Nonprofit

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    The Chronicle of Philanthropy

  • Mayor Bloomberg Pledges $125-Million to Reduce Auto Fatalities

    Jennifer Moore
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:48 am
    Michael R. Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, has pledged $125-milion for an international program aimed at reducing and preventing deaths and injuries from automobile crashes. The five-year program will benefit 10 low- and middle-income countries with large numbers of deaths resulting from traffic crashes. The six organizations that will coordinate the program with the countries’ government agencies are the Association for Safe International Road Travel, Global Road Safety Partnership, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, World Bank Global Road Safety Facility, World Health…

  • Goldman Sachs Pledges $500-Million to Help Small-Business Owners

    Ian Wilhelm
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:45 pm
    The investment bank Goldman Sachs has pledged $500-million to help develop small businesses and train entrepreneurs across the country. In addition, the New York company has recruited a high-profile team of advisers, including financier Warren Buffett, to guide the philanthropic effort. The so-called 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative comes as the financial-services company faces withering criticism for the billions of dollars in compensation it is expected to pay its employees this year. Some have characterized Goldman Sachs’s philanthropy as a way to quell the public anger. However,…

  • More Than Half of Corporate Employees Volunteer, Study Finds

    Stacy Palmer
    15 Nov 2009 | 6:14 pm
    Though many companies have cut back on their donations during the recession, employee volunteerism is thriving, according to a new survey. Nearly 56 percent of workers in the companies surveyed participate in volunteer events run by their employers, says the report. The most common reason volunteers cited for their involvement is personal interest in the cause that they were aiding, but the second frequently mentioned motivation was concern that local charities are suffering in the economic downturn. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they are more motivated to volunteer now than a year…

  • Bill And Melinda Gates Give $350-Million to Their Foundation

    Ian Wilhelm
    13 Nov 2009 | 9:58 am
    To pay for the building of its new headquarters in downtown Seattle, Bill and Melinda Gates have donated $350-million to their foundation. That gift is one of the biggest sums anybody has given to charity this year, according to The Chronicle’s data base of donations that have been announced to the public. Still, the gift is a small drop compared with other donations the Gateses have made to the $31-billion organization. In 2004, for example, the couple pledged $3.3-billion, of which at least 70 percent has been been paid. (The foundation said the new gift is separate from the 2004…

  • Hispanics Hold Few Leadership Positions at Calif. Nonprofit Groups

    Ian Wilhelm
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:53 am
    While Hispanics are a significant portion of California’s population, they fill only a small percentage of the leadership positions at nonprofit groups in the state, says a new report. Hispanics make up 36 percent of California’s 36.7 million people, but hold 6 percent of the foundation and charity executive director positions, says the study. In addition, they fill 9 percent of the board seats at California charitable groups. For other nonprofit staff positions, they are better represented, but still fall short. Twenty-eight percent of such jobs are held by Hispanics. The report,…
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    Philanthropy Today

  • San Francisco Charity Sues Over Bad Investments

    Andy Markowitz
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:45 am
    The St. Anthony Foundation, in San Francisco, is seeking legal redress from its longtime financial adviser over $2-million in investment losses, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Officials at the charity, which provides food, clothes, and other aid to the hungry and homeless, said they were not aware that SCM Advisors had invested the foundation’s money in risky auction-rate securities from Citigroup Global Markets, which is also named in the lawsuit. Citigroup agreed in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York State to buy back the securities from some…

  • Conservative Activist Releases New Acorn Tape

    Andy Markowitz
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:43 am
    The conservative activist James O’Keefe has posted a new hidden-camera video purportedly showing a staff member at a Los Angeles office of the Acorn community-organizing group assisting a would-be prostitution operation, says the Los Angeles Times. Similar videos shot by Mr. O’Keefe at Washington and Baltimore Acorn offices, which were released two months ago, fueled Republican ire at the antipoverty and housing-advocacy group, which has lost federal money and started an internal investigation as the result of the controversy. Acorn officials disputed the validity of the latest…

  • U. of California Regents Back Deal to Reopen Troubled L.A. Hospital

    Andy Markowitz
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:43 am
    Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, in South Los Angeles, will reopen by 2013 under a plan unanimously approved Thursday by the University of California’s board, according to the Los Angeles Times. The board’s vote came after county officials pledged to seek a $100-million letter of credit to underwrite the hospital for up to six years. The pharmaceuticals billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong has also promised a $100-million guaranty. (Free registration is required to view this article.)

  • In the Arts: Indianapolis Symphony's Shortfall Climbs, University Scales Back Museum Plans

    Andy Markowitz
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:43 am
    The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra ended the 2009 fiscal year with a budget deficit of $2.8-million, a nearly tenfold increase from the previous year, according to The Indianapolis Star. Declines in ticket sales, donations, and contributions from the symphony’s foundation, which manages the orchestra’s endowment, contributed to the flow of red ink. The 79-year-old symphony last month cut musicians’ salaries by 12 percent. In other arts news, the University of California has abandoned plans for a $143-million new home for the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive,…

  • From The Chronicle: Food Charities Get Attention From Congress

    Stacy Palmer
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:43 am
    Charity and foundation leaders Thursday urged Congress to take action to help the nonprofit organizations that are on the front lines of the mounting demand for food aid as the economic recession cuts a wide swath, reports The Chronicle’s Government and Politics Watch column.
 
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    Nonprofit Online News

  • The Side-Effect Principle: How Stakeholders Share Information as a Result of Other Goals

    By and large, people don't share information online simply for the purpose of sharing. They do it for their own reasons. I'll be teaching a workshop next week on stakeholder-generated content and this will be one of the key strategic insights. See what you think of The Side-Effect Principle: How Stakeholders Share Information as a Result of Other Goals

  • Building Your Online List Seminar Moved to January 13, 2010

    For the first time in years, I double-booked myself for teaching an online seminar. (I'll be at a public interest gathering in Aspen, CO in December.) Because there is a lot of value in the live versions of our seminars, we rescheduled this one: Building Your Online List: A High Integrity Model for Reaching Large Numbers on the Internet. It will now be held on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, making it the first workshop of the new year for us. See you there!

  • How the Web and the Weblog have Changed Writing

    Philip Greenspun is a visionary technologist and a very charming writer. I recommend his piece on How the Web and the Weblog have Changed Writing. In particular, I believe that most nonprofits have substantial mismatches between their media and their messages and could really learn a lot from this article. If you are publishing online in any fashion, if you're consider weblogs, or if you are thinking of so-called "user generated content" (which I think should just be called "content"), you own it to your stakeholders to read this.

  • Session Notes from Web of Change 2009

    I was unable to attend this year's Web of Change gathering at Hollyhock, but there are some good Session Notes accumulating online. These are in fact all notes, rather than articles, so be prepared to use them as the basis for an email to the presenters or a lot of online searching for named examples and resources. I recommend you start with the first one on the list (which is my personal favorite): Technology and True Love - Integrated Engagement Tracking.

  • Six Online Community Vendors for Associations: An Analysis

    Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer at SocialFish have published an analysis of Six Online Community Vendors for Associations. I'm disturbed by the fact that every single one of the chosen applications is a proprietary application provided by a single vendor. Another way to do this analysis would have been to compare open source platforms - such as AroundMe, Elgg, Mahara, NewsCloud, and many others - and then compare the vendors competing to provide you with strong service. With single source proprietary vendors you are far more likely to get locked in. While the analysis does look at open APIs, it…
 
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    Buzz!

  • News Briefing: Facebook Users Can Help Chase Find Small Charities

    Kate Golden
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    A jury affirms the will of Houston oilman Alfred Glassell, ensuring part of his estate will benefit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.  [Associated Press] JPMorgan Chase is letting Facebook users help decide how to give away $5 million.  [Associated Press]

  • News Briefing: $500 Million and Apology From Goldman

    Kate Golden
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:03 am
    Goldman Sachs is working with Warren Buffett to help 10,000 small businesses with business and management education, mentoring, and access to capital.  [New York Times] The City of Santa Monica is competing with Beverly Hills to become the home for a new museum to house Eli Broad's art collection.  [New York Times]

  • News Briefing: A Grand Gift to the Town from the Man You Can’t See

    Kate Golden
    17 Nov 2009 | 7:30 am
    The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington says that if the same-sex marriage law passes, the church will cut its social service programs that help residents with adoption, homelessness, and health care.  [New York Times] An attention-shy benefactor donates $20 million to the town of Townsend, Massachusetts.  [Boston Globe] New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo releases report that found that Long Island nonprofits who use telemarketres to solicit funds receive only 24.57 cents out of every dollar raised.  [Newsday]

  • News Briefing: American Charities May Not Have a Happy Holiday

    Kate Golden
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:09 am
    Only 38 percent of Americans say they are more likely to give a charitable gift as a holiday present this year, compared to 49 percent last year, according to a new survey.  [Associated Press] Consultants hired by the city of Cleveland propose that hospitals, universities, museums, and other tax-exempt institutions pay an annual fee to boost the city's bottom line.  [Plain Dealer] Bill and Melinda Gates make a $350 million payment of personal funds into their foundation's endowment for construction costs for their new headquarters.  [Seattle Times]

  • News Briefing: $10 million Gift Energizes Charter Chain

    Kate Golden
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:32 am
    KIPP, Houston's largest charter school chain, receives $10 million from the Gates Foundation.  [Houston Chronicle] The Barnes Foundation breaks ground in Philadelphia.  [Associated Press] A copy of the 2008 tax filing for the Goldman Sachs Foundation provides a glimpse of the legendary trading that has put the firm on track for its best year ever.  [New York Times]
 
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    Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

  • The Right Way to use Social Media for Fundraising: Wildlife Direct

    Beth
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:54 pm
    Paula Kahumbu, Wildlife Direct and PopTech Fellow 09 Last week I wrote about a pair of surveys that looked at social media and nonprofits.  One came to the conclusion that social media was a waste of time; the other talked about strategic implications on how to be successful. If you want to be successful using social media in your fundraising strategy, remember: Build your network before you need it.  Don't have your first interaction be a request for money Focus on engagement and relationship building all the time.  You don't have to be doing it at hyper level at the time, but remember…

  • This Year Twitter Fundraisers, Next Year FourSquare Fundraisers ....

    Beth
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:26 am
    Today, Pete Cashmore had a piece on CNN "Next Year's Twitter? Foursquare" predicting that FourSquare will be the darling of 2010.FourSquare is a is location-based social network service overlays your Twitter network with an added layer of social gameplay.  FourSquare is a location-based social network to help you connect with friends using GPS via your mobile device.  What's a location-based social network?  For a crude analogy, think about dogs and fire hyrdants or trees or think about ant trails (ants leave behind a scent for other ants to follow the trail back to the ant hole.)…

  • Guest Post by Heather McLeod Grant: MomsRising: What We Can Learn from New Online Models

    Beth
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    As part of our ongoing research project into the future of membership-based advocacy organizations, we’ve been talking to folks from “new” as well as “older” groups focused on issue-organizing. We’re hoping to find out how the nature of civic engagement and mobilization is changing – along with the business models needed to support this kind of work. Our hypothesis is that new technologies such as Web 2.0 are accelerating change in the sector, and that the nature of how we support causes will shift – from writing checks to being more actively engaged, or ultimately doing both.

  • Three Different Approaches to Twitter Fundraising: Bees, Turkeys, and Blame

    Beth
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am
    TweetsGiving 2009 If the dollar amounts from fundraising campaigns using social networks are disappointing, one response is to say this doesn't work and stop doing it.  An alternative approach is to experiment and find ways to improve results.    Twitter for fundraising has been around for two years (read Shel Israel's Twitterville), as of 2009, there seems to be three different tactical models for Twitter fundraising approaches emerging: 1)   Sponsored Tweets/HashTags: Donors do not have to open their own check books, but instead retweet or use a hashtag to leverage a donation from a…

  • GiveMN Raises $14 Million Online in 24 Hours!

    Beth
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:48 am
    I think I want to change Garrison Keillor's well known descriptor of Lake Wobegone.  It goes "Minnesota from"where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Let's add  "and where the charitable donors are extraordinarily generous." Earlier this week, I wrote about giveMN.org as an example of local and regional online giving initiatives.  GiveMN a new online resource that hopes to encourage more Minnesotans to give and help create a stronger nonprofit community for…
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    NetSquared

  • Subscribe to Net2 RSS

    Amy Sample Ward
    13 Nov 2009 | 10:11 am
    To make sure that you continue receiving content from the NetSquared website, please click below to subscribe via RSS.

  • New RSS Feeds for Netsquared.org

    vanderson
    26 Aug 2009 | 7:36 am
    This is a short announcement to let you all know that the NetSquared.org website has new RSS feeds for you to subscribe to Community Blog and website content.

  • Subscription Options

    Amy Sample Ward
    26 Aug 2009 | 7:36 am
    Visit the subscribe page for more subscription options.

  • Using RSS

    Amy Sample Ward
    26 Aug 2009 | 7:36 am
    RSS is a way of subscribing to a website, blog, or other online platform to receive updates in a reader or email. This means you don't have to visit all of your favorite blogs (like NetSquared!) every day to look for new information, but can check your RSS reader for new content that's delivered automatically. You can learn more here or watch the video on the netsquared site, "RSS in Plain English."
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    Osocio Weblog

  • Contemporary Beauty Ideals

    Marc
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:20 pm
    After Ingres. The bather of Valpinçon, Oil on canvas, 146/98cm. 2009 These paintings made by Remus Grecu are part of a campaign from earlier this year made for ANAD, the German eating disorder aid foundation. Is the museum the place to show the beauty ideal? The three oil paintings where shown in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt with a lot of impact (see the video after the break). On a plaque next to the painting: Beauty ideals change. Today, the media and the cosmetics and fashion industries all promote body measurements that are unattainable for people with healthy eating behaviors,…

  • Know The Signs

    Marc
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:51 am
    On October 29th 2009, Heineken officially launched its second global responsible drinking campaign. After the success of last year’s Enjoy Heineken Responsibly campaign, Heineken continues to talk about the signs people start to show when they’ve had one too many. The user is provided with tools through which they can show their friends something about self-awareness on a night out. With the iPhone “Breathalyzer” and the social network application “Tag of Shame” Heineken is enabling a conversation between friends. The brewery want to prompt greater self-awareness amongst Beer…

  • Breastfeeding: Learning Makes it Natural

    Marc
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:56 am
    On Oct. 1, 2009, the first day of World Breastfeeding Week, the Department of Health Promotion and Protection in Nova Scotia Canada, launched a new social marketing campaign. The main message of the campaign is: Breastfeeding: Learning makes it natural. Research with mothers, families and health care professionals revealed that moms often don’t feel prepared or have realistic expectations about breastfeeding. Many think it’s going to be easier and more “natural” than it feels when their babies are first born. They also say they need more support and want to know where…

  • If you give 1 to us, there will be nothing for them

    Marc
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:14 am
    Most people that destroy the environment know that they are doing the wrong thing, however, their desire to accumulate wealth often overpowers their sense of right and wrong. All they see is money. They are so blinded by the prospect of getting rich that they fail to notice that they are destroying their lives as well. Greenpeace doesn’t need the amount of money the greedy businessmen dream of, only the tiniest fraction of it. If you donate just one euro via SMS to Greenpeace Romania, they promise to fend off the attackers of the environment, until, one day, they will stop seeing value…

  • Giving a $%@#

    Marc
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm
    Holiday shopping stinks! So, make the right choice this year: give manure ($12) from Oxfam America Unwrapped. Author: Marc
 
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    Beth Dunn

  • Giving: It’s Not Just for the Holidays

    Beth Dunn
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:32 am
    Image by slimmer_jimmer So I’m coordinating this very fun project with my friend Melissa Averinos called Handmade for the Holidays. Yesterday we were featured in a story about how local nonprofits and charities are using social media to promote their causes. “Using” Social Media It’s funny, because not only are we not a nonprofit (we are partnering with one to distribute the handmade items we are collecting), we never really set out to do this project only using social media tools and platforms. It just sort of happened that way — it makes the most sense for us,…

  • Handmade for the Holidays

    Beth Dunn
    31 Oct 2009 | 6:26 pm
    Melissa Averinos and I have cooked up something really fun and, we hope, truly helpful to those in need this holiday season: I’ll have more on this in the coming days and weeks, but for now here’s the official word: This holiday season, Melissa Averinos and Beth Dunn invite you to create hand-knit items for donation to local women and children in need. Handmade for the Holidays, in partnership with Harwichport-based nonprofit We Can, will collect hand-knit hats, scarves, mittens, blankets, and quilts for delivery to Cape Cod residents who are going through difficult economic and…

  • A Good Day For J.C. Hutchins

    Beth Dunn
    27 Oct 2009 | 3:50 am
    It’s a good day for author J.C. Hutchins. You? You get a pretty sweet free download, if you want it.  J.C. becomes an “officially” published author. A good day! Today, St. Martin’s Press releases the first book in J.C.’s new technothriller trilogy, 7th Son: Descent. Today, J.C is celebrating by offering a free download of the first TEN chapters of his book. You want it? Scroll down to the cover image and click away. Doing things differently So here’s what J.C. did: He wrote a book. He was unable to sell his book to a literary agent or publishing house. He…

  • Do you see what I see?

    Beth Dunn
    26 Oct 2009 | 4:12 pm
    Image by purpleslog I got to spend some time today with Paige Arnof-Fenn, CEO and founder of Mavens & Moguls, a global strategic marketing consulting firm based here in the Boston area. She gave me an awful lot to chew on, but the part that I want to share with you now is what she had to say about how things are changing — have already changed, in fact — in the way business gets done today. New ways of working One of the things she talked about was how flat organizations like hers, which largely offer project-based work that draws on a diverse network of highly qualified,…

  • Unicorn Stories Halloween Episode!

    Beth Dunn
    25 Oct 2009 | 2:03 pm
    Just in time for Halloween, Melissa Averinos and I present: Unicorn Stories Episode 4: Halloween Dream (Music by Ken Tucker and James Swafford.) (If you’re new to Unicorn Stories, and wonder what this is doing on an otherwise respectable blog about business, brands, and social media, you might want to read this.) And if you’re new here, don’t forget to watch the first three episodes too! Episode 1: Seaweed Episode 2: To The Moon Episode 3: Shell Game Unicorn Stories, by Melissa Averinos and Beth Dunn (Yummygirls). A series of short, cute films about a unicorn, for no…
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    NTEN: THE NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY NETWORK

  • 2009 Member Appreciation: Mission Video Webinar Contest Winners!

    Sarah
    29 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pm
    For those of you who missed it, last week we held a Member Appreciation Webinar with Basho Mosko from the Flip Video Spotlight Program and Michael Hoffman from See3 Communications about how to create an introductory video for your organization.  Those who attended the webinar had a chance to show the community what they learned. They posted a wide variety of inspirational, funny, and just plain well made videos as examples of what they learned. You can check them out on our Facebook page. We're not going to lie -- they weren't just doing it for extra credit. We've selected two commentators…

  • Does Your Organization Value IT?

    Brett
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:06 pm
    Flickr Photo: eszter I think we can safely call it tradition now: it's time for the 4th Annual IT Staffing Survey, brought to you by NTEN and The Nonprofit Times. Your generosity of time has allowed us to create reports on the state of IT staffing in the sector that have been read thousands of times. But, as with most things involving data, the real value of these reports will come over time, as we map the trends. We need you to share your experiences again this year. When you have time to take a 15-minute break, we hope you'll take our survey. (From where we sit, you're still working. If…

  • 2009 Member Appreciation: Daily Member Prize Winner for 11/20

    Annaliese
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:12 am
    Happy Friday! We're getting close to the end of our NTEN Member Appreciation month, when I'm giving out prizes every work day up to Thanksgiving Day.  Be sure to tune in next week when the prizes get really big (including 2010 membership and an NTC registration!). For today, however, I am glad to end the week with a gift of NTEN Gear for one of our current members (randomly selected): Jenny Hezel, from the NY-NJ Trail Conference Thank you, Jenny, for being a member of NTEN and using technology to help your cause!

  • 2009 Member Appreciation: Daily Member Prize Winner for 11/19

    Annaliese
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:49 am
    One thing we're really proud of here at NTEN is the knowledge of the community and the generosity within the community to share that knowledge with each other so that we can all do our work better, which in turn, we believe, makes the world better. This last year we were able to harness that community wisdom and generosity and produce the first NTEN book: Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders.  I am happy to be able to give a copy of this book as one of our Member Appreciation daily prizes to: Annika Billqvist, from Hands On Bay Area And you are…

  • 2009 NTEN Community Report -- And 2010 NTC Winner

    Annaliese
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:08 am
    Every year we survey the nonprofit technology community (via our members, program participants, and other like-communities) to learn two main things: How are WE doing, as an organization, to make your work easier, and your mission a little closer? How are YOU doing, as someone who works with technology and/or the nonprofit sector, in terms of your job role, tech-adoption, and organizational challenges? Earlier this spring, we collected responses from 1000 folks and have analyzed and reported back that data for you in this report. > Download the report (free) Key Findings Satisfaction with…
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    Skip A Lunch

  • McHappy Day … Just One Dollar Makes a Difference!

    dote
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:18 am
    Dear readers, what a perfect charity that symbolizes Skip a Lunch. Just one dollar, not even half a latte! Let’s all get together and support the McDonald’s charity event known as “McHappy Day”, from November 10th to the 20th. Purchase a hand for $1 or certain food items and your dollar will help make a difference to a child in need. McDonald’s has raised nearly $150 million since 2002. You can donate online or learn more here. If you purchase a hand, take a photo with your mobile phone and email it to blog [at] skipalunch.com and we’ll post it here. Mmm, now…

  • 2009 America’s Giving Challenge

    dote
    14 Oct 2009 | 12:45 pm
    The Case Foundation, Causes, and PARADE magazine launched the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge on October 7th and has already surpassed 10,000 donations and raised $250,000. Imagine that, in just one week they’ve achieved this! Let’s get involved with this great program! Details on the 2009 America’s Giving Challenge: America’s Giving Challenge participants will compete for 30 days to bring in the highest number of donations for their nonprofit cause through the Causes application on Facebook. Causes that net the most donations will receive a total of $170,000 in prize money…

  • Ask.com Breast Cancer Search for the Cure

    dote
    13 Oct 2009 | 1:03 pm
    Ask.com has a great program running from September 13th to December 31st, 2009 called “Search for the Cure“. Ask.com will donate up to $100,000 in addition to monies raised by folks answering breast health questions and those who adopt the special homepage skin. From this program, Ask.com has pledged to invest at least $1 million through the “Search for the Cure” program and sponsorship of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series. So, all we have to do is adopt the skin, answer questions, and make a difference! For those that are not aware, the Susan G. Komen for…

  • The Fresh Air Fund – a Summer 2009 Update

    admin
    22 Sep 2009 | 1:00 pm
    Wow, The Fresh Air Fund had nearly 8,000 children enjoying their best summer yet. If you recall, we featured The Fresh Air Fund back in July for the NYC Half-Marathon they hosted. Check out the latest here. The Fresh Air Fund 2009 Summer Memories video is worth the visit. From their News Facts section: 2009 Summer Highlights: • Nearly 8,000 children enjoyed their best summers yet • 370 students participated in the Career Awareness Program • 11 counselors-in-training spent three days on the Appalachian Trail • 168 young people were Leaders-in-training That’s what I call a…

  • Over the Edge of Waikiki for the Special Olympics

    admin
    10 Sep 2009 | 11:47 am
    Wow, this is not for the feint of heart! Raise $1000 for Special Olympics Hawaii and you’ll be able to rappel over the edge of Waikiki’s tallest building, landing at the Edge of Waikiki which is the Sheraton Waikiki’s new adult infinity pool and bar. Crazy huh? The Over the Edge of Waikiki event takes places on November 13th, 2009 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. You need to be 18 and less than 300lbs. to participate. Contact info: Kyle Karioka Special Olympics Hawaii PO Box 3295 Honolulu, HI 96801 Fax: (808) 943-8814 E-mail: KyleK@specialolympicshawaii.org Here’s a link…
 
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    Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog

  • The one-word secret to great relationships - and great marketing

    katya.andresen@networkforgood.org
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm
    Answer?  Gratitude. What if your annual report were a Gratitude Report?  What if you told stories about what your supporters did rather than trumpeting what you did? It might look like this.  This is a real masterpiece of gratitude.  And it inspires generosity. How do you tap your inner generous spirit?  Here’s your checklist. 1. Give away:  Give away everything you can and it will pay off.  For example, at Network for Good, we give away free training, free newsletters and free fundraising and marketing tips.  Our sales and customer service staff give…

  • 6 ways the donor-fundraiser relationship is changing

    katya.andresen@networkforgood.org
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:23 pm
    In case you missed it, here are my top six trends in the donor-fundraiser relationship, which I presented today. 6 TrendsView more presentations from katyaa.

  • Top Tagline Approaches for Stronger Messaging

    katya.andresen@networkforgood.org
    12 Nov 2009 | 1:26 am
    Nancy Schwartz has lots of advice for you: Get the 2009 Top Tagline report here. The updated guide shows nonprofits top tagline approaches for stronger messaging, and features a directory of over 2,500 nonprofit tagline examples for organizations to use in creating strong messages. The 2009 Report provides everything an organization needs to jump start its tagline development process: ·      Why a Nonprofit’s Name Isn’t Enough ·      How a Strong Tagline Benefits Your Organization – Useful for developing support among colleagues and leadership · …

  • How to Adapt Now to the 6 Trends Changing the Fundraiser-Donor Relationship Forever

    katya.andresen@networkforgood.org
    11 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pm
    Find out in my free training next week.  And check out all the free teleconferences at Network for Good in the coming weeks!  We’d love to have you join us. Date TrainingRegistration Thursday, November 12 at 1 p.m. EasternFundraising with an Affinity Card ProgramTuesday, November 17 at 1 p.m. EasternFundraiser’s Confidential:How to Adapt to the 6 Trends Changing the Fundraiser-Donor Relationship Forever Tuesday, December 8 at 1 p.m. EasternIs Your Story Big Enough? Uncover the emotional spark that turns current and potential supporters into true believers.Tuesday, December…

  • Listening is everything - and damn hard to do

    katya.andresen@networkforgood.org
    10 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm
    The more I Tweet and post on Facebook and blog, the more I am struggling to have time to really LISTEN to people.  I don’t want to follow and friend more people than I can sincerely engage with, but perhaps that makes me seem like a diva.  This is a condundrum many of us face.  All I know is this - I want to err on the side of engagement that is authentic.  I want to truly be on the other side of the conversation, at least some of the time.  But it is not easy. At the same time, it has never been so important.  In this noisy world, we are pleasantly stunned…
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    Philanthropy Journal - All Articles

  • Time Warner Cable commits $11 million

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:21 am
    Time Warner Cable committing over $11 million to North Carolina as part of five-year commitment to give $100 million in cash and in-kind support to building young peoples' skill in science, technology, engineering and math.read more

  • Red Cross launches holiday campaign...

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:36 am
    Red Cross launches holiday campaign; Tufts’ president urges less risk in endowment investments; and more.read more

  • Gates gives $15M to fight sleeping sickness

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:21 am
    Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative received $15 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to undertake clinical development of new medicine to treat sleeping sickness, fatal disease that threatens 60 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa.read more

  • Foundation gives $2.04M to reduce poverty

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:52 am
    Northwest Area Foundation awarded 14 grants totaling $2.04 million to ethnically-diverse organizations offering approaches to reduce poverty by building prosperity across its eight-state region.read more

  • Verizon Foundation gives $202,300

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:49 am
    Eleven Pennsylvania nonprofits received total of $202,300 from Verizon Foundation to raise awareness of Internet safety and offer educational outreach services to students, parents and educators. read more
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    Have Fun • Do Good

  • Record Your Grandma's Stories: StoryCorps' National Day of Listening is Nov. 27

    Britt Bravo
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:13 pm
    Will you be spending Thanksgiving with friends who tell great stories, a relative who has wonderful tales from "back in the day," or just someone special whose life you'd like to celebrate? Why not record their story in honor of StoryCorps' National Day of Listening the day after Thanksgiving (November 27th).StoryCorps provides a free, downloadable Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide, as well as an Education Toolkit to use in a classroom or library, and a Community Service Toolkit to use in, "veteran’s hospitals, senior centers, homeless shelters, and other community centers."I also like their…

  • Have Fun Do Good Day: 29-Day Giving Challenge

    Britt Bravo
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:08 am
    Long time readers of Have Fun Do Good probably already know about the 29 Day Giving Challenge created by my friend, Cami Walker.During the 29 Day Giving Challenge, you give away one thing each day for 29 days. It can be anything: time, money, something you already have, something you buy, a smile, a compliment, or a kind word.What you might not know is that since I first wrote about the Challenge in April 2008, Cami has published a New York Times bestselling book, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, and has appeared on the TODAY Show! Pretty cool, huh?I've completed the…

  • Have Fun Do Good Day: Stretch!

    Britt Bravo
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:51 am
    Do-gooders need to take care of themselves, as well as others, and that includes taking care of their bodies.If I can make time to do yoga in the morning, I know it's going to be a good day. Sometimes I do it for 10 minutes, sometimes for 30 minutes, and sometimes I have the luxury of going to a 60-90 minute class. Either way, every little bit makes a difference.If yoga sounds intimidating to you, just think of it as stretching with a lot of breathing (:Above is a 4-minute video of the Six Movements of the Spine by Kimberly Wilson (who interviewed me recently) that you could probably do right…

  • Vote Today, Watch on Thanksgiving: 2009 CNN Heroes

    Britt Bravo
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:52 pm
    It's your last chance to vote for your favorite 2009 CNN Hero!A "Blue Ribbon Panel" selected the 2009 Top Ten CNN Heroes out of 9,000 nominations, and now you can choose the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year from their Top Ten. Voting ends Thursday, November 19 at 6 AM ET. The Top Ten Heroes are an incredibly inspiring group. You can watch videos about each hero, and learn more about their stories on the 2009 CNN Heroes voting page. Give their organizations a click below:Brad Blauser, Wheelchairs forIraqi Kids (One Person Can Make a Difference blog)Roy Foster, Stand DownDoc Hendley, Wine to…

  • Have Fun Do Good Day: Do Something Nice for an Animal

    Britt Bravo
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:11 am
    I've been thinking a lot about animals lately, as I've mentioned in a couple recent posts, Midlife Food Crisis: What's Your Food Story?, and Love Animals? 9 Animal Rights Organization Blogs for Your Weekend Reading. What better way to have fun while doing good then doing something nice for an animal!We have an adorable, but needy cat, who gets very sad when we go out of town. She is still recovering from our being away last week, so early this morning I gave her a special treat, cuddle time in bed when it was still dark out (she usually isn't allowed in till we are awake). Oh, the purrs!
 
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    SSIR Articles

  • What Workforce Crisis?

    lynch_loreal@gsb.stanford.edu
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:18 pm
    America’s nonprofit organizations have great difficulty attracting and retaining talent—or so recent newspaper and magazine articles would lead their readers to believe. These articles cite low wages, large student debts, the limited appeal of many frontline nonprofit service jobs, restricted advancement opportunities, and inadequate benefits as causes of the workforce crisis. Yet nonprofit employment has actually been booming, growing at twice the average annual growth rate of for-profit employment between 1990 and 2006. Even during the last recession, between 2002 and 2004, nonprofits…

  • Second Chances and a Third Bottom Line

    lynch_loreal@gsb.stanford.edu
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:46 pm
    Inside the steel and glass office towers of Chile’s capital, Santiago, computers, printers, and faxes hum. Out on the streets, business executives and taxi drivers chat away on some of Chile’s 14 million cellular telephones. Urbanized, well educated, and home to 17 million people, Chile is one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. And as is the case in the United States, all its electronic gadgets are beginning to lead to a whole lot of electronic waste. The country currently discards 300,000 computers a year, and by 2020 it will be grappling with an annual pile of 1.7…

  • Grassroots Concrete

    lynch_loreal@gsb.stanford.edu
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:26 pm
    On the morning of Jan. 26, 2001, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the western Indian state of Gujarat. More than 20,000 people were killed and 160,000 injured, many of them crushed by falling buildings. International aid agencies flocked to the scene and began reconstruction. One year later, civil engineer Elizabeth Hausler traveled to Gujarat on a Fulbright scholarship, hoping to learn how she could use her skills to build homes that withstand tectonic shifts. She found that many survivors didn’t want to live in their new, donor-built earthquake-resistant houses because they were made…

  • Endowment for a Rainy Day

    lynch_loreal@gsb.stanford.edu
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:54 pm
    Judging from media accounts, U.S. nonprofits are facing unprecedented, if not catastrophic, financial distress because of endowment losses. Hiring is being frozen, facility maintenance is being deferred, programs are being dropped, performance seasons are being shortened, and construction projects are being cut back or even halted. As the president of Harvard University, Drew Gilpin Faust, put it when defending her decision to sharply reduce expenditures following a 30 percent drop in the value of the school’s endowment, “Tinkering around the edges will not be enough.” Harvard isn’t…

  • Research: Start them Younger

    lynch_loreal@gsb.stanford.edu
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    VOLUNTEERS Start Them Younger As wealthier nations age, nonprofits are retooling their operations to accommodate an older volunteer workforce. But they would be remiss if they didn’t also look for help at the other end of the life span, reports Charlene S. Shannon, an expert in recreation and leisure studies at the University of New Brunswick in Canada. She documents how “younger youth”— children between the ages of 8 and 12—are an energetic, useful, yet largely overlooked pool of volunteer labor. Interviewing younger youth and executive directors at Boys & Girls Clubs in…
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    Tactical Philanthropy

  • Philanthropy Daily Digest

    Sean Stannard-Stockton
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:01 pm
    Are Metrics Blinding Our Perception? – NYTimes.com Anand Giridharadas says we are in the Age of Metrics, but warns us of the dangers. Dashboards to track childrearing "success"? (tags: philanthropy) Too much “good news?” « Communicate Good Is there too much good news in the media? Are so many nonprofits doing great work that a strong performing nonprofit isn't worth writing about? Some reporters do seem to have this assumption. (tags: philanthropy) Another smart strategy for would-be regranters: watch the big foundations | . Alliance Magazine looks at ways that…

  • Paul Brest & Paul Shoemaker Debate General Operating Support

    Sean Stannard-Stockton
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:36 am
    In my last post, I profiled Paul Brest’s new annual letter about the merits, or lack thereof, of general operating support grants. In the weeks before the annual report was released, Paul emailed a copy of the essay to a group of people who work in philanthropy. Paul Shoemaker of Social Venture Partners replied with extensive comments and a debate ensued between Shoemaker and Brest. With the permission and encouragement of both Pauls, I’m republishing an excerpt of the debate below. Just to be clear, any emails sent to me are strictly off the record unless permission is requested.

