Nonprofit

• Most Topular Stories

• Before You Buy It, “Will You Keep It For Ten Years?”

  Living and Giving

  Pamela Hawley

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:25 am

• GuideStar Survey Shows Difficult First Half for Many Nonprofits

  Charitable Advisors Blog

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:37 am

• Twitter: A Customer Service Breakthrough?

  personnal Business Blog

  admin

  2 Sep 2010 | 9:15 am

• Community project proposal

  NetSquared

  septimius.parvu

  2 Sep 2010 | 3:50 am

  Let's face it: finding good volunteers is tough. A good volunteer can be a priceless addition to the team, but the process of matching the expertise and timing needs of the project to the skills and availabilities of potential volunteers can take time and resources away from your organization. This month's Net2 Think Tank is exploring ways that organizations can use the internet to make finding volunteers more efficient and effective. Share your tools, tactics, and best practices with the NetSquared Community!Topic:read more

• Tracking the Power of the Network

  Beth Dunn

  Beth Dunn

  5 Jul 2010 | 8:29 am

  I’ve always been a bit of an academic at heart, and so I always feel like September is really the beginning of the new year, not January. How bizarre is it to think of January as the beginning of anything? But Autumn, now, that’s a clear, obvious, vivid transition period. The old passes away. The new begins. I’m transitioning into a new role at HubSpot, where I have for some time now worked as a Premium Support Consultant, working one-on-one with our Premium customers. Starting next week, I’ll be working more directly with our entire customer base, as I’ll be…

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  Dowser

• Social innovators in history: 8 lessons from Benjamin Frankin, America's founding social entrepreneur

  Dowser

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:18 am

  As the sun rose on February 4, 1735, Philadelphians awoke to find a most curious letter to the editor in the morning edition of the Pennsylvania Gazette. “Being old and lame of my Hands, and thereby uncapable of assisting my Fellow Citizens, when their Houses are on Fire; I must beg them to take in good Part the following Hints on the Subject of Fires,” the letter began before launching into a provocative vision for Philadelphia—a fire department. “Let others communicate their Thoughts as freely as I have done mine,” the author concluded, “and perhaps something useful may be drawn…

• WATCH: Back-to-school special! Joan Sullivan on the importance of effective communication

  Dowser

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:41 am

  A while back we conducted an interview with Joan Sullivan, who was then the Principal of the Bronx Academy of Letters, a New York City middle and high school founded in 2003. Earlier this year, Sullivan was appointed Los Angeles’ Deputy Mayor of Education, where she’s responsible for overseeing the city’s Department of Education as well as its education policy initiatives. As the school year gets underway, in light of Sullivan's expanded responsibilities, we are pleased to bring you this video and interview, in which Sullivan talks about her work as a principal, as well as her…

• FIAPS: Enlisting recent graduates to professionalize a new breed of schools in India

  Dowser

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:50 am

  Oglethorpe University graduate Ember Melcher recently left for Hyderabad, India on a new fellowship program designed to support the development of private schools in India. But these private schools only serve the poor. As one of the inaugural FIAPS – or Fellows for India’s Affordable Private Schools – Melcher, an economics major, will spend nine months improving the management of one affordable school. Typically, these schools charge approximately $5 a month. They are believed to offer higher quality education than most public schools. The fellowship program builds on the work of Gray…

• Big Ideas: Alan Khazei on reevaluating the roles of government and citizenship

  Dowser

  30 Aug 2010 | 1:35 pm

  In our Big Ideas series, we check in regularly with top thinkers in the field of social innovation. We want to know what they're working on, what questions they're wrestling with, and what opportunities and challenges they see up ahead for the sector. Alan Khazei, founder of Be the Change, Inc. and co-founder of City Year, has been a social entrepreneur, advocate, movement builder, political candidate, and, now, author. For more than 20 years, he has focused on encouraging and strengthening the power of citizens to serve and transform society. On Wednesday, September 1 at 8 p.m. EST, to…

• Garden State law invites consumers to sell solar energy

  Dowser

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:40 am

  As the sun shines across the Garden State, one beam slices down into Rockaway, New Jersey, striking a massive new solar panel installation. Neither prompted by federal stimulus dollars nor inspired by a nearby LEED-certified building, these panels are a pretty straightforward business investment. The panels atop H&H Mack Sales, one of the largest truck dealerships in the state, are the result of a new incentive that just rolled out last month: selling solar power from individuals and businesses to energy corporations. According to New Jersey law, energy companies need solar energy to be a…

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  Nonprofit Online News

• Away Message

  Nonprofit Online News will be on hiatus in the months of July & August. I look forward to being back next month! -- Michael Gilbert

• ACORN Totally Vindicated of All Wrongdoing - What Was That 'Scandal' All About?

  The ACORN story really breaks my heart. ACORN is an organization truly devoted to the poor, not expressing the noblesse oblige favored by some but instead seeking genuine, bottom-up empowerment. Like all large organizations, it applies its values inconsistently, but in my experience far more consistently than most. And certainly more consistently than its critics. Alas, I should be writing this in the past tense. On June 14, the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued its Preliminary Observations on Funding, Oversight, and Investigations and Prosecutions of ACORN or Potentially Related…

• Iran's Twitter Devolution: A Textbook Example of Hype Dynamics

  Over the years, there's been a slightly tired joke around our office, that comes up when we hear from a client that someone in a position of authority at their organization wants them to have a "social media" strategy. Does it mean that they're ready to invest in the relationships between their stakeholders and leverage the networks they're a part of? Nope. Does it mean they realize the Internet itself is a social medium and it's time for their organization to grow past using it as a broadcast tool? Probably not that either. No, it means that someone at the top said: "Gotta get us some o'…

• 6 New Terms to Use When Measuring Social Marketing Efforts

  I'm normally pretty disgusted when consultants (such as myself) make up fancy new hyped-up terms for well-established concepts in order to draw attention to themselves and create anxiety-based demand in their market. But these 6 New Terms to Use When Measuring Social Marketing Efforts actually seem pretty useful. Plus, they are not named in that annoyingly cutesy way that many firms use to glue the terms to their own brand and marketing. The six terms are Attractions, Participations, Interactions, Actions, Transformations, and Transactions. Not all of these apply to every campaign or program,…

• New York State Cuts Off Funding to Tens of Thousands of Nonprofits

  The Foundation Center reports on a Wall Street Journal report on how New York State is Cutting Off Funding to Tens of Thousands of Nonprofits. I bet this is on the verge of happening all across the U.S.

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  PND - Philanthropy News Digest

• Kresge Foundation Awards $3 Million to Free Public-Health Clinics

  The second group of grants awarded through the Health Clinic Opportunity Fund will be used to build the capacity of free public-health clinics and clinics designated as federally qualified health center lookalikes that did not receive stimulus funds....

• Partners Investing in Nursing's Future Program Awards $2 Million in Grants

  Grants were awarded to nine regional funders working to develop a nursing workforce that is large enough and equipped with the skills necessary to meet the changing demands of the patient population....

• National Math and Science Initiative Announces Second Year of Student Achievement Gains

  The initiative's Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program helped boost the number of students who passed AP tests in math, English, and science by 98 percent between 2008 and 2010....

• Lilly Endowment Awards $15 Million to Independent Colleges of Indiana

  The grant will support the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which provides awards covering the cost of tuition, fees, and books for four years of full-time undergraduate study leading to a baccalaureate degree at an Indiana institution....

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  Beth’s Blog

• The Art of Beginning for Improving Social Media Practice

  Beth

  1 Sep 2010 | 7:52 pm

  Two or three years ago, I received an email from Chris Brogan asking if I would give some advice to a recent college graduate named Avi Kaplan who was interested in a career of using social media for nonprofits.   I chatted with Avi and answered some of his questions.    Not long after that, Avi helped Stacey Monk develop a strategy for the very first Tweetsgiving. A few weeks ago, Avi asked me if I would participate in a blog tour for the Jewels of Elul focused on renewal and beginnings that benefits a residential addiction treatment center in Los Angeles.  The Hebrew month of Elul…

• Get Your Social Media Strategy in Shape With Spreadsheet Aerobics

  Beth

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:47 am

  Flickr Photo by Metro Transportation Library and Archive Successful social media is like going to the gym because the discipline of a good routine gets results much like  working out on a daily basis. If you have put on running shoes for the first time, do you think you can really expect to win the Boston Marathon? If you are just starting out or if you haven’t identified a strategy and a good regular routine, can you really expect success? You need to make social media a daily habit; understand the rules, the landscape, and above all give it time to work. Actionable Measurement The…

• What Tools Are You Using for Listening, Engaging, and Social Media Management?

  Beth

  31 Aug 2010 | 9:20 am

  Based on the discussion threads in my Facebook page,  I’ve updated my mega list of tools in my social media listening and engaging instructional wiki.   In reflecting over the past three years,  the definition of listening tools has broadened beyond “monitoring” or “research” to include several categories:   social media engagement management,  analytics, influencer identification, and social network analysis. Here’s a couple of new tools I’ve been exploring: RowFeeder should be in your spreadsheet aerobics routine.   It searches Twitter and…

• Win A Free Ticket To WomenWhoTech Annual Telesummit on 9/15

  Beth

  30 Aug 2010 | 9:47 am

  While some may think there are not a lot of high quality women who can speak on technology issues or are starting tech companies, it simply isn’t true. Women Who Tech brings together talented and renowned women breaking new ground in technology who use their tech savvy skills to transform the world and inspire change.  The summit provides a supportive network for the vibrant and thriving community of women in technology professions by giving women an open platform to share their talents, experiences, and insights. The 3rd annual Women Who Tech TeleSummit will take place on September…

• Reflections from Networked Nonprofit Workshop for 300 People

  Beth

  27 Aug 2010 | 8:57 am

  Colorado Project View more presentations from Beth Kanter. Chip Conley was the keynote speaker at last week’s Craigslist Foundation Bootcamp and one thing that he said that has been stuck in my head is:  “You can have a job, a career, or calling“    The latter, a calling,  is when you can tap into an internal motivation that fuels and inspires you.    It resonated.  I feel that my technology training for nonprofits work is more like a calling for me than simply a job or career.   For the past 15 years, I have been excited about nonprofit technology training design…

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  NetSquared

• The Local Philantropy Workshop Experience

  Epreda

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:30 am

  The second day of the Local Phliantropy Workshop, kept in Odorheiu Secuiesc Romania, put on the same table NGO and IT mentors. NGO, found about a lot of tools that will solve the IT problems. There were 4 contents: Communication, Social Media, Web Site Building, Productivity. All the NGO's exposed their problems, and IT mentors, tried to come with the best solution. I were at the Socia Media "table", and we spoken about Facebook, Twitter,  Linked, Blogs, and how this tools will improve your popularity. He have a great fun here, and also learn about a lot of interesting things... See you…

• Net2 Think Tank: Finding Volunteers

  Claire Sale

  2 Sep 2010 | 4:10 am

  Let's face it: finding good volunteers is tough. A good volunteer can be a priceless addition to the team, but the process of matching the expertise and timing needs of the project to the skills and availabilities of potential volunteers can take time and resources away from your organization. This month's Net2 Think Tank is exploring ways that organizations can use the internet to make finding volunteers more efficient and effective. Share your tools, tactics, and best practices with the NetSquared Community!Topic:read more

• Community project proposal

  septimius.parvu

  2 Sep 2010 | 3:50 am

  I would like to see marked tourist routes in Bucharest, that would contain monuments, important places, buildings etc... Also marking monuments and other important places is very necessary. Also, maps should be available in important places.

• IT solutions for NGOs

  Alicja Peszkowska

  2 Sep 2010 | 2:08 am

  Do you know what drupal or civicrm are? Or how IT volounteers can help your organization? During the last session on the day one of the Local Philathropy Workshop in Romania we were trying to find out and define the ways in which Romanian ITC volounteers could help local NGOs using specific tools that they have the knowlege about and experience in using.   Listen to Piotrek Szostkowski from CiviCRM talking about this program as a great example of how ITC can support NGOs

• a day at the local philantrophy workshop

  ravenro

  2 Sep 2010 | 1:30 am

  A good day at this workshop, found out alot about other programs, organisations, and networked with alot of "geek" persons.The first day mainly for getting to know each other and discuss alot about theoretical and ideal philantropy and charity; and after those discutions i realized that alot of us are good, charitable persons, but we all see it as just being a good person, as being polite, or just doing what we feel is good. It had a great start, from my point of view, with an interesting exchange of oppinioins. See you later.  

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  Osocio Weblog

• PSA serves as a cautionary tale for social marketers

  Tom Megginson

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:08 am

  This PSA from Illinois DOT is making the rounds of the ad bloggers today, some of whom believe it should be in the running for the worst ad of all time: How does a wreck like this happen? And more importantly, how can you keep this heartbreaking tragedy from striking your agency? The first role of social marketing is to raise awareness. Luckily, you’re already reading Osocio, so you’re aware of what makes a good socially aware campaign. Supplement your online diet regularly with blogs like this, along with Ads of the World, AgencySpy, AdFreak, Adrants and Copyranter, among others.

• Are Italian drivers stuck in the ‘70s?

  Tom Megginson

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:12 am

  You’d think so, after seeing this anti-drunk-driving at from the City of Nettuno: The copy translates as: If you stay sober, you stay alive Every year, 6000 people fall victim to road crashes caused by alcohol, particularly after leaving the disco. The City of Nettuna invites you to drink responsibly. I found it interesting that the Ads of The World Translation was much looser: “Every year, 6000 people get killed in road accidents caused by alcool abuse, especially on weekend nights.” That may be because they were worried that “discotheque” would seem too dated…

• ‘Battery Milk’ campaign

  Reuben Turner

  2 Sep 2010 | 3:26 am

  Have a look at this new social-media-based campaign from WSPA. It’s protesting against the new ‘super-dairy’ being planned here in the UK. Interestingly they are trying to create a new terminology – such as ‘factory milk’ and ‘battery cows’. Do you think it works? Will these new terms enter the language and change the way people think about cows and milk in the same way they’ve done for chickens and eggs? And what do you think about the approach – can social media campaigns work without a compelling piece of content to share? Author:…

• Scrambled Eggs Promote Car Safety

  Meena Kadri

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:43 pm

  The New Zealand government NZ Transport Agency aims to help citizens travel safely. As part of their efforts around creating awareness about private vehicle safety standards they’ve come up with the Right Car campaign. Three videos explain safety ratings, airbag features and tips on buying safer cars – all using a cast of characters that are eggs. In typically relaxed Kiwi humor the campaign advises: Ask any egg. Getting scrambled is the pits. The trick is to take precautions. Check how safe your car-ton is now and make sure you live to see another breakfast. Author: Meena Kadri

• Get it wild and uncensored!

  Marc

  1 Sep 2010 | 9:17 am

  Want to see the new campaign from Greenpeace Netherlands and have the possibility to scan a QR Code? Make your choice here: Author: Marc

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  Beth Dunn

• The True Beginning of the Year

  Beth Dunn

  29 Aug 2010 | 12:44 pm

  I’ve always been a bit of an academic at heart, and so I always feel like September is really the beginning of the new year, not January. How bizarre is it to think of January as the beginning of anything? But Autumn, now, that’s a clear, obvious, vivid transition period. The old passes away. The new begins. I’m transitioning into a new role at HubSpot, where I have for some time now worked as a Premium Support Consultant, working one-on-one with our Premium customers. Starting next week, I’ll be working more directly with our entire customer base, as I’ll be…

• Tracking the Power of the Network

  Beth Dunn

  5 Jul 2010 | 8:29 am

  Nick Swisher You know that old saying about advertising? The one that says we know that 50% of our billboards work, we just don’t know which half? Knowing “which half works” has become a kind of Holy Grail in advertising and marketing. Lots of folks who haven’t yet made the leap into inbound marketing labor under the illusion that the type of marketing they are used to — outbound marketing (also known as broadcast marketing, or shotgun marketing) — is more measurable and traceable than marketing conducted via blogs and social media. Not so. Inbound…

• Does a blog need comments?

  Beth Dunn

  27 Apr 2010 | 6:02 am

  I’ve always been of the firm belief that a blog just isn’t a blog unless you’ve got comments enabled. Without comments, it’s just a website that sort of vaguely, structurally resembles a blog. But isn’t the whole point of a blog to stimulate conversation and feedback? But how many of us really make it a practice to comment on other people’s blogs? How many of us think about how important it might be to supporting the general ecosystem of the social web — never mind what it might do for our businesses? Not too many of us, I am guessing. And yet, as…

• Honda Civic as a Service

  Beth Dunn

  18 Apr 2010 | 1:54 pm

  I’ve always driven Hondas — literally since my very first car. My Dad was kind enough to give me his old Honda Civic hatchback shortly after I graduated from college in 1993, and ever since then I have been a loyal Hondaist. And now I am in the market for another one. To be sure, each and every one of my Hondas has been a high mileage veteran. I tend to buy ten-year-old models with at least 150,000 miles on them, get five or six great years out of them, and then donate them to charity when their time has come. I’ve never paid more than $2,000 for a car, and I have always…

• The Power of the Pen [Guest Post by Barbara Oliver]

  Beth Dunn

  2 Apr 2010 | 10:00 am

  This post was written by guest blogger Barbara Oliver, a nonprofit communications professional on Cape Cod. What can Twitter really do in a person’s life? Can it move you to re-examine your past, and to re-imagine your future? Or is it just a lot of nonsense about what people ate for lunch? Can a tweet change your life? I am admittedly a twitter slacker.  I was so enthusiastic when I first began to tweet that I convinced a few friends to do so as well.  Since then I have all too often let my twitter participation languish and dwindle. But a few months ago, as I checked out the public…

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  NTEN: THE NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY NETWORK

• Brandraising: Using Technology to Grow Nonprofit Peaches

  Brett

  2 Sep 2010 | 9:14 am

  Sarah Durham, Big Duck We're all nerds when it comes to new media. No matter how many studies tell us that that the gadgets we're hooked on aren't good for us, most of us technology nerds still can't get enough. In part, it's because the technology is now so fast, easy and cheap to use that simply investing our time to figure it out seems like a pleasure. After all, I was that kid who stayed up late playing video games. (Ah, Joust... how I miss thee.) Now I'm that grown up who stays up late building communities for my obscure personal interests on Ning, and aimlessly chatting with my…

• Changes to the NTEN Connect Newsletter

  Brett

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:21 pm

  Until this month, we've used our monthly e-newsletter, NTEN Connect, to debut new content, typically publishing the 5-7 articles we've solicited all at once. While that gives us a nice traffic spike, it's a lot to drop on y'all in one day.So, in the spirit of Holly's call for innovation, we're going to try something new. Each weekday, for the first couple of weeks of each month, we're going to post a guest article related to our monthly theme. This month, it's fundraising; next month, Tech Trends. At the end of the month, the articles you, the NTEN community, like the most -- as determined…

• Fundraising When Money Is Tight

  Brett

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:49 am

  Mal Warwick, Mal Warwick Associates Our economy is still in bad shape, and a growing number of economists is telling us that it may well get worse. So what can we fundraisers do to minimize the impact of this difficult period on our organizations, and at the same time maximize our income? I suggest a cautious and balanced nine-step approach:  1. Reassess the whole ball of wax: fundraising, marketing, communications Now’s the time to take advantage of the opportunity to put in place an intensive evaluation process that will allow your fundraising, marketing, and communications programs to…

• Donald Trump Thinks You're Boring (and Other Lessons on Innovation)

  Holly

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:16 am

  Flickr photo: Gilberto ViciedoIn her book "Zilch", Nancy Lublin recounts the time she was seated next to "The Donald" at a play. They had a little chit chat, which included Mr. Trump asking her, "Oh. So you're in the not-for-profit sector. You don't find that boring?" I can now say from experience that Nancy Lublin is neither bored nor boring. (Seriously. When I met her, she was wearing a necklace made of plastic hula girls, and she WORKED it.) From what I know about you, you aren't either. As Nancy points out in the book, it's hard to be bored when there's so…

• Things We Like (August 2010)

  Brett

  31 Aug 2010 | 12:24 pm

  A monthly roundup of our favorite nonprofit tech resources. Read more posts on our blog. HBR's Dan Pallotta thinks it's unethical that your organization doesn't spend more time and money on fundraising. Them's fightin' words to a lot of commenters. We think it's unethical that this crazy yo-yo guy hasn't been worked into a fundraising campaign. He will seriously blow your mind. But we have to wonder what his parents think. Somebody find him a spokespinner job, quick! A friend posted that yo-yo link to Facebook. Adina Levin thinks Facebook's not the best place for community organizers -- but…

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  Skip A Lunch

• Nautica Sleep In for the Cure

  admin

  30 Aug 2010 | 1:06 pm

  Okay this one passed my desk and I had to read it once, twice, and thrice. Sleep in and support the Race for the Cure? No way! Yes way, check this out. For those who prefer to snooze rather than lace up their running shoes, sign up for Sleep In for the Cure and help run breast cancer out of town from home or wherever you’ll be on September 12! Support Komen Greater NYC from the comfort of your own bed and still have an impact on the fight against breast cancer. Read more here or check our Nautica’s blog post here. Image courtesy of the Nautica Blog.

• I’m walking to support the Hawaii Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

  admin

  18 Aug 2010 | 11:30 am

  Please help me reach my fundraising goal by making a tax-deductible donation today. I’m trying to raise $514 and even the smallest donation helps. Click here to see my page.

• Ask.com Breast Cancer Awareness

  admin

  17 Aug 2010 | 3:49 pm

  Hi everyone, last year we supported Ask.com‘s breast cancer awareness initiative. This year they’re donating $0.10 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for each person who selects the breast cancer awareness-themed homepage on Ask.com. Let’s all do this! From their PR: We have learned a few things since last year and in hopes to raise more awareness for breast cancer and money for Susan G. Komen, Ask.com has retooled its program, now calling it “Answers for the Cure” and is encouraging year-round breast cancer awareness. So much attention is given to breast cancer during the…

• Volunteers for Special Olympics Hawaii’s 2010 ‘Aukake Classic

  admin

  26 Jul 2010 | 7:03 pm

  Just got the following from Cindy Ujimori. If anyone can volunteer to help this amazing event, please contact her directly. Cindy’s email: Aloha Friends! Over 400 Special Olympics Athletes from across the State are busy training to compete in the 2010 ‘Aukake Classic.   Scheduled for August 21-22, 2010, this statewide soccer and bocce tournaments will be held at Wai’au District Park in Pearl City. As you all know, we heavily rely on you, our wonderful volunteers to staff our events and we need your help again!   I’ve attached a chart that lists all of the volunteer positions…

• The Gift That Freed Me To Give

  admin

  22 Jun 2010 | 6:32 pm

  Hi everyone, this is a guest post by Dr. O. Raye Adkins. Dr. Adkins has starteed a nonprofit foundation and a company which she talks about below… The Gift That Freed Me To Give By Dr. O. Raye Adkins A significant lesson for me has been understanding and accepting that our greatest gains often come through experiences in our lives that may be extremely painful. My father, Raphel Orval Beason, died less than four months before I was born at the age of 19 in an explosion at the Port Chicago U.S. Navy arsenal near Oakland, Calif. He was among 320 men killed on July 17, 1944, when two…

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  Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog

• Fun facts: The US nonprofit sector in a video nutshell

  katya.andresen@networkforgood.org

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:40 am

  Check out this great video by the Ben Klasky, executive director of a Seattle-based nonprofit called IslandWood.  He told me as part of his duties, he teaches a class on nonprofit management.  He said his students are always stunned by the size of the nonprofit sector. (1 in 10 US workers are employed by nonprofits; revenues earned by US nonprofits are greater than the entire economies of Saudi Arabia and Sweden combined, etc.!) So he made a video to make the point for all of us.  Check it out!

• DMA Crowd Slams Watchdogs and Donors Who Like Stars - But What’s the Solution?

  katya.andresen@networkforgood.org

  25 Aug 2010 | 4:28 pm

  If you work for a charity rating agency, you did not want to be at the DMA Nonprofit Federation meeting this week. Watchdogs were about as popular as canines at a cat convention. First, you had the keynote speaker - Dan Pallotta, author of Uncharitable and a big critic of watchdogs like Charity Navigator and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. He laid out a provocative, controversial and compelling case for allowing charities to operate like capitalists - paying to get good talent, spending and risking what’s needed to do effective long-term fundraising, and being judged on social value…

• ‘Old” donors give more - so do we stick to the same ‘old’ fundraising?

  katya.andresen@networkforgood.org

  24 Aug 2010 | 5:32 pm

  That’s what everyone is saying at the Direct Marketing Association conference here in New York, where I spoke this morning with fellow bloggers Jeff Brooks, Sarah Durham of Big Duck, Roger Craver of the Agitator and Karen Zapp.  Jeff Brooks says people under 50 don’t give enough to merit much cultivation at all.  Then the authors of the report, Heart of the Donor, Insights into Donor Motivation and Behavior for the 21st Century, said older donors are the most generous - and they give primarily through the mail.  So should you write off anyone remotely…

• Giving outlook grim, fundraising poor but hey we’re tweeting!

  katya.andresen@networkforgood.org

  18 Aug 2010 | 3:48 pm

  Today, some important news released: 1. GuideStar said today the giving outlook is grim (though as I always like to point out, online giving is up).  Notably, The Effect of the Economy on the Nonprofit Sector: A June 2010 Survey said: •Some 40 percent of participants reported that contributions to their organizations dropped between January 1 and May 31, 2010, compared to the same period a year earlier. •Eight percent indicated that their organizations were in imminent danger of closing. •Sixty-three percent reported a total increase in demand for their organization’s…

• The long slog and the slow motion miracle

  katya.andresen@networkforgood.org

  17 Aug 2010 | 6:57 am

  A friend sent me this great quote from a Gail Collins piece in the NY Times on women gaining the right to vote - which was preceded by a 70-year slog. “We always need to remember that behind almost every great moment in history, there are heroic people doing really boring and frustrating things for a prolonged period of time.” Our work is sometimes boring and often frustrating, but it’s leading somewhere eventually—a slow motion miracles played out over a very long time.

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  Philanthropy Journal - All Articles

• Fundraising at Canadian schools creates disparities...

  2 Sep 2010 | 3:51 am

  Fundraising at Canadian schools creates disparities; advice on setting up corporate volunteering programs; and more.read more

• Sept. 1: Van Cliburn Foundation, Foundation Source, Associated Grant Makers, and more

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:28 am

  Sept. 1: Van Cliburn Foundation gets new CEO; Foundation Source taps 2 for leadership team; Associated Grant Makers gets member-services director; and moreread more

• Sept. 1: N.C. Symphony, Charlotte Rescue Mission, United Family Services, and more

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:24 am

  Sept. 1: CEO leaving N.C. Symphony; Charlotte Rescue Mission and United Family Services team up; Goodwill serves youth; and moreread more

• Sept. 1: American Humane Association, Aetna Foundation, Dave Thomas Foundation, and more

  1 Sep 2010 | 4:18 am

  Sept. 1: Ganzert to head American Humane Association; Aetna Foundation names staff; Dave Thomas Foundation names staff; and moreread more

• Sept. 1: Crohn's and Colitis, DonorsChoose, New York Life, and more

  1 Sep 2010 | 4:15 am

  Sept. 1: Crohn's and Colitis Foundation gets $10M; DonorsChoose gets $1.3M; New York Life Foundation gives $2.5M; and moreread more

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  Sector3Report

• 5 Great Steps for Crisis Communications

  Beth Myers

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:18 pm

   Too many nonprofit organizations fail to craft a crisis communications plan.  For those that do, they often do not ensure that everyone in the organization is aware of the plan.  A crisis is scary.  I have been through one, and I assure you, that is not the time you want to craft a plan.  At the heart-wrenching time when your nonprofit is facing a crisis, all you should have to do is grab your plan and execute it.  Here is an article I found by Carmine Gallo.   In this Businessweek article he discusses  five steps for better crisis communications.  All Executives and Board…

• Impressive Video about the Third Sector

  Beth Myers

  30 Aug 2010 | 8:33 am

  There is a video out that is specifically about the impact of the third sector in our country.  It is very well done.  I think people who are not familiar with the 3rd sector’s impact will be impressed.  Let’s get people’s attention  and pass on this great work by Philanthropy Reports.

• Controversy for the Social Innovation Fund

  Beth Myers

  27 Aug 2010 | 9:42 am

  Recently, I have been reading various articles about the Social Innovation Fund.  There has been controversy around the transparency, or lack thereof during the review and selection process.  You can read related articles in the New York Times,  Washington Post, Nonprofit Quarterly, and  Chronicle of Philanthropy. In  Sean  Stannard-Stockton’s  post in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and reposted on his blog,  he advocates that all applications submitted to SIF should be made public.  The Social Innovation Fund had assured its applicants that their applications would not be made…

• A Great Shout-Out for Big Brothers Big Sisters

  Beth Myers

  26 Aug 2010 | 2:35 pm

  I just ran across a very nice blog post about the openness of Big Brothers Big Sisters to the volunteer community.  Well said, Earl Hipp.

• Icebreakers, Discrimination and Free Webinar

  Beth Myers

  25 Aug 2010 | 10:06 am

  Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Here are three items of interest, I think you might want to peruse.   Icebreakers: I am one of those participants who groans at the introduction of  icebreakers.  If you are like me, or if you like to conduct icebreakers, you need to read this article – Top 5 Worst Corporate Icebreakers Discrimination: Ruling upholds faith-based organization’s right to discriminate in hiring practices.  Read the full Seattle times article by by Janet I. Tu Seattle Times staff reporter.  Free Webinar: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 2PM Eastern. Another…

• 

  Have Fun • Do Good

• Interview with Temra Costa, Author of Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat

  Britt Bravo

  29 Aug 2010 | 1:15 pm

  Did you know that more than 30% of U.S. farm operators are women? Temra Costa's book, Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat features the stories of over 30 women and how they are changing our food system for the better as farmers, educators, mothers, chefs, businesswomen, and policy wonks.  She is also co-host of the radio show, The Queens of Green on Green 960, which you can also be downloaded as a podcast. I just *loved* this book, and also enjoy Temra's show, so I was super excited to interview her for the Big Vision Podcast.  I've posted an edited transcript below, and you…

• Have Fun, Do Good's Five-Year Blog Birthday (and Mine too!)

  Britt Bravo

  19 Aug 2010 | 10:59 am

  Flickr photo credit: Vegan Birthday Cupcakes by Steve Damron Five years ago today (on my b-day) I started this blog with a post titled, Service & Cupcakes. I just wanted to thank you *SO* much for reading Have Fun, Do Good whether you are a long time reader, or checking it out for the first time today. You have made the last five years of my life richer.

• Reminder: Big Vision Circle Teleclass 8/17 + Get the MP3

  Britt Bravo

  16 Aug 2010 | 5:03 pm

  Just a quick reminder that my one-hour teleclass, How to Start a Big Vision Circle to Support Your Creative Dream  is happening tomorrow, August 17th at 5:30 PM PT/8:30 PM ET. Even if you can't join the class live, registering will give you access to an MP3 recording of the call within 48 hours of its completion.  To register, go to brittbravo.com. During the teleclass we'll discuss: How a Big Vision Circle can help you reach your creative career goals How to find people to join your circle The pros and cons of virtual vs. face-to-face Big Vision Circles How to facilitate your…

• Walking Into 41: A Birthday Reflection Practice

  Britt Bravo

  14 Aug 2010 | 11:18 am

  Longtime readers will remember that during the 40 days leading up to my 40th birthday last year, I created a 4-part daily practice of moving, reflecting, playing and connecting.  This year, after reading in the article, How to Be Productive: Stop Working, that walking (or other aerobic activity) keeps your mind, as well as your body fit, I've decided to walk into the first 41 days of being 41 with 30-minutes of walking each day, starting on my b-day, August 19th. The biggest challenge, I think, will be making the time to do it.  I'd love your suggestions for how you make time to…

• Creating a Community Supported Kitchen: Interview with Jessica Prentice of Three Stone Hearth

  Britt Bravo

  12 Aug 2010 | 6:20 pm

  "The community-supported kitchen idea was a fantasy that I had in my head for years, before we started this business. I was always playing with it like, 'Oh, wouldn't it be great if you had this kitchen, and you packed things in Mason jars. People paid a deposit, and then they returned them. They could get mineral rich bone broth, and people would all work together in the kitchen.' It was a fantasy, and, for me, it's incredibly exciting to see it actually happening. . . .  . . . I think it's part of what life is about, as a human being, visualizing those things, then finding the ways to…

• 

  SSIR Articles

• Q&A: Neal Keny-Guyer

  rheredia@gsb.stanford.edu

  30 Aug 2010 | 10:01 am

  Neal Keny-Guyer has been the CEO of Mercy Corps since he joined the Portland, Ore.-based organization in 1994. During his tenure the organization has grown severalfold in size, joining the ranks of leading global relief and development groups. Today, Mercy Corps operates in nearly 40 countries; it has a staff of about 3,800 and an annual operating budget of more than $300 million. Before joining Mercy Corps, Keny-Guyer spent more than a decade working in the social sector, first with at-risk American youth at Communities in Schools, then with Southeast Asian refugees at CARE/UNICEF, and…

• Do No Evil

  rheredia@gsb.stanford.edu

  26 Aug 2010 | 8:34 am

  Before the dust settled from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti in January, the search was on for accurate information. Which buildings were still standing? Where should responders look for trapped victims? How could displaced family members hope to find each other in all the chaos? While humanitarian agencies airlifted crews and supplies to the devastated island, engineers launched programming marathons. Within days, Google released a new online gadget to assist on-the-ground efforts. Embedded on high-traffic Web sites, including the U.S. Department of State home page, Google’s…

• Research: Long Suffering Falls Short

  rheredia@gsb.stanford.edu

  24 Aug 2010 | 1:44 pm

  When school groups visit the Nazi Documentation Center in Cologne, Germany, “teachers often think that their job is to induce guilt in their students,” observes Roland Imhoff, a doctoral candidate in the department of social and legal psychology at the University of Bonn. “But pushing the guilt button may backfire,” he cautions. Supporting this warning is Imhoff’s dissertation, which shows that emphasizing Jews’ ongoing suffering from past atrocities may actually inflame anti-Semitism rather than cool it. “There is a widespread assumption that collective guilt has positive…

• A Bigger Pie

  rheredia@gsb.stanford.edu

  24 Aug 2010 | 1:24 pm

  After three years of working at San Francisco’s Mission Pie, Marzett Lee would still rather eat cake. The 20-year-old shrugs off the café’s just-baked pies with a smile—never mind that the goodies are made with seasonal pickings from some of the Bay Area’s finest sustainable farms. Baked fruit just isn’t her thing, she says. Neither are vegetables. Indeed, when she first started working behind the counter at Mission Pie, ingredients like turnip and butternut squash were as foreign as quiche. But as a place to work, the bakery-café has found a steadfast fan in Lee. When she started…

• Research: Next to Godliness

  rheredia@gsb.stanford.edu

  24 Aug 2010 | 1:12 pm

  Looking for the cleanest possible way to increase charitable donations? Spray citrus-scented Windex. According to new research, “people are more likely to engage in moral behavior when they are in a clean-scented room,” says lead author Katie Liljenquist, an assistant professor of organizational leadership at Brigham Young University. A few years ago Liljenquist and her coauthor discovered that moral “purity” is more than a metaphor. “When people recall an unethical behavior, they feel literally dirty,” Liljenquist says, and try to “wash away their sins” with an antiseptic…

• 

  Tactical Philanthropy

• Nonprofit Analysis: Beyond Metrics

  Sean Stannard-Stockton

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:19 am

  This is part six of a six part series exploring the sessions in the Tactical Philanthropy track at the Social Capital Markets conference. Session Description: Nonprofit Analysis: Beyond Metrics Over the last few years, mainstream nonprofit analysts and rating groups have moved beyond simplistic metrics like the "overhead expense ratio." Join three of these groups, Root Cause, GiveWell and Charity Navigator as they present their analysis of DC Central Kitchen, a prominent job training and meal distribution nonprofit. You’ll hear three robust approaches to analyzing nonprofits as a…

• Philanthropy Daily Digest

  Sean Stannard-Stockton

  1 Sep 2010 | 6:01 pm

  Report Watch: Leveraging Communications | The Center for Effective Philanthropy Sally Smyth at Center for Effective Philanthropy profiles a new report which looks at how foundations can supercharge their communications strategy to achieve more impact. I believe that effective communications is a key catalyst for large foundations. (tags: philanthropy)

• Decriminalizing Fundraising

  Sean Stannard-Stockton

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:12 am

  This is part four of a six part series exploring the sessions in the Tactical Philanthropy track at the Social Capital Markets conference. Session Description: Decriminalizing Fundraising Fundraising is generally seen as "asking donors for a favor." But what if fundraising is in fact no different from raising investment capital or selling a well-vetted product? This session will feature two 20 minute talks by George Overholser and Dan Pallotta, two of the most visionary and radical philanthropic leaders. George Overholser, Nonprofit Finance Fund Capital Partners Dan Pallotta,…

• Philanthropy Daily Digest

  Sean Stannard-Stockton

  30 Aug 2010 | 6:01 pm

  The New York Community Trust | Why Let The Billionaires Have All The Fun? A profile of a very clever ad run by The New York Community Trust in the wake of the Giving Pledge. (tags: philanthropy)

• Individual Donors Practicing Unconstrained Philanthropy

  Sean Stannard-Stockton

  30 Aug 2010 | 8:25 am

  This is part three of a six part series exploring the sessions in the Tactical Philanthropy track at the Social Capital Markets conference. Session Description: Individual Donors Practicing Unconstrained Philanthropy Many of the most well known, active participants in the social capital markets are institutions. But individual donors have fewer institutional constraints and can bear more social risk. These types of donors can make decisions faster, are able to act on less popular/overlooked areas that nevertheless promise big impact, and find it easier to forge collaborations. Join three…

• 

  AE on the Verge

• 3 Reasons to use only text in your e-newsletter

  14 Aug 2010 | 7:09 pm

  I'm sometimes asked why our association e-newsletter isn't loaded with a template, graphics, colors, and pictures. In fact, it's only text (and links.) 3 Reasons:1. Want it to be readable. Many members are now reading everything on mobile devices. Check out what a heavily formatted and imaged newsletter looks like on a very small screen. Not good. Keep it simple so it can actually be read.2. Want ease of redistribution. We encourage members to take sections of our newsletter to redistribute to their clients/customers/others or into social media. The easiest way to copy and paste a portion of…

• Want an Action: Great Social Media Threat

  3 Jul 2010 | 5:52 am

  Got this great threat by email this week. And the red lettering was a good touch too:"Just a reminder that if you haven't already done so, please send me a picture of you and your guest by end of business tomorrow. Warning: If you do not submit a picture, (names) have threatened to comb the internet for the 'perfect' picture of you or someone who sort of looks like you!Social media does increase the potential to threaten better, and unfortunately, to follow-through too. My picture sent in less than a minute in response to this.

• Email: It's the SENDER and the Subject Line

  27 Jun 2010 | 9:02 am

  Many members don't open email because of the Sender name, the Subject Line or both. And the Sender name is as important, if not more important, than the Subject Line.1. Use a known name as the Sender. Don't create a new generic sender name (or new domain name) for something you may urgently need your members to read - such as comments@, noreply@, etc. If the user has never heard of that Sender, there's increased potential it won't be opened. If you can use the name of a person who has credibility (president, CEO, company owner) it will increase open and response rates.2. Have a known way to…

• Good Idea for Group Photo

  22 Jun 2010 | 6:27 pm

  Need a creative way to say thank you or goodbye? Consider taking a group picture spelling out an acronym or a word. Then blow it up to a large size and have matted or framed. Have those in the picture sign it as added bonus.Given at a retirement party tonight - letters are acronymn of a division the retiree managed - and his staff.

• Council versus Counsel

  21 Jun 2010 | 5:49 pm

  Another association management word confusion ...Council is a group or body of government.Counsel is an attorney, person or advice.

• 

  Gift Hub

• The Road to Feudalism

  Phil Cubeta

  31 Aug 2010 | 9:46 am

  If you were David Koch evaluating Beck's contribution to the Teaparty Movement, how would you rate the rally? Do the demonstrators show adequate understanding of the talking points? We must kill the government to save Freedom and America. Do we have sufficient uptake? No banners reading, "Defend the Oligarchs!" Yet such is the cause in which they are enlisted, to make America safe for the most ruthless corporate interests.  Perhaps only the strong can save the weak. The wolf may be the best guardian of the lambs. Soros is Beck's stalking horse.

• The Oligarchs for Freedom Foundation

  Phil Cubeta

  29 Aug 2010 | 5:37 pm

  Jane Mayer in the New Yorker on the political and cultural influence of the Koch family. A case study in Social Change Philanthropy in a liberatarian direction. Does anyone know if the Kochs will take the Gates Giving Pledge, or will they go the dynastic oligarch route? Maybe they need a Trusted Advisor, Homme de Confiance, Wisdom Consultant, or Morals Tutor? Just from hanging around in the sector I know the family has serving professionals worthy of the name.

• Niceness Counts in Foundation World

  Phil Cubeta

  29 Aug 2010 | 5:04 pm

  Pablo Eisenberg:The greatest weakness of philanthropy is the lack of critical analysis about it. Nobody wants to say anything negative or bad! It is often assumed to be so good that it is beyond criticism, and grantees seldom dare to raise any concerns lest they lose their funding.

• News Professionally Smoothed

  Phil Cubeta

  28 Aug 2010 | 4:26 pm

  Tom,Wikileaks is lifting two veils: one on the war, the other -- perhaps more significant -- on the unreality of everyday journalism, the fictional, smooth, clear narrative arcs of the Times, NPR, MSNBC, etc.

