Friday, June 29, 2012

Charity launches mobile boutique

Charity launches mobile boutique: Move over food trucks ... and behold the boutique truck.

The mobile Mystique Boutique is a new division of Dress for Success Midwest. They are stocking it with new and gently used clothes, shoes, handbags and jewelry.

The $33 billion philanthropist - The Irish Times - Fri, Jun 29, 2012

The $33 billion philanthropist - The Irish Times - Fri, Jun 29, 2012: JEFF RAIKES’ notion of retirement is a bit different from the norm. When the former president of Microsoft’s business division stepped down from his role in 2008 after almost three decades with the company, it wasn’t to take up watercolour classes, travel or catch up on reading. Instead, he barely paused for breath before stepping into the biggest job in philanthropy: chief executive of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

No Clowning: Brewery to Donate Money From Bryce Harper-Inspired Beer: DCist

No Clowning: Brewery to Donate Money From Bryce Harper-Inspired Beer: DCist: The Sports Bog reports that Harper, upon hearing about Denver Beer Co.'s tribute to his response to a question if the 19-year-old phenom would like to take advantage of Canada's more permissive alcohol regulations by downing a Canadian beer, asked the brewery to give any profits off its "Clown Question Bro" lager to the family of Celena Hollis, a Denver police officer who was killed in the line of duty.

Philanthropy and Worldwide Indigenous Causes Connect at IFIP Conference - ICTMN.com

Philanthropy and Worldwide Indigenous Causes Connect at IFIP Conference - ICTMN.com: The event showcased innovative investment strategies in both the Indigenous and philanthropic worlds. IFIP’s community of donors thinks globally, acts locally and operates holistically, in partnership with the communities they seek to fund, IFIP’s executive director Evelyn Arce said. IFIP is the only affinity group solely dedicated to international IP philanthropy.

Female political fundraising? - Salon.com

Female political fundraising? - Salon.com: Women make up close to 75 percent of the nonprofit fundraising field, according to Michael Nilsen of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. And over the past 30 years the field has become more and more dominated by women. Even within the past two years, hiring at a major fundraising consulting firm has increased to “sixty-something percent, when in 2010 it was 55 percent,” according to an executive at the firm.

How Bold Are You? Citizen Philanthropy. - Forbes

How Bold Are You? Citizen Philanthropy. - Forbes: How to Give: Advice from Jason Franklin, Executive Director at Bolder Giving:

1) Give now- you have to create the habit at some point, and its okay to start small.
2) Scale it- slowly increase your giving over time
3) Have triggers for your growth (if I earn X I donate/invest Y)
4) Think about to what you want to give and why

Opinion: Nonprofit groups face tough challenges to survive during economic drought | NJ.com

Opinion: Nonprofit groups face tough challenges to survive during economic drought | NJ.com: According to Philanthropy News Digest, P/PV appears to have been a casualty of the downturn in the economy. Simply put, it could not generate the revenue it needed to meet its expenses.

“Like so many other nonprofit organizations, P/PV was hit hard by the recent recession,” said P/PV President Nadya K. Shmavonian. “Over the last few years, we have worked to chart a new, sustainable path forward. We were able to secure generous core support from several private funders, and in April of last year, we made difficult staff cuts across the organization. Unfortunately, these changes were not enough to keep us competitive as a small, mission-focused agency — not without long-term funding to cover our core operational expenses, particularly those related to distilling and disseminating knowledge.

Sullivan’s reinstatement inspires a flood of donations to U-Va. - Campus Overload - The Washington Post

Sullivan’s reinstatement inspires a flood of donations to U-Va. - Campus Overload - The Washington Post: Soon after, Teresa Sullivan was reinstated as president of the University of Virginia on Tuesday afternoon, donations began to arrive at a much quicker rate than usual.

Some of the gifts were large — like the two anonymous donors who each pledged to give $1 million each in support of Sullivan. And some gifts consisted of just five bucks submitted online. The total amount collected since the reinstatement, as of Wednesday evening: $2.5 million in major gifts. And $218,910.95 from 657 online donors.