  • Paul Brest on General Operating Support

    Sean Stannard-Stockton
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:11 am
    The newly released William & Flora Hewlett Foundation’s annual report includes an essay about forms of philanthropic support from the foundation’s president Paul Brest. In the essay, Paul pushes back against groups such as Independent Sector, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, and the Nonprofit Finance Fund, who have advocated strongly for funders to provide nonprofits with general operating support rather than offering them restricted grants that can only be used for certain programs. On this blog, I’ve frequently argued in favor of general operating support as the default…

  • Philanthropy Daily Digest

    Sean Stannard-Stockton
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:04 pm
    Gift Hub: Philanthropedia Phil Cubeta weighs in with a thoughtful post about Philanthropedia. (tags: philanthropy) What Capital When? | Blueprint Research & Design A new blog from Lucy Bernholz and her young, superstar employee Tony Wang. (tags: philanthropy) High Impact Philanthropy in the Downturn The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at University of Pennsylvania has quickly established itself as a leading philanthropy research group. Here's their newest report. (tags: philanthropy) Uninhibited conference attracts young CEOs – MiamiHerald.com "Summer Camp" for…

  • Trust in Philanthropy

    Sean Stannard-Stockton
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:56 am
    My colleague Bill Somerville talks a lot about trust in philanthropy. Bill feels that funders do not trust grantees enough and that the reams of paperwork required by funders is simply a mark of their lack of trust. To the cynical person, trusting someone is equivalent to being naive. Trusting someone can be criticized as demonstrating a lack of rigor. But it turns out that trust is at the core of what makes systems function. From a recent Forbes article titled The Economics of Trust: Imagine going to the corner store to buy a carton of milk, only to find that the refrigerator is locked. When…
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    Donor Power Blog

  • Fundraising and the Essence of TIME

    DonorPower Blog
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:33 pm
      Technology … what in the world would we do without it? As fundraisers, it’s supposed to make our jobs easier. It gives us more options for communicating with our constituents and for storing more “pertinent” information on their behaviors and motivations.     The truth, however, is that technology has made our jobs much more difficult, and quite frankly, I’m not so sure it’s made our industry better. As marketers and fundraisers, we now spend more time analyzing data and trying to predict consumer behavior than we do raising…

  • Fewer Gifts Expected This Holiday Season

    DonorPower Blog
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
    Some of the largest U.S. charities are bracing themselves for a disappointing Christmas this year, according to a new Harris Interactive survey being released today.   The study, which was commissioned by World Vision, found that less than 40% of Americans expect to give a charitable donation as a holiday gift this year, compared with nearly 50% last year.   While this is concerning news to all charities, it’s particularly worrisome to those that rely heavily on holiday and year-end gift giving. With only seven weeks left in 2009, there is little time to react or respond…

  • A Name to Remember

    DonorPower Blog
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:52 pm
    Do you know SOFII like I know SOFII? If not, you might want to check her out.    I was first introduced to SOFII by Tony Elischer, managing director of a UK fundraising agency called Think Consulting Services.  For me, it was love at first sight.      SOFII is a “Museum of Fundraising”— a smorgasbord of fundraising innovation, creativity and excellence.  You’ll find more than 200 of the world’s most successful fundraising case studies in SOFII, as well as countless tips that you can use each and every day.  She’ll show you new tricks…

  • LAPSED IN TRANSLATION

    DonorPower Blog
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:06 am
    Two things irritate me more than anything as a donor. First, fail to thank me promptly. Second, imply, even in gentle terms, that my continued support is overdue or inactive when in my mind it is not.   As a fundraising professional, like most, I am diligent about ensuring the former. There is no excuse, ever, for a donor not to be thanked promptly and sincerely. But I am struck how quickly the fundraising industry as a whole is guilty of the latter. Perhaps this is because it is common, within the discipline of list segmentation, to label donors who have not given in a prescribed…

  • The Myth of Mad Men, Part 2

    DonorPower Blog
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:29 pm
    Unlike the days of Mad Men, today’s Great DM Agencies employ direct marketing professionals who happen to have an area of expertise. The expertise is a focus, but the larger understanding makes the focus relevant and successful.   Creative solutions begin with knowledge – perhaps it is historical performance data, perhaps research—and seek to implement larger strategies, which have been designed to achieve still larger objectives.   The creative director who doesn’t understand the objective, and hasn’t collaborated on strategy, cannot effectively lead a creative solution…
 
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    AE on the Verge

  • Check your expiration dates

    11 Nov 2009 | 8:41 pm
    It's not just food that has expiration dates. Check out these association expiration dates, so you don't learn them the hard way .... 1. Conference call dial-in numbers: Found out my "use anytime" dial in and passcodes expired when I didn't use for 6 months. Learned it when dialing in 2 minutes before everyone else. If you use the same conference call numbers all the time, find out if something makes it expire.2. Batteries on smoke/carbon monoxide detectors: Change them as often as you'd change the ones at home.3. Vendor contracts: Especially if you inherit contracts you didn't execute, might…

  • Buying your way into a community (aka, tweets for sale)

    1 Nov 2009 | 1:11 pm
    Just about everything in the meeting biz is open for sponsorship. But should Tweets be for sale?I've been reading about "sponsored tweets" - where someone on Twitter will "sell" their willingness to talk about your product to their own community - that is, to their own blog and/or Twitter readers/followers. May just be for personal financial profit (or to get what they "talk about" free) - or may be part of a sponsorship package like getting paid to put a company's name on a sign. Trouble is, does the reader know it's a paid advertisement or endorsement? SHOULD the reader (also known as "the…

  • Conferences: A Helpful Ribbon

    30 Oct 2009 | 4:14 pm
    Ever go to a conference and not know how to easily identify members from your own state? A colleague has ribbons made with the state name that he sends to state attendees in advance (to insert in conference badges). He can identify them, they can identify each other, and it lets others know where they're from.

  • Building Leaders: 6 Skills to Develop (or Have)

    26 Oct 2009 | 7:27 pm
    Can an engineering school also build leaders? A Boston Globe article relays the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has added leadership training to its undergraduate engineering curriculum - to help its students with superior technical skills succeed in the workplace environment.MIT takes engineering students who may be introverted and/or acutely aware of their analytical/technical excellence - and teaches them leadership and management skills aren't "silly", time-wasting or out of reach. MIT's engineering leadership program identifies the following skills, among others, to…

  • How to Not Ruin Black Pants

    25 Oct 2009 | 12:46 pm
    As someone who doesn't like to travel with more than just a computer bag, it's a sad situation to completely ruin a favorite pair of black pants that didn't wrinkle and fit better than any others.Real Simple magazine (Nov. '09) has these tips for black pants: (for those who don't want the time and cost of eternally dry cleaning)1. Don't wash them as much. Wear 4-5 times between washings.2. Turn pants inside out to minimize color loss.3. Choose a short, delicate cycle.4. Use specialized detergent for cold water loads, such as Tide Coldwater. Chlorine in tap water is apparently…
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    Give and Take

  • What's Wrong With the 'Impatient Optimists'? [1]

    Ian Wilhelm
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:10 am
    Tim Ogden is challenging the thinking of two of the world’s most prominent donors — Bill and Melinda Gates. As part of an effort to promote foreign aid, the Gateses describe themselves as “impatient optimists” — people who believe global-health programs have been successful, but expect them to do more and be faster at eradicating diseases and such. But Mr. Ogden, editor in chief of Philanthropy Action, says that if donors are too impatient, they run the risk of becoming cynical about what giving can achieve. He recommends a “patient optimism” —…

  • Are Nonprofit Trustees Ready to Handle Today's Difficult Financial Decisions? Plus More: Friday's Roundup

    Maria DiMento
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:27 am
    Gene Takagi a California nonprofit lawyer, asks whether nonprofit boards are prepared to handle the difficult financial decisions they face in the tough economy, on Nonprofit Law Blog. The public is debating the motives behind the Goldman Sachs Group’s $500-million philanthropic pledge, but its giving has helped charities in tough times, writes Charles Best, the founder of DonorsChoose.org, which has received support from Goldman. Mr. Best’s views appear on a New York Times blog that is debating the Goldman controversy. J.D. Lasica, a social-media consultant to nonprofit groups,…

  • Goldman Sachs Pledge Not Enough? Plus More: Thursday's Roundup

    Maria DiMento
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am
    Goldman Sachs Group’s $500-million philanthropic pledge will do little to quell public anger about the billions of dollars its employees are paid and its role in last year’s financial crisis, says Mark Gilbert, a columnist for Bloomberg News. Read The Chronicle’s article about the Goldman Sachs commitment. In response to a Wall Street Journal editorial, Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation, defends his organization’s decision to support a charitable fund created by a teacher’s union, saying teachers are key to improving the nation’s public…

  • Oxfam Ad Asks Donors to Give a [Bleep] [1]

    Ian Wilhelm
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm
    Oxfam America is asking you to give a [bleep]. To promote giving during the holiday season, Oxfam America has produced a slightly bawdy, but funny, video. With a nod to the censored word, Oxfam suggests viewers donate $12, which will provide manure to impoverished farmers overseas. The slick advertisement begins with an earnest mom sitting with her child and saying to the camera: “I never knew how much difference I could make just by giving a [bleep].” She then extols her dry cleaner, parents at a playground, and others to follow suit. Eventually she is driving around a leafy…

  • How Much Should Nonprofit Groups Spend on Marketing? [6]

    Peter Panepento
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:01 am
    Nonprofit groups have a reputation for not spending much time telling their stories to potential supporters. With tight budgets and often lofty ambitions, marketing and communications often takes a back seat to fund raising and service delivery. But some marketing experts say nonprofit groups would actually raise more money and, in turn, deliver more services, if they spent more of their resources on marketing. Nancy E. Schwartz, a marketing and communications consultant in New York and author of the blog Getting Attention, told participants at a recent Chronicle online discussion that she…
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    Getting Attention Blog

  • How Joedy Isert's Listening Helps Heifer International

    Nancy E. Schwartz
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:36 am
    Listening is all the rage right now and for good reason. With an ever-increasing number of communications channels, there's much more to listen to and the ability to do so.  Most importantly, as I discussed a few weeks ago, what's said about your organization, leaders, programs, or issues is information critical to your decision making. But, despite the fact that listening IS a must and quite feasible for nonprofits of all sizes to implement, far too many do a poor job of it or don't do it at all. Here's someone to learn from: Joedy Isert (at left), director of branding and communication at…

  • Strengthen Your Nonprofit's Marketing Messages -- Transcript Now Online

    Nancy E. Schwartz
    18 Nov 2009 | 3:05 pm
    Your organization needs to do more than simply have a great mission to capture attention from donors and other supporters. You also must step up your efforts to market your ideas and causes.This morning I had the pleasure of moderating a free online discussion hosted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, about how your organization can create more effective marketing messages.  My fingers were flying as I answered over a dozen great questions in the course of an hour. Now the transcript is available for your reference (just scroll to the bottom of the page and the transcript will "replay"). Take…

  • How to Get Strong Testimonials for Your Organization

    Nancy E. Schwartz
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:18 am
    Getting Attention reader Bobbi Russell, Associate Director of Green Media Toolshed (GMT), asks:Q: We rely heavily on testimonials here at GMT.  But what's the best way to ask for a testimonial? When a member tells us they love our service or a certain training, we ask at that moment if they'll provide a quote for marketing use. We also use post-training surveys to gather info about our training program, and these sometimes generate new quotes.  A few years back we did an "open mike" call out to member for testimonials and that was fairly successful.  How, and how frequently, should we ask…

  • What's the Best Holiday Fundraising Campaign?

    Nancy E. Schwartz
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:04 am
    I vote hands down for Heifer International, the humanitarian assistance and sustainable development organization that provides livestock and related services to limited-resource families worldwide. We just received the Heifer holiday catalog last week and my daughter Charlotte went nuts marking the pages with the animals she wants to give.But my colleague Conor Byrne, one of Ireland's fundraisers extraordinaire, wants to know what YOU think! As Conor tells it, even as a child he had fundraising on the brain. He remembers being struck by the prevalence of holly pins -- sold as a Christmas…

  • Download Free 2009 Nonprofit Tagline Report -- For Messaging that Connects even in Tough Times

    Nancy E. Schwartz
    12 Nov 2009 | 4:52 am
    Nonprofits have a major branding problem in weak taglines. Taglines are the best way to succinctly convey nonprofits' value, but 7 in 10 nonprofits rate their taglines as poor or don't have one at all. The just-released 2009 report,based on 1,700 2009 tagline award entries and recent survey responses from 1,900 of your colleague nonprofit communicators, shows that most nonprofits don’t have an organizational tagline that works to make their organizations’ value clear, and easy to remember and repeat. A highly-effective nonprofit tagline model (and one of the 13 winners of the 2009 tagline…
 
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    Gift Hub

  • Dam Busting to Get a Flood of Giving Now

    PBC
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:13 pm
    Issues to be resolved to "bust the dam" holding back a wave of current gifts and grants. Organizations like Philanthropedia  connecting ordinary donors with advice from experts on which nonprofits are doing great work in various categories. Organizations like Tactical Philanthropy who can get advisors paid for giving good advice about giving for impact in the context of family wealth. Organizations like my employer educating advisors and fundraisers to work more productively with donors and "proto-philanthropistis." Organizations like The…

  • Elite Limited Liability Company

    PBC
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:30 pm
    CIA Secret 'Torture' Prison Found at Fancy Horseback Riding Academy. I note in passing that Seligman, the guy who wrote about learned helplessness and now happiness has this to say about the CIA's use of his material. Happiness, said Aristotle, is a life of virtue lived in a just society. What we have is pretty close, I guess. Look on the bright side.

  • Philanthropedia

    PBC
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:23 pm
    Quite an interesting and well-considered approach to helping donors fund nonprofits doing excellent work in a given issue area. Philanthropedia, a nonprofit, canvasses experts in that issue area among foundation grantmakers. They provide area of interest funds to donors large and small.They also offer a gift card. The people associated with Philanthropediaseem to be mostly drawn from Stanford. I recently interviewed Dawn Kwan, Philanthropedia's Manager of Nonprofit Profiles & Social Cause Expansion. What is your sustainability model? Where do your revenues come…

  • Bright-Sided, by Barbara Ehrenreich

    PBC
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pm
    C.A. Fitts: I just finished Ehrenreich’s new book, Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Underminded America in which she describes the promotion and abuse of positive thinking by American institutions, including the media, medicine, downsizing corporations and growing churches, and the rest of us.

  • I Who Am Blameless

    PBC
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:38 am
    If you appreciate the writing and hijinks of Diogenes, Rabelais, Erasmus, Dryden, Swift, John Gay, or more recently Oscar Wilde, you become hyper-sensitive to the reality that all discourse has not only an intended audience, not only a payload of "content" to deliver via "style," vehicle or setup, but that all discourse limns, consciously or unconsciously, a speaker. It is a mercy that we have adopted as a polite convention that as an audience we will not become overly conscious of the speaker's foibles, much less his or her vice or folly. We hope that a like courtesy…
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    DEBORAH ELIZABETH FINN

  • Grantmakers, Grantees, and Tweeters for the Common Good

    Deborah Elizabeth Finn
    10 Nov 2009 | 4:32 pm
    On Friday, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN) and Associated Grantmakers (AGM) are holding a joint conference on the theme of "Grantmakers and Grantees for the Common Good" in Framingham, MassachusettsMNN has recruited me to be its official twitterer (or should I say "tweeter?") for the event, an assignment that I relish.  They are actually talking about setting up a screen in the ballroom where the plenary events will take place, so that the attendees can follow my microblogging in real time!If you'd like to follow my Twitterreportage (or should I say "twitterage?") of the…

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

    Deborah Elizabeth Finn
    9 Nov 2009 | 6:01 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...

  • It's Blog Action Day - time to take action on climate change

    Deborah Elizabeth Finn
    14 Oct 2009 | 9:00 pm
    October 15th is Blog Action Day, and this year's theme is climate changeI'd like to take this opportunity to call attention to the perspective of an esteemed client of mine, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear WarBefore I started to work with them, I was unaware that the goal of nuclear disarmament is closely related to concerns about climate change, but IPPNW has done some very serious research on this topic.Here are three of their publications:"An assessment of the extent of projected global famine resulting from limited, regional nuclear war" by Ira Helfand, MD "Nuclear…

  • What if? A thought experiment for Beacon Hill

    Deborah Elizabeth Finn
    28 Sep 2009 | 6:50 pm
    When Joseph Porcelli volunteered for my eHope crew, it became well-nigh inevitable that I would inexorably be drawn into a position as a volunteer evangelist for his online nonprofit social network, Neighbors For Neighbors.  Joseph is awe-inspiring - both online and offline - as a community builder and organizer.  His new social network has what I am coming to believe is the golden ratio:  10% dedicated hard-core pursuit of the right geek tools for the job and 90% dedicated to relationship building.One of his duties in my eHope crew is to accompany me on long walks (a great aid…

  • eHope: I'm not just a fan!

    Deborah Elizabeth Finn
    21 May 2009 | 12:06 pm
    When I first heard about eHope, over a year ago, I was excited! Here was yet another great example of how face-to-face relationshipsonline networking, and heightened awareness of the importance of social capital could be combined in powerful ways.  Jeffrey Wood, eHope's founder, is a visionary who is bringing all this together to help communities support people who are facing life-threatening illnesses.  I lost no time in calling him up and arranging for him to be a featured guest at the Ethos Roundtable.  He came down from Maine to Cambridge for the Ethos session, and…
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    PHILANTHROPY 2173

  • Experimenting around expertise

    Lucy Bernholz
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:52 am
    (photo by Joe Shlabotnik, Flickr, Creative Commons)All the experimentation about crowdsourcing is, in my mind, really a discussion about how to organize around expertise.Time was, an organization needed to have certain skills and knowledge in-house to get things done. So, for example, John D. Rockefeller built a foundation in 1913 and hired the people he thought had the expertise to guide his giving. Those folks, in turn, used the foundation's resources to support the work of other organizations where other experts could further the goals of public health access. Large institutional…

  • "What Capital When" An online conversation about social capital

    Lucy Bernholz
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:12 am
    My colleagues and I at Blueprint Research & Design are launching a new experiment (for us) - a blog hosted conversation about what types of philanthropic/social capital make sense and when. This is not new territory - there are lots of experts, lots of experience, lots of resources, and some great advice out there. We hope they and you will engage in this discussion. What else are we hoping to accomplish and why are we trying it this way? A few things:First, much of the expertise around capital allocation is held by financial professionals at foundations and the financial intermediaries…

  • Top 2010 trend? Using twitter to ask what the top 2010 trend will be

    Lucy Bernholz
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:42 pm
    (photo by pdsphil, Creative Commons, Flickr)I think the trend of crowdsourcing trends has just jumped the shark.OK - that's it. I'm done asking others to identify trends for me. Now that we have a wiki to identify fundraising scenarios for 2020, a twitter hashtag on 2010 nonprofit trends, and my own September contribution about 2010 trends - I'm done. Clearly the most pervasive trend is using these tools to ask about trends. As we approach December and the list making frenzy of "top 10s" that marks that month, let us all take a deep breath and perhaps even do some of our our own thinking.As…

  • More data platforms for philanthropy

    Lucy Bernholz
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:39 am
    (Photo by Andrew Roddewig, New Clarion Media,http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu/multimedia/image_gallery/detail/2256)Data are getting their moment in the sun. Data visualization (also known as infographics) like this unemployment map from The New York Times, may be part of the reason reading newspapers on the web can be so much more fun than reading them on paper. It may also be part of the business model solution for news sites, as people might just pay to see these data.This CNN slide show offers some beautiful examples of how data can be the basis of art as well as science.Two new data…

  • Open organizations

    Lucy Bernholz
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:08 am
    (Photo from Boboroshi, Flickr, Creative Commons)Thanks to an email from Martin Kaminer I just read about PresenTense's open source efforts over at Community Organizer 2.0. According to the post, PresenTense, an organization focused on building the Jewish community's next generation of pioneers and innovators, open sources much of its programming and advisory roles. Community Organizer 2.0 quotes PresenTense's founder @ArielBeery as saying:"The PresenTense Group calls itself an “open source organization." Co-founder Ariel Beery defines an Open Source Organization as one that “enables all…
 
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    The Official google.org blog

  • Energy R&D funding from "Lightbulbs to Lightbulbs"

    Niki Fenwick
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:02 pm
    (Condensed Remarks from the 2009 California Cleantech Open) There are still power plants operating today that Thomas Edison could have seen with his own eyes. If he were to tour our electrical grid, he would recognize that too. As former Secretary of State George Shultz says, in energy "the past must not be prologue." Can we reinvent our energy system in only ten years? I think we can -- but we need to have a clear mission, we need to aim high, and we need substantial and sustained R&D funding.This funding, coupled with tax incentives, loan guarantees, and other market mechanisms, is…

  • Finding flu vaccine information in one easy place

    Jamie Yood
    10 Nov 2009 | 9:46 am
    (cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)This year, it's especially important to have clear information on what you can do to prepare for the flu season. With this in mind, we are happy to share a new feature for the U.S. which allows you to more easily find locations near you for getting both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine. After expanding Google Flu Trends to a total of 20 countries and 38 languages, allowing more people to see near real-time estimates of flu activity, we began brainstorming with the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS), their flu.gov collaborators and…

  • Empowering the UK with Google PowerMeter

    Niki Fenwick
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:08 pm
    Electricity consumers in the United Kingdom can now access Google PowerMeter, a free software tool that provides consumers with information on how much energy their home is using. The software receives information from utility smart meters and in-home energy management devices and visualizes this information on a personalized iGoogle homepage. Today we're announcing both our very first UK utility partnership and our very first UK device partner.Our utility partner, first:utility, is the only energy supplier in the United Kingdom to provide free smart meters to its customers, and is currently…

  • Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?

    Jamie Yood
    26 Oct 2009 | 9:11 am
    The first outbreak of the new "swine flu" strain, now known as H1N1, earlier this year in Mexico caught the world by surprise. Public health officials around the world tried to stop the virus at the borders but were largely helpless. Shortly after, on the other side of the world from Mexico, I saw the health check posts in Cambodia at the airport and at a borderpost with Vietnam, right when the country found its first H1N1 cases which were flown in by US exchange students. The weapons used by the health officials to combat the spread of the virus were primarily paper survey forms and…

  • Pouncing on the iCat opportunity

    Jamie Yood
    15 Oct 2009 | 4:36 pm
    As a relatively new philanthropy ourselves, Google.org continues to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to improving the lives and livelihoods of people in the developing world. This exploration often brings us into dialogue with many start-up social enterprises and other philanthropies trying to overcome challenges working directly with less advantaged populations. One such group, LGT Venture Philanthropy, has articulated a recurring theme: organizations with effective and innovative solutions to social and environmental problems often lack the manpower and expertise to implement…
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    SocialButterfly

  • Knowledge + Attitude = Action?

    Alex
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:36 pm
    This was the equation at the center of one of Thursday’s New York Times Articles titled: How Understanding the Human Mind Might Save the World from CO2. The article shared insights gained from the Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference this past week in Washington D.C., and wouldn’t you know–highlighted social marketing as a potential solution to leading the climate change movement forward. I believe the main message from the article is best summed up by one of the quotes from researcher Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr: “Social psychologists have now known for four…

  • Mr. Roboto is…a Social Marketeer?

    Alex
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:46 pm
    Yes, you heard correctly. Who ever thought you’d hear the word “robot” used in the same sentence of “social marketing?”  Julia Snow of SocialMarketingEast did. Using online technology xtranormal, Snow created three YouTube tutorials about social marketing–each lasting about a minute and a half–featuring robots. The idea is for anyone to create their own videos or to submit questions that can be addressed in future tutorials. Below, you can follow part one of the robots explaining what social marketing is and how it’s different from traditional…

  • Focus on Some Inspiration

    Alex
    15 Nov 2009 | 9:52 am
    I am so thankful for community–including those at BlogHer. I woke up this morning and found this inspiring post and video emphasizing a word that I’ve been concentrating on: FOCUS. The video starts with this beautiful quote. I encourage you to take a moment and reflect upon it: “Your real work is to decide what you want and then focus upon it, for it is through focusing upon what you want–that you will get it. That is the process of creating.” The video closes with another thought-provoking quote by Ghandi: “Keep your thoughts as positive because your…

  • Transparency Isn’t Just for the Government

    Alex
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:33 pm
    It’s also for non-profits. This was the hottest topic during our first #read4change gathering–fueled by the recent revelations of Kiva and its transparency question. (Background: a NY Times article broke sharing that Kiva, a micro-lending Web site that markets “person-to-person” lending–actually works with third parties to help get loans in the hands of people who need them.) What I find most interesting–is that while this revelation has created an emotional response, most people still choose to support the cause. An additional effect is that it has sparked…

  • Building a Web Site: Easy as 1, 2 OR 3?

    Alex
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:14 pm
    Today, I heard that fundamentally there are three main purposes of a Web site: 1) informational, 2) transactional and 3) community-based. AnInformationalWeb site is one that is primarily a resource. A transactional Web site has a desired action, which is usually associated with e-commerce. And lastly, a community-based Web site is one that is designed to encourage people to interact, network and share. I’m not one to put things into boxes and draw hard boundaries, but at first I liked this concept. It’s simple. It’s easy. But, after pondering for a second, I got to thinking:…
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    A Small Change- Fundraising Blog

  • Popular Fundraising Models

    Jason Dick
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    From Penelope Burk to Terry Axelrod, there are a lot of different models and fundraising programs out there. Many development shops base their fundraising programs on one of these models. I’d love to hear back from you on what model you use and what you’ve found to be successful. Donor Centered Fundraising- Penelope Burke: Focuses on personalizing your appeals and proposals to each individual donor. Benevon- Terry Axelrod: Focuses on event fundraising using a tried and true program format. At the center of the event program is a compelling donor story. Using this model, events will be…

  • Getting Started with Social Media Volunteers

    Sean Debutts
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    After working for six months as the social media coordinator at Puget Sound Blood Center, I’ve learned valuable lessons about cultivating a base of social media volunteers. The social media community has an impressive commitment to volunteerism and nonprofit fundraising that. The Blood Center’s own social media volunteers send alerts via Twitter and Facebook during emergency blood shortages, educate friends through blog posts, leverage their social networks to fill blood drives, and donate special skills such as graphics design. Before recruiting your own social media volunteers, be sure…

  • Key Pieces of Database Info

    Jason Dick
    11 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    Earlier this week I talked about the importance of knowing where to put donor information in your database. Today I want to talk about what information I’ve found to be the most inconsistent and, by keeping that data relevant, how much more powerful your database can be. Most of the inaccuracies I find are in simple contact and personal information: addresses, phone numbers, and emails. How many donors have you lost touch with because you don’t have any way to get a hold of them anymore? Have you ever made a follow-up call only to find out the person you’re calling for is now deceased?

  • How Well Do You Know Your Database?

    Jason Dick
    9 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    Every organization I’ve worked for has always had a hard time using their database to capture donor information and keeping it up-to-date. Many will say this is because they don’t have the staffing to properly update the database. But I think that most often staff just don’t understand how it works. Every organization should make sure that they are training their new employees as to where donor information lives in their system. Most databases have multiple ways you can record and keep information and I’ve found that organizations hardly ever do everything the same way. Take 30…

  • How Long to Hold a Lead

    Jason Dick
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    I wrote earlier this week about “What’s a Lead” and today I’m going to talk about responding to these leads. When you come back from an event you attended, what do you do with your leads? Does it take months before any of these people ever hear from you again? I’ve found that people have very short-term memory when you first meet them. There are so many nonprofits, so many networking events, and so many people to meet. If you wait too long, people start to forget who you are. I try to send an email within a day of meeting someone new. That way they still remember who I am, and…
 
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    Frogloop

  • Five Ways Social Media is Helping to Build Social Justice Movements

    Allyson Kapin
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:16 pm
    As with all popular communications channels, sometimes social media gets a bad rep. While it's true that social media is not a silver bullet for major list growth or mega fundraising yet, it is helping to strengthen social justice movements. Here are the top five ways building a community on social networking sites benefits nonprofits advocating for social change. 1. Helps to better brand organizations with supporters and potential supporters. 2.Creates more open and transparent conversations about thought-provoking issues. Pre-internet, people were limited…

  • The Procastinator's Guide to Year-End Fundraising TeleConference December 3rd

    Allyson Kapin
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:07 pm
    It's later than you think, if you haven't already launched, or are not fully prepared to launch, a year-end holiday fundraising campaign for your nonprofit organization. Did you know that 40 percent of all online donations come in during these vital end-of-year campaigns? You cannot afford to miss out. Fortunately, with some quick tweaks to your website, as well as incorporating marketing and communications best practices, you will have all the tools you need to take advantage of the season. Join Alia McKee and Mark Rovner from Sea Change Strategies, as well as Kathryn Powers of…

  • Getting the Message Right for the new Consumer (Donor)

    Justin Perkins and Mirm Kriegel
    13 Nov 2009 | 6:23 am
    Ever wonder what someone means by Cause Marketing? It's a popular and new trend that helps many nonprofits raise more money -- and build much more awareness of their own brand, mission, and organization by teaming up with marketing-savvy, do-gooder corporations. Last week, Mirm Kriegel from BBMG and I suggested a new paradigm for messaging donors at Care2's first webinar focused on Cause Marketing. Think about it - at the end of the day donors are also consumers. In 2009, about $1.6 Billion will be spent on Corporate/Nonprofit Cause Marketing Campaigns.  In light of many nonprofits…

  • Social by Social: A Guide to Launching Campaigns Via New Media Tools

    Allyson Kapin
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:31 pm
    Nonprofit guru Amy Sample Ward just co-authored a new book called Social By Social, which serves as a great “how to” guide on how to use technologies to create social impact. Nonprofits and their staff will learn to engage a community, develop a blog strategy, define key metrics, scale up activities and sustain projects via the latest tools. Furthermore, Social By Social document pioneers like Simon Berry who used new media to successfully lobby the Coca Cola Corporation to support African aid. “This is the story of one man’s crusade to stem the terrible infant…

  • What's an Email Address Worth? Just Calculate it!

    Eric Rardin
    11 Nov 2009 | 12:23 pm
    The Value of an Email What’s an email worth? Over here at Care2 we get this question a lot. And we should. Any nonprofit seeking to recruit online supporters should rightly be concerned with the ultimate value derived from such supporters. The following is an attempt to address this question, without any presumption that it will provide a definitive answer. Check out the simple calculator below, and if you want more detailed explanation, read the details at the bottom of this blog post, or give us a call. We value the expertise of our colleagues and welcome any feedback or comments. The…
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    GlobalGiving Blog

  • Do You Believe in Life After Love (and War)?

    Donna
    16 Nov 2009 | 3:08 pm
    In her 1998 worldwide number one hit iconic superstar Cher asks, “Do you believe in life after love?”  But these days that memorable line could be amended to add “…and war?” For years Cher has been a visible and unabashed advocate for ensuring that women and men who serve our country are honored through policies and programs that lift up their heroism and ensure their dignity, both during deployment and after they return from combat.  She has demonstrated this commitment  by supporting organizations from Operation Helmet to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and…

  • For Profit, and More…

    Dennis
    13 Nov 2009 | 6:14 pm
    There has been growing interest over the past few years in the concept of socially-oriented businesses.  This interest has been manifested in many different ways.  More and more mainstream companies are trying to do business in what they describe as a more ethical or socially conscious way.  Increasingly, they do this because it makes good business sense — it results in better products, happier employees, and more satisfied customers. There is a movement to brand certain companies as “B Corporations” if they meet certain social and environmental performance standards. …

  • Breakfast Event, Internet Salvation and Project Leader Honored

    Alison
    29 Oct 2009 | 4:02 pm
    Earlier this month, I was invited to the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Annual Meeting and 30th Anniversary Celebration, which was held this morning. I was invited through YNPNdc, not as an attendee or an honoree - but to Tweet the event. The Center has been making progress to reach more people, more networks and evolve, just like all of their partner nonprofits. So they recruited a small group of us to attend and do what we do - tweet. It didn’t occur to me until I arrived that I was, in some respects, more of the media than an attendee of the event. It was my job to talk…

  • Transparency on Trial?

    Dennis
    22 Oct 2009 | 6:47 pm
    [Reposted from the Huffington Post, 10/22/09] A number of commenters have asked me to weigh in on the lively debate that emerged from David Roodman’s Microfinance Open Book Blog about transparency–not only on Kiva, but really about all attempts to make philanthropy more direct, starting with the pioneering efforts of Save the Children in 1940. I’ve hesitated about weighing in–mostly because we have shared war stories, best practices, and worst moments with our friends at Kiva. We know that they are classy folks who know how to work constructively with feedback. And no…

  • International Day of Climate Action

    Bbrower
    20 Oct 2009 | 11:05 am
    As you may have heard, this Saturday is the International Day of Climate Action. Thousands of imaginative activities are planned in the U.S. and over 100 countries around the world. There will be a huge rally in Washington D.C., tracing of the new waterline given a 1 meter rise in sea levels in Santa Cruz, tree plantings in Ghana and much more. Check 350.org for activities near you. Getting creative in the streets is one way to show your solidarity with people all over the world for global action on climate change. Another important approach is supporting projects in communities around the…
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    Confessions of a Non-Profit Executive Director

  • Do me a favor — vote for Perla Ni on the Huffington Post

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    29 Oct 2009 | 9:44 pm
    Huffington Post is looking for readers to vote for the ultimate game changer in Philanthropy. And I think the readers have so far voted Perla Ni, head of greatnonprofits.org, to be the ultimate game changer. I’d like her to keep that lead and to do so, I urge you all to consider throwing in a vote. She’s trying to create a Yelp for Nonprofits which is sorely needed in the nonprofit world. Any time I see someone promoting democratic oversight of nonprofits, I’m all for it.