• Jail House Tats for the Wealth Bondage Masquerade Ball

  Phil Cubeta

  28 Aug 2010 | 12:13 pm

  Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations may terrify our preppy Wealth and Wisdom clients, but we are all human under the tattoos, business suits, or designer made jailhouse stripes. Come let us drink! Life is a masquerade! The world turned upside down is our favorite song. Maybe Glenn Beck will strike up the Band on the Capitol steps. Kiss up and kick down. Some poor innocent dog will be beaten before this night sees dawn. Asked how he could afford the mock jail house leisure suit, the heir said, "My Daddy made a fortune in forprofit prisons, and now in AZ, he will make another…

• 

  DEBORAH ELIZABETH FINN

• Please join us for a sneak peek at www.NonprofitManagementResources.org

  Deborah Elizabeth Finn

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:24 am

  As readers of this blog know, I'm working with Third Sector New England and the Boston Foundation, who have joined forces to create a free online search and aggregation engine that is designed to deliver answers to questions that nonprofit managers in Massachusetts frequently askAlthough the web site, "Nonprofit Management Resources,*" has not yet been launched publicly, we have been given TBF's and TSNE's blessing to provide the Ethos Roundtable with an overview of the strategy and history of the project and a special preview of the working prototypeTuesday, September 21, 20104:30 - 6:30…

• Ten things (just ten!) that every nonprofit executive needs to know about information technology

  Deborah Elizabeth Finn

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:22 pm

  1.  Very little technical knowledge is required in order for nonprofit CEOs to participate actively in strategic IT planning.As long as you thoroughly understand your organization's overall mission, strategy, and tactics and (are willing to learn a little bit about the technology), you can keep your information technology infrastructure on target...

• How to talk to small nonprofits: A guide for vendors

  Deborah Elizabeth Finn

  10 Aug 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Perhaps once a month, I find myself at an event in which a technology vendor offers a presentation to a group of nonprofit professionals.  I often find myself wishing that I could brief the vendors ahead of time about the language and culture of nonprofit organizations!  Sometimes the problem is that the vendors use geek speak that means little to non-specialists, but more often it's that they are giving canned speeches and using PowerPoint presentations that have not been tailored to a nonprofit audience...

• Nonprofit technology peer learning groups in the Silo State

  Deborah Elizabeth Finn

  1 Aug 2010 | 3:22 am

  I love Massachusetts, but I can't help thinking of it as the Silo State or perhaps the Bunker Mentality State.  As others have been quick to point out, we sometimes lack the collaborative gene here. However, in the field of nonprofit technology the last thing that we need is to build silos. It's important for the technology professionals who work in and with nonprofit organizations to compare notes, learn from each other, and consolidate efforts.  Communities of practice and peer learning are crucial.  One of the things that I've been doing lately is compiling a list of peer…

• The Zeitgeist is calling, and it wants to talk about outcomes

  Deborah Elizabeth Finn

  1 Jul 2010 | 4:40 pm

    Perhaps it’s the Zeitgeist, and perhaps it’s merely a random instance of the Baader-Meinhof principle, but I get the feeling these days that the universe is putting me through a seminar on the importance of online resources that assist nonprofit organizations in tracking their programmatic outcomes and evaluating the effectiveness of their work…

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  PHILANTHROPY 2173

• Philanthropy Buzzword 2010.4 - Curator

  Lucy Bernholz

  13 Aug 2010 | 11:02 am

  Buzzwords seem to be coming along more slowly than in the past. Here it is August and we're only up to #4. We are wide open to submissions - feel free to tweet me (@p2173) or add to comments any buzz in philanthropy that you've noticed that hasn't been captured here.photo by Lucy Bernholz, San Francisco storefrontPhilanthropy Buzzword 2010.4 - CuratorNo one hosts a conference anymore, they curate them. See Pop!Tech, TED, TEDx, etc - all curated.Why has this word, once the rather exclusive purview of galleries and museums become the "go to term" for the talented folks putting on conferences,…

• Measuring success

  Lucy Bernholz

  18 Jul 2010 | 6:12 pm

  Several thoughts in the last few days have come together to prompt this post. I was thrilled to see that Disrupting Philanthropy was recommended as summer reading, along with Monitor's report What's Next for Philanthropy. What a nice shout out from Phil Buchanan and great company to be in - "What's Next" is a wonderfully well-written set of recommendations for foundations.Phil's blog post was flattering and it made me think about how we decide what matters. It came on the heels of my being asked to tell one of the nation's largest foundations about the impact of my work - some of which was…

• Policy change over time at home and elsewhere

  Lucy Bernholz

  14 Jul 2010 | 10:22 am

  I think it is pretty interesting that the Chinese have launched the China Foundation Center (CFC). A research center on philanthropy at Beijing Normal University also launched this year.Think about it - if you were the most populous country in the world, with one of the fastest growing economies (with all the accompanying good and bad that comes with that) and a rapidly shifting philanthropic sector -- what type of supports for this emerging sector would you build out first? Technical Assistance? Advocacy? A data center? Research? Legal and financial agents, shared space providers, trade…

• Gone fishing

  Lucy Bernholz

  3 Jul 2010 | 7:24 pm

  Well, no, not really. But I am going on vacation and will be offline for a week. Enjoy yourselves.

• What kind of data are you talking about?

  Lucy Bernholz

  28 Jun 2010 | 7:03 am

  I got this email from Dennis Whittle of GlobalGiving in response to this post on "new solutions from data and crowds.""I had my own aha! moment when reading your post. As you know from some of our discussions, I am resistant to the idea that more data is "the answer." This is because I chased the holy grail of cost-benefit analysis during my World Bank days, and I came to realize that a) there are fatal conceptual flaws to the idea you can rank initiatives by the same metric, and b) such rankings don't motivate behavioral change in practice anyway. From your post below, however, I realize…

• 

  The Official google.org blog

• Health Speaks begins pilots in Arabic, Hindi and Swahili

  Jamie Yood

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:29 pm

  Here in the U.S. I often take for granted the ability to immediately find information on if I might have a cold versus the flu or what vaccinations are recommended prior to traveling abroad. Like a lot of Americans, I often consult health information on the Internet in addition to talking with a medical professional. This information makes me more informed about my own health and more confident in making healthy decisions.In most parts of the world, however, quality information that would help people improve their health is not available online in local languages. In fact, a 2004 Lancet…

• Take Action with Google PowerMeter’s new personalized recommendations

  Parag Chokshi

  30 Aug 2010 | 3:25 pm

  Google PowerMeter now offers personalized energy savings recommendations to help you save more energy and show off your savings. You can find it under “Take action” in your Google PowerMeter page.Over time, the feature will provide even more useful tips. As your energy consumption behavior changes, you will receive new recommendations to help you save even more.In addition to receiving customized energy saving recommendations, you’ll earn a special badge when you complete a recommendation. Collecting badges is a fun way of keeping track of your accomplishments to reduce energy waste and…

• Honoring humanitarian work across the world

  Jamie Yood

  19 Aug 2010 | 4:12 pm

  Today we celebrate World Humanitarian Day for just the second time, by honoring all those who participate in humanitarian work globally. August 19th marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, in which Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s Special Representative in Iraq, and 21 of his colleagues were killed while working on one of the world’s biggest challenges.Humanitarians often work in some of the least secure corners of the world. They face war, famine, disease and natural disasters. On this day, we’re honored to highlight all the work being…

• Responding to the floods in Pakistan

  Jamie Yood

  13 Aug 2010 | 9:33 am

  (Cross-posted from The Official Google Blog)Pakistan has been struck by the worst flooding in its recorded history. The latest estimate of the number of people affected by the flood exceeds 14 million—more than the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Critical infrastructure has been damaged over the last two weeks and clean water is in short supply. As monsoons approach, flooding is expected to worsen.Our Crisis Response team has been working to use existing tools and build new ones to help the relief efforts. We just…

• Where in the world is dengue?

  Jamie Yood

  12 Aug 2010 | 10:09 am

  I’ve learned a lot as an intern with Google.org’s health efforts the last few months. Just this week I learned about a new collaboration between Google.org grantee HealthMap - the same group mentioned in our previous post Swine flu near you? - and the Dengue Branch of the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). They’ve created DengueMap to show recent reports of dengue around the world and regions where people are at risk to catch it. The reports on DengueMap are updated multiple times a day, keeping you up-to-date on where dengue is.One week ago, I barely knew a thing…

• 

  SocialButterfly

• From Awareness to Action: Using Pledges and Triggers to Make It StickK

  Alex

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:34 pm

  Have you ever forgotten to do something? You’re not alone. This is why to-do lists are so handy–they remind us of the tasks we need to complete. Going through my own mental to-do list on my walk home today, I came across something to add to the list. A poster ad that asked me to “pledge to be car free on Car Free Day September 22.” Let’s walk through this: Moving Through the Stages of Change Before seeing the ad, I did not know about with Car Free Day, so the ad helped me become aware of the day. The ask was clear: Pledge to go car free and actually go car free…

• Defining Sustainable Social Change

  Alex

  26 Aug 2010 | 9:52 pm

  If there’s one word that deserves to be on the “Top Words of 2010″ list, it’s the word sustainable. It seems to have an aura around it as we all work to define exactly: What is sustainable social change? There are lots of opinions about the word. And, I’ve discovered that the word means different things to different people. The environment folks read it one way, nonprofiteers another and you have a whole other group transforming it into social innovation, social capitalism and/or social entrepreneurship. What is clear: Is that we’re all pretty social about…

• Quote of the Week: Are We Ever Done Working?

  Alex

  12 Aug 2010 | 8:03 pm

  I was out at dinner tonight and overheard another table. Maybe you’ve heard something similiar before. It goes something like this, “He made how much? from that? If only I’d thought of that, I could cash out. Call it a day and be done.” The truth is though, we are never done. I mean really, what is done? So, as you wrap up your week, ask yourself: What am I working for? Are you working for retirement or are you working with a purpose? Clayton Christensen, over at the Harvard Business Review, offers some great insight into work, meaning and our purpose in life. In his…

• CDC Asks You to Name That Blog

  Alex

  11 Aug 2010 | 9:20 pm

  You may have noticed a fun new badge on the bottom right of SocialButterfly. This badge links to CDC’s recently launched “Gateway to Health Communication and Social Marketing.” This gateway acts as a feeding ground for those looking for resources, tools, templates, case studies and answers to all their questions about social marketing and more. At the very least, it’s a starting point. Part of this new land is a new CDC  Blog–and guess what–you can be the one to name it! Though, CDC isn’t the only one with a new blog on the market. Ogilvy PR recently…

• Is Public Health a Competition?

  Alex

  4 Aug 2010 | 6:45 pm

  The NY Times recently published an article titled, “Tobacco Funds Shrink as Obesity Fight Intensifies,” pitting anti-smoking public health folks against anti-obesity public health folks. The NY Times asked us, in short: Should we focus on addressing obesity over anti-smoking efforts? Is this the right thing? David Katz, Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, published a response via the Huffington Post to examine the “this vs. that” and “right vs. wrong” approach the NY Times took–and asked another question: What choice are we…

• 

  A Small Change- Fundraising Blog

• How to Get Your Donors More Engaged

  Joe Garecht

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:00 am

  Every development professional I know spends a lot of time thinking about how they can get their current donors more engaged with their fundraising efforts. We ask questions like, “How can I get our donors to get involved on an event committee?” And, “How can we get Mr. Smith to introduce us to his colleagues in the legal profession?” Generally, the answer on how to get a particular donor, or group of donors, more engaged isn’t a one shot ask, meeting, or phone call. Instead, the best way to get your donors more engaged is to develop a strong, organization-wide donor cultivation…

• There’s A Lake

  Jason Dick

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  My father does a lot of work in Latin America, specifically in Nicaragua. He has said a number of times that the poor of Nicaragua don’t need a handout, they need the motivation to do something themselves. We are all very much that way; if we can do something the easy way we will. If someone will give us a handout to solve our problem we’d much rather take that than work for it ourselves. The traditional slogan, “Teach a man to fish” does not go far enough, most of the time we already know how to fish and need to be told, “There’s the lake. “ The “Teach a man to fish”…

• Sounds Like A Squirrel

  Jason Dick

  25 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  A little boy is in Sunday school at church and his teacher asks him a question, “What lives in a tree, eats nuts, and has a bushy tail?” The little boy thinks for a moment and says, “I know the answer is Jesus, but it sounds like a squirrel.” Who Jesus is and the message He brings is central to the work of most Christian organizations. Whether it is through traditional evangelism or by seeking to model an organization after Christ the Gospel message guides a Christian nonprofit’s vision. But the point of the story above illustrates the greater popular opinion of many Christian…

• Endowments… A Reflection in a Mirror?

  Jason Dick

  23 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  While working on a proposal for a significant merit-based endowment, a co-worker made an insightful comment. He said donors who set up endowments picture themselves as the individual receiving it. We can’t quite make this a rule of thumb, but it does give us a glimpse into the mind of the donor. If you’re creating a merit-based endowment, think about the specific values that made your donor successful. What path did he take to success? What obstacles did she have to overcome? Did he have a unique set of skills, training, or talents that made him successful? Building a merit-based…

• Featured Fundraiser: Sandy Clark

  Jason Dick

  18 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  This month’s Featured Fundraiser is Sandy Clark. Feel free to leave a comment with questions or let me know if you’d like more information about her organization. If you know of a fundraising professional that I should feature here, I’d love to hear your nomination just send me an email. – Jason What kind of fundraising do you do and who do you do it for? I am the Director of Development Communications and Annual Fund for the Rural Development Institute (RDI). We work to secure land rights for the extreme poor in developing countries. Check out our new and improved website at:…

• 

  Frogloop

• Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising: Presentation

  Allyson Kapin

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:28 am

  It's hard to believe but summer is coming to an end which means year-end fundraising is just around the corner. Are you prepared to ramp up your fundraising strategy this month? Wondering what the latest best practices are and what kind of fundraising results you can expect? Check out Care2's latest web presentation Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising, featuring fundraising experts - Steve MacLaughlin, Director, Internet Solutions, Blackbaud, Donna Wilkins, President, Charity Dynamics, Jason Wood, Director of Internet Services, The Salvation Army National Headquarters and Eric…

• Nonprofits Take a Dive into Mobile Apps

  Avi Kaplan

  31 Aug 2010 | 1:29 pm

  Has the world gone mobile crazy? Apple’s app store just cracked a quarter million available mobile applications, Google’s Android is giving them a run for their money, and Microsoft is waiting in the wings with Windows 7 Mobile. Apps are central to mobile and, according to Allyson Kapin, Blogger-In-Chief for Care2's Frogloop and Partner at Rad Campaign, mobile web use is exploding. Does your organization have a mobile and app strategy?Ensuring that your nonprofit website is mobile friendly and loads well from different mobile browsers should be your first priority when…

• Blog Picks of the Week

  Allyson Kapin

  28 Aug 2010 | 7:24 am

  After scouring the web, two articles caught our attention this week. Check them out and feel free to share your own picks of the week. The Death of FacebookGeoff Livingston wrote a thought-provoking piece this week about the death of facebook. "Who in their right mind would predict the death of Facebook given its ever increasing dominance? But this is a question everyone asks, 'What’s next?' said Livingston. Frogloop readers also ask this question frequently. As nonprofit campaigners know, it's critical that we understand what's coming down the pipeline and be nimble enough to redirect…

• Bye, Bye FourSquare. Hello Facebook Places?

  Allyson Kapin

  25 Aug 2010 | 6:23 pm

  Facebook who now has over 500 million users, launched Facebook Places, a geo-location service to compete with location apps like FourSquare. In a nutshell, Facebook Places uses check-ins and allows you to see where your friends are and share your location. Although Facebook did not copy FourSquare’s popular competition features such as the ability to earn mayorships and badges, this is clearly another move by Facebook to try and be the ultimate social network that wants to do everything. The nonprofit world has been keeping a close eye on location apps like Foursquare and Gowalla for…

• How to Engage Donors with Mobile

  Karen Zapp

  23 Aug 2010 | 8:33 am

  Savvy fundraisers know that every time a donor interacts with their nonprofit, the bond strengthens.  The donor becomes a touch more loyal and connected to the charity.  Mobile is a rapidly emerging platform for engaging donors in new and powerful ways. This single extremely versatile channel of mobile allows you to . . . talk to people (one-on-one or broadcast recorded messages) send and receive text messages (SMS), including mobile alerts send media files (MMS) such as pictures, video and audio that the donor can enjoy on their mobile device at that instant receive donations…

• 

  About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs

• Study Shows Disaster Giving May Appeal to Nongivers

  30 Aug 2010 | 5:46 am

  A recent survey of donors by marketing firms Russ Reid and Grey Matter Research & Consulting resulted in numerous insights about how donors think and give. The survey asked about many aspects of the respondents' giving patterns, including donating in response to the appeal for funds in the wake of the Haiti earthquake earlier this year. For those of us who have been thinking hard about disaster giving recently, these data are helpful in answering the question of who might give in these situations, to what, and by what channels. Here are the points from the study about giving to Haiti:…

• A Helping Hand From Uncle Sam

  27 Aug 2010 | 11:30 am

  Is your nonprofit on this IRS list of organizations that have not yet filed their Form 990-N (e-Postcard)? If so, Uncle Sam is offering a helping hand. It turns out that many small NPOs (those with annual revenues of $25,000 or less), who in the past did not have to file a 990 annually, are not aware of a new requirement (a result of a 2006 law) that they complete an easy-to-do email filing. Consequently, those nonprofits are in eminent danger of losing their tax-exempt status. Basically, if your organization has failed to file for three years running (07, 08, 09), it could be out in the…

• Dog Days: Hot, Lazy...Grammatical?

  26 Aug 2010 | 5:29 am

  Last December I was snowed in when I stayed with my grand dogs in Baltimore, just in time for the first big snowstorm of that snowy winter. This year I was "hotted" in when I went back to Baltimore again in July to dog sit. These experiences have given new meaning to the term "dog days." Now, I am just trudging through August, sweating and reading one last novel before the more serious business of September and beyond. So, what better time to think about grammar? I only thought of that when I got one of my favorite email newsletters from ProofreadNOW.com this week. I don't know who works…

• Best Links: Generational Gyrations, Sept Conferences, More with Mobile

  25 Aug 2010 | 7:39 am

  Generations Monitoring the ups and downs of the baby boomers and the various interpretations of the Millennial generation seems to be required for any nonprofit these days. So I found the New Retirement Rules: Caught Between the Dow and the Tao, by age expert Ken Dychtwald, writing for the Huffington Post, very pertinent. There are good insights here that any nonprofit will find applicable to its fundraising and volunteer recruitment. Then there is the recent NY Times article, What Is It About 20-Somethings?, a thought provoking piece about a new stage in life...maybe. That article deserved a…

• Nonprofits Struggle as Economy Batters Individual Donors

  23 Aug 2010 | 8:08 am

  The recession beat goes on. A new survey by GuideStar, of more than 7,000 nonprofits, revealed that donations continued to decline for 40% of the survey respondents during the first five months of 2010, when compared to the same period in 2009. Meanwhile, 63% of those organizations reported that they have seen an increase in demand for their services. Some 28% of the participating nonprofits said that contributions had stayed about the same, and 30% stated contributions had increased. Perhaps most upsetting is that so many organizations attributed the decline in contributions to a decrease in…

• 

  Rosetta Thurman

• Nonprofit Millennial Blogger Alliance Launches NonprofitMillennials.org

  rosettathurman

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:57 am

  A while back I told you about the Nonprofit Millennial Blogger Alliance, the brainchild of the fabulous Allison Jones. Now, we’re kicking it up a notch with a brand new website: NonprofitMillennials.org! The Nonprofit Millennial Blogger Alliance is made up of young writers collectively bringing important issues about the nonprofit sector to the forefront. While each of us looks at the sector from a different perspective we share the view that millennials offer something valuable to nonprofits. By sharing our knowledge and experiences from within Generation Y we can help prepare the…

• Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Seeking Applicants for National Board

  rosettathurman

  30 Aug 2010 | 9:47 am

  Y’all know how I feel about the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. They rock, and everyone involved is super committed to the success of young nonprofit professionals in the sector. So I was excited to see this message in my inbox about their search for new national board members. You can learn more about the current board here and see that you’d be in good company! Check out the message below and go on ahead and apply if you feel this opportunity is for you! ———————————————–…

• Is it Time for Generation Y to “Grow Up?”

  rosettathurman

  23 Aug 2010 | 5:33 am

  Unlike the Fox 5 media meltdown, last week’s lengthy piece in the New York Times thoughtfully explores the complexities of being twentysomething in America. Instead of simply bashing us for being young and doing the things that young people do, the author posits that Generation Y is actually in a new life stage called “emerging adulthood.” It’s happening all over, in all sorts of families, not just young people moving back home but also young people taking longer to reach adulthood overall. It’s a development that predates the current economic doldrums, and no one knows…

• Can Generation Y Keep America Great? and Other Dumb Questions

  rosettathurman

  19 Aug 2010 | 8:59 am

  Me and Mobilize.org’s Maya Enista were featured on Fox 5 News last night in a special segment about Generation Y. The piece was titled “Can Generation Y Deliver?” that ran with a companion text article called “Can Generation Y Keep America Great?” You can watch the video below (my clip begins at 1:45). I think Maya and I tried to dispel some of the myths about our generation, yet the producers chose to focus on some of the more negative stereotypes associated with Millennials. Following our segment was a second piece that opened with a Baby Boomer business…

• Welcome Fox 5 Viewers

  rosettathurman

  18 Aug 2010 | 7:45 pm

  Thanks for checking out my blog after seeing me on this Fox 5 News segment on Generation Y! My company, Thurman Consulting, specializes in facilitating intergenerational dialogue and leadership development for young people. Here are a few of my best posts about Generation Y from the perspective of a twentysomething who is working with her generation to create the world as it should be. 36 Facts About Generation Y in the Workplace and Beyond Three Myths About Generation Y in the Nonprofit World Does Generation Y Discriminate Against Baby Boomers? Or Is It the Other Way Around? How the…

• 

  Step By Step Fundraising

• Cookie Dough Fundraiser Selling Secrets

  laura

  2 Sep 2010 | 4:33 am

  Selling cookie dough is probably one of the easiest ways to raise money for a small group. Because what’s being sold is food – and a cookie at that! – a lot of people will surely be enticed to buy... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.]

• Smencil Fundraisers

  laura

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:31 am

  Smencils are a relatively new product in the fundraising world, but is continuing to pick up more and more momentum each year. For those of you that don’t know, smencils are recycled pencils infused... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.]

• Beef Jerky Fundraisers

  laura

  31 Aug 2010 | 12:27 pm

  Jack Links’ Beef Jerky Fundraisers are proving to become the top emerging quick sell products in the industry today. Not only is beef jerky popular with most people, it is just as easy to sell as... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.]

• Helpful Tips for Sports Team Fundraisers

  laura

  30 Aug 2010 | 5:20 am

  Each year, sports teams nationwide from all age groups are finding the need to buy new equipment and gear. However, not all team members can always afford these gears. Sports teams can organize... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.]

• Kettle Corn Fundraiser

  laura

  29 Aug 2010 | 11:15 am

  Kettle corn fundraisers are one of the top alternatives to candy fundraisers as they are just as easy to manage, handle, and sell. The benefits of selling kettle corn is that they are fresh and made... [This is a summary only, click on the title to read the entire article.]

• 

  The Nonprofiteer

• An appraising stare down the gift horse’s gullet

  Nonprofiteer

  31 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  Jane Mayer’s excellent piece in this past week’s New Yorker about the brothers Koch, oil billionaires who’ve donated hundreds of millions to nonprofits promoting right-wing causes, finally clarified for the Nonprofiteer her unease at Bill Gates’s campaign to persuade billionaires to donate half their estates to charity.  It’s not a question of who has or hasn’t taken the pledge, though that’s an entertaining parlor game.  Nor is it the fact that the generosity of extremely wealthy people may not be what the rest of us have in mind when we hear the…

• Dear Nonprofiteer, Can I borrow working capital from a Board member?

  Nonprofiteer

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  Dear Nonprofiteer, One of our current issues is lack of short-term working capital. As with many organizations, our expenses always precede our revenue by weeks, sometimes months. We were carrying some debt into the recession, which worsened as the economy imploded. We’ve grown fairly organically through the recession and thankfully we have paid the debt down; however, that has left us without much in the way of cash reserves. Which leads us to a short-term crunch on working capital to bridge the gap between the time frames for our expenses and for our revenue. With the current banking…

• Are you a tax-exempt charity? Sure about that?

  Nonprofiteer

  18 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  While it’s not yet true that “Illinois Does A Few Adult Films To Make Ends Meet”, the state has begun to cast lascivious glances at its nonprofits.  Those property-tax exemptions look mighty comfortable.  Why don’t you push that  cushion over to my side of the bed? And with most interactions taking place behind closed doors, don’t expect a warning before the moment of truth arrives—or to be kissed while you’re getting screwed. Unlike other localities re-evaluating nonprofit tax exemptions, Illinois has bypassed the legislative process, allowing…

• Dear Nonprofiteer, Are voluntary Internet payments “contributions” for tax purposes?

  Nonprofiteer

  28 Jul 2010 | 7:00 am

  Dear Nonprofiteer: What rules govern the websites that provide a free useful service to people but also have a PayPal “donate” button on their page to keep the service free? If that person’s PayPal is linked up to it, does that not mean that the donations (if any) cannot exceed the IRS annual exclusion amount of $13,000?  Or should that person try to register the Website as a non-profit? Signed, Prepared to Pony Up But Puzzled Dear Puzzled: The Nonprofiteer was completely stymied by the legal and technical nature of your question.  Fortunately, she has a colleague in the…

• A new publication about Board recruitment

  Nonprofiteer

  26 Jul 2010 | 7:00 am

  The Nonprofiteer has a piece in the new issue of Contributions Magazine.

• 

  Zyozy Foundation Blog

• Waiting For ‘Superman’ – Infographic

  25 Aug 2010 | 3:10 pm

  Waiting for ‘Superman’ will hit US theaters this FALL (2010). Check out the movie trailer. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education “statistics” have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the engrossing foundation of WAITING FOR SUPERMAN. As he follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim undertakes an exhaustive review of public education, surveying “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes,” methodically dissecting the…

• The Hypocrisy of Conscious Consumerism

  14 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

  Do you buy organic apples because you think they taste better or because you’re trying to buy redemption for your own participation in a pernicious capitalist system? In this lecture, compellingly illustrated by the RSA Animate crew, the philosopher Slavoj Zizek criticizes charity and what he calls “cultural capitalism”—think TOMS shoes or Fair Trade coffee—as palliatives that only perpetuate an immoral economic system. Zizek’s views actually aren’t that radical. His point isn’t that socially or environmentally enlightened buying habits aren’t…

• Entrepreneurs can (will, are) change(ing) the world

  4 Aug 2010 | 8:28 am

• Developing Leaders? Developing Countries?

  29 Jul 2010 | 2:38 am

  We develop leaders, and we develop countries. Or so we believe. We also believe that we develop countries by developing leaders. Perhaps we need to develop our thinking. “Unhappy is the land that has no heroes,” comments a character in Bertolt Brecht’s play Life of Galileo. “No,” replies another. “Unhappy is the land that needs heroes.” If we can get past our need for heroic leadership, and past the narrow metrics of our economists, then perhaps we will be able to take a good look at ourselves, instead of having to run around developing others countries and leaders. Then,…

• The story of cosmetics: “the ugly truth of toxins in, toxins out”

  24 Jul 2010 | 1:55 am

  Footnoted and Annotated Script The Story of Cosmetics, released on July 21st, 2010, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. Produced with Free Range Studios and hosted by Annie Leonard, the seven-minute film by The Story of Stuff Project reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from hazardous chemicals and towards safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of…

• 

  The Agitator

• Marketing To Changing Demographics

  tbelford

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Here is a terrific set of resources dealing with changing US ethnic/cultural demographics … and how marketers should adjust. The Ad Age article itself provides good context, but is made even more valuable by some of the resources it links to. For example, it cites a recently published “yellow” paper from AlmaDDB, written by Isaac Mizrahi and Howard Konig, The New State of America: What the 2010 Census will reveal about the evolution of the United States of America. The big story of course is the emergence of Hispanics and their cultural and economic impact. Some of the…

• Say “Thank You”

  tbelford

  31 Aug 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Fundraiser Ken Burnett says that any fundraiser who doesn’t say “Thank you” to donors is — he doesn’t mince words — a fool. In a recent blog post, Ken is responding to a donor who suggests otherwise. Says Ken: “…as a profession we are truly crap at saying thank you and welcome properly and at reassuring donors that their gifts have been safely received and wisely applied. Is this something to be proud of?  We wonder why we can’t keep our supporters, why, as Adrian Sargeant says, ‘Building donor loyalty is the biggest challenge facing our…

• Marketing Mania

  tbelford

  30 Aug 2010 | 11:14 pm

  I follow the articles of Kendall Allen, a marketing and digital media consultant who writes occasionally in Online Spin. In her latest article, she comments on some issues that drive commercial marketers nuts, and probably a lot of nonprofit marketers and fundraisers as well. She says: “…there are at least four areas that may drive you completely nuts if you don’t commit to getting them right. The infrastructure, mechanics and data utilization imperative of a cross-channel, digitally oriented world are very demanding. Today, we see several areas of continued strife, if not…

• Seniors And Online Social Nets

  tbelford

  29 Aug 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Here’s the latest from Pew Internet Research on Seniors use of online social nets. As of May 2010, 47% of American internet users age 50-64 use social nets like Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace, and 26% of those age 65+ do so. These age groups are much slower to try Twitter or other services to update friends on their activities — 11% of those age 50-64 and 5% of those age 65+. Seniors are especially inclined to use social tools to re-connect with acquaintances from the past and to engage in health-related blogs and online exchanges. These two older age cohorts are the fasting…

• Who Made Your Best Ad?

  tbelford

  26 Aug 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Or came up with the best fundraising message? Or the phrase or image that cut right through the rest of the plain vanilla? If your nonprofit is in the habit of actually listening to your donors (or the beneficiaries of your organization), chances are one of them did … or could, if given the opportunity. Probably every fundraiser has used testimonials at one time or another … in direct mail letters, brochures, on websites, print ads, TV commercials. They are the most elemental form of letting someone else speak for you, from firsthand experience and with genuine emotion and special…

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  Everyday Giving Blog

• Chili's Fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

  Roger Carr

  29 Aug 2010 | 9:55 pm

  Chili's Fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, originally uploaded by rogercarr. I stopped in at a local Chili's Bar & Grill for dinner last night. I discovered they are donating all of their profits on Monday, September 27 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This is a great example of cause marketing.Most restaurants offer 10% of the proceeds to a charity on a specific day for the people who bring in a flyer or coupon. That is not what this fundraiser is all about.Chili's is donating all the profits from everyone who does business with them that day. Mark your…

• Fundraising Tips Learned at a Baseball Game

  Roger Carr

  18 Aug 2010 | 5:32 pm

  The Richmond Flying Squirrels minor league baseball team supported the Arthritis Foundation at a recent game. It was held on Saturday, August 14, 2010 at The Diamond in Richmond, Virginia. The baseball game was between the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Portland Sea Dogs. In addition to having fun with my family watching the game, I also took note of the methods they used to raise funds. The following are five tips for findraiding I took away from the baseball game. Get In Front of Your Potential Donors Starting from when I was approaching the entrance to the ballpark until I started…

• My Interview With Dr.Mani

  Roger Carr

  15 Aug 2010 | 8:33 pm

  I recently had the privilege of interviewing Dr.Mani. If you don't know who Dr.Mani is, you need to get to know him and his charitable work. I will boil it down for you in a simple statement: Dr.Mani is passionate about saving the lives of young children in India who suffer from congentital heart defects and whose families cannot afford the cost of heart surgery. His purpose, passion, and persistence will motivate and inspire you. Go to http://www.nams4kids.com/blog/general/a-rare-interview-with-dr-mani and listen to the interview. You will be glad you did! Thanks,Roger Carr

• Are All Internet Marketers Greedy? Not This Group!

  Roger Carr

  14 Aug 2010 | 11:24 am

  A few weeks ago I was interviewed about my work with nonprofit organizations. I was shocked when the interviewer said that he didn't believe there were more than 20 internet marketers around the world who were charitable! Wow, did he spin me up. My experience is just the opposite. Where Are the Charitable Internet Marketers? There are many, many internet marketers who are taking action to make a difference in the world. One current example is the NAMS4Kids fundraiser. The idea of this event started with my friend David Perdew. He is the founder of the Niche Affiliate Marketing System (NAMS)…

• Philanthropy Issue: Personal Branding Magazine

  Roger Carr

  28 Jul 2010 | 4:31 am

  Philanthropy is the topic of the latest issue of Personal Branding Magazine. There are several informative articles provided in this online magazine. Celebrities and experts featured in this issue include Candace Cameron Bure (DJ Tanner from ABC's Full House), Bob Costas (NBC Sports Commentator), Beth Kanter, Jason Dick, Lori Jacobwith, Marc Pitman, Michael Gibbons, and myself. You can download a sample issue at http://personalbrandingsample.com that contains a few of the interviews and articles available in the paid version. Get your copy now.

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  VOLUNTEER BOSTON

• WITHOUT FUNDING GRASSROOTS GROUP BUILDS A MOVEMENT

  John R

  9 Aug 2010 | 12:25 pm

  Marking Four Years of Building a Cross-Issue Progressive Network in Boston1400 Members, 80 Events, and Countless Connections Made Since 2006Boston-based network Socializing for Justice will commemorate its fourth anniversary with an Open House event called Connecting for Justice on September 16th from 6-9PM at Lir Irish Pub on Boylston Street in Boston. Held three times a year, this event draws hundreds of progressives of all stripes - diverse by age, race, gender, sexual orientation, newness to Boston and experience with activism. The purpose is to build a cross-issue progressive community,…

• Volunteer at the West End House

  Natalie

  6 Aug 2010 | 5:06 am

  What: My Summer in the CityWhen: Friday, August 27th from 4:00-9:00PMWhere: 105 Allston Street, Allston, MA 02134 (T accessible)My Summer in the City is a city wide initiative funded by the Boston Foundation that encourages families, teens and children to spend time in public areas by hosting free activities in neighborhood parks. Volunteers are needed to help prepare and serve dinner to families as well as interact with kids and teens during the back to school basketball tournament! Contact natalie.bennett@oyfp.org to sign upLimit: 7 volunteers http://www.westendhouse.org/ Can't volunteer at…

• Spirit of Service 2010

  Natalie

  9 Jun 2010 | 2:39 pm

  This event is an opportunity to learn how you can make a commitment to your community. The Spirit of Service is free for individuals and for organizations. If you are an organization and would like to reserve a table, or for more information, please contact OYFP.At this free networking event INDIVIDUALS will:· Discover opportunities for community involvement in Boston.· Meet other individuals who embody the Spirit of Service.· Learn what it's like to join executive boards, advisory boards and young professional committees.· Join, encourage, and promote an era of responsibility!At this…

• Volunteer this Thursday at the West End House

  Natalie

  25 May 2010 | 5:35 pm

  If you enjoy being outdoors and helping kids, The West End House for Boys and Girls in Allston needs help clearing out and rebuilding a garden this Thursday!When: This Thursday, May 27th from 12PM to 5PMWhere: West End House Club, 105 Allston St, Allston, MA 02134What: Come and demo a fire pit, clean weeds, trim hedges, and build a raised vegetable garden in the outdoor space off the art room! What to wear: Comfy clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and closed toe shoesPlease contact Robyn at reastwood@westendhouse.org if interested or need more information!www.westendhouse.org

• Kentucky Derby Day Event THIS Saturday

  Krystle

  26 Apr 2010 | 1:29 pm

  I wanted to let you all know that OYFP will be hosting a Kentucky Derby Day Event THIS Saturday at GLOBE. Not only is it completely fun to dress up and wear amazingly big hats, but you can win prizes as well. In typical OYFP fashion, ALL of your money will be benefiting Friday Night Supper Program. Who doesn't want to have fun and support and support Boston's homeless population as well. Price of ticket includes:A Mint Julep drinkTea SandwichesChance to win several different prizesWe even have a photographer coming to take pictures of you and your Derby Day Flair! So come on out and support a…

• 

  Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

• Women Who Tech Telesummit

  Pearlbear

  31 Aug 2010 | 10:57 am

  I’ve been involved in this Telesummit now since the beginning. It’s really fun, and important. The Women Who Tech Telesummit was formed three years ago to celebrate all the innovative women who provide incredible value to technology and social media. So it’s time to come get your tech on! Come join hundreds of women on September 15th at the Women Who Tech Telesummit from 11AM to 6PM Eastern Time. (It’s virtual – all you need is access to a phone line and the web so you can participate from anywhere in the world). Women Who Tech’s thought provoking virtual panels…

• When data gets political

  Pearlbear

  27 Jul 2010 | 6:05 pm

  Most days, data is pretty straightforward to us here at OpenIssue headquarters. Names, addresses, email addresses, the pesky notes field (today’s bane of our existence.) But sometimes, data is political. Or, I guess more accurately, data models. In most CRM systems, especially older ones, and ones that are less flexible, some fields can be points of contention for some of us. Gender is one, marital status is another. CiviCRM, to it’s credit, allows for an arbitrary number of genders – you can define them however you like. My bet (although I could be wrong) is that it’s…

• Three months without Twitter

  admin

  19 Jul 2010 | 6:54 pm

  As you know, I left twitter 3 months ago today. I figured it was a good time to do a reflection of my experiences over this time – what I miss, and what I don’t miss. What I don’t miss Distractions: I find myself more productive, for sure. I never was very disciplined about turning twitter off, so I was constantly distracted. The lack of distraction has been a really good thing. Information overload: how did I keep all that stuff in my head? My mind feels a lot quieter. Need to share: I’m happy to leave the somewhat narcissistic impulse that Twitter feeds behind. What…

• Git

  Pearlbear

  19 Jul 2010 | 6:43 pm

  I became sold on version control fairly far back in my programming life. Back when CVS (C0ncurrent Version System) was the standard. I learned it, although there were varied gaps in my use of it, so it never became second nature. As I learned more about newer version control systems, I tried them out. For a while, I was using SVN (Subversion), which is similar enough to CVS, but has some nice improvements. More and more folks are moving to distributed version control systems. I began to understand the great advantages of those systems, and decided to pick one to standardize on. Git stood out…

• I’m not changing the world

  Pearlbear

  2 Jul 2010 | 4:21 pm

  I’ve been working with nonprofit organizations on technology issues (strategy, implementation) for about 15 years now. I remember the heady days, when most nonprofits didn’t even have networks, and some of them still didn’t have internet access. In those days, most nonprofit techies were progressive, and we were sure that what we were doing was going to change the world for the better. Now, 15 years later, I’m pretty sure I’m not changing the world. You’re still more likely to find a progressive nonprofit techie than a conservative one, but there are plenty…

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  Giving in a digital world

• Facebook adds location functionality with Facebook Places (but only in the US for now)

  Bryan

  22 Aug 2010 | 7:41 am

  Applications using the ability of smartphones and other mobile devices to pinpoint your precise location at any time have been a key topic for discussion amongst digital marketers over the last year or so, and were also something I covered in my Digital Fundraising Hot Topics Session at this summer’s Institute of Fundraising National Convention here in London (check-out from slide 52 onwards). Up to now, a lot of the location-based application chatter has focused on the new breed of specifically designed location-based social networks like Foursquare and Gowalla. However, it was only a…

• Care International launches lendwithcare.org – a Kiva lookalike microfinance site

  Bryan

  22 Aug 2010 | 7:38 am

  The other day I had an opportunity to chat with the team at Care International in London who have recently completed what I believe is the first ‘Kiva-alike’ microfinance-based fundraising site to be launched (I’ve certainly been surprised not to have heard about others before now). Like the incredibly successful Kiva, which brought the concept of microfinance donating to the world and now has over 475,000 donors and a total loaned amount of over $155 million, Care International’s lendwithcare.org allows donors to select projects they are interested in and then support…

• The fast growing potential for Smartphone Fundraising

  Bryan

  12 Jul 2010 | 12:35 am

  Last week, Ericsson analysts announced that, according to their estimates, the world’s 5 billionth mobile phone subscription was reached on Thursday July 8th, and they illustrated the pace of growth with the fact that there are now more mobile subscribers in China alone than there were globally in 2000. While such a milestone is a clear reminder of the growing ubiquity of mobile phones, it’s actually the parallel growth in mobile broadband subscriptions that Ericsson also report in the same news release that I think is all the more exciting from the fundraising point of view. They…

• Great presentation on the emerging philanthropic web by Christine Egger of Social Actions

  Bryan

  12 Jul 2010 | 12:34 am

  I had the very great pleasure last week of finally meeting face to face with someone who I can honestly say has changed the way I think about online fundraising over the last 18 months or so – that person being Christine Egger of Social Actions. I first came across Christine and the work of Social Actions back in early 2009 when I blogged about their ‘Change the Web Challenge’. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to share ideas on open source thinking and the evolution of online fundraising and wider microphilanthropy through numerous email, Twitter and Skype exchanges…

• Square brings credit card fundraising to a smartphone near you (if you’re US-based)

  Bryan

  16 May 2010 | 7:42 am

  A couple of months back I heard about the trials of a great smartphone-based service called Square that allows anyone with an iPhone or Android smartphone to take credit card payments – or donations – simply by registering, downloading an application, and plugging a little square card reader into their phone’s headphone jack. At that time, as I mentioned in an article on Smartphone Fundraising, a beta version of the service had been tested for fundraising at events by Charity:Water and also by Reshma Saujani, a democratic congressional candidate for New York’s 14th…

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  Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

• Ideas to Boost Your Creativity

  Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:54 pm

  This month at Nonprofit Marketing Guide, we presented a series of webinars aimed at helping you get more creative with your nonprofit communications, including using metaphors and humor. I heard from many people who want to guest blog for me, so you’ll see more creative ideas here in the coming months. For now, here is a roundup of some recent blog posts to get you thinking more creatively. This roundup is also the August edition of the Nonprofit Blog Carnival. Creative Uses of Technology Many nonprofits are contemplating creative ways to use mobile technology. Jason Dick…

• Can Nonprofit Communications Be Funny?

  Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

  31 Aug 2010 | 10:45 am

  I think so, and so does Kerri Karvetski who is our guest speaker at tomorrow’s webinar, Funny Ha Ha! Using Humor in Nonprofit Communications (Wednesday, September 1, 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT). I just got a sneak peek at Kerri’s presentation and it’s loaded with tons of examples to get you thinking more creatively. She also shares five “Formulas for Funny” and some very practical tips, such as Funny is Hard. Don’t go with your first idea. Keep brainstorming until you have 10 ideas. It’s OK to Copy. Find something funny that someone else created…

• Write Your Marketing Plan in One Day

  Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

  26 Aug 2010 | 1:53 pm

  I know how busy you are. I also know how much better you’d feel about your communications work if you had a focused, creative, and realistic marketing plan guiding your decisionmaking. That’s why I’m teaming up with Nancy Schwartz in October to provide a one-day, in-person, intensive marketing plan workshop. Look who’s already signed up for the New York City and Washington DC events: a statewide ballet a watershed protection group a journalists association a cultural council community health care providers several international cultural organizations a group assisting…

• Are You Speaking American?

  Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

  18 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  On Thursday, August 19, I’m teaching a new webinar called “Using Metaphors and Themes to Get Your Messages Across.” It is part of our Get Creative series this month, and also part of the Ideas for Nonprofit Writers series of trainings I’m creating. As part of my preparation, I interviewed Susan Strong (@susancstrong), the founder and executive director of the Metaphor Project, which helps mostly progressive causes frame their messages using well-understood cultural imagery and idioms – or as Susan says, to “speak American.” Here’s part of my interview with Susan . . . Susan…

• Let the Calendar Inspire Creativity

  Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

  17 Aug 2010 | 1:51 pm

  It’s Get Creative Month here at Nonprofit Marketing Guide, and Lane Phalen, a board member with the TAILS Humane Society, shared one way that her organization has been getting creative to solve a common problem: More cats waiting for adoption than dogs. To help their feline friends find forever homes more quickly, TAILS runs numerous promotions throughout the year, many inspired by events on the calendar that people are already familiar with. Two of their biggest events which have led to many cat adoptions come in July and October. “During the first week of July, the cats wrote…

• 

  The Bridgespan Group

• Nonprofit Networks Can Boost Rural Charities

  6 Aug 2010 | 5:00 pm

  Nonprofit Networks Can Boost Rural Charities 2010 08 07 Alex Neuhoff Pat Wu Nonprofit networking, especially between small, rurual nonprofits, can help organizations increase their impact. (This article originally appeared in the August 7, 2010, issue of the Chronicle of

• The Giving Pledge's Message: Philanthropy Is Not a Solo Act

  4 Aug 2010 | 5:00 pm

  The Giving Pledge’s Message Philanthropy Is Not a Solo Act 2010 08 05 Duke University professor of law Joel Fleishman and Bridgespan co founder Tom Tierney reference the Buffett Gates "Giving Pledge" in discussing how philanthropy requires collaboration and

• Addressing Global Social Challenges: Panelists Discuss Optimal Paths to Impact

  25 Jul 2010 | 5:00 pm

  Addressing Global Social Challenges Panelists Discuss Optimal Paths to Impact 2010 07 26 A panel discussion held in May 2010 as part of the Bridgespan Group’s 10th anniversary celebration to discuss the most effective approaches to providing impact. Philanthropists,

• Getting Clear Real and Better - Monday Developments 2010

  7 Jul 2010 | 5:00 pm

  In the course of our work in recent years with a select group of foundation leaders and individual philanthropists—and in conversations we’ve had with many more—we have observed an important and heartening trend: Philanthropists and their organizations are becoming increasingly committed to investing money strategically, measuring the results of their giving and adjusting course to increase their impact.

• Next Generation Learning: Can We Crack Four Problems to Unleash Quality Education for All?

  27 Jun 2010 | 5:00 pm

  In the past 25 years, there have been many valiant efforts to reform our schools, and some small-scale successes, but it is clear that we need to move farther and faster. High School graduation rates are near-flat from 1976 to 2007. So are National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and SAT (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores. The picture gets even worse when you look at minorities’ chances at succeeding in our country’s education system: While African Americans make up 41 percent of the U.S. prison population, they make up only 12 percent of people living on college…

• 

  Selfish Giving

• Causeon: Groupon for Cause Marketing

  Joe Waters

  30 Aug 2010 | 3:22 am

  We all love Groupon, right? They offer us great deals with savings from 50% to 90% and if enough people sign-up for the deal everyone wins. Now a Portland-based company has launched Causeon. Same concept as Groupon, but Causeon offers up to 20% of its revenues to causes. When Causeon launches in Portland this week the local chapters of Komen, YMCA and Girls, Inc. and others will be in line to receive checks. I love the concept of Causeon. As a cause marketer, I think it represents a great alternative to point-of-sale programs and is a great step toward building a cause marketing community.

• Cause Marketing “Meal Deals” Program Raises $87k

  Joe Waters

  25 Aug 2010 | 9:34 am

  The numbers are in from our new “Meal Deals” cause marketing program with iParty, Ocean State Job Lots & Phantom Gourmet and it was a big success. The program raised $87,000. Proceeds will benefit my hospital’s Food Pantry, which last year fed 75,000 people. You can read all about the details behind the “Meal Deals” program here. We’re excited this program had a great finish, and we’re already planning our fall pinup program. Check out the preliminary design, which includes a QR Code. When shoppers pass their smartphone over the code it will link…

• Better Cause Marketing with Facebook Places

  Joe Waters

  24 Aug 2010 | 8:26 am

  If you’re a cause marketer or fundraiser that’s been waiting to check-in to location-based services, now may be the time as the biggest and most popular social networking site, Facebook, has just rolled out Places. All you need to get started with Places is a Facebook account, which like 500,000 million people out there you probably already have, and an iPhone. I like Aaron Strout’s point that Place was made for the masses, not the early-adopter geeks who jumped on to Foursquare, Gowally and Whrrl. So it’s very easy to use. However, there are some things you should…

• Coming Soon to a Mother Near You, Location-Based Marketing

  Joe Waters

  17 Aug 2010 | 10:50 am

  “Men might do these things first, but women will take it over because they remain the primary shoppers,” said Kathryn Koegel, of Primary Impact. “Especially when there are children, it all becomes about convenience.” While young men used to be the most active demo for location-based marketing (e.g. coupons, offers) via smartphones, that’s quickly changing, according to a study by Harris Interactive. Of people with kids younger than 6 in their household, 35% are at least somewhat interested in getting opt-in text alerts from favorite businesses, compared to 32% of…

• Magnetic Cause Marketing in 3 Easy Steps

  Joe Waters

  16 Aug 2010 | 10:08 am

  Fundraisers ask me all the time how they can have a successful cause marketing program, or build upon the one they have. I tell them the answer is simple. They lean in. The key is actually three things, I whisper. They reach for a notepad and pen. The key, I say, is BRAND…..BRAND…..BRAND. While they initially shrug off my answer, they come around when I explain it to them. Powerful nonprofit brands are like magnets. They do good things and good things are in turn attracted to them. Take national causes like Feeding America, Product RED, St. Jude and Children’s Miracle…

• 

  SocialFish

• 100 Ways to Measure Social Media

  Maddie Grant

  2 Sep 2010 | 5:00 am

  Continuing the conversation we started at Buzz2010 with Olivier Blanchard on social media ROI, I’d like you to take a look at this interesting presentation on Digital ROI by David Berkowitz, which he gave to the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) this spring. One of my big aha moments from Buzz was that community managers or social media managers who are tracking metrics for their social media activities need not be those who analyze that data. In other words, leave the analyzing to the analysts. Leave the financial ROI calculations to the finance department. (I do think there needs…

• Link Love Monthly: Best of August 2010

  Maddie Grant

  1 Sep 2010 | 5:00 am

  Here’s a monthly selection of links to some of the most interesting posts that we’ve read and shared over the last 30 days. These kinds of posts are what inform our own writing here at SocialFishing; hope you’ll dip in and out at your leisure! The list below is for serendipity; if you prefer our “Must Read” shares about important stuff for association social media, please click here to subscribe, or click here to browse. Blogworld-or-bust! You don’t need perfection to be a good blogger, but you do need passion (Mack Collier) The Art of Social When should you…

• Keep It Legal: Antitrust

  Leslie White

  31 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  During the “Deconstructing Social Media Guidelines” session at the ASAE Annual Meeting, the topic of antitrust came up a few times. I was facilitating the meeting with my Team SocialFish buds, Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer, and got to talk about my favorite topic, risk. The fear of social media just won’t seem to go away, so we preach your social media policy as a guide for people’s online behavior and a way to mitigate these risks. But when it comes to antitrust issues, your social media policy needs to support your association’s antitrust policy and compliance guide. While…

• How to Control Your Privacy Settings for Facebook Places

  Maddie Grant

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:00 am

• We’re nominated!!

  Maddie Grant

  30 Aug 2010 | 5:00 am

  We’re totally psyched to let you know that a bunch of blogs we love have been nominated for the #eventprofs Blog Awards, including ours truly, SocialFishing (aka A Blog from the SocialFish). Whoo hoo!! We’re under the “Best Industry Advancement Blog” category along with our esteemed colleagues Jeff Hurt and Traci Browne. Splash! A Blog from Memberclicks along with Tradeshow Insight are nominated under Best Corporate Blog (congrats Shannon Otto and Eric Lukazewski!!!) and MPI’s blog Engage is nominated under New Kid on the Blog. Yay us! Click here or the pic…

• 

  Get Me Jamie Notter

• Building a Culture of Truth: Walking the Walk

  Jamie

  1 Sep 2010 | 5:56 am

  "The Truth" has been a focus of mine for well over a year. It started with an article and a presentation for CalSAE in the spring of 2009. At that time I focused on how we need to embrace a more complex understanding of the truth, rather than the over-simplified version we're used to, where truth is just about not lying, or objective facts, or personal integrity. It's more than that.  Then earlier this year I did another article, this time for ASAE's Associations Now, that took the next step and talked about how to build a culture of truth. This can be a real challenge, because culture is…

• How the iPad Changed My Life

  Jamie

  31 Aug 2010 | 4:43 am

   Okay, the title is overly dramatic, but I am impressed with how the way I so comfortably use this machine has actually changed my habits a bit. I bought the iPad mostly for reading. I didn't buy a keyboard for it, nor am I planning to use it for presentations. I have a laptop for that. I didn't even buy the 3g version, because I'm just using it at home or sometimes when I travel, because wifi is fairly prevalent at hotels. Initially I thought I would end up reading more books. I do have Clay Shirky's Cognitive Surplus on there, and I'm reading it (which is more than I can say for any other…

• Reflections on #ASAE10: Passion Matters

  Jamie

  30 Aug 2010 | 5:48 am

  The opening round of ASAE recap blog posts have been a bit of a downer. This does not surprise me given the conversations I was having with friends of colleagues towards the end. For one reason or another, the meeting just wasn't as good as the last several years. Acronym has a central link to all the posts in the first couple days back, including the post I did for my monthly column on SocialFish--and that one had a critical tone as well. So far, though, I wouldn't characterize the complaining as bitter. It's been heartfelt. The people who are complaining about a meeting that didn't meet…

• Fear Sucks

  Jamie

  19 Aug 2010 | 5:57 am

  Permit me to sound like a keynote speaker for a minute... If there's ONE THING you remember from this blog post it's this: (dramatic pause...) the reason your organization sucks, is fear. I write about a lot of things. I talk about truth, conflict, leadership, strategy, etc. And of course I think it's all important, and we need to be having these various conversations to make our organizations better. But every now and then I am hit with the fact that many of these topics are dancing around something more fundamental: fear. This week, I read this blog post from Eric Lanke on Hourglass. He's…

• Strategy is Personal

  Jamie

  18 Aug 2010 | 5:59 am

  I did some strategy work for an association client last week, and to start off the session, I asked the board members in their introductions to share what volunteering really meant to them. Why did it matter? Why was it personally important?There are a couple of reasons for doing this. First, any time you get a Board of Directors together, I think it's a good idea for them to share something personal, hopefully that others don't already know. Each time you reveal yourself like that, you build trust in the group (assuming the rest of the group doesn't mock you!). We need more trust in Boards…

• 

  The School for Social Entrepreneurs

• Partnerships 2: should social enterprises date, co-habit or marry?

  Nick Temple

  20 Aug 2010 | 6:24 am

  Typically, two days after I write a long post about partnership (and thanks for those who've commented, tweeted etc positively), a great podcast comes up on my commute in to work on....partnership. So I'll keep this brief: this podcast, Strategic...

• Is a Social App Store just Toolkits 2.0?

  Nick Temple

  19 Aug 2010 | 11:30 am

  I was inspired to write by the latest issue of Third Sector magazine this week. Not a sentence I've written too often, perhaps, (tend to rely on it for news, rather than inspiration...) but there were three thought-provoking pieces in...

• Partnerships: are you the Bono and Frank Sinatra of social enterprise?

  Nick Temple

  18 Aug 2010 | 3:13 am

  Been giving much thought to partnership of late. Whether this is due to celebrating my second wedding anniversary (gifts to SSE towers please...), I'm not sure. I think it was more from listening to the NPR All Songs Considered podcast...

• Will a new toolbelt help social entrepreneurs?

  Richard Strauss

  11 Aug 2010 | 4:27 am

  The SE Toolbelt is an online information platform aiming to provide social entrepreneurs with practical resources that have been developed by their peers. It boasts 1000 or so items of various shapes and sizes on its data base, and these...

• Social enterprise + entrepreneurship links from July

  Nick Temple

  3 Aug 2010 | 2:10 am

  Currently, on my return to work, I am somewhere between B and C in the image to the left. Cleared the inbox (almost) yesterday, and now catching up on everything that's happened since I've been away. To which the short...

• 

  AFP Blog: Recent News of Note

• Kensington church celebrates four decades of pancakes for charity

  Reed

  2 Sep 2010 | 10:32 am

  Kensington church celebrates four decades of pancakes for charity: "It started with a simple need and an interesting proclamation more than 40 years ago.The Rev. Charles Kirkley of St. Paul's United Methodist Church asked for a bus, and Jim Hobbs, president of United Methodist Men — a volunteer group at the Kensington church — decided it should be financed entirely out of pancakes and sausage."

• Mass. Salvation Army Severs Ties With Local United Way - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

  Reed

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:33 am

  Mass. Salvation Army Severs Ties With Local United Way - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Mass. Salvation Army Severs Ties With Local United WayCiting deep cuts in United Way funds, the Salvation Army of Massachusetts has ended its 70-year relationship with the grant-making giant’s regional chapter, according to The

• Has your non-profit filed for its tax-exemption? | KIDK CBS 3 - News, Weather and Sports - Idaho Falls - Pocatello - Blackfoot, ID - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Blackfoot - Idaho | Local & Regional

  Reed

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:30 am

  Just one example of coverage of the upcoming deadline for small nonprofits to file.Has your non-profit filed for its tax-exemption? | KIDK CBS 3 - News, Weather and Sports - Idaho Falls - Pocatello - Blackfoot, ID - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Blackfoot - Idaho | Local & Regional: "EASTERN IDAHO - The laws have changed for small non-profit organizations, and their tax-exemption deadline is getting

• On sharing among Jewish nonprofits | The Fundermentalist | JTA - Jewish & Israel News

  Reed

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:08 am

  On sharing among Jewish nonprofits | The Fundermentalist | JTA - Jewish & Israel News: "In an opinion piece for JTA, marketing guru Gary Wexler uses recent research on the benefits of information sharing in the fight against Alzheimer’s as a jumping-off point to talk about sharing information within the Jewish nonprofit world.You can check out the full piece on JTA, but here is an excerpt:"

• How to Get Your Donors More Engaged | News for Social Entrepreneurs

  Reed

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:09 am

  How to Get Your Donors More Engaged | News for Social Entrepreneurs: "Generally, the answer on how to get a particular donor, or group of donors, more engaged isn’t a one shot ask, meeting, or phone call. Instead, the best way to get your donors more engaged is to develop a strong, organization-wide donor cultivation program that keeps your supporters informed and energized about your mission and

• 

  Wild Apricot Blog main feed

• Association Jam: Top Links for August 2010

  Rebecca

  2 Sep 2010 | 5:41 am

  Blog posts and articles on Leadership and Social Media topped the active topics at AssociationJam.org last month. Events came in close behind, as association professionals were all geared up for ASAE10. Fundraising, Membership, Technology, and Volunteers were tied for third. Here are the most popular links at “AJam” in August 2010....(read more)

• 20+ Free Webinars for Nonprofits: September 2010

  Rebecca

  30 Aug 2010 | 11:31 am

  September is a busy month for just about everyone – a new school year for many, harvest time for both fundraisers and farmers - and a whole new crop of free nonprofit webinars is here. Have a look – you’re sure to find an online learning opportunity that’s of interest to folks in your organization. As always, you’ll want to check back from time to time through the month, as late-coming webinar notices are often added in the comments section, down below. And if you’re aware of a free nonprofit webinar...(read more)

• 20 Great Google Docs Templates for Non-Profits

  Rebecca

  26 Aug 2010 | 4:01 am

  Creating a presentation for your board? Wading into the end-of-project paperwork? Or maybe you’re signing up a new crop of volunteers for your non-profit... Whatever the task, odds are that there’s a time-saving template, free at Google Docs, to help you do more with less effort. Browse the Template Gallery , or narrow your search by Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms, and Drawings. You’ll find thousands of templates – some by Google itself, and many unique templates that were contributed...(read more)

• What Makes a Good Non-Profit Website?

  Rebecca

  23 Aug 2010 | 1:31 pm

  A lively LinkedIn discussion was kicked off when Elizabeth Watkin , program coordinator at Africa Carbon Credit Exchange,asked, “ What makes a good non-profit website? ” What do you like to see on a charity/non-profit/NGO website and what do you dislike? Would a website encourage you to donate or get involved? If you have been inspired by a particular website, can you pass on the link? Among the participants in the discussion is David Berg , who has been researching the fundraising and communications...(read more)

• Social Networks vs. Real Life Networks

  Rebecca

  19 Aug 2010 | 7:07 am

  There is no end to the challenges of social media for nonprofits. How can we keep our personal and professional lives separate online? How can we identify the "influencers"? Which social media tools are best? Here, Paul Adams, Senior User Experience Researcher at Google, shares his team's insights into how people actually connect and behave online....(read more)

• 

  NP Communicator

• What’s your election issue?

  Nora Ferrell

  2 Sep 2010 | 10:11 am

  We need your help! This is your chance to tell journalists what you want to see in the news during the fall election. The Workshop is holding a news briefing in October for the ethnic news media on critical issues in this fall’s election. We would like your advice on at least two issues that you think should be raised in news coverage this fall. Tell us two issues that effect your organization and your community and we will pass them along to the more than 300 news outlets serving our area’s black and immigrant communities. Click here to tell us about the issues you think are…

• And the winner is…

  Nora Ferrell

  20 Aug 2010 | 7:49 am

  The Residents’ Journal! But wait, what did they win? The Community Media Workshop surveyed online news providers to inform the 2nd annual NEW News report, released earlier this month. We encouraged online outlets across the Chicago area to participate, and in an effort to boost the response rate, we offered a $100 visa gift card. More than 120 outlets responded to the survey, and we randomly selected one participant to win the $100 prize. Congratulations to Residents’ Journal! And thanks again to all the online news providers who gave us valuable information and insights about the…

• Reframing stories of the Great Recession

  Nora Ferrell

  17 Aug 2010 | 8:23 am

  Photo by Carrie Sloan on Flickr.com It’s not news that the Great Recession has taken its toll on nonprofits and those they serve. The mom on food stamps for the first time, the widow who lost her home to foreclosure, the shuttered community counseling center–these are all important stories that put a face on the economic downturn. But how do nonprofits move beyond these personal stories to spur systemic change? Our free Brown Bag forum happening next week on Tuesday, Reframing Stories of the Great Recession, looks at how agencies can reshape their communications strategies to move…

• NEW News 2010: Millions of eyes on Chicago’s online news each month

  Nora Ferrell

  5 Aug 2010 | 8:39 am

  More than eight million people visit Chicago-area online news sites each month, according to our new report released today. While the report highlights a proliferation of online news and information sites in the Chicago area, when it comes to traffic, the sites of mainstream media clearly dominate. Six of the eight million unique cumulative visitors reported by all media outlets participating in the survey were to Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, RedEye and ChicagoNow (the Trib’s blog site). The 2nd annual NEW News report, produced by Community Media Workshop and funded by the Community News…

• Find your social media “ah-ha” moment

  Nora Ferrell

  3 Aug 2010 | 6:53 am

  You’ve Twittered, Facebooked and blogged about your organization’s story but aren’t receiving the response you desire. Tim Frick, author of “Return on Engagement” and social media trainer at the Workshop’s upcoming fall session, says many nonprofits have two misconceptions about social media and why they don’t produce the desired audience engagement. “There’s the misconception that it’s free,” says Frick. “It doesn’t cost any money to get a Twitter account, Facebook account, or a LinkedIn account, but it does take time to create and build the content for those things…

• 

  Cause Marketing

• Cause Marketing by the Bag

  Paul Jones is the president of

  25 Aug 2010 | 2:15 pm

  When I was in nonprofit management I heard a lot of pitches from retailers or suppliers wanting to sell something to my list of supporters. But there was always a sticking point. Oftentimes they wanted me to just turn over my donor list. That was a nonstarter. Later they wanted to put my logo on their merchandise or sales platform, usually without any upfront money. Those terms, too, were

• Using Buy One, Give One in Cause Marketing, #3

  Paul Jones is the president of

  13 Aug 2010 | 9:06 am

  The grand-daddy of all buy one, give one (BOGO) cause marketing is TOMS Shoes, which I've profiled in the past. TOMS gives away a pair of its alpargatas-style shoes when your buy a pair. TOMS has never advertised heavily, but so great was the buzz that TOMS generated that its founder, Blake Mycoskie, was featured in TV ad on the left for AT&T.I've also profiled BOGO efforts from HUGO Fragrances,

• Cause Marketing With Buy One Give One, #2

  Paul Jones is the president of

  12 Aug 2010 | 9:20 am

  Today’s post describes three BOGO (buy one, give one) cause marketing campaigns from outside the United States. Read yesterday's post on BOGO here.Included in this list is 'Plus One' from Darford International, a dog food manufacturer in British Columbia, Canada, which is the most brilliant example of BOGO cause marketing I’ve ever seen so far. It's well named, well thought-out, and, I think,

• Cause Marketing Via Buy One, Give One, #1

  Paul Jones is the president of

  11 Aug 2010 | 2:33 pm

  'Buy one, give one' (BOGO) has been around for a couple years now and the cause marketing practice is still growing dramatically. It's not for everyone, but for those that can pull it off BOGO generates mad publicity and word-of-mouth.BOGO means that when you buy one of something, another one is given away to a needy party. A variation is when you buy one thing and it triggers the donation of

• How Strong is the Appeal of Your Cause?

  Paul Jones is the president of

  5 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  It’s gut-check time my charity friends. How strong is the appeal of your cause?Could you call a major donor to secure the funding to take advantage of a great advertising opportunity that falls into your lap last minute?Could you rally your fans to support your entry in the American Express Members Project?Is your fundraising still doing fine, even in the Great Recession?Could you get competitors

• 

  So what can I do?

• Change the world.

  Karama

  6 Oct 2014 | 3:52 pm

  How will you make our world a better place?* Health and education* Economics, social entrepreneurship, and microfinance* Food and water* Energy and technology* Women, children, and family* Environment, land, and sustainability* FaithAnd don’t forget to visit the So What Can I Do Bookstore. Your efforts can change the world.”Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mohandas GandhiPlease visit http://sowhatcanido.blogspot.com to offer your comments and suggestions, forward this post, and peruse the archives. Thanks for reading "So what can I do", the public service weblog promoting…

• Join the So What Can I Do blood donation team.

  Karama

  20 Jun 2009 | 8:40 pm

  I went to the Red Cross blood center today and gave a pint. Regular readers and regular donors know that blood donation is a fast and easy way to save up to three lives. You never know when you or someone you know will need blood. So please consider donating blood, platelets, or red cells. And if you do, you’re invited to join the So What Can I Do Red Cross Racing Team. Here’s how:• Visit redcrossracing.com .• After you register scroll to the bottom and click “Team Competition.”• Enter the So What Can I Do team code: O?67SO .• Remember to log your donations to win points and…

• Celebrate World Free Your Mind Day – June 19th.

  Karama

  18 Jun 2009 | 9:07 pm

  I spent this Juneteenth thinking about what my family would have been like if my great-great-granddaddy Griffin Henry Belk hadn’t walked off that plantation when he did. I expect it would have made a huge difference, because when Griffin Henry Belk left, he was able to travel (searching for his parents), purchase land (160 acres for $11 in Ozan, Arkansas), and generally prepare to provide for his wife and five children to come. So I woke up Juneteenth morning and told my daughter about her great-great-great-granddaddy. Even though she’s only two, I expect it resonated with her, or will…

• Make Kiva microloans in the US.

  Karama

  11 Jun 2009 | 9:04 pm

  I’ve written frequently about microloans - how the concept spread as a tool for economic development, how to lend and get your money back – sometimes with with interest, making a loan a no cost to you, etc. But my most popular post on the topic discusses microloans in the US. I’m pleased to report that there is now another option for those interested in making microloans in the US. Kiva now offers the opportunity to make microloans in the US. If you’re in the US, this is a great way to help your neighbors move ahead through entrepreneurship. And if you need a microloan, this means…

• Be the match: Join the Marrow Registry for free June 8-22.

  Karama

  25 May 2009 | 7:58 pm

  Earlier today when I wanted to forward my post on cord blood donation, I realized that most of the links had gone dead. While updating them, I was pleased to learn about the upcoming Marrowthon from the National Marrow Donor Program. NMDP has set a goal of adding 46,000 new members to the marrow registry during this drive. Each new member increases the odds that someone with a life threatening blood disease will live, and live well – disease free.Joining is easy: just take the eligibility quiz, fill out a form, and swab your cheeks for a cell sample. (I had to give a bit of blood for…

• 

  The Fine Print: blog posts from OMBWatch

• Deficit Commission Chair Troubled by Vets, Retirees, "Lesser People"

  cjennings

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:39 am

  <!--break--> National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (AKA "Deficit Commission") co-chair former senator Alan Simpson's latest outburst has betrayed his ignoble sensibilities and misguided priorities. (h/t DailyKos) Former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson's comments came a day after The Associated Press reported that diabetes has become the most frequently compensated ailment among Vietnam veterans, even though decades of research has failed to find more than a possible link between the defoliant Agent Orange and diabetes. "The irony (is) that the veterans who saved this country…

• Strong Coal Ash Rules Sought at Public Hearing

  mmadia

  31 Aug 2010 | 2:11 pm

  Witnesses from across the country yesterday urged the EPA to set strong public health standards for coal ash. In an all-day hearing in Arlington, VA, environmental and public health advocates and members of the general public asked EPA to regulate coal ash, a toxic byproduct of coal combustion that can contain arsenic, lead, and other toxics, as a hazardous waste. “The number of people who attended the hearing today, and the distance they travelled to do so shows just how far the problem of toxic coal ash stretches,” Lyndsay Moseley from the Sierra Club said yesterday. “We…

• Waging War via PowerPoint

  gbaker

  31 Aug 2010 | 11:19 am

  <!--break--> The tools we use, including information systems, shape our decision-making. (Consider the law of the instrument: "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.") But every tool has limitations. The NATO command in Afghanistan last week fired a staff officer for publicly criticizing the military's use of Microsoft's presentation software PowerPoint. Lawrence Sellin, an Army Reserve colonel and commentator for United Press International, was fired from his position at the International Security Assistance Force just days after UPI published his rebuke of the…

• It's the Lack of Jobs that Causes Unemployment

  cjennings

  31 Aug 2010 | 10:34 am

  Last week, in a post on the how dreadful the job market is, I mentioned that "some" argue that the 99-week limit on Unemployment Insurance is actually creating unemployment. One of those "some" is Robert Barro, an economics professor at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, who articulates this claim in a Wall Street Journal op-ed (where else?) yesterday. The unemployment-insurance program involves a balance between compassion--providing for persons temporarily without work--and efficiency. The loss in efficiency results partly because the program…

• FEC Approves Coordination Rule

  aadams

  27 Aug 2010 | 7:46 am

  With a 5-1 vote, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved a rule on coordinated communications, to regulate messages that are the "functional equivalent of express advocacy" for or against candidates. This "functional equivalent" language comes from the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Wisconsin Right to Life Inc. v. FEC. A separate provision was voted down and would have covered all messages that "promote, support, attack or oppose" candidates. The final rule does not include a proposed safe harbor for communications where federal candidates endorse or…

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  Nonprofit PR

• Slow down and get 40% more done!

  Author

  2 Sep 2010 | 4:09 am

  "A man's gotta know his limitations"Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry CallahanI have some news you’re not going to like, but don’t dismiss it just because you’d prefer not to believe it. It’s true.-- Do you talk on the phone while typing or reading emails?-- Do you talk on the phone while driving?-- Do you have numerous windows open on your computer at once, switching rapidly from one task to the next?-- Do you stop what you are doing to jump on emails as they arrive in your inbasket?These habits are reducing your productivity by up to 40 percent. But here is the good news; that means…

• Get comfortable with that overwhelming feeling!

  Author

  30 Aug 2010 | 2:49 am

  Race car legend Mario Andretti once said, "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." Here is a great little motivational anecdote that is perfect for this time of year, when folks are often looking for the inspiration to take on new challenges as summer fades into fall and our schedules become more hectic.I was impressed by a story about how the US Women's Olympic Softball team practices: balls are painted with a number inside a colored spot and they are fired at the women from a machine at an ungodly speed. First they train their eyes to see the color of the…

• Is giving a bad thing for rich people to do?

  Author

  26 Aug 2010 | 10:26 am

  In recent months I have been immersed in a Best Practices study of the corporate giving practices of some of the nation's top companies. Maybe it is a coincidence, but I keep running across articles question the entire premise of companies or wealthy individuals diverting their money from business activity to philanthropy.Kimberly O. Dennis writes and interesting opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 20).WARNING!! You may not like all of what she has to say! "Bill Gates and Warren Buffett announced this month that 40 of America's richest people have agreed to sign a "Giving Pledge"…

• Storytelling with photos

  Author

  26 Aug 2010 | 5:58 am

  This photo shows troops during a welcome home ceremony after soldiers from the Army's 4th Stryker brigade returned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. on Thursday, Aug. 19. They are part of the last combat unit leaving Iraq.Look closely at the soldier between the two couples hugging. Look at his face. It appears he has no one to greet him, no one to welcome him home. He looks forlorn and a little lost.This just shows the power of a picture to tell a story. As a writer by trade, it took me a long time to learn to think visually when producing nonprofit communications. A good picture is more…

• A brilliant look at communications today

  Author

  24 Aug 2010 | 9:14 am

  A client from a local foundation was kind enough to share this video with me. It is a fascinating perspective on the media landscape -- old media, and new. Well worth 4 minutes of your time if you have any role in nonprofit or foundation communications! Watch it, you'll like it. Thanks for sharing this, Terry!Steve Cebalt, AuthorThe Communications Handbook for Nonprofits and Foundationshttp://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

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  Public Sector Marketing 2.0 - Mike Kujawski's blog on strategic marketing & social media engagment

• Social Media and Public Sector Policy Dilemmas

  Mike Kujawski

  31 Aug 2010 | 11:34 am

  While I rarely like to use my blog as a dumping ground of PDF’s, this one I really wanted to share with you. It was written by Toby Fyfe and Paul Crookall on behalf of The Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). The title of the report  is “Social Media and Public Sector Policy Dilemmas“. This is by far the most comprehensive and well written report on the subject this year. If you work for the Government, especially the Government of Canada, you need to read this. The report was developed based on consultations with numerous stakeholders across the country and…

• Autonomy, mastery, and sense of purpose

  Mike Kujawski

  25 Aug 2010 | 9:06 am

  I have stumbled across this RSA Animate video on a few occasions now, most recently on Kneale Mann’s thought-provoking blog, YouIntegrate. It’s an adaptation of Dan Pink’s talk at an RSA event. This video illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace. I wanted to share it with you in light of what the Government of Canada is currently doing regarding innovation incentives. The premise of the video is quite simple, but controversial nonetheless: For simple, rudimentary tasks, a monetary reward works as an incentive. For tasks that…

• BC “Apps for Climate Change” contest needs your vote!

  Mike Kujawski

  24 Aug 2010 | 2:09 pm

  I love open data initiatives; Especially when they are Canadian (my home turf). I wrote about the premise behind the Apps for Climate Change contest back in April, and now that we have submissions, I want to remind you to vote. The total number of submissions that met all requirements is 16, a huge success in my opinion given the infancy of apps contests in Canada. You can see demos and vote for your favourite apps here. My vote went to the Etho App. An iphone application that “provides shoppers with relevant health, social & environmental facts on the spot to aid them in making…

• Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Twitter Policy

  Mike Kujawski

  19 Aug 2010 | 1:32 pm

  Earlier this summer, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada posted up their Twitter Policy. While a few other departments were already on it (such as the Get Prepared – PSC – Twitter Policy), this is the first one that is publicly posted in full detail rather than just in summary form [Correction 24/08/2010: Public Safety does indeed have its full Twitter policy posted here.] This is good news for all of you still stuck trying to convince the “clay-layer” of middle-management that Twitter can be used for significantly more strategic purposes than finding out…

• If your service/product sucks then it’s really going to suck online

  Mike Kujawski

  16 Aug 2010 | 11:55 am

  Those of you that know me personally, know that I like to be blunt, no beating around the bush. This isn’t always easy when dealing with clients, but is often necessary nonetheless. One issue I have run into on a few occasions now is organizations thinking that social media engagement is the be-it-end-all solution to all of their marketing problems. Usually the mentality behind this is that social media engagement will allow them to drastically increase awareness of their product/service at very little cost and have more people using it as a result. Here’s a little wake-up call…

• 

  Breaking News news from Third Sector

• National media briefing: community sentences, Jubilee Debt Campaign and War on Want, the Sutton Trust, funeral of murdered aid worker Karen Woo, the Prince's Charities Foundation - and man crosses Irish sea in a bath

  2 Sep 2010 | 2:43 am

  Charities in today's national news

• Stephen Bubb criticises charities over Newsnight report

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:43 am

  Acevo chief executive says leaders failed to defend face to face fundraising

• Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator calls for review of the law

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:24 am

  Watchdog has told ministers that charities should have a connection with the country

• Communities minister Greg Clark says voluntary organisations will be welcome in local enterprise partnerships

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:59 am

  Statement is a victory for the sector, says Navca leader Kevin Curley

• Chair of Princess Royal Trust for Carers dies

  1 Sep 2010 | 7:55 am

  Ian Robertson had been chair of the trust since September 2007 and was involved in fundraising, including a £1m Diamond Ball

• 

  EveryJoe

• Hot Chicks From 90210

  Kori Ellis

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:21 am

  Today is 9/02/10 – what some are proclaiming as “90210 Day.” Though we aren’t encouraging you to run out and get the DVD set or throw a party to pay tribute to the Beverly Hills gang, we will at least show you some of the hot chicks from 90210…and we are talking about the series which ran from 1990-2000, not the modern day CW version. WENN.com Jennie Garth - Jennie played Kelly Taylor during the entire run of the show from 1990-2000. Much of the drama on the show was surrounding Brandon and Dylan battling for Kelly’s affection. WENN.com Tiffani Amber…

• T.I. and Tiny Arrested for Drug Possession

  Kori Ellis

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:22 am

  Rapper T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Cottle were just married in July and apparently they are doing everything as a couple now — even getting into trouble with the law. According to the TMZ, the couple were arrested together on Wednesday night in West Hollywood. The duo was reportedly arrested on drug possession charges after the police smelled marijuana coming from the car (this is becoming a recurring theme with celebrities) and pulled them over on Sunset Boulevard. After searching the vehicle, authorities found a controlled substance in the class of drugs that includes meth and…

• 'Transformers 3' Movie Extra Seriously Injured

  Kori Ellis

  2 Sep 2010 | 5:33 am

  On Wednesday night, a movie extra on the Transformers 3 production site was seriously injured in Hammond, Indiana (a suburb outside Chicago). According to Indiana State Police, something went wrong during a stunt involving several vehicles and drivers. An object went through the windshield of one of the cars, hitting the driver. The police said in a statement that the vehicle continued going for a mile before stopping. The movie extra (name not yet released) was airlifted from the scene to a nearby hospital. Hopefully the injured man, who is suffering from a severe head injury, will be okay.

• Video: Roger Federer Between the Legs Shot

  Stephen Kersey

  1 Sep 2010 | 7:49 pm

  Roger Federer is at it again. You’ve seen the commercial with Roger Federer talking about hitting a shot between his legs. At the 2010 US Open, Rogerer Federer again hit a shot between his legs. This latest shot is arguably even more impressive than the original. Watch the Roger Federer videos at the end of this entry to compare. The between the legs shot at the 2010 US Open was against Brian Dabul. The original was at the 2009 US Open against Novak Djokovic. When Djokovic heard that Roger Federer had done it again, he didn’t want to talk about it. Said Djokovic: “I’ve…

• Cardinals Looking to Trade Matt Leinart

  Stephen Kersey

  1 Sep 2010 | 7:29 pm

  When Matt Leinart was drafted, he had big expectations. After starring at USC, Leinart appeared destined for NFL stardom. His shaky start with the Arizona Cardinals opened the door for Kurt Warner to take over … and Warner didn’t disappoint. However, with Warner now retired, the door opened back up for Leinart on the Cardinals. You can go ahead and close that door. Leinart has already lost his starting quarterback gig with the Cardinals. Arizona appears ready to go with Derek Anderson, the former Cleveland Browns quarterback, as the team’s new signal caller. The Cardinals…

• 

  Philanthropy Action News and Commentary

• Ensuring Markets in Education Work

  timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com

  12 Aug 2010 | 7:02 pm

  One of the noteworthy attempts to improve the quality of education in the developing world is the “private schools for the poor” movement. Pioneered, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say uncovered, by Dr. James Tooley, private schools for the poor have been thriving in many developing countries (as Tooley documented in India, Nigeria and Ghana among other countries). In these cases, despite the fact that public schools were nominally free, poor parents were routinely sending their children to private schools instead. How is this possible? The schools themselves charged very…

• A Warning Sign of the Next Food Crisis?

  timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com

  10 Aug 2010 | 8:20 pm

  This week Russia announced that it was banning all exports of grain from the country. The action is significant because Russia accounts for about 17% of the global grain trade—Egypt is especially dependent on Russian wheat. The ban comes amidst one of the worst droughts in Russian and Eastern European history and floods in Canada which have sent yields plummeting and grain prices soaring. Early this week global prices had risen more than 90 percent since June. It all sounds like a replay of 2008 when it was drought in Australia and floods in the US that began to send food prices soaring…

• Further Thoughts on Unitus/SKS

  timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com

  30 Jul 2010 | 12:24 pm

  Some conversations and reactions to my earlier post have made it clear to me that I need to clarify some points and my thoughts on Unitus and SKS. So here goes: 1) I have no objections whatsoever to for-profit microfinance. In fact, I’m a believer in the need to attract commercial capital to microfinance. I’m also an ardent supporter of market-based approaches to alleviating poverty (as will be clear to anyone who reads more than a few posts on Philanthropy Action). 2) I’m a big fan of microfinance in general, while being a skeptic about the claims many make for its social…

• Why Every Social Entrepreneur Should Be Paying Attention to SKS and Unitus

  timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com

  28 Jul 2010 | 6:41 pm

  Today, the world’s second microfinance IPO happened: SKS shares went on the market in India. All expectations are for a highly successful IPO similar to the blockbuster IPO of Compartamos in Mexico two years ago. Strangely tied into the SKS IPO is the demise of Unitus, a non-profit founded to help MFIs improve operations, grow faster and attract commercial capital. A few weeks ago, the board of Unitus declared “Mission Accomplished,“ announced it would be laying off its staff and examining a future direction for the organization focused on other poverty interventions. Unitus…

• The Time Has Come for HIV/AIDS Prevention

  timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com

  27 Jul 2010 | 2:01 pm

  Last week’s 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna brought some mixed news.  First some good news: A vaginal microbicidal gel was found to be 39 percent effective at preventing HIV infection in women volunteers in a trial in South Africa. Effectiveness rates rose to 54 percent for those who used the gel most diligently.  These results have generated a great deal of enthusiasm after many years of stymied efforts to find pharmaceutical prevention aids. Past trials of microbicides and vaccines have produced disappointing results, despite the volume of prevention funding…

• 

  eJewish Philanthropy: The Jewish Philanthropy Blog

• Vibrant Jewish Campus Life Benefits the Entire Community

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:38 pm

  by Rabbi Hershey Novack This article articulates to the St. Louis Jewish community that their support of local Jewish campus life benefits the entire St. Louis community. More broadly, these themes resonate in similar communities throughout the country. A version of this article first appeared in the St. Louis Jewish Light. In 2008, Jewish Living magazine identified the Washington University campus area as the epicenter of one of the Top 10 Jewish communities in America, describing the school as “popular with Jews from around the country, known for its kosher kitchen and strong Hillel…

• What About a Charity’s Impact?

