a wide range of efforts to make Lancaster thrive. Every day people are at work supporting families, feeding children, keeping us healthy, caring for our animals and cultivating a creative environment where we can continue to create new solutions to our everyday problems.

Corporate and Foundation Giving 2011 | Philanthropy Journal

Corporate and Foundation Giving 2011 | Philanthropy Journal: n this special report, PJ looks at trends in giving by corporations and foundations, and what they are looking for in forming partnerships with nonprofits.

Smaller Charities Under Fiscal Stress Likely to Cut Staff in 2012

Some coverage of the Nonprofit Research Collaborative Study

massnonprofit.org ::: December 8, 2011 — Smaller charities, those that spend less than $3 million annually, are more likely than larger organizations to cut staff in 2012, reflecting many signs of fiscal stress affecting smaller nonprofits, a new national survey has found.

According to the study, conducted by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC), smaller charities, which make up 90% of the nation's nonprofits, 29% of smaller organizations, compared with 20% of larger organizations, reported a greater likelihood of cutting staff in 2012.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

What happens now the money has run out – the challenge for trusts and foundations in the new economy | New Philanthropy Capital's Blog

What happens now the money has run out – the challenge for trusts and foundations in the new economy | New Philanthropy Capital's Blog: Most urgently, foundations will have to find new ways to sustain their impact. The dominant model in grant-making over the last decade has been to pay for start-up costs and then look to government to provide continuation funding. There’s a generation of professional grant-makers brought up to think that this is the way grants end. In a world of less generous government, it may no longer be a reliable exit strategy.

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | The Voice from Outside: Stakeholder Resistance in Nonprofit Organizations

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | The Voice from Outside: Stakeholder Resistance in Nonprofit Organizations: A board-approved merger between two nonprofits is quashed due to pressure from donors. Two Girl Scouts mobilize opposition to the use of palm oil in Girl Scout cookies and get the nonprofit to change the recipe. A recreation center on the verge of closure is prevented from doing so by the work of community members. A labor dispute between musicians and management in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra leads to the creation of an advocacy group that becomes a powerful voice in the negotiation process. These examples highlight an emerging phenomenon that is gaining momentum worldwide—that of what we are calling “stakeholder resistance,” but what some executive directors may experience as “stakeholder rebellion.”

Latest from Alliance | Latest from Alliance | News and comment on philanthropy and social investment around the world

Latest from Alliance | Latest from Alliance | News and comment on philanthropy and social investment around the world: Today, however, there is a lot of very promising activity by foundations in global basic education.

An important turning point was a Quality Education in Developing Countries Initiative, launched by the Hewlett Foundation with co-funding from the Gates Foundation. The initiative has made substantial grants to improve reading, maths and critical thinking skills among primary school students in India and sub-Saharan Africa.

Coastal Bend Day of Giving provides nearly $690,000 to 22 area nonprofits � Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Coastal Bend Day of Giving provides nearly $690,000 to 22 area nonprofits � Corpus Christi Caller-Times: CORPUS CHRISTI — Thousands of small donations added up to a handful of large checks Monday for area nonprofits made possible by the third annual Coastal Bend Day of Giving.

R. Paul Herman: Give Money, Get Impact, Save Taxes: The Power of Social Entrepreneurs for Your Portfolio

R. Paul Herman: Give Money, Get Impact, Save Taxes: The Power of Social Entrepreneurs for Your Portfolio: To realize that goal requires "earned income," charging for services that also create high human, social and environmental impact. Many nonprofits do this already, from hospitals to schools to senior homes. The higher the rate of income to expenses, the fewer dollars the charity needs. When revenue exceeds expenses, you can have a "profitable" nonprofit, as well as delivering positive human impact.

Shakopee Valley News - Tribe makes 227 160 in charitable donations for holiday season

Shakopee Valley News - Tribe makes 227 160 in charitable donations for holiday season: The Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community awarded $227,160 in charitable donations for the 2011 holiday season. The donations, which went to 44 social service organizations mostly in the Twin Cities, are providing toys, clothing, food, activities and other gifts for families this holiday season. Some of the funds were also used to sponsor Thanksgiving dinners for needy families.