  • Mobile phones to the rescue in Indonesia, Philippines and Samoa

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    2 Oct 2009 | 10:05 am
    From the UN Dispatch: Over the weekend a deadly tropical storm slammed into the Philippines, causing severe flooding in urban areas and affecting tens of thousands. Tuesday, a powerful underwater earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves 15 to 20 feet high that crashed into the Samoa islands, destroying homes and taking lives. Then yesterday and today two successive and devastating earthquakes struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, leaving thousands buried in rubble and in desperate need of aid. Groups funded by the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership are deployed…

  • Blogging Budget For Nonprofits

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    17 Jul 2009 | 10:42 am
    Lewis Kelley from the National Forest Foundation has asked how much it would cost for their organization to blog. The purpose of this post is to discuss a basic yearly budget that encompasses setup costs, labor costs and online services. Let’s do some of the basic math. Assuming that your site is not going to get more than 40,000 users per month and no more than 20 GB of bandwidth, I suggest you simply go with a shared ISP account. This isn’t going to break the bank at all. I use NEXCESS.NET. They’re very cheap. The mini-me plan is $134.59 a year for site hosting, daily site…

  • Towards a New Kind of Nonprofit Website, Part II

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    24 Jun 2009 | 12:49 pm
    You’ve read about my operational plan and theorems in Part I of this series. Here’s why I chose Drupal to carry out the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress website instead of Wordpress. Drupal is very good at building complex websites that can vault a nonprofit past brochureware or a blog and into the position of being #1 on your subject matter. I’m sure Joomla can do the same but there are certain Drupal practices and modules that can fundamentally alter the balance of power between your nonprofit and the competition. If your nonprofit is interested in being the biggest…

  • Why Your Nonprofit’s Volunteer Base Should Blog for Your Nonprofit

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    22 Jun 2009 | 1:56 pm
    Updated 10/2/2009 (new graphic and stats!) An alert reader has asked me for a chart on the effect of blog entries on site traffic. I took the time to create a little data table from the Google Analytics reports for APA for Progress. Please be aware that the Jun-09 figures were run on 6/22 so the figures are incomplete for June. These figures run from 1/1/2009 to 9/31/2009. In essence, I’m adding 3 months of extra data. As you can see in the chart above, there’s a high correlation (.883) (previously .945) between the number of blog entries and the level of site traffic.
 
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    About.com Nonprofit Charitable Orgs

  • Collaborative Competition: GiveMN Provides Outside-the-Box Lessons for Online Giving

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    We are seeing the next generation of online giving campaigns worked out one by one as this new tool evolves and expands. GiveMN, sponsored by several Minnesota foundations, held a one-day "give to the max" campaign on November 17 that raised $14-million, exceeding its most ambitious expectations. Based on a similar campaign in Dallas, TX, in May, that raised more than $4-million, the campaign featured a website that listed 3,434 nonprofits across Minnesota. Nearly 40,000 Donors picked one or more charities for their donations. Like the recent America's Giving Challenge, sponsored by The CASE…

  • Email Is Not Yet Dead: 9 Tips to Make It More Effective

    16 Nov 2009 | 5:05 pm
    There have been dire warnings about the death of email recently because of the increasing use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook. But it is way too early to declare the demise of our most effective online communication. After all, everyone with a computer, or even a mobile phone, uses email, while adoption of social media, while impressive, is not yet universal. Don't get rid of your email to donors and supporters. Just make it as effective as possible...more... Image by Getty Images Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up | Forum | Facebook Email Is Not Yet Dead: 9 Tips to Make…

  • Align Mission, Competencies, and Resources for Better Fundraising

    16 Nov 2009 | 4:59 am
    Are your fundraising, mission, and resources in separate silos? Do you have donors or investors? Is your strategic plan feasible in light of your resources? Is your board realistic about its responsibilities? Are your messages convincing? These are key concerns for any nonprofit, but few deal with them in an integrated fashion. To help her clients do that, Nell Edgington has written a terrific whitepaper for her consulting company, Social Velocity: Resetting Fundraising: 5 Ways to Raise More Money The paper raises some excellent questions for nonprofits, such as: Are your mission, core…

  • Nonprofits Should Use P.O.S.T. to Get Handle on Social Media

    12 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    I read about the P.O.S.T. strategy in Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff's book, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. That book is directed primarily at businesses, but the P.O.S.T. idea really stood out for its simplicity and applicability to all kinds of organizations, including nonprofits. P.O.S.T. stands for People, Objectives, Strategies, and Technology, and should be executed in that order. Steve McLaughlin recently wrote a blog post about P.O.S.T. that does a good job of explaining this strategy. Steve says that, "Social media and social networks are…

  • Three Free Ways to Boost Your Nonprofit Cred

    11 Nov 2009 | 10:30 pm
    "Free." We all love that word. Fortunately, "free" is no longer just a gimmick. It's a movement, encouraged by thought leaders such as Chris Anderson, who wrote "Free: The Future of a Radical Price." Thanks to all of the generous organizations and gurus in the nonprofit space, we have lots of ways to gain expertise right at our computers. Here are three ways you can sharpen your wits and skills ... all for free. Free Access to the Blackbaud Nonprofit Conference Next week Blackbaud, provider of software and services to nonprofits, holds its conference for nonprofits in Charleston, SC. But, if…
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    Rosetta Thurman

  • Apply for the Minnesota Council on Foundations Diversity Fellowship

    rosettathurman
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:34 am
    Diversity Fellowship Minnesota Council on Foundations Posted November 13 The Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF), a regional association of grantmakers who annually award more than $850 million to nonprofits, works actively to strengthen and expand philanthropy. MCF members include family and private independent foundations, community and other public foundations, and corporate foundations and giving programs. With a $1.2 million annual budget, MCF is committed to serving its members and providing leadership in the field of philanthropy. Fellowship Position: The MCF Diversity Fellowship is…

  • Association of Black Foundation Executives Call for Nominations for 2010 Leadership Awards

    rosettathurman
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:25 am
    ABFE is pleased to announce a Call for Nominations for the 2010 Annual Awards Program including the James A. Joseph Lecture on Philanthropy, the Emerging Leader in Philanthropy Award and the Institutional Award for Philanthropic Leadership. Application forms are now available at ABFE.org. The application deadline is on Friday, December 11, 2009.  Please review and share this notice with eligible colleagues.  Submissions will be accepted for the following categories: James A. Joseph Lecture on Philanthropy is a tribute to Ambassador James A. Joseph, ABFE co-founder and distinguished…

  • Apply for University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Fully-Funded Arts MBA

    rosettathurman
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:15 am
    Great opportunity from Jennifer, one of my dear readers: University of Wisconsin-Madison, the School of Business now offers a fully-funded MBA with a specialization in Arts Administration. It’s a full fellowship, with all tuition waived, health insurance covered, etc. The Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was one of the nation’s first graduate programs in arts management, founded 40 years ago. Originally an MA in Business, the program is now an MBA in Arts Administration, part of the Wisconsin School of Business specialized MBA…

  • You Don’t Have to Be 40 Years Old to Be a Nonprofit Executive Director

    rosettathurman
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:37 am
    Did you miss yesterday’s live broadcast of A Day in the Life of a Young Nonprofit Executive Director? You missed an amazing discussion, but have no fear. You can click on the link or listen below to the archived show. On my radio show yesterday, we had an incredible discussion about leadership with four nonprofit executive directors under 40 (see their full bios here): Trista Harris, Headwaters Foundation for Justice John Mark Eberhardt, The Steward’s Staff Bridget Clark Whitney, Kids Food Basket Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts In a special 90 minute episode, my guest shared…

  • Working at a Nonprofit Does Not Equal Social Change

    rosettathurman
    18 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    For this month’s Nonprofit Millennial Bloggers Alliance post, we are tackling defining and measuring social impact. Follow our conversations on Twitter using #NMBA Last week, Collen Dilen wrote a great blog post called, Does Writing a Check to a Nonprofit Equal Social Change? as a response to my November 11 radio show where I said that no, it did not. It made me think of Penelope Trunk’s recent post pointing out that you don’t have to work in a nonprofit to do good. She also said that some nonprofits do more good than others. I took that to mean that some organizations produce…
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    The Naked Idea

  • Some Last Minute YEAR END Appeal Tips

    John
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    Jonathon Grapsas posted this video about some last minute tips that can have an impact on how well your year end appeal will do. But you might find that some of his tips will work for any mailing you work on during the year. Take a look: Creatively, there tend to be two approaches to year end appeals that you can consider. You can either use the holiday season or Christmas thematically to tie in the importance of a gift – especially as the donors start to madly run around buying gifts for all of their loved ones, you are sending a friendly reminder to consider your cause as well.

  • Get out of your box!

    John
    14 Nov 2009 | 6:33 am
    Sometimes the easiest and best solutions aren’t found while staring at your computer monitor.

  • Stop using social media for marketing your charity

    John
    5 Nov 2009 | 1:22 pm
    There is no YOU in Twitter. Stop thinking of it as a way to get more donations and start thinking of it as a way to engage and build relationships with others. You can follow Mark Horvath on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/hardlynormal

  • Twitter ‘Lists’ Feature

    John
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:50 am
    Do you use Twitter? Do you follow more than 5 people? Then check out the new lists feature…

  • When to keep your mouth shut

    John
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:36 am
    With so many ways we can now reach out to donors, there are too many charities and people making noise for the sake of it or because their “schedule” tells them to. If you only ‘talk’ when you have something of value to say – people will appreciate and respect you the more for it.
 
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    Step By Step Fundraising

  • Evaluating Online Donation Service Providers

    Sandra Sims
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:40 am
    There are many companies eager to help you with the task of online donations, from standard credit card processors to those specializing in nonprofits.  So how do you decide which provider is right for you? Here are seven factors for you to consider when choosing an online donation service provider: 1. Features When evaluating service providers first decide on your goals and needs. For example, do you simply need a way to accept one time donations, or are there other options that you require such as: Designated fund giving Monthly giving (automated) Pledging (with a time limit, not open…

  • Blogging for Online Fundraising Success

    Sandra Sims
    12 Nov 2009 | 5:02 am
    Does your nonprofit have a blog?  I recently began a six part series on this topic over at CauseBlogger.com. This series is for anyone interested in promoting an idea or non-commercial message via blogs. Nonprofits, volunteers, activists and collectively those who I call “cause enthusiasts” can all find many benefits in blogging. The truth is, there’s nothing complicated about what a blog is, or what it can do. Here are just a few examples of stories that can be posted to a blog that will help boost your fundraising efforts: Announcements about upcoming fundraising events…

  • How Web Design Can Improve Your Online Fundraising

    Elizabeth Beachy
    9 Nov 2009 | 5:23 am
    A lot of non-profits have online donation pages but complain that they still receive very few donations.  Why?  There are several reasons that could explain the lack of online giving ranging from low traffic to a poorly designed website. In essence, to be effective your entire online communication strategy must be built around increasing donations, which has implications regarding how your website is designed and what information you offer. Below are five keys to online fundraising success.  While some of them sound intuitive, a recent study of non-profit websites found that a surprising…

  • Top 10 Ways to Screw up Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign

    Gail Perry
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Halloween was this past weekend and we turned deep into the dark side.  Goulies and ghosties walked the streets in my neighborhood. So let’s turn to the dark side of your year-end fundraising campaign – and shine a light on mistakes many organizations make. Here’s my Top 10 list of ways to sabotage your year-end fundraising effort. 1.  Send a letter that’s hard to read, with ponderous sentences, long paragraphs and no white space.  (This fails the “easy to read” test, which is the first hurdle for your reader, who is skimming your prose for the highlights only.) 2.  Send a…

  • Lack of Oversight can Damage Your Nonprofit’s Long-Term Funding & Survival

    Sandra Sims
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:59 am
    Recently Don Griesmann posted a story on his blog that I believe is worth a read.  The organization profiled in the story, Kid Care, began as a labor of love, but ended abruptly after 18 years of service. Its founders were not professionally trained in nonprofit management prior to starting their work.  They simply saw a need and decided to use their gifts to benefit others. They were very trusting and extremely hard-working.  This describes a lot of the people I personally know and have connected with online who are doing charitable work. Learning some lessons from this unfortunate story…
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    nonprofiteer.net

  • Dear Nonprofiteer, How do we keep it all in the family?

    Nonprofiteer
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Dear Nonprofiteer, My wife and I started a small non-profit 3 years ago which has grown to have a budget of almost $200,000 per year.  When we started the organization she was made the Executive Director and the Chairman of the board and I was also a board member. She receives compensation in her full-time role as Executive Director and I volunteer my time (which is plenty). In addition to us, there are currently 3 other board members (Searching for 2 more). This non-profit initially started as a for-profit enterprise to help women that struggle with addiction by providing…

  • A modest proposal–that might actually work

    Nonprofiteer
    23 Oct 2009 | 1:45 pm
    This is the most innovative idea I’ve heard to date for modifying the nonprofit model to better suit organizations which aren’t properly “charities” but still serve the public interest.  The conversation has been about theater companies–and I salute Stolen Chair’s leadership for introducing it–but it would work equally well for the newspaper business, where very little else seems to work.  The Nonprofiteer promptly and shamelessly cribbed the idea for a “Whither journalism?” discussion, and intends to do so again. H/t to Thomas Cott of…

  • Dear Nonprofiteer, How can I be sure that he who needs, gets?

    Nonprofiteer
    1 Oct 2009 | 7:00 am
    Dear Nonprofiteer, I am wondering if you can help.  I recently made a film about the efforts of a group of villagers in the developing world to find a means of support after their livelihoods were taken away by misguided government actions. I am getting requests from people who want to donate money to the village after seeing the film, but there are currently no charities that specifically cater to the village and I know it takes a long time to start one.   Are there any charities where you can specifically earmark donations for a purpose and manage how that money is used? Kind of as a…

  • A word from the wise

    Nonprofiteer
    24 Sep 2009 | 7:00 am
    The Nonprofiteer received this note from the soon-to-be-ex-Executive Director of the Guild Complex, a Chicago nonprofit focused on highlighting and diversifying contemporary writing. It’s the strongest possible statement about what one dedicated and capable person can accomplish in nonprofit management–and about when and how it’s time to let go. Thanks to Ellen Placey Wadey for her kind permission to edit and reprint it. September 10, 2009 I think that we can agree that birthdays are moments of reflection. Mine is tomorrow. . . . When your birthday is September 11, you…

  • Dear Nonprofiteer, “AND my office is in a broom closet!”

    Nonprofiteer
    17 Sep 2009 | 7:00 am
    Dear Nonprofiteer, I am just finishing a year as an ED for a small nonprofit arts organization which has been struggling for almost all of its 30 year history. We have a 2-person admin team and most things seem to fall to me–from grant writing to plumbing. While we have met our challenges this year and will not go into the red, I have not been able to realize the high hopes that I started this job with last September. We face the challenge of an old, crumbling and uncomfortable building. We have a board-–of people I personally like–which is resistant to fundraising…
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    Zyozy Foundation Blog

  • Offbeat - Ideas for Development

    19 Nov 2009 | 6:58 am
    Offbeat Volume1 issue1 Oct- Dec 2009 [pdf] Offbeat is a theme-based e-zine focusing on issues central to India’s development. It is published by ‘The Alternative’, an online social change portal http://thealternative.in/offbeat.html

  • Millions Fed: Pathways to Prosperity

    18 Nov 2009 | 6:23 am
    Investments in agriculture provide a path for small farmers to prosper; improved seeds, new tools and training, and access to markets can lead to better, healthier lives. Learn about two successful projects—one in Uganda, one in India—that are having a significant impact on farmer productivity and are helping millions lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. Agricultural Development Overview Approximately 1 billion people live in chronic hunger and more than 1 billion live in extreme poverty. Many are small farmers in the developing world. Their success or failure determines whether…

  • A Thousand Suns

    15 Nov 2009 | 6:50 pm
    A Thousand Suns tells the story of the Gamo Highlands of the African Rift Valley and the unique worldview held by the people of the region. This isolated area has remained remarkably intact both biologically and culturally. It is one of the most densely populated rural regions of Africa yet its people have been farming sustainably for 10,000 years. Shot in Ethiopia, New York and Kenya, the film explores the modern world’s untenable sense of separation from and superiority over nature and how the interconnected worldview of the Gamo people is fundamental in achieving long-term…

  • Definitions and manifestations of “hunger.”

    14 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pm
    Hunger Facts & Figures A Global Crisis Hunger kills. It is the number one contributor to high mortality rates around the world. The human toll is staggering: each year, more people die from hunger and related diseases than from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, according to the World Food Programme. Every five seconds a child dies because of hunger and related causes. (The State of Food Insecurity in the World, FAO) What is Hunger? To alleviate the impact of the global food crisis we must understand and address the different definitions and manifestations of “hunger.” Physical…

  • See the Future; Feed the Future; Change the Future

    14 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am
    Every 5 seconds, a child dies of hunger. Each year, we’re losing 6 million children. That’s more than the population of Manhattan and Paris combined. Today, some of wake up to a full meal, while others wake up to nothing. We may live in different worlds, but we share the planet. And what affects some of us now, may affect all of us tomorrow. Without action, climate change will cause widespread decreases in crop yields. For every one degree rise in temperature, we get a 10% decline in agriculture production. As oil becomes more expensive, the cost of food will soar. Water shortages…
 
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    The Agitator

  • 2010 Fundraising Plans – “We’re Exhausted”

    tbelford
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    This is our third and last report on The Agitator’s 2010 Fundraising Plans survey. In our previous two reports (here and here), we’ve described fundraisers’ mood as "creeping optimism," with 51% of our respondents expecting to raise more money in 2010, placing their highest expectations on recovery of major gifts and continued growth of online giving. But we also asked fundraisers to identify the "single biggest challenge your fundraising program faces in 2010" … and we were a bit surprised at some of the responses. Way ahead as the #1 challenge…

  • 2010 Fundraising Plans – Investment Priorities

    tbelford
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Yesterday, in our first report on The Agitator’s 2010 Fundraising Plans survey, we commented on the general mood of nonprofit fundraisers as they looked ahead to next year. Our assessment … creeping optimism. We noted that most fundraisers were expecting improvement in new donor prospecting, major gifts, and online giving. Today we’re looking at where fundraisers plan to invest their resources in 2010. We asked: "For each of the following areas, indicate whether you expect to invest more in 2010 than in 2009, less, or about the same." Here are the results for…

  • 2010 Fundraising Plans – Creeping Optimism

    tbelford
    17 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Today we’re giving the first of three topline reports on our just-concluded survey on nonprofit fundraisers’ 2010 fundraising plans. More tomorrow and Friday. Thanks to the 235 fundraisers who participated. We’ll start with the general mood and expectations. We asked a broad question: "Looking ahead, do you expect to raise more money in 2010 than in 2009?" Half of respondents (51%) do expect to raise more money in 2010; 40% about the same; and only 9% less. Of those expecting to raise more in 2010, 65% expect the increase to be 10% or less. Compared with responses…

  • Be Careful About Assumptions

    tbelford
    16 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    We talk a lot about building relationships with current donors, especially in the face of more and more difficult new donor prospecting. Major gift fundraisers, at least the successful ones, are astute relationship builders. And generally the reward is quite apparent. It’s a bigger challenge to move relationship building down the donor pyramid. There’s a lot more information to elicit and process, and then utilize effectively in fundraising programs. But there’s no excuse for not doing this with your online donors, where data collection and utilization at large scale is…

  • Who Is Your Best Competitor?

    tbelford
    15 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Every charity or nonprofit that seeks money (or members, visitors, clients or customers) — and every consultant or agency serving nonprofits — faces competition. It can be direct — EDF vs NRDC, Duke vs Stanford, Convio vs Blackbaud, Save the Children vs Worldvision — between organizations doing essentially the same thing in the same way. Or it can be indirect — the local performing arts center vs the museum, the local food bank vs the homeless shelter, the cancer group vs the heart group. There are two critically important things to do vis-a-vis your competition…
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    Everyday Giving Blog

  • New Social Network to Support Charity Walks

    Roger Carr
    11 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    A new social networking site was launched today that was created specifically for people who are passionate about charity walks. Joining and participating is free. It is the Charity Walks Network. At the Charity Walks Network there is a forum to ask and answer questions. There is a blog where each member can post personal thoughts and experiences. There is even a section to promote charity walk events."Now walkathon leaders have a place to go to connect with each other, share ideas, and benefit from the accumulated wisdom of the crowd," said Lee Garverick, author of www.walkathonguide.com.

  • Don't Miss This 1-day Opportunity

    Roger Carr
    21 Jul 2009 | 5:44 am
    Frequently, I get comments like "You're everywhere on the Web" and "I was searching on the Internet and your websites kept appearing in the results."This doesn't happen by accident. It is also much less frustrating and less time-consuming if you have a world-class mentor who can guide you through the steps you need to take.Two of my mentors are David Perdew and Mark Hendricks. They are world-class Internet marketers and mentors. They are also available to mentor you in person, and David is allowing me to give you a $200-off coupon code that will get you access to this opportunity for less…

  • Comic with Serious Message

    Roger Carr
    27 Jun 2009 | 11:03 am
    This was my first attempt at creating a comic. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

  • 2009 Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk

    Roger Carr
    16 Jun 2009 | 5:44 am
    If you were not able to attend the Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk this year, check out the below slideshow. Charity walks can be fun and provide support to your cause. If you are not involved in a charity walk, go to http://www.LetsMoveTogether.org to find an Arthritis Walk in your area or contact your favorite nonprofit organizations to discover if they host a walkathon you can join.

  • Calling All Videographers Who Want to Make a Difference

    Roger Carr
    26 May 2009 | 8:00 am
    Video is a great medium to use for bringing attention to an important cause. You don't need to be a professional videographer or use expensive equipment to create and distribute effective videos. Would you like to have some fun while creating videos that can make a difference? The following are a couple of current video contests night you should consider participating in: Show Us Your Moves The Show Us Your Moves video contest is encouraging physical activity. It is a part of the Arthritis Foundation’s Let's Move Together campaign. Monthly winners of the contest receive a Flip Camera. The…
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    VOLUNTEER BOSTON

  • Eat Better this Season!!!

    Adj
    16 Nov 2009 | 9:46 am
    "Imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost," - Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's DilemmaLet's follow in the footsteps of our forefathers this season (minus the murderous killing spree) and get our food local. Come down to Suffolk Law School near the Boylston T stop this Tuesday to learn about local and sustainable eating in the Boston area.We'll have FREE local snacks and a raffle for Apfel Eis Wine from…

  • Health Care- A Global Perspective

    Krystle
    2 Oct 2009 | 8:00 am
    This topic we haven't discussed on this blog yet, partly because I feel it is so polarized in America. But I keep hearing stories from various news outlets regarding the 'state' of the US healthcare, so I felt it was time for me to do my own research and take a comparable look at other industrial nations to see if we even need health care reform. Our Ranking:In 2000 the World Health Organization ranked the world's health systems. It ranked France as number 1. At that time the US ranked 37, behind Costa Rica, & Dominican Republic and ahead of Solvenia and Cuba. Preventable or Amenable…

  • A Somewhat Passive Way to Get Smart and Be Inspired

    Adj
    1 Oct 2009 | 9:50 am
    Movies!Head to Cambridge this weekend (it starts today) to check out the UN's Global Voices Film Festival. You can choose a film or two from the schedule or hit up the opening party tonight. I went a few years ago in NYC and left inspired to make changes and to help out my community. And what better way to learn than in front of an extra large boob tube?? While you're at it, send over some reviews and comments... I'll be out of town and have to miss out.

  • Fall Activity Line-Up

    Leif
    22 Sep 2009 | 8:36 am
    I'm a fan of fall for many reasons. For instance, my birthday is in fall. Also, new episodes of my favorite TV shows begin in fall. Maybe my favorite part of fall, however, is the perfect New England weather. Every other season, there's an excuse to stay inside: winter can be too cold, spring too soggy, and summer causes excessive back sweat. But with fall, I try to be outside as much as I can.If you're like me, and want some ideas for outdoor fall weekend activities, read on:1) Pick some produce. With so many apple orchards and pumpkin patches nearby, the options are endless. Nashoba Valley…

  • Volunteer Event! Kicking It With The Kids

    Dave
    15 Sep 2009 | 5:52 pm
    It's time to get out there with the kids at the West End House!On Wednesday, September 23 from 5-7pm, OYFP will be at the West End House in Allston, playing games in their sweet gym (see left) or unleashing our creative spirits in the art studio with the grade schoolers at WEH.Volunteers can spend their time in the gym, in the studio, or mix it up and spend an hour in each.And for those of you who can't get swing by at 5, feel free to come by at 6 for the last hour -- it'll be a great time! To make sure volunteers can really interact with the children, we're capping the number of volunteers…
 
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    Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

  • More symptoms of bigger problems

    Pearlbear
    10 Nov 2009 | 5:32 pm
    ’nuff said.

  • Same crap, different day

    Pearlbear
    9 Nov 2009 | 11:45 am
    I’m warning you – this is snarky. I was only vaguely following the brou-ha-ha over Causes leaving Myspace. Only vaguely because I don’t really keep close track of the goings on in the Social Networking space: it’s not my passion. I use them a lot, both for work as well as for personal use. I know they are becoming an increasingly important tool for nonprofits in communicating with their constituents, and so I do keep them in my peripheral vision, for sure. Anyway, in reading the varied reactions to this news, I had to just sigh, and then get annoyed. Sigh because of…

  • Open Mobile Camp report

    Pearlbear
    25 Oct 2009 | 9:52 am
    Yesterday, I spent the day in Manhattan, at the UNICEF building, with a bunch of folks passionate about the technology in mobile phones, and the ways to use that technology for good. I’ve been a very long time cell phone user (had one since 1998), but I haven’t been involved in implementing a mobile system for an organization, so I had a lot to learn. The place to find reports on what happend is on the wiki. Also, check out the twitter stream for the #omc09 hashtag. I was especially interested in the issue of mobile data collection. (I was so interested, I facilitated a session.)…

  • Last 10 delicious.com links

    Pearlbear
    14 Oct 2009 | 8:52 pm
    These are the last 10 sites I bookmarked on delicious.com: VideoPress — Quick and easy HD video sharing for WordPress Welcome to Aviary Mozilla Labs – Weave Sync :: Add-ons for Firefox How to Set Up an SMS System | MobileActive.org Your ShowtimeFu is Strong in Oakland, CA – ShowtimeFu.com Spicynodes : Home PowerBase Guide to CSS support in email clients – Articles & Tips – Campaign Monitor Intuit Developer Network Home MockFlow – Easy Wireframing for Software and Websites

  • Security and Privacy in a Web 2.0 world

    Pearlbear
    8 Oct 2009 | 6:08 pm
    Security Camera - Photo by Sirius Rust Beth threw down the gauntlet, and I had to pick it up. I’m sort of surprised I hadn’t written about this before. I think a lot about both of these, not so much for myself, but for organizations that I work with whose work is fairly sensitive. First off, some definitions – I think that these two terms do get mixed up quite often, and understanding what’s really being meant by them in a technical context is important. Security, in this context, is the concept that your personal computing resources and data are safe from both prying…
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    Giving in a digital world

  • The 93 Dollar Club – a fantastic example of online donors doing it for themselves

    Bryan
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:02 am
    I’ve had a manic few weeks since mid October, mostly related to my starting-up my own Marketing and Fundraising Consultancy (called Strategy Refresh – do take a look when you have a spare moment) with a bit of house moving thrown-in for good measure. All of which means that things have been very quiet on the Giving in a Digital World Front – so apologies for that. Normal service is close to being resumed as I’m starting to get into the swing of working as an independent consultant. One think I’ve been meaning to post about but have only now had the opportunity to…

  • Help with writing your Social Media guidelines – from over 70 different organisations

    Bryan
    21 Sep 2009 | 11:29 pm
    The incredibly fast adoption of Social Media over the last couple of years has left many, if not most, organisations in something of a spin – as, in very short order, something that was at first dismissed as the preserve of the young and the geeks has become an unavoidable key component of mainstream communications. With this recognition has come the need to better understand and manage the use of social media by organisations – including charities and other non-profits – leading to the desire to develop social media guidelines to help ensure that everyone across an…

  • See The Difference and the game changing potential of Charity Choice Consolidation websites

    Bryan
    18 Sep 2009 | 4:05 am
    There has been a growing level of discussion here in the UK fundraising sector over the last couple of months about the much awaited launch of video-based charity project crowdfunding site See the Difference – added to just this week by a resounding endorsement in an open letter from UK Institute of Fundraising CEO Lindsay Boswell, which you can read on the Institute website. As I outlined in my post about this exciting initiative back in May, the See the Difference team includes an impressive line-up of corporate backers contributing time and resources to launch a site that will offer…

  • Social Actions team launches Social Entrepreneur API

    Bryan
    10 Sep 2009 | 11:35 pm
    Last week an interesting new initiative was launched by the team at Social Actions – whose open source database of microphilanthropic opportunities from over 50 different non-profits I wrote about in April this year. This time they have brought together data from a number of different social enterprise funders to create the world’s first open source database of social entrepreneurs who have who have won fellowships and awards. The idea being to make it easy for philanthropists, investors, journalists and others involved in similar non-profit work to make contact with formally…

  • Great new in-video interactive functionality now available for YouTube Non-profit Partners

    Bryan
    10 Sep 2009 | 10:08 pm
    Back in March I wrote about the launch of YouTube’s ‘Call to Action’ feature enabling UK and US organisations in its Non-profit Partners Programme to place overlay ads linking direct to their own websites from their YouTube videos for free – basically turning YouTube videos into simple interactive video ads. While this feature was good, it was also somewhat restricted – as the Call to Action link could only be placed in a banner at the bottom of the video, and if the video was embedded outside YouTube then the feature didn’t work at all. The great news is…
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    Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

  • Fundraising from Out-of-State? An Update on Registration Issues

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    13 Nov 2009 | 8:27 am
    As you get your online fundraising programs in place and start connecting with people through social media, the liklihood that you will raise money not only within your home state, but in multiple states, goes up. Diversifying your pool of donors is great, but it also comes with some additional legal responsibilities. To help explain all of this in plain English, I asked Tony Martignetti, Esq., the author of Charity Registration: State-by-State Guidelines for Compliance, to provide this guest blog post for you. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments. ~ Kivi You’re…

  • Mixed Links: Goodies for Nonprofit Communicators

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    11 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
    Here’s some great information — a tasty cocktail of mixed links — that I’ve saved to share with you . . . Fundraising I was one of 10 guest speaker’s in Gail Perry’s 2009 Year-End Fundraising Strategy Telesummit. It’s full of advice on what you can be doing right now to make sure that you raise as much money as possible in the next 8 weeks. While it’s focused on year-end giving, most of the advice will apply well beyond December. Well worth the $125 for the complete package of recordings and transcripts. Gail is also doing a free webinar…

  • Webinar Topics for 2010? Tell Me and Win a Pass

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    9 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pm
    I’m planning out the schedule for our webinar series in early 2010 and need your brilliant perspective  - really. You know what you need better than I do!  What belongs on the schedule, and what doesn’t? Take this quick survey to rate the topics we are already considering, and to tell us what’s missing. The top voter getters will definitely get on the schedule before March. When you complete the survey, you can enter a drawing for three All-Access Passes. These passes let you attend every webinar we host for 12 weeks, and also get you access to our archive of recordings…

  • 5 Spots Left in Online Fundraising Bootcamp E-Clinic Weds.

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:12 am
    There are five spots left in this Wednesday’s Online Fundraising Bootcamp – a special e-clinic limited to just 20 nonprofits. Want to join us? End-of-year fundraising season is upon us. Are you ready to raise as much as you can online? If not, don’t worry. That’s what the Online Fundraising Bootcamp E-Clinic is for. During this three-hour e-clinic (we’ll take two short breaks), you’ll learn about the must-knows and must-dos of the three elements of successful online fundraising today: (1) A website with a great home page and a great “Donate Now” page.We’ll look at…

  • You! Up Against the Wall!

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    22 Oct 2009 | 6:50 am
    Or How NOT to Photograph Your Volunteer of the Month A Guest Post by Claire Meyerhoff Photos are the most wonderful (and cheapo) item in our Nonprofit Marketing Bag-O-Tricks. You probably already have a digital camera, so bring it to work and start taking some happy snaps of the fine folks doing great work for your good cause. Then . . . Send them to your board members . . . Put them in an e-newsletter . . . Get them up on your cool, newsy blog . . . Turn them into holiday cards and thank you cards! So many ideas! And so effective! But maybe you feel like your photography skills…
 
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    The Bridgespan Group

  • Realizing the Promise of Promise Neighborhoods - Executive Summary

    5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Realizing the Promise of Promise Neighborhoods 2009-11-06 The Bridgespan Group The U.S. Department of Education will soon issue an RFP for planning grants to create Promise Neighborhoods in 20 of this country’s poorest communities. Inspired by the Harlem Children’s Zone, Promise Neighborhoods

  • Galvanizing Philanthropy

    31 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Galvanizing Philanthropy 2009 11 01 Susan Wolf Ditkoff Susan J. Colby Creating lasting environmental, social, and economic change requires discipline—a concept with which many foundations, grant makers, and committed wealthy individuals have traditionally struggled. With few external parties holding

  • The Hard Truth: Philanthropists Need to 'Get Real' to Make Lasting Change

    28 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    The Hard Truth Philanthropists Need to 'Get Real' to Make Lasting Change 2009 10 29 Susan J. Colby Susan Wolf Ditkoff Excellence in philanthropy is difficult to measure, note Bridgespan Partners Susan J. Colby and Susan Wolf Ditkoff in this Chronicle

  • Sample Executive Director Job Description (Small Organization)

    19 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Sample Executive Director Job Description (Small Organization) 2009 10 26 This sample job description shares how one nonprofit organization configured the role of executive director. Position Description XYZ Nonprofit Executive Director Organization Founded in 1980, XYZ Nonprofit’s mission is...