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:03 pm

  from The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Charities and Watchdog Groups Clash Over Monitoring Systems Battles between charities and the watchdog groups that help donors decide where to give escalated last week when a major trade association released drafts of two reports by scholars who say the watchdogs may do more harm than good. The studies, paid for and released by the Direct Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Federation at a meeting here, charge that the watchdog groups use evaluation systems that are confusing and simplistic. What’s more, they said, because the watchdog groups are…

• Limmud Fest: Expanding Jewish Horizons Under The Stars

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:01 pm

  by Ariel Kahn In its gorgeous new Suffolk location, this year’s Limmud Fest was blessed with some sunshine and an extraordinary degree of good cheer. Marketed as “the hottest festival in the British Jewish calendar”, the volunteer-run residential festival attracted a record 650 participants for four days of non-stop Jewish learning and culture. The sunny rolling hills of the South Downs were home to over 150 sessions of learning, the majority of which took place outdoors – a true celebration of Judaism without walls and a chance to embrace the Hebrew month of Ellul in the…

• New Programs Assist Doctors With Aliyah

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Israel has a doctor shortage and as a result a new series of initiatives has been launched – spearheaded by the Jewish Agency (JAFI) – to facilitate the aliyah and absorption of doctors into the country’s health system. Within the framework of one of the programs, 30 doctors made aliyah this week and headed to JAFI’s Beit Canada absorption center in Ashdod. During their first year in Israel they will learn Hebrew and take a preparatory course for the Israeli medical licensing exam. Those who pass the exam will begin working in hospitals connected to the Clalit health…

• In Boca, There Goes the Neighborhood

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 9:59 pm

  from The Jewish Week: JCC, Synagogues In Holy War In Boca … the JCC’s decision has ignited a war in this heavily Jewish Broward County community. As synagogues around the country struggle with membership numbers and count on the High Holy Days to sign up congregants, thereby padding their coffers, rabbis here are seeing the JCC’s action as “usurpation” and an “invasion.” There are even fears that Boca synagogues might ban a representative of the Jewish federation, which funds the JCC, from making his annual High Holy Day pitch. And as JCCs around the country shed their old…

• 

  onLine!

• A DonationPay Takeaway

  Zach Wales

  6 Aug 2010 | 8:22 am

  For nonprofits, nothing demands security and reliability quite like online payment processing. So when I told a New York-based client about DonationPay, a full-service, customizable platform whose 3% per-transaction fee is the only charge its clients see, I shouldn't have been surprised when she laughed, "What's the catch?" Today I got on the phone with Noah Sochet, who founded DonationPay a year and a half ago with Angelina Strosahl. Ever since the two met in college, they've been running Duo Web Marketing in Olympia, WA, consulting a variety of industry clients including nonprofits. "We…

• Refudiate Your Social Media Inhibitions

  Zach Wales

  19 Jul 2010 | 2:58 pm

  Sarah Palin made Twipples of snickers and depression today when, in a tweet defending her assault on the English language, she compared her "creativity" to Shakespeare's -- one wonders if an aide was dispatched to spell check that one.Unfortunately, there may be people out there who revel in such audacity of dope. Unfortunately, some people place more importance on swagger than on substance. Finally, and, again, unfortunately, nonprofits and their supporters have something to learn from this: Social media is an arena that allows you to own your message. It's just that some people prefer more…

• Philanthropy Is Evolving

  Eduardo Arias

  11 Jun 2010 | 1:00 pm

  Personal recap of Dr. Susan Raymond's (Executive Vice President at Changing Our World, Inc.) workshop at Fund Raising Day 2010, New York; Hope Is Not a Strategy: A Systems Approach to Revenue Diversification  In the midst of all the statistics, the charts, the assertive tone, and the agreeing nods today at Susan Raymond's workshop at Fundraising Day - one message was clear: philanthropy is evolving. We're in an era of record unemployment rates and foreclosures. The "depression" that we endured (or are enduring depending on which newspaper or blog you follow) has traumatized us. Dr. Raymond…

• Facebook: New changes you might not "Like"

  Jenn Thompson

  23 Apr 2010 | 11:22 am

  This week, Facebook rolled out their new f8 platform. The changes have some organizations updating materials and some individuals worrying about privacy of their personal information.To help you get up to speed, here's a list of the biggest changes you need to know about and resources to help you edit your privacy.f8 changes you need to know about: Become a Fan buttons were renamed to Like (if your organization has language on your website or printed materials that say "become our fan", it's time to review and make updates so that constituents know to look for the Like buttons). The new Open…

• Interview with NTEN Conference Attendant from Nicaragua

  Zach Wales

  10 Apr 2010 | 12:27 pm

  Probably the most fascinating aspect of attending the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference (10NTC) in Atlanta is the people you meet. Today I met Sergio Torres, who came all the way from Nicaragua to learn a thing or two about online communications interfaces that will help his fellow countrypersons interact with and hold government agencies and NGOs accountable -- were there more people like Sergio!However, the challenge he faces is, not surprisingly, connectivity. According to Sergio, most Nicaraguans simply can't afford to be connected online. He himself puts $55 each month toward a…

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  Nonprofit Law Blog

• Public Support Tests – Public Charities: An Update

  Emily Chan

  31 Aug 2010 | 7:41 am

  Satisfaction of one of the public support tests under Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code is one way that an organization can qualify as a public charity rather than a private foundation. There are two types of public support tests under Section 509(a)(1) for organizations seeking public charity status under this Section – the “one-third support test” and the “ten percent facts and circumstances test” – both of which rely on an initial computation of public support.   There is an alternative and different “one-third support test” under Section 509(a)(2) for…

• Unincorporated Nonprofit Associations and More: Presentation to NAMI-CA

  Gene Takagi

  30 Aug 2010 | 6:00 am

  On Thursday, August 26, I had the great pleasure of presenting a program on nonprofit legal issues as part of the Affiliate Leadership Institute of the National Alliance on Mental Illness - California.  I covered the following areas: Unincorporated Nonprofit Associations Starting a Nonprofit Corporation Pros and Cons of Incorporating an Unincorporated Nonprofit Association 501(c)(3) Lobbying and Electioneering Reporting Requirements Governance Fundraising Unrelated Business Income Tax Fiscal Sponsorship You can download my PowerPoint presentation (without the graphics) by clicking Download…

• CompassPoint Nonprofit Day 2010

  Gene Takagi

  29 Aug 2010 | 8:00 am

  Below are my some of my highlights from CompassPoint's Nonprofit Day 2010: Sharing Our Stories, Creating Our Future on Tuesday, August 31.Keynote (Peter Bratt): Miho Kim of Data Center - http://bit.ly/cbtnpA Keynote starts with prayer & clips from La Mission & Follow Me Home - powerful, life transforming stories jdeancoffey: A new, old (native) way of thinking about success: measure the depth and breadth of your relationships Learn to respect & love yourself = revolutionary act; changes the story Aspire to rediscover & reclaim stories that have been dismissed by dominant…

• Tweets of the Week - August 27, 2010

  Gene Takagi

  27 Aug 2010 | 11:22 pm

  Here are some of my favorite posts of the week in the areas of nonprofit organizations, corporate governance, philanthropy, and social enterprises (lots this week!): NonProfitBanker: Huge consequences! IRS sued b/c delayed application to check if group's view differ from US policy http://ow.ly/2uYBR HildyGottlieb: #Nonprofit Board Recruitment as Inspiration! http://is.gd/eHbLc tactphil: NY Times picks up Social Innovation Fund story http://nyti.ms/bNtKwe #SIF npquarterly: #SIF releases ratings. Will this clear up the brouhaha? http://bit.ly/bakDZz nonprofitlawyer: #IRS answers FAQs about…

• Gene Takagi on Tony Martignetti Radio - Friday, August 27

  Gene Takagi

  27 Aug 2010 | 10:32 am

  I'll be speaking on nonprofit boards and financial oversight on Tony Martignetti Radio at about 10:40 a.m. Pacific Time today.  You can listen live or on tape here.  [Update:  I encourage you to listen to the full program which also features Stephanie Strom, New York Times national correspondent focusing on nonprofits and philanthropy, and Ken Cerini, managing partner of Cerini & Associates, a New York accounting firm that works with many nonprofits.] Tony Martignetti is founder and managing director of Martignetti Planned Giving Advisors, LLC and author of the e-book Charity…

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  Nonprofit Leadership 601

• Nonprofit Day Wrap Up

  1 Sep 2010 | 9:03 pm

  Nonprofit Day 2010 was the BEST nonprofit conference that I have EVER attended – and I have attended many nonprofit conferences!! I am not just say this--there was truly something magical about this conference. The awesome theme, networking opportunities, and talented speakers made this event top my charts.The theme of Nonprofit Day was storytelling. This theme allowed for us to briefly pause the busyness of running our nonprofit organizations and learn how to tell REAL stories about the people that we serve, the lives that we touch, and the communities that we impact.Stories can be shared…

• Live blogging Nonprofit Day: Coaching--a form of Supervision

  31 Aug 2010 | 4:04 pm

  When I was a nonprofit manager I utilized a professional coach on a regular basis. My coach listened to me, asked me prompting questions, and then provided me suggestions for how to handle situations in new ways. In Judith Wilson's session this afternoon, she explained the importance of informal coaching. (Workshop presentation and materials here). This means that people like you and I can coach our co-workers, subordinates, and supervisors. She explained that informal coaching is a form of supervision and involves active listening. I have to say I really struggle with active listening. I am…

• Live blogging Nonprofit Day: Reimagining Service/Effective Human Resource Management Practices

  31 Aug 2010 | 10:07 am

  Jeanne Bell CEO of CompassPoint moderated a morning plenary session titled "Reimagining Service." (Audio recording will be available after 8/31). This session was all about how effective volunteer & human resource management improves nonprofit capacity and organizational effectiveness.Recent research by the TCC group through the Core Capacity Assessment Tool reiterates the importance of effective human resource management practices within nonprofit organizations. This research shows that organizations with more volunteers and larger budgets manage volunteers more effectively. It also…

• Live Blogging Nonprofit Day 2010: My Story about CompassPoint

  31 Aug 2010 | 9:25 am

  Storytelling is the focus of this year's Nonprofit Day. Before I get into the notes from the keynote this morning, I want to tell a story about CompassPoint. Before I moved to San Diego (from the San Francisco Bay Area) I took full advantage of all the amazing professional development resources and trainings that CompassPoint provides.While I was working as a nonprofit manager for Low-Income Families’ Empowerment through Education (LIFETIME) in Oakland, I attended the Fundraising Academy for Communities of Color and learned from some talented fundraisers in the sector: Kim Klein, Robert…

• I'll be blogging Nonprofit Day 2010

  26 Aug 2010 | 10:14 am

  On Tuesday, August 31st I'll be live blogging CompassPoint's Nonprofit Day 2010 in San Francisco. I am super excited to attend this conference and spend time with my nonprofit peeps in the San Francisco Bay Area!!I'll be blogging and tweeting (@Heather Carpente) the conference alongside some of my long-time friends and colleagues in the sector including:Gene Takagi of the Nonprofit Law Blog (@GTak) Curtis Chang of Consulting Within Reach Jara Dean-Coffey of To What End (@jdeancoffey) John Kenyon, Nonprofit Technology Educator and Strategist (@jakenyon) Peggy Duvette of WiserEarth…

• 

  PhilanTopic

• This Week in PubHub: Child Well-Being

  Mitch Nauffts

  1 Sep 2010 | 1:52 pm

  (Kyoko Uchida manages PubHub, the Foundation Center’s online catalog of foundation-sponsored publications. In her last post, she looked at four reports that explore options for funding the news.) Summer is over and America's children are heading back to school. How are they doing? This week in PubHub, we're featuring four reports that examine the well-being of our children and youth. The 2010 edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Book provides state-by-state data in ten categories, as well as an analyses of national trends. According to the report, overall child…

• Everyone Wants to Be a Hero

  Mitch Nauffts

  31 Aug 2010 | 12:17 pm

  (Thaler Pekar, a consultant specializing in persuasive communication, helps smart leaders and their organizations find, develop, and share the stories and organizational narratives that rally critical support. You can find other posts by Thaler herehere, and here Much of my work is focused on helping smart leaders and organizations find and develop stories to share with their audiences. To that end, I'd like to share two anecdotes that may help you achieve greater clarity in your communications. Everybody wants to be a hero. Smart leaders and organizations know that. You also know it's…

• Most Popular PhilanTopic Posts (August)

  Mitch Nauffts

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:37 am

  As we did last last month, we've pulled together a list of the most popular PhilanTopic posts over the last thirty days. Enjoy. Connecting Your Organization's Past, Present & Future (Thaler Pekar) 15 Ways to Improve Grantee Communication at Your Foundation (Kris Putnam-Walkerly) A 'Flip' Chat With...Matthew Bishop, 'Economist' Bureau Chief and 'Philanthrocapitalism' Author (Mitch Nauffts) NYC's 'Neighborhood of Conscience' (Michael Seltzer) The 'Giving Pledge' and Social Change (Mitch Nauffts) Use the comments section below and let us know what you've been reading or would…

• Weekend Link Roundup (August 28 - 29, 2010)

  Regina Mahone

  29 Aug 2010 | 8:30 pm

  Our weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector.... Communications/Marketing Network for Good's Katya Andresen shares a few takeaways from Uncharitable author Dan Pallotta's keynote speech at the Direct Marketing Association's 2010 New York Nonprofit Conference. Corporate Philanthropy On the Deep Social Impact blog, Jim Coutré weighs in on Inc. magazine's guide to developing a corporate philanthropy campaign, which he says overlooks two critical elements. Disaster Relief GuideStar president and CEO Bob Ottenhoff urges people who are donating to Pakistan…

• Philanthropy News Digest Has Gone Mobile

  Regina Mahone

  27 Aug 2010 | 1:10 pm

  With mobile phone usage on the rise, organizations are rethinking the way they deliver content to their Web site visitors. A few months back, we created a task force to evaluate our own mobile presence and decided it was time to design a site that would deliver PND's most popular features -- news, jobs, and RFPs -- to readers on the go. Voila! Say hello to PND Mobile. To access the site from your smart phone, visit: http://m.foundationcenter.org/pnd/. We'd love to hear your suggestions about how we can improve PND, mobile or otherwise. Use the comments section below or send us an…

• 

  seachangestrategies.com

• Webinar Reprise: The Overachiever’s Guide to Year-End Fundraising

  Alia

  17 Aug 2010 | 2:24 pm

  Last month, I led a webinar on the Sea Change Strategies and Care2 ebook “The Overachiever’s Guide to Year-End Fundraising.” If you missed it, don’t fret! Due to popular demand we’re reprising the webinar with Network for Good on Tuesday, August 31st at 1pm eastern. Register now. If you aren’t yet convinced you want to spend an hour earning your overachiever’s gold star, consider this: 40 percent of all online donations come in during the month of December. But year-end fundraising success doesn’t just magically materialize. It takes months of list…

• Free e-book: How to Raise a Lot More Money Now

  Alia

  6 Aug 2010 | 8:59 am

  Network for Good posted a free eBook called How to Raise a Lot More Money Now – 50 Great Ideas from 11 top Experts. Get bite-size advice and tips from leading experts in social media for social change. Authors include Sea Change’s own Mark Rovner and Alia McKee as well as other leading fundraising minds Jeff Brooks, Sarah Durham, Jocelyn Harmon, Kivi Leroux Miller, Nancy Schwartz, Chris Forbes, and Katya Andresen. This is a fun and fast read packed with helpful tips including: Create a beneficiary thank-you corps. Beneficiaries of your work are assigned new donors to personally thank…

• Webinar: The Overachiever’s Guide to Year-End Fundraising

  Alia

  14 Jul 2010 | 3:03 pm

  Think it’s too soon to start preparing for year-end fundraising? Think again! Earn your overachiever’s gold star and get cracking with nine steps you can use now to raise more money in December. You might know that 40 percent of all online donations come in during December. But did you also know that year-end fundraising doesn’t just happen in December? It takes months of list building, inspiring donors, cultivating them, testing, and analyzing metrics to make the absolute most of year-end opportunities. Join Sea Change’s own Alia McKee Scott, Milo Sybrant of Amnesty…

• Enter The 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Awards!

  Alia

  6 Jul 2010 | 7:34 am

  The Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Contest is open for submissions. And I am proud to serve as one of the distinguished judges. This year, for the first time, in addition to submitting your organizational tagline, you can also submit program, fundraising campaign and/or special event taglines. Enter here now. A strong tagline does double-duty—working to extend your organization’s name and mission, while delivering a focused, memorable and repeatable message to your base. It’s one of your most basic, and effective, marketing tools, but a GettingAttention.org survey showed…

• A 12-point plan won’t inspire anybody. A dream will.

  Alia

  22 Jun 2010 | 7:46 am

  Making social change is tough business. Social change is rooted in altering the structures of a social group or society. It happens when individuals or groups choose to go against social norms. But by our very nature, people gravitate towards those norms, which makes our role as change makers ever more challenging. This isn’t a newsflash for those of us working at the intersection of social change and technology. But it does underscore that we must work strategically – understanding the very tenets of human psychology and biology – that spur people to act and go against the current.

• 

  The GiveWell Blog

• Responses to blog comments

  Holden

  27 Aug 2010 | 5:45 am

  We’ve had lots of thoughtful comments on the blog lately, and we haven’t had a chance to respond because we’ve been in the process of moving to Mumbai. So I wanted to give a heads up that I’ve now had a chance to respond as appropriate to all comments; see “Recent comments” on the left for my responses.

• Our advice re: donations for Pakistan flood

  Holden

  25 Aug 2010 | 11:30 am

  We’ve been researching the cause of disaster relief, with the goal of doing a better job than we have in the past serving the donors who come to us for help in the wake of a crisis. At this point our research is still in progress, but we can offer some basic advice to donors interested in helping as effectively as possible: Give money; don’t give anything else. This has been one of the strongest and most agreed-upon recommendations of the “smart giving” community in general, and we join the broad consensus. Money enables organizations to provide what’s most…

• High-quality study of Head Start early childhood care program

  Holden

  21 Aug 2010 | 8:21 am

  Early this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released by far the most high-quality study to date of the Head Start childhood care program. I’ve had a chance to review this study, and I feel the results are very interesting. The study’s quality is outstanding, in terms of design and analysis (as well as scale). If I were trying to give an example of a good study that can be held up as a model, this would now be one of the first that would come to mind. The impact observed is generally positive but small, and fades heavily over time. The study’s quality is…

• Needed from major funders: more great organizations

  Holden

  13 Aug 2010 | 8:48 am

  In the wake of the recent Giving Pledges, we’ve been discussing what advice we’d give a major philanthropist (aside from our usual plea to conduct evaluations and share them publicly). For the most part, our recommendations and criteria are aimed at individual donors, not major philanthropists. We stress the value of given to proven, cost-effective, scalable organizations rather than funding experiments, but we don’t feel that this advice applies to major philanthropists - taking risks with small, untested organizations and approaches makes a great deal of sense when you…

• Philanthropy vouchers

  Holden

  5 Aug 2010 | 10:33 am

  We focus on finding charities that are doing demonstrably good work already, rather than on proposals for new sorts of projects. This post is an exception: we’ve been tossing around an idea for “philanthropy vouchers” that we think could be worth trying in a broad variety of contexts, and we’re interested in others’ thoughts. The idea is a variation of the “development vouchers” idea put forth by William Easterly in The White Man’s Burden (see page 330). Prof. Easterly proposes that official aid agencies co-create an independent “voucher…

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  FundraisingCoach.com

• Fundraising Secret #105: Stay Curious

  Marc A. Pitman

  31 Aug 2010 | 4:11 am

  As a fundraiser, it’s so easy to get jaded. To think we’ve seen it all. But curiousity is one of the most important tools a fundraiser can have. It helps in every step of the “Get R.E.A.L.” fundraising process: Research: If you’re curious, you will not just enter someone’s email address, but notice that it’s a unique domain name and go check it out. Even if it doesn’t lead to a major discovery, it can be a talking point with the donor. Engage: Being curious as you engage a donor involves asking perceptive questions. Once, while in the lobby of a factory that produced…

• Fundraising Coach Marc Pitman on Fox 25 Boston

  Marc A. Pitman

  27 Aug 2010 | 1:11 pm

  I recently had the opportunity to talk about fundraising on many news shows. It’s so much fun getting people excited about asking for money! Here’s my interview on Fox 25 Boston: You can see all of the interviews on my Fundraising Coach speaker page at: http://fundraisingcoach.com/speaker/. (c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today! Share and…

• Show your face on blogs

  Marc A. Pitman

  24 Aug 2010 | 5:25 am

  “Sheesh. I can’t remember their name…but if I saw their face! Then I’d know them!” How often have you heard that said? Or said it yourself? If you’re doing nonprofit marketing or fundraising on the web with social media like Facebook and Twitter, you know the importance of having your face (or logo if you must) associated with your account. But have you ever left a comment on someone’s blog and wonder why some people have faces with their comments while others don’t? It’s all to do with the email address you use in the comment form. Thanks…

• Fundraising Secret #96: Use Google Docs

  Marc A. Pitman

  17 Aug 2010 | 4:14 am

  Have you checked out Google Docs? I keep finding remarkable ways to use this for collaboration! For example, an organization I work with recently ran a phonathon that didn’t involve asking for money, but asking people to advocate for our cause. Our database administrator did the sort and dumped hundreds of names exported onto two Excel spreadsheets with just the minimum of information: record number, city, state, first name, last name, phone number. That’s all we needed to make these calls. The problem was, if we printed out multiple copies of these sheets and gave the sheets to each…

• Career Change Without Felony Charges

  Marc A. Pitman

  16 Aug 2010 | 1:15 pm

  Last week Good Day New York invited me to talk about career stress in light of Steven Slater’s quitting his job by jumping out of a JetBlue plane. The interview is below. But there was so much more that I sent to Good Day New York. The entire 5-page article is available here: Changing Careers Without Facing Felony Charges. Here’s the interview: But be sure to read the article. There’s a lot more there! Changing Careers Without Facing Felony Charges (c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing…

• 

  Open Society Insitute - Katrina: An Unnatural Disaster

• Another Black Blues Story

  Clarence Williams is producing a photographic essay of post-Katrina New Orleans, from flood to aftermath to rebuilding, with a visual emphasis on the remnants of the cultural wealth and family ties that make this city unique.

• Child of the Flood

  Child of the Flood, a novel by Dale Maharidge with photographs by Michael Williamson, combines fiction with documentary imagery and chronicles the story of John Boucher, an 18-year-old who is knocked unconscious and loses his memory as a result of the post-Katrina flooding.

• Gulf Coast: Work in Progress

  Dee Davis and the Center for Rural Strategies developed a media campaign to illustrate the struggles of rural Gulf Coast residents to re-establish their lives after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The project aimed to help Americans understand conditions along the rural Gulf Coast and explore how America's failure to formulate effective rural policy is reaping disaster.

• New Orleans Now

  Tena Rubio developed the Katrina Uncovers series for the National Radio Project; as part of that series, she produced three 30-minute shows on the immigrant/migrant workforce in New Orleans called New Orleans Now: Immigrants, Labor Rights and the Human Cost of Rebuilding an American City.

• Rebuilding, Inc.

  Tim Shorrock has been reporting on post-Katrina economic development and the health care crisis in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast.

• 

  The Epic Change Blog

• We did it

  Administrator

  18 Aug 2010 | 6:04 am

  Some days we all need a reminder that miracles are possible – even, perhaps, that we, in all of our beautiful imperfection, possess the unique power to create them. I hope this reminder finds you at just the right time… When we arrived in Tanzania last month, we found a new classroom waiting for the sixth graders who will move on to their final year of primary school next January. On our final day in Arusha, we opened the school’s first library, built from the gratitude so many shared last November during TweetsGiving. Nearly 1,000 parents, students and villagers came…

• The Best Day Ever

  Administrator

  26 Jul 2010 | 9:13 am

  I don’t meditate. I wish I could. Really, I do. But the truth is perhaps I’m not evolved enough. Maybe I haven’t had the right teacher, maybe I haven’t tried hard enough – or, more likely, too hard to do it the “right way” – when perhaps there’s no “right way” at all. But I think I know what it feels like. To me, it feels like baking chocolate cookies. Fully present. Senses heightened. Mindless & mindful all at the same time. When I cook, my mind stops making lists. It stops worrying, planning, regretting, wondering.

• I Wonder as I Wander

  Administrator

  15 Jul 2010 | 9:43 pm

  It’s 4:40am. The dogs have quieted now just barely – they seem to have some affection for the hour of 2am – as does my body, for some reason still jet-lagged even 4 days after arriving. Scratch that, the dogs were just taking a break. An hour ago, they were joined by a car alarm that’s now drained the battery of the vehicle to which it belongs. An hour from now, perhaps sooner, this canine concert will be overshadowed by a lone voice singing to God throughout the streets of Arusha. I’m not usually a light sleeper. And jet lag doesn’t usually so affect me.

• Tanya & Larry

  Administrator

  6 Jul 2010 | 3:11 pm

  I’ll probably never see them again. Don’t even know their last names. But two days ago, they saved my life. And I’m not even exaggerating… Before I get to that part of the story, I must first share that the last two weeks have, for the most part, been bliss. A few things I have not done: (Seriously, not at all.) Dial – or even touch – a phone. Use the internet. Turn on a computer. Send a text message. Tweet. Blog. Use Facebook. Watch television. Interact with a screen. Taken a photo, or a video. Stay up late to finish the work – or get up early to…

• breathe

  Administrator

  21 Jun 2010 | 1:23 pm

  i sat down today to write everything i haven’t written since the last time i wrote. it won’t come. because what’s inside me right now is the deep enveloping knowledge that i have nothing left to give right now. i’m tired. i’ve been putting it off for a while, thinking (and hoping) this feeling would soon pass. it hasn’t. i’m weary to my bones. i’ve no will to say or do the right thing. or even to figure out what that is. somewhere between our last fundraiser and our upcoming trip to Africa, i’ve lost the pervasive sense of joy that is…

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  Principled Innovation LLC

• 3 questions for #asae11

  jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)

  31 Aug 2010 | 2:11 pm

  As I did last year following #asae09 in Toronto, I am bypassing the #asae10 post-mortem in favor of looking ahead at the questions I hope we will be discussing actively by the time we reconvene in St. Louis next August for #asae11.  It should come as no surprise that these are big strategic questions, and I hope they spark many powerful conversations for organizations across our community in the months ahead. 1.  What is it going to take for associations to thrive over the next decade?–The next ten years will be decisive for many associations, if only because our entire society will…

• What I’ll be doing at ASAE10

  jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)

  8 Aug 2010 | 6:17 pm

  Wow, it’s been more than two months since my last blog post, so I’m hoping I still remember how to do this!  Seriously though, it’s been a very busy and challenging summer for me, and it has passed by so quickly, there are only ten days left before I leave for ASAE’s Annual Meeting (ASAE10) in Los Angeles.  So, before I run out of time, as I have done the last few years, I wanted to share/promote some of the activities in which I’ll be involved in L.A., for P.I. Blog readers who will be there in person, as well as those of you who will be following along…

• Social is a way of being

  jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)

  26 May 2010 | 3:11 am

  Associations do not become social simply by deploying social technologies.  Social is a strategic mindset that values imagination and innovation at the edge of the organization at least as much as (if not more than) any activity taking place at the core.  Social is an inclusive orientation to value creation that welcomes all forms of generative contribution from a variety of contributors.  Social is an interface with the world, an intentional way of connecting with and activating distributed networks through common purpose and shared passion. In short, social is a way of being for the 21st…

• Business model workshop registration open!

  jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)

  27 Apr 2010 | 8:01 pm

  I’m pleased to announce that public registration for The P.I. Business Model Innovation Workshop is now open!  When I first announced my plans to present the workshop three weeks ago, I wasn’t quite ready to accept registrations, and some other logistical pieces were not yet in place.  Now we’re ready to go, and I hope you will seriously consider joining me for what I promise will be a powerful learning opportunity, unlike anything you’ve experienced before in the association community. As a P.I. Blog reader, you will receive a $100 discount off the published…

• On April 22, let’s hack associations!

  jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)

  11 Apr 2010 | 5:34 am

  On April 22 at the True Reformer Building in Washington, DC, we’re going to hack associations.  What do I mean?  It’s actually very simple: 1.  You bring your great idea for how associations can do things differently–smarter, simpler, better. 2.  You collaborate with colleagues from across the community to develop your idea further and design ways it can used in associations everywhere. 3.  You present your idea to all unconference attendees and the very best ideas, as chosen by the group, will receive one of six $1,000 seed grants to create a prototype or design an…

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  Low Hanging Fruit Communications

• Lessons from my Gym Membership Fail

  Maureen Carruthers

  1 Sep 2010 | 4:21 am

  Image by clarkwoods via Flickr I was all  ready to join a gym. I weighed my options and decided having a place to go and listen to audio books while walking or biking indoors would be a good thing.  I found a place close to my house that offered what I needed at a price I was willing to pay.  I was ready to sign a contract. The only thing standing between me and membership was my fear that the actual membership agreement was not in alignment with my understanding of the agreement.  So I went to the gym to get information (in writing) about the $10 per month deal and a copy of the contract…

• Adventures in Fundraising: Sounds Like a Plan

  Maureen Carruthers

  22 Aug 2010 | 6:52 am

  Image by jurvetson via Flickr This post is part of a series.  Catch up on previous Adventures in Fundraising posts here. Time to adjust So this “regular update” thing turned out to be harder than I thought.  When I started this journey I committed to weekly updates on our progress.  That did not happen.  Based on the way it didn’t happen I’m rethinking the goal.  Theoretically, weekly updates should be a great motivation and accountability tool. And yet, here is how it was playing out: I posted a goal, the week flew by and before I knew it, it was time to…

• While I was out

  Maureen Carruthers

  30 Jul 2010 | 2:15 pm

  I'm on a boat! I went on vacation last week with my family–so it’s been a little quiet around here.  Now I’m back and getting  into the swing of things. I’m working on the next  Adventures in Fundraising update (hint, it’s all about the 1023)–but meantime, I want to make sure you don’t miss out on two cool things that happened while I was away. Pamela Grow invited me to write a guest post on how autoresponders can help nonprofits turn prospects into donors–you can read it here. Remember the tool Susan Johnstone created to help us…

• Adventures in Fundraising: Where do I start?

  Maureen Carruthers

  16 Jul 2010 | 2:12 pm

  Photo Credit: quinn.anya In my introduction post, I indicated we were just starting to think about fundrasing at Mach 30.  That’s not exactly true.  We’ve been talking about it for while.  We are accepting donations, and have  raised a little bit money. We just can’t seem to build any momentum.  Part of the problem is time.  I’ve never seen a nonprofit with enough time and resources to do all that they wanted to do–and that problem is intensified in all volunteer organizations.  This long to-do list makes it easy for the things we don’t really know how to handle to go…

• Getting Un-stuck

  Maureen Carruthers

  11 Jul 2010 | 10:33 am

  Do you ever find yourself unable or unwilling to do the work you really want to do? I’m not talking about putting off washing the dishes or completing the annual report.  I’m talking about the stuff you know can create big, positive changes in your  life.  Opening your own gallery, Calling the donor that could make your next big project a reality.  Quitting your day job to start the nonprofit you’ve been talking about. If you are like me, you start off with a big burst of energy, do some work on the project and then seem to hit an invisible wall.  No matter how hard you…

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  Beyond Certification

• Core Competencies for Certification Personnel

  Mickie Rops

  20 Aug 2010 | 7:30 am

  One year ago the Professional Development Section Council of ASAE approved the Core Competencies for Certification Personnel.  I can't believe I haven't shared them here so I'm doing so now!  If you are new to certification this document is a great guide to what you should know and be able to do to be successful in your certificaiton role.  If you are a supervisor of certification staff, this should be helpful to you in developing job descriptions and/or performance expectations or planning ongoing learning opportunities for your staff. If you have feedback on…

• Handling Retired Certificants

  Mickie Rops

  19 Aug 2010 | 7:18 am

  Retired certificants aren't usually considered in policy-making...at least until a huge portion of the pool is about to retire.  Organizations logically fear the financial implications of losing a large portion of certificants.  That's understandable, but not a good enough reason to jump on the certification retired classification bandwagon.  There are many issues here that need to be considered. First and foremost, organizations should have a policy covering use of the designation and associated acronym, and if an individual lets a certification lapse, he or she…

• Going to ASAE 2010?

  Mickie Rops

  19 Aug 2010 | 6:00 am

  On Monday morning of ASAE's Annual Meeting & Expo there will be three sessions targeted for the same audience:  association execs in learning / professional development roles.  There will be free chocolate goodies at only one.  I'm just saying. ;-) Creating a Certificate Program with Meaning, Monday 8/23, 8:30 a.m., Room 405.  Be there! Besides, how good could sessions on portable learning or engaging learners be? (Oh, if you happen to go to one them, could I borrow your notes?) ;-) 

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  Acronym

• 3 Observations for Session Speakers

  Lisa Junker

  2 Sep 2010 | 9:51 am

  Rene Shonerd, MEd, CAE, a consultant and a member of ASAE &The Center's Technology Section Council, kindly sent us the following blog post with good advice based on the sessions she attended at Annual: Because I'm currently planning for an upcoming presentation myself, I found myself jotting down notes about presentation delivery while attending the learning labs at this year's ASAE10 Annual Meeting. After reviewing my notes on the long flight home, I found 3 themes: When it comes to slides - less is more. We can all learn from the great examples at the Ted Talks. Audiences are no longer in…

• Quick Clicks: Not yet our regularly scheduled program

  Lisa Junker

  2 Sep 2010 | 9:31 am

  Happy Thursday! I had expected this edition of Quick Clicks to be primarily non-Annual-Meeting related, but people are still posting so much good commentary on the conference that I'm going to focus on Annual after all: - Mark Bledsoe at AssociationOkie recapped his Annual Meeting experience, and also started a fun game: What are some cities that would be great for Annual Meeting in 2018? - Brian O'Leary at Magellan Media Partners' blog teases out the major themes he sees in the post-conference discussion about Annual, and shares some of what he experienced there as well. - Elizabeth Weaver…

• Rebranding: Lessons for the Rest of Us

  Kristin Clarke

  31 Aug 2010 | 6:29 pm

  I remember when March of Dimes kicked off its new branding several years ago, so it was interesting to read the terrific article in this month's Chronicle of Philanthropy that shows which media vehicles worked and which failed in terms of accomplishing the organization's many specific goals for the campaign. You can read more about the following three lessons learned in "March of Dimes' Evolution in Online Fundraising:" 1) The vetting and targeting of influential and "advocate bloggers" was worth it. 2) The purchase of online ads placed near popular search engine words and terms took…

• Three Cool Takeaways from the LA Community Legacy Projects

  Kristin Clarke

  31 Aug 2010 | 12:40 pm

  Wow, we just finished tallying up the total Annual Meeting attendee participation and results from our Community Connections projects, and the numbers blasted previous "legacy project" metrics to smithereens! The projects--ranging from a 5K fun run to local tours to bike-building and toiletry-kit/school supply stuffing--brought together 487 volunteers and resulted in 125 bikes, several massive boxes of stuffed school backpacks, and more than $17,000--all for the nonprofit Midnight Mission! In previous years, ASAE averaged about 15 volunteers, who would all arrive to donate time on the…

• 3 ways my mind was changed at #asae10

  Joe Rominiecki

  31 Aug 2010 | 9:58 am

  Like all of the ASAE Annual Meetings I've been to, the 2010 edition was packed with sights and experiences I won't soon forget. The five-year-old kid that plays air guitar during Journey at Dodger Stadium. A grilled macaroni-and-cheese sandwich. Certain colleagues' karaoke performances. But of course, I have some actual significant and important memories that will stick with me for a long time, too. Call them takeaways, call them lessons, call them what you will, below are the three major ways my personal outlook shifted as a direct result of the Annual Meeting. Just the right amount of…

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  BlogClump - Blogging About Associations From a Gen Xer

• More Thoughts on #ASAE10

  Matt Baehr

  27 Aug 2010 | 5:25 am

  I knew that I had to get my thoughts out yesterday as early as possible because a much more eloquent post from Maddie Grant would be on its way. If you haven't read it yet, you should, especially the comments. I wanted to write a bit more regarding some comments left on both posts. Michelle (@ExpoQueenUSA) asked some good questions, which I will answer from my perspective.1) Did they plan the activities, sessions, and expo according to the needs of those attending? - I would say yes. A few speakers fell flat, but nobody bats 1,000. And it is hard to have one conference covering such a vast…

• 10 Thoughts on #ASAE10

  Matt Baehr

  26 Aug 2010 | 11:24 am

  Ok, so I could have spelled out the title, but chose the hashtag - #asae10. Supposedly there were over 8,000 tweets with the hashtag, but probably countless more direct messages of messages that left out the hashtag but were conference related. Two years ago, we were using twitter as a backchannel to talk about speakers. Now, over 800 people sent conference related tweets. If you aren't on Twitter, you are already late to the party. Anyway, on with the post...In no particular order, my thoughts on this years ASAE Annual Conference:1. LA was a good venue. Lots to do. Hotels close by. Only…

• Final Google TV Ad Update

  Matt Baehr

  10 Jul 2010 | 5:37 pm

  I had ads run Thursday and Friday. The final totals are this:453,750 impressions93 spots ranAvg. CPM $0.65I only had 2 people go to the website directly, but I did have 2 search for my company name exactly on Google, which hasn't happened before. Plus, I had several type in the web address directly, but without the /TV.Interesting experiment. Hope it helped some folks.

• Google TV Ads - My Ad

  Matt Baehr

  9 Jul 2010 | 12:34 pm

  Since I had a request for it, here is the ad I created. Realize that I did this with stock photos, screen grabs, the microphone on a webcam and cheap and free software.

• Google TV Ads Update #8 - I was on TV!

  Matt Baehr

  9 Jul 2010 | 5:18 am

  So I logged in this morning to see if the ads had finally been approved, and it turns out I had ads run yesterday!Here is the screen shoot of what I had run yesterday. Looks like almost 310k impressions in 72 spots. My average CPM was $0.46, which is actually less than the minimum bid of $0.50. Here is the Google definition of an impression:Impressions within a Google TV Ads context are counted as the number of set top boxes tuned into a specific network when your ad is aired. The set top box must be engaged with your ad for at least five seconds to count as an impression. Your account is…

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  Connections

• Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising?

  Steve MacLaughlin

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:03 am

  Today is the free Care2 webinar "Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising?" with Donna Wilkins, President of Charity Dynamics, Jason Wood, Director of Internet Services, The Salvation Army National Headquarters, and Eric Glader, Care2, Director of Nonprofit Services, and myself. We'll be covering a lot of topics and will take plenty of questions during the session. It's not too late to sign-up and join us on August 31st at 2PM EDT for the webinar. Below are the slides from today's presentation: Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising?View more…

• Free Webinar: Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising?

  Steve MacLaughlin

  27 Aug 2010 | 8:03 am

  Our friends over at Care2 are hosting a free webinar next week called "Hot or Not: What's Sizzling in Online Fundraising?" that you shouldn't miss.I'll be presenting with Donna Wilkins, President of Charity Dynamics, Jason Wood, Director of Internet Services, The Salvation Army National Headquarters, and Eric Glader, Care2, Director of Nonprofit Services.We'll be talking about the latest research, trends, and other sizzling ideas about online fundraising. And we'll be sure to talk about what's not hot too.So please sign-up and join us on August 31st at 2PM…

• Single Channel Communication is Dead

  Steve MacLaughlin

  11 Aug 2010 | 7:49 am

  Direct mail is dead. Email is dead. TV and radio are dead. Face to face is dead. Telegraph is dead. Social media is dead. There are so many obituaries being written these days that it's hard to tell what's still alive. Is everyone just trying to be clever or are they auditioning for a role on CSI? None of these channels are dead. Ok, telegraph is still dead despite rumors of a comeback. And there is a continual evolution within each of these communication options. Nonprofits are still improving their use of direct marketing, phone, email, and other channels. What is dead is the use of…

• Donate to Win a Car or a Horse-Drawn Buggy

  Steve MacLaughlin

  4 Aug 2010 | 7:19 am

  The people at the American Red Cross' Northern Ohio Blood Services Region get it. They understand their constituents and aren't trying a one size fits all approach. The local organization is offering people who give a pint of blood the chance to win a car or a horse-drawn buggy. Yes, you read that correctly. The Northern Ohio Blood Services Region includes three counties with one of the nation's largest Amish populations. The Red Cross regional operation didn't want to leave its large number of Amish donors out of the giveaway. So they made sure the offer was inclusive of a…

• One Size Fits None

  Steve MacLaughlin

  3 Aug 2010 | 8:17 am

  One size fits all luggage, bed sheets, trash bags, engagement rings, laptop batteries, picture frames, and shoes are a bad idea. That's because one size fits all usually fits none.One size fits all means generalizing everyone and compromising everything. It does make mass production easier. But there's no personalization. Nothing special and unique about something made for everything. There's no soul in one size fits all. The same is true for the one size fits all email message. The one size fits all online donation form. The one size fits all membership program. The one size fits…

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  Forums

• Single Sourcing: Time for a Change

  Denise Kadilak

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:35 am

  The User Education team has been single-sourcing (a methodology for reusing content) for several years. We started shortly after I arrived at Blackbaud about 12 years ago by using basic conditions to identify the content's purpose, such as "Print" or "Help" and "US" or "UK." Then about six years ago we replaced conditions with the bigger and better attributes, still single-sourcing, just more so. Attributes, authoring elements that better manage complex schemes defining conditional relationships, such as [(CRM + RP + Print) - RE] , allowed us to…

• Opportunities to Optimize your Blog - Part One

  Lindsey Robbins

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:11 am

  Recently, I have spent some time researching, setting up, and designing a Wordpress.org site. I even went through a re-design to learn more about themes, PHP, and CSS. How else do you learn except by practice? In the process, I learned some things about how to optimize the user experience and enhance your Wordpress.org site on the Internet. I'm still learning as I go but I'll share my current recommendations and update as needed. Some of my recommendations can be useful for many types of websites. Mostly, my recommendations are all about making your site accessible and easy to find.