Flat-pack philanthropy | Campden FB

Flat-pack philanthropy | Campden FB

Thursday, June 28, 2012

I.R.S. Action May Signal Impending Probe of Political Nonprofits - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

I.R.S. Action May Signal Impending Probe of Political Nonprofits - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: I.R.S. Action May Signal Impending Probe of Political Nonprofits

June 28, 2012, 10:37 am

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to question some large 501(c)(4) advocacy groups about their political activities, signaling a possible investigation into whether the organizations are violating their nonprofit status, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Holly Paz of the I.R.S.’s tax-exempt division told a conference of certified public accountants Friday that the agency is working on a questionnaire to send to such groups. The agency has not set a date for when the queries will go out.

Tell Us What You Think of the Health-Care Ruling - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Tell Us What You Think of the Health-Care Ruling - Government & Politics Watch - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

U. of Virginia Board Reverses Course and Reinstates President - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

U. of Virginia Board Reverses Course and Reinstates President - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: U. of Virginia Board Reverses Course and Reinstates President

June 27, 2012, 10:42 am

The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors voted unanimously Tuesday to restore Teresa A. Sullivan as president, reversing a decision that roiled the campus for two weeks and became a national flashpoint in debates about the course of U.S. colleges, The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Washington Post report.

Fire Trucks in Baltimore: Brought to You by... - The Takeaway

Fire Trucks in Baltimore: Brought to You by... - The Takeaway: Council member William "Pete" Welch proposed the idea after city officials decided to close three fire stations. He says the advertisements could help save those fire stations, or avert similar cuts in the future. The legislation appoints a committee that will determine the size, shape, and nature of possible advertisements that would be placed on the fire trucks. This supervising body, Welch says, would be made up of the firefighters themselves.

Community Servings Raises $525K at Annual Dinner Party

massnonprofit.org ::: Community Servings Raises $525K at Annual Dinner Party

June 22, 2012 — Community Servings, a Jamaica Plain nonprofit that delivers meals to disadvantaged, critically ill patients throughout Massachusetts, announced that it raised $525,000 at its recent annual dinner party, exceeding its goal, to support its programs.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The AFP Blog: Your Last Wakeup Call

The AFP Blog: Your Last Wakeup Call: You may have seen the 2011 giving figures from the GivingUSA Foundation and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University already. If you haven’t, take a look. It’s not pretty.

Reinventing the Nonprofit Capital Campaign | Social Velocity

Reinventing the Nonprofit Capital Campaign | Social Velocity: Yesterday I wrote a post at the About.com Nonprofit blog about how nonprofits launching a capital campaign should consider a capacity capital campaign instead. You can read the whole post here. But below is an excerpt:

The Currency of Social Change | Barr Foundation

The Currency of Social Change | Barr Foundation: Now, a new case study from SSIR (“Networking a City”) introduces what may prove to be a vital sixth condition – what the magazine dubs the “return on relationships” and what is more commonly referred to as social capital. The case study features the Barr Fellowship and the novel idea that the bonds of trust and respect that form among leaders are truly the “currency of social change.”

Foundation, Operating Charity Investment Turn Negative - TheNonProfitTimes

Foundation, Operating Charity Investment Turn Negative - TheNonProfitTimes: Two companion studies of the nonprofit sector show that investment returns were slightly negative in FY2011 after increasing in the range of 12 percent during FY2010 and 21 percent in FY2009.

Harford: Governor signs land patent formally transferring 19-acres of state-owned property at Broad Creek Reservation to Boy Scouts - baltimoresun.com

Harford: Governor signs land patent formally transferring 19-acres of state-owned property at Broad Creek Reservation to Boy Scouts - baltimoresun.com: At a Board of Public Works meeting in the Governor's Reception Room in the State House, under a portrait of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed an actual sheepskin land patent, granting 19.014 acres of previously state-owned land at Broad Creek to the Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.

Why Raise Taxes When You Can Raise Money? Governments Take a Dip in the Donor Pool - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.