  • Sample Director of Communications and Public Affairs Job Description (Medium Organization)

    19 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Sample Job Description: Director of Communications and Public Affairs (Medium Organization) 2009-10-20 This sample job description describes how one medium nonprofit organization configured the role of director of communications and public affairs. Position Description XYZ Nonpro
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    Selfish Giving

  • Blogging on Cause Marketing is Easy with Posterous

    Joe Waters
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:33 pm
    One thing I frequently lament about the cause marketing field is that there just aren’t enough practitioners blogging about their work. After Selfishgiving.com, Causerelatedmarketing.biz and the Cone Blog, the pickings get pretty slim. (Although folks like Steve Drake, Olivia Khalili, Scotty Henderson, Brian Powell, Noland Hoshino and Mike Swenson are certainly great contributors.) Part of the reason I think people don’t blog is that no matter how easy it is to start and update a blog, a lot of people still see it as a lot of work. But I’m here today to tell you that not…

  • How to Hire Me

    Joe Waters
    10 Nov 2009 | 8:43 am
    It seems every day more and more nonprofits are asking me if I’m available for training and consulting. I am, as is my whole team (because, as you know, we always do things together). Here’s how you can benefit from our experience. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that anything I could teach you in a teleconference or in person you could probably learn from reading the five years of posts I’ve blogged on Selfishgiving.com. It’s all here, folks. If you’re strapped for cash, but have plenty of time, it’s a great option. An easy, affordable way to…

  • Halloween Town ‘09 by the Numbers

    Joe Waters
    28 Oct 2009 | 11:22 am
    Halloween Town was great last weekend! Here’s a quick summary of the event “by the numbers.” To compare them to last year’s results, click here. We’ll have the results on money in November when the rest of the pinup money comes in. @ashleyzolenski is also working on a social media wrap-up that I think you’ll find informative. To see a few pictures I snapped at the event, go here. For video, here. More will follow! Now the results of the big show! 1250 volunteers 8,000 cases of candy given away (how many cavities created no one knows!) 75,000 square feet of…

  • Active vs. Passive Cause Marketing

    Joe Waters
    20 Oct 2009 | 8:41 am
    As a fan of pinup programs, especially for small nonprofits, I’m frequently asked how important the “ask” is at the register. The ask happens when you’re checking out and and cashier says, “Would you like to donate a dollar to help _________?” To understand why the ask is so important to the success of a pinup program, you needn’t look any further than the stores you visit everyday. “Do you need batteries for that?” “Would you like to try Via, our new instant coffee?” “Would you like to supersize your meal?” They…

  • Foursquare: Social Media for Cause Marketing

    Joe Waters
    13 Oct 2009 | 10:04 am
    Of all the different social media tools I’ve tried (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc.), a new one I just started using, Foursquare, probably has the most potential for cause marketers. Why? Because the backbone of Foursquare is the businesses at which its members visit, check-in and score points. When you pop into a store, bar or restaurant you can earn points, badges or can even become mayor of your favorite hangout if you “check in” enough. You can also share tips and comments with your friends, check to see if any are close by, give them a shout-out via text…
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    SocialFish

  • Doing Social Media for your organization?

    Maddie Grant
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    We’ve had some great discussions, feedback and interest around my recent interview of 3 new community managers and this post about hiring for social media roles, so I would like to do a series of interviews of people currently in social media roles for their organizations.  PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD, thanks! I really want to get a sense of what’s really going on out there.  Surveys to me are pretty pointless (I know that’s just me).  I feel like there’s been a bit of spreading of doom and gloom lately, about whether social media roles are really being taken…

  • In Socialnomics we trust

    Maddie Grant
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    Thanks to Jeff Hurt for the hat tip on this fabulous follow up* video on social media ROI from Erik Qualman. This video has some great stats – check out the Socialnomics blog for a full list. * “Follow up” meaning to this, the Social Media revolution video you’ve probably all seen. This was played at the ASAE social media workshop, in case you were there and wanted to see it again.

  • Social Impact Nonprofit Social Media Survey

    Maddie Grant
    14 Nov 2009 | 10:13 am
    Social Impact Nonprofit Social Media Survey View more presentations from Weber Shandwick Social Impact. Beth Kanter has some good analysis of this and another recent survey.  Check it out – and see the comments especially.

  • On Hiring for Social Media Roles – Get It Together, People.

    Maddie Grant
    13 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    There’s a lot of talk in the blogosphere right now about hiring social media managers – what the roles and responsibilities should be and how much current community managers and socmed managers are being paid. We have to tell ya, what we’re seeing is not encouraging. Hiring for Social Media: The Ugly Side (Amber Naslund) Hiring For Social Media: Good Moves (Amber Naslund) Amber’s two posts frame this issue quite nicely, I think.  A social media manager role is really important for many reasons and she does a good job of illustrating why that is by looking at…

  • Getting Started With Clarity: A Homework Assignment

    Maddie Grant
    12 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pm
    So I was going to push back on Jamie’s push back of my original push back about whether getting clarity about what your organization is all about is hard work or not.  LOL!  But whether you think it’s hard work (like Jamie) or not (like me), we all agree it’s a place to start. You can do one of two things here. 1) be clear about your philosophy and core values from the get-go, and write it into your social media guidelines, or live it Zappos- or Netflix-style , or 2) start with your organization’s mission statement, no matter how crappy it might be, and use it as…
 
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    Get Me Jamie Notter

  • Don't Be A Tool

    Jamie
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:20 am
    At ASAE & The Center's Social Media Workshop, one of the participants asked a question that got a bit under my skin: how do we migrate our members out of the listserve and into these new tools? I responded in the session that maybe they don't need to be migrated. Jeff De Cagna had just made the important point that social media is not about the tools--it is about solving problems for members. So I suggested that if people are getting their problems solved using a listserve, then so be it! Now, I also think that some members may not be aware of the problem solving potential of some other…

  • Simple but Not Easy

    Jamie
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:02 am
    Thank you, Maddie Grant, for posting a thoughtful response to my "Clarity is Hard Work" post. Everyone please go read it if you haven't already. As expected, her focus is on how to "just get crackin." She provides a random example of an association's mission statement and then boils it down to the "core business proposition" and uses that to illuminate how the association can begin to develop a social media strategy. She provides simple instructions for how you can do the same with your organization and its mission.So as much as Maddie and I push back against each other, let's be perfectly…

  • Soft Skills are Hard

    Jamie
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm
    Several people tweeted this week about a study that "surprisingly" showed that so-called "soft" skills like managing relationships and creating an environment of trust are important and valuable in the business world. First off, I'm getting a little bored of these new discoveries that trust and relationships are important. I suppose I'm being a little uppity about it, but com on! Covey's Speed of Trust? Collins' Level 5 Leadership? I feel like this is not news.On top of that, look how one author framed this study. The first paragraph reads:Corporate leaders need to know their business, know…

  • The Hard Work of Clarity

    Jamie
    11 Nov 2009 | 7:02 am
    Last Friday I had the extreme pleasure to present a session with Lindy Dreyer and Maddie Grant of SocialFish at ASAE’s first ever Social Media Workshop. The title of our session is "What Social Media Means for the Way We Work." Maddie has already completely summarized our session (perfectly!), along with the slides, so check that out first if you haven’t seen it yet. What I want to write about is the part of the session that no one saw—where Maddie and I went back and forth at the bar about one piece of our session (come on! I thought you knew the best sessions always happened at the…

  • Trust, Advertising, and Search

    Jamie
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:11 am
    Here's a quick follow-up piece to last week's interesting conversation about trust (and if you haven't read the comments on that post, check them out). Scott Brinker, a marketing guy, did a small survey about people's attitudes related to the paid search results in Google.You know what I'm talking about: when you do a google search you get a long list of possible sites to visit, but the ones on the very top and along the right are paid advertisements. They've guessed what you're going to search for and paid to be at the top of the list. In this screenshot I searched for "remodeling industry"…
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    The School for Social Entrepreneurs

  • Why Jedward are social entrepreneurs: fact

    Nick Temple
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:43 am
    On the way back from a full day of Social Enterprise Day events (which I'll round up next week), was delighted and amused to read an article in the Evening Standard, by the CEO of Blastbeat (which you should check...

  • Social Enterprise Day: from the Black Country to Downing St

    Nick Temple
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:11 am
    Happy Social Enterprise Day everyone. It's been a busy Global Entrepreneurship Week already, with SSE at the British Library launch event, a Westminster briefing event, our own Sydney-London video-conference event (check out the write-up for top 10 networking tips for...

  • Networking advice + tips for (and from) social entrepreneurs

    Nick Temple
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:19 am
    So it's Global Entrepreneurship Week this week. And it's a week chock full of events, press releases, statistics and more. Our own contribution came this morning with a live videoconference between SSE students in London and Sydney, using CISCO's Telepresence...

  • Scaling social entrepreneurship (or why many molehills make a mountain)

    Nick Temple
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:06 am
    [This post was written for the UnLtdWorld Shout Out for Social Enterprise series] There are big problems in the UK and in the rest of the world: social and environmental needs and challenges that are not currently being met adequately...

  • Video-tastic: social entrepreneurs in Melbourne + New York

    Nick Temple
    1 Nov 2009 | 8:20 am
    Whilst SSE's focus has been resolutely on the UK over the past 6 months (hello Cornwall, Yorkshire, Devon, Hampshire to the growing franchise), there's also been a bit of international expansion and work going on as well. By all accounts...
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    AFP Blog: Recent News of Note

  • The NonProfit Times - One-Third Of Web Donations Didn’t Go Through

    Reed
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:58 am
    The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "Amergent, in Peabody, Mass., decided to contact 30 Catholic organizations and test their responses to $25 online and offline donations sent out this past June. Amergent wanted to analyze the ease of donating, how organizations cultivated and renewed donors, and what were the differences between giving online and

  • amednews: Donations to health care institutions drying up :: Nov. 18, 2009 ... American Medical News

    Reed
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:47 am
    amednews: Donations to health care institutions drying up :: Nov. 18, 2009 ... American Medical News: "An increasing number of pledges are going unfilled, and donated stocks have become less valuable, according to a report issued Oct. 26 by the Assn. for Healthcare Philanthropy.'People are still supporting the institutions they care about, but they are giving less,' said AHP President William C.

  • Report Urges Congress to Expand National Service to Create Youth Jobs - Philanthropy.com

    Reed
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:49 am
    Report Urges Congress to Expand National Service to Create Youth Jobs - Philanthropy.com: "The center, a liberal think tank in Washington, proposes increasing the federal funds for AmeriCorps, Vista, Youth Corps, and Youth Build in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 in a way that would create the equivalent of more than 100,000 new jobs."

  • The Push-And-Pull Within Jewish Philanthropy

    Reed
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:47 am
    The Push-And-Pull Within Jewish Philanthropy: "One of the fascinating dynamics in American Jewish life today involves the complex and evolving relationship among three key groups: the Establishment organizations, symbolized by the federations, the primary engine that drives the organized Jewish community; the family foundations, which have generated great sums of philanthropic money in recent

  • Pie in the Sky fund-raiser at City Hall Plaza - The Boston Globe

    Reed
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:43 am
    Pie in the Sky fund-raiser at City Hall Plaza - The Boston Globe: "Pie in the Sky depends on the goodness of a synergistic team of pie buyers, sellers, and above all, bakers. Some of the volunteers bake in the Community Servings kitchen. That contribution alone consists of 1,000 classic sweet potato pies, which start with the whittling down of one ton of fresh whole potatoes."
 
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    Wild Apricot Blog main feed

  • Google Docs Gets Better. Again.

    Rebecca
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    Google keeps on turning out small but significant improvements to Google Docs, to streamline the editing tools, add useful management options, and make online collaboration with non-Google-users more convenient....(read more)

  • When Nonprofit Websites Go Bad

    Rebecca
    16 Nov 2009 | 8:30 am
    I’ve just visited 100+ nonprofit websites to update a major resource list, and 3% of those nonprofits just got crossed off the list. Their sites have been hacked and infected with malicious software - and the nonprofits don't even know about it. Are you sure your own website is safe for visitors?...(read more)

  • Facebook Page Not Found in Facebook Search?

    Rebecca
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:27 am
    One of Wild Apricot's blog readers created a Facebook Page for his nonprofit organization, but the new Page doesn’t show up in the results for Facebook’s own Search tool. "Why is this?" he asks. ...(read more)

  • Join Us on Facebook to "Name the Apricot"

    Rebecca
    10 Nov 2009 | 8:54 am
    What’s a mascot without a name? Wild Apricot’s friendly little apricot mascot needs a name, and since Wild Apricot is dedicated to “crowdsourcing,” we’d like to ask your help. (Yes, there will be cool prizes!)...(read more)

  • Does Bing Know About Your Website?

    Rebecca
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:42 am
    Google may know all about your nonprofit’s website (and your blog, and whatever social media profiles you’ve staked out on the Web), but that doesn’t guarantee that Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, will automatically index your site as well....(read more)
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    NP Communicator

  • New news, nonprofits, and social media

    Gordon
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:02 am
    I’ve been meaning to share this for a while. At the end of the summer, one of the more intriguing responses to our annual survey of nonprofit communicators was to the question, “How has the economic crisis affected the way your organization communicates?” It was a bit of a good news/bad news response: The bad news: About half of you (79 out of 147 responses) told us changes in the news business have affected your communications work—for example, a reporter who used to cover your organization was recently laid off. Almost a third of you (44 out of 141 responses) said your group had…

  • Nonprofits Pitching Journalists: the heart of the matter

    Gordon
    11 Nov 2009 | 12:13 pm
    Mattie Jordan-Woods, executive director of Northside Association for Community Development in Kalamazoo, asked a question during the meet the press panel at Tell Your Stories-Lansing today. A pitch usually starts when we decide on our own or as an organization that we want media coverage. But there’s a problem with that from the get-go, according to our panel of Lansing, Mich.-area journalists today. The problem is, journalists do not really care what we want. “Our problem and our responsibility is to serve our audiences,” as Rick Pluta of Michigan Public Radio Network said at the…

  • SEO Secrets: write for people, not machines–except…

    Gordon
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Ingrid Gonçalves, communications director at Center for Labor and Community Research from Community Media Workshop on Vimeo. When Ingrid Gonçalves said during a round of introductions that she had five Web sites to create or update, I knew I had to try out the flip camera to get her story. It turns out to be a great story, not so much for how unusual it is, but for how typical it is, I think you’ll agree! (Apologies, this time the wrist is really shaky–I’m still learning!) Ingrid was one of about 20 folks at this morning’s search engine optimization workshop this…

  • Raising awareness one ride at a time

    Gordon
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:49 am
    Twike Ride in Champaign from Community Media Workshop on Vimeo. Students, staff and a faculty member or two turned out last night for a leadership and communications training sponsored by the University YMCA just off the campus of University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. It was a great training, but for me the biggest surprise of the evening was when one of the participants, Matt Childress, gave me a lift back to my hotel in his personal Twike–a German-made electric, three-wheeled motorcycle that also moves by pedal power. He drives to and from his job doing IT in the university…

  • Remembering Studs

    admin
    31 Oct 2009 | 3:21 pm
    by Thom Clark One year ago today, as we all awaited the final days of an historic election campaign, our mentor Studs Terkel passed away, his absentee ballot un-cast. The self described eclectic disk jockey, Pulitzer prize winning author and cheer leader for humanity would have railed against the media for it’s mis-coverage this past week of worker protests against bonus-buck bankers conferring in Chicago, just as I remembered him yelling at the tube’s cable talkers on a Sunday morning 54 weeks ago when I last visited him at his home. “Will Barack make it?” he wondered…
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    Cause Marketing

  • Followup: Injecting Emotion into Your Cause Marketing

    Paul Jones is the president of
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:33 am
    On October 23, I posted about Ulta's Windows of Love campaign for the Breast Cancer Reseaerch Foundation.Earlier this week Ulta sent out this recap email to supporters.Thanks to Kate L. for sharing!

  • Does Cause Marketing Scale?

    Paul Jones is the president of
    11 Nov 2009 | 3:46 pm
    We see evidence of big cause marketing all the time.You know, cause marketing so massive… like the Red campaign or Boxtops for Education… that it seems to create its own gravity.Plainly, when properly designed, cause marketing scales up very well, thank you very much.But what about the little guys? Does cause marketing scale down as well as up?Here’s why this is an important question. In the

  • Asymmetry in Cause Marketing

    Paul Jones is the president of
    3 Nov 2009 | 3:54 pm
    Research shows that when there is asymmetry in cause marketing between the sponsors and the cause, the entity that gains the most from the relationship is the smaller brand.But there’s an asymmetry continuum of sorts.For instance, when Yoplait yogurt and Susan G. Komen for the Cure link up, the brands which are arguably equivalent in their respective spheres, the benefits confer

  • Non Breast Cancer Cause Marketing in October

    Paul Jones is the president of
    27 Oct 2009 | 11:26 am
    Clients ask me all the time: have the breast cancer charities sucked out all the oxygen out of the atmosphere for cause marketing during October? That is, can anyone else do cause marketing during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month?I can't give a categorical answer, but here are three quick takes on cause marketing campaigns going on in this month that aren’t about breast cancer, plus a forth

  • Injecting Emotion into Your Cause Marketing

    Paul Jones is the president of
    23 Oct 2009 | 3:43 pm
    Successful cause marketing appeals not only to your head, but to your heart as well.The head part comes easier for me and probably for many of you as well. So how do you inject heart into a cause marketing campaign?Ulta’s answer is to ask people to write their breast cancer stories in a letter and then post them in the front windows of their stores.They call it 'Windows of Love.'Ulta supports The
 
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    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…
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    Article feed for ammado blog - ammado

  • The life of an intern....is short but sweet!

    ammado blog
    13 Nov 2009 | 2:26 pm
    Published by: ammado Written by: Jody Monaghan Well they say all good things come to an end, and so it is, the last week of my internship. I am nearing the six week mark which is where my time with ammado ends. It is incredible how much I have learned in the short time that I have been here and how much I feel I have achieved. I have had my work posted on the ammado homepage which I am really proud of, and seeing how the graphics team have treated my ideas in addition to the short time frame they work to has been really great. I now know for my future career the pressure you must feel to have…

  • Gift Aid it with ammado!!

    ammado blog
    13 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm
    Good news for UK nonprofits and donors alike! At 2PM today ammado released its Gift Aid functionality. For UK donors donating to qualifying UK nonprofits, ammado will capture the information required to enable the nonprofit to claim Gift Aid on the donation. Using Gift Aid increases the value of your donations: for every pound donated, the charity will receive an extra 28 pence from the Inland Revenue. Nonprofits will find this information in their donation statement. No fees will be deducted by ammado in respect of Gift Aid.  Further information on Gift Aid can be found here. published…

  • The life of an intern: more new adverts but still no tweets!

    ammado blog
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:53 am
     Written by: Jody Monaghan Hello again. Well following the excitement of last week’s site release the office seems to have returned to its normal pace but everyone here is so happy with how smoothly the changes went. I hope you have all had a good nose around the site and tried out some of the new features, personally I think that OpenID is great. I have to say that being here for the site release was a great experience, firstly of seeing how exciting it is when a team works well together, but I also feel that I am learning a lot about online activity and how social networking…

  • Opportunity in Tough Times

    ammado blog
    4 Nov 2009 | 10:05 am
    Written By: Kelly Weiss On October 29-30, 2009, Chicago Global Donors Network (CGDN) held its 6th Annual Conference on International Giving. With the goal of encouraging, serving, supporting and informing international giving efforts, CGDN focused this year’s conference on how to maintain the momentum of current projects and how to build new opportunities given today’s global recessions. With keynote speakers ranging from Stephen Lewis, Co-Director of AIDS-Free World to Paul Rusesabagina, President of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesagaina Foundation, this two day event also featured…

  • What’s Your Power?

    ammado blog
    2 Nov 2009 | 9:12 am
    Written By Guest Blogger: James "Dewey" Harris POWERED BY SERVICE APPLICATIONS DUE NOVEMBER 6TH If you're a young person or know a young person with an idea to use a talent to create change Usher's New Look has the money to make it happen. We're looking to award 150 grants before the year is out. Make sure your idea is in the mix! First round applications are due November 6th - that's next Friday! All you have to do is be between the ages 12 and 20, live in one of six communities - Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Orleans and New York - and have a unique idea to…
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    The Fine Print: blog posts from OMBWatch

  • New Web Tools Help Public Track Pollution

    bturnbaugh
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:14 pm
    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a new feature on its website that uses several new interactive Web technologies that let users track the emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from coal-fired power plants. SO2 is a pollutant that causes acid rain and harm to public health. EPA's Acid Rain Program (ARP) has been tracking quarterly SO2 emissions from covered power plants since 1995. The new features are a welcome tool for helping the public and government officials track pollution, hold polluting facilities accountable, and ensure that policies to reduce pollution are working.

  • More Flimflammery on Mountaintop Mining

    mmadia
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:59 am
    In a Wednesday press release, the Interior Department trumpets “Initiatives to Better Protect Streams in Coal Country.” Is the Obama administration finally doing away with the terrible stream buffer zone rule finalized near the end of the Bush administration – the rule that lifted the decades-old ban on depositing mountaintop mining refuse in or near rivers and streams? Not exactly. Interior is announcing that sometime in the near future it will publish an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) which will request “comments on alternatives for revising the…

  • CBPP Report Brings Clarity to Recovery Act Debate

    cjennings
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:28 am
    <!--break--> A new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities makes five key points about the Recovery Act that should be repeated over and over, as opponents of federal aid to victims of the Great Recession dig trenches in preparation for combating future relief. 1: Recent increases in unemployment do not mean the law is not working. 2: The Administration and Congress expected the stimulus money to be spent gradually over the next two to three years, and what’s been spent to date is stimulating the economy and helping millions of Americans. 3: The nation faces a very serious…

  • After the Hearing: Notes on Stimulus Oversight

    srosenamy
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:35 pm
    As I mentioned in my post yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held its first stimulus oversight hearing in months today, this one focused on reviewing the first round of recipient reporting under the Recovery Act. The hearing featured testimony from Earl Devaney, Chairman of the Recovery Board, Gene Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office, and undersecretaries from the Departments of Education and Transportation. Here's a quick breakdown of the few news nuggets from Dodaro and Devaney in today's hearing: <!--break--> Dodaro: The…

  • OMB Responds to Criticism over Endocrine Program

    mmadia
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:38 am
    White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said Monday that OMB did not improperly interfere in an EPA program meant to test the hormone-disrupting effects of chemicals. Orszag said that EPA has complete control over the program. In a letter to Rep. Edward Markey (responding to a letter Markey sent Oct. 22), Orszag said, “OMB does not question the scientific responsibilities and rigors put forward by the EPA.” At issue is EPA’s Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) which requires pesticide and other chemical manufacturers to test their products…
 
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    Nonprofit PR

  • How to screw up a life-and-death communications issue

    Steve Cebalt
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:39 am
    I’ve been in the public-communications business a long time and have seen a lot of blunders – made some myself – but never have I seen anything on the scale of this week’s announcement about mammograms for women.After years of public education campaigns urging women to get annual mammograms, during which time the death rate from breast cancer dropped 30 percent, a stunning announcement: If you’re under 50 and have no cancer risk factors (such as a family history of breast cancer), don’t worry about it. It’s not worth it.One problem among many with this recommendation:…

  • FREE VIDEO TECHNOLOGY: Use YouTube and Windows Movie Maker to add videos to your websites

    Steve Cebalt
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pm
    There are two technologies that can greatly enhance your ability to communicate, and both are free.1. YouTube.One is the ability to embed any YouTube video onto your own website. There are hundreds of PSAs created by the Ad Council and literally millions of other videos on YouTube that may support your organization's message. All you have to do is have your webmaster cut and paste the YouTube Embed code into your website where you want the video to appear. This means you can add video to your website -- without having to produce the video! It's the same process I use to place videos o this…

  • I hit a raw nerve with my views on brainstorming. What do you think?

    Steve Cebalt
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:13 pm
    Want to make some people mad? Tell them that brainstorming is a lousy way to generate ideas. That's what I did, and boy, did I hit a nerve!Last week I conducted a workshop for nonprofit communicators on how to generate and harness the power of their ideas. The 15 main points of my workshop appear below. There was a surprising amount of vocal dissent and resistance to two of my points, numbered 8 and 9 below. These two pertain to my notion that brainstorming is ineffective, and that most good ideas come from one or two people instead of a large group.Evidently my lone-wolf approach to…

  • What Joseph Stalin can teach nonprofits about empathy and fundraising

    Steve Cebalt
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm
    "One dealth is a tragedy; a million is a statistic" I participated in a webinar hosted by the Communications Network, a national network for philanthropic foundations and companies that support them. Host Andy Goodman interviewed Dr. Paul Slovic, founder and president of Decision Research.Mr. Goodman quoted Joseph Stalin, who said, “One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic." Mr. Goodman deftly pointed out that Mother Teresa said essentially the same thing; we care about people one at a time, and as the number of people increases, the less empathy we have – because we feel less…

  • Survey: Now is the time to tap into the "in-kind" economy

    Steve Cebalt
    9 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Hello!I am conducting a one-question survey of nonprofits, and each person who responds will receive a report with all the results To participate, just send an email to info@highviewhelp.com with your answer to the question below. My hope is to compile and share great ideas on a topic of great importance: tapping into the “in-kind” economy.With dollars being harder to raise, many organizations turn to vendors, local businesses, schools, churches, media outlets, etc. for donations of goods and services rather than dollars. Some publish “wish lists” in their newsletters; others conduct…
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    Public Sector Marketing 2.0 - Mike Kujawski's blog on strategic social media engagement in the government & non-profit sectors

  • Google now offering FREE branded YouTube channels for government orgs

    Mike Kujawski
    9 Nov 2009 | 8:19 am
    A few of my contacts at Google (i.e. owners of YouTube) have recently informed me that the branded YouTube channel (formerly $50,ooo to setup), is now being offered for free to all government departments (this includes the Canadian Government of course). What’s the difference between a branded and non-branded channel? Here are the additional features that you will get: Auto-play – Video plays immediately when someone goes to the channel Other channels- Feature up to 16 other channels on a brand channel Channel banner - 960×150 top branding banner on a brand channel (image…

  • Finally an updated 2009 video about the new media landscape

    Mike Kujawski
    23 Oct 2009 | 1:51 pm
    Here’s the 3rd installment of my favourite video series (i.e “Did You Know”) illustrating the changing media landscape. No explanation necessary, just watch the video and enjoy. The original Did You Know 3.0 video can be watched here.

  • Government obsession with newspaper coverage

    Mike Kujawski
    21 Oct 2009 | 8:01 am
    I asked a senior government communications employee for their communications objectives the other day. Their response was ” to be on the cover of The Globe & Mail” (our national Canadian newspaper). A few weeks ago another client gave me a similar response: “To have an article written about us in the Ottawa Citizen” (our nation’s capital newspaper). When I asked them about their digital presence, they replied that they already have a website (which by the way, appeared on the 8th Google search result page for the most important key phrase relating to their…

  • Quick Tip – LinkedIn People Search

    Mike Kujawski
    15 Oct 2009 | 10:20 pm
    Whenever I give a workshop relating to social media, I often ask the following question when talking about social networks: “How many of you are currently on LinkedIn?” In most cases about 60% of the people in the room put up their hand. I then ask those same people: ” How many of you have ever actually received any value from being on LinkedIn”? One hand usually stays up. What people tend to forget is that in most cases you’re not going to “receive” value simply upon signing up. This applies to all social media tools/applications. You need to be…

  • New season, new tools, new updates…

    Mike Kujawski
    6 Oct 2009 | 11:52 am
    I’m back from a perfect honeymoon in Maui and ready to roll as usual, with the only difference being that I am now writing officially as a married man. Feels nice. One thing I noticed upon my return was the amount of changes to my everyday social media tools of choice. Leaving the online space for two weeks feels like a year when you’re used to everyday engagement. Here are a few popular tools and apps that have recently been updated (plus three new ones). Be sure to get the latest version(s) if you haven’t already. Tweetdeck: New Tweetdeck Directory and ability to drag and…
 
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    Inside Philanthropy

  • Real stories critical for giving

    16 Nov 2009 | 7:18 am
    By Todd CohenIn a world ravaged by poverty, hunger, poor health, violence and intolerance, philanthropy can change lives.Just ask Ron Archer.At the 2009 National Philanthropy Day luncheon sponsored by the Triangle chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham region, the motivational speaker and former All-American middle linebacker smashed through the comfort zone that can insulate giving from the people it serves and the problems it addresses.A one-time preacher who now runs an international economic-development network, Archer told a harrowing…

  • Rural giving needs to grow

    9 Nov 2009 | 6:23 am
    By Todd CohenRural America faces huge challenges, yet it seems to be off the radar of much of organized philanthropy.While a 2005 study by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers reported a “rapid rise in rural philanthropy,” a study two years later by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy concluded grantmaking behavior and trends were “skewed heavily toward support for urban-based or urban-focused programs.”And last summer, at a Council on Foundations conference on rural philanthropy, former President Bill Clinton said “foundation activity in rural American…

  • Volunteers, part 2: Obama targets impact, innovation

    2 Nov 2009 | 3:18 am
    By Todd CohenWith a lot more Americans giving their time and know-how, volunteerism is going through big changes.Government is working to better match federally-funded public service with priority social needs.And nonprofits face the challenge of better equipping themselves to handle more volunteers who want to put their skills to more productive use.A new collaborative effort known as “Reimagining Service,” for example, aims to turn “good intentions into good impact,” says Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, a collaborative member created in 1989 by former President…

  • Volunteers, part 1: Nonprofits face big challenges

    26 Oct 2009 | 5:10 am
    By Todd CohenA surge in service in the U.S. has handed the giving sector the huge job of gearing itself to match its needs with those of volunteers.And as government shifts its investment and role in engaging volunteers, a critical task will be to better match volunteer resources with the urgent social needs facing our communities.That is the perspective of Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, an organization created by then-President George H.W. Bush to boost volunteerism.Since 1989, when Bush formed what then was known as the Points of Light Foundation, the number of…

  • Corporate givers regroup in recession

    19 Oct 2009 | 3:34 am
    By Todd CohenCharities trying to figure out where corporate citizenship may be headed should look at new study by The Hitachi Foundation and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.The study, “Weathering the Storm: The State of Corporate Citizenship 2009,” says 54 percent of over 750 corporate executives who responded believe corporate citizenship is even more important in a recession.Companies increasingly are trying to build corporate citizenship into their business strategy and to link their actions and investments with principles of corporate citizenship, the study…
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    Bizzia » Small Business

  • Goodbye From Small Business

    Linette Gerlach
    28 Oct 2009 | 1:26 pm
    Bizzia Small Business will be going away and merging with some of the content at EveryJoe starting tomorrow, so I wanted to bid you all a fond farewell since I will not be writing here any more. You can still find me several other places online, give me a shout out on Twitter sometime I’m @Linetteg there. I’d love to hear from you. You can also stop by and visit me at one of my other blogs. Mostly I blog about parties and entertaining, with a little kid’s stuff thrown in for fun. So, if you like parties or kids (and who doesn’t like kids!) stop by The Kid’s…

  • 5 Advantages Running a Small Biz From Home

    Linette Gerlach
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:18 am
    I run my small business from home, and I love it! There are advantages and disadvantages to running your small business from home. Today I’m going to focus on the advantages, because it’s more fun to think of the positive, right? One of the biggest advantages is working in your slippers if you want to. When you’re not meeting with clients or customers you can hang out in comfortable clothes and your slippers if you want to. I do always try to get dressed for the day when I get up in the morning. I think that sets the tone for the day. When I’m up and dressed I’m…

  • Seasonal Small Business Ideas

    Linette Gerlach
    28 Oct 2009 | 6:49 am
    Some small business ideas are seasonal in nature. If you pick the right business you can work really hard for a couple months out of the year and take it easy the rest of the year. That doesn’t usually mean you’re not working at all, there’s usually quite a bit of preparation the rest of the year for those few months of crazy business. Some businesses are just slow certain times of the year, but you still have to be there open for business. Seasonal businesses do have their draw backs, one of the biggest drawbacks is cash flow. It can be hard not to spend when you have cash…

  • Small Business False Starts

    Linette Gerlach
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:56 pm
    Have you ever thought of starting your own small business but never quite got it off the ground? Many small businesses don’t even make it off the drawing board. They may look good on paper, but for some reason or another aren’t practical in the real world. Are you someone who’s got a great idea for a small business? Maybe you’ve thoght of  a new product, or a new way of doing things, or cutting edge technology? Will you be able to get it off the ground, or will it be just an idea in your head? How can you get your dream business from ideas to reality? If you…

  • Resources To Help With Your Small Business

    Linette Gerlach
    26 Oct 2009 | 10:15 am
    When you’re starting a small business it can be frustrating to get all the information you need. You may not even know where to look, or what you need to get your small business off the ground. Here are a few online resources to help you get the information you need to get your small business up and running. The government has an excellent resource for businesses of all sizes at Business.gov, and if you don’t like to read you can check out some of the information at the Business.gov YouTube channel. They have a ton of helpful resources for new business owners. Another excellent…
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    Philanthropy Action News and Commentary

  • More Evidence of Evidence Failure

    timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:13 am
    I want to believe that arming people with good information will allow them to make better decisions, though I’ve seen plenty recently to suggest that belief is wrong. Books like Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational and Sunstein and Thaler’s Nudge have sold thousands on the premise that people do not often do what is in their best interest or make good decisions with the information they have.  A recent article on the market failure of cancer prevention drugs offers another data point for their position. The piece outlines how doctors and patients alike have put great…

  • Saving the World By Lowering Your Expectations

    timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:46 pm
    I’m not an “impatient optimist” like Bill and Melinda Gates. When it comes to making the world a better place, I think impatient optimists are quite possibly a part of the problem, not part of the solution. Led by some terrific organizations, the nonprofit and social entrepreneurship sector is generating solid evidence on the effectiveness of programs aimed at alleviating poverty, combating homelessness, preserving natural resources, and the like. The Obama administration has embraced this emphasis on rigorous evidence—and caused many in the sector to raise the specter of…

  • The Source of Donor Illusions

    timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com
    13 Nov 2009 | 10:22 am
    David Roodman pointed me to a typical reaction post to the Kiva story. In summary, the authors lament the lack of direct connection to a specific person they can give to and wonder why they can’t just dispense with the intermediaries. I think the post is quite revelatory about why so many charities create the illusion of direct connection. They do so because donors demand it. The demand for direct connection is baffling to me since most donors absolutely refuse direct connection to the people in need that are closest to them. Consider: how often do you or your friends take advantage of…

  • Big Climate Impact for Little Climate Dollars

    timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com
    11 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pm
    My essay, co-authored with Dean Karlan of Yale and Innovations for Poverty Action, was a runner-up in the Alliance Magazine/Environmental Funders Network climate change essay contest. The contest asked, “As a philanthropist, how would you spend $10 million to combat global warming?“ Dean and I argue that for substantially less than $10 million you can have a big impact on climate change by using the tools of behavioral economics to help individuals conserve energy. Specifically the widespread deployment of real-time use meters and commitment contracts can help people who want to…

  • New Survey and Report on the Use and Effectiveness of Social Networking by Non-profits

    timothy.ogden@sonapartners.com
    9 Nov 2009 | 12:23 pm
    Today we published the results of a survey that Philanthropy Action conducted on social networking and non-profits. Unsurprisingly non-profits reported that their primary reasons for using social networking were marketing, fundraising and attracting volunteers. But very few of them have seen results. You can read more about the survey, the results and what it all means here.
 