• Top Questions for August '10

  Jennifer Maroney

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:18 am

  Each month you ask us hundreds of questions. To help anticipate your questions in September, we've listed the top 10 questions, by module, for September of 2009 on The Financial Edge FAQs. You'll also find answers to the most popular questions from last week and information about critical issues. Here are the top questions you asked in August: How to void checks, bank drafts, and EFT notices: BB59007 How to troubleshoot report totaling problems and missing accounts (includes demo ): BB63184 (Resolved) Blackbaud Application Hosting Service Disruption Notification - All Applications…

• News You Can Use: Changes in AddressFinder

  Douglas Clinton

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:17 am

  If you use AddressFinder with The Raiser's Edge, check out the latest post on Finders Keepers to learn about upcoming changes, including faster processing time.

• New You Can Use: AddressFinder Changes

  Kelly Dewald

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:45 am

  Beginning on September 1, 2010, AddressFinder files are now processed automatically as soon as files are submitted through the Data Health Center in The Raiser's Edge 7.91.5056. New AddressFinder features include: AddressFinder submissions are immediately sent to the post office for processing and the results will be returned in a few minutes; users will no longer need to contact support when submitting files. If there is a problem with a file, users will receive an email with directions for correcting and resubmitting the file. Once an AddressFinder job is completed, users will…

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  Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech

• Community Builder Chat Wrap-Up & September Details

  Amy Sample Ward

  20 Aug 2010 | 7:04 am

  Last night was the first in what will now be a monthly chat for community builders or those interested in learning more about building community, on and offline.  The goal of this chat was to set some of the ground work for us to build on going forward. Below you’ll find highlights from the first chat and details for the next one! August 2010 – Community Builder Chat Wrap Up Last night’s chat had a good turn out for being the very first one – thanks to everyone who lurked, joined in, and shared! The two main questions explored were: Why build online communities? How…

• Community Builder Chats: Exploring the Community (August 2010)

  Amy Sample Ward

  19 Aug 2010 | 9:11 am

  Hi everyone! Welcome to the new monthly chats focused on community building. These are a branch of the #4Change chats – so whether you have participated in the past on a different topic or not, welcome In the future, these chats will have a topic and questions (generated from you!) posted ahead of time. As this is the very first one, I wanted to keep it open to focus on exploring what was most appropriate for this community in a few respects: Do we want to use a hashtag other than #4change? Does this time work or should the time shift (perhaps two times, so every other month it is time…

• Conversation Starter: Digital Natives Moving Offline

  Amy Sample Ward

  19 Aug 2010 | 6:18 am

  Ivan Boothe posted a link to this story recently on the Progressive Exchange list. It’s been a busy week so I just clicked through today and thought it was an excellent opportunity to start integrating more conversation starters into this blog (as suggested in the Blog Redesign thread). —– The article from Spiegel Online International begins: They may have been dubbed the “Internet generation,” but young people are more interested in their real-world friends than Facebook. New research shows that the majority of children and teenagers are not the Web-savvy…

• Great reads from around the web on August 16th

  Amy Sample Ward

  16 Aug 2010 | 1:16 am

  I come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources all over the web every day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of August 16th). You can join the conversations in the comments, or click through to the original posts to find what others are saying. To follow more of the things I find online, you can follow @amysampleward on Twitter (which is just a blog and resource feed), or find me on Delicious (for all kinds of bookmarks). Openness or How Do You Design for the Loss of Control? | Blog | design mind – "Openness is the…

• New on SSIR: Community Building in a Big Backyard

  Amy Sample Ward

  12 Aug 2010 | 12:37 pm

  My latest post for the Stanford Social Innovation Review is now up – you can check it out and join the conversation there; or read the repost below! —— Last year I used the metaphor of “gardening vs landscaping” to outline some of the key attributes I believe make for successful community building, on or offline. The basic idea: The Gardener creates an ecosystem open to change, available to new groups, and full of fresh opportunities to emerge naturally.  The approach is focused on organic collaboration and growth for the entire community.  The gardener is…

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  FundraisingIP.com: Fundraising Ideas

• Ideas For Your Fundraising Website

  FundraisingIP.com

  31 Aug 2010 | 11:58 am

  So, you’ve decided to go ahead and create a fundraising website for your group? Once you’ve selected a domain and a host and set up your site (see Create A Website), you’re ready to add content. At the very least your fundraising site should have the following: - A blog A blog will allow you [...]

• How To Make The Most Of A Cell Phone Fundraiser

  FundraisingIP.com

  24 Aug 2010 | 8:40 am

  A cell phone fundraiser is an easy way to raise money. You are just getting people to donate their old cell phones, something they have no more use for anyway. But even though you are making money by collecting phones that people no longer use, you still have to know how to get the most [...]

• How To Write A Donation Request Letter For Youth Arts And Sports Programs

  FundraisingIP.com

  17 Aug 2010 | 10:39 am

  Writing a donation request letter for youth arts and sports programs is a tricky endeavor. Schools often ask for money so your potential donors have probably seen letters just like yours many times before. So how do you get them to sit up, take notice, and donate? You have to make your letter different. Use [...]

• A Sample Donation Request Letter To Current Supporter

  FundraisingIP.com

  13 Aug 2010 | 8:15 am

  Below is an example of a typical donation request letter from an organization to a current supporter (rather than a solicitation for new supporters). Feel free to copy it and modify it for your needs. (More fundraising letters and templates…) Dear Mr.___, First of all, I wanted to thank you for your faithful support. Over [...]

• Keys To A Successful Wine Tasting Fundraising Event

  FundraisingIP.com

  29 Jul 2010 | 8:29 am

  If you are looking for a truly unique fundraising event then consider a wine tasting fundraiser. This type of fundraiser event takes some special planning considerations but can be a big hit! The Key To A Successful Wine Tasting Fundraiser The main ingredient to a great wine tasting fundraising event is great wine of course! [...]

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  Connection Café

• Selling the Relationship

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:24 am

  Author: Lacey Kruger While reviewing some new wireframes with a client the other day, we began to compare their own, nonprofit website with some other, commercial sites. In a way, commercial websites have it easy. Typically, they have tangible products or services to sell, making it really clear what they want users to do on the site (buy, buy, buy!). Nonprofit websites don’t usually sell something tangible. Sure, you may have an eCommerce store or even a Virtual Gift store, but there is always a bigger message than just “buy, buy, buy” or even “donate, donate,…

• Time to think...SXSW

  20 Aug 2010 | 11:21 am

  Author: Josh Shepherd I understand that it's August, but I can't stop thinking about March.  It's cooler outside and March Madness is going on.  It's also the month that has the best week and a half of my year.  It's SXSW.  I started going to SXSW music events and shows in 1996 and I have not stopped.  I recently started going to the Interactive part of the conference and it has been an exciting learning experience every time.  I love the fact I can talk about emerging technologies, social media, video games and new innovations with…

• Runners, Take your mark...

  17 Aug 2010 | 1:00 pm

  Author: Noel Beebe Holy guacamole, is it mid-August already?  You bet it is, and you know what that means… THON season!  Not sure what a THON is?  Think: marathons, jog-a-thons, walk-a-thons, run-a-thons, tri-athalons, climb-a-thons, jump-a-thons, bounce-a-thons, swim-a-thons.  Yep.  Thons. The bulk of nonprofit thon events occur from September through November each year, which means there is a LOT of competition out there if you host a fundraising event in the upcoming months.  For those of you responsible for managing a fall thon event, I thought it…

• The ABCs of Social Media ROI & Measurements

  10 Aug 2010 | 5:10 am

  Author: Jordan Viator Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC second annual Social Summit and sharing some information on social media ROI and metrics. Earlier this summer I posted on top tips for measuring ROI and getting strategic with data, touching on the idea and importance of actionable data, or rather, data that helps draw meaningful conclusions and future actions to optimize programs.At the Social Summit, I wanted to take this concept further and share memorable, easy suggestions for measuring ROI that were actionable and scalable for…

• If we’d had Twitter on 9/11

  9 Aug 2010 | 9:08 am

  Author: Jennifer Darrouzet I recently stood at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site near Ground Zero, looking up to read the timeline on the wall. I was shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, and it didn’t matter that many of us were quietly crying. It certainly didn’t feel like nearly 9 years had passed. Instead, the memory of each minute came back with almost tactile clarity. Three minutes here, 15 minutes there, and the layers of the tragedy unfolded again. Maybe it’s because I spent so many of the dark hours that followed cut-off from my community – so disconnected…

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  Ripples & Wipeouts

• Spirituality, Religiousness and Alcoholism Treatment: Comparing Outcomes for Black and White Clients

  bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com

  9 Aug 2010 | 3:25 pm

  Our friend Amy Krentzman recently published her doctoral dissertation on an intriguing topic, spirituality and racial differences in alcoholism treatment outcomes between blacks and whites.  We summarize Amy’s study here.  You may download a pdf of the complete article from Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly by clicking on the link below.  Please use appropriate citations if you quote from or reference the article. The Study In the alcoholism treatment field, the health and socioeconomic disparities between black and white patients at intake suggests that blacks will fare…

• Interview with Mireille Grangenois, Publisher, Chronicle of Philanthropy

  bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com

  11 Jun 2010 | 1:33 pm

  It is well established that the mainstream print media industry has its share of challenges keeping its audience during this mass transition to digital publishing.  We were curious to know how this is playing out in the realm of nonprofit and industry-specific media, such as The Chronicle of Higher Education (CHE) and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (CoP) both of which are required reading at Make Waves.  CHE/COP Publisher, Mireille Grangenois, shared some of her views on that and other trends with Make Waves partner, Joan Grangenois-Thomas, her sister. Q. Mireille, you have now…

• Personal Branding in Social Media

  bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com

  8 May 2010 | 6:08 pm

  Last month Make Waves’ president Bonnie McEwan and Big Duck’s vice president Farra Trompeter gave a presentation on personal branding in social media at The New School in New York City.  It was a dreadful, rainy night yet nearly 50 people showed up to discuss how to use social media venues such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to create distinctive images for themselves.  Personal branding is not vanity.  It is a process that helps you communicate who you are, what you value and why the work that you do matters. Here are some nuggets from the event that people told…

• On Leadership

  bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com

  30 Mar 2010 | 4:57 pm

  I want leaders to guide me.  I want the leader of my organization to give me a vision.  To paint a picture of where we are going.  To not micromanage me and to trust my decision making.  To question me if necessary.  To listen if I’m questioning or if I have something to say. Great leaders of organizations have qualities that I respect.  They are calm.  Listeners.  They speak clearly about what they want.  Don’t jump to conclusions.  They listen more than they speak.  They don’t presume to know all of the answers. …

• Gender Studies Conference at The New School

  bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com

  2 Mar 2010 | 2:33 pm

  No Longer in Exile: The Legacy and Future of Gender Studies at the New School Friday, March 26 (6:00-9:00 p.m.) and Saturday, March 27 (all day), 2010 Theresa Lang Community and Student Center (55 West 13th Street) No registration necessary The New School invites you to No Longer in Exile: The Legacy and Future of Gender Studies at the New School, Friday, March 26, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. and all day Saturday, March 27 at the Theresa Lang Center, 55 West 13th Street.  This exciting event is a celebration of the return of Gender Studies to The New School and an exploration of what the…

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  Corporatedollar.org

• You already know everything you need to know

  John Haydon

  1 Sep 2010 | 9:04 am

  Believe it or not, you know more than enough to be dangerous on Facebook and Twitter. Why do I say this? Well, I’m going to make a few grand assumptions about you for a moment: You already know how to make friends offline – you’ve been doing it since nursery school. You already know how to say thank you – and mean it. You know how to identify who needs help. You know how to admit when you’re wrong. You know how to have fun. The only thing that social media adds to what you already know is a big fat volume knob.

• The Unofficial User’s Manual For Updating Your Facebook Page

  John Haydon

  30 Aug 2010 | 6:15 am

  Over the past few weeks I’ve received a number of questions about the various ways admins can update their Facebook Page. This topic also comes up a lot during the Facebook Foundations webinars I do with Charityhowto. So I thought it might be useful to outline the various ways users can update Facebook Pages. On Page as Page The most obvious way to post to your Facebook Page is as the Page. This requires simply being logged into Facebook and, assuming you’re an admin of the Page, posting to the Page. Admins can share videos, links or photos and make comments on that shared content…

• How to take a break from Facebook and Twitter

  John Haydon

  26 Aug 2010 | 8:55 am

  Image by GHOSTSWORD Today is the first day of a well-earned vacation on Nantucket. I’ll be back on Monday, refreshed and ready to rip it up on Facebook, Twitter and this blog. Gone fishing signs You need a break too every now and then – right? But if you’re like me, you find it hard to shut down the laptop and leave your iPhone on the kitchen counter. You and I are desperately (but needlessly) tethered to our (de)vices – but we need to take a break. After all, we’re only animals. So how do you just up and leave Twitter, Facebook and WordPress? The way I’ll…

• Facebook ditching FBML and what it means for your custom Facebook Page

  John Haydon

  24 Aug 2010 | 5:15 am

  After the recent barrage of changes to Facebook Pages, you’re probably about the rip the final strands of hair out of your head. The good news is that you never ever worry about things like this. Plus bald is beautiful. The bad news is the next big change is a pretty big change. What the heck is FBML? FBML (Facebook Markup Language) is the Facebook equivalent to HTML. It allows you to create Facebook applications, including the custom tab on your Facebook Page. But soon, Facebook will be ditching FBML and moving towards iFrames for both canvas applications and Page tabs. What the heck…

• How will your nonprofit use Facebook Places?

  John Haydon

  20 Aug 2010 | 6:36 am

  If you haven’t heard already, Facebook has launched a location-based “check in” app similar to FourSquare. It’s called “Places” and as you’ll see in the video below, Facebook seeks to encourage serendipitous meetings between Facebook friends at the places they hang out. How can my nonprofit use Places? Places is a location-based check-in app for mobile devices. Think FourSquare but with deeper and more developed friendship networks. With that, you should start your Facebook Places marketing strategy by reading four posts by Joe Waters: 5 Reasons Not…

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  Cynthia D'Amour on Leadership and Life

• What Was She Thinking?

  Cynthia D'Amour

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:37 pm

     Tripped by risky action. Today I got a request to do a survey. From an organization I belong to. Asked social media questions. And questions to determine member values. What was the problem? Three questions didn’t work. The survey was not set properly. Data would be meaningless. I tried to help. Shot the staff person in charge an email around 8 AM. Perhaps she could change it in time? At 7 PM I got a surprised response. An intern did the survey. She didn’t proof his work. Before sending to their CEO list. (Didn’t proof her three-sentence email to me either.) Leaves…

• Sometimes She Loves Me Too Much

  Cynthia D'Amour

  29 Aug 2010 | 7:49 pm

     My sweet Raindrop It was a lazy Sunday. I was tired from a week in LA. Spent Thursday and Friday digging out. Yesterday road-tripping to see in-laws. Today was my day. I slept in late. Spent the morning chatting on the porch. Made a scrumptious brunch with Chez James. By afternoon I was ready for a nap. James was running an errand. The room was cool. The couch called my name. I flopped down and shut my eyes. At first I struggled to relax. Then it happened. I floated away on a dream. About 20 minutes later Raindrop wigged out. She jumped on me. I ignored her. She panicked and pawed my…

• I Fought the Bee and the Bee Won

  Cynthia D'Amour

  27 Aug 2010 | 3:45 am

     Score: Bugs 2 - Cynthia 0 Yesterday James and I sat on our front porch. It was mid-afternoon. We were catching up on my week on the road. I wore pink-flowered lounge pants. Raindrop was on the grass in front of us. Started to chase a bee. I yelled at her to leave it alone. Wrong move. The bee heard my voice and zeroed in on me. He wove around my flower-covered legs. Like a cat greeting someone with allergies. I swatted and screamed to no avail. I got up to run into the house. The bee wanted the flowers. I dashed a desperate dance through the door. Hoping I dodged the enemy. It was…

• You Just Gotta Ask

  Cynthia D'Amour

  25 Aug 2010 | 11:58 am

  It works pretty well. This year I’m part of ASAE’s Fundraising Team for the new ASAE Foundation. I’m excited. I spent the last three years on the research committee. Got an insider’s perspective to ASAE’s research process. This year I’m raising money to pay for the research. It’s a stretch for me. Never been on a formal fundraising team before. (Don’t tell ASAE!) I’m good at getting people excited about my adventures. And have great friends. Who like to support me. (Some wrote checks as soon as they heard what I was doing!) I tried out…

• I Felt Like I Fell Down the Rabbit Hole

  Cynthia D'Amour

  23 Aug 2010 | 9:42 am

  At ASAE’s Beyond Diversity session. I walked in the door. Was escorted to the left. Greeted warmly. Offered refreshments. Saw five participants at back of room. Nose to wall. Required to stand. Ignored. The program started. Those in the back were required to still stand. One chair given to the five to share. But not allowed to turn around or sit down. The presentation continued. The information was interesting. Many took notes. Those in the back seemed forgotten. Some walked in late. Three more were added to the back wall. No one noticed. As the presenter talked about barriers in the…

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  Idealist.org

• Real World Idealists: What's Your Story?

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:26 am

  By Julia Smith. ::image::Yesterday I received a newsletter from Google and learned about a fun project called Your Google Stories: Earlier this month we shared a handful of stories from people who have used Google in interesting ways that helped them solve a problem large or small. Their stories range from the mundane—finding the manufacturer of a frying pan, or the composer of a song—to the sublime: finding a long-lost love, welcoming a brand-new family member into the world. This series reminded me of a couple of posts we wrote earlier this summer, titled Real World Idealists. In one,…

• ¿Did You Know We Also Blog En Español?

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:24 am

  By Jeremy MacKechnie. ::image::Are you a Spanish speaker or do you have any Spanish speaking amigos? You might not have realized that writers at our sister site, Idealistas, are blogging up a storm on topics ranging from career advice to ideas for social change that are spreading through Latin America and Spain. If you're currently looking for a nonprofit job, check out the series

• Thinking About Graduate School?

  30 Aug 2010 | 11:30 am

  Posted by Julia Smith. ::image::Every year, we host a series of events we call Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good. Registration is now open for our 16 fall fairs, and we hope you'll join us for one in a city near you! We believe that if you're considering a graduate education, it can be very helpful to meet with admissions representatives before you apply. At each of our fairs, you can learn more about local, national, and international programs focusing on Nonprofit Management, Public Health, Public Policy, Social Work, Education, International Affairs, and many other fields; find out…

• Career Corner: How to Share Your "Resume Leftovers" at an Interview

  25 Aug 2010 | 9:57 am

  By Amy Potthast. ::image::If you're familiar with this blog or with the Idealist Career Guides, I hope we're on the same page when I say that...Your resume is not your autobiography. The point of the resume is to get you an interview....And so it should only include highly relevant accomplishments based on a specific job description's qualifications or duties.And, of course, you should tailor your resume, every single bullet on it, to a specific job you're applying for.But what do you do with "leftover accomplishments" that didn't make it onto the resume? Use them in your interview! Here's…

• Five Ideas for Wannabe Farmers: Organic Farms, Crop Mobs, and More

  24 Aug 2010 | 11:15 am

  By Diana Hsu. ::image::I’ve been dreaming about vegetable gardens lately. So what if the wildflower seeds I planted in my window boxes look more like alfalfa sprouts? Or if all of my plants have kitten-bite marks on them? No matter! To balance out my concrete-filled New York life, I like to keep my apartment an oasis of luscious, hearty green. I drool at the thought of a little plot of dirt somewhere, a place to let my inner gardener run wild. How about you? Maybe your thumbs are a bit greener than mine – why not roll up your sleeves and do some good for the community at the same time?

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  Wired 4 Leadership

• The Hurd Mentality

  Kerry Stackpole

  28 Aug 2010 | 12:17 pm

  Mark Hurd lost his job as Chairman and CEO of Hewlett Packard. Why is it that CEO’s and leaders of all stripe appear to excel at self-destructive behaviors? In the last six months, US Army General Stanley McChrystal speaking out of turn about the President and his National Security Team is escorted from the field. (see When Leaders Self-Destruct)  Now, Hewlett Packard’s former CEO Mark Hurd is ousted for allegedly falsifying expense reports. Supposedly, Hurd claimed dinners with other executives, security personnel and clients while he was actually dining with a woman serving as…

• Misreading Paper and Print

  Kerry Stackpole

  25 Jul 2010 | 12:27 pm

  Sometimes in the rush of change people misread what they are seeing.  If there’s a mantra for the 21st Century it should be “take a closer look”.  While the floodgates of modern media have brought us an amazing array of information, images, and ideas, it has also brought with it an outrageous amount of mis-information.  Sound bites are less about news and more about noise.  The alarming absence of perspective both fascinating and frightening. Paper is a good example.  A surprising number of people believe that not printing on paper saves trees.  While being a…

• The Penalty of Miscalculation

  Kerry Stackpole

  10 Jul 2010 | 5:12 am

  Where were you when your organization’s greatest failure took place?  Like many leaders, you were probably nowhere to be found. While failures occur with surprising regularity in our line of work, few are recognized as such until long after the board, committee, staff, or executives have left the room.  The warping nature of hindsight often prevails. The inherent distance between the point where a decision is made and the final outcome leaves room for all means of miscalculation, and our approach to measuring outcomes rarely takes into consideration the quality of the original…

• We hold these truths to be self-evident…

  Kerry Stackpole

  4 Jul 2010 | 6:59 am

  “For those gallant first Americans, such a Nation as ours may have seemed like an unattainable dream.  Their concept was revolutionary:  a government of, by, and for the people.  Yet, our Founders’ tenacity, resolve, and courage in the face of seemingly impossible odds became the bedrock of our country.  That essence has permeated our land and inspired generations of Americans to explore, discover, and redefine the outer reaches of our infinite potential.  It has become the foundation of the American dream.”  (President Barack Obama on Independence Day – July 4,…

• When Leaders Self-Destruct

  Kerry Stackpole

  3 Jul 2010 | 10:29 am

  General Stanley McCrystal’s sudden and rapid fall from grace was unnecessary.  Not that he didn’t deserve to be relieved of duty.  What he and his team said about other civilian, diplomatic  and military leaders was impolitic at best and supremely toxic at its worst.  Militarily speaking, what the General and his team said out loud was a firing offense.  The complaints about the Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings violating “ground rules” while traveling with the General and his team are coming in, but face it—too little, too late.  It…

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  Entry Level Living

• Misconceptions about the nonprofit sector-what can we do about them?

  ajlovesya

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:45 pm

  Robert Egger, President of DC Central Kitchen, recently posted a video response to Rush Limbaugh’s assertion that nonprofits, “siphon contributions as their salaries and so forth and think of themselves as good people, charitable people. These people are rapists in terms of finance and the economy.” I love the video.  Please watch and share.  Widely.  Thanks. However, aside from the fact the Rush is simply wrong, I couldn’t help but think that his hateful and hurtful comments are rooted in common misconceptions about the nonprofit sector. (especially since Rush…

• How to finish writing a blog post when you’re stuck

  ajlovesya

  29 Aug 2010 | 9:00 am

  In my last post, several bloggers shared how being an introvert blogger often presents an enormous challenge: constantly getting stuck. When you need to think an entire post through before even sitting down to write, it is easy to get blocked. Especially if, like me, you don’t always have the time to think out an entire post. The post may come together throughout the day, adding pieces randomly until, a few hours or days later you have piece. And God forbid if you forget some aspects of your post during that time! However, there are some techniques that I use to help me get through a…

• How does being an extrovert or introvert affect your blogging style?

  ajlovesya

  24 Aug 2010 | 12:23 pm

  I attended a panel discussion at BlogHer a few weeks ago about how you can use a blog to make yourself a better writer.  The moderator of the panel, Dianne Jacob, mentioned how the writing processes of extroverts and introverts tend to differ.  Extroverts use the actual process of writing itself to flesh out ideas and come to a finished piece of work while introverts tend to think a piece out in their heads and write only when they are close to being finished. The introvert style of writing describes my process perfectly.  When I sit in front of a computer screen with nothing to write I…

• How can colleges prepare students to change the world?

  ajlovesya

  15 Aug 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Last week, Holden Thorp, chancellor of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Buck Goldstein economics professor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill wrote on Forbes.com that in light of the world’s challenges, universities need to prepare their students to be changemakers: “Oil-filled oceans, broken financial systems, inequality, lack of clean water and uncured diseases. The world’s biggest problems are calling–and calling now. The good news is that college students are arriving on campus just in time to play important roles in attacking those…

• Beyond Blog Traffic: Four Ways to Track Your Growth as a Blogger

  ajlovesya

  9 Aug 2010 | 5:10 am

  This past weekend I attended the BlogHer annual conference.  Not only did I have a chance to meet fabulous bloggers and influencers such as Gina of  What About Our Daughters, Britt Bravo of Have Fun Do Good,  and Jenn Pozner of Women in Media and News,  I was also forced to think about my development and goals as a blogger. I attended one panel on the joys of having a blog with a small audience.  It is really easy as a blogger to get sucked into statistics as the primary way of determining if blogging is worth the effort.  However, the panel really got me thinking about other ways of…

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  Social Media Bird Brain

• Baseball & Root Balls - Social Media Free Agents & Your Small Nonprofit

  19 Aug 2010 | 1:08 pm

  Illustration by Johnny Goldstein via Flickr Nonprofit social media heavy-hitter Beth Kanter is gearing up for 2011’s SXSW. She’s proposed an interactive session based on a key theme of her recent book (co-authored with Allison Fine), The Networked Nonprofit, about how nonprofits can go from being standalone institutions to energy-filled networks. The key to this transition, and the focus of

• Don’t Let Tom Swift Into Your Social Communications - Tell Me a Story, Part Tres

  12 Aug 2010 | 4:09 pm

  Image via Wikipedia Before the advent of Farmville, many a budding writer (or critic) had fun making up Tom Swifties. Tom, a young scientist, had his literary adventures around the same time as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and his author fell into a trap well-known to writers since the beginning of dialogue. He worried about using the word said too much and tried to avoid repeating it by

• Tell Me a Story, Please. And Make It GOOD! Part Dos

  5 Aug 2010 | 5:16 pm

  Image by cherrypatter via Flickr In Part Uno of Tell Me a Story... we talked about finding a hero and supporting cast and making sure the end of the story resolves the problem posed at the beginning. In this post, we'll talk about how your word choices can affect the story you're telling. And what I've seen over the years is that when it comes to writing, many small nonprofits write a clear but

• Tell Me a Story, Please. And Make It GOOD! Part Uno

  29 Jul 2010 | 5:14 pm

  Image by New York Public Library via FlickrWriting is hard. Although it doesn't inspire the fear that public speaking does, most people (including professional writers) faced with a writing task will do everything in their power to put it off. Lucky people will hire someone like me to do the job. But in a small nonprofit, there usually isn't enough budget to farm out every writing task, so there

• The Flavor of Your Social Communications

  22 Jul 2010 | 3:23 pm

  Image via WikipediaMaybe it's because I like cooking that I can think of social communications for small nonprofits as creating a recipe. You take a little of this and a little of that, forming a taste and a texture in your mind and working to bring that vision into reality. Many times, like on Top Chef or Iron Chef, the tools and ingredients are not determined by you - you just have to do the

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  Ken's Commentary

• CEO Compensation Study Discussed on Fox Business News

  27 Aug 2010 | 10:23 am

  Ken Berger was just on Fox Business News discussing our new CEO Compensation Study.

• Why I Do, What I Do

  16 Aug 2010 | 5:00 am

  Grab the Torch, a relatively new nonprofit organization, operates a philanthropy camp each summer for high school students from around the country who are interested in the nonprofit sector. Their stated mission is to "to deliver an organic and common sense approach for the future of giving, volunteering and philanthropy to the next generation." Leaders in the sector are asked to present to the students about their organizations, as well as what led them to do the work they do. This video presentation, called "Why I Do,What I Do", begins with my personal journey from childhood to the present…

• Billy Beane and Outcomes: What Can Baseball Tell the Nonprofit World About Measures and Measurement?

  10 Aug 2010 | 12:20 pm

  Written by Ken Berger and Robert M. PennaAugust 2010 While the notionof outcomes seems to be here to stay (and the jargon of outcomes is certainly everywhere), what is oddly missing in our sector is much evidence of the practice of outcomes. Although individual promising examples certainly exist, for the most part the social sector is talking about outcomes much more than it is actually doing much with outcomes, and much of the conversation centers on three questions:What is the "value" of outcomes? What do outcomes tell us; why are they (or why should they be) important?Should they be…

• Gentle Giants and Emotional Intelligence in Charity Land

  2 Aug 2010 | 9:45 am

  One of the benefits of working in the nonprofit sector is you get to meet some of the most caring and decent human beings. There are some truly selfless individuals dedicated to the mission of helping others in the leadership of a number of the agencies we work with. We have gotten quite a few of them to join our effort to build CN 2.0 both on our Advisory Panel and as collaborators in developing the effectiveness and results component to our rating system. They are the "gentle giants" in the nonprofit sector. They are humble about their abilities and insights and actually genuinely LISTEN…

• Financial Measures and Beyond

  2 Aug 2010 | 5:41 am

  On 7-13-10 I presented before an audience at the Finance Grants and Contracts Annual Meeting of InsideNGO. My presentation was titled - Charity Navigator: Financial Measures and Beyond. I provided the current and future plans we have for the development of CN 2.0. Below is a 36 minute video of the presentation and the slides that accompanied it. In addition, there is a separate video of about 40 minutes in length of question and answer. We discussed the past, present and future our Charity Navigator. Enjoy!Charity Navigator: Financial Measures and BeyondView more presentations from…

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  Charity Navigator

• Vote Today! We’re a 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Award Finalist

  31 Aug 2010 | 11:25 am

  We’re thrilled to let you know that our tagline —Your Guide To Intelligent Giving — has been selected, from2,700 submissions, as a finalist in the 2010 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Please take a moment and vote for us today. You'll find our tagline towards the bottom of the online survey, under "16. Organization - OTHER TAGLINES."Vote Now

• Hurricane Katrina: 5 Years Of Relief And Recovery

  28 Aug 2010 | 9:09 am

  Five years ago, on August 29th, Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast. Philanthropists respond by giving $6.5 billion. The pace and level of giving was unprecedented, breaking all previous records of disaster-related giving. In fact, we had some of our busiest days ever as we helped donors review and support the charities that responded to this catastrophe. A year after Katrina, we published an update. The most popular part of our report was a roundtable discussion among leaders of a few of the charities –Desire Street Ministries, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, American Red Cross,…

• Today's Video

  27 Aug 2010 | 10:19 am

  Ken Berger was just on Fox Business News discussing our new CEO Compensation Study.

• Charity CEO Pay Topic For Friday's TV Interview

  26 Aug 2010 | 12:47 pm

  You can catch Ken Berger talking about our newly released CEO Compensation Study on Friday, 8/27, between 11:30-12:00AM ET on Fox Business News.Photo from Shutterstock.com

• Don't Miss NextGen:Charity

  25 Aug 2010 | 1:20 pm

  NextGen:Charity is a new conference on nonprofit innovation that is modeled after the well-known TED Conference. NextGen:Charity will take place in NYC November 18 and 19, 2010. Speakers on the 18th include Seth Godin (Bestselling Author, Squidoo ), Scott Harrison (charity: water), Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post ), Nancy Lublin (DoSomething.org, Dress For Success) and others. Their talks will be short, fun and inspirational. The second day will consist of workshops for the participating organizations and foundations, including one with our very own Ken Berger.If this sounds appealing to…

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  Case Foundation - Investing in People and Ideas that Can Change the World

• TED Fellows Friday

  sokuntheas

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:59 pm

  We are proud to support the TED Fellows program, because we truly believe in giving a voice and platform for social entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, like the Fellows, who are coming up with big ideas that can change the world. The Fellows get to benefit from the amazing resources that TED provides, and we want to be able to share some of their experiences and learnings with up-and-comers and social citizens with great ideas who aspire to be like them. Since the TED and TED Fellows blogs feature a series, Fellows Friday, that profiles one Fellow each week, we asked them to answer…

• Want to run a nonprofit video contest? Here's how

  joshuat

  30 Aug 2010 | 4:35 pm

  Nonprofit video contests are great. I think they are the most interesting type of online contests, and not just because I like watching YouTube videos. Aside from giving thousands of nonprofits a platform to tell the stories of their hard work and producing hours of fascinating and visually enticing video content, video contests can offer more benefits than your standard “vote for me” prize or grant competition, both for the organization running the campaign and for the contestants themselves. Here are some of my favorite features: As the entrance process requires some serious creativity…

• Weekly News Roundup: Social Innovation Fund debate, WSJ shares the "business case against corporate social responsibility"

  allysonb

  27 Aug 2010 | 10:36 am

  News from the Case Foundation and what people are talking about this week in the world of giving, tech and everything in between. Social Innovation Fund discussion turns into a "kerfluffle" A few weeks ago, the Nonprofit Quarterly published this highly critical article of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) for its lack of transparency and unwillingness to publish the names of the applicants, reviewers and proposals that were submitted, or the contents of the ratings forms provided from members of the panel to the SIF staff.  However, the discussion really began to heat up late last week…

• BIG Citizenship: Citizens as catalysts and innovators

  blogger

  23 Aug 2010 | 3:26 pm

  The 65th Annual National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is taking place September 17, 2010 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Themed “BIG Citizenship: Citizens as Catalysts and Innovators,” the conference will explore the powerful role civic innovators are playing in fostering societies that are informed, engaged, giving and trusting. This theme was inspired by the recognition that individuals everywhere are self-organizing to meet community needs, demanding transparency and accountability from government, and greater social responsibility from corporations. Citizens are…

• Pakistan flood relief: ways you can help

  allysonb

  23 Aug 2010 | 2:39 pm

  As the world's attention increasingly focuses on the difficult situation in Pakistan in the wake of devastating floods that have affected more than 17 million people in the country, you may be looking for ways to help. We wanted to share a few online and mobile resources, and invite you to share your own suggestions in the comments. As it has done for previous disasters, Global Giving has created a centralized page listing projects directly involved in flood relief, and Network for Good has also developed a list of organizations who are providing funding and other critical aid to Pakistan,…

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  Marketing for Nonprofits

• Guilt Free Sushi!

  Jocelyn

  1 Sep 2010 | 3:33 pm

  Story month is over but this great educational video comes from the folks at Living Oceans.  Who doesn't LOVE the idea of guilt free sushi? I was particularly moved by Chef Hajime Sato's quote below. "One or two or three or five sushi bars that's sustainable is not going to really change the world...BUT  if I can convince enough people to change JUST A LITTLE BIT - it MAKES a HUGE DIFFERENCE."Cheers! Jocelyn P.S.  Want to learn more about sustainable seafood?  Check out SeaChoice.

• My Bionic Hand

  Jocelyn

  16 Aug 2010 | 1:15 pm

  Lanie, Alex, and Eric Jones One of my fondest memories of childhood is listening to my grandmother read aloud.  On long road trips, she would dive into detailed descriptions of Narnia or wow me with the latest detective work of Nancy Drew.  I can still remember vivid descriptions of Edward and Lucy being trapped in the wardrobe. And, I can hear Nancy "getting her man" and solving the case. While it's not exactly the same experience, it is possible to listen to stories via the Internet.  Podcasting now makes it possible to record, share and replay conversations from just about…

• Story of the Day: Why Not?

  Jocelyn

  13 Aug 2010 | 12:22 pm

  As I mentioned earlier this week, August is officially story month on the blog.   Why Not? encapsulated in a 438 word-count email by Jeremy Ben-Ami, President of J Street touched me because of its' personal and inspiring tone.  Note:  It's not a story about a client or donor.  Instead, it's a PERSONAL REFLECTION by an organizational leader. We don't hear enough authentic writing from leaders, which is part of the reason that this email breaks through the clutter.  Kudos to Ben-Ami for writing a thoughtful and emotional piece. When is the last time you or your…

• Marcus

  Jocelyn

  11 Aug 2010 | 8:35 am

  I keep coming across WONDERFUL stories on the web this week.  So, I've decided that August will be "story month" on the blog. Keep checking back our subscribe today (enter your email address on the left side bar) to see the stories that are inspiring me. Want me to feature your organizational story or video on Marketing for Nonprofits? Contact me at jocelyn_harmon (at) yahoo (dot) com. This short video features Marcus a young boy living at Union Rescue Mission, an organization working to end homelessness in Los Angeles. He takes us on a short journey through his daily life at the…

• The Gulf Coast and You!

  Jocelyn

  10 Aug 2010 | 8:44 am

  Regardless of what you read in the news, it's clear that the damage from the BP oil DISASTER is not over.  Just five years after Katrina, Gulf Coast residents are now confronted with polluted water, endangered marine life, and a seriously damaged economy. My colleague, Geoff Livingston and his partners at Zoetica are hoping to do something about this disastrous state of affairs by organizing (along with a number of other partners) the CitizenGulf National Day of Action on August 25th.  Their goal are threefold: To raise $100,000 for Catholic Charities of New Orleans through social…

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  Marketability by David Kinard

• Deliver Some Happiness -- and some Shoes!

  David Kinard, PCM

  23 Aug 2010 | 8:28 am

  It might be easy to think that just because you sell shoes, you're nothing more than a shoe store. But that kind of limited thinking has never been a part of Tony Hsieh's world. He's a dreamer -- and a dangerous one because he has a significant dream he wants to share with other business leaders to not just make it a better place, but a happier one.Tony is the CEO of Zappos -- the once online shoe store. Now, as a part of the Amazon.com umbrella, they're a full on retailer. But though they've been purchased by another dreamer (Jeff Bezos), Tony and his dedicated team are pushing boundaries…

• C'mon, You can Trust Me!

  David Kinard, PCM

  23 Jul 2010 | 8:27 am

  "TRUST ME." How many times have you been asked to give someone your trust? Companies ask you for it all the time -- either implicitly or explicitly. And what is amazing is how often we grant that trust without considering what we're doing. But, things have been changing, and for awhile now the skeptic in each of us is beginning to wonder, "Is my trust misplaced?"I recently had the chance to interview author Michael Maslansky of the new book The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics. His book is based on a decade of quantitative and qualitative research with thousands of…

• Measuring Social Media

  David Kinard, PCM

  19 Jul 2010 | 8:30 am

  Social media metrics are all the rage, but I still think people are asking the wrong questions. More often than not, I get asked how to measure the effectiveness of a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, or even a blog. The problem is not in measuring those tools, but in what to measure. Most of the time, we focus on the tool, and not the strategy or the thing that we're trying to effect.For instance, the other day I was asked by one of our departments if our health plan could use Facebook. My response was "Sure, but why?" There is this overwhelming sense that we need to be using social media, but…

• Managing in an Era of Distrust

  David Kinard, PCM

  14 Jul 2010 | 9:27 am

  As always I so enjoy speaking with my friends at Maritz Research. Rick Garlick, senior director of consulting for Maritz Research, joined me again to talk about their annual study on the state of workplace engagement. This is the third or fourth year I've talked with Rick about the study, and this year some interesting changes were uncovered.It's not surprising, given the recent history of corporate America, that a victim of the upheaval in the workplace has been trust, specifically trust in our senior leaders and direct managers. What was surprising this year was the addition of a lack of…

• Can Non Profits Use Referrals?

  David Kinard, PCM

  6 Jul 2010 | 8:59 am

  I had a great time interviewing John Jantsch -- author of the book The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself. It was a great addition to the continuum of books I've read lately having to do with ways to market in this new landscape (see Gilbreath, or Halligan). But I'll admit, I was initially skeptical of the book as I worried it would be some multi-level scheme machine. It wasn't and it's something you should seriously consider reading if you're interested in growing your organization.What was most refreshing about this book was Jantsch's solid marketing sensibility…

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  IMPACTMAX

• Nonprofits: Become a personal “content” shopper for your audiences

  IMPACTMAX

  25 Aug 2010 | 6:56 pm

  flickr/Somewhat Frank Content curation isn’t new, even though a lot is being written about it these days. Some nonprofits have been curating content on their websites and blogs for quite a while…maybe without exactly calling it that. Content curation is filtering, selecting, and/or remixing and reorganizing online content, typically to meet the needs and interests of particular audiences. Why is this practice valuable? Because none of us has time to comb through the web for the bits we’re most interested in. Think of this service as akin becoming a personal shopper for your…

• Tactics—Step 4 in strategic communications planning for nonprofits

  IMPACTMAX

  10 Aug 2010 | 1:00 pm

  flickr/popculturegeek This is the last in my series of posts guiding nonprofits through strategic communications planning. So far, I’ve tried to help you figure out your true communication objectives, your key audiences, and the kinds of messages and interactions that can motivate them. Now we move to tactics—selecting messengers, communications channels, and timing. Deciding on tactics is usually pretty easy when you’ve done the hard work outlined in the first three posts. As you well know by now, my mantra is spend 80% of your time on strategy and 20% on tactics. You…

• The Empty Package–Nonprofits, Social Media, and Content Strategy

  IMPACTMAX

  28 Jul 2010 | 6:10 pm

  flickr/minxlj I’m delighted to see recent data about the nonprofit sector’s leadership in adopting social media. I’m also a little worried. We’re all familiar with the knock-out Facebook pages, Twitter streams, flickr albums, and YouTube channels of large nonprofits who have become models in the use of social media to grow and engage supporters. I love keeping track of what they’re doing…thanks in part to Beth Kanter and others who share these organizations’ experiments and growing wisdom with us. But I see a slew of other nonprofit social sites that…

• Summer Reading

  IMPACTMAX

  18 Jun 2010 | 2:38 pm

  flickr/Spencer E. Holtaway I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve really missed keeping up with the terrific blogs and books in the field that represent a nonprofit communications education all by themselves. Don’t let yourself make the same mistake. Here are two books I recently received complimentary copies of that I made time to read and am very happy I did. Both of them are heavy with gold nuggets. Charlene Li’s Open Leadership–How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, isn’t necessary aimed at communications directors, but it’s got some…

• Guest Post: Kivi Leroux Miller

  IMPACTMAX

  7 Jun 2010 | 3:40 pm

  Kivi Leroux Miller is an author, trainer, coach, consultant, and president of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com. If you’re in nonprofit communications and marketing and you don’t know about her–change that right now and check out her new book–The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause. (It’s already a smash hit on Amazon.) I’ve been a long time admirer of Kivi’s, and am delighted to have IMPACTMAX be part of her virtual book tour. I hope you enjoy her guest post. I’ll be talking more about her…

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  Change/Wire

• Big Citizenship: The Book!