Why Raise Taxes When You Can Raise Money? Governments Take a Dip in the Donor Pool - NPQ – Nonprofit Quarterly - Promoting an active and engaged democracy.: A by-product of the Great Recession and the growing calls to restrain spending, governments at the state and local level are turning to traditional fundraising in a surprising number of ways. Of course, fundraising for public entities and services has happened for years, usually at arms-length via friends’ groups or foundations for state universities, libraries, parks and, increasingly, local schools. But as federal stimulus money ends and the economy continues its uneven path, state and local budgets remain embattled. Seeking private gifts, which are voluntary and convey the notion of marketplace approval, is a path increasingly being chosen or considered across the nation.

What Is Government up to?

Some government efforts are new and range from creative to questionable:

Monday, June 25, 2012

Indianapolis Opera stays afloat as other troupes fold, but financial future remains cloudy

Indianapolis Opera stays afloat as other troupes fold, but financial future remains cloudy: INDIANAPOLIS — A collaboration with Indiana University will help keep Indianapolis Opera afloat for another season, but the company is still in search of a business model that will put it on solid footing.

"I would say it's all up for grabs right now," Executive Director John Pickett said.

Cyclists Ride in Portland's Disaster Relief Trials � OPB Arts & Life

Cyclists Ride in Portland's Disaster Relief Trials � OPB Arts & Life: To test the feasibility of including bicycles as an official component of a large municipal disaster response effort, the Portland Office of Emergency Management sponsored this year's Disaster Relief Trials. Participating riders were tasked with locating and retrieving emergency supplies along a 30-mile route around the city of Portland, and then returning the supplies to the starting location. Along the way, various obstacles were set up to simulate real-world disaster scenarios.

Geri Stengel: 7 Must-Haves for Nonprofits Planning to Scale

Geri Stengel: 7 Must-Haves for Nonprofits Planning to Scale: In a world where social needs are increasing and resources decreasing, it's critical to scale organizations that efficiently and effectively address social problems. For the last three years, the Social Impact Exchange has been convening leaders in the field to address this issue.

"Scaling a nonprofit's programs without i

Beauty queen who shaved head for charity wins Miss Alaska title, will compete for Miss America

Beauty queen who shaved head for charity wins Miss Alaska title, will compete for Miss America: Ebben shaved her head in March to raise more than $4,000 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which donates money for childhood cancer research. She said she did it to let children who lost their hair because of cancer treatments know that it was OK to be bald.

CAP program helps advisers help clients explore reasons for... | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

CAP program helps advisers help clients explore reasons for... | www.palmbeachdailynews.com: Once the upcoming season begins, there’s a new designation every philanthropically minded individual needs to be made aware of.

It begins with working with an adviser who has earned his or her CAP — or Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation — and ends with inspiring donors to make their priority that of focusing on giving from the heart to the foundations and charities they truly care about.

UVa Creates Archive Documenting Sullivan's Resignation - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

UVa Creates Archive Documenting Sullivan's Resignation - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education: he University of Virginia library staff is archiving materials related to the recent events that forced Teresa A. Sullivan to resign as president of the institution.

This is the first time the libraries have tried to preserve materials from a large-scale, continuing event, said Bradley Daigle, director of digital-curation services. The staff did not begin collecting materials on the subject until a rally on June 18. As of June 22, the team has archived nearly 20,000 tweets, 61 blog posts, over 200 media posts, and about 100 physical objects, such as signs from protests.

To Give or Not to Give, Up to $5.12 Million - NYTimes.com

To Give or Not to Give, Up to $5.12 Million - NYTimes.com: TIME may — or may not — be running out for one of the biggest tax breaks for wealthy Americans: the chance to give up to $5.12 million to heirs tax-free and then pay a comparatively low 35 percent rate on any gift above that. The break is scheduled to expire in six months, but no one will hazard a guess about its fate because it is just one of many tax and spending measures expiring at the same time.

How I Learned to Use Twitter for Good

How I Learned to Use Twitter for Good