Thursday, August 06, 2015

Senate Report Cites I.R.S. Mismanagement in Targeting of Tea Party Groups - The New York Times

Senate Report Cites I.R.S. Mismanagement in Targeting of Tea Party Groups - The New York Times: "ASHINGTON — A Senate committee on Wednesday closed a two-year investigation with unanimous agreement that mismanagement at the Internal Revenue Service led it to improperly target conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. But a report by the panel did not suggest that any laws were broken, and Republicans and Democrats were divided over whether White House politics was behind the problems."



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Live From DMA: Direct Mail Hiatus Cost ACS $30 MillionThe NonProfit Times

Live From DMA: Direct Mail Hiatus Cost ACS $30 MillionThe NonProfit Times: "New donors declined by 11 percent and new donor revenue dropped by $11.3 million in the first year that American Cancer Society (ACS) paused its direct mail acquisition program. The hiatus had an impact of $29.5 million over five years."



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School Fundraising a Billion-Dollar Business - NonProfit PRO

School Fundraising a Billion-Dollar Business - NonProfit PRO: "The school year’s opening bell has yet to ring, and already a multitude of children are preparing to sell candy bars, cookie dough and coupon books.
School fundraising season is here, with children and their parents pitching family, friends and cornered co-workers to support everything from cheerleading competitions to new band uniforms."



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Record Donations to Scholarship Programs Boost School Choice in Arizona | Heartlander Magazine

Record Donations to Scholarship Programs Boost School Choice in Arizona | Heartlander Magazine: "Two Arizona tax credit scholarship programs reached their funding cap limits within a week of each other in early July.

The programs expand school choice for Arizona children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend private schools."



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The Price of Nonprofit Debt | Nonprofit Quarterly

The Price of Nonprofit Debt | Nonprofit Quarterly: "Nonprofits have as many opportunities as anyone else to make fatal or at least seriously hobbling errors when it comes to the details of debt transactions and the projections on which they are based. The New York Times reported (for instance) that Cooper Union in New York City “borrowed $175 million for 30 years at a rate of 5.75 percent and then spent most of the proceeds on a lavish new building while continuing to run operating deficits. It also agreed to a prohibitively expensive prepayment penalty, making it financially impossible to extricate itself from the terms of the loan.”2"



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Why Venture Philanthropy Is the Future of Giving - PhilanTopic | PND | Foundation Center

Why Venture Philanthropy Is the Future of Giving - PhilanTopic | PND | Foundation Center: "Venture philanthropy makes nonprofits stronger, more sustainable, and more efficient at delivering impact, so that they in turn can help more of the vulnerable and at-risk. Although the concept has been around for years — in the U.S., there has even been discussion of whether venture philanthropy has peaked — it has yet to reach its full potential in Canada. Instead of simply providing cash grants to charities, nonprofits, and social enterprises, venture philanthropy invests in their business structure to help them grow and function more effectively. It's the difference between giving someone a fish and teaching him/her to fish."



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Wednesday, August 05, 2015

How to Curate a Whole New Audience | npENGAGE

How to Curate a Whole New Audience | npENGAGE: "The event routinely sells out, and this month was no different. The team at Thinkery has done an excellent job in getting the word out in all the right publications (Austin’s Culture Map, Austin’s Social Planner, among others) since they launched this innovative idea in December 2013.  The event is definitely a hit, and Thinkery has enjoyed increased revenue, an expanded audience, and an increase in their supporter base.
How can you explore doing something similar at your museum? I asked the team for tips on how they implemented Thinkery21 – check it out:"



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Museum Staff Diversity Report Shows Women Poised for Leadership, Ethnic Minorities Not | Nonprofit Quarterly

Museum Staff Diversity Report Shows Women Poised for Leadership, Ethnic Minorities Not | Nonprofit Quarterly:



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Chatting About Planned Giving With Timothy Logan, FAHP, ACFRE - Resource Center - AFP

Chatting About Planned Giving With Timothy Logan, FAHP, ACFRE - Resource Center - AFP: "More and more it seems, fundraisers are expected to develop and utilize integrated and multi-channel campaigns rather than having a singular focus like say annual fund or planned piving. We had a chance to chat with Timothy Logan, FAHP, ACFRE about this trend and what would make the perfect Planned Giving App."