  1 Sep 2010 | 6:19 am

  We talk alot about the concept of Big Citizenship here at BTC, so it won't surprise you to know that BTC founder and CEO Alan Khazei has gone and written a book about it. And today is a HUGE day, because Alan's book, "Big Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out The Best In America," has just hit the bookstores. Here's a description of the book: Alan Khazei has pioneered ways to empower citizens to make a difference throughout his life. As a young graduate from Harvard Law School, he found a non-profit called City Year with his friend, Michael Brown. City Year allowed young people to…

• September 11 National Day Of Service

  31 Aug 2010 | 7:03 am

  The September 11 National Day Of Service is fast becoming one of the most important and inspiring annual service days in America. The powerful idea behind it is to honor the memory of 9/11 with the most fundamental acts of citizenship possible: volunteering time to serve one another. ServiceNation, of course, is doing everything it can to make sure that this year more Americans than ever turn out to serve on 9/11. You can get started by checking out the 911DayOfService website, exploring causes to support, and creating your own service event.  Here's what ServiceNation Executive Director…

• Service And Disaster Recovery

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:47 am

  One of the strongest arguments for the importance of service has been the way in which volunteers have rallied to help communities ravaged by natural disaster. Nowhere has this been demonstrated more powerfully than on the Gulf Coast, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. To mark the 5th year anniversary of that disaster, the Corporation For National And Community Service has published an excellent fact sheet on how national service has played a key role in helping hurricane-struck communities. Here's the intro: Since August 2005, the Corporation for National and Community Service has…

• Be The Change, MTV-Style

  26 Aug 2010 | 9:21 am

  It's obvious that everyone here at BTC is inspired by Gandhi’s famous quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” And since it is such a powerful idea, we love the fact that our friends at MTV have started airing cool and unique television programs designed to inspire a Be The Change movement to foster and “inspire peace from the inside out and to create hope while challenging individuals to find their passion for all people. Here's why MTV thinks young people should be inspired to Be The Change: Given the current state of our world family, with…

• Diary of an Intern: Differencemaking

  26 Aug 2010 | 7:37 am

  Do you know that the word responsibility is actually two words? Response and ability; because those who have the ability must respond. I think this phrase really captures what service means to me and it's also a key concept shared within a great organization I've volunteered with for the past 7 years; the Student Leadership Training Program (SLTP). I just spent the past week at a conference for SLTP. I first attended one of SLTP's conferences when I was a freshman in high school. I've been really involved in volunteering with this organization and taken on a leadership role as a Conference…

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  Helping Help

• It's Not About Me

  1 Sep 2010 | 3:19 pm

  Pardon the religious undertones and enjoy this talk... I love the take-away... "It's not about me, it's about making the world a better place"

• Spreading Messages of Hope

  27 Aug 2010 | 2:21 pm

  WOW.... just watch this video... a little creativity goes a LONG way when trying to spread HOPE

• The Importance of Values

  24 Aug 2010 | 8:27 am

  Out of all companies, you might not expect Netflix to have a stunning set of internal values... and you are right. Netflix doesn't, but its people do. The presentation is the internal presentation to speak about values and it has since become famous. It's well worth the time to review: Culture by Netflix's Reed Hastings My favorite slide states "Our culture is a work in progress". As is mine.

• Yet Another Post on Goal Setting

  9 Aug 2010 | 11:09 am

  He got closer than I ever did... Yes, this is another blog post on goal setting. And truth be told, there are probably better posts on goal setting. But this isn't a post about how to set goals, it is me imploring you to take a risk and set your own, lofty goals. This recent post from Simon Sinek titled Read. Aim. Miss! is a GREAT post and it reminded me of a phrase one of me mentors always uses: The tragedy in life is not failure to achieve your goals, it is never setting goals in the first place.  Other wise words we have all heard a thousand times:Learn from your mistakes Fail…

• Two Must-read Posts for Nonprofits

  23 Jun 2010 | 4:34 pm

  Both are from Mashable.com. The first is titled "Are Social Media Giving Contests Good for Nonprofits?", and the second is "Every Little Bit Can Help". Are Social Media Giving Contests Good for Non-Profits?ShareemailshareGeoff Livingston co-founded Zoetica to focus on cause-related work, and released an award-winning book on new media Now is Gone in 2007.Recent media coverage and Case Foundation America’s Giving Challenge research demonstrates that non-profits can hurt themselves by participating in too many online giving contests and challenges. Yet,…

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  IssueLab's Comprehensive News Feed

• Design for a New York City Workforce Information System

  20 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. <div>The fundamental challenge facing workforce and education policymakers is keeping pace with the changing economy and skill needs of American business. To meet this challenge, up-to-date and accessible workforce information -- comprehensive data and analysis about the labor market -- is more important than ever. Good workforce information allows policymakers and program operators to target education and training... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Restricting Voter Registration Drives

  19 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Project Vote. <div><div>Community-based voter registration organizations -- whether they are partisan or non-partisan, secular or religious, paid or volunteer -- serve as critical intermediaries between states and citizens who are currently alienated from the political process. While there are other mechanisms for reaching the tens of millions of eligible Americans who are still not registered to vote -- including the National Voter Registration... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Rising Temperatures Raise Food Prices: Heat, Drought, and a Failed Harvest in Russia

  19 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Earth Policy Institute. Around midnight on Wednesday, August 11th, a group of commodity analysts will gather at a meeting site in the massive South Building of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Once they are assembled, the door will be locked. Cell phones will be collected. Phone and Internet lines will be disconnected. Short of a medical emergency, no one will be permitted to leave before 8:30 am. USDA produces an estimate of world... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Turning Passion Into Action: Giving While Living

  11 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Atlantic Philanthropies, The. This publication explores the practice of Giving While Living as exemplified by our Founder Chuck Feeney. Our intention is to inspire individuals at varying levels of wealth to actively give their funds, skills and time during their lives, and receive enormous satisfaction in the process. This report includes profiles of Mr. Feeney and 10 other philanthropists who are giving generously during their lifetimes, explains the most-cited... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Racial Segregation in Georgia Public Schools, 1994-2001: Trends, Causes and Impact on Teacher Quality

  9 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Fiscal Research Center of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Fiscal Research Center of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. This report looks at recent trends in segregation and its impact on teacher quality in the state of Georgia.�... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at http://www.issuelab.org

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  YouTube: Nonprofits

• Nonprofits to Know: Rebuilding Together

  vibrantvideo

  25 Aug 2010 | 8:02 am

  Nonprofits to Know: Rebuilding Together Nonprofits to KnowTM is a web video series produced by Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation. This month, we feature Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit in the Twin Cities that brings volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners. Each month the Foundations feature a new video highlighting Minnesota Nonprofits doing important work in our communities. To learn more about Rebuilding Together, visit www.rebuildingtogether-twincities.org. From: vibrantvideo Views: 60 0 ratings Time: 03:36…

• MAP for Nonprofits - Leaders Circles

  MAPTechWorks

  26 Jul 2010 | 9:27 pm

  MAP for Nonprofits - Leaders Circles A short video explaining MAP's Leaders Circles program for nonprofit executives and managers who are looking to improve their leadership skills by listening to and speaking with their peers. Contact Shari Reily for more information - sreily@mapfornonprofits.org. From: MAPTechWorks Views: 172 0 ratings Time: 02:50 More in Nonprofits & Activism

• Nonprofits to Know: Peta Wakan Tipi's Dream of Wild Health

  vibrantvideo

  26 Jul 2010 | 10:15 am

  Nonprofits to Know: Peta Wakan Tipi's Dream of Wild Health Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation proudly present the new web video series "Nonprofits to Know". This is the fourth video in the series and features the Peta Wakan Tipi's Dream of Wild Health Program. Peta Wakan is a non-profit that promotes the social, economic, physical and cultural health of American Indian people through programs like Dream of Wild Health. Learn more about their work at www.petawakantipi.org. From: vibrantvideo Views: 102 0 ratings Time: 04:05 More in Nonprofits &…

• About Connecticut Association of Nonprofits

  CTNonprofits

  8 Jul 2010 | 10:58 am

  About Connecticut Association of Nonprofits For a stronger you and a stronger us. How membership in Connecticut Association of Nonprofits (CT Nonprofits) will benefit your organization. From: CTNonprofits Views: 113 0 ratings Time: 04:46 More in Nonprofits & Activism

• How to Identify Your Nonprofits Facebook's Core Supporters Using Polls

  charityhowto

  12 Jun 2010 | 2:50 pm

  How to Identify Your Nonprofits Facebook's Core Supporters Using Polls How to Identify Your Nonprofits Facebook's Core Supporters Using Polls From: charityhowto Views: 49 1 ratings Time: 04:32 More in Nonprofits & Activism

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  Non-Profit In-Kind Connection

• Racine Urban Garden Network Needs Garden Tools

  columbus imPRessions

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:17 pm

  RUGN, the Racine Urban Garden Network, is a non-profit promoting the growth of urban garden sites, using unused vacant lands. RUGN sites are available to the public annually, for a minimal ($20) fee. RUGN also seeks to improve nutrition and the environment in our communities through the networking of multiple resources and through continuing education. They are looking for donations of hand gardening tools such as shovels, rakes, hoes, planters, wheelbarrows, one large lawn mower, clean mulch, soil, compost, 300-gallon or larger portable water tanks, and educational gardening books or…

• Akron Fossils & Science Center Needs Auction Items

  columbus imPRessions

  27 Aug 2010 | 5:10 am

  Akron Fossils & Science Center has an auction and pasta dinner each year.  This is their biggest fundraiser of the year.  Every year they look for businesses to donated items for their auction.  They do not have a specific need they are just requesting quality items that can be auctioned off at the event. Items needed before November 6th.  To make an auction donation please contact: Sharon Jones or Jessica Bee-Willis 330-665-3466

• Connecticut Pain Foundation In Need of Event and Office Supplies

  columbus imPRessions

  9 Aug 2010 | 9:37 am

  The Connecticut Pain Foundation recently launched an awareness project called INvisible Project. In doing so, they went over budget and now are in need of some items.  They would like tote bags for those who attend their fundraiser/ awareness event and because they do not have the money to purchase the totes they are looking for an in-kind donation. They also need office supplies, paper, computers, brochures, because we are expanding with members we see the need for more volunteers however with this need comes more need for office supplies.  Any ideas or help would be greatly…

• Operation Backpack: Backpack and Supplies Drives

  columbus imPRessions

  28 Jul 2010 | 6:37 am

  Operation Back Pack needs your help to put new backpacks and school supplies in the hands of Central Ohio children in need.  Consider being a part of the Volunteers of America’s fourth annual Operation Backpack campaign! Donate a new backpack and supplies  Drop off your donations at one of the drive events (see below) or to Volunteers of America, 1776 E. Broad Street, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., August 12 or 13. Upcoming Drive Events: Sunday, July 25 Noon to 3 p.m. Kroger Marketplace - Lewis Center Sunday, August 1 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Kroger Marketplace - Gahanna Sunday, August 1 4…

• Lights. Camera. Help. Nonprofit Film Festival set to kick off Thursday

  columbus imPRessions

  27 Jul 2010 | 12:50 pm

  What: Lights Camera Help will kick off its second annual film festival on Thursday, with the first of three days of screening the top nonprofit and cause-related films submitted from around the world. Lights Camera Help is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness about nonprofit and cause-related organizations through the use of film. In addition to the film festival, the organization hosts film-making workshops for nonprofits and helps match filmmakers with nonprofits and causes. When/Where ·         Thursday, July 29, 7 to 10 p.m. at the…

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  IdealistNews

• Plumpy nut getting some NYT Magazine attention

  2 Sep 2010 | 10:08 am

  submitted by imitationcheese [link] [comment]

• Nonprofit Lessons from my Gym Membership Fail

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:47 am

  submitted by lizthefair [link] [comment]

• Any Redditors here that have founded their own nonprofits? Add your nonprofit in the comments.

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:33 am

  BlueOrange - Friends & RPCVs of Guyana docsiv - Acadiana Creative Arts Foundation] FunnyMan3595 - Lost Dimension Games lizthefair - Mach 30 mczorg - Pump-It, one of Y-Gap's main initiatives Ridcully - RUDEC Germany submitted by BlueOrange [link] [22 comments]

• 30 Sep 10: Emerging Options for Maryland Social Ventures (Baltimore MD)

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:19 pm

  submitted by arteerr [link] [comment]

• Pakistan flood relief: How you can help

  31 Aug 2010 | 11:59 am

  submitted by BlueOrange [link] [comment]

• 

  Together We Flourish

• A Slavic Celebration Includes the Tamburitzans

  Susan

  2 Sep 2010 | 4:17 am

  The old country comes alive with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans performing in Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s second annual Slavic Celebration Saturday, Sept. 11, at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center.  Also performing will be Milutin Lazich and Family. Dinner and concert, only $30 a person. Reserved seat tickets. People may call the box office at 724.643.9004. America’s longest-running multicultural song and dance company, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans is a unique ensemble of talented young folk artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music,…

• 20th Annual “Hike for Sight”

  Susan

  1 Sep 2010 | 4:11 am

  Announcing our 20th Annual “Hike for Sight” being held Tuesday September 14, 2010 for the Beaver County Association for the Blind in Beaver Falls, PA.  “Hike for Sight” is our annual client supported fundraiser, where our clients, staff, volunteers and members of the local community take a stroll through Beaver Falls  to promote awareness about vision loss, and BCAB’s seven decades of service to Beaver County.  Your support of this event would be a great personal service project, helping people right here at home.  So, hit the streets: get pledges, become a…

• Women, Find Employment That Will Sustain Your Family

  Susan

  31 Aug 2010 | 4:41 am

  Side by Side welcomes Nieves Stiker from Carlow University’s New Choices Program. This event is for single mothers and women who find themselves needing to (re)enter the work force. Topics include: goal setting self esteem building skill building job training.   Learn how to find employment that is not just for survival, but that will sustain a family.  About Nieves Stiker  For over ten years, Ms. Stiker has worked closely with single parents and women in transition, fulfilling Carlow University’s original mission “to involve persons, primarily women, in a process of…

• The eBus is Coming!

  Susan

  30 Aug 2010 | 4:02 am

  The Mon-Valley Initiative wants to remind you to sign up your organization for Fifth Third Bank’s “Healthy Living, Healthy Lifestyles” Resource Fair on Wednesday, September 8th from 2:00pm-6:00pm!  Located at the Shop‘n Save parking lot in Homestead, the fair will promote the numerous resources available to the residents of the Mon Valley that encourage a healthy lifestyle.   The showcase of the event will be the FifthThird Bank Homeownership Mobile!  On the eBus, guests will receive one-on-one financial counseling sessions to include free credit reports, credit repair,…

• Webster Needs a Home!

  Susan

  27 Aug 2010 | 3:56 am

  Adopt a pet from Animal Friends:  Webster is a 5-year-old Beagle who has been waiting for someone to adopt him from Animal Friends since November of 2009. True to his breed, he is a curious, loving guy. If you’re looking for a friendly lap dog, Webster could be your perfect match. He craves attention and companionship and will let you cuddle with him for as long as you like.  Webster is not used to playing a lot, so we think he’d do best in a home with older kids who aren’t looking for a constant playmate. Webster is very gentle and affectionate towards older children.  Webster would…

• 

  Philanthropy Potluck

• Holding Hands and Skippin’ Through the Nonprofit “Field”

  MCF Webmaster

  1 Sep 2010 | 1:05 pm

  Last week we at Minnesota Council on Foundations had the pleasure of enjoying the wonderful Minnesota summer weather with our Nonprofit Allies at the first annual Nonprofit Allies picnic. While snacking on the delicious picnic grub, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What do all these organizations really do and how are we all connected?” What Makes an “Ally?” MCF is what you might call a nonprofit support organization. Simply stated, our purpose is to help our grantmaker members do their work better. Our fellow allies are, in one way or another, all about the business of helping…

• A School’s-in-Session Spotlight: Mardag Foundation’s Support of Education

  Chris Noonan

  31 Aug 2010 | 2:16 pm

  To quote the over-used (but it’s used over and over again for a reason) cliché, “It takes a village,” it truly does take a whole host of people and programs to strive to make sure that every student who walks through a school door this fall has the best opportunity to learn, thrive and succeed. Now that my kids are off to school once again, this is the perfect opportunity to spend a moment reflecting on all that’s made possible by the support of education funders and the perseverance and creativity of nonprofits that serve our students. For the facts and figure on education…

• Stakeholder Engagement: A Guide for Grantmakers

  Stephanie Jacobs

  27 Aug 2010 | 9:09 am

  Do Nothing About Me Without Me, a guide for grantmakers on increasing stakeholder engagement, begins with a simple but inspirational African proverb about the importance of working together: “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.” Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) partnered with the Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC) on this report because there is a disconnect between grantmakers’ sentiments around stakeholder engagement and their perceptions of how inclusive they are in decision-making.  And this perception is not without…

• Co-Chairs Invite Minnesota Grantmakers to 2010 MCF Annual Convening

  MCF Webmaster

  25 Aug 2010 | 1:48 pm

  We will share fresh ideas and resources at the MCF Convening blog before, during and after the two-day event! In the posts below, Convening co-chairs LaTresse Snead and Kevin Walker reflect on why this year’s program is not-to-be-missed. Keep up with the action! Subscribe to the MCF Convening blog RSS feed and follow MCF on twitter. For Convening highlights, stay tuned to the hashtag #MCFAnnCon. LaTresse Snead Get Ready to Learn And Take Action! LaTresse Snead, Co-Chair, Tastefully Simple The philanthropic community in Minnesota has a huge opportunity to take control and create the kind…

• Using Communications Strategies to Increase Foundations’ Public Policy Impact

  Chris Noonan

  23 Aug 2010 | 1:35 pm

  The desire to achieve impact is taking yet another step. First, there was great talk about foundations moving beyond writing checks to figuring out how to change the systems that may have created the need for the check-writing in the first place. This has led to more and more foundations putting their resources – money, knowledge and connections – toward public policy engagement and impacting public policy. We highlighted the work of several Minnesota foundations in this arena in our Summer issue of Giving Forum. Now, a first-of-its-kind report from the Center on Philanthropy &…

• 

  smArts & Culture

• Cut your losses, or tweak?

  maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com

  2 Sep 2010 | 4:55 am

  Sometimes the smart thing to do is cut your losses.The thing is, I'm more likely to cut my losses than not, if things aren't going well. That's my inclination, I notice. If something isn't working they way I'd like, I'm more likely to ditch it and move on to the next thing. And often the next thing involves creating something from scratch. Which, given all the twists and turns a creative business can take, isn't really practical. That's why I've been trying to notice when I want to chuck a project and start over, and instead resist doing that. Just to see what happens.I'm looking at what…

• More images from me.

  maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com

  1 Sep 2010 | 4:55 am

  Still playing with the Hipstamatic app. In fact, I've been so excited about it that my completely-non-photo-taking husband downloaded it, too. Must be catching.I'm also excited to realize that Kara used a Holga for her Work to Ride project. Intrigued by the Holga!

• Click something or click away.

  maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com

  31 Aug 2010 | 4:55 am

  From time to time I reference something I've heard Seth Godin say, and I'm not sure exactly what book or post to point you to. I know he said it when I was in his office with a few other nonprofit people, getting help for the arts group I worked for at the time.It's this:You need to know what you want people to do when they get to your site. When they get to your site, they can either click something or click away. You want to be clear on the thing you want them to do, and then do everything you can to encourage them to do it. Those horrible pop-up ads you see sometimes that shout, 'sign up…

• The random.

  maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com

  27 Aug 2010 | 4:55 am

  John collects randome 8 mm film and shoots his own, too. Kendra makes firecracker cupcakes and cookies masquerading as hamburgers. April sings and writes jazz, and embraces her hyphenated life. I love these stories of personal creative practice from the staff of the Cultural Alliance.Heavybubble sponsors BRAvo: Art Heals, an exhibition of embellished bras by artists to raise awareness of breast cancer and the healing power of art. Along with a gala and silent auction, the show benefits the Chester County Art Association and Cuddle My Kids, which helps families with cancer. Deadline for…

• The magic of checking in.

  maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com

  26 Aug 2010 | 4:55 am

  Having my own business and doing something that's ... oh, impossible to explain ... left me feeling isolated after a couple of years. Some kind of local support group was out because, well, I'd have to actually leave the house. But -- having people to check in with? That is absolutely magic.Sounds too simple to make much of a difference? Believe me --when you feel like you have 88 million things to do and OMG none of it's getting done;when you're putting off the thing that secretly terrifies you; when you're having a meltdown and wondering if stuffing envelopes for a living is a viable…

• 

  ActiveCause

• Some Green Pearls of Wisdom

  Joel Makower had a great post “How to Win Green Friends and Influence People“.   The article is a must read. Thanks also to Joel for pointing us to: Ogilvy’s From Greenwash to Great and Communicating Corporate Responsibility Maddock Douglas’  Mapping the Future of Green Innovation

• Cause marketing for smart marketers – rules and tools

  The following information is excerpted from Why “cause” is the new black as appearing in the September 2009 Luxury Marketing Council Newsletter. According to a 2009 Cone Communications survey, 85 percent of Americans say they have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about.  More than half [...]

• i[2]y Stupid Cancer Show December 7, 2009

  Craig co-hosted the Stupid Cancer Show last night with Matt Zachary and Lisa Bernhard (entertainment journalist, cancer survivor lisabernhard.net) featuring guests Jason Rzepka (VP Public Affairs, MTV), Nancy Lublin (CEO of DoSomething.org) and Adam Hirsch (COO of Mashable.com).

• Join Team ActiveCause at the New York Twestival September 12th

  Event Information Celebrity Bowling Tournament in association with Brooklyn Bowl and Flavorpill Where: Brooklyn Bowl 61 Wythe Avenue Brooklyn, NY When: Saturday, Sept 12th, 6:00pm – 10:00pm Early bird tickets available for $20 for a limited time! Click here. Cause: CampInteractive CampInteractive (CI) is a not-for-profit organization that empowers at-risk, inner-city youth through the inspiration of the outdoors, and the creative power [...]

• ActiveCause Facebook Page Launches in advance of Beta release

  ActiveCause Facebook Page Launches in advance of Beta release

• 

  A. Fine Blog

• Off to the Beach

  Allison Fine

  13 Aug 2010 | 3:31 pm

  I will be on vacation through the end of August – yippee!! Have a great rest of the summer, I’ll be back when the leaves start to turn.

• The Red Cross Weaves Conversation to Crowdsource Crisis Data

  Allison Fine

  12 Aug 2010 | 8:46 am

  Wendy Harmon, the American Red Cross’ (ARC) social media guru, is spearheading an open conversation today billed as the Emergency Social Data Summit. ARC describes the goal of the summit this way: The American Red Cross is hosting the Emergency Social Data Summit to bring together government agencies, emergency management professionals, disaster response organizations, tech companies [...]

• Foundations and Social Media: Fad or Future?

  Allison Fine

  9 Aug 2010 | 9:14 am

  The few well-known examples of foundations acting like Networked Nonprofits have become so oft-repeated that they’re almost cliches – the David and Lucile Packard Foundation using a wiki to generate new ideas for their nitrogen program, the Case Foundation’s use of their blogs to weave conversations, the Knight Foundation’s News Challenge to invest in next [...]

• Squeegie Man Fundraising

  Allison Fine

  5 Aug 2010 | 10:42 am

  Bruce Trachetenberg posted a story on the Nonprofit Quarterly’s blog from the Chicago Tribune about a recent ban in Chicago of street fundraising. What’s most interesting to me about the story is that one crucial factor is overlooked – how being stopped in the street by firefighters, boots in hand, makes donors feel. Call me [...]

• Free eBook: How to Raise a Lot More $ Now

  Allison Fine

  2 Aug 2010 | 9:31 am

  Network for Good posted a free eBook last week called How to Raise a Lot More Money Now – 50 Great Ideas from 11 top Experts. You have to fill out a form before you can download the book. But what you’ll get are great advice and tips from leading experts in social media for [...]

• 

  Next Gen Consulting Cafe

• A Founder's Time to Leave

  Emily Davis, MNM

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:16 pm

  Over lunch today, a colleague and I got into the conversation about when is the best time for a founder to leave his/her organization. Both of us have seen far too many founders stay on with their organizations as executive directors or board members for way too long after founding the organization. We agreed that ten+ years is too long for anyone to stay in a leadership role with their

• Online Communications Through a Fundraising Lens

  Emily Davis, MNM

  27 Aug 2010 | 10:36 am

  I have been spending a lot of time lately helping small nonprofits design and implement their online communications plans. This includes website management, e-newsletters, blogs, and social media like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It's important to identify the purpose of each tool, the goals, and target audiences. While these seem like basic components of any plan, they are critical to

• Collaboration Not Duplication: Nonprofit Start-ups

  Emily Davis, MNM

  5 Jul 2010 | 10:32 am

  "Collaboration not duplication" has to be one of my favorite sayings as many of my colleagues and friends know. Lately, I have had a lot of individuals coming to me for coaching and consulting because they are interested in starting a nonprofit. Let me share with you some of the advice I have given to these individuals over and over again. If you are thinking about starting a nonprofit - READ

• Philanthropy Through a Generational Lens

  Emily Davis, MNM

  25 Jun 2010 | 12:40 pm

  A couple weeks ago I had the privilege to facilitate a panel on Next Gen Philanthropy with the Association of Fundraising Professionals San Diego (AFPSD). I was joined my Renee Herrell from RCH Consulting, Charlene Seidle from Jewish Community Foundation, and Adam Svet from The Eastridge Group. It was a great team providing dynamic insights into the world of working with the next generation of

• Notes on Career Building for Nonprofit Professionals

  Emily Davis, MNM

  23 Jun 2010 | 3:38 pm

  Last week, I joined Laura Gassner Otting from Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group at USD to talk about career advice in the nonprofit sector. Below you will find some great nuggets of information for you to use and share. Many thanks to Laura for her incredible time and dedication to the topic!Starting the search for your career means being fearless. Share your dreams and fears. Ask

• 

  personnal Business Blog

• Twitter: A Customer Service Breakthrough?

  admin

  2 Sep 2010 | 9:15 am

  If you active contact with customers, they remember you more and more frequently to make sure to reward sales. When he is connecting with customers, many companies are turning to Twitter. But why? Business increasingly realize that they are in line with consumer buzz about their brands on Twitter. Twitter Twitter is more comfortable Keyword Search allows everybody, and phrases to be followed, including company name to read what people are tweeting about, such as Google Blog Search, which is not in the blogosphere. companies like Comcast and staff customer service Zappos already delegated or…

• The Best storage Containers

  admin

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:50 am

  Having business of shipping or business that make us have to send some products outside of countries make us need container for sending. Why it must be the best container for sending the good? The answer for sure deals with our professionalism in maintaining the best product for our customer. It is not funny whenever we send some products to the other countries, but by the time the product is being accepted, there is no any perfect product inside. Besides, you loose your colleague, you will lose you job as well. The help of storage containers for keeping the product still in a very great way…

• Customer Service Back In The Day-An Upside To This Recession?

  admin

  1 Sep 2010 | 2:46 am

  I was at a gas station the other day and noticed something that made me look twice. At first it seemed a normal process, a man pumping gas and then clean his windshield. Think about it, I went with my purchase of gas. When I looked back to the other vehicle, I saw a man walking on the back of the car, but it was someone else on the windshield clean. To my surprise, cleaning the windshield of the man and a tendency of this gas was the gas station attendant, not the client. This caused me to wonder whether the economy offered may affect the level of customer service today. As companies compete…

• 

  The Successful Nonprofit

• Want Instant Delivery of New Blog Posts & Comments?

  Joy Victory

  25 Aug 2010 | 7:43 am

  Jabber is almost as fast as lightning. Do you ever wish you could get instant notification of when your favorite bloggers update? Or even when a new comment is published on their blogs? If so, you might want to use a service called Jabber to make your blog conversations as fast as lightning (well, almost as fast). With Jabber, you get split-second delivery of new blog posts and comments — for any WordPress.com blog you want to follow. This means there’s no need to wait for your RSS feed to update, or to use blog email subscriptions. There are endless ways that Jabber might be…

• More ways to share

  Lenny

  24 Aug 2010 | 7:39 am

  Starting today there is a new way for your readers to share the posts on your blog with friends. This feature allows you to add sharing functionality from a range of services to the bottom of your blog posts. Here’s a quick video introduction: To begin with we have the following services for you to choose from. If there is a service missing from the list, don’t worry! You can add your own custom services as well. Facebook Twitter Press This Reddit Digg StumbleUpon Email to a friend Print You can control these new options in your dashboard by going to Settings > Sharing. You can…

• Jazz Up Your Posts With Zemanta

  Joy Victory

  17 Aug 2010 | 12:49 pm

  Ever wish you had a blogging assistant who helped you write posts that are full of great links, photos, and tags? Wish no more: We’ve partnered with the folks at Zemanta to give you a hand at quickly jazzing up your posts. Once you’ve activated Zemanta, you’ll see several new widgets on your edit screen that let you quickly add recommended links, photos, tags, and articles. With just a few clicks your post goes from simple to snazzy. Here’s a quick video overview: How to Activate Zemanta To add Zemanta, go to Users > Personal Settings in your Dashboard. You’ll…

• New Theme: Oulipo

  Lance Willett

  16 Aug 2010 | 8:54 am

  Are you tired of clutter? Are you looking for a theme that puts the focus on your content and gets out of the way? Meet Oulipo, our newest theme. Oulipo’s clean, grid-based design and elegant typography make it perfect for a one-page announcement site, a photoblog, a journal… or anything else you choose to showcase. Example showing Oulipo's light color scheme and beautifully simple layout. You’ll notice the unique placement of the left-side menu: it’s pinned in place. This keeps the site title, description, and main navigation in view at all times. A screenshot…

• New Twitter “Tweet Button”

  Andy P

  12 Aug 2010 | 8:43 am

  For those of you who have been dreaming of an easier way for your readers to share your posts on Twitter, that day has come. We’re pleased to announce that we’ve added an official Tweet Button as an option for all WordPress.com blogs. How it works: When one of your readers hits the Tweet Button, they will be shown a popup that includes a shortened link to your post. Readers can add in a quick message, and then hit “Tweet” to send the post to their Twitter feed as a tweet — all without leaving your blog. Additionally, each time a reader tweets your post,…

• 

  Pamela's Grantwriting Blog

• Five Ways to Sabotage Your Fundraising

  Pamela Grow

  26 Aug 2010 | 9:56 am

  1.  Practicing lousy follow-up (or none at all) You’ve heard it said before.  Good development is all about building relationships. You “know” that fact.  Yet how many times have you sighed over that grant proposal declination letter and filed it away with the proposal – without taking the time to contact the foundation to learn more? How many times have you sent out that thank you letter for a donation … without bothering to call personally to thank the donor? Do your volunteers feel genuinely appreciated? Building relationships takes time – cultivate an *attitude…

• A Fundraising Revolution?

  Pamela Grow

  19 Aug 2010 | 10:25 am

  Today’s guest post is brought to you by one of my favorite people in fundraising, the always insightful and sometimes controversial Mazarine Treyz. Mazarine is the author of The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising book and blog, http://wildwomanfundraising.com. She’s the co-creator of Adventures in Fundraising, the first fundraising video game. She’s passionate about teaching people how to change the world. She runs a Nonprofit Career club in Austin, Texas, which meets twice a month. To learn more from Mazarine, come and take her webinar in “Managing Organizational…

• 5 Tips to Maintain Your Enthusiasm as a Fundraiser

  Pamela Grow

  16 Aug 2010 | 4:15 am

  Several weeks ago I was chatting with a board president of an educational organization over lunch.  I’d been brought in for an hour long fundraising training scheduled during the organization’s retreat. “Well,” he remarked with more than a touch of resignation in his voice, “we really don’t have an easy mission to sell – like cute animals or starving children.” Hmmmmm …. red flag alert. Immediately following lunch several of the organization’s students gave a short PowerPoint presentation on a community service project trip they’d taken the previous month. Wow!

• Three Big Ideas to Take Your Relationships with Foundations to the Next Level

  Pamela Grow

  9 Aug 2010 | 2:17 pm

  Foundation folks are constantly being pitched, talked at, “worked.” How easy might it be to stand out from the crowd by taking a completely different approach? Here are three big ideas to get you started. 1. Connect without an agenda. Some years ago, the head of a major foundation spoke at a conference of fundraising professionals. He announced an open-door policy, inviting anyone in the audience to come see him any time for a conversation about social issues, big ideas … anything other than a specific proposal. Not one person — out of hundreds in the audience —…

• The Secret to Building a Great Fundraising Board

  Pamela Grow

  2 Aug 2010 | 3:25 am

  The oft-told frustrations of working with a board and development committee escaped me for a number of years.  You see, I had the good fortune, in my very first fundraising job, to work with a completely hands-off board and executive director. Imagine! Grant proposals went out with my signature on them – and were funded (a 93% increase in foundation funding within two years).  My first presentation to the board, a completely revamped annual appeal package, was greeted with oohs and ahs and sent out as written – to absolutely phenomenal results! Talk about nirvana! Of course, in…

• 

  Jolkona Foundation Blog

• Thank You for Making a Huge Impact in Pakistan!

  Nadia

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:46 pm

  Thanks to the generous support of the Jolkona community, we have raised almost $4,000 for our partner, Barakat, to help families displaced by the floods in Pakistan! As a result of your donations, the 70-75 households that took shelter in Attock, Punjab have all been taken care of. We’re excited to announce that this project [...]

• Poverty and the Information Highway

  Taylor

  16 Aug 2010 | 7:14 am

  Within 30 seconds of reading this you can get a seven-day weather forecast for Rio de Janeiro, Delhi, or Tokyo. You can learn how vaccinations work, get instructions on how to construct a pig pen, and even learn the definition of poverty… in Japanese. The point being, we live in an information rich world. With [...]

• From Haiti to Pakistan - Track Your Disaster Donations Better!

  Adnan

  12 Aug 2010 | 5:20 am

  When the earthquake struck Haiti back in January, the world opened its wallets and generously supported the Haitians with over 1 billion dollars in donations. According to this recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, much of the  $1.3 billion remains unused. The article sites the specific example of American Red Cross who has only [...]

• Business, Philanthropy & Technology: Building Communities Around Causes

  Tysen

  10 Aug 2010 | 10:00 am

  Recently I sat down with Josh Dirks, the founder of Social Creature Media and the sponsor of Jolkona’s Meet-up, to discuss the relationships between business, social media, and what motivates start-up companies like his to get involved with philanthropy. As leader of an organization dedicated to harnessing the power of social media and putting it [...]

• ‘Reunited and it feels so good…’

  Piya

  5 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  Somehow, the lyrics to the old Peaches and Herb classic ‘Reunited’ are on repeat in my head as I finish clean-up from my goodbye party here in Seattle. I’ve been home for about two months from my latest bout of career adventures in Toronto, Canada and although it’s been nice to unwind and reunite with [...]

• 

  SocialEarth

• More Than a Change Agent

  Amy

  24 Aug 2010 | 12:21 pm

  I am in a bit of a unique circumstance while writing this blog as I am sitting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia preparing to leave for a five-day trip to where more than 64 million Ethiopians live- in rural poverty. So, the implication of being a change agent for me- and thus, my answer to this [...]

• International Development Design Summit 2010

  Guest Author

  28 Jul 2010 | 8:46 am

  48 participants representing 17 countries converged upon Colorado State University on July 7th, 2010 to kick off the fourth annual International Development Design Summit (IDDS). IDDS aims to produce innovative, scalable technologies and enterprises to meet the very real needs of the 2.6 billion people earning less than $2-a-day. For this year’s Summit, the focus [...]

• Social Entrepreneurship Weekly

  Tristan

  26 Jun 2010 | 9:32 am

  This is a partner column in conjunction with Ashoka’s Change InSight blog. Every week I’m covering the top news, highlights, events and opportunities in the realm of social entrepreneurship. Everyday changemakers are addressing the hard questions of local, national and global quandaries. This weekly article accentuates those individuals and organizations creating systematic and lasting change [...]

• Nonprofit Organization Highlights Local Changemakers in Haiti

  Tristan

  21 Jun 2010 | 12:19 pm

  “People in poverty are championing the way out of poverty,” declared Daphne Nederhorst, Ashoka Fellow and founder of Sawa Global, an organization highlighting local changemakers in their home communities. Four Sawa Global employees, including Nederhorst, recently flew to Haiti from their home base in Vancouver, British Columbia. Once on the ground, they didn’t bark orders [...]

• An Avon Approach To Healthier and Wealthier Communities

  Guest Author

  8 Jun 2010 | 6:00 am

  The following article was written by Olivia Khalili of the Cause Capitalism blog. The concept is simple and brilliant. When I came across Living Goods, my stomach flipped with the potential impact of the organization’s work.  The mechanisms, intent and appeal match that of blockbuster social enterprises Kiva and charity: water. Living Goods replicates Avon’s [...]

• 

  Not For Profit Accounting

• What Restricted Means

  Alan

  12 Aug 2010 | 11:17 am

  What is restricted money? When is money considered restricted? I spell out the answer over here at www.npaccounting.org.

• The IRS Wants To Hear From You

  Alan

  4 May 2010 | 8:34 pm

  If you have not filed a a form 990 for the last three years you may be in trouble. If you work with a nonprofit and have just asked yourself, “what is a 990?” read this and these, then come back. But since this is the Not-For-Profit Accounting blog devoted nonprofit accounting issues I’ll assume [...]

• More Nonprofit News

  Alan

  1 Apr 2010 | 9:47 am

  Over at the other blog I write on we have a few interesting tidbits: Can nonprofit organizations save money if they hire people? According to the new HIRE Act they can. You can also read about ways to back-up your system and two HR tips. You can read about some capacity building topics here, including [...]

• Worlds Collide

  Alan

  25 Feb 2010 | 10:03 am

  A frivolous post today. Accounting for Dragons takes you a podcast where my work time meets my play time. And if you like bad puns and accounting, these shirts might be for you. For nonprofit accounting related posts check out here and here. Have a good weekend!

• 2009 Form 990

  Alan

  10 Feb 2010 | 9:27 am

  The 2009 form 990 was just released and I’ve written about some of the changes over here. Also, do you know when your 990 is due? Neither do I, but this handy chart will help us both out. That post also includes guidance on which form you should fill out this year. For more 990 [...]

• 

  Pulling for the Underdog

• Air-Traffic Controllers' Lesson for Development

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:08 am

  Guest post by Felipe Cabezas.Thinking about the recent buzz about aid transparency on my flight from Milwaukee to Washington, DC, I wonder if we will use more information to improve programs’ effectiveness or to conduct business as usual. Of course, a large part of that depends on how we gather – and display – information.Perhaps we should turn to air-traffic controllers for guidance. Air-traffic controllers oversee specific airplanes within a specific flight zone – not the entire air space. When trying to land an airplane, they communicate directly with the pilot and elicit pertinent…

• Who did this?

  26 Aug 2010 | 11:21 am

  We shall find too that such current notions as that society ‘acts’ or that it ‘treats’, ‘rewards’, or ‘remunerates’ persons, or that it ‘values’ or ‘owns’ or ‘controls’ objects or services, or is ‘responsible for’ or ‘guilty of’ something, or that it has a ‘will’ or ‘purpose’, can be ‘just’ or ‘unjust’, or that the economy ‘distributes’ or ‘allocates’ resources, all suggest a false intentionalist or constructivist interpretation of words which might have been used without such connotation, but which almost invariably lead the user to…

• Learning from Mistakes - Medical Edition.