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    fispace.org

  • Shop And Save (Lives, That is)

    Glenn
    9 Nov 2009 | 11:15 am
    Just got an e-mail from the American Diabetes Association promoting their online gift shop as a source of Christmas gifts.  Prominently displayed was: “Every penny of profit from your Gift Of Hope purchase goes directly to fund Diabetes research. I think that’s a great idea. I’ve always struggled with what to get family members who have everything. When my Mom was alive, I’d ask her what she wanted and she’d reply, “All I want is for you to be happy!” If your nonprofit has a gift store, perhaps promoting it should take a higher priority especially…

  • There’s A (Nonprofit) App For That

    Glenn
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pm
    Back in April the American Cancer Society launched its “More Birthdays” campaign. The premise being that we want to eliminate cancer as a major health problem so that more people can have more birthdays. Now, over at Tipping Pitches, John Loomer reports that an iPhone app is being developed which is scheduled to be released in a few weeks. Not only will it help you remember birthdays of friends, family members, and co-workers, but it will also allow you to make a donation, send an e-card, and you can even blow out the candles on your cake (no, really!). What’s innovative about this is…

  • Four Things You Should Know Before You Innovate

    Glenn
    27 Oct 2009 | 5:16 pm
    If you want to implement a new idea or if you’re interested in changing your organizational culture to value innovation, there are four things you should know before you begin. You’re not that smart; they’re not that dumb (Horstman’s Law) Many people will be cool to your idea. It’s not that they’re stupid or that you’re smarter than they are; it’s that innovation is not one of their core competencies. They have other strengths, indeed some of them will be star performers. They won’t embrace innovation. They should be kept informed as appropriate as part of your…

  • When Innovation is FUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!

    Glenn
    26 Oct 2009 | 7:33 pm
    Courtesy of The Cutting Edge, You might think it’s funny, but you can follow me on Twitter. I’m txglennross.

  • How To Accelerate Innovation In Your Organization

    Glenn
    26 Oct 2009 | 11:09 am
    Do you want to accelerate the speed of innovation in your nonprofit? You might first want to read, Optimizing Innovation by Braden Kelly. It summarizes a presentation by Steve Faktor of American Express. Sometimes I wonder if the only innovation going on in the business and nonprofit sectors is the implementation of social media strategies. But Steve points out “there are lots of opportunities for innovation.” Business Models Systems and Processes Offerings Marketing Experience & Design Check out Braden’s entire post. Ask yourself “How can I apply this to my nonprofit?” For…
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    onLine!

  • Social Media for Accountability Part 1: Board Governance

    Zach Wales
    12 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pm
    This is the first of a two-part article that addresses the internal application of social media to improve efficacy and accountability in the nonprofit industry. This installment demonstrates how social media can improve board and executive governance, while the next will look at the broader issue of charities, foundations and philanthropists. Last August, Pablo Eisenberg wrote in the Chronicle of Philanthropy that the “nonprofit world is intellectually moribund.” He added that charities and foundations “are in flux, besieged by rising expectations, an uncertain financial future, and a…

  • Do You Flip?

    Megan Galbraith
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:25 am
    This morning while walking up the subway stairs on my way to the office, I caught site of a great ad for Flip Video – it asks a simple question – "Do you Flip?".  It reminded me of the terrific Flip Video Spotlight programs available to charitable organizations – their Matching Purchase Program and Flip for Good – and I thought I would pose the question to all of you. So, do you Flip?  I hope so.  Great storytelling is an essential component to building meaningful relationships with your supporters and video is a powerful way to capture stories. …

  • Saying Thank You in a Social World

    Jenn Thompson
    29 Oct 2009 | 7:12 pm
    A donor, one big or small, makes a gift to your organization. Your backend office generates and (e)mails a thank you letter and/or reciept. If the gift size says "major donor", you might even call to say thank you. But is that enough? Are you missing out on opportunities to show your appreciation in a more public way, especially one that would encourage *other people* to make a gift?It's easy to tweet a "thanks to all of our donors" message or rely on Facebook Causes to display a list of donors. But have you named specific donors in a Wall status update that would be displayed outside of the…

  • Three-O Bing-Oh: A 30-Day Bing Challenge

    Eduardo Arias
    8 Oct 2009 | 9:16 am
    In recent technology news, Microsoft has been rolling out some pretty awesome things that are putting them in direct competition with long-standing brands. Consider: Microsoft released its own anti-virus and spyware program, Security Essentials.  Based on early reviews, McAfee and Symantec should worry. Sony and Nintendo have long been the most well-known names in gaming consoles; dominating the industry.  Microsoft however has been creeping up. They recently announced that the XBOX 360 passed the 30 million unit mark, making 2008 their biggest year – and that’s still not enough. They…

  • Using the Social Media Snowball Formula

    Zach Wales
    20 Aug 2009 | 3:18 pm
    A staple read this week in the online nonprofit sphere was Brenna Holmes’ blog post on Community Organizer 2.0 about building the California State Parks Foundation’s (CSPF) Facebook Fan Page from 517 fans to 45,000 – a pretty big honking deal. It’s especially remarkable given that CSPF’s four-day “Friend Get Friend” campaign nearly met its original goal of 5,000 fans, then surpassed it with 6,236 fans on the following day. The campaign brought CSPF considerable media attention and encouraged about 5,000 concerned Californians to visit state parks on a weekend in June and then…
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    Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

  • Fundraising from Out-of-State? An Update on Registration Issues

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    13 Nov 2009 | 8:27 am
    As you get your online fundraising programs in place and start connecting with people through social media, the liklihood that you will raise money not only within your home state, but in multiple states, goes up. Diversifying your pool of donors is great, but it also comes with some additional legal responsibilities. To help explain all of this in plain English, I asked Tony Martignetti, Esq., the author of Charity Registration: State-by-State Guidelines for Compliance, to provide this guest blog post for you. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments. ~ Kivi You’re…

  • Mixed Links: Goodies for Nonprofit Communicators

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    11 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
    Here’s some great information — a tasty cocktail of mixed links — that I’ve saved to share with you . . . Fundraising I was one of 10 guest speaker’s in Gail Perry’s 2009 Year-End Fundraising Strategy Telesummit. It’s full of advice on what you can be doing right now to make sure that you raise as much money as possible in the next 8 weeks. While it’s focused on year-end giving, most of the advice will apply well beyond December. Well worth the $125 for the complete package of recordings and transcripts. Gail is also doing a free webinar…

  • Webinar Topics for 2010? Tell Me and Win a Pass

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    9 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pm
    I’m planning out the schedule for our webinar series in early 2010 and need your brilliant perspective  - really. You know what you need better than I do!  What belongs on the schedule, and what doesn’t? Take this quick survey to rate the topics we are already considering, and to tell us what’s missing. The top voter getters will definitely get on the schedule before March. When you complete the survey, you can enter a drawing for three All-Access Passes. These passes let you attend every webinar we host for 12 weeks, and also get you access to our archive of recordings…

  • 5 Spots Left in Online Fundraising Bootcamp E-Clinic Weds.

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:12 am
    There are five spots left in this Wednesday’s Online Fundraising Bootcamp – a special e-clinic limited to just 20 nonprofits. Want to join us? End-of-year fundraising season is upon us. Are you ready to raise as much as you can online? If not, don’t worry. That’s what the Online Fundraising Bootcamp E-Clinic is for. During this three-hour e-clinic (we’ll take two short breaks), you’ll learn about the must-knows and must-dos of the three elements of successful online fundraising today: (1) A website with a great home page and a great “Donate Now” page.We’ll look at…

  • You! Up Against the Wall!

    Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
    22 Oct 2009 | 6:50 am
    Or How NOT to Photograph Your Volunteer of the Month A Guest Post by Claire Meyerhoff Photos are the most wonderful (and cheapo) item in our Nonprofit Marketing Bag-O-Tricks. You probably already have a digital camera, so bring it to work and start taking some happy snaps of the fine folks doing great work for your good cause. Then . . . Send them to your board members . . . Put them in an e-newsletter . . . Get them up on your cool, newsy blog . . . Turn them into holiday cards and thank you cards! So many ideas! And so effective! But maybe you feel like your photography skills…
 
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    Nonprofit Law Blog

  • More on Charity Boards and Tough Times

    Gene Takagi
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:31 pm
    Yesterday's post, Are Charity Boards Ready for Tough Times Ahead?, covered in broad terms a board member's duties to lead an organization during challenging periods.  Here are some specific matters demanding a board's attention:Insolvency.  Boards must pay proper attention to ensure that the organization remains solvent and able to pay its obligations as they become due.  If the organization enters the "zone of insolvency," a board member's responsibilities expand from a fiduciary responsibility to protect the assets of the charity to a broader role of…

  • Are Charity Boards Ready for Tough Times Ahead?

    Gene Takagi
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:29 am
    The headline of the November 12, 2009 edition of The Chronicle of Philanthropy ("The Chronicle") asks "Are Charities Ready for Tough Times Ahead?"  The article answers the question as follows:While opinions are mixed, many philanthropy experts say the short answer is no; charities and foundations are too complacent in the face of the economic upheaval and only a few have embraced the radical thinking that is needed to maintain, and potentially strengthen the nonprofit world.While nonprofit groups may be considering new ideas to generate revenues or looking for ways to do…

  • Increasing Payment Charitable Lead Annuity Trust

    Gene Takagi
    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    A charitable lead annuity trust (CLAT) is an irrevocable split-interest trust in which the income interest is to be paid over to one or more charitable organizations, in the form of an annuity, and the remainder interest is to be paid over to one or more noncharitable beneficiaries.  Typically, CLATs are designed to provide an annual payment that is level throughout the trust term - either a stated amount or percentage of the value of the initial trust corpus.  But according to attorney Jerry McCoy, an expert on charitable tax planning, unlike the case with a charitable remainder annuity…

  • Charitable Planning Today: Legislative Update Plus - Jerry McCoy

    Gene Takagi
    24 Oct 2009 | 2:50 pm
    On October 21, 2009, I attended a program of the Northern California Planned Giving Council titled Charitable Planning Today: Recent Developments, Pending and Proposed Legislation, and Other Things You Should Keep in Mind presented by Jerry J. McCoy.  Here are some of the highlights: Treasury's report to Congress regarding donor-advised funds (DAFs) and supporting organizations (SOs) remains past due.  Among the items to be covered by this report: Whether deductions are appropriate for contributions to DAFs and SOs. Whether a minimum distribution requirement should be imposed on DAFs.

  • Fiscal Sponsorship Revisited

    Gene Takagi
    5 Oct 2009 | 5:00 am
    On October 1, 2009, I joined two esteemed exempt organization attorneys, Greg Colvin and Jill Dodd, in a panel discussion on fiscal sponsorship for the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors (NNFS) Annual Gathering.  This is a fascinating area that holds great promise for philanthropy and social entrepreneurs, but first there are hurdles for the field to overcome.A poorly defined term.Fiscal sponsorship is not a legally defined term and describes a number of varying contractual relationships that have through custom and practice developed between "sponsors" and "projects."…
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    Nonprofit Leadership 601

  • Take-Away Points from Colloquy: “Challenges of Developing New Theory in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Studies”

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:26 pm
    Guest Blog post from Taylor Peyton Roberts, University of San Diego.Chair: Margaret HarrisPresenters:Jeff Brudney, Bob Donmoyer, Angela Eikenberry, Paul Kabalo, Lucas Meijs, Laurie Paarlberg, Jo Anne Schneider, Nidhi SrinivasAlthough this session was so rich with discussion that it would be impossible for me to do it justice in a blog, the meeting was such a thought-provoking treat that I have been inspired to collectively summarize some key highlights:• In nonprofit research, borrowing from theories of other disciplines requires accurately interpreting the languages of those…

  • 2009 ARNOVA-Goers: Meet Your Wordle.

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:10 pm
    Guest Blog post from Taylor Peyton Roberts, University of San Diego.If you haven’t already spent enough time perusing ARNOVA’s 38th Annual Conference Program today, here’s a colorful twist on the program’s content.For those of you who are not familiar with Wordle, it is an online application that allows users to transform text into word cloud graphics. In the final product, the most frequently-appearing words are largest in size. I couldn’t resist the temptation to discover the Wordle-flavor of ARNOVA’s detailed conference program this year. Check out the snazzy result!

  • ARNOVA: What’s in a name? Involving the community in research.

    18 Nov 2009 | 6:25 pm
    Tonight during the teaching section workshop we learned about Research Service Learning that was defined as “a collaborative teaching and learning strategy designed to promote academic enhancement, personal growth, civic learning, and the development of research capacities.Students render meaningful service—which include research activities—in community settings that present them with experiences related to academic material” (Clayton & Metelsky, 2009 Arnova Handout).Many people may know this type of research by a different name “Participatory Action Research.” This type of…

  • Countdown to ARNOVA

    17 Nov 2009 | 12:15 pm
    I'll be blogging at the ARNOVA Conference from November 19-21st in Cleveland, OH and will be joined by:Debra BeckGraham DoverLindsey McDougleJohn Ronquilloand guest bloggers Taylor Peyton Roberts, Alice Walker, and Debra WeinerAdditionally, we have several conference attendees who will be tweeting about the conference using the #arnova09 hashtag.

  • Way to go ARNOVA!!

    10 Nov 2009 | 2:31 pm
    Next week I'll be attending the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organization and Voluntary Action ARNOVA annual conference in Cleveland, OH and I am super excited!! This year I'll be part of ARNOVA's social media team so stay tuned for updates via this blog, the ARNOVA website, and twitter #arnova09.I have to say ARNOVA has made amazing progress this past year to connect with younger nonprofit scholars and to establish a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Ning. This mostly due to the efforts of John Ronquillo, way to go John!Stay tuned for live posts about the conference…
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    Open hands

  • Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

    Mark Petersen
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:45 pm
    A mentor showed me this Wendell Barry poem today.  A brilliant take on living life for what it was created to be. Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will have a window in your head. Not even your future will be a mystery any more. Your mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a little drawer. When they want you to buy something they will call you. When they want you to die for profit they will let you know. So, friends, every day do something that won't compute. Love the…

  • hoperisesfilm.com

    Mark Petersen
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm
    One of our grants resulted in this documentary film, contemplatively crafted by Trevor Meier.   You can now purchase the dvd of this film which focuses on the inexplicable yet substantive hope rising out of the Rwandan genocide.  The film makes you pause, breathe again, and embrace hope. Posted in Africa, Arts

  • Be that woman

    Mark Petersen
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pm
    This vignette, from the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, reminded me of the time we opened our home to a woman and her daughter who were at the end of their rope.   They stayed with us for several months, and she overcame depression and a debilitating medical condition.  And then learned a skill, and eventually moved into subsidized housing.  She now works full time, and has her own apartment, and is a wonderful gift to many in her life. Thanks Aurora for passing this on to me, and good luck in your work. Posted in Poverty, Women

  • $500k innovation competition at Aviva

    Mark Petersen
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:28 pm
    Aviva Community Fund has launched a fascinating process where they are selecting projects from across Canada to which they will disburse $500,000 in funding.  I became aware of it through Dion Oxford who came up with this creative idea for Gateway Linens. Dion introduces the 108-bed shelter which serves men experiencing homelessness, and then continues with his creative idea: So 3 years ago we decided to do something to change that. It occurred to me that we were spending $50,000/year at Gateway just in cleaning our sheets, towels and pillow cases. And when I inquired of the other SA…

  • Relevant mag on “Bearing the Mystery”

    Mark Petersen
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:54 am
    Just saw Relevant magazine’s review of a book I’ve been working my way through — Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of Image This is a compilation of twenty years of superb writing and art on faith and the mystery of the human condition which has appeared previously in the quarterly journal. I highly recommend it as a Christmas gift for the literary types on your list. Relevant says: Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of Image is a volume of greatest hits from the tiny quarterly Image, devoted to visual and literary attempts to grapple with questions of faith. Image was…
 
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    PhilanTopic

  • 'Career Pathways' and Young Professionals

    Regina Mahone
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pm
    Career Pathways to Philanthropic Leadership, a new "baseline" report from the Council on Foundations, has received a fair amount of attention. Based on a quantitative study of the appointment of 440 CEOs and executive directors over four years (2004-08) and a companion qualitative project, the report was designed to develop new insights into how philanthropic organizations choose their leaders and how individuals make their way into those positions. Specifically, it looked to answer four questions: What are the professional backgrounds and profiles of CEOs and executive directors of…

  • Readings (and Other Stuff) - Nov. 19, 2009

    Regina Mahone
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pm
    Here's what we've been checking out today: Paul Brest: President's Essay: Forms of Philanthropic Support: The Centrality of Alignment (Hewlett Foundation) Podcast: Diversity and Inclusion in the Nonprofit Sector (NonprofitNext) Video: An Interview with Paul Polak: Over 17 Million Poor Customers Served (Unreasonable blog) Video: Scroogenomics - Wharton Professor Makes the Case for Charitable Giving During the Holidays (Charity Navigator) Phil Cubeta: Philanthropedia Q&A (Gift Hub) Dirk Smillie: A Perpetual Recession For Papers (Forbes) Chronicle Review: Academe and the Decline of News…

  • Don't Be Afraid to Share Your Stories

    Mitch Nauffts
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:25 pm
    (Consultant Thaler Pekar helps smart leaders and their organizations find, develop, and share the stories and organizational narratives that can rally critical support. Her previous posts in this series can be found here, here, and here.) Too many foundations are confounded by storytelling. Paralyzed by the need to tell the one perfect story that embodies their brand, acknowledges all their stakeholders, AND helps to advance their goals, foundations often refrain from telling any stories at all. As a result, potentially transformative knowledge fails to reach hungry audiences…

  • Readings (and Other Stuff) - Nov. 17, 2009

    Regina Mahone
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:21 pm
    Here's what we're reading today: Holden Karnofsky: Not Our Last Word on the Kiva Controversy (GiveWell) Elizabeth Clawson: What Is Social Impact? (Nonprofit Periscope) Robert Frank: Does the Gates Foundation Need a $500 Million Complex? (WSJ) Amy Sample Ward: Causes, MySpace & ideablob (Tactical Philanthropy) Allison Fine: Redlining Online Kari Dunn Saratovsky: The Role of Millennials in Reshaping a Sector (Social Citizens) Marc Lacey: Money Trickles North as Mexicans Help Relatives (NYT) Miguel Helft: Everyman Offers New Directions (NYT) What are you reading?

  • VIDEO: Be That Woman

    Mitch Nauffts
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:26 pm
    In time for the holidays, the Washington Area Women's Foundation is out with a new campaign called Be That Woman. The campaign, and the video below, is based on a simple premise: If you invest in a woman or girl, the investment benefits all. The video, which was done pro bono by RP3 Agency in Bethesda, Maryland, isn't as dramatic as the Girl Effect video we wrote about back in February, but it has a sweet, vaguely retro quality that I find appealing. What do you think? Does the video work? Will it inspire you to action? And if not, why not? Be nice... -- Mitch Nauffts
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    The GiveWell Blog

  • Two charities, one microfinance institution

    Holden
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pm
    We’re looking for a good option for U.S. donors interested in supporting microfinance. We’ve been examining the largest, most prominent U.S.-registered charities in this area: Grameen Foundation, Unitus, Accion, Women’s World Banking, Opportunity International and FINCA. All of these are large organizations that list a variety of “partner” microfinance institutions. One thing that might surprise a donor in this area is that sometimes the “partnerships” overlap. For example, Women’s World Banking lists Enda Inter-Arabe in its network, and so does…

  • Denying the choice

    Holden
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:44 pm
    GiveWell spends a lot of time on the question, “Should I give to charity A or charity B?” One of the things that has surprised us about the world of charity is how many people insist on answering, “Both” or “You can’t/shouldn’t be asking that question.” To them, all that matters is whether a charity does some good, not how much good it does or how it compares to other options. One statement of the idea comes from none other than the Jeffrey-Sachs led WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (footnote 24): Many have asked the Commission what…

  • UNICEF Inspired Gifts: Revolution or Donor Illusion?

    Holden
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:36 am
    UNICEF offers you the chance to buy measles vaccines for 100 children for $27.10. And lest you complain that you’ve heard this one before, it assures you specifically that “While other organizations allow supporters to purchase ’symbolic’ gifts, Inspired Gifts are actual items.” Is this finally the “real personal connection” donors have been waiting for? We can’t say for sure. Unlike Kiva, UNICEF provides no information about where the money goes and what projects are in progress. But we can ask a few critical questions: There are many costs for…

  • Quality of life in the developing world

    Natalie
    17 Nov 2009 | 9:26 am
    When we argue that donors should give internationally, one of the most common questions we get is, “Sure, you may be able to save a life in Africa, but what type of life are you saving? If you save a child from malaria will s/he likely die from something else soon after? Will s/he suffer from other problems that significantly reduce his/her quality of life?” We recently published a report on standard of living in the developing world that tries to answer that question. It looks at what facts are available from relatively broad, plausibly representative studies to answer “what is…

  • Not our last word on the Kiva controversy

    Holden
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:58 pm
    Nathaniel Whittemore writes that it’s “time to move on” regarding the recent Kiva controversy. I disagree. It’s true that Kiva handled the criticism admirably, and made significant changes to its website to improve clarity for donors. It’s also true that Kiva has a stronger case than many for being generally transparent and impactful. Finally, it’s true that those of us who have been blogging about Kiva are a bit tired of the subject. But none of this changes the fact that many (I would guess the vast majority) of Kiva’s enthusiastic users don’t…
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    The Backyard Philanthropist

  • It’s time for GlobalMojo

    Beverley Claire Pomeroy
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pm
    GlobalMojo has officially launched after 18 months of bits, babbles and techno savvy. What is GlobalMojo? GlobalMojo is a new charity-focused web browser that shares 50% of our gross revenue with nonprofits and schools chosen by each of our users. Today when you surf the web with your current browser, you’re generating revenue for some company when you search, buy travel, and shop.  But when you use the GlobalMojo browser to do those things, you can redirect 50% of that revenue to the causes you support. If you currently use Firefox, we also have a Firefox add-on.  GlobalMojo is free,…

  • Myspace, give me a call!

    Beverley Claire Pomeroy
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    There has been a lot of online dialogue about Causes leaving Myspace this past week and it is definitely creating a reactionary response for many in the world of social media and fundraising.  Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote a great blog last week on ReadWriteWeb clearly sharing opinions from social media mavens Amy Sample Ward and Beth Kanter. From my perspective, a creator of online fundraising platforms and as an aggegator of those platforms through applications on Ning, etc, it is apparent there is a thin line between creating a tool for good while also making decisions based on market…

  • PincGiving’s Fundraising Consultation Services

    Beverley Claire Pomeroy
    12 Nov 2009 | 1:11 pm
    At Pinc, we realize that online fundraising has a lot to do with offline fundraising.  That the use of social media can be daunting and most individuals or organizations wanting to support their own community initiatives, do so with little support or information at hand.  So, we decided to offer an Introductory Package to provide support and resources for those traversing down the fundraising river that helps you with both your offline campaign and online presence. We will sit down with you and discuss your campaign, your event, your initiative and how best to approach it to maximize your…

  • Charter For Compassion Unveiled Today

    Beverley Claire Pomeroy
    12 Nov 2009 | 8:18 am
    Pincgiving is proud today to play a part in the unveiling of The Charter of Compassion. Karen Armstrong, a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford, won the TED Prize and made a wish… “I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect.” Today that wish came true and Pincgiving as a…

  • Charity Gift Cards ideal for Corporate Citizens

    Beverley Claire Pomeroy
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:41 pm
    Unique Giving Opportunities: •  The Charity Gift Card Here at Pinc Giving, we have created a unique gift card that allows companies to give to the charities of their choice, as well as allow their corporate family to do the same. The custom branded Gift Card can be loaded with money, and given to employees or clients for the holidays, for a specific event (like the month of February to raise awareness for Breast Cancer), or simply over the giving season. The card also allows for multiple charity donations. They can be reloaded with any amount, and re-gifted to someone else, a family member…
 
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    FundraisingCoach.com

  • Tweetsgiving is almost here!

    Marc A. Pitman
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:56 am
    What happens when techie people decide to express their gratitude during Thanksgiving? TweetsGiving of course! Will you join me in tweeting your gratitude? You can find out all about it at: http://tweetsgiving.org/. Be sure to click on the “join us” link. But hurry, TweetsGiving is only November 24-26! (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!

  • Fundraising warning: Don’t limit your fishing to the smallest pond

    Marc A. Pitman
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:15 am
    Within the last couple weeks, there was an article about another nonprofit closing. Reading the article, I saw an incredibly common fundraising myth perpetuated. The myth sounds goes something like this: if we only had more businesses and foundation grants, then our funding challenges would be over. Check this quote out: “You really need more corporate-type sponsors and more grants, and those are very difficult things to get when you know you’re running on a bare minimum to begin with,” Pellerin said. Despite GivingUSA’s reporting year after year, apparently one of the…

  • Facebook Marketing advice in the NYT

    Marc A. Pitman
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:11 pm
    Waterville’s amazing librarian, Sarah Sugden passed on this terrific article from the New York Times, How to Market Your Business With Facebook. It’s well worth reading for nonprofits too. For instance, take this great advice: Some basic rules: Buy-buy-buy messages won’t fly. The best practitioners make Facebook less about selling and more about interacting. Engage with fans and critics. Listen to what people are saying, good and bad. You may even pick up ideas for how to improve your business. Keep content fresh. Use status updates and newsfeeds to tell fans about specials,…

  • Fundraising oddity: Bet you’ve never seen THIS before!

    Marc A. Pitman
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:09 pm
    Earlier this week, I walked into an office here at Inland Hospital and saw this. After being a bit grossed out, I read that it was one way this office was collecting for our hospital’s United Way drive. Being the geek I am, I decided to run a photo caption contest by posting this picture to TwitPic and Facebook. I have some very funny friends. Here are their responses: My Twitter Friends @kimberlylauth: The AMA is investigating the cause of Donald Trumps unusual kidney stones. @sandrasims: Pennies for Prostrates. @melmatho: Gotta give, gotta give, gotta give right now……

  • Hospitals helping Fort Hood Casualties

    Marc A. Pitman
    7 Nov 2009 | 9:07 am
    One of the privileges of working in philanthropy is seeing people rise to the challenge when tragedy strikes. Yesterday, this email came across an email list for those of us involved in AHP, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Neil gave me permission to share it on my blog: AHP Colleagues: Please remember those who lost lives and were injured in yesterday’s massacre at Fort Hood. Most of the injured were brought here to Scott & White. The public has responded dramatically to give blood and in other ways. So many showed up at our blood bank yesterday afternoon that many…
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    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.
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    The Epic Change Blog

  • Small World

    Administrator
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:20 am
    I cry when I see beautiful things. Like babies. And fireflies at night. And classrooms where once were henhouses. But tears haven’t fallen recently from these eyes. Until yesterday and then again, this morning. I’ve been so busy that I’ve been unable to really reflect on the miracle that’s unfolding around me. Then two things happened, and finally, it sunk in. The world is changing. And I (actually, we) have a front row seat. Yesterday, I was on the phone with 10 event organizers I’ve never met in person who are planning parties that will spread gratitude across…

  • In Gratitude for Hope Restored

    Administrator
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:58 am
    I originally wrote this note from Tanzania to the many remarkable volunteers who are pouring their hearts into creating TweetsGiving. Then I realized, this is what TweetsGiving is all about… Sometimes, in the trenches, it may seem like this work is about PowerPoint presentations and pitches, graphics and code, social media and strategy. In some ways, surely it is.  But yesterday, as I sat across the table from Mama Lucy sharing her vast vision for this place, as I played with children who I know in the deepest parts of myself will have better lives because of her work here, I was…

  • Going Global: TweetsGiving 2009

    Avi Kaplan
    3 Nov 2009 | 1:49 pm
    This TweetsGiving post is by Avi Kaplan, Global Community and Events Director for Epic Change. TweetsGiving 2009 is only 20 days away and we are so excited! Things are shaping up great and the first event tickets have already been sold! There are a lot of really great folks organizing gratitude parties and we’d love your help too. It’s not to late to organize an event in your city. You can learn more about organizing a gratitude party, in your community, check out some of the gratitude party ideas we’ve shared, or view our event checklist. To start organizing your party just…

  • The TwitterKids of Tanzania

    Administrator
    20 Oct 2009 | 9:34 pm
    Hujambo from Tanzania! I’m SO EXCITED to write you because I couldn’t wait to share: on Saturday, in the Moivaro village of Arusha, Tanzania, in the shadow of Mt. Meru, Shepherds Junior School was connected to the internet for the very first time. The students sent their first tweets from the TweetsGiving classroom built from your gratitude. Imagine: Students who have never even had access to a library now have access to an entire world of information. Children whose voices are seldom heard can now speak, in real time, to people, like you, across the globe. To our knowledge, it is…

  • OneWebDay

    Administrator
    22 Sep 2009 | 1:04 pm
    This post is by Sanjay Patel, he’s currently working on getting internet connectivity at our partner school in Tanzania. Today is OneWebDay, a movement of organizations, citizens and consumers who are committed to universal and equal access to the Internet.  This year’s theme, “One Web. For All.” is an opportunity to focus on economic and educational inclusion. Since we just happen to be working on internet connectivity options in Tanzania right now for our partner primary school in Tanzania, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share how vast the Digital…
 
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    Blueprint Fundraising » News

  • We made the list (of stressful jobs that pay badly)

    Andrea Seale
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:04 am
    CNNMoney.com has an uplifting feature on Stressful Jobs that Pay Badly and fundraiser is number 7. We are in the company of social workers, special event coordinators, news reporters, assisted living directors and high school teachers. Things have really changed because not too long ago, fundraiser made it on the 2009 list of America’s Best Careers, according to US News & World Report. There is also a list of Least Stressful Jobs, just in case you are looking for a career change.

  • Thought for the day

    Andrea Seale
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:30 am
    “It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • Weathering the Storm: the state of nonprofits in BC

    Andrea Seale
    30 Oct 2009 | 7:00 am
    The Vancouver Foundation has just released Weathering the Storm, a look at the state of nonprofit organizations in British Columbia today. So many organizations are feeling the strain of funding cuts and decreased giving — this report confirms just how hard the sector is being hit. It is very worthwhile reading, especially to understand the context for fundraising and organizational management these days. Even if the economy is improving, 2010 is not going to be an easy year. More layoffs, budget cuts, closures and mergers are on the horizon. Click here to download the full PDF report.

  • A generous donor… you don’t want to meet

    Andrea Seale
    29 Oct 2009 | 11:07 am
    Here’s a little video from The Onion, just in time for Halloween… Anonymous Philanthropist Donates 200 Human Kidneys To Hospital

  • National Philanthropy Day

    Andrea Seale
    28 Oct 2009 | 10:02 am
    Canadian Heritage has officially named November 15th, 2009, National Philanthropy Day in Canada. There are celebratory events planned all over the country (and beyond). Read all about them. If you are in the Metro Vancouver area, a Philanthropy Day lunch will take place on November 10th at the Westin Bayshore. Tickets and details can be found here. It’s a great event for saying thank you to your donors and volunteers. I’ve always liked the slogan: “Change the world with a giving heart.”
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    The Philanthropic Family

  • More Than Money, Part II

    Sharon Schneider
    30 Oct 2009 | 4:34 pm
    I wrote earlier today about taking inventory of your assets–beyond writing checks–to support your charitable causes. (Click here to review the checklist.) I’m still playing with these concepts, but as of now I see at least five categories that comprise your power to bring about social change. 1) You are a consumer Linking our consumer purchasing decisions with our values is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal as a community. If you have an iphone, arm yourself to make good purchasing decisions with the free goodguide app, which will allow you to type in the bar…

  • More Than Money

    Sharon Schneider
    30 Oct 2009 | 6:48 am
    I’m on a panel today at the Chicago Global Donor’s Network 6th annual Conference on International Philanthropy. More than Money: Expanding Your Philanthropic Toolbox. Many times donors think their primary contribution to the cause comes when they write a check.  In fact, passionate, committed supporters bring so many more assets to the table besides their financial wealth–including their own networks, skills, reputation and so much more. In this session you will hear how different populations, including ordinary individuals, foundations, celebrities and businesses, can…

  • Why Do You Give to Charity?

    Sharon Schneider
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:34 am
    According to a new study by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, differences in giving motivations can be explained by income and education. According to the press release issued last week: Among lower-income donors (income less than $50,000), the phrases that resonated as a motivation for giving were helping to meet basic needs or helping the poor help themselves. Donors with income between $50,000 and $100,000 were more likely than donors in either higher or lower income groups to say that they gave to “make the world better.” Among donors with income of $100,000 or more,…

  • Running Late

    Sharon Schneider
    12 Oct 2009 | 7:25 am
    Last week I was struck by one of those unearned privileges of wealth and power: the right to be running late. While visiting a nonprofit in downtown Chicago, I saw one of their donor relations folks in the hallway. In asking about her morning plans, she said she was rescheduling with a donor who ran into traffic and couldn’t make the meeting. We commiserated about the difficulties of navigating Chicago traffic for a bit and neither of us thought too much about it. Later that same day, I was scheduled to give feedback to a job seeker about her interview skills and she was running late.