Delaware Community Foundation's 2012 Capital Grants now available to nonprofits - Dover, DE - Dover Post

Delaware Community Foundation's 2012 Capital Grants now available to nonprofits - Dover, DE - Dover Post: Capital grants enable nonprofit organizations to complete work that will benefit their communities for years to come," Delaware Community Foundation President and CEO Fred Sears II stated in a release.

Money awarded for capital grants ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 and may be used to fund construction, renovation or repair of buildings, and land purchases; however funding for the purchase of equipment is limited.

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Public Schools—the “Feel Good Hobby” of the Rich?

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Public Schools—the “Feel Good Hobby” of the Rich?: December 9, 2011; Source: Time Magazine | This article from Time Magazine asserts that for the past ten years philanthropy and a small number of high-flying and well-connected nonprofits have been playing at school. That is, the rich have taken up the public schools as a kind of laboratory complete with human subjects. Judith Warner, the author, says that their promise appears to be that they may be able to remake poor children in their own images but—wait for it!—results have been “mixed at best.”

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | The Joys of Nonprofit Re-Gifting

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | The Joys of Nonprofit Re-Gifting: As part of an annual urban studies class at the University of Pennsylvania this semester, students not only got the chance to assume the role of philanthropists but they also got $100,000 to back up their choices. According to NewsWorks, this was the first year that an anonymous donor made a gift to the university in support of the program, which, along with many other smaller gifts, included $20,000 for a neighborhood-based nonprofit with an operating budget of $160,000.

The Link Story

The Link Story: Kateman elected chair of Partnership for Philanthropic Planning

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Michael Kateman, executive director of Development, Alumni & Public Relations for Columbia College, has been elected 2012 chair of the Board of Directors for the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP). PPP is a national nonprofit whose individual and council members include more than 8,000 fundraisers and financial advisors involved in the process of helping donors plan and make major charitable gifts.

Growth returns for the city's largest nonprofits | Crain's New York Business

Growth returns for the city's largest nonprofits | Crain's New York Business

Why Simon Cowell does not have the 'great' factor | Education | The Guardian

Why Simon Cowell does not have the 'great' factor | Education | The Guardian: The reason that charity singles are worthy of academic study, she explains, is that they can tell us much about attitudes to society and to need. "I'm interested in the relationship between popular culture and politics. Charity singles are part of this story. At certain points in the last few decades, they've dominated the charts, often vying with each other for top positions. The singles serve as a way of gauging changing concerns more widely."

How saying No to a donor can end up in a legacy pledge | Elsbeth Takkenberg | 101fundraising

How saying No to a donor can end up in a legacy pledge | Elsbeth Takkenberg | 101fundraising: As a relationship manager special gifts, I speak to a lot of donors about including M�decins sans Fronti�res (MSF) in their last will. Not only do donors want to know what difference their gift will make in the lives of people that urgently need medical aid, victims of war and natural disasters. But donors also like to talk about their personal life, their personal situation, their values and beliefs.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Framingham State to offer philanthropy course - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News

Framingham State to offer philanthropy course - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News: Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Highland Street Foundation, next semester Silver will give 20 students a primer on the ins and outs of philanthropy, from introducing possible career paths in the non-profit industry to understanding the legal parameters of charitable giving.

The course will culminate in the students distributing the $5,000 award to local philanthropic organizations of their choice.

Cat’s 26 toes give animal shelter a leg up - Chicago Sun-Times

Cat’s 26 toes give animal shelter a leg up - Chicago Sun-Times

Burnout: Signs and Strategies for Every Nonprofit Professional

Burnout: Signs and Strategies for Every Nonprofit Professional: Something of a sector buzzword, employee burnout remains a perplexing phenomenon. The 1970s-coined Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) defines it as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment.

Heavy workloads and stress put employees in all sectors at risk, yet ongoing research finds strong links between burnout and the social service and nonprofit sector.

Test Your Knowledge of Nonprofits - WSJ.com

Test Your Knowledge of Nonprofits - WSJ.com: And Americans certainly are generous. In 2010, they gave $290.89 billion, according to the Giving USA Foundation—and that's from all sources, including individuals, corporations, foundations and bequests.

But how much do you really know about the nonprofit world—about the finances, the institutions and the people who dominate it? Take our quiz and find out.