  19 Aug 2010 | 1:33 pm

  “When you break that paradigm of litigation and give patients the chance to understand the human element of the other side — of the doctor and what they are struggling with — you find that people are far more forgiving and understanding than has been typically assumed,” said Richard C. Boothman, one of the study’s authors and the medical center’s chief risk officer, who devised and carried out the disclosure program. “We have given patients no alternative but to sue, and then we use the fact that they sue to show how opportunistic and awful they are.”That is from an article in…

• Don't Make the Same Mistake I Did

  17 Aug 2010 | 12:22 pm

  “We dump hardware down and hope magic will happen,” said Michael Trucano, senior information and education specialist at the World Bank, whose offering to FailFaire was a list of the 10 worst practices he had encountered in his job. Trucano won the award for best failure at a recent Failfare gathering at the World Bank that was co-hosted by MobileActive.  Earlier I blogged about the product pileup of things the aid industry invents that people don't want.  Events like this at the World Bank are encouraging, because talking about failure is the first step toward not making the…

• Solving the Wrong Problems

  16 Aug 2010 | 8:51 am

  "It turned out we were solving the wrong problem."That is Saul Griffith, a wunderkind inventor who created a new way to make eyeglasses on an inexpensive device in developing countries.  For that invention and others, Griffith won a MacArthur genius award.  The eyeglass machine was a great invention; unfortunately, the real constraint turns out to be testing eyes and writing accurate prescriptions rather than making the lenses.Griffiths' story is highly relevant to the aid business, especially these days as new foundations and people with experience in technology are trying to help…

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  PhilanTopic

• This Week in PubHub: Child Well-Being

  Mitch Nauffts

  1 Sep 2010 | 1:52 pm

  (Kyoko Uchida manages PubHub, the Foundation Center’s online catalog of foundation-sponsored publications. In her last post, she looked at four reports that explore options for funding the news.) Summer is over and America's children are heading back to school. How are they doing? This week in PubHub, we're featuring four reports that examine the well-being of our children and youth. The 2010 edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Book provides state-by-state data in ten categories, as well as an analyses of national trends. According to the report, overall child…

• Everyone Wants to Be a Hero

  Mitch Nauffts

  31 Aug 2010 | 12:17 pm

  (Thaler Pekar, a consultant specializing in persuasive communication, helps smart leaders and their organizations find, develop, and share the stories and organizational narratives that rally critical support. You can find other posts by Thaler herehere, and here Much of my work is focused on helping smart leaders and organizations find and develop stories to share with their audiences. To that end, I'd like to share two anecdotes that may help you achieve greater clarity in your communications. Everybody wants to be a hero. Smart leaders and organizations know that. You also know it's…

• Most Popular PhilanTopic Posts (August)

  Mitch Nauffts

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:37 am

  As we did last last month, we've pulled together a list of the most popular PhilanTopic posts over the last thirty days. Enjoy. Connecting Your Organization's Past, Present & Future (Thaler Pekar) 15 Ways to Improve Grantee Communication at Your Foundation (Kris Putnam-Walkerly) A 'Flip' Chat With...Matthew Bishop, 'Economist' Bureau Chief and 'Philanthrocapitalism' Author (Mitch Nauffts) NYC's 'Neighborhood of Conscience' (Michael Seltzer) The 'Giving Pledge' and Social Change (Mitch Nauffts) Use the comments section below and let us know what you've been reading or would…

• Weekend Link Roundup (August 28 - 29, 2010)

  Regina Mahone

  29 Aug 2010 | 8:30 pm

  Our weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector.... Communications/Marketing Network for Good's Katya Andresen shares a few takeaways from Uncharitable author Dan Pallotta's keynote speech at the Direct Marketing Association's 2010 New York Nonprofit Conference. Corporate Philanthropy On the Deep Social Impact blog, Jim Coutré weighs in on Inc. magazine's guide to developing a corporate philanthropy campaign, which he says overlooks two critical elements. Disaster Relief GuideStar president and CEO Bob Ottenhoff urges people who are donating to Pakistan…

• Philanthropy News Digest Has Gone Mobile

  Regina Mahone

  27 Aug 2010 | 1:10 pm

  With mobile phone usage on the rise, organizations are rethinking the way they deliver content to their Web site visitors. A few months back, we created a task force to evaluate our own mobile presence and decided it was time to design a site that would deliver PND's most popular features -- news, jobs, and RFPs -- to readers on the go. Voila! Say hello to PND Mobile. To access the site from your smart phone, visit: http://m.foundationcenter.org/pnd/. We'd love to hear your suggestions about how we can improve PND, mobile or otherwise. Use the comments section below or send us an…

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  Charitable Advisors Blog

• GuideStar Survey Shows Difficult First Half for Many Nonprofits

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:37 am

  Jane Page-Steiner, JPS Nonprofit Strategies How are your nonprofit's revenues for the first half of the 2010? Some 40 percent of participants in a recent GuideStar economic survey reported that contributions to their organizations dropped between January 1 and May 31, 2010, compared to the same period a year earlier. Another 28 percent said that contributions had stayed about the same, and 30 percent stated contributions had increased.How can a nonprofit organization address a shortfall of revenues mid-year in a budget cycle?You may want consider the following strategies:1. Reconnect…

• How to Engage 20-Somethings in Your Cause - Guidestar.org/August 2010

  24 Aug 2010 | 5:29 am

  Finding new volunteers and donors is one of the biggest challenges facingnonprofit organizations. For the past few years, more and more nonprofitshave used social media to get people to embrace their causes, but gettingthe "social-media generation" behind your cause and then inspiring them tocontribute in time and resources is another matter.Today's 20-somethings, sometimes called "slactivists," are often cynical ofcorporate efforts. After all, at a formative age they witnessed dramaticinstitutional and corporate failures. But they were also born during an ageof riches, are highly educated,…

• Volunteering in America 2010

  17 Aug 2010 | 10:54 am

  This year's 'Volunteering In America' report, from the Corporation for National and Community Service, reveals that for the second year in a row volunteering rates have increased in the United States.This year's report was highly anticipated for the light it would shed on two issues: whether volunteer rates would drop during the recession, and whether there really has been a compassion boom. In addition to highlighting a number of statistics such as the overall number of hours volunteered per age group, and the states and communities with the highest volunteering rates, the report sheds light…

• Are Your Board Members Bowling Or Playing Golf?

  10 Aug 2010 | 8:00 am

  I had one of those “AHA” moments a couple months ago when Dave Renz, Ph D from University of Missouri - Kansas City shared that in anecdotal research his team learned why most board members show little interest in attending training events to become better board members. They found that many board members do not really identify with the board member role or only view themselves as short-term board members. These individuals just see themselves as helping an organization they care about, and it happens to be as a board member right now. That got me thinking …My “Bowling”…

• 3 Aug 2010 | 9:49 am

  3 Aug 2010 | 9:49 am

  BIN2010: Social Media & Blogging Conference is a 2-day conference for both experienced and new bloggers and social media enthusiasts alike. Sessions will include topics ranging from beginner-level through more advanced social media marketing, business, publishing and tech topics. A beginners workshop, Social Media 101, is included for all ticket-holders.The event is being held August 20-21st in downtown Indianapolis.For more information and to register, visit http://www.blogindiana.com/2010. Use the discount code NFPNEWS and receive 15% off your ticket!

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  One.org

• Nigerian ‘Sesame Street’ to feature health, nutrition and gender equality

  Todd Summers

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:56 am

  Please welcome Todd Summers to the blog. He’s ONE’s new senior adviser for global health and we’re excited to have him! © The Associated Press 2010 The people that put together “Sesame Street” and Jim Henson’s “The Muppets Show” have been working to create a version in Nigeria called “Sesame Square.” They announced that the show will include an HIV-positive girl named Kami –- news reports describe her as ‘furry and yellow.’ Given that more than 40 percent of Nigeria’s 150 million people are under the age of 14, this…

• What We’re Reading: Two hour TB test

  Robyn Mitchell

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:53 am

  Global cash support to fight AIDS is falling – UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe said that global contributions to fighting AIDS are dropping for the first time in 15 years amid tough economic times. He called for the creation of cheaper drugs as means to quelling costs. (AFP) New test can diagnose tuberculosis in under two hours – A new molecular test for tuberculosis can diagnose TB and detect a drug-resistant form of it far more easily and rapidly than other tests currently available, according to a new study. (Kate Kelland, Reuters) New research pits cancer medication against HIV–…

• Conference highlights maternal health and MDG 5

  Brooke Riley

  1 Sep 2010 | 4:02 pm

  Please welcome Brooke Riley to the ONE Blog. She is our policy team’s most recent addition and will be assisting with global health research. Today is the final day of the groundbreaking Global Maternal Health Conference, the first international technical conference focused exclusively on maternal health. This exciting conference, organized by EngenderHealth’s Maternal Health Task Force, brings together more than 600 maternal health experts in New Delhi, India to discuss one of the most challenging fields in global health. Although progress has been made, maternal mortality rates…

• ONE attends Karl Rove reception

  Field

  1 Sep 2010 | 3:30 pm

  ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road. Maddison Klontz and Karl Rove in Indiana Last week at a formal reception in Indianapolis, I connected with Karl Rove, former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush. The reception was hosted at Indiana’s Republican Party Headquarters, in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Party Chairman Murray Clark, House Minority Leader Brian Bosma and many other political and community leaders…

• Maryland ONE member receives a signed letter from Rep. Sarbanes

  Brian Sweeney

  1 Sep 2010 | 2:59 pm

  ONE members across the country have been busy engaging their respective congressman and senators during the August recess. Maryland ONE member Nancy Kobel put forth a strong effort to meet with her congressman, Rep. John Sarbanes, (D-Md.), to let him know that she and her fellow constituents care about fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease. While Nancy was awaiting an appointment, Sarbanes sent her a personally signed letter explaining that he is a strong supporter of providing aid to developing nations! Nancy was thrilled to receive these important words from her congressman! You…

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  BAD RAP Blog

• Open House Sunday Sept 5th - Be there!

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:18 pm

  Last month's Open House was so busy that we decided to open our doors and do it again. Come on down this Sunday, September 5th, and invite your friends who want to greet, question, stare, marvel, or just tickle our available dogs who are looking for homes.Our volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the Pit Ed classes that will be in session during this hour. If you're thinking about volunteering yourself, this is the place to be. And if you're looking to adopt, you'll see a smorgasbord of dogs of every age, size and color from both BADRAP and Berkeley Animal Care Services. Please…

• Oklahoma style justice - the Newkirk dogs

  27 Aug 2010 | 3:53 pm

  The man who put Nelly on a chain and then forgot to feed her and 105+ other dogs pleaded guilty to five counts of animal cruelty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail this week. That's just about one day behind bars for every dog that died.To refresh, this was the December 2008 case in rural Kay County, Oklahoma where dogs were chained and penned in all kinds of extreme weather without shelter, with green buckets of (frozen) water and barely enough food to stay alive ... The yard that was discovered by two hunters that became the headache for a county that has no animal shelter.Jerry Southern…

• On the job

  19 Aug 2010 | 5:04 pm

• SB 250 -- Again

  19 Aug 2010 | 10:58 am

  For whatever reason, California SB 250 -- the mandatory spay/neuter bill -- is no longer inactive. In fact, the Concerned Dog Owners of California report that an assembly vote could be as early as today.After years of hosting shot fairs, and in particular, Celebrate Your Pit Bull events, it is painfully clear that what works is community outreach and education. Low-income dog owners do not have access to affordable resources, including vet care, nor do they know where to look. A mandatory spay/neuter law isn't going to make them all of a sudden get their animals altered. And if their dog/cat…

• Jim Gorant: 'The Lost Dogs' - our Review

  14 Aug 2010 | 4:40 pm

  You've probably heard about Jim Gorant's new book 'The Lost Dogs,' based on his exploration of the Vick case. We had the good fortune to read an early copy and are very happy to report that it's a gem of a book that deserves a place on every dog owner's bookshelf. Some have asked if BADRAP was featured in the book, and the answer is Yes - along with a fascinating line-up of characters who you may not have heard of but who played a significant role in ensuring that an infamous abuser was brought to justice and his war-torn victims were not forgotten.Tim disappeared and read the book in nearly…

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  Bob Ottenhoff Blog

• The DonorEdge Learning Community’s Next Lesson: Funk and Jazz

  Bob Ottenhoff

  2 Sep 2010 | 10:29 am

  Trombone Shorty I’ve come to expect that I will learn something new every time I meet with folks from GuideStar’s DonorEdge Community Foundations. After all, that’s what a learning community is all about.  From many of the group’s presidents, I’ve learned about how community foundations are re-inventing their business models, focusing less on transactional donations and more on “intentional” giving. From other community foundation presidents I’ve learned about the importance of becoming a “knowledge center,” a reservoir of information about nonprofit organizations and…

• The Sad Demise of ShoreBank

  Bob Ottenhoff

  31 Aug 2010 | 10:19 am

  It was sad to read about ShoreBank’s demise. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Regulators seized ShoreBank Corp. on Friday and agreed to sell assets to a team led by the community lender’s executives and backed by several large U.S. financial firms.” I’ve always admired the work of the bank and its efforts to provide mortgages and loans to people from low and moderate income levels, and the bank’s pioneering work in re-developing and stabilizing neighborhoods. They seemed to be a great example of “doing well by doing good,” in the model of what Mohammed Yunus calls…

• Want to Help Disaster Relief Efforts? Make Your Gift Unrestricted

  Bob Ottenhoff

  27 Aug 2010 | 7:23 am

  As CNN and other news outlets are reporting, monsoon rains have flooded large areas of Pakistan, forcing millions to flee their homes and seek humanitarian aid for such basic necessities as shelter, food, potable water, and medical care. And, as BusinessWeek pointed out, Americans are joining in force to provide assistance to the victims of this cruel tragedy. Pakistan Flood Survivors I’m always so proud when Americans come together in the face of tragedy. All across the nation, communities are asking themselves how they can help, individuals are digging into their pockets to find something…

• New Survey Gives Credence to the “New Normal”

  Bob Ottenhoff

  18 Aug 2010 | 8:31 am

  GuideStar June 2010 Economic Survey - Map of Responding Organizations GuideStar’s latest economic survey has just been released, and you can find the results here. Over the last two years, we’ve increased the number of economic reports we undertake in order to get a better feel for what is happening in the field. This was our first economic survey this year and the fourth survey we have released in the last 18 months. Participation in the survey was high, with more than 7,000 nonprofits responding. The headline for this latest report:  the economic recovery is slow and painful for many…

• The Gang of 40: How More Important Than Who

  Bob Ottenhoff

  9 Aug 2010 | 2:40 pm

  What do you think of the efforts of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to urge their fellow billionaires to donate more to charity? So far, about 40 billionaires have responded positively, and I’ve seen one estimate that the amount pledged so far is approximately $600 billion. I had several reporters call me last week, and I told them that I think this campaign is a big plus for the nonprofit sector. First, it increases public attention of the vital work the nonprofit sector provides and the need for financial support. More media attention about the importance of giving to…

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  the Communications Network blog

• Communications Assessment Made Easy

  Communications Network

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:13 am

  In an earlier post, I singled out The Foundation Review (TFR) as a then new publication worth taking a closer look at, notably because the editors recognize the importance of communications to foundation effectiveness.  It was especially gratifying to see that last February's fourth issue, which marked the end of the Review's first year, was devoted exclusively to an exploration of the strategic use of communications within and among foundations. At the time, Teri Behrens, TFR's editor, said the topic merited that coverage due to increasing reliance among foundations on "strategic…

• Sometimes You Just Have to Seize the Moment

  Communications Network

  26 Aug 2010 | 7:20 am

  Most foundation communications professionals are planning freaks. We like to gaze far into future and try to predict what's on the horizon, how it will affect us, as well as how to begin laying the groundwork to gain traction for the issues and causes our organizations support from the public, policy makers and the media.Still, from time to time, there's no accounting for good luck, and knowing how to take advantage of the unexpected. That's at least how they see things at New York Community Trust, where the able communications department didn't miss a beat when it saw an opening created by…

• Communications Help Foundations Supercharge Public Policy Efforts

  Communications Network

  23 Aug 2010 | 12:38 pm

  Guest Post: Michael Hamill Remaley There was a time when almost all foundations primarily made grants to social services, the arts and other community improvement efforts and avoided direct involvement in public policy.  Those days are long gone.  Many of the most well-known foundations are flexing their muscles and attempting to influence policy in myriad ways – from producing health news that increases understanding of necessary system reforms to supporting cross-agency communication and coordination to improve metropolitan land-use policies and practice. Aggressive and innovative…

• Who's Saying These Things...and Why?

  Communications Network

  20 Aug 2010 | 1:49 pm

  I always prefer to end my week on an upbeat note, but I find myself, instead, wondering why is today the day to pick on philanthropy and foundations?  (Friday the 13th was last week.)  By whatever quirk of fate, two rather pointed and less than flattering articles appear in today's Wall Street Journal, and both take their inspiration from the Gates/Buffett Giving Pledge, to which some 40 billionaires have signed up.  Authors of these two articles use whatever goodwill motivated people to commit to giving away at least half of their wealth, to raise some pointedly uncharitable questions…

• Teaching Tomorrow's Practitioners How to Communicate for the Public's Good

  Communications Network

  18 Aug 2010 | 5:00 am

  There's no substitute for on the job training, but there's also much to be said for getting a formal education for the kind of work foundation and other kinds of communicators do who are in the business of social change. Yet, up until now, those contemplating these kinds of careers have found few opportunities for such an education at the college or university level, short of courses sandwiched into a more typical degree program for public relations. The good news is that's changing. Thanks to a 2008 gift from his widow, Betsey Karel, there's now The Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest…

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  Dan Pallotta

• The Humanitarian Sector's Massive Failure of Imagination

  Dan Pallotta

  30 Aug 2010 | 9:50 am

  We look to government to solve massive social problems because we cannot conceive of the humanitarian sector ever reaching the scale required to solve them itself. We cannot envision the sector growing meaningfully larger because we are resigned to the belief that charitable giving is fixed, both on an individual and a national level: Americans give what they give and that's not going to change. And we imagine giving to be a zero sum game; any new benefit to one cause comes at the expense of another. Since 1970 charitable giving in the United States has remained constant at about 2% of GDP.

• Worry Isn't Work

  Dan Pallotta

  20 Aug 2010 | 8:08 am

  Many of us have grown up thinking that if we are properly self-punishing then we are somehow being responsible. "What, I'm a nervous wreck — how could I possibly take on more?" On the other hand, if, God forbid, we are feeling carefree, we have this nagging sense that we're being downright irresponsible, certain that if we don't get right back to self-flagellation then the other shoe is going to drop. And hard. We don't correlate our sense of responsibility with what we are actually producing. We correlate it with how hard we are being on ourselves. Thus anything that's fun cannot…

• We Need to Rethink Fundraising

  Dan Pallotta

  9 Aug 2010 | 12:26 pm

  Donors love to hear how little a humanitarian organization spends on fundraising, and humanitarian organizations love to tell donors what they love to hear. That's utterly misguided — unethical, even. The less an organization invests in fundraising the less it can grow. The less it can grow the more human suffering persists. We have institutionalized a mechanism for insuring the persistence of human suffering and called it "charity." Here are what some of our favorite charities spend on fundraising, according to their own figures: American Heart Association, 2009: $111 million, or 16.2%…

• Start with an Idea

  Dan Pallotta

  28 Jul 2010 | 10:40 am

  When I was 24 I moved from Boston to L.A. in search of a record deal. Never got one, but Edgar Winter did record a song I wrote called, "Stranger to Love," for a B horror movie called Netherworld. Those songwriting days taught me something important about new ideas, where they come from, when they surface, and how to relate to them. Night after night I would go into my loft and bang away on my guitar, trying to coerce a song out of it. It would take me months to write each song. This method we might call How Not to Write Songs. I was going about it the wrong way, and I notice a lot of…

• Misfit Entrepreneurs

  Dan Pallotta

  20 Jul 2010 | 12:14 pm

  Imagine Walt Disney at the age of nineteen. His uncle asks him what he plans to do with his life, and he pulls out a drawing of a mouse and says, "I think this has a lot of potential." Or Springsteen. In a concert he once told the story of how he and his dad used to go at it — how his father hated his guitar. Late one night, Springsteen came home to find his father waiting up for him in the kitchen. His father asked him what he thought he was doing with himself. "And the worst part about it," Springsteen says, "was I never knew how to explain it to him." How does he tell his father,…

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  Nonprofit Blog Exchange

• New Blog for The Nonprofit Blog Exchange

  Emily

  12 Aug 2010 | 10:53 am

  The Nonprofit Blog Exchange has moved to Wordpress. This blog will not be updated. Old entries and new roundups are now at the new blog.Please update your links! The new URL for the Nonprofit Blog Exchange is http://nonprofitblogexchange.wordpress.comIf you are using a feed reader, the new feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/npblogexchangePlease unsubscribe from this blog and subscribe to the new blog.

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  The Nonprofit Consultant Blog

• Nonprofits, Foundations, And Capital Formation

  28 Aug 2010 | 10:02 am

   On Sean Stannard-Stockton's Tactical Philanthropy blog, he commented that "One of the most bizarre criticisms of the Giving Pledge is the idea that it will hurt the economy." He quotes Forbes columnist John Tamny, who wrote:“But while it’s exciting to contemplate the giving nature of Gates and Buffett, if their true desire is to help their fellow man, they should hoard every penny of their significant wealth..."Stannard-Stockton's  response is demonstrate how nonprofits contribute to the economy, saying, in part:"Nonprofits employ people, nonprofits buy goods and services from…

• The Engaged Board Member

  19 Aug 2010 | 8:03 am

  Here's a bit from a twitter exchange between @npmaven, @alexandrapeters, and @GailPerrync:"A perpetual question! ... but I always wonder, what does "engaged" mean for a board?"Unfortunately, my answer takes a little more than 140 characters, so it will have to be a blog post.My first thought on "engagement" is that it is demonstrated by involvement beyond speaking up at board meetings: committee work, volunteering for tedious tasks (envelope stuffing anybody?), sending out minutes on time...But that's simply activity. To some extent, it's busy work. Engagement goes beyond that, to less…

• The Power of Zilch: An interview with Nancy Lublin

  16 Aug 2010 | 3:22 pm

  One of my pet peeves has always been when well-meaning, but somewhat clueless outsiders tell us in the nonprofit sector that we need to be "more businesslike." Yes, there's much that each sector can learn from the best examples in other sectors of the economy, but I've always believed that the corporate sector should be learning from us when it comes to efficiency and getting the most out of limited resources.Now, to our rescue, has come Nancy Lublin, CEO of Do Something and founder of Dress for Success. Nancy has just published Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business, with eleven practical…

• What's Better than 40 Billionaires?

  6 Aug 2010 | 8:37 am

  There's been a lot of media attention this past week for the Giving Pledge, an effort organized by Warren Buffett and Bill & Melinda Gates "to encourage the world's wealthiest individuals and families to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy." The publicity and many of the news stories focused on the first forty billionaires to sign the pledge, and the approximate dollar value of those pledges (at least $120 billion).Of course, this is wonderful news, and we all applaud each of the billionaires signing on to the pledge. but, as Jeremy MacKechnie points out on…

• Now Tweeting ...

  23 Jul 2010 | 8:43 am

  First, a quick reminder that there's still a few days left to enter the 2010 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Each year I'm pleased to help promote this fun approach to encourage and recognize great marketing by our nonprofit community. This year - for the first time - organizations can enter a tagline for their program (product or service), fundraising campaign and/or special event, in addition to their organizational tagline. But hurry, the entry deadline is July 28 - See http://bit.ly/cQjUsw to enter now.Since my posting here a couple of weeks ago, taking a nonprofit to task for…

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  Tall Skinny Kiwi

• A smooch and a free massage for our sponsors

  Andrew

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:00 pm

  So I woke up this morning to see someone on Twitter raising funds for Those Joneses and then I realized  . .  What the heck??? . .  Thats OUR family!!!!! What a surprise!!!And not only that, but the website was offering smooches and free massages and a week's vacation in Austin or Port Townsend. I thought it was hilarious and I read it out loud to my wife and kids and they laughed like crazy. But I still couldn't see who had put up this website and who was trying to raise money for our USA trip. But then on the very bottom I saw the two guerrilla fundraisers - Whitney…

• We are coming to USA: Need your help!

  Andrew

  1 Sep 2010 | 2:09 am

  Big news! Our family is returning to USA for a coast to coast tour, starting late September in New York and going down, then westward through Texas, up to Oregon and down the West Coast.Why now? Well, it is kinda sudden, isn't it?  One of the biggest reasons is because we were denied a visa extension in UK and our time on the European mainland is limited to 3 months - which is over in a few weeks. We were hoping to drive over to India but the time is not right, esp. with the roads being washed out in Pakistan. So we will go back to USA for a bit.Also, we need to reestablish our kid's…

• How Many People Attended the 'Restoring Honor' Rally?

  Andrew

  31 Aug 2010 | 9:44 pm

  Thousands of people gathering around a large vertical object to discuss plans of posterity. NO, I am not talking about the Tower of Babel. I'm talking about Glenn Beck's  Restoring Honor rally at Washington DC last weekend.The event was described as a "church picnic with a buzz" and the "Waterworld of white self-pity". The attendance figures are disputed but Newser website has a few estimates, ranging from 78,000 to 650,000. The latter suggested as the high end by Glenn Beck himself.Why are church people, even Mormon church people, so infatuated with numbers? And why do churches say they…

• The People Formerly Known as the Congregation

  Andrew

  31 Aug 2010 | 9:03 pm

  A 2007 blog post from Bill Kinnon impacts one homeschooling mother who brings it back to life for the St Louis Post-Dispatch in a post entitled Giving Thanks for the Emerging Church. This quote from Bill's post, called The People Formerly Known as The Congregation, struck me as being powerful."We grew weary from your Edifice Complex pathologies – building projects more important than the people in your neighbourhood…or in your pews. It wasn’t God telling you to “enlarge the place of your tent” – it was your ego. And, by the way, a multi-million dollar, state of the art building is…

• The Theology of Dr Seuss

  Andrew

  31 Aug 2010 | 5:20 am

  A blog post on The Sneetches made me think of Dr Seuss's books and the theology behind it. I left this comment on the blog:"I love Dr Seuss. The first sermon I ever preached at one of the churches I pastored [North Beach Baptist Church, Perth, West Australia] started with a reading from Green Eggs and Ham - it talked about the ability to try new things. Much theology in the Sneetches also, of course."Oh yeah and I spelled Seuss wrong in the title but have corrected it. Sorry.

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  eJewish Philanthropy

• Vibrant Jewish Campus Life Benefits the Entire Community

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:38 pm

  by Rabbi Hershey Novack This article articulates to the St. Louis Jewish community that their support of local Jewish campus life benefits the entire St. Louis community. More broadly, these themes resonate in similar communities throughout the country. A version of this article first appeared in the St. Louis Jewish Light. In 2008, Jewish Living magazine identified the Washington University campus area as the epicenter of one of the Top 10 Jewish communities in America, describing the school as “popular with Jews from around the country, known for its kosher kitchen and strong Hillel…

• What About a Charity’s Impact?

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:03 pm

  from The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Charities and Watchdog Groups Clash Over Monitoring Systems Battles between charities and the watchdog groups that help donors decide where to give escalated last week when a major trade association released drafts of two reports by scholars who say the watchdogs may do more harm than good. The studies, paid for and released by the Direct Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Federation at a meeting here, charge that the watchdog groups use evaluation systems that are confusing and simplistic. What’s more, they said, because the watchdog groups are…

• Limmud Fest: Expanding Jewish Horizons Under The Stars

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:01 pm

  by Ariel Kahn In its gorgeous new Suffolk location, this year’s Limmud Fest was blessed with some sunshine and an extraordinary degree of good cheer. Marketed as “the hottest festival in the British Jewish calendar”, the volunteer-run residential festival attracted a record 650 participants for four days of non-stop Jewish learning and culture. The sunny rolling hills of the South Downs were home to over 150 sessions of learning, the majority of which took place outdoors – a true celebration of Judaism without walls and a chance to embrace the Hebrew month of Ellul in the…

• New Programs Assist Doctors With Aliyah

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Israel has a doctor shortage and as a result a new series of initiatives has been launched – spearheaded by the Jewish Agency (JAFI) – to facilitate the aliyah and absorption of doctors into the country’s health system. Within the framework of one of the programs, 30 doctors made aliyah this week and headed to JAFI’s Beit Canada absorption center in Ashdod. During their first year in Israel they will learn Hebrew and take a preparatory course for the Israeli medical licensing exam. Those who pass the exam will begin working in hospitals connected to the Clalit health…

• In Boca, There Goes the Neighborhood

  eJP

  1 Sep 2010 | 9:59 pm

  from The Jewish Week: JCC, Synagogues In Holy War In Boca … the JCC’s decision has ignited a war in this heavily Jewish Broward County community. As synagogues around the country struggle with membership numbers and count on the High Holy Days to sign up congregants, thereby padding their coffers, rabbis here are seeing the JCC’s action as “usurpation” and an “invasion.” There are even fears that Boca synagogues might ban a representative of the Jewish federation, which funds the JCC, from making his annual High Holy Day pitch. And as JCCs around the country shed their old…

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  Jewish Donor Blog

• Rory Sutherland: "Sweat the small stuff"

  Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin

  16 Aug 2010 | 11:45 am

  Source: ted.com "It may seem that big problems require big solutions, but ad man Rory Sutherland says many flashy, expensive fixes are just obscuring better, simpler answers. To illustrate,... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

• Jason Fried, 37 Signals, Marketing by Sharing

  Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin

  15 Aug 2010 | 2:13 pm

  "Jason Fried is the co-founder and President of 37signals, a privately-held Chicago-based company committed to building the best web-based tools possible with the least number of features... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

• Four Marketing Tips From the Experts or "Could You Market Chocolate Filled With Air?"

  Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin

  12 Aug 2010 | 1:52 pm

  Inc.com recently published an article with some insightful and ready to use marketing tips by a few of today's business leaders. Paul Pruett saw a business opportunity when he... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

• Lessons from Jethro Tull's 8.9.10 Jerusalem Concert

  Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin

  10 Aug 2010 | 2:09 pm

  Ian Anderson, founder of the famed Jethro Tull is one of the few musicians I know that has been actively touring the world for more than 40 years. He's just one of those guys that has found a... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

• Why Our Camel Wears a Hat

  Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin

  6 Aug 2010 | 4:50 am

  It's a balmy 42 degrees C in Beersheva today. That's 107.6 degrees F, but who's counting. David This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

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  IssueLab

• Design for a New York City Workforce Information System

  20 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. <div>The fundamental challenge facing workforce and education policymakers is keeping pace with the changing economy and skill needs of American business. To meet this challenge, up-to-date and accessible workforce information -- comprehensive data and analysis about the labor market -- is more important than ever. Good workforce information allows policymakers and program operators to target education and training... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Restricting Voter Registration Drives

  19 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Project Vote. <div><div>Community-based voter registration organizations -- whether they are partisan or non-partisan, secular or religious, paid or volunteer -- serve as critical intermediaries between states and citizens who are currently alienated from the political process. While there are other mechanisms for reaching the tens of millions of eligible Americans who are still not registered to vote -- including the National Voter Registration... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Rising Temperatures Raise Food Prices: Heat, Drought, and a Failed Harvest in Russia

  19 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Earth Policy Institute. Around midnight on Wednesday, August 11th, a group of commodity analysts will gather at a meeting site in the massive South Building of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Once they are assembled, the door will be locked. Cell phones will be collected. Phone and Internet lines will be disconnected. Short of a medical emergency, no one will be permitted to leave before 8:30 am. USDA produces an estimate of world... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Turning Passion Into Action: Giving While Living

  11 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Atlantic Philanthropies, The. This publication explores the practice of Giving While Living as exemplified by our Founder Chuck Feeney. Our intention is to inspire individuals at varying levels of wealth to actively give their funds, skills and time during their lives, and receive enormous satisfaction in the process. This report includes profiles of Mr. Feeney and 10 other philanthropists who are giving generously during their lifetimes, explains the most-cited... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

• Racial Segregation in Georgia Public Schools, 1994-2001: Trends, Causes and Impact on Teacher Quality

  9 Aug 2010 | 4:59 pm

  Contributing organization(s): Fiscal Research Center of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Fiscal Research Center of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. This report looks at recent trends in segregation and its impact on teacher quality in the state of Georgia.�... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at http://www.issuelab.org

• 

  Foundation Group Blog

• Common Myths Concerning Nonprofits

  Greg McRay, EA

  20 Aug 2010 | 7:48 am

  Just yesterday, I was interviewing a new student intern candidate in my office.  During the course of our wide ranging discussion, the conversation turned to some of the interesting misconceptions we encounter with clients.  I made the comment that we often feel like the crew of the Discovery Channel show, Mythbusters.  There is a never-ending supply of well-entrenched myths and misconceptions in the nonprofit world…and dispelling them is part of our job!  In this article, let’s take a look at a few of the more common ones. MYTH: Build it and the grants will come. FACT: Uh,…

• The True Cost of Noncompliance

  Greg McRay, EA

  3 Aug 2010 | 11:11 am

  Noncompliance.  As the word suggests, noncompliance is the opposite of compliance.  But what does noncompliance mean as it relates to your nonprofit?  More important still, what is the true cost of noncompliance? If you have been a client or follower of Foundation Group for any length of time, you have heard us hounding you to get your organization in compliance.  In other words, do everything you need to do comply with local, state and federal law regarding your nonprofit.  A complete list of compliance items looks rather daunting.  It typically includes everything from filing your…

• IRS Announces Deadline for Tax Exemption Revocations

  Greg McRay, EA

  27 Jul 2010 | 9:27 am

  The IRS has finally announced its decision regarding the extension it promised to small charities facing the loss of tax exemption due to not filing Form 990N.  Now, small nonprofits have until October 15, 2010 to file Form 990N and preserve their status.  The IRS is calling this a one-time offer, so organizations that miss the new, extended deadline will be out of luck.  The IRS plans to announce the list of organizations removed from Publication 78 (the definitive list of recognized, tax-exempt organizations) sometime in early 2011.  Donors giving to such organizations will be sheltered…

• Don’t Avoid Your Nonprofit’s Problems

  Greg McRay, EA

  13 Jul 2010 | 9:14 am

  Imagine this scenario:  You are catching up on Facebook one night when you see a post from a friend.  Someone you both know has been diagnosed with a horrible disease and given little hope for recovery.  You find out later that this person had experienced all the warning signs…pain, fatigue, other clues…for months before they finally summoned up the courage to see their doctor.  If only they had gone when they first realized something was wrong, maybe they could have been helped. Sound familiar?  Sure it does.  We have all heard those stories.  But what about your…

• Update on IRS Tax Exemption Revocations

  Greg McRay, EA

  9 Jul 2010 | 1:03 pm

  It’s been almost two months since most tax-exempt organizations were required to file their annual IRS Form 990.  As we have discussed at great length on these pages, the due date for tax year 2009 was the doomsday date for many nonprofits which had not filed Form 990 for three consecutive years.  Now the numbers appear to be rolling in… According to today’s Chronicle of Philanthropy, nearly 300,000 nonprofits are in danger of losing their tax exemptions.  Approximately 196,000 have officially missed their filing deadline and another 96,500 have deadlines between now and…

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  Living and Giving

• Before You Buy It, “Will You Keep It For Ten Years?”

  Pamela Hawley

  1 Sep 2010 | 8:25 am

  It’s amazing to me how our society, and perhaps I should say American society, encourages us at all points to buy.  I’ve never been one much to shop, so I’m not swayed by the spring sale signs, the back to school sales, or the holiday sales.  But if I were an avid shopper, I can’t imagine how tantalizing these frequent messages might seem. And yet we are beginning to ask ourselves: do we need it? I really take this one step further.  If you are going to buy it, I’d think for the long term.  Clothes can last a very, very long time.  Some of the clothes I have, I bought eight or…

• I Envision a World Without Salt Packets

  Pamela Hawley

  30 Aug 2010 | 8:35 am

  There are so many things that are packaged within paper, and the waste can be enormous.  I think about the time, manufacturing costs, the transport, the packaging, when we look at individual salt packets.  My guess is, forty granules of salt are contained within a tiny salt packet.  And we’ve got to enclose it with paper, and then put it in another big package to transport it.  There are so many ways that we use paper that are not allowing us to be effective stewards of our environment. There was an interesting write-up of editorial letters in the Chronicle the other day.  In it, one…

• Water Is the “New Diamond”

  Pamela Hawley

  27 Aug 2010 | 8:25 am

  An Expensive Proposition: The Rising Price of Water Why is it that we walk into an airport, and we can go up to dozens of water fountains and get free water? It’s not free.  It costs money to purify it…someone has to maintain the pipes and the appropriate flow of water…maintenance teams are needed…and cleaning services must ensure the sanitation of the fountain. I wouldn’t be surprised if soon in the future, you walk in the airport and the drinking fountains are coin-operated.  50 cents for a glass of water.  Why shouldn’t we pay for it? The easy answer is that, in many…

• I Am the Developing Person–A Journey to Peru [Part 4 of 4]

  Pamela Hawley

  25 Aug 2010 | 8:25 am

  This is the fourth of a four-part series entitled I Am the Developing Person. This is an unedited account of a personal journey and will be followed by stories from a few more of my international volunteer trips. Many of the experiences on these trips would become the impetus for founding UniversalGiving™. Please note that at the time of this writing, plastic bags were not yet outlawed (they are now forbidden in San Francisco) and Farmer’s Markets were not as available, thus the references to using plastic bags and Safeway. Appreciate the Heaven We Live We exist in a current heaven.

• I Am the Developing Person–A Journey to Peru [Part 3 of 4]

  Pamela Hawley

  23 Aug 2010 | 8:15 am

  This is the third of a four-part series entitled I Am the Developing Person. This is an unedited account of a personal journey and will be followed by stories from a few more of my international volunteer trips. Many of the experiences on these trips would become the impetus for founding UniversalGiving™. A Simplified Room Often when I am abroad, and I stay in a simplified room.  A thin woven bedspread.  White or cream painted walls.  A simple mirror; two local paintings; perhaps, maybe, a small plant kindly placed.  A gentle embroidered mat underneath a plastic tray, with a cup of…

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  Kiva Loans

• Chanthou Saem's Group : Cambodia

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:00 am

  $25 of $975 raised. Started raising funds on Sep 1, 2010 This village loan is made up of six members who live in Preak Snay village, Kandal province. Mrs. Phal Chuon is the village bank president who has been selected by the members. Each member of this group will use his or her portion of the loan to support a different business. Mrs. Phal Chuon is a farmer who owns one hectare of land to cultivate rice. Aside from farming, she is also a fish seller in the local market. She will use her loan from Kiva partner, AMK, to buy more fish to sell. From both her businesses, Mrs. Phal Chuon is able…

• Chea Hen's Group : Cambodia

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:00 am

  $0 of $775 raised. Started raising funds on Sep 1, 2010 This village bank loan consists of seven people who live in Bat Lvea village in Kandal province. Mr. Chea Hen, age 38, is the village bank president. He was selected for this role by the other members, who will use their portions of the loan for various purposes. Mr. Chea Hen is a farmer who owns a plot of land on which he cultitvates rice for a living. He is also the village chief and a wedding chef while his wife, Mrs. Tho Loem, is a dessert seller and also supports her husband on the farm. The couple have four children; three are…

• Jonh Pean : Cambodia

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:00 am

  $75 of $500 raised. Started raising funds on Sep 1, 2010 Mr. Jonh Pean is a villager from Prey Sandaek village, Takeo province. He was born in 1960 and is the father of a child who is a seamstress in a garment factory. Jonh and his wife, Mrs. Srey Mom Tun, are farmers who own a plot of land where they grow rice to sell to support their family. Jonh is also a musician. Since his business is going well, he wants to expand it. Therefore, Mr. Jonh Pean is asking for a loan to buy speakers to rent out for parties.

• Tesorito De Oro - Ocongate Group : Peru

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:00 am

  $350 of $4,825 raised. Started raising funds on Sep 1, 2010 The members belong to the “Tesorito de Oro – Ocongate” communal bank. They live in the district of Ocongate, which belongs to the province of Quispicanchis, Cusco department. Mariza is 27 years old, is from Ocongate, and lives with her husband. Her husband is a mechanic and he sells lubricants for cars. She has 2 children who are studying in the public school in Ocongate. She alternates her household activities with raising small livestock. She buys small animals (guinea pigs, domestic fowl, pigs), fattens them, and sells them.

• Yon Nou's Group : Cambodia

  1 Sep 2010 | 12:00 am

  $25 of $675 raised. Started raising funds on Sep 1, 2010 In Tuol Sang Ka village, Takeo province, these five people make up this group loan. The members will use their portion of the loan for different purposes to improve their businesses. Mr. Yon Nou is the group leader, selected by the other members. Mr. Yon Nou, 49 years old, and his wife, Mrs. Sen Sem, are farmers who own a one-hectare (2.5-acre) plot of land that they use to cultivate rice to sell to support their family. Moreover, Mr. Yon Nou is also a chef. Their problem is that is time to grow rice on their field but they do not have…

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  La Vida Idealist

• You Have to Walk Before You Can Run Away

  agarberson

  1 Sep 2010 | 7:24 am

  Open an expat’s Moleskine notebook, expecting the embellished prose of adventure travel writing, and you will likely be mistaken. Anyone who has ever had to leave because they wanted to stay, also known as renewing a tourist visa, is searching for something and, more often than not, the quest for discovery is more internal than external. More Kerouac than Condé Nast Traveler. Real travel writing The Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of internationally renowned physician and anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer, Mountains Beyond Mountains, is a prerequisite for anyone hoping to have a meaningful…

• Partners in Poverty

  bridgeterin

  31 Aug 2010 | 7:23 am

  Hello audience. You probably don’t know me because for the past four months I’ve been buried under a mountain of tortillas, entrenched by torrential rain, and beaten into cultural submission by hostile stares. Put plainly, I moved to the rural highlands of Guatemala and, for all intensive purposes, fell off the face of the Earth. So before I go into my treatise on the next decade of my poverty, I’d like to beg your forgiveness, audience, for having been so utterly negligent. Photo from Flickr user 100Wasser A few months ago I left my volunteer position with Ya’axché…

• Signing Off: Reverse Culture Shock and Lessons Learned from a Year Abroad

  KFriedland

  30 Aug 2010 | 8:11 am

  Last week I stepped onto U.S. soil for the first time in a year, and I admit that I’m experiencing a classic case of reverse culture shock. For the first few days I felt a pang of worry before drinking tap water, and was reluctant to throw toilet paper into the bowl. I wondered at the size of American taxis. The ease with which I could turn on a stove amazed me. However, despite my childlike wonder at the forgotten conveniences of the developed world, nostalgia for Peru has already started to sink in. As I think back on the year and my memories begin to sweeten and solidify into easily…

• Recognizing Difference

  Lindsey

  27 Aug 2010 | 1:53 pm

  My experience with the disabled began with Colin. He was a happy, 19-year-old boy with Down syndrome when I started working with him as a personal care attendant. During my sophomore year of college, I spent one or two evenings a week with him until a few months after I graduated. I also had the opportunity to help out at his Sunday School class that his mom lead, a class  full of students with any type of disability that existed within the church. My interest in the disabled increased as my friendship with Colin and his family grew closer. I decided to join him, as a volunteer, at a week…

• Pre-Departure Checklist

  vidauruguaya

  26 Aug 2010 | 8:05 am

  I’m packing my bags. My college roommate gets married on Saturday, and I’ll be darned if I miss it. Despite the fact I’m technically already traveling, and at one point my belongings here filled two suitcases, this trip will involve transit through four countries via bus, boat, two planes, and another bus – just to get there – and so out comes the checklist. Aerial view of Montevideo Pay bills and credit card(s). While you’re at it, call credit/debit card companies to let them know you’ll be traveling so they don’t suspend your card. Feeding two people…

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  Live United Blog

• Temporary Workers in a Permanent Fix

  Liz

  26 Aug 2010 | 1:43 pm

  A few weeks ago I was at a meeting and across the table I glimpsed a smile I thought I recognized. Sure enough—an old friend I had lost track of years ago. She was working in our office as a temp, and this is the first time our paths had crossed. We chatted for a bit and caught up on things, and then she was gone. Photo credit: iStock As temporary workers make up an increasingly larger share of our workforce (it’s not just the front desk anymore) and hold positions at companies for longer periods of time—sometimes for years, I got to wondering what it’s like to be a temp worker. Is it…

• Eat Well to be Well

  Liz

  5 Aug 2010 | 12:45 pm

  Summer: Time for good food fresh from the farm (or farmer’s market). It’s the easiest time to eat local, healthy food. A new campaign has just launched, focusing on the importance of healthy eating. I asked Amy Lopez, our impact manager in the hunger area, to answer a few questions about this new push for healthy eating. Liz: What is “Eat Well to be Well Amy: Eat Well to Be Well is a public awareness campaign targeting adults age 60+. The campaign was created by the Twin Cities Hunger Initiative, a community initiative that is striving to reduce and end hunger in the Twin…

• Campaign Kickoff!