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Tuesday, August 04, 2015

ALS research already benefiting from Ice Bucket Challenge's return | Health - WCVB Home

ALS research already benefiting from Ice Bucket Challenge's return | Health - WCVB Home: "ALS research already benefiting from Ice Bucket Challenge's return
Ice Bucket Challenge will return every August until a cure is found"



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Police look for possible pattern in string of thefts from Maine veterans groups - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Police look for possible pattern in string of thefts from Maine veterans groups - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram: "About $15,000 was stolen from an American Legion post in Gray over the weekend, and there are similarities to other crimes targeting the state's nonprofits."



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How Have Black Lives Mattered to American Philanthropy? | HistPhil

How Have Black Lives Mattered to American Philanthropy? | HistPhil: "It’s telling that I wrote a book on the Ford Foundation, the largest philanthropy of post-World War II America, yet when I was invited to give a talk last year in a series on the ethic of “care,” I almost trashed the e-mail, making no connection between my work on philanthropy and the idea of “care.” How strange. After all, by definition philanthropy is care in action; philanthropists’ generosity supports social causes that promote the welfare of others. Why didn’t I associate this work with “care”? There are some obvious reasons, including the sheer scale, scope, and bureaucratic complexity of big foundations like Ford, which understandably make it hard to see the care behind institutional practices. However, my work on philanthropic efforts for African Americans has led me to a more particular and insidious answer."



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'Giving circles' plant seeds of philanthropy in Asian American communities - LA Times

'Giving circles' plant seeds of philanthropy in Asian American communities - LA Times: "For members of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Islander Giving Circle, the meeting is a chance to mingle and celebrate their efforts to fund causes like the Chinese Parents Assn. for the Disabled and Tafesilafa'i — a cultural festival in Long Beach. The event, which in 17 years never earned a profit, received a $3,000 grant from the giving circle to use for publicity.

"What happens if some of us don't get involved and these groups are even more marginalized? How will people understand the heart of Asian Americans unless we highlight their work?" said Leslie Ito, the circle's founder."



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Monday, August 03, 2015

Overall Charitable Giving to Nonprofits Down, Online Giving Up | Blackbaud News

Overall Charitable Giving to Nonprofits Down, Online Giving Up | Blackbaud News: "Overall Charitable Giving to Nonprofits Down, Online Giving Up

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Nicole McGougan
The Blackbaud Index debuts new specialty index focused on giving to foundations
Charleston, S.C. (August 3, 2015) – Blackbaud, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB) today updated The Blackbaud Index with charitable giving trends through June 2015, as well as announced the addition of a new foundation specialty index that tracks revenue from giving to foundations.
Based on data from 5,170 charities that raised more than $17 billion in the prior 12 months, The Blackbaud Index reported that overall charitable giving decreased 0.5 percent for the three months ending June 2015, compared to the same period a year earlier.
Among 3,786 charities that raised over $2 billion online in the prior 12 months, online giving grew 13.8 percent in the same three-month period, compared to the same period a year earlier."



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Third-party-warehousing firms fight world hunger « Philanthropy North Carolina

Third-party-warehousing firms fight world hunger « Philanthropy North Carolina: "Third-party-logistics (3PL) providers are piloting an innovative warehousing and corporate-social-responsibility partnership with an international relief agency to help address the global hunger epidemic."



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2015 Mid Year Report on U.S. Charitable Giving | Atlas of Giving - Fundraising Forecasting

2015 Mid Year Report on U.S. Charitable Giving | Atlas of Giving - Fundraising Forecasting: "015 first half U.S. charitable giving has been exceptionally (and unexpectedly) strong – up a total of 7.6% to $238.88 Billion from $222.03 Billion for the same period in 2014. Most of this strong giving performance is attributed to the continually good news of improving employment rates. Individual donors, who account for 74% of all U.S. giving, are finding jobs, less fearful of losing their jobs, and enjoying some splendid economic conditions like low interest rates, low gas prices, and little inflation. This leaves them with more disposable income that can be applied to charitable giving."



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