  • Five Ways to Become Happier Today

    Sharon Schneider
    8 Oct 2009 | 7:10 am
    Studying and teaching about happiness is, as I understand it, a relatively new field of positive psychology. The new definition of “healthy” is not a neutral state marked by the absence of mental or physical illness (surviving), but a positive state of productivity and satisfaction (thriving). There is a web community called Big Think that brings thought leaders across disciplines together to share big ideas. This week, they featured a video conversation from Tal Ben-Shahar, a Harvard University lecturer on happiness on the topic of “Five Ways to Become Happier Today.”…
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    Principled Innovation LLC

  • Prepare your association for 2010!

    jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)
    1 Nov 2009 | 6:56 pm
    On January 6, 2010, from 2 pm-3:30 pm EST, I am holding a Principled Innovation Briefing webinar on “Top 2010 Trends for Associations.”  You will find the event detail from the registration site below. P.I. Blog readers are invited to register at a 10% discount (until December 1, 2009) by using the link above.  This is going to be a great webinar, so I hope you’ll join me on January 6 and help prepare your association for 2010! EVENT DETAIL FOR JANUARY 6, 2010 P.I. BRIEFING WEBINAR 2009 has been a very tough year for associations and their leaders. 2010 can be better, but…

  • P.I. Podcast: Interview with Tim Brown of IDEO

    jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)
    17 Oct 2009 | 6:31 pm
    “We need new choices.” I’m thinking this is the perfect mantra for association leaders as we approach 2010.  Associations face complex challenges, and the current options for tackling them don’t really inspire too much confidence in our ultimate success.  Not only do we need to think about our problems in new ways, but we literally need different strategies for solving them.  In other words, we need new choices. Tim Brown’s excellent new book, Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, is all about how mindset and…

  • What relevance isn’t

    jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)
    16 Oct 2009 | 4:26 am
    Last month, my friend and fellow blogger Jamie Notter wrote an excellent post on why relevance is not enough for associations.  In his post, Jamie graciously mentions my continuing pushback against the relevance-oriented thinking (ROT) that is still framing the way most leaders in our community approach crucial decisions about the future of their organizations.  We need to cultivate a fundamentally different leadership point of view, and this is what I think it should be: +Relevance isn’t a purpose–How will your association’s pursuit of relevance nurture an authentic…

  • My Top Ten Favorite Things About #BIF5 Day One

    jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)
    7 Oct 2009 | 8:54 pm
    Sitting in my hotel room in Providence, I’ve been thinking about the first day of the BIF-5 Summit.  Wow, what a day!  I missed BIF-4, and in my two-year absence, I think I forgot about the incredible richness of this experience.  I’m inspired, and I’m thinking about even more new possibilities for my work. I’d like to share some of the experience, so here is my quick top ten list of favorite things from BIF-5 (#BIF5) Day One, with some help from my fellow Twitterers. (FYI, I’m @pinnovation) Thank you all for being so terrific. 10.  We talked openly about…

  • Live tweeting at #BIF5

    jeffpi1@gmail.com or @pinnovation on twitter (Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC, the association community's leading voice for innovation!)
    7 Oct 2009 | 5:22 am
    I’ll be live tweeting for the next two days at BIF-5 in Providence.  You can follow the hashtag on Twitter at #bif5…there will be many other people tweeting, blogging etc. so be prepared for lots of great stuff!
 
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    Beyond Certification

  • Continuing Education Webconference of Interest

    Mickie Rops
    4 Nov 2009 | 9:59 am
    There's a webconference coming up December 9, 2009 that sounds to be of great benefit to educators for the health professions.  I'm going to try to participate so I'll share a recap after the event. Planning a Continuing Health Care Professional Education Institute: Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine A report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on recommendations for the development of a national inter-professional institute devoted to the continuing education of healthcare professionals is due to be released shortly as a result from the recommendations from the…

  • Improving Online Learning Webinar

    Mickie Rops
    29 Oct 2009 | 11:43 am
    Educators, this looks like a good webinar from www.trainingindustry.com.   From Blah to Aha! Ten Best Practices for the Virtual ClassroomWednesday, November 11, 2009 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PT Many organizations are moving rapidly to “repurpose” their face-to-face classroom for delivery online. If you are helping your organization make this change, don’t miss this webinar. Discover the possibilities in the world of engaging, facilitated online learning. Adopt ten best practices to help you move from Blah (boring, talking head presentations ) to Aha (engaging, interactive classroom…

  • Microsoft Achieves ANSI 17024 Accreditation

    Mickie Rops
    8 Oct 2009 | 8:09 am
    Microsoft recently received accreditation for conformance to the international standard ISO/IEC 17024 General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons by the American National Standards Institute for two of its IT certification programs.  The blog world is buzzing with the news since these are the first product-specific IT certifications accredited to the international standard and ANSI.  Lots of individual IT bloggers responded on their own blogs and the buzz is positive, with agreement that the third-party "stamp of approval" is a…
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    Acronym

  • Social media staffing: Are we doing it wrong?

    Lisa Junker
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:50 pm
    Sometimes, when you start a blog post, you can be overcome by events—or at least overcome by other bloggers. I recently started writing a post inspired by Lynn Morton's comments about a recent spate of turnover among association social media managers. Since then, Maggie McGary, Maddie Grant, and David Gammel have all added their thoughts. For me, the recent turnover brings back memories of working in a Northern-Virginia-based association in the late 1990s. We couldn't keep an IT manager on staff to save our lives. Someone would start, and two months later, they'd have a great offer from ,…

  • Quick clicks: A flower for you

    Lisa Junker
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:35 pm
    Happy Friday, folks! Hope those of you here in the U.S. are looking forward to Thanksgiving ... - Brian John Riggs shares an interesting visualization of social media he created for his volunteers. - Maddie Grant is launching a new series of interviews of association social media managers, and wants to know what questions you might recommend for her to ask. - At KDPaine's PR Measurement Blog, Katie Paine suggests that one way to measure the impact of something is to stop doing it and see what happens. - Anthony Tjan recently posted five mindblowing stats about the web. - Shelly Alcorn breaks…

  • A reminder for social media enthusiasts at associations

    Joe Rominiecki
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:55 am
    In some ways, Mark Golden, CAE, beat me to the punch for this post when he commented last week on Scott's recap of the Social Media Workshop. He raised some concerns about the value of Twitter and the helpfulness of those who love it (and he started a great conversation; it's long, but it's worth your time). For context, Mark is an association CEO, and thinking about his perspective reinforced this idea in my mind: When a person fails to understand or agree with an idea that you've explained, it doesn't mean that person is unenlightened. It means you did a bad job explaining it, so try again.

  • Are There Too Many Associations?

    Brian Birch
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:54 am
    In the industry our association represents, we are seeing a ton of consolidation. Many national corporate entities are looking for and finding efficiencies by hiring regional and national service providers, who then subcontract the work to local folks. This simplifies many processes for them, including billing/payment, bidding, and work allocation/reporting. It also saves them a ton of money. This consolidation is having dramatic impacts on local contractors in our industry (whose margins are shrinking because the national providers negotiate lower pricing). But it does make sense from a…

  • Quick Clicks: The quotable edition

    Lisa Junker
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:53 am
    Welcome to your first November Quick Clicks post! Here's some quoteable and noteable posts from the past week or so: - The Digital Now blog reminds us that "the fish out of water has no other fish to contend with." - Shelly Alcorn tells it like it is: "You are not Stuart Smalley and darn it, some people are NOT going to like you." - "We followed the best advice we found and marched confidently forward … right into failure." Get the full story from Peggy Hoffman at the Idea Center blog. - Jamie Notter asks, "As a leader, do you know if you are truly willing to trust your people?" Elsewhere,…
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    BlogClump - Blogging About Associations From a Gen Xer

  • Another Life Change

    Matt Baehr
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:20 pm
    It has been an entire month since my last post, and some things have happened. The biggest is that I will be changing jobs come Dec. 7. I will no longer be the Executive Director of the Arlington Soccer Association. I will now be the Foundation Manager and Director of Industry Relations for the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association. I am excited about this new change. It was a tough decision to make, as I have enjoyed my time at ASA and would like to see the fruits of my labor. But at this point in time, it was a move I had to make for family reasons. Anyway, I hope this will mean I…

  • Interesting Piece about Free

    Matt Baehr
    18 Oct 2009 | 6:15 pm
    I read an interesting article on Free in October's Fast Company. What do you think?http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/139/tech-edge-the-high-cost-of-free.htmltThe main comparison the author gives is that Windows is trouncing Linux as a PC/Laptop OS. I don't think that is a fair comparison. Most people use Windows because it is what they learned on, primarily because it came on the computer they bought. Linux, used a lot for servers, is preferred by many IT folks.When it comes to Free, the main model is to use it to help sell something else: service, upgrades, another product entirely.

  • The Xer Meme - I Have Been Tagged

    Matt Baehr
    26 Sep 2009 | 2:47 pm
    The social media maven of the association world, Maddie Grant, tagged me in her Xer meme. Here is what Maddie asks:So go on, tell me, my fellow Xers – Have YOU sold out? Have YOU gone mainstream? Or are we still the guerrilla army, changing the world (only without telling anyone)?I don't necessarily think I, or we as Xers, have necessarily changed. I think the world around us has changed a lot in the last few years. It was a lot easier to be guerrilla on blogs, twitter and facebook then. We were just talking to ourselves and challenging the status quo. Now, my members and board members read…

  • Principles of Abundance Thinking

    Matt Baehr
    16 Sep 2009 | 10:27 am
    In the book Free, Chris Anderson gives his 10 Principles of Abundance Thinking. I think associations should look at two of them very closely.You can make money from Free.People will pay to save time. People will pay to lower risk. People will pay for things they love. People will pay for status. People will pay if you make them (once they're hooked). There are countless ways to make money around Free. Free opens doors, reaching new consumers. It doesn't mean you can't charge some of them.Sooner or later you will compete with Free.Whether through cross-subsidies or software, somebody in your…

  • Free is Not Enough

    Matt Baehr
    14 Sep 2009 | 10:21 am
    Just ask Twitter, it is hard to make money off something that is Free, if it is the only thing you are doing. You have to have that other thing that makes your money: Premium version, service, etc. But it does mean that Free is not enough. It also has to be matched with Paid. Just as King Gillette's free razors only made business sense paired with expensive blades, so will today's Web entrepreneurs have to invent not just products that people love but also those that they will pay for. Free may be the best price, but it can't be the only one.
 
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    Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide

  • Heli Ski Board France Switzerland Italy for Burma Landmine Survivors

    info@exquisitesafaris.com
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:52 pm
    The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic mission integrates a guided visit to a humanitarian outreach project into every private, luxury, epicurean experience we create. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

  • @Philanthropic Transformational Giving

    info@exquisitesafaris.com
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:25 am
    The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic mission integrates a guided visit to a humanitarian outreach project into every private, luxury, epicurean experience we create. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

  • Advances in Travel Philanthropy

    info@exquisitesafaris.com
    10 Nov 2009 | 6:11 pm
    The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic mission integrates a guided visit to a humanitarian outreach project into every private, luxury, epicurean experience we create. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

  • The Evolution of Travel Philanthropy

    info@exquisitesafaris.com
    10 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am
    The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic mission integrates a guided visit to a humanitarian outreach project into every private, luxury, epicurean experience we create. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

  • Travel Philanthropy Press and Media

    info@exquisitesafaris.com
    8 Nov 2009 | 3:08 am
    The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic mission integrates a guided visit to a humanitarian outreach project into every private, luxury, epicurean experience we create. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.
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    Social Actions Blog

  • “Does microlending fight poverty?” – Wrong Question To Ask

    Sylvia Ng
    This is a cross-post from charitychamps.wordpress.com On this blog I’ve written two previous posts on microfinance (also known as microcredit or microlending) and its effects. Well the debate regarding whether microlending solves poverty still rages on, and this month, the Boston Globe published a fairly extensive article containing much supporting material that concludes microfinance doesn’t actually do much to alleviate poverty. If you’re interested in the subject I would definitely recommend you read the article; while it doesn’t include ideas that are entirely new, it does quote…

  • Colorado Rocky Mountain School junior inspires student body with FACE AIDS presentation

    Terence Washington
    This blog is from the Colorado Rocky Mountain School's Blog "The fight for health as a human right, a fight with real promise, has so far been plagued by failures. Failure because we are chronically short of resources. Failure because we are too often at the mercy of those with the power and money to decide the fates of hundreds of millions. Failure because ill health, as we have learned again and again, is more often than not a symptom of poverty and violence and inequality." In a recent "This I believe" archive Dr. Paul Farmer one of the founders of Partners in Health spoke to the notion…

  • Fab Lab and Do-It-Yourself Infrastructure Building

    Elliot Harmon
    Originally posted on the TechSoup Blog. Here's a photo of a directional antenna that can transmit Wi-Fi Internet several miles. Anyone can build one with materials from a hardware store; you can even download the blueprint online for free. Over the past 18 months or so, the antennas have been appearing around Jalalabad, a former Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Of the ways in which it differs from a traditional wireless access point, the most profound is that it lacks an electronics company logo. It wasn't created by a government either, but it could become the new symbol of infrastructure…

  • One Woman Creates Initiative to Feed Kenyans with Back Pack Farming

    Jennifer Simckowitz
    This is a cross post from AllVoices Rachel Zedeck thought a back pack could feed a Kenyan family for months. She made this thought a reality through her Back Pack Farm program. As a life-long humanitarian dedicated to helping people, Rachel extended her commitment by settling in Africa and helping the native people of Kenya. In 2009, Rachel launched The Back Pack Farm initiative not only as a way to change the way Kenyans handle food production, an effort to put food in their mouths instead of selling it, but also as a way to help farmers learn eco-friendly and sustainable methods that help…

  • Give the Gift of Sight this Christmas

    Fred Smith
    If you're struggling with your Christmas shopping this year take a look at the range of gifts on offer at our online gift shop www.giftofsight.co.uk The Sightsavers' gift list gives you a great opportunity to buy your friends and loved ones a fantastic present which could have a huge impact on someone's life in the developing world. This year we've tried to get into the Christmas spirit and made a festive video to help promote the Gift of Sight, you can watch it here. There are 45 million blind people in the world, and 75% of this can be avoided. We work to prevent blindness in over 30…
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    Association Inc

  • Ah, Associations … We Are Ancient

    Association Inc. (Kevin Holland)
    30 Oct 2009 | 6:20 pm
    Preparing for trip and skimming through “A Traveller’s History of Paris” I stumbled across this passage: “Two booksellers, Fust and Schoffer, brought printed books to Paris in 1463. Fearful of competition from this new art, the powerful scribes and booksellers guilds had the books confiscated.”

  • That Thing You Do

    Association Inc. (Kevin Holland)
    29 Oct 2009 | 12:34 pm
    The November issue of Associations Now includes a “Horizons” column I wrote wondering why completely different markets all just happen to need the same kinds of things, according to the associations that serve them. I don’t see the November issue online quite yet but through creative URL typing I was able to locate the article here. Thanks to Lisa Junker for the opportunity and, especially, the help! Update: The November issue is now online with a nifty new homepage design.

  • More Forecasts

    Association Inc. (Kevin Holland)
    16 Oct 2009 | 7:12 am
    Judith Lindenau riffs on the little “predictions” from my last post with an eye toward what they may mean specifically for Realtor associations, to her usual straightforward and thought-provoking result.

  • Your Ability to Predict the Future Does Not Improve with Experience

    Association Inc. (Kevin Holland)
    14 Oct 2009 | 6:34 pm
    Last week, I blurted forth a small series of tweets that, when stitched together, read as follows: “Assumptions we make today about 5 years from now are as wrong as assumptions we made 5 years ago about today. Your ability to predict the future doesn’t improve with experience, unless it teaches you that you can’t predict anything. Therefore, flexibility is a far more valuable skill than forecasting.” Well, um … that said, Association Trends asked if I would provide a few “predictions” for associations, and they are now online along with several others…

  • Who Do I Want to Hear From?

    Association Inc. (Kevin Holland)
    8 Oct 2009 | 8:05 pm
    ASAE, bless ‘em, has been pestering me like crazy with emails lately — well, not me specifically, I imagine many of you are getting the same ones. They want me to vote on who will keynote their Great Ideas Conference. I’m not going to vote because I’m not going to go to the Great Ideas Conference. That’s no swipe against the GIC, I’ve attended a few in the past and found them to be very worthwhile, it’s just not at a very convenient time for me. This attempt to “crowdsource” the keynote selection is an admirable experiment, though I…
 
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    Connections

  • Blackbaud’s 2009 Conference for Nonprofits - Day 4

    Steve MacLaughlin
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:04 am
    This is the final day of Blackbaud's 2009 Conference for Nonprofits and there's a big focus on Internet topics today. This morning I am doing a session called "The Future of Blackbaud’s Internet Solutions" which will be full of surprises about some great new things we're working on. And then the online focused content kicks into high gear! Blackbaud added an extra set of Internet related sessions on today's agenda. Blackbaud's Internet Afternoon is an exclusive networking and training opportunity for our Blackbaud Sphere and Blackbaud NetCommunity…

  • Blackbaud’s 2009 Conference for Nonprofits - Day 3

    Steve MacLaughlin
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:04 am
    This is the third day of Blackbaud's 2009 Conference for Nonprofits here in Charleston, South Carolina.Yesterday was pretty action packed and the tweetup event was a lot of fun. The morning begins with keynote speaker Derreck Kayongo, a former Kenyan refugee who fled political despotism in Uganda, Derreck will share how he chose an uncommon path on life’s journey — a path that has led him to his current work of changing the world. Derreck will share his story and his personal mission in a context that will reenergize attendees and challenge them to sharpen their focus as they…

  • Blackbaud’s 2009 Conference for Nonprofits - Day 2

    Steve MacLaughlin
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:50 am
    Today Blackbaud's 2009 Conference for Nonprofits really swings into high gear after yesterday's kickoff events. This is going to be a very busy day with lots of sessions, meetings, and events on the agenda. Today's Live Sessions:Can't attend the conference? Watch these sessions live online:8:30 – 9:15 a.m. ET, General Session with Blackbaud CEO Marc Chardon9:30 – 10:45 a.m. ET, Skill Building: Ethics Under Fire, presented by Jay Love, Joy Simpson, and Paul Clolery3:45 – 5:00 p.m. ET, The Tough Questions We Aren’t Asking Ourselves, presented by Holly Ross (NTEN)…

  • Blackbaud’s 2009 Conference for Nonprofits - Day 1

    Steve MacLaughlin
    15 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Today is the start of Blackbaud's 2009 Conference for Nonprofits in Charleston, South Carolina. This is the 10th year of the conference and every year it just gets better and better. There are a lot of pre-conference workshops going on today. I'm attending the Blackbus.org User Group meeting this afternoon. I have put together a bunch of things for show and tell. Plus, I know they will probably have a lot of questions about our Internet solutions. The welcome reception starts at 6pm tonight. Should be a good start to a great week of sessions and meeting with clients from across the…

  • 2009 State of the Not-For-Profit Industry Survey Results

    Steve MacLaughlin
    11 Nov 2009 | 4:08 am
    Blackbaud Europe has released the 2009 State of the Not-For-Profit Industry survey. Blackbaud teamed up with The Resource Alliance for the second year in a row to produce this pan-European benchmarking study. The results were unveiled at the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands. SONI 2009 attracted over 648 completed survey entries from fundraising organisations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, France and Italy. The results provide an overview to help not-for-profits benchmark their operations across five key areas: General operations (staffing levels, budgets,…
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    Forums

  • News You Can Use: Support Roundtable and Forum Polls

    Douglas Clinton
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:20 pm
    On Tuesday, December 8, check out our complimentary support roundtable to discuss how you can make the most of your resources on our support website. Read the whole story on the Web Sitings blog. We also have a couple of polls on the Forums right now about Knowledgebase. How often does Knowledgebase provide you with the answers you need? Let us know! If you can't find the answer to your question in Knowledgebase, do you use Case Central or do you call? Take the poll!

  • Upcoming Web Seminars 11/23 - 11/25

    Douglas Clinton
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:10 am
    Several times a week, we offer free, hour-long web seminars on our website. The seminars usually focus on Blackbaud products or best practices for nonprofits. To register, select Web Seminars from the Events menu on our website, find a seminar you want to attend, and click Register Now. Once you submit the enrollment form, you’ll receive an email with instructions for viewing the online presentation, as well as the telephone access number. If you’d like to enroll for additional seminars, click Continue after you fill out the enrollment form. Here are some of the web seminars coming up…

  • News Roundup: Blackbaud's Recession Recipe and Conference Coverage

    Melanie Mathos
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pm
    It has been a busy week at Blackbaud. It is, after all, our favorite part of the year - conference time!   In case you've been busy too, here is some of our latest news coverage. The first clip features what Blackbaud has been doing during the economic downturn to make it through even stronger. The Post & Courier recently interviewed Blackbaud's CEO Marc Chardon for the article "Blackbaud's recession recipe: Preserve jobs, maintain clients, invest for the upturn." The Charleston-based publication will also be featuring Blackbaud's Conference for…

  • Blackbaud’s 10th Annual Conference Encourages Nonprofits to Invest, Innovate, Involve and Inspire

    Melanie Mathos
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:27 am
    Charleston, S.C. (November 19, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) held its 10th annual Conference for Nonprofits this week in Charleston, South Carolina, welcoming 1000 nonprofit professionals from all over the world to learn more about nonprofit technology and techniques to help them succeed in 2010. “In a downturn, nonprofits that can innovate, invest, involve and inspire their constituents are going to come out stronger than when they went in,” said Marc Chardon, Blackbaud’s chief executive officer. “Our customers live the value of ‘service to others makes the world a…

  • Faculty Access for the Web Support Roundtable on December 2

    Katie Infinger
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:21 am
    On Tuesday, December 2 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET, we are having a Faculty Access for the Web Support Roundtable. Willow Schultz and Nate Hall, our Education Solution Product Support Leads, will discuss all things Faculty Access for the Web. The roundtable is broken into sections with a question-and-answer period in between. The sections cover:Supervisor setupTeacher setupPosting grades, comments, and skills to Grades in The Education EdgeComment approvalRegister today!
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    Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech

  • Great reads from around the web on November 18th

    Amy Sample Ward
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:19 am
    I come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources across the web ever day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of November 18th). 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). 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference | NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network – Have you registered yet for…

  • Great reads from around the web on November 16th

    Amy Sample Ward
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:37 pm
    I come across so many great conversations, ideas, and resources across the web ever day. Here are some of the most interesting things I’ve found recently (as of November 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). Global Entrepreneurship Week – This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week! Find out how you can take part from…

  • GreenPeace: An Example in Connecting with your Supporters

    Amy Sample Ward
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:35 pm
    Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the issues highlighted by Causes leaving MySpace and ideablob suddenly shutting down.  One of the biggest issues that has come out of the blog posts and the conversations in the comments is the idea of data.  To review the other blog posts about these topics, visit the Causes post, ideablob post or the guest post for Tactical Philanthropy. This evening, Joe Solomon pointed out a great example that touches on data, social media, 3rd party platforms, and being proactive with getting your supporters connected directly with your organization…

  • TweetsGiving: Show Your Gratitude With Epic Change

    Amy Sample Ward
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:53 am
    There’s just one week before TweetsGiving!  Next week, participants will share what they are grateful for through Twitter and other online media and attend gratitude parties around the world. People donate to a shared cause in honor of that for which they are most grateful Funds raised will go to support the work of Mama Lucy Kampton (@MamaLucy), a ChangeMaker who has transformed her community in Arusha, Tanzania through her school Shepherd’s Junior. Learn more and show your gratitude! Scheduled for November 24 – 26, 2009, the 48-hour event created by Epic Change will encourage…

  • Guest Post on Tactical Philanthropy: Causes, MySpace and ideablob

    Amy Sample Ward
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:58 am
    Sean Stannard-Stockton has just posted my guest post on the Tactical Philanthropy blog.  You can read it and the comments on the blog here, it’s copied below. “In recent days, Causes has left MySpace and IdeaBlob has shutdown. To some, these events were unimportant. In reaction to the Causes announcement, Economist bureau chief Matthew Bishop tweeted “Who knew it was on MySpace?” to which New York Times reporter Stephanie Strom tweeted back “No kidding.” But to many people active in online social action communities, these events had deeper meaning. This is a guest post…
 
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    FundraisingIP.com: Fundraising Ideas

  • Fundraising Through the Holiday Season

    FundraisingIP.com
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:10 pm
    The holiday season represents a special opportunity to maximize fundraising events. By thinking creatively and putting a new spin on old methods, you will attract more volunteers, thereby gathering more donations. The idea is to raise awareness, gather volunteers, communicate regularly and specialize in one fundraising activity that your group does well. Fundraiser kickoff Raise awareness [...] Related posts:Ideas For Holiday Fundraisers

  • Christmas Greenery Fundraiser

    FundraisingIP.com
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:05 pm
    Christmas greenery products are an excellent way to make money for your needy organization.  Christmas greenery is easy to sell and is well-received by customers.  A Christmas greenery sale has all the makings of a highly successful seasonal fundraiser. In order to include and address everyone in your fundraiser, be sure to offer items representative [...] Related posts:Make Money With a Valentine’s Day FundraiserFundraising With ChocolateThe Warm Glow Of Fundraising: Candle Fundraisers

  • Ideas For Holiday Fundraisers

    FundraisingIP.com
    17 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am
    Many religious holidays are celebrated during the winter months, which makes this time of year a great time for fundraising. Whether your potential sponsors and supporters celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah doesn’t matter; decorative items for the home, wrapping paper for presents and items representative of winter make appropriate fundraising items just about anyone will [...] Related posts:Fundraising Through the Holiday SeasonEasy Profits With Stationary FundraisersFundraisers To Raise Funds And Team Spirit

  • Find Free Web Services For Your Non-Profit

    FundraisingIP.com
    15 Nov 2009 | 3:11 am
    Finding free web services for your non-profit fundraising group can be a challenging prospect. Where do you begin? Who do you ask for free services? Will anyone even provide these services for free or at least at a discounted rate? Luckily, there are several resources on the web that bring you into contact [...] Related posts:Grants: Find Free Government And Foundation Money For Your Non-ProfitGoogle Grant: Free Advertising For Non-Profit OrganizationsFree Software For Your Non-Profit

  • Online Cancer Fundraising Campaigns

    FundraisingIP.com
    20 Oct 2009 | 10:27 am
    Following are two more examples of how social media is being used very creatively to raise money for a cause: Blame Drew’s Cancer Fundraising Campaign Fall 2009: Twitterer Drew Olanoff, who is currently being treated for Hodgkin Lymphoma, has started a social media fundraising effort for Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong campaign. How it all started: When Olanoff realized [...] Related posts:“Tweet To Beat” Social Media Fundraising ExperimentIn The News: Record Profits, Mobile Donations – Using SMS To Raise Funds, New Online Fundraising ServiceSuccessful Online…
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    Connection Café

  • Innovation is alive and well

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:11 am
    Author: Gene Austin My “batteries” are almost back to 100 percent after the Convio Summit. What a fantastic week with our clients and partners. I mentioned in my “chat” with the crowd at the opening session that the innovation in the Convio client base is 10x what it was just a few years ago. Our clients are truly setting the pace for how the NP sector is engaging supporters and constituents in new ways. On NonprofitLive.TV I was asked to look into my crystal ball and tell the world what things look like in 5 years. I gave the best answer I could, but frankly, it is…

  • Tis the Season for Creativity in Holiday/Year-end Giving – Share your gift opportunity here

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:10 am
    Author: Tad Druart With the Holiday Giving season ramping and the recession having a negative impact on donations, charities are expanding their eCommerce offerings to better meet consumer’s needs.  We are finalizing research into the holiday giving plans of consumers, but preliminary data show that 61% of online consumers plan to give online this year, up from 51% last year – that’s more than 106 million Americans giving online in the last 4 weeks of the year.  Nearly 21% have not yet decided how much to give and to what charity.  According to the National…

  • The 10 Commandments of Effective Homepage Design

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am
    Author: Lacey Kruger Just coming out of the Homepage Design Slam session at the Summit, I wanted to provide a brief recap for those who couldn’t make it. Don Roach, our Art Director, and I led the session and got some great (and brave) volunteers to project their homepages and subject them to constructive critiques from their peers. Each volunteer got a party favor in the form of a large Post-It tablet sheet listing some quick fixes they can consider to optimize their homepages. I’m hoping it will be a great tool for them to use to convince others in their organization to make…

  • Summit Update

    17 Nov 2009 | 9:58 am
    Author: Lacey Kruger What a great start to the Summit! Gilbert’s speech this morning was so inspiring – what an amazing person he is. You can read about Gilbert on his web site. The first session I attended this morning after the keynote was “No Really, Show me the money!” about merchandised giving. Molly Brooksbank from Convio showed some awesome examples of virtual gift stores and products to begin brainstorming sessions for clients who may be thinking about starting a store of their own. Check out World Wildlife Fund and Oxfam UK just to name a few. Alisa Aydin from…

  • Social Media Charades at the Convio Summit

    17 Nov 2009 | 9:29 am
    Author: Jordan Viator Yesterday, James Young and myself had the opportunity to present to packed house of nonprofit organizations on social media at Convio Summit. Over 100 nonprofit professionals packed in (literally) to learn, discuss and brainstorm on how nonprofits can set up a full-fledged social media strategies - from setting objectives and measuring success to deciding on what tactics to use and of course, selling the use of social media to management. We were joined by a fabulous line-up of "non-experts" including Adam Steinberg from The Port, Alan Graham from Mobile Loaves and…
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    Ripples & Wipeouts

  • Living Without Health Care

    bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:23 pm
    MAKE WAVES’ media strategist Joan Grangenois-Thomas recently sat down with Wendy L. Wilson, news editor for Essence.com.  Wendy wanted to know about women who had lost their health insurance due to the loss of their husband’s job and what effects it was having.  As we come down to the wire in the debate over public options and other aspects of the healthcare reform bill in Congress, this interview demonstrates where the rubber meets the road.  As the health care reform debate continues to heat up down partisan lines in Congress, more women are starting to see…

  • Vampire Political Ads

    bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:05 pm
    First there was Dracula.  Later came Blade and Lestat.  Now it’s Jean-Claude and Edward Cullen.  The biggest vampire of all, however, is not a character, but an industry:  TV campaign advertising.  It is sucking the lifeblood out of our political system, as well as anyone trying to relax with Regis over a second cup of coffee or decompress with CSI after a long day at the office.  As soon as we turn on the television – hoping for entertainment, information or escape – we are assaulted by campaign ads. Political analyst Larry Sabato of the Center…

  • Five Nonprofit Marketing Case Studies

    bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com
    12 Oct 2009 | 5:18 pm
    This fall, MAKE WAVES president Bonnie McEwan is once again teaching a graduate course in marketing at Milano: The New School for Management and Urban Policy, where she currently has a faculty appointment as a visiting lecturer.  The course, entitled Marketing in Nonprofit and Public Organizations, provides students with a solid understanding of how the strategic marketing process should work in nonprofit and public contexts and also helps them acquire the analytical skills to apply marketing concepts toward mission fulfillment. This time around, students will be working in teams of four…

  • Changing the Landscape for Women

    bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com
    19 Sep 2009 | 2:02 am
    Over the past three months, MAKE WAVES has been working with the Center for the Advancement of Women to help produce its sixth annual luncheon benefit, Changing the Landscape for Women.  The event took place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City on Monday, September 14.  This year’s honoree was the Center’s co-founder and president, Faye Wattleton, who will be stepping down at the end of this year to pursue other interests.  Hosted by NBC’s Al Roker and ABC’s Deborah Roberts, the event featured commentary from actress Cicely Tyson, activist…

  • What Is Feminism?

    bonnie@makewavesnotnoise.com
    7 Aug 2009 | 4:29 pm
    People who worry that feminism might be dead should check out a blog called The Undomestic Goddess, written by Amanda ReCupido.  She’s featuring brief interviews in a series she calls The Undomestic 10, wherein various women and men respond to Amanda’s 10 questions on feminism.  Check it out.  Oh, full disclosure—I’m one of the people interviewed.  See my Q and A here:  Bonnie McEwan-The Undomestic 10.  Thanks, Amanda! --Bonnie McEwan
 
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    Bridgespan - Advancing Philanthropy

  • Galvanizing Philanthropy

    31 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Galvanizing Philanthropy 2009 11 01 Susan Wolf Ditkoff Susan J. Colby Creating lasting environmental, social, and economic change requires discipline—a concept with which many foundations, grant makers, and committed wealthy individuals have traditionally struggled. With few external parties holding

  • The Hard Truth: Philanthropists Need to 'Get Real' to Make Lasting Change

    28 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm
    The Hard Truth Philanthropists Need to 'Get Real' to Make Lasting Change 2009 10 29 Susan J. Colby Susan Wolf Ditkoff Excellence in philanthropy is difficult to measure, note Bridgespan Partners Susan J. Colby and Susan Wolf Ditkoff in this Chronicle

  • The Strong Field Framework: A Guide and Toolkit for Funders and Nonprofits Committed to Large-Scale Impact

    7 Jul 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Our nation’s leading foundations and nonprofits are committed to achieving compelling and far-reaching goals. Many of them, however, have come to believe that their bold aspirations cannot be realized without a critical mass of organizations and individuals aligned and working effectively as a field. For the goals mentioned above, the strength of the after-school, charter school and early education fields, respectively, may mean the difference between success and failure.

  • Delivering on the Promise of Nonprofits

    14 Dec 2008 | 4:00 pm
      As U.S. nonprofits take on an increasing share of society's work, they face mounting pressure from stakeholders - donors, boards, employees - to show results. To make the greatest possible impact, they need to explicitly state the outcomes they're aiming for and how they plan to accomplish those goals.

  • The California Endowment

    31 Dec 2007 | 4:00 pm
    The California Endowment Sharpening a Foundation's Grantmaking without Limiting Its Mission 2008 01 01 Velji, Jehan and Amy Saxton The California Endowment (TCE) was created in 1996 with a broad charge to improve the health of all California residents
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    Corporatedollar.org

  • Twitter now tags your location by enabling geotagging

    John Haydon
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    Today Twitter enabled geo-tagging for third party tools, allowing users the ability to tag tweets with their current location. From the Twitter support site: “Twitter’s Geotagging feature allows users who opt-in to the service to selectively Geotag their tweets with their exact location and provide more context to users about their surroundings. This great new functionality allows you to join into a local conversation and annotate the world around you as you travel from one place to another.” What this means for you and me Tying a tweet to a location will probably go down as…

  • Headway Themes launches true visual editing for WordPress blogs (Video)

    John Haydon
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:58 am
    You all know that I’m a huge fan of Headway for a number of reasons (I’m also an affiliate ). Headway offers a lot of design flexibility without the need for CSS – something I wasn’t getting with the Thesis Theme. True visual editing with Headway 1.5 The first release of Headway had a basic form of visual editing, meaning you could build page templates simply by moving content sections around, and you could drag and drop navigation bar links and subpages. But you still had to actually go to your blog’s home page to see what your site looked like to visitors. Now,…

  • How to target your Facebook Page updates and streams

    John Haydon
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:31 am
    Marketing 101 teaches the law of relevance. The idea is that marketing messages are more effective when the message is relevant to the demographics of the receiver. For example, I’m much more interested in Facebook Page updates about restaurant specials or charity events in Boston than Miami. Targeting updates and streams is easy with Facebook Pages. This allows non-profits to easily promote offline events to their Facebook Page fans without annoying those who live a thousand miles away. How to target a Facebook Page stream Facebook streams can now be targeted by language and/or…

  • How to make mistakes

    John Haydon
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:23 am
    Yesterday I received a very funny email from Chris Garrett. Apparently, the launch of the new and improved Authority Blogger course didn’t go so well. Links to pages didn’t work, product pages were too cluttered and ordering was confusing. People were frustrated. Poor Chris. What I found funny was Chris’s response to what most people would consider a complete nightmare. I was one of the first people to take his Authority Blogger course (of which I am also an affiliate). Soon after, Chris and I partnered on a few webinars for non-profits and eventually started…

  • What is your conversation strategy?

    John Haydon
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:46 am
    When most businesses and non-profits start using social media, they start with “small talk” with their communities. They politely reply to tweets, express appreciation to donors, respond as quickly as possible to customer support issues, and generally try to add value to their network. But all to often, they fail to move beyond the “small talk” and create meaningful discussions that their communities are dying to have. Then, after a few months pass, they express some level of disillusionment about the value of social media for their business, and eventually retreat to passive…
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    Cynthia D'Amour on Leadership and Life

  • A Rose is a Dandelion?

    Cynthia D'Amour
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:23 pm
       Words matter. Arrived in Providence, RI. Excited to see an old friend. Lunching at a palace! In Rhode Island, who knew? Obviously I didn’t! Did a quick website check. Told my Facebook friends. Couldn’t wait! Expecting supreme coolness… Cambodian cuisine. Mama cooking. Culture galore. Instead I got a strip mall restaurant. Called a palace. Easy to drive by. (Thankfully it had fantastic food.) Was I confused? Or maybe it was the neighborhood? Check out the promise of the laundromat next door. Laudry done in four minutes. The marketer in me laughs… Makes me think of…

  • Dancing Waters Soothed My Soul

    Cynthia D'Amour
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:37 pm
       Ahhh… I was a tad strung out by Saturday afternoon. It was a combo-stress. A night of attempted room invasion. A rocking two-hour program just delivered. I relocated to a hotel near LAX. Courtyard Marriott. A shuttle to the airport next morning. To make my life easy. I expected a typical airport hotel. Sterile. Noisy. A place of convenience. I was delighted when we pulled up to the door. Dancing water in the sunshine. In the middle of the parking lot. Made me smile. A bench nearby called my name. I checked in. Stashed my stuff. And relaxed on the bench watching the water. It was…

  • Invasion of My Room

    Cynthia D'Amour
    14 Nov 2009 | 5:16 am
       Or not. I’m staying in a lovely Santa Monica hotel. In the last 12 hours, four people have tried to get in my room. They didn’t knock. They worked the door over. I can understand an occasional mistake. Right room, wrong city. Happens to the best of road warriors. Including me. But four is a bit extreme. Especially when the last was at 4:30 AM. Did someone promote a party in my room? Is this happening all over the hotel? Luckily, I have good hotel habits. I always lock my doors. And flip the bar too. No one getting in my room without an invitation! Luckily, I also switch…

  • Old Bone with New Twist

    Cynthia D'Amour
    9 Nov 2009 | 8:47 am
       Chop-licking good! Raindrop has a new toy. It is challenging. Tasty. And impossible to resist. Last week Raindrop was making me nuts. I had a ton to do. Including calls. I needed her to be quiet. Raindrop was bored. Wanted attention. Barked her demands. Nothing worked. I had inspiration due to desperation. Grabbed a boring old bone. Went to kitchen. Wedged one of her very smelly favorite treats in the center of it. Raindrop went wild for it. The treat was stuck just beyond her ability to reach it. She could smell it - and almost taste it. But couldn’t get it out. It…

  • Just Trust Me…

    Cynthia D'Amour
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:40 am
       Next! Got an email promotion for a webinar. Offered by an association I belong to. 90-minutes long. Almost $200 to attend. Hmmm… The headline grabbed me. The program description spoke my language. I was intrigued. The speaker was… Unknown. Not as in not famous. As in not listed. What am I supposed to do? Trust them to have someone fantastic? Competent? A canned program? Is this webinar is worth $200? A marketer wrote the description. Will the speaker deliver? It matters at this price. No speaker named was a deal breaker for me. I can’t trust I’ll be blown away.
 
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    Idealist.org

  • Student Loans for All

    19 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm
    By Joanna, who edits Idealist in NYC. ::image::Microfinance, a model well known for helping out small business owners throughout the world, is now being applied to student loans. One such initiative, called Vittana (which I learned about through the TBD newsletter), has a premise like Kiva's—people anywhere in the world can lend any amount they want ($25 is suggested) to the recipient of their choice, and the loan recipient eventually pays back the interest-free loan in full. In the case of Vittana, all of the loan recipients are students, studying a range of subjects from English to law to…

  • Are You an Idealist in Latin America? Write for Our Blog!

    18 Nov 2009 | 6:04 am
    Posted by Celeste Hamilton, who edits La Vida Idealist. ::image::Every year more and more people are traveling to Latin America to live, work, travel, and learn. And while these adventure seekers continue to check out the vast cultural, social, and environmental riches of the region—from the samba to tango, the Panama Canal to Patagonia—they are also increasingly looking for new ways to get involved. Instead of simply being a guest in their host communities, many are seeking to connect on a deeper level by helping out in whatever way they can – as volunteers, interns, friends,…

  • Launching This Week: A Global Network of Idealists

    16 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am
    An announcement from our staff. ::image::It’s time to build a global network that will serve and support all those people who want to make the world a better place, online and in person. This is the idea that has always grounded and fueled our work. We believe that all over the world people and communities face three common challenges: * There is often a big gap between our good intentions and our actions. * Our problems are connected, but we are not. * The world is full of good ideas that don't spread quickly enough. What we need, then, is a network, a movement, an ecosystem that will: *…

  • Did You Miss Our Grad Fairs? (Next Steps for Grad School)

    13 Nov 2009 | 12:29 pm
    By Jung Fitzpatrick, who tweets @gradresources. ::image::Never fear, we hold the Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good each summer in DC and New York, and fall in cities across North America. In the meantime, it’s never too late or too early to begin researching the graduate degrees you’re interested in and learning more about the admissions process. A good place to start online is our Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center. I recommend taking a look at our grad school timeline to structure your research and admissions process whether you are applying this…

  • Is Your Nonprofit Social Media Savvy?

    12 Nov 2009 | 10:07 am
    Posted by Scott Stadum. ::image::Do you subscribe to a stellar nonprofit blog feed? Or have an example of the most creative use of Facebook Connect? Or know of a great Flickr photographer? Mashable.com is holding the Third Annual Web Awards (Social Media Edition) and is asking for nominations for everything from Twitter user of the year to best local blog to best social media agency. You can easily log in and nominate someone from any of the multiple categories using either your Facebook or Twitter account. Nominations end on November 15, then voting commences and will end on the 13th of…
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    Columbus Impressions

  • The Press Release Makes It Official!

    18 Nov 2009 | 11:42 am
    Commit To Be Fit announcement!!

  • An Evening at Signature Wines

    17 Nov 2009 | 6:38 am
    Last night I had the absolute pleasure of attending a wine tasting and food pairing event at Signature Wines. Signature Wines specializes in designing customized and personalized labels that are placed on the six different types of wines made and bottled at Kelly Harvey's winery on the east side of Columbus.Here is my columbus imPRessions wine label I created for my dream winery someday!Signature

  • Proud To Announce New Partnership with 10TV and Commit To Be Fit

    12 Nov 2009 | 11:48 am
    I am jumping out of my seat excited to announce my new partnership with 10TV Commit To Be Fit. Annie Vian, of Vian Communications, and columbus imPRessions are merging our areas of expertise to breathe new life into the 10TV Commit To Be Fit program.This seven year old program, lead by the lovely Andrea Cambern, was created because in 2001 Columbus was named the 5th fattest city in America.

  • The price of freedom is high. We can't afford to forget those willing to pay it. Happy Veteran's Day!

    11 Nov 2009 | 6:06 am
    I look this photo in May at Arlington National Cemetery. It was so moving to see the pride, respect and honor this soldier had for our fallen veterans. As you can tell from the photo, the soldier methodically placed his boot at the center of each tombstone so every flag was strategically positioned giving uniform to the hills of the cemetery. Something I will never forget!Throughout our Nation’s

  • Email Announcement from Shoestring Creative

    10 Nov 2009 | 11:13 am
    Click on post title to view entire page.Sign-up to receive future Shoestring Creative Group emails by clicking here.
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    Entry Level Living

  • Five Problems with How We Measure Social Change

    ajlovesya
    17 Nov 2009 | 11:45 am
    For this month’s Nonprofit Millenial Bloggers Alliance post, we are tackling defining and measuring social impact. I think we talk about social change so much that we underestimate what it takes to bring it to fruition.  Social change is inherently a societal concern with multiple layers and intersections, which makes defining it and measuring it difficult.  Can you really address health care without examining income, race, and gender?  Can you attribute a safer neighborhood to the efforts of a nonprofit or to changes in city legislature or both? Given the complications in simply…

  • Reflecting on Service and Community on Veterans Day

    ajlovesya
    11 Nov 2009 | 8:41 am
    What has always stood out to me about Veterans Day was the silence from the Veterans in my life. When I would come up with ways to celebrate I was met with appreciation, but generally frustration and some confusion over why people suddenly want to celebrate and discuss Vets. This is partly because of the way we, as a nation, look at Veterans and war. In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. ~José Narosky

  • Keeping My Fire-Lessons Learned

    ajlovesya
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:56 am
    Last week I wrote about my current struggle in maintaining the passion that brought me to the sector. The comments and feedback have been wonderful and really pushed me to reflect more on what I do and why I do it.  Here are a few things I now know to keep in mind: Be deliberate about keeping and adding fire to your work: I think my biggest mistake is assuming that my passion does not need TLC.  But it’s easy to get caught up in your professional work and get out of touch with your original inspiration for pursuing a career in social change. So take time to nurse your soul and get in…

  • Keeping My Fire

    ajlovesya
    26 Oct 2009 | 5:15 am
    Elisa Ortiz recently wrote a great piece about her journey into the nonprofit sector.  It got me thinking about mine and the challenges I am facing.  So for this Nonprofit Milleninal Bloggers Alliance post, I’m reflecting on why I’m in the sector. I didn’t get into the nonprofit sector because of a desire to feel warm inside.  In fact becoming a nonprofiteer was never a goal of mine.  I got involved in social justice work because I was angry.  I was angry at the blatant inequalities I saw every day on my way to my posh prep school in downtown Brooklyn from my family’s tiny…

  • 20Under40: A Week Long Conversation about Leadership Changes in the Arts

    ajlovesya
    20 Oct 2009 | 1:49 pm
    Some time ago I posted about the call for submissions for the 20Under40 anthology which will feature 20 essays by emerging leaders in the arts about the future of arts and arts education.  To follow up with this amazing project they are hosting a week-long discussion for emerging leaders in the arts to talk about generational changes in leadership and the value young people bring to the arts field: Emerging Leaders Blog Salon Join the Emerging Leaders Network of Americans for the Arts and the 20UNDER40 anthology for the Emerging Leaders Salon on ARTSblog the week of October 19-23. Nearly 20…
 
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    Social Media Bird Brain

  • The Event's a Success - Or Is It?

    15 Nov 2009 | 3:23 pm
    So you've raised some good money and your attendees had a good time. Your nonprofit event is a success, right? Maybe. I know I definitely used to think that way - that success within the community was the whole definition of success for a nonprofit. But I learned better, and recently an article by CEO Nancy Lublin of Do Something reminded me.  Even if everyone attending the event was happy

  • Here, Check, Check, Check. It's Simple, It's Easy; Why Aren't You Using It?

    7 Nov 2009 | 3:26 pm
    image from tinyfarmblog After writing the post about 5 Common Design Mistakes, I thought it might be nice to talk about something simple that could save your nonprofit career life. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but if you've ever seen something in print that you put together and only then noticed there was something important missing, you know that "OMG - I am so fired" feeling

  • Four Amateur Design Mistakes

    23 Oct 2009 | 6:15 pm
    image via despair.com Note: Tomorrow is International Day of Climate Action. Be part of the solution by getting the world's politicians ready to act on a Global Climate Treaty in December. Click on the 350.org banner on the right and attend an event tomorrow! Usually I focus on social media or writing, since that is what I do, but I've also done my share of design work. This week, I've

  • Climate Change - Who's Right Doesn't Matter (Blog Action Day 2009)

    15 Oct 2009 | 12:39 am
    Blog Action Day 2009 I have a friend who, for a long time, would not concede that climate change was real. He gave the usual opinion that statistics can say whatever you want them to say. Now he agrees that climate change is real, but argues that it's a natural occurrence - it's happened before and will happen again - we'll just have to adjust. In that sense, he's right; we will have to

  • Social Media - You Will Obey...You Will Obey...

    9 Oct 2009 | 6:29 pm
    image via DefenseTech This week I was involved in a minor flap with the Development Director at a private agency I used to work for. The for-profit for which I'm now a contractor put out a news release about something we were doing in tandem with the agency. It was my idea, and everyone agreed it was a win-win until the Development Director got a copy of the company's news release sent out via
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    Ken's Commentary

  • Measuring Performance Course at Bergen Community College

    16 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    I will be teaching a 3 hour session at NJ's Bergen Community College on November 25th at 6:30pm. Measuring Nonprofit Organizational Performance will review the tools and techniques that are currently in use to measure nonprofit organizational performance in the areas of efficiency, capacity, suggested best practices and outcomes.For more information or to register, please contact Ilene Kleinman at 201-447-7488 or ikleinman@bergen.edu.

  • Debra Natenshon on Outcomes - Open Forum Participant

    9 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Our next participant in the Open Forum is Debra Natenshon, Chief Executive Officer atThe Center for What Works. Debra has extensive professional experience in organizational development, project management, sales and client services. She functions as a social entrepreneur engaged in creative problem-solving for the organization. In addition to her executive role with The Center, Debra volunteers as the founder and co-chair of the Chicago professional chapter of Net Impact, an active and inclusive global nonprofit network that uses the power of business for positive social change.I) Ken Berger…

  • Why Should Donors Care About Outcomes and Impact?

    26 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    We announced in December of 2008 that it is our intention to modify our system of evaluating public charities to go beyond matters of financial health and assess the outcome indicators (and more broadly, the potential to create social value through high performance) of the nonprofits we look at. The reaction we have gotten to this goal has varied widely from thumbs up encouragement to mission impossible skepticism. We expected all of that and are up to the challenge, thanks to the help of many experts who have been working diligently in this area for years. However, one reaction we have…

  • Navigation Advice for Readers of the Book - Spirit of Service

    19 Oct 2009 | 7:15 am
    This is a reprint of an essay written for the web site http://www.spiritofservice365.com/:On behalf of Charity Navigator, I was proud to have participated in the review of the Money section of the book Spirit of Service. We believe that the book can open the door of your heart, into new worlds of service to others. It is a good place to begin, renew or expand what we hope will be a fulfilling, life long journey for you to help others and our world. However, before you walk through that door of service, we have some advice for you to consider.Sometimes a charity can provide you with a…

  • Trends In Charity Executive Compensation: Online Chat Hosted By The Chronicle of Philanthropy

    6 Oct 2009 | 12:22 pm
    Today, Ken Berger (author of this blog and president & CEO of Charity Navigator), David Samuels (partner at Duval & Stachenfeld LLP and former Deputy Chief of the NY Attorney General's Charities Bureau) and Noelle Barton (Manager of Special Projects at The Chronicle of Philanthropy) participated in an online discussion about executive pay at nonprofits. Among other issues, the conversation touched on executive perks, deferred compensation, the appropriateness of revenue sharing programs, bonuses, compensation committees and the difference between what is technically legal and what…
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    Charity Navigator

  • Making The Case For Corporate Giving

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:55 am
    Ken Berger, Charity Navigator's president & CEO, makes the case in NJBIZ for corporate philanthropy. He points out that in 2008 corporations gave $14.5 billion to charity and that New Jersey is home to some big time corporate givers. Just last year, NJ based Merck gave $821 million; Johnson & Johnson, $497 million; Prudential, $31 million; and Public Service Enterprise Group, $7.5 million. Ken ends his discussion with some advice on how firms can identify great charities to partner with.

  • scroogenomics - Wharton Professor Makes the Case for Charitable Giving During the Holidays

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:26 am
    In his new book, scroogenomics, Wharton professor Joel Waldfogel advocates that we all donate to charity in someone's name, rather than give another dreaded fruit cake this holiday season. Both in the book, and in a recent interview where he argues that $13 billion is wasted on useless presents, he recommends Charity Navigator as a source of information about charities. And in the book, he even suggests the Good Card as a good solution to holiday gift giving.Watch the video below to learn more about the professor's research.

  • Conference Call on International Capacity Building and Effectiveness

    18 Nov 2009 | 12:52 pm
    Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, along with Sam Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction, will discuss the best ways to assess the effectiveness of internationally-focused organizations via a conference call hosted by the Independent Sector. The title of the discussion is "Assessing Internationally-Focused Nonprofits -- Striking the Right Balance of Short-Term Efficiency and Long-Term Capacity" and it will take place on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.For more details and to register, click here.

  • Charity Leaders Discuss Fundraising in the Down Economy

    18 Nov 2009 | 5:48 am
    This year's holiday giving guide includes a roundtable discussion with the leaders of 10 nonprofits. The participants were selected from our Advisory Panel and from the higher rated charities in our database. We've published the first part of that discussion which focuses on how these organizations are fairing in the recession.Here are some quotes from Part 1:We continue to be anxious about Foundation giving and the lack of multi-year commitments that new initiatives require. On individual giving, we remain optimistic.~Jeremy Kohomban, Ph.D., President and CEO, The Children’s VillageI…

  • Creative Ways To Donate This Holiday Season

    17 Nov 2009 | 5:33 am
    Users of Charity Navigator, and just about anyone opening their mailbox around now, know that requests for charitable donations soar at the end of the year. Why? There are three main reasons.The religious nature of the holidays inspire people to help those who are less fortunate.Taxpayers need to make their donations by December 31 to qualify for a tax deduction in this calendar year.As the year comes to a close, people look at their personal budgets and determine how much money they have for their charitable interests.Knowing this, charities step up their appeals for your support towards the…
 
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    SWOPBlogger

  • Court Grants SWOP, CCP Full Attorney's Fees

    George
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:14 am
    State District Court Judge Judith Herrera ruled yesterday that the State of New Mexico must pay $72,000 in attorney fees and costs to the Center for Civic Policy and the Southwest Organizing Project.In 2008, our organizations were forced to seek protection in federal court against Secretary of State Herrera’s decision to require New Mexico Youth Organized and Southwest Organizing Project to register as “political committees.”In August, Judge Herrera issued a decision granting summary judgment in favor of the nonprofits, ruling that the speech of NMYO and SWOP is protected by the First…

  • $5 Friday This Friday!

    Marisol
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:19 pm
    Hope you can make it. Contact Marisol with questions: 247-8832 ext. 126; marisol@swop.netCome break bread with SWOP. $5 will buy you a variety of wonderful foods and fantastic company!When: Every 3rd Friday of the month, 12pmWhere: SWOP Main Office; 211 10th St SWWhy: To hang out with SWOPistas and have great food!

  • Call for Latina/o Writers

    George
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:16 pm
    Somos un escrito is a new online literary magazine designed to provide exposure to Latino/Hispano writers. They are sending out a call to writers of Chicano, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban or any other Latino origin to submit their manuscripts.Armando Rendón, the author who is launching the revista, believes that the Latino community in the U.S. needs to excel in literary endeavors as it has in music, sports, the fine arts, business, and science. This online magazine is designed to take advantage of the internet as an outlet for talented Latino authors.Somos un escrito accepts all forms of…

  • Come attend our Self Awareness Workshop…

    Youth
    13 Nov 2009 | 3:05 pm
    This November 21st, we are going to have a Self Awareness Workshop at the SWOP youth office. The workshop is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and lunch will be provided. The workshop will be about centering and self awareness; anyone can come, bring family and friends. THIS WORKSHOP IS MADATORY FOR ALL COIN YOUTH!!! Don’t miss out on a GREAT OPPORTUNITY!!! We guarantee you will have a lot of fun!!!The Workshop will be held at the SWOP offices at 211 10th St. SW. For more information please contact Emma @ (505)353-2941 office: (505)247-8832 ext.123 or email: Emma@swop.net.

  • Lou Dobbs Leaving CNN

    George
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:25 am
    After months of pressure from multiple campaigns trying to oust him, Lou Dobbs is finally leaving CNN. This is a great victory for our communities- not just because we silenced his anti-immigrant rhetoric, but because we came together and demanded that hatespeech be removed from the airways.Congratulations and thank you to everyone that participated to the Basta Dobbs campaign!Search "Basta Dobbs" in this blog to follow our coverage of the campaign.http://www.bastadobbs.com/blog/2009/nov/11/bastadobbscom-announces-victory-lou-dobbs-leave-cn/Dobbs announces that he is stepping down.Roberto…
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    Case Foundation - Investing in People and Ideas that Can Change the World

  • With creative online giving campaigns, everyone’s a philanthropist

    karid
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:59 am
    As the end of 2009 draws near, nonprofits are standing at the ready with their year-end fundraising campaigns and are largely wondering the same thing: what impact will the tumultuous economy have on charitable giving? There are many schools of thought out there, and perhaps the most common is that we’re in uncharted territory, and it’s anyone’s guess. While that may be true, it’s not overly reassuring. One thing we do know is that we’ve never seen online giving campaigns quite like what we’re seeing sprout up this holiday season. For those of you who are regular readers of the…

  • The hardest working mustache in nonprofits

    ericj
    12 Nov 2009 | 3:32 pm
    So I’m growing a mustache—for cancer. Participatory fundraising has become popular for very good reason. We run races, we walkathon. And—around here anyway—we grow mustaches. Movember = Mo(ustache) + (No)vember Movember is just like a walkathon, but with facial hair. Enterprising mustache growers sign up, then fundraise for the cause. In the US, that’s cancer research: both the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong benefit from donations. Movember has spread to the English-speaking world from Austrailia. (Where mo is a common shorthand for mustache.) For a nonprofit, offering…

  • All Volunteer Force: From military to civilian service

    blogger
    9 Nov 2009 | 4:11 pm
    John M. Bridgeland is President and CEO of Civic Enterprises, a public policy firm in Washington, D.C., and Mary McNaught Yonkman serves as Chief of Staff. Since the dawn of the 21st century, nearly two million Americans have served in our nation’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These servicemen and women have risked their lives on battlefields from Kabul to Baghdad, not as a result of government mandate, but as a voluntary act of courage, conscience, and commitment. They reflect the ethic of service that undergirds our nation’s founding and persists to our present day. As we found in our…

  • The sustainable nonprofit video strategy

    blogger
    9 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am
    Guest blogger Michael Hoffman, CEO of See 3 Communications, is a leading authority in online video for nonprofits and a long-time consultant to nonprofit leaders on online fundraising and outreach strategies. There is something magical about video. Video brings your supporters into the world you live everyday; it lets people share the work you’re doing in their own communities; it can even turn a stale issue on its head. But video shouldn’t be magic—it should be strategic. Video requires the same kind of thoughtful planning that all your other communications, fundraising, and advocacy…

  • Start your holiday giving with Halloween

    blogger
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:27 pm
    Guest blogger Elyse Berkowitz is an intern at The Case Foundation and a senior at the University of Maryland. It’s officially November and as our sugar-highs wane from this past weekend’s festivities, it’s time to start thinking about next year. Instead of pushing this year’s costume to the back of your closet, where it will likely collect dust for the next few years, donate it to someone in need. You can help out in several ways: Contact a school or hospital in your town, or in an underserved community, to donate kids’ costumes. Each fall, families, schools, and hospitals scramble…
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    Marketing for Nonprofits

  • Do You Think We'll Ever Come Up First In Google Search?

    Jocelyn
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? If a donor searches Google and your organization doesn't appear in the results, does that mean that your nonprofit doesn't exist?I don't mean to get all existential on you but in this day and age when 88% of online adults use a search engine to find information, it's a reasonable question."OK," you say. "I get it.""But how do I ensure that my organization magically appears on page 1 or 2 of Google results when someone types in "melting ozone layer," "human rights"or "health care reform?""Good question.Unfortunately,…

  • No More Bull

    Jocelyn
    17 Nov 2009 | 10:02 am
    Commentary On Trust With Larry CheccoCheck out this new NPR podcast featuring my frolleauge Larry Checco, Principal, Checco Communications.Larry reminds us that great brands are not built on bull#$&!. On the contrary, great organizations are build on transparency, accountability and responsibility. Can your donors, members, advocates and employees trust your organization? Do you live by your word? Do you apologize and take responsibility for your mistakes?Take heed. It's VERY hard to earn back trust. Better to be clear, honest and open in all your dealings with all your stakeholders all…

  • What Blogging Can Do For You

    Jocelyn
    9 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    I love blogging.I love having a voice on the issues I care about.I love being part of a community of people with similar ideas and passions.I love when people respond to my words and ideas.I also love the fact that blogging has helped me to land my last two jobs and build my professional profile. How? People find me through Search.If you are still debating the who, what, when and why of blogging for yourself or your organization, check out this paper from Compendium Blogware.There are lots of reasons to blog, one is to help ensure that people can find you when they're looking for you online.

  • Are Online Communities Just As Segregated As Offline Communities?

    Jocelyn
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free. Rosa ParksCheck out this interesting piece on NPR's All Things Considered called, Facebook, MySpace Divide Along Social Lines. The interviewer speaks to several young people in San Francisco about how they view social networking sites."No one uses MySpace," says 17-year-old Halie Pacheco, a student at The Urban School [an elite school in San Francisco]. She likes Facebook. "It's safer and more high class," she explains.Sixteen-year-old Nico Kurt lays out his view of the MySpace users this…

  • The Fine (Yet Simple) Art of Saying "Thank You"

    Jocelyn
    4 Nov 2009 | 10:32 am
    Here is my November column in Fundraising Success. Enjoy! BTW, thank you, dear reader for being here and reading my blog. :)It's a familiar scene. I'm in line at the grocery store. A young girl and her mother are ahead of me. The girl is poking at the food items on the conveyor belt, running her hand up and down the gray metal. In an effort to distract her, the clerk compliments the young girl on her dress. Embarrassed and surprised by the clerk's attention, the young girl slips behind her mother. Almost as if by rote, the mother pipes up in a syrupy-sweet voice. She asks, "What do you say?"…
 
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    Marketability by David Kinard

  • Holiday Travel Takes $4 Billion Hit

    David Kinard, PCM
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:38 pm
    Are you staying home this holiday season? According to a recent poll by Maritz Research Hospitality Group -- you are!For the past few years, it's been my pleasure to interview Rick Garlick, senior director of consulting and strategic implementation, at Maritz Research. They do an annual poll -- and have done one for a decade now -- about holiday travel plans. Though we have weathered 911, high gas prices, economic sluggishness, and other ailments in the past, it seems that this year these woes have finally taken their toll on Americans and we're staying home, traveling less, and spending less…

  • How Entitled are You?

    David Kinard, PCM
    11 Oct 2009 | 8:49 pm
    Maybe this has happened to you. It seems to happen a lot to me, or at least I notice it happening. Your standing in line and someone steps in front of you. They take cuts. They don’t ask permission. They simply move in front of you, or try to surreptitiously sneak into the line pretending to be unaware of the discourtesy they’ve just shown everyone around them. Or worse, they just don’t care.There is a lady at my bus stop. We all arrive about the same time and wait for the bus in an random grouping. When the bus approaches, prospective riders begin to form a line and wait to board the…

  • What Women (and Non Profits) Want

    David Kinard, PCM
    6 Oct 2009 | 11:56 am
    I just finished a great podcast interview with Michael Silverstein, senior partner at Boston Consulting Group and coauthor of Women Want More. (Just to wet your whistle, according to Silverstein, women around the world want more of three basic things: Money, Time, and Love -- and they control about $20 trillion in consumer spending world wide.) The podcast will be available soon, but this whole interview got me thinking about what do non profits want.I think the non profit list is the same: More money, more time, and more love.For the purists out there, I would agree that the ultimate want is…

  • The Fall of Fundraising

    David Kinard, PCM
    25 Sep 2009 | 8:08 am
    I may be the only non profit marketer who is thinking this right now, but I think fall is a horrible time to do fundraising. To be more clear, rather I think it's a horrible idea to wait until fall to do fundraising. In fact, I think it's downright wasteful, irresponsible, and fails to appreciate the relational aspects of generating support for an organization.As marketers, we know that it would be silly of us to be quiet for nine months of the year and then try to make all our annual sales quota in the last three months. We also know that in order to get consumers to buy our products or…

  • What Are Your 2010 Priorities?

    David Kinard, PCM
    21 Sep 2009 | 2:48 pm
    Believe it or not, we're quickly approaching the telltale time of the year where marketers start peering into their crystal balls and try to predict what's going to happen in the coming year -- or otherwise known as the annual budgeting process. The challenge, however, is knowing what is going to be important, and what should be culled away as chaff.According to a survey by virtual events provider Unisfair, your priorities are simple: Grow customers (or members), show how smart you are, and serve your customers in richer/fuller ways.But while marketers may all think those are reasonable…
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    IMPACTMAX

  • Using social media to drive policy change

    IMPACTMAX
    18 Nov 2009 | 4:39 pm
    Consider how you can best use social media to achieve your policy change goals Before I launch into my real post below, I want to take a minute to revel in being a Minnesotan. In the past several years, there have been very few opportunities to do that. But Tuesday, we reclaimed something of our past selves by setting a new state one-day online fund raising record of $14 million!!! As Beth Kanter says, it’s a jaw dropping figure. One day, one state, one website…hundreds of nonprofits supported. The success of this venture is due to many factors–great communications among…

  • Direct mail envelopes–five ideas for nonprofit fundraising

    IMPACTMAX
    30 Oct 2009 | 1:30 pm
    (Another stellar guest post from nonprofit fund raising expert Rick Schwartz!) My family usually shops for groceries with canvas bags that I pick up at conferences. But every third or fourth week we ask the checkout clerk to use paper bags instead, so we can use them to recycle newspapers, my son’s homework assignments, and about 99.5% of the direct mail we get, unopened. A good half of my direct mail is from nonprofits and, even in my modestly generous home, nine out of 10 new appeals go unopened into the recycling bag. I hate to say it, but yours may have been one of them. Too bad.

  • Own the Room–Some great presentation advice

    IMPACTMAX
    20 Oct 2009 | 1:34 pm
    flickr/constantly-Jair Lots of us tend to underestimate the potential ROI from a great presentation. If we absolutely have to do one, we default to PowerPoint and spend as little time as possible in development and preparation. Other communications tactics we’re working on are considered much higher priority. Yet, most of us know that face-to-face communication is the top rung on the ladder when it comes to effectiveness. Mobile is awesome, but human beings still like to communicate in person. Think about that the next time you (reluctantly?) agree to make a presentation. Spend as much…

  • Working Effectively with Consultants: Tips for Nonprofits

    IMPACTMAX
    12 Sep 2009 | 12:29 pm
    flickr/oooh-oooh Having now sat on both sides of the nonprofit desk—hiring consultants and being hired as a consultant—I’ve learned something about creating productive relationships between nonprofits and freelancers. So, I thought I’d share a few  tips. Know what skills you want Be explicit about what kind of skills and experience you need for your project. If you’re looking for a writer—what kind of writer? Someone who specializes in interviews and profiles? Someone who writes direct mail? Someone who writes opinion pieces and executive speeches? Once…

  • A 5-step quide to social media strategy for nonprofits

    IMPACTMAX
    31 Aug 2009 | 6:41 pm
    flickr/luc legay Many nonprofits have already dipped their toes into social media. They see others doing it and figure they should be doing it too. So they jump on Twitter and create a Facebook fan page. Or they put event photos on Flickr, or buy a Flipcam to get videos on YouTube. Then what? Back up. Grab your strategic communications plan and start over. But first, understand that social media is not about marketing, it’s about community. Yes, nonprofits can reach influencers and raise money through these channels, but that’s the tip of the iceberg. To succeed with social media,…
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    Change/Wire

  • Peace Out (Thanksgiving Edition)

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:34 pm
    This isn't strictly a Thanksgiving video, but I think we can give thanks for everyting that Martin Luther King achieved, and the obstacles he helped so many overcome. Plus, it's a montage set to a great song, Nina Simone's "Sinnerman," which really works well because the lyrics are intense and spiritual (full lyrics here). Well I run to the river, it was boilin' I run to the sea, it was boilin' I run to the sea, it was boilin' All on that day So I ran to the Lord I said, Lord hide me, please hide me please help me All on that day He said, child, where were you when you oughta been prayin'? I…

  • Summer Advantage USA Is Tapping Into Student Entrepreuneurs And Ashoka’s Changemaker Campuses

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:24 am
    On almost every college application essay out there, you’ll see some variant of “I want to change the world.” Experts agree that one of the best ways to create positive social change is to improve access and the quality of education – and an innovative organization called Summer Advantage USA is giving university students the chance to help do that through an inaugural Fellowship Program that taps the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that can be found on campuses.   Here's what Summer Advantage USA is all about, according to its website:…

  • Together Green Encourages Volunteers to Help Save the Environment

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am
    We told you a while ago about a super volunteer opportunity and competition from Together Green, a partnership between the Audubon Society and Toyota. Called Community Passport, the goal of the competition was to encourage people to volunteer at local organizations that help the environment. Recently, Together Green announced the winner of the competition, Yvette Little, a small business owner from Ellenton, Florida. Over the course of about two months, she managed to log over 300 hours of volunteering at six different organizations, all dedicated to helping preserve and protect the…

  • ServiceNation Wants You To Play Online Games (That Give)

    18 Nov 2009 | 1:16 pm
    We've already told you (here, and here) about Games That Give, a genius idea that matches corporate sponsors with online game-playing to raise money for worthy causes. Just in case you aren't already an addict, and need a reminder, GTG has recruited a group of companies (including the likes of Pepsi, Starbucks and Best Buy) that will make donations to selected nonprofits as people play fun and addictive online games like Smashteroids, BubbleBurst, and Sudoku (there are lots of games to choose from). Why will the corporate sponsors do this, you might ask? Well, not because your personal info…

  • The Corp. for National and Community Service Ready To Make 2010 Learn and Serve Grants

    18 Nov 2009 | 7:21 am
    Is your organization looking to create a meaningful summer service experience that will have an impact and help teach kids the power of service? We know, it's only November, but it's never too early to start thinking ahead! The Corporation for National and Community Service is announcing its 2010 Learn and Serve America “Summer of Service” grants competition. The grants are made possible through a new program authorized by the Serve America Act and the funding will help support summer-time service-learning programs. The grants will be given to support efforts to implement…
 
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    Nonprofit SOS

  • Unique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:44 am
    This AEA session discussed common advocacy evaluation methods:Stakeholder surveys or interviews - Print, telephone, or online questioning that gathers advocacy stakeholder perspectives or feedback.Case studies - Detailed descriptions and analyses (often qualitative) of individual advocacy strategies and results.Focus groups - Facilitated discussions with advocacy stakeholders (usually about 8-10 per group) to obtain their reactions, opinions, or ideas.Media tracking - Counts of an issue's coverage in the print, broadcast, or electronic media.Media content or framing analysis - Qualitative…

  • A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

    18 Nov 2009 | 6:22 am
    1. What is your name, organization and job title (you don't have to give your name/organization if you don't want to- it can be anonymous)Martin Wera – Nonprofit Services Manager, Charities Review Council2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?Put my lunch in the fridge, check email, check my calendar, and check to see if any nonprofits have finished the Accountability Wizard (the online educational tool the Charities Review Council has for nonprofits). After that, it varies from day to day.3. How do you spend your lunch break?During baseball season – check the…

  • How do we define and measure social impact?

    17 Nov 2009 | 6:53 am
    This month's Nonprofit Millennial Blogging Alliance (NMBA) topic relates to social impact and how we define and measure it.So, what is social impact? Well, I did what anyone that has access to internet would do, I googled it. It seems there isn't really a clear, precise definition for it. I couldn't even find a definition on Wikipedia - the closest I got was Social Impact Assessment or Social Impact Theory. So, I am going to go with a mish-mash of definitions and partial definitions I found:Social impact = the influences or affects an organization or group can have to impact people's lives.

  • Interactive Techniques to Facilitate Evaluation Learning

    12 Nov 2009 | 6:33 pm
    This was an interesting session that I attended at the American Evaluation Association's Annual Conference. It had some great tidbits. Here are a few things I wanted to share from the session:The presenter discussed what portion of things people learn, and how they learn them. This is what she shared:- People remember... 10% of what they read (book, handout)- 20% of what they hear (head a lecture, podcast)- 30% of what they see (look at displays, diagrams, exhibits)- 50% of what they head AND see (live demonstration, video, site visit)- 70% of what they say OR write (worksheet, discussion)-…

  • American Evaluation Conference Summary Post

    12 Nov 2009 | 6:25 pm
    I am currently in Florida attending the American Evaluation Association (AEA) conference. To follow conference related tweets, search #eval09 on twitter.The days are jam-packed with fantastic sessions and I likely won't get to post all of the interesting and useful tidbits until this weekend and early next week, but I am going to get them all up by the end of this week. This post will include links to all of the posts, as I post them:Interactive Techniques to Facilitate Evaluation LearningUnique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation
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    A Volunteer's Guide to Changing the World

  • Priority and dependencies of social media campaigns

    18 Nov 2009 | 11:15 am
    Chris Brogan just wrote a GREAT post on Prioritizing Social Media Efforts. I liked it so much I put it into a visual.Social media is a great way to build trust and provide value, and prioritizing your efforts will help you be more successful in accomplish both!

  • I wish there was more mobile giving

    17 Nov 2009 | 4:28 pm
    Sometimes, people only need to be reminded or asked in order to give.Mobile couponing is an emerging trends that kindly reminds people to make purchases, and even provides discounts for doing so. In exchange for the coupon, the coupon recipient usually provides and email or phone number for ongoing communication from the provider. Recently, Sprint launched this campaign:Sprint Launches Movie Theater Mobile CouponsSprint has unveiled its new mobile coupon offering that will enable Sprint customers to receive special concession-stand savings at 500 participating movie theaters.The move…

  • You Are Influential

    11 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pm
    My friend J.D. forwarded me a GREAT article called Leading a Life of Intentional Influence by John C. Maxwell. I highly recommend you read it, I have copied it below for your convenience:Leading a Life of Intentional InfluenceBy John C. MaxwellIn the classic Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is given a tremendous gift: the opportunity to see what life would be like without him. As he wanders through a world that has no memory of his existence, George is dismayed by the plight of his friends and family. Devoid of his influence, their lives lack the warmth and richness he is…

  • Are you really reaching THAT many people?!

    5 Nov 2009 | 3:53 pm
    Holy cow: 8% of internet users account for 85% of all clicks!

  • 4 Great How-to Web sites

    4 Nov 2009 | 4:19 pm
    Next time you need help with something, try finding the answers at one of these great sites:Instructables.comInstructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with othersHowcast.comHowcast engages consumers to watch and share free, useful how-to videos and guides produced in-house at Howcast Studios, as well as by innovative media partners, trusted brands, and individual contributorseHow.comeHow.com is an online community dedicated to providing visitors like you the ability to research, share, and…
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    Mark Buzan's PR & Public Affairs Spot on the Web

  • A new webinar: Social Media Strategies for Associations and Non-Profits

    3 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm
    Booked for November 24, 2009 at 1PM EST.Fill out my Wufoo form!

  • Engaging Members & Supporters in Grassroots Lobbying

    30 Oct 2009 | 5:45 pm
    Many associations and advocacy non-profits engage in lobbying. What sets them apart however from corporations who also lobby is that they have an important asset at their disposal: a membership & supporter base. Understanding this concept, earlier in my career as the Director of External Communications for the Canadian Construction Association, I coordinated a nation-wide campaign initiative to

  • Best practices in Media Relations: The Canadian Convenience Stores Association

    30 Oct 2009 | 3:03 pm
    In late September, Action Strategies was engaged by the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA) to assist them in a Quebec-wide awareness campaign to lower the taxes on legitimate cigarettes to combat the sale of contraband tobacco in the hands of youth. Concerned by studies that upwards of 30% of the tobacco in the hands of minors was originating from illegal sources, I undertook a

  • Can traditional networking compete with Social Networks? Recruiting Members in the Facebook Age

    26 Oct 2009 | 11:27 am
    Being a member of a business association or volunteering for a charity used to be the ultimate ways to network -- that is, until LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came along! How can your membership-driven organization survive and even thrive within a landscape of always-on social networking? These are questions I know that trade association executives are facing these days particularly as they

  • Keeping busy association members active and interested

    25 Oct 2009 | 10:48 am
    Quipped from an excellent article I found from the Education and Training Unit for Democracy and Development (a South African based non-profit) that deals with a challenge many associations face comes an interesting consideration: What are you doing as an organization to keep your members engaged and involved. Many professional associations face this challenge and the need to address this
 
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    IssueLab's Comprehensive News Feed

  • High School Mentors In Brief: Findings from the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. This issue of P/PV In Brief is based on High School Students as Mentors, a report that examined the efficacy of high school mentors using data from P/PV's large-scale random assignment impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring programs. The brief presents an overview of the findings, which suggest that high school volunteers bring inherent strengths to their role as mentors but also present notable challenges for... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative Executive Summary

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. <p>This executive summary draws on findings from P/PV's evaluation of Fathers at Work, a national demonstration funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The demonstration was designed to help low-income noncustodial fathers increase their employment and earnings, become more involved in their children's lives, and provide them with more consistent financial support.<br /><br />The Fathers at Work programs... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Mentoring Former Prisoners: A Guide for Reentry Programs

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. <p>Few social programs have attempted to provide high-risk adults -- and, particularly, former prisoners -- with mentors. And thus there are few resources that offer practical advice and recommendations for mentoring this population, given its distinct needs, assets and challenges. While much remains to be tested and learned, this manual draws on the experience of the 11 sites involved in P/PV'sReady4Work prisoner reentry... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. <p>Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play -- both financially and emotionally -- in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the US, two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work experience, and criminal records, which impede their success in the labor market as well... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: The Role of Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Programs in Massachusetts

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. Over the past decade, alternative teacher preparation programs have proliferated across the nation -- and in Massachusetts -- in response to projected teacher shortages and in an effort to better prepare teachers for the challenges of today's classrooms. While the vast majority of Massachusetts teachers are trained through traditional teacher preparation programs, both the number of alternative route programs... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…
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    YouTube: Nonprofits

  • How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Jillian Vukusich Introduction

    alexmia23
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:56 pm
    How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Jillian Vukusich Introduction Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations Jillian Vukusich Introduction From: alexmia23 Views: 13 0 ratings Time: 08:03 More in Nonprofits & Activism

  • How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Panel Discussion - Part III

    alexmia23
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:29 pm
    How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Panel Discussion - Part III Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations Panel Discussion -- Part III From: alexmia23 Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 10:29 More in Nonprofits & Activism

  • How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Panel Discussion - Part II

    alexmia23
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:07 pm
    How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Panel Discussion - Part II Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations Panel Discussion -- Part II From: alexmia23 Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 10:24 More in Nonprofits & Activism

  • How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Presentation - Part I

    alexmia23
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:41 pm
    How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations -- Presentation - Part I Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties How Nonprofits Can Promote Community Engagement Across Generations Nancy Henkin Presentation -- Part I From: alexmia23 Views: 39 0 ratings Time: 10:12 More in Nonprofits & Activism

  • Cool New Features for YouTube Nonprofits

    citizentube
    14 Oct 2009 | 11:18 am
    Cool New Features for YouTube Nonprofits We're introducing two new features for YouTube Nonprofit Partners -- the ability to select custom thumbnails and the ability to use video annotations to link to external websites. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions on how your video can use these features! From: citizentube Views: 2935 46 ratings Time: 04:51 More in People & Blogs
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    Non-Profit In-Kind Connection

  • Clorox Clean-Up Will Donate $10,000 Through Power a Bright Future Grant via Facebook

    columbus imPRessions
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm
    During these tough economic times, budget cuts are an unfortunate reality. That means that kids programs everywhere, despite dedication & hard work, are getting scaled back or even eliminated. Now Clorox® Clean-Up®, which cleans with the power only Clorox® bleach can provide, wants to help power bright futures for kids across the country!Sign up to become a fan and nominate a local non-profit kids program for a chance at a $10,000 Power a Bright Future Grant! All winning programs will also be featured in a People magazine ad!Just answer three questions and your non-profit could win a…

  • Children's Hunger Alliance Wish List

    columbus imPRessions
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:02 pm
    Children's Hunger Alliance needs in-kind support to defer administrative costs and supply more nutritious meals to children in need. Children’s Hunger Alliance gratefully accepts donations of products and services, such as:Professional Services:Information TechnologyLegalTrainingMarketing/AdvertisingPublic RelationsMedia RelationsVideo ProductionEquipment/Supplies:ComputersDigital CameraSoftwareOffice FurnitureVideo EquipmentPrinting:StationeryCalendarsBrochures/FlyersAnnual ReportPrograms for EventsFacilities:Meeting RoomsTraining RoomsHosting Special EventsContact one of the Children's…

  • Columbus Salvation Army Needs Red Kettle Volunteers

    columbus imPRessions
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:08 am
    Anderson's General Stores in Columbus have begun bell ringing at Red Kettles today, to raise funds for the Salvation Army. Red Kettle Volunteers are still needed. Sign up at http://www.salvationarmycolumbus.org/christmas/bellringing.html, or call 614-304-1090.

  • Philanthropy Friday Behind the Scenes with Community Shares of Mid Ohio

    columbus imPRessions
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    Today's Behind the Scenes Philanthropy Friday highlights the Community Shares of Mid Ohio. To read more about this member based organization visit the Philanthropy Friday Feature article on Columbus Underground.For a behind the scenes piece, I asked Community Shares to share a special memory with me. They told me the story of a recent awards ceremony.We recognized one of our members, at this year’s award ceremony. The COSMO Member of the Year Award was given to the COSMO member organization that has made the most notable and significant contributions to building a stronger local…

  • STANDUP FOR KIDS, Orange County seeks Projector, Camera, and Publishing Software

    columbus imPRessions
    11 Nov 2009 | 5:54 am
    STANDUP FOR KIDS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that focuses on getting at-risk youth, street kids, and homeless children off of the street and into productive lives. There are currently 22,000 at-risk and homeless kids and teens in Orange County alone. Many are without a parent or guardian, while others are victims of abuse or neglect. STANDUP FOR KIDS is requesting in-kind donations of:1. Digital Projector and Screen2. Camera or Video Camcorder3. Front Page 2003 and Publisher softwareTo strengthen their program by fulfilling these needs, please contact Tracy Vo at…
 
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    Together We Flourish

  • Support Children With Disabilities by Purchasing These Tasty Treats

    togethe5
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:16 am
    Blow Your Diet and Help Support Programs for Children With Disabilities!  The Woodlands Foundation is once again offering a really tasty way to blow your diet for a worthy cause. Our volunteers are busy baking holiday rum and apricot brandy cakes to help support programs for children with disabilities. This is not diet food, folks. The cakes are loaded with butter and drenched in a rum or brandy sauce that not only makes them taste heavenly, but also helps to conveniently preserve them through the holiday season.  Under the direction of retired pediatric surgeon and Woodlands volunteer…

  • Teaching Youth Through This Entrepreneurial Program

    togethe5
    18 Nov 2009 | 4:56 am
    R.O.O.T.S. ACADEMY cordially invites you to our Holiday Shopping festival. Please help support our Entrepreneurial Youth Program!  The event will take place at the R.O.O.T.S. Academy facility located at 392 Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa PA 15001on Saturday December 12, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Tickets are just $3.00.  For your $3.00 donation you will be treated to tasty hors d’oeuvres and 25 % off of Lady C’s Boutique purchases.  All the gifts and glitter, music, food and fun for the season come together at this new exciting event which even includes a “Silent Auction” which…

  • Volunteers Needed for Local Seminar on Surviving Domestic Violence

    togethe5
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:06 am
    From Behind the Mask Ministry reaches out to the survivors of domestic violence and provides advice on the steps to healing.  Vanessa Taylor is the voice of this ministry and a survivor.  Since she began this ministry in June of 2000 Vanessa has traveled thru the community sharing her story of survival and hosting Domestic Violence Seminars.  On October 9, 2010 Vanessa will be hosting an Awareness Seminar in Aliquippa, PA area, but she needs some volunteers from the area to help her pull it together. Do you have the time and/or the resources to help Vanessa bring her story of strength to…

  • Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

    togethe5
    13 Nov 2009 | 4:25 am
    The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Beaver County PA has asked me to share with you the details of this program honoring this great historic event. In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the following program will be presented at the Library:  “The Berlin Wall:  a Hot Spot in the Cold War” A Slide Show Presentation Presented by Educator:  Mr. Robert Morgan  When:  Wednesday, November 18th, 2009, 2:00-3:30 PM  Where: B.F. Jones Memorial Library,663 Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa, PA 15001  *Note:  Please call to register, if possible.

  • National Memory Screening Day is Nov. 17th

    togethe5
    12 Nov 2009 | 5:22 am
    National Memory Screening Day will take place on Tuesday, November 17th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Are you concerned about Memory Problems?  Take advantage of free, quick, confidential memory screenings.  Memory screenings make sense for: Any one concerned about memory loss or experiencing warning signs of dementia Whose family and friends have noticed changes in them Who believe they are at risk due to a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or a related illness Any one who wants to establish a baseline for future comparisons.  Screening Site: Homemaker-Home Health Aide Service of…
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    Philanthropy Potluck

  • Online Video, A Unique Tool to Engage Your Audiences

    MCF Webmaster
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:14 pm
    We’ve all heard the old phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, if you think that’s true, how much do you think a video is worth? According to Jeannie Piekos and Jeff Sylevestre of Blue Moon, the value of video for those in the nonprofit sector is potentially priceless. I recently attended a session about online video presented by Jeannie and Jeff at the MCN/MCF Joint Annual Conference. The following entry is a combo of some of the choice teachings I brought back from their session, as well as some of my own research on the unique advantages of using…

  • Wow, Minnesota. You Gave to the Max, and Then Kept on Giving!

    MCF Webmaster
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:21 am
    We here at MCF would like to take a moment to salute all those who participated in GiveMN’s Give to the Max Day — the donors, nonprofits, foundations, and the staff who made it possible. The official results aren’t in yet, but according to the tracker at GiveMN.org $13 million dollars were raised for over 3,000 nonprofits in the state of Minnesota yesterday. We at MCF are fond of talking about the amazing generosity of Minnesotans to pretty much anyone who will listen, and it’s truly inspiring for us to see such an outpouring of that spirit of giving that we’re…

  • Charting a Course From the Boardroom Table

    Chris Noonan
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:21 pm
    At kitchen tables across America, we’re mulling over what the current economic situation means for each of us. Jobs, bills, education, loans, investments, travel, holiday shopping, donations. With the exception of holiday shopping and perhaps travel, similar conversations are happening around foundation boardroom tables as well. Decisions to shift funding guidelines, focus areas, investment practices, grant timelines, grant payouts, internal staffing and organizational short- and long-term priorities – the list goes on – are not made lightly or quickly. And for many board members and…

  • In the Media

    MCF Webmaster
    12 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pm
    Ridin' the range and ropin' the headlines so you don't have to. Your biweekly roundup of media coverage on the world of nonprofit and philanthropy (yee-ha). Local Minnesota Charities Spreading the Word (Star Tribune) In a tight economy, many foundations have found that public advocacy is as critical as the services they provide. Minnesota Companies Team Up to Fight Hunger (KARE 11) Some of the biggest Minnesota companies teamed up recenlty night to fight hunger in the Twin Cities. Cargill, General Mills and Land O’ Lakes — along with Greater Twin Cities United Way and…

  • Are you ready to take it to the “Max”? GiveMN Max Day is Nov. 17!

    MCF Webmaster
    11 Nov 2009 | 12:51 pm
    Attention Minnesota nonprofits, this is a reminder that the GiveMN Give to the Max Day begins November 17 starting at 8 am and goes until 8 am on November 18! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain a portion of matching funds for every donation made to your nonprofit using the GiveMN service that day. Bush Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation are sponsoring Give to the Max Day and are offering multiple incentives for donors to participate: Transaction costs for gifts made on Give to the Max Day will be covered, so 100 percent of gifts will go straight…
 
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    smArts & Culture

  • Test how your tagline measures up

    maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:08 am
    Does your tagline give the reader or listener that “aha” moment about your arts organization? Or is it a generic dud?Do you have one at all?If your institution bears a vague title, or one that’s similar to your competitors’, a tagline can make all the difference in connecting with people who care about what you do. A 10-point tagline evaluation is just one of the must-have tools you’ll find in Nancy Schwartz’s free Nonprofit Tagline Report: An In-Depth Survey and Analysis – Building Your Brand in Eight Words or Less. How does your tagline measure up?The free Tagline Report…

  • Your cultural clipping service

    maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com
    13 Nov 2009 | 8:38 am
    It’s an all-classical edition of the Cultural Clipping Service. That doesn’t mean these bits aren’t relevant to museums and dance companies, too. Some stories you might have missed, well worth taking a look. Janis, a reader and commenter on Greg Sandow’s (@gsandow) fascinating blog on the future of classical music, has a genius idea. If you’re only going to read one of these clippings, make it this one. It takes some explanation, so I’ll just say: Star Wars Uncut meets Beethoven’s 9th. Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser wonders if his student is right: is the symphony…

  • Does the idea of a Facebook Fan Page set off your ick?

    maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com
    12 Nov 2009 | 10:39 am
    I’m working on a Facebook Page. Bleh.Not for me. For smArts & Culture. I finally faced up to the fact that, since Facebook has exploded, lots of the people I want to help can be found there. Putting smArts & Culture on Facebook is going to make it easier for some people to get the arts marketing help they need. It’s not the only channel, but it’s an important one at the moment.But it was really hard to get over the idea that I would be asking people to become fans of my business. Ew. Is that ego-centric or what?And I wonder, if you’re the founder of an arts organization, or…

  • What gives you an advantage in arts marketing?

    maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com
    11 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pm
    Nope, it’s not money.Some arts marketers are naturally gifted writers. Some overflow with creative ideas. Some seem to squeeze more out of their tiny marketing budgets than is humanly possible. Maybe they have a leg up on the rest of us. Or maybe they just keep taking in as much as they can about marketing the arts that they love. You have the chance to keep getting better at what you do – connecting to your organization’s biggest fans. One way is to sign up to be on the smArts & Culture VIP List. You’ll get discounts on different ways to learn, and exclusive articles written with…

  • Have you made the wrong choice on Facebook?

    maryanndevine@smartsandculture.com
    10 Nov 2009 | 10:55 am
    Chances are that your arts organization is already on Facebook. If not, there are a lot of good reasons to consider it. Hint.So, should you use a Facebook Page or a Group?At one point, it might have made sense to start a Facebook group for your organization. After all, getting a bunch of people with something in common – undying love for your cultural organization, for example – is something that can help you in the real world as well as online. But in 2009, Facebook redesigned Pages to act more like personal profiles.You’ll benefit more from a Facebook Page than a Group.Why? Page…
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    ActiveCause

  • 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 ...

  • ActiveCause Facebook Page Launches in advance of Beta release

    Image via CrunchBase Join ActiveCause Group on Facebook for Early Access to our new social network Today ActiveCause.com has the most accurate FREE directory of nonprofit information. And its the only source for corporate affiliations with nonprofits. Be the first to join the new ActiveCause community and get access to ...

  • Cause marketing – a potential ray of light for nonprofits

    Image by webhamster via Flickr Mike Swenson at Adage published a great article on the case for Cause Marketing last month.  In case you missed it http://adage.com/goodworks/post?article_id=138175 I'm pulling together an article on this exact topic for the Luxury Marketing Council.  The case for cause marketing is strong - especially digital programs.  ...

  • Corporate Foundations grant $4.4 billion in 2008

    [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="255" caption="Grants will decrease in 2009 according to 51% polled by Foundation Center"][/caption]   According to the Foundation Center annual forecasting survey, grants by corporate foundations remained close to unchanged in 2008 -  $4.4 billion. But it's not all silver lining. 51 percent of corporate foundations that responded expect to ...

  • NYC June 10th “Don’t Miss” Event – I2Y Stupid Cancer unGALA

    Don't forget June 10th is the I2Y Stupid Cancer unGALA supporting young adults with cancer.  $65 for a great cause - and an open bar.  Can't beat that! Tickets are limited and selling quickly, so purchase on Eventbrite now. Group packages and last minute sponsorships are also available.  Contact Peter or Craig ...
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    A. Fine Blog

  • Redlining Online

    Allison Fine
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:46 pm
    Ivan Boothe wrote a terrific post last week about Causes taking down its application from MySpace. Causes is an application for use on social networking sites. it enables users to highlight causes that they care about asking friends to join their cause and also to make donations. Since its launch in 2006, there are around 250,000 [...]

  • Give List on the Blog Watch

    Allison Fine
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:18 am
    Becky Bright of the Blog Watch on the Wall Street Journal site was kind enough to give a shout out to the Give List this morning. I also love the other resources for volunteering around holiday time that she lists.  They include: DO GOOD, FEEL GOOD WeTV.com/blogs/do-good-feel-good/index.html There are many reasons why people don’t volunteer more, but one [...]

  • Beth Asked a Question

    Allison Fine
    11 Nov 2009 | 4:45 am
    Beth asked a question on her blog the other day: Do we have examples of using nonprofits using social media for: Volunteer or board recruitment strategy Ooutreach or educational program delivery Crowdsourcing ideas for program development Professional development Integrated in other areas The answer is that there are a growing number of examples of organizations, and individuals, using social media as part [...]

  • America’s Giving Challenge Reflections

    Allison Fine
    9 Nov 2009 | 10:44 am
    America’s Giving Challenge concluded last week. The event, the second such challenge, was sponsored by The Case Foundation ($150,000), The Aspen Institute’s Program on Philanthropy & Social Innovation ($20,000) and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation ($75,000). Nonprofit organizations competed to raise the largest number of friends online using the Causes application on Facebook and on Parade [...]

  • The Inconvenient Truth of Social Media

    Allison Fine
    4 Nov 2009 | 1:41 pm
    I saw a tweet today that was terrific. It was from Trevor Neilson of the Global Philanthropy Group and it read, “The inconvenient truth of social media and philanthropy is that awareness does not equal impact.” It’s true, awareness  is not the same as impact, but it never has been  on land either. The question that [...]
 
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    The Successful Nonprofit

  • Cause Marketing

    ddahl
    1 Nov 2009 | 8:04 am
    Is cause marketing part of your nonprofit’s marketing plan?  Cause marketing is yet another opportunity to reach out through multiple venues increasing both visibility and funding.  It goes back to not putting all your eggs in one basket, more options mean more funds.  There are some important ground rules however before proceeding. One, if you don’t have a marketing plan at all (horror of all horrors in this economy) don’t embarrass yourself asking a for profit to do work for you, when you haven’t done your own homework yet. Two, pick the right partner.  Any…

  • Online Fundraising Continues To Grow

    ddahl
    19 Oct 2009 | 1:04 pm
    Simply stated…2007…total online giving in the US was over $10 billion!  2007 online giving increased 52% from 2006!  Over half of donors considered to have wealth prefer giving online!  Source: Convio

  • 19 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm

    ddahl
    19 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm
    Social Media Resources/Articles: 10 Tips for Asking Bloggers to Write About Your Cause: http://havefundogood.blogspot.com/2007/12/10-tips-for-asking-bloggers-to-write.html 15 tips for fundraising on Twitter: http://www.diaryofareluctantblogger.com/2009/06/small-pebbles-make-big-waves-15-tips.html 4 Ways Social Media Is Changing the Nonprofit World: http://mashable.com/2009/05/22/non-profit-social-media/ Social Media/Nonprofit Study http://mashable.com/2009/03/26/social-media-nonprofit-study/

  • Who Are You Bringing (or keeping) At The Table

    ddahl
    6 Oct 2009 | 4:21 pm
    I’m not a fan of editing anyone’s speech.  Variety is after all the spice of life.  Varying views create better conversations, better ideas and ultimately better outcomes.  The key being, everyone at the table must be open to varying, even contradictory, points of view. So say I’m in a meeting, board, staff, doesn’t matter what type, just a meeting.  Someone says something directly contrasting to what I think and believe to be true.  Two options, shoot my mouth off and dig in, or ask for additional information and/or understanding. Sure that scenario is a…

  • Attitude

    ddahl
    16 Sep 2009 | 4:08 am
    Do not think for one moment that it is your board, the economy or the community holding back your organization. Organizational success is based in educating and engaging. “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” Chinese Proverbs quotes You have two choices… Make excuses or make progress. The choice and consequences are yours.
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    Pamela's Grantwriting Blog

  • 5 Down & Dirty Tips to Ramp up Your End-of-Year Appeal

    Pamela Grow
    11 Nov 2009 | 6:03 am
    It’s already November, and, if you’re working for an understaffed agency with too much to do and not enough time or resources, think twice before you regurgitate last year’s annual appeal letter and call it a day. First off, ask yourself a few questions: Will you be mailing out your letters in-house or using a mail house? If you’re using a mail house, what is their timeframe for getting the appeal out within your time frame? Will you be segmenting your mailing? By that I mean will you be mailing the same appeal to your board members as to your donors? Who will be signing the…

  • 6 Benefits of Using Twitter for Nonprofit

    Pamela Grow
    10 Nov 2009 | 3:57 am
    “Why should we?” “Twitter is just a bunch of noise about people eating lunch.” “Our customers aren’t online.” “We already have a website.” Sound familiar?  There are plenty of reasons to avoid social media, it seems.  It is true that there are a zillion time-wasting testimonials out there, and a plethora of pundits sharing little, if any, value to organizations and the causes they represent. I work for a non-profit think tank. We’re tiny, but we’re smart.  With limited human resources, we have to constantly punch above our weight and consider smarter ways of doing…

  • Fundraising Fun? You Betcha!

    Pamela Grow
    29 Oct 2009 | 8:21 am
    Nonprofit blogger and Twitterer, Marc Pitman, recently twitted that “many see fundraising as an evil, a necessary evil but evil nonetheless.” I couldn’t agree more and, frankly, I just don’t get it! Fundraising is challenging, it’s people-centered, it’s constantly learning and evolving, it’s creative – fundraising is FUN! So why is it that so many nonprofit organizations, who have that unbridled passion for their mission, look with fear – or even disdain -upon the very work that funds their mission? Is part of the problem that…

  • October 19, 2009 – Simple Tip of the Day

    Pamela Grow
    19 Oct 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Recently one of my client’s board members celebrated her birthday in style – in lieu of gifts, she requested that donations be made to her favorite charity. We publicly thanked her – on Twitter, Facebook and in our quarterly newsletter. If you’ve received a unique gift from one of your donors, make it a point to advertise it … you’ll stimulate other donors’ creative thought processes! Social Bookmarking

  • Nonprofits and Employee Attrition – The Truth Hurts

    Pamela Grow
    14 Oct 2009 | 4:23 am
    This unedited ad recently appeared, seeking a “Development Associate” for a local nonprofit organization. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1) Development Office assistance • manage donor/gift records including processing gifts and reconciling with business office, receipting gifts and producing acknowledgments to donors • organize mail appeals several times a year including supervising volunteer crews if needed • provide database information for telephone solicitation as needed • prepare and distribute a variety of development reports as needed • maintain accurate and complete donor…
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    Jolkona Foundation Blog

  • Women Farmers in Sudan are Shaping Their Communities’ Futures

    Guest
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:07 am
     This guest post was written by Yifat, on behalf of Madre, a Jolkona Foundation partner. Fatima Ahmed, the president of the Sudanese women’s organization Zenab for Women in Development, recently stopped by the MADRE office with exciting news.  The ground-breaking women farmers union led by her organization had harvested a successful crop-and the results are changing [...]

  • Nominate Jolkona Foundation for Open Web Awards

    Adnan
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:32 am
    We invite all of you to nominate Jolkona Foundation for Open Web Awards in “Best Non-Profit Use of Social Media” category. Help us spread the word through your Twitter, Facebook, Blog, etc.

  • 7 Ways to Change the World

    Adnan
    12 Nov 2009 | 8:46 am
    Microsoft announced a contest inviting non-profits to submit videos about 7 ways that PCs are changing the world. We thought we would be a great fit, except there was one catch. It needed to be made by folks outside of Microsoft. We were lucky enough to have enthusiastic supporters who came together to put together this video in [...]

  • Jolkona Foundation’s View on Transparency

    Adnan
    10 Nov 2009 | 4:19 am
    Last month, David Roodman, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development, set off a storm with a post on Kiva’s model. His post received tons of comments, a reply blog post from Matt Flannery (Kiva CEO), and a revision of the Kiva website. Couple of days ago, even the New York Times published [...]

  • Providing a Clean, Reliable and Affordable Sources of Light and Energy to the Residents of Rural Ecuador

    Guest
    9 Nov 2009 | 1:34 pm
    This guest post was written by Derya Rose, on behalf of Yachana Foundation, a Jolkona Foundation partner. Evenings in rural Ecuador are often filled with the familiar whirring of diesel generators, providing a little bit of power to communities off the country’s main electricity grid. When these machines are off, the soft glow of candles fills [...]
 
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    SocialEarth

  • Three Cali Surfers Take the “Green Room” to the Next Level

    Ashley
    21 Nov 2009 | 4:15 am
    To most surfers, the “Green Room” is commonly known as the vortex or location on the face of the wave where the surfer is encircled by the pitching lip (as seen in the photo), but Joey Santley, Steve Cox, and Matt Biolos are not ordinary surfers. They’re environmentalists. They know that the surfer’s loyalty and [...]

  • Creative Career Surgery’s New DVD Kit Teaches Social Entrepreneurship in School

    Ashley
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:10 am
    School just got cooler thanks to 25 year old Shivani Mair. Her super savvy Creative Careers Surgery website, geared towards helping young people find meaningful careers, just put out one of the first ever social enterprise learning tools for use in schools across the UK. The “Create Yourself – Create Change” DVD Kit includes a [...]

  • Quality Health Care is Saving the Rain Forest

    Amy
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    About three weeks ago, I was flipping through the channels and landed on PBS. If you know me, I spend about an average of 1 hour per week by the television, and it’s usually to catch the most recent episode of The Office. However, this particular night, PBS caught my attention. What I saw on [...]

  • BetterTheWorld Contest! Earn $4,000 for Charity, $2,000 for Your School

    Tristan
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:38 am
    If you haven’t joined the hottest online community for social change, now is a better time than ever. BetterTheWorld.com, a Web site/community that allows users to donate to nonprofits by surfing the Web, recently launched their Final 4 Contest where members can earn $4,000 for their choice charity and an extra $2,000 for their school. For [...]

  • The Brave New Information Ecosystem

    Keith
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:40 am
    As the news profession increasingly (