  Liz

  29 Jul 2010 | 1:33 pm

  We’ve just launched our 2010 internal United Way fundraising campaign. We have a goal of 100% of our staff contributing. (And if all of us do, the whole company gets an extra day off in December—go team!) As you might expect, we have a very high participation rate to begin with, usually around 90-95%. But 100% is a stretch goal, even for us. Wish us luck! As part of our kickoff event we saw the new United Way “When you can’t do, donate” ads. They are great fun. Attention all you budding artists out there: There is also a “design your own” component to this ad campaign. There…

• Deep Democracy

  Liz

  22 Jul 2010 | 1:53 pm

  Photo credit to Southernpixel I have been meaning to blog about this since before the 4th of July, but summer just keeps getting in the way (gardening, birding, trips to the north shore, reading books on the porch). A few weeks ago I finished Getting a Grip, by Frances Moore Lappé (you may have heard of her, author years and years ago of Diet for a Small Planet). In Getting a Grip, Lappé calls on us to increase our involvement in democracy, moving from what she calls “thin democracy” (primarily voting and consuming) to a more participatory democracy, or what I like to think of as…

• The Future Is Now

  Liz

  1 Jul 2010 | 11:52 am

  I just finished the July-August edition of The Futurist and learned many fascinating things as per usual. Here are a few items that were new to me: “Unconsumption” describes the now savvy and respectable trend of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Fashions are changing faster than ever because clothing is becoming relatively cheaper. In fact, 21st century clothes are 70% cheaper than the mod outfits of the Sixties. (This was further elaborated on in Plenitude, Juliet B. Schor’s new book, where she talks about ever cheaper clothes and our increasing propensity to buy—and discard—said…

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  Red Rooster Group

• Seeking Top Talent

  Howard

  27 Aug 2010 | 5:25 am

  Red Rooster Group is bursting at the seams with good work and we are looking for passionate people to join our growing staff. We are currently seeking graphic designers, web programmers, social media experts, marketing experts, social media gurus and business development pros, as well as freelancers and interns. Check out our Careers section for job descriptions.

• Red Rooster Group Wins MARK Award

  Howard

  26 Aug 2010 | 6:59 pm

  Red Rooster Group, in a joint project with Moss Appeal, won a Silver MARK Award of Excellence for developing the “Cheap Date Kit” direct mailing for Reelzchannel. The award recognizes excellence in promotional creativity cable industry and puts us in the company of HBO, Showtime, other leading cable brands. The kit was mailed to decision makers of cable operators such as Time Warner Cable, to get them to consider Reelchannel for their line-up. The nearly 2-foot box filled with Smack ‘N’ Cheese, an electric votive, a tin of mints and a blanket, all promoting Reelzchannel, conveyed…

• Ask the Expert: Media Sponsorship Expectations

  Howard

  26 Aug 2010 | 1:33 am

  What should be expected from a media sponsor when asked to sponsor an annual gala fundraiser? When it comes to local TV, radio and newspaper sponsorships (if your sponsorship levels range from $600 to $10,000) what is reasonable to ask in return? It doesn’t seem like 10k would get you much air time if you were buying it outright. We are hoping to raise $30-50k in our second year and have 250-300 people attending. — Walter R. OUR RESPONSE: Walter, $10,000 can get you a decent reciprocal media exchange in a print publication. Typically, we have seen media sponsorships as barter deals…

• Work Hard. Be Nice. Lessons for Nonprofits

  Howard

  26 Aug 2010 | 1:02 am

  BOOK REVIEW: Work Hard. Be Nice. by Jay Mathews How the Founding of the KIP School Provides Lessons for Nonprofits How can two young teachers, fresh off stints from Teach for America, create what has become one of the most successful models for a charter school in America? Work Hard. Be Nice. is the story of hard work, persistence, and above all, a deep-rooted commitment to helping kids in the face of an educational system that denies has written them off. Since Red Rooster Group taken on the marketing of Child Development Center, a special needs school, and education is a particular…

• Successful Seminar at the Foundation Center

  Howard

  25 Aug 2010 | 11:09 pm

  Howard Adam Levy spoke about Nonprofit Marketing on a Shoestring at the Foundation Center yesterday. He described the process for updating Friends of Karens’ brand and website and then interviewed Jill Gold, Friends of Karen’s Communications Coordinator. Marketing Consultant Nancy Schwartz opened the session with an overview of marketing for nonprofits. 10 Ways to Save Money on Your Marketing 1.   Be consistent to foster recognition. This will save your audience from having to “decode” your message every time they encounter your organization. 2.   Conduct your own research…

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  Look To The Stars News: Latest

• Stars Back Jerry Lewis Telethon With Charity Auction

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:30 am

  To celebrate Jerry Lewis' Labor Weekend telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, charity auction site BiddingForGood.com has some fantastically massive celebrity items going under the hammer. Here is a selection of what is on offer: Celebrity Signed Harley Gas Tank This authentic orange Harley-Davidson gas tank was autographed by bands that performed during Summerfest 2008, including Sevendust, Anew Revolution, Flobots, Daryl Stuermer, Blondie, Bootsy Collins, Finger Eleven, Tim McGraw and the Jonas Brothers. Soap Opera Cruise to Mexico with 16 top actors Sixteen of today’s…

• Snoop Dogg Designs Coffee Cup With A Cause For Charity

  2 Sep 2010 | 8:00 am

  7-Eleven, Inc. has scored Snoop Dogg, a global superstar, as the fourth designer in their charitable “Coffee Cup With A Cause” program. Proceeds from Snoop’s cup will benefit the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL), a Los Angeles-based football club founded by the entertainer himself 6 years ago to help inner-city kids spend their free time in a healthy, safe environment. Snoop fans who want to support the SYFL can head into any participating 7-Eleven store across the U.S. to purchase his signature cup, on sale from Sept. 1 through Oct. 18 or while supplies last. 7-Eleven…

• George Clooney Joins Stand Up To Cancer Lineup

  2 Sep 2010 | 7:00 am

  The extraordinary lineup of actors, musicians, athletes and journalists participating in the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) primetime roadblock television fundraising event (September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT) continues to grow. The following supporters have now joined the broadcast: Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Sir Richard Branson, Michael Chiklis, George Clooney, Baron Davis, Emily Deschanel, Bill Hader, Dorothy Hamill, Anne Heche, Cheryl Hines, Randy Jackson, George Karl, Dr. Jon Lapook, Rob Lowe, Jane Lynch, Marlee Matlin, Shareen Mitchell, Olivia Munn, Lisa Niemi, Kelly…

• Damien Hirst Paints Guitar For Charity

  2 Sep 2010 | 6:00 am

  Written by Delinda Lombardo Canadian guitar-maker Carparelli has created a series of 10 guitars, each painted by well known artists, to be auctioned off to raise money for 10 charities. The first of these unique guitars – to be auctioned later this year by Christies – was painted by British artist Damien Hirst. The guitar is expected to fetch close to $100,000 to benefit the War Child charity. A second guitar, painted by American artist Jim Warren, and signed by Mike Love and Bruce Johnston from the Beach Boys and Kris Kristofferson, will also be sold to raise funds for Amnesty…

• Slip Into George Clooney's Tux For Charity

  2 Sep 2010 | 5:30 am

  Written by Tim Saunders To celebrate George Clooney's Bob Hope Humanitarian Award – awarded at the Emmy’s this week – ClothesOffOurBack.org is offering you a selection of his tuxedos for charity. Until September 14, Clothes Off Our Back is auctioning Armani tuxedos the actor wore at the Golden Globes. Proceeds from the auction benefit Clothes Off Our Back’s charities including Feeding America, Malaria No More, Hope North, AbilityFirst, Villa Esperanza and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. To access the auction, visit Clothesoffourback.org. Related past articles George…

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  Leading by Design: A Resource for Nonprofits

• Poke Your Head Up and Ask

  26 Aug 2010 | 9:51 am

  I'M IN LOVE WITH BENCHMARKING.  I love gathering data about organizations, but not simply for gathering's sake.  It's got to be focused information that can help to paint a picture about success (or the potential for success).  For me, benchmarking is a nifty tool that can help to answer two key questions every nonprofit needs to ask: 1)  how can I tell how my organization's doing until I start to compare it with similar or better organizations?  and 2) how can I know all that might be possible for my organization until I know what's out there already?Benchmarking is…

• Nonprofit Trends: Lost in Translation?

  24 Aug 2010 | 5:28 am

  STARTING TODAY I'M SPENDING A BIG CHUNK OF TIME shifting the furnishings around in the nonprofit office where I work part-time.  My organization will soon be sharing space with another nonprofit in order to save a bit on rent.  The last time I had to share an office with others was almost 20 years ago and that was with a co-worker.  So, as much as I want to help the bottom line of my association, I'm a little worried about the personal workstyle adjustment I'm facing.I wasn't surprised, then, when I learned from a group of rural nonprofit leaders earlier this month that…

• Getting Beyond the "Bored" Meeting

  23 Aug 2010 | 4:44 am

  MY AUDIO/POWERPOINT SLIDES TO MY WEBINAR for NYS Arts on how to up the quality quotient for board meetings is available hereThis webinar looks at some basics:  what board meetings should accomplish (and often don't), how revisioning an agenda can provide meaning as well as focus, and how dashboards, breakouts, facilitated discussions and conversation recorders can both deepen and expand understanding. Illustration:  The Boring Meeting from fourborne via Flickr

• Board Recruitment: Still Missing the Mark

  20 Aug 2010 | 5:58 am

  LET'S FACE IT -- IF FINDING COMMITTED, DYNAMIC AND FORWARD-THINKING board members was easy, you wouldn't be reading this post.  And I wouldn't have written about board recruitment as much as I have (see here, here, here, and here to list a few of the dozen or so posts I written on this topic).  I'm not the only one writing about it -- there are dozens of articles and book chapters devoted to it and plenty of workshops and webinars (OK, these are webinars I developed for NYS ARTS) available.  I like to think we might be making some headway on understanding that board recruitment…

• You Get What You Deserve

  3 Aug 2010 | 2:39 pm

  MY COLLEAGUE LINDA NORRIS AND I HAVE a long history in the trenches of museum administration.  The post is really a tribute to her insight, which is that boards get the directors they deserve and vice versa.  It's a tough philosophy particularly when it refers to a negative relationship.  But, frankly, both of us have seen it played out in dozens and dozens of organizations.  It reminds me of what another colleague told me about a particular board that hired the same type of director over and over again and could never understand why they had a mess on their…

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  A Voice For Children

• A lesson from World Vision

  I recently completed a book entitled “The Hole in Our Gospel” by the current president of World Vision, Richard Stearns. World Vision, as you likely know, is a faith-based relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. The organization annually receives more than $1 billion in [...]

• Boomers redefine retirement with philanthropy

  An article in the National Post this week reports that Boomers are defining retirement by creating new, purpose-driven careers for themselves, rather than quietly going off into the sunset. The article cites a new study by the Center for Work-Life Policy,  which reports that the majority of working Boomers (approximately 62 percent) expect to stay in [...]

• Budget concerns are not setting this year’s corporate philanthropic agenda

  This week the Conference Board, a nonprofit that bills itself as global business research and membership association, released the results of an annual survey which indicates that corporate planning for community involvement has moved out of crisis mode and into a recovery mindset. According to the press release, the report — The 2010 Philanthropy Agenda: Is [...]

• Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone!

  As the book-end to Step #8, Create an Emotional Atmosphere, Step #9 is equally as important—Be Brief, Be Bright, Be Gone! As you prepare the final presentation itself, and make final preparations for the giving of that presentation, a few pieces of advice. Make sure you know how many people will [...]

• Hope for Haiti?

  This week USAID, the federal agency spearheading the US Government’s efforts in Haiti, released an updated report highlighting its current efforts in the Caribbean nation. If nothing else, the report only seems to underscore the monumental task that remains ahead in rebuilding the country and lives of the earthquake’s survivors.

• 

  The Causemopolitan

• The Future We’ll Make: TEDxChange Flickr Photo Campaign

  Sloane Berrent

  1 Sep 2010 | 11:55 am

  TEDxChange: The Future We Make On September 20, 2010 is TEDxChange, an event co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and TED. TEDxChange marks the anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals. Ten years in, the question remains where do we stand in the work to save and improve lives around the world? And what will the future hold? The future isn’t fixed. We can all have a hand in making a better world. To coincide with TEDxChange and the tenth anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals, the Gates Foundation is asking you the following question: What is the future we…

• New Orleans Reflections For K10

  Sloane Berrent

  31 Aug 2010 | 1:00 pm

  The following post is a written letter by Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. I’m sharing the letter in its full format because I believe this is something more people should read and hope that by sharing it with you – readers of The Causemopolitan – that you’ll understand a little bit more the struggles and the triumphs of New Orleans and how we all work a little bit every day to undestand it more and to work towards a better future. The “us” is all of us. It’s not just residents, it’s expats living elsewhere,…

• Reshma For Congress

  Sloane Berrent

  31 Aug 2010 | 11:21 am

  I came across the most remarkable woman running for Congress. Since I wrote about supporting professional women last week, I thought this was a good follow up. Resham Saujani is running for Congress in the 14th district of New York City which encompasses the East Side and Queens. She is using social media to help spread the word about her campaign and being transparent every step along the way as she talks about her campaign on her website and on Twitter (you can follow her @reshma2010 or join her campaign by texting JOIN to 646-807-9932). She writes about herself: My name is Reshma Saujani.

• Pakistan Flood Relief: How You Can Help

  Sloane Berrent

  27 Aug 2010 | 9:00 am

  Dangling Feet, Kerala; Courtesy of Taylor Davidson on Flickr Shocking: The floods in Pakistan are affecting more than six times the number of people affected by the Haiti earthquake. I’ve been looking for ways to give back to help Pakistan. Where to give, where to donate, where to direct people and I came across a few great lists and posts, especially one from The Women’s Conference blog. There is a lot of dialogue about why more people haven’t stepped up to help Pakistan, especially this article from the BBC which points to everything from the media portrayal of Pakistan to…

• 826LA Heats Up

  Sloane Berrent

  26 Aug 2010 | 7:00 am

  Once a week this summer, come back to The Causemopolitan to read a guest post that will inspire you right up out of your seat to get involved and give back in a special series called Cause It’s Summer! Featured bloggers will be sharing their own reflections and stories, tips and resources, and perspective on philanthropy, social entrepreneurship and their own cause-filled life. This week welcome Laura Hertzfeld who shares her personal experience volunteering with 826LA. It’s amazing to think how your life can change when you dedicate yourself to giving back. Thanks Laura for sharing…

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  Orgpreneur

• Accountability Demands Performance

  David Gammel

  19 Aug 2010 | 7:33 am

  An article about Netflix’s vacation policy this week caused a bit of an envious stir online. The policy? Take as much time off as you want, just make sure you are getting done what you need to get done. Accountability! Flexibility! Hooray! Here is the secret to why this actually works for Netflix is not abused: They fire average performers. From the article: People who don’t produce are shown the door. “Adequate performance,” the company says, “gets a generous severance package.” Anyone who would abuse these open policies (approvals are not needed for…

• I Learned a Lot about Delegation During CPR Training

  David Gammel

  28 Jul 2010 | 1:47 pm

  When I took a class on CPR a few years ago the instructor gave us one of the best lessons I’ve ever had on delegation. She said that when you come across some who isn’t breathing, you need to get someone else to call 911 for emergency response before you begin CPR. Yelling “Somebody call 911!” turned out to be the wrong thing to do in this scenario. There is a great chance that no one will call 911 if you just yell for anybody to do it. The instructor said that you should make eye contact with someone nearby, point at them, and say very firmly “You! Call 911 and…

• Opening the Books to Staff

  David Gammel

  22 Jul 2010 | 8:15 am

  Great story in the New York Times today as part of their series on small businesses. The post is about how a new factory owner revealed and explained the financials of the company to the staff and placed accountability on them to make the changes necessary to save turn the operation around. A choice quote: Starting Over in Lexington: Blowing the Doors Off Seeing an opportunity to diversify the plant’s products and clients, we took it over, saving 100 in jobs in the process. But we didn’t write a blank check: we told the employees that we would teach them financial literacy, that we would…

• Assuming Risk

  David Gammel

  20 Jul 2010 | 7:23 am

  My friend Wes Trochlil pointed out his favorite definition of entrepreneur in a post today: …someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it. That really does get to the essence of it, especially the part that comes after ‘and.’ Entrepreneurship is all about taking on risk in order to achieve something greater. The classic business entrepreneur puts their cash, assets, time and relationships on the line when she starts a new enterprise. The risks for an orgpreneur, someone who works within an organization in an entrepreneurial way, are different.

• Example of a Goal That Matters in Action

  David Gammel

  19 Jul 2010 | 2:19 am

  An Apparel Factory Defies Stereotypes, but Can It Thrive I read this story in the New York Times over the weekend about Knights Apparel, a company that manufactures t-shirts and other clothing for college book stores. The founder and CEO, Joseph Bozich, wanted to not only offer a great and profitable product, he wanted to address a critical issue in the apparel market: being successful without paying wages that keep workers below the poverty level. As you read it, you can note the passion for their work that the executives, their workers, and their customers have for the idea of creating…

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  DonationPay Blog

• In Which We Are Shamelessly Delighted By A Blog Post

  AJ

  8 Aug 2010 | 6:52 pm

  Zach Wales Just Blew Our Minds Zach Wales, the philanthropic/marketing strategy blogger from OnLine, over at Changing Our World, has written an article about DonationPay.  Zach’s blog is terrific, informative and well-written, with detailed analyses of the challenges and joys of all things related to online philanthropy.  We are so flattered and thrilled to be featured and it couldn’t be by a friendlier or more well-informed fellow blogger.  Thanks, Zach! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Email this to a friend? Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share this on…

• Writing For Search Engine Optimization

  AJ

  4 Aug 2010 | 9:56 am

  Get your crayons ready, writers, and get to work! As I think I’ve mentioned numerous times before, simple SEO techniques that can be performed by any decently savvy non-profit manager (or an extra-smart chimpanzee) can make or break a sites success online.  It can be truly shocking just how much difference a few image tags, submissions to relevant directories and keyword-rich text can make.  If you’re building a website, it’s sometimes very hard to create a informational structure that is both usable and appealing to your web traffic and readable by the search engine…

• Non-Profit of the Week: United for Justice with Peace

  AJ

  21 Jul 2010 | 11:28 am

  We’ve had a lot of inquiries lately from charitable organizations that have not yet received their official non-profit status or are groups with a looser organizational structure, but who still want to accept donations online.  Getting comprehensive processing as an unincorporated non-profit can be tricky, unless you set up an individual account with PayPal (which, as we all know, is an expensive hassle).  We recently set up our first DonationPay payment page for an unincorporated non-profit. United for Justice with Peace is a wonderful non-profit based in the Boston area.  They are…

• Ad Words: Let it Rock Your Organization

  AJ

  7 Jul 2010 | 12:50 pm

  Setting up a successful Google AdWords campaign is more of an art than a science, but a well-thought-out campaign can be an incredible catalyst to bringing increased donations to your organization and traffic through your website.  AdWords can be especially effective when you’re trying to promote a particular event or fundraiser and it’s always a good idea to have a smart campaign running when you’re looking to bring new visitors to your organization’s site.  An Adwords campaign is another one of those try-try-again situations (like email marketing), where…

• Items of Interest: A Round-Up

  AJ

  24 Jun 2010 | 8:31 am

  And I hope you do too. . . Because I am an intermittent blogger at best, I end up accruing a large number of interesting gems from the Interwebs and elsewhere that I intend to share or reference later in my blog and then sometimes get lost in the shuffle.  I always think I’m going to use my favorites in one big, extensive blog post that really ties the room together, but alas, it’s not happening today.  There is literally no end to the useful information available online, but today I thought I’d just leave you with a hacky little list of food for thought: 1.) This 2008…

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  Intelmarx News

• Intelmarx’s Top 12.4 New Things Going On for the Summer of 2010

  intelmarx

  12 Aug 2010 | 6:34 am

  Intelmarx’s Top 12.4 List for the Summer of 2010 August 12, 2010 read more

• Intelmarx Partners with New Company to Fight in Current Child Health Crisis

  intelmarx

  13 Apr 2010 | 12:49 pm

  Intelmarx Partners with New Company to Fight in Current Child Health Crisis Intelmarx, LLC joins Fizika Group, LLC along with six other companies to provide innovative approaches to health and physical education. read more

• Intelmarx hired by Friends of the Tom Ridge Environmental Center to Develop Social Network

  intelmarx

  7 Apr 2010 | 8:56 am

  Intelmarx hired by Friends of The Tom Ridge Environmental Center to Develop Social Network Custom-designed Social Network to help raise $3 million for endowment fund read more

• Intelmarx helps Mission Central react quickly to aid Haiti

  intelmarx

  23 Feb 2010 | 8:04 am

  (Mechanicsburg, PA - Feb. 16, 2010) – Mission Central, the mission warehouse of the Central Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, was able to send over $250,000 worth of aid kits in the days and weeks following the tragic earthquake in Haiti last month. While most missions and support groups were scrambling to ramp up operations, Mission Central already had most of the aid kits ready to go at its 50,000 square foot warehouse in Camp Hill, PA. read more

• Intelmarx Provide Social Network and Marketing Services to Methodist Advocacy Group

  intelmarx

  4 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  (Harrisburg, PA - January 4, 2010) - Intelmarx, LLC created a social network and continues to perform marketing services for the United Methodist Advocacy on Pennsylvania who educates and advocates on behalf of the church in the halls of the State Capitol in Harrisburg. They are one of only two statewide United Methodist advocacy groups in the nation that focuses on educating state legislators and the governor to see their work through the lens of the church's social principles.

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  Causes Exchange

• 4 Days Left to Win a Free Trip to Africa

  Jeremy Bogen The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria

  31 Aug 2010 | 12:35 pm

  If you can get 42 friends to sign this petition, YOU could go to Africa with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria…for free.  We at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, one of the largest and most reputable international nonprofits dedicated to solving these issues, have just announced that we will take one person from Causes with us on our next trip to Lesotho in southern Africa to see the front lines of the fight against HIV.  Right now, Valentin Poeta is in the lead with just 42 signatures collected.  This is a rare chance for you to see the…

• Nonprofits’ Recession Woes: Demand Up, Supply Down

  Matt Mahan

  30 Aug 2010 | 7:08 am

  Last week, Guidestar released a broad survey of U.S. nonprofit organizations’ financial strength in the first five months of 2010.  As you might guess, the report contains some unwelcome news.  Many of the 7,000 organizations surveyed reported funding shortfalls, service cutbacks, and layoffs, none of which should surprise anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past two years. However, a majority of the nonprofits reported either increased (30%) or flat (28%) donation intakes through May of this year.  Not long ago one might have claimed this as evidence of vibrancy in the…

• Causes + Open Graph = Huge Win for Nonprofits

  Susan Gordon

  24 Aug 2010 | 2:33 am

  Big news here at Causes HQ: Facebook’s new Open Graph API is here and that means Causes, and its nonprofit partners, can do much more within Facebook. What’s happening? You will be able to post bulletins to your members’ News Feeds, the first page they see when they sign into Facebook. Your causes will be searchable in Facebook. Before, your cause was searchable in the Causes application but not the main Facebook search. Not anymore Your causes will be featured in the Likes and Interests section of your members’ Facebook profiles. How is this different? For the first…

• Tuning In to Pakistan

  Susan Gordon

  20 Aug 2010 | 10:23 am

  I have to admit that when I first heard about the floods in Pakistan, my heart sank and I thought “What next?”  After the earthquake hit Haiti, there has been a seemingly incessant stream of natural disasters from the earthquakes in Chile to the mudslides in China.  In 2010 alone, more than 220,000 people have been killed in natural disasters.  So I tuned out and skimmed over the articles about Pakistan. Until today when I looked at Boston.com’s photo series and saw this photo specifically. Suddenly the rumors of flooding became faces and stories.  As I read the…

• Numbers are Your Friends

  Susan Gordon

  17 Aug 2010 | 11:42 am

  I am the daughter of a math whiz.  Unfortunately, math was never my favorite subject and I spent many evenings growing up sitting at the kitchen table while my dad tried to help me understand basic trigonometry, geometry, and algebra.  He would repeatedly say, “Numbers are your friends” and try his best to teach me to have fun with math.  “Numbers are your friends” stuck with me and I think of it often as more and more nonprofits ask me for the numbers, data, metrics, and stats for their causes.  So I thought I’d provide a quick guide to some of the numbers…

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  GivingFirst.org Blog

• Colorado Businesses: Tooting their Horns!

  GivingFirst.org Blog

  18 Aug 2010 | 12:46 pm

  By Mike JacksonI love Colorado! I’ve lived in this state more than 30 years and appreciate the gift we all share of living in this beautiful place. As the director of nonprofit relations and services, I help nonprofit organizations look for funding, invest for their future, and prepare for tomorrow. I regularly meet with nonprofit professionals who work day-in-and-day-out to tell their organization’s story and recruit charitable support from the public.What always stands out to me is both the good work being done and the amount of work there is to do. From feeding the hungry to protecting…

• Create a GivingFirst Profile that Glistens!

  GivingFirst.org Blog

  30 Jul 2010 | 3:05 pm

  By Dana Rinderknecht, GivingFirst ManagerWe all hear it over and over again – you need to craft a clear, concise, compelling message about your organization. At the same time, the Internet is overwhelming with the amount of information that you can find, let alone try to digest. I know that when I am searching for information, if I don’t find it immediately, I am on to the next place. If it is really important to me and I think I’m on the right track, I may click a couple more times, but it has to be something I really need or want. My attention span can be that of an infant or a…

• Do you know how to donate on YOUR Web site?

  GivingFirst.org Blog

  16 Jul 2010 | 9:15 am

  By Dana RinderknechtCan you believe it is almost the end of July? For those of us in the nonprofit world, that means plans are under way for annual campaigns and year-end giving. It is time to get ready for the Giving Season.Are you ready?You probably have your direct mail/annual letter campaign designs started. Perhaps you even have it at the printers or even the mail house. Hours have been spent making sure that everything looks just right and that you are sending a message that will resonate with your donors and those who support you and care for your organization (or at least joined your…

• Colorado Gives Day Q&A

  GivingFirst.org Blog

  30 Jun 2010 | 1:30 pm

  By Angela BevacquaWe hope that many of you have heard about Colorado Gives Day—a new initiative we launched in May. As the name implies, Colorado Gives Day is a specific day of the year—December 8—that we will be asking residents to support the work of Colorado nonprofits that is so important to our quality of life.Here’s more about Colorado Gives Day directly from our president and CEO, Kenneth Eggeman, Ph.D.AB: Why does Colorado need a special “giving day”?KE: To spur interest, to spur excitement, to really help people become aware of the condition of philanthropy in…

• Studies Show Growth in Online Giving

  GivingFirst.org Blog

  17 Jun 2010 | 9:40 am

  By Angela BevacquaWelcome to our new blog! We plan to discuss topics related to philanthropy, online giving, and GivingFirst in particular. We also hope to share perspectives from a variety of people here at the Foundation.But what’s on our minds right now are the results from recent giving studies. The bad news is that the Giving USA Foundation and Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University reported that charitable giving from individuals, corporations and foundations was down 3.6% in 2009 over 2008. The hardest hit areas were religion, arts/culture/humanities, education, and…

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  Social Media For Nonprofits

• Mobile Giving: Meet James Eberhard

  Rosita Cortez

  26 Aug 2010 | 2:37 pm

  Tweet Share Are donations via text messaging the future of fund raising? James Eberhard thinks so. After all the company he founded, mGive, helped the Red Cross raise more than $40 million for Haiti’s earthquake recovery efforts via a text campaign.1 How does a text campaign, or “mobile giving,” work? In essence people donate funds via their cell phone by sending a text message to a specific number (provided by mGive). Their pledge then appears on their next cell phone bill. In the case of Haiti, all people had to do was text the word HAITI to the number 90999 to make a $10…

• Email Marketing: 7 Easy Ways to Decrease Your Newsletter Unsubscribe Rate

  Rosita Cortez

  23 Aug 2010 | 12:34 pm

  Tweet Share Email marketing is an important communication tool for any nonprofit. Your newsletter should be considered part of your marketing plan as it provides you with a medium for reaching your supporters on a regular basis. Relying solely on mass media marketing is not very practical or wise for most nonprofits. Having your own means of communication is key when it comes to keeping supporters, donors, volunteers and the public informed (and engaged) about the work your organization does. And the best part is that there’s no printing or postage costs and you control its appearance,…

• What’s the Poke All About?

  Rosita Cortez

  12 Aug 2010 | 9:47 am

  Have you ever wonder what it means to “poke” someone on Facebook? Pokes are one of the “social utilities” offered by Facebook to spur connections among people. But what exactly does it mean to poke someone? In essence, poking someone is a simple way to let that person know that you are thinking about them. A simple tool, poking may be able to help you advance your cause, recruit new supporters and grow your fan community on Facebook. I realize that poking someone may sound like a really informal form of communication. But that is exactly the point. Your communications…

• Great Innovations, Poor Social Responsibility: The Case of Apple

  Rosita Cortez

  7 Aug 2010 | 3:22 pm

  “Where’s your genius when it comes to supporting nonprofits?” This is the poignant question that Jake Shapiro, the chief executive of Public Radio Exchange, asks Steve Jobs.1 Apple’s lack of philanthropic contributions, whether cash or in-kind donations, to social causes is creating an uproar in the nonprofit community. It’s not just Apple’s policy barring iPhone and iPad applications from soliciting donations, but the lack of grants, discounts and special pricing for nonprofits on Apple’s products. Ever since I can remember, I have been a die-hard Apple fan. From my…

• 5 Must-Have FBML Templates for Your Facebook Page

  Rosita Cortez

  4 Aug 2010 | 11:44 am

  On my last post “How to Create a Custom Tab For Your Facebook Page,” I talked about the importance of personalizing your Facebook Page. In that post I also showed you how to set up the FBML application and how to create and add a new custom tab to your Page. Now that you know how to set up a custom page, let’s take a look at some FBML/HTML templates you can use to increase your reach and exposure. I selected these templates with nonprofits, charities and foundations in mind. And yes, all the templates are top-notch. So, what are you waiting for? Copy the code of the ones you…

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  Non-profit2point0

• Facebook ‘Places’ and You

  lsackandy

  19 Aug 2010 | 4:35 am

  by Luke Sackandy, Social Media Systems Analyst Last evening, Facebook announced its plans to venture into the world of location tagging.  It appears that the social networking giant will begin allowing you to “check-in” at various locations much like Foursquaredoes.  Facebook announced these changes today at their headquarters in Palo Alto, California alongside members of Foursquare and Gowalla.  It looks like some of the elements of other location tagging sites will be implementedinto Facebook Places.  With roughly a quarter of Facebook’s users accessing the site from a…

• Use social media to develop and foster those personal relationships.

  lsackandy

  10 Aug 2010 | 7:19 pm

  by Luke Sackandy, Social Media Systems Analyst In my last post, I discussed how people are still willing to donate their hard earned cash amongst the worst recession seen in quite some time.  The catch, now, is that they are looking for something more in return.  Donors are now looking to be able to make that personal connection to your organization.  This time around, I would like to talk about social media’s role in establishing a relationship with your audience. Start with a platform. First and most importantly you must provide some type of platform to engage your followers. …

• Yes the economy has been bad…but people still want to help.

  lsackandy

  25 Jul 2010 | 4:24 pm

  by Luke Sackandy, Social Media Systems Analyst This is a breakdown of the giving in 2009. Numbers are in billions of dollars. It’s no secret that the economy has been struggling for the past two years and we are just now starting to see somewhat of a turnaround.  Truth be told it’s the worst it has been in decades…some even say since the Great Depression.  While that may be a stretch the bottom line is that people have been a lot more conservative with their money.  They no longer feel the same job security that they felt just a few years ago.  They are looking around…

• Stickiness Means “Stick-to-it”

  lsackandy

  10 Jul 2010 | 1:48 pm

  by Luke Sackandy, Social Media Systems Analyst Did you know there are tens of billions of web sites on the World Wide Web?  That’s incredible when you think about it!  How can your site possibly stick out?  How is it that some sites constantly are getting a large number of hits each day?  Throughout this post, I will help you out by giving you a few pointers on how to not only increase traffic, but keep the people who are there coming back. Make it easy to subscribe to your blog. A great blog can be one of your greatest assets.  It is usually the content that is updated on your site…

• Tools for Measuring ROI

  lsackandy

  23 Jun 2010 | 9:26 pm

  Luke Sackandy, Social Media Systems Analyst To recap the last blog quickly we discussed strategies to measure ROI.  We measure ROI so that we can justify to the “powers-that-be” to have a social media presence.  Towards the end of the post, I promised to look at some tools that help measure some of those numbers that were mentioned.  Here are some great tools that I have found to be very helpful. Followers This is probably the easiest metric to track as well as most important.  Every social community whether it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. makes it very visible how many people…

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  Deep Social Impact

• Inc. Magazine’s How-To Guide on Corporate Philanthropy

  Jim Coutré

  25 Aug 2010 | 1:36 pm

  Start with a solid enterprise, develop a strategy, find projects that are the right fit. All good advice – which should be no surprise given Inc. turned to TPI’s Leslie Pine, Bolder Giving’s Christopher Ellinger and Give Something Back’s Mike Hannigan to write this new “how-to” guide. But, perhaps inherent in it being a practical guide, it misses a critical element.  The guide did a great job of mapping out practical considerations and tangible steps needed to incorporate philanthropy in a business: Find a focus that connects your company’s values and business goals Map out the…

• Highlighting the “Why?” of Donor Intent

  Amy Ellsworth

  18 Aug 2010 | 12:20 pm

  My father was an entrepreneur who in the 1980s created a small family foundation to which he named my three siblings and me the successor trustees. Although we knew about the foundation and he had occasionally spoken to us about our possible involvement, we had not worked together in philanthropy.  Twenty-five years ago, I was scheduled to visit him and intended to have a conversation about why he had named us as successors and what his thoughts were about the future of the foundation. One week before that visit, he died unexpectedly and the conversation never took place. Nor were there any…

• Can a Drop in Corporate Cash Giving Signal a Good Thing?

  Jim Coutré

  11 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

  On Monday the Chronicle released results from a corporate giving survey indicating that 2010 corporate giving is holding steady from 2009 levels. Not surprised it didn’t go up. Glad it didn’t go down. What caught my eye though was that it was overall giving of cash and products that remained stable – while cash giving actually dropped. Can corporations continue to achieve social impact if they continue to reduce cash donations?  Probably not, but there may be a silver lining here. A drop in cash donations – in the context of stable overall cash and product giving – shows more…

• Personal Dreams Go Public

  Ellen Remmer

  4 Aug 2010 | 1:57 pm

  The letters are up! Forty billionaires agreed to post their “pledges” to donate at least half their wealth to philanthropy on the Giving Pledge website today.  The letters are really quite lovely, mostly very personal, some stunningly inspiring and all amazingly public.  The themes that are interwoven throughout the letters are ones that TPI has come to know well over our 21 years of working with wealthy donors on philanthropy.They speak to the power of parents especially (although religion and personal experience crop up too) in shaping an individuals’ fundamental values…

• Finance Executives reap ROI of 36:1 (but it’s not what you think)

  Jim Coutré

  27 Jul 2010 | 9:10 am

  We love to say it: go beyond grants. But it feels even better see how it pays off – as illustrated in this recent Newsweek article. In 2004, The Family Van, which provides free preventative care in a number of low income communities around Boston, was struggling. It was a time when TPI was working with the Putnam Senior Executive Foundation, ­a giving circle we helped create with personal investments from a few dozen of the top-ranking officers at Putnam Investments. The Putnam senior executives were interested in supporting The Family Van but they couldn’t get a good enough sense of the…

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  Nonprofit Resource Memo

• Lessons Learned from the No Child Left Behind Legislation

  MP

  1 Sep 2010 | 5:32 am

  A RAND study, What Can We Learn From the Implementation of No Child Left Behind by Brian M. Stecher, Georges Vernez and Paul Steinberg, reviews the intended and unintended consequences of NCLB nearly a decade after it was passed into law. According to the publication, while each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have successfully implemented the system of standards and outcomes; the student proficiency goal of 100% in math and reading will not likely be met by the deadline of 2014. In addition, parental knowledge of the law, school choice options and the performance status of…

• Use of Data in Philanthropy (& Beyond?)

  MP

  31 Aug 2010 | 8:30 am

  The folks at The Social Velocity Blog recently interviewed Lucy Bernolz, a visionary strategy consultant, author and blogger at the Philanthropy 2173 Blog in a post entitled Data and the Future of Philanthropy. Ms. Bernolz shares her thoughts on open sharing of data, including the benefits and drawbacks when data are used by the community (crowd-sourcing) to bring about change, how foundations are responding to drivers of change around technology, the role government can play in bridging gaps between funders, donors and nonprofits as well as what may be next for nonprofits in terms of…

• Considering a Graduate Degree in Nonprofit Work?

  MP

  30 Aug 2010 | 4:36 am

  Heather Carpenter at the blog Nonprofit Leadership 601 has posted a thorough, highly informative overview of various graduate programs and corresponding degrees that are focused on the nonprofit arena. The post, Setting the Record Straight About Nonprofit-Focused Graduate Degrees, reviews the type of degree that may be best for your career goals (executive leadership, policy work, direct service) and provides a table of over 50 nonprofit-focused programs across the country. A fantastic resource and a great blog!

• Generation Y Under the Microscope

  MP

  26 Aug 2010 | 9:27 am

  The Philanthropy News Digest Blog Philantopic has an intriguing post up – Emerging Adulthood: Life Stage or Fad? – that examines the issues raised in the recent New York Times article, What Is It About 20-Somethings? by Robin Marantz Henig. According to the post, while the topic of “emerging adulthood” is primarily theoretical at this point, the potential repercussions for the nonprofit sector makes it a highly relevant one. I agree that this new concept is something that nonprofits should be thinking about. Is Generation Y a segment of the population that will need a…

• Social Security Keeping 20 Million Americans Out of Poverty

  MP

  25 Aug 2010 | 5:12 am

  Any talk of revising or replacing Social Security has been considered the “third rail” in politics, but these uncertain financial times have made such discussions more common (and frankly, welcome) as a real policy consideration for future generations. Still, the crucial role Social Security plays in raising segments of the population above the poverty line needs to fully grasped before alternative plans can be designed and vetted. Currently, Social Security is keeping 20 million Americans (over 13 million over the age of 65, 1.2 million children) out of poverty according to a brief by…

• 

  makemomentum.wordpress.com

• Make or Break: Eight Tips to Recruiting Right

  Deirdre Maloney

  30 Aug 2010 | 8:18 pm

  Your team is your success. Your team is your failure. And the most important thing you do as a manager is find your new members.

• The Real “S” Word

  Deirdre Maloney

  16 Aug 2010 | 7:56 pm

  With this comes a harsh reality for many of us. Nobody is indispensible. If an organization has healthy and functional systems in place, then the people in and out of even the highest level of seats cannot make or break an organization.

• For Executive Directors Only

  Deirdre Maloney

  1 Aug 2010 | 10:13 pm

  Everyone has an expectation. Everyone needs you now. Everyone merits attention. So how do you keep yourself both effective and sane throughout this rewarding, challenging, lonely ordeal?

• The Harsh Truth About Money

  Deirdre Maloney

  26 Jul 2010 | 8:18 pm

  We often think that if we could just get donors to understand our plight, our work, our impact, that surely they will give. But getting gifts takes more than explaining the work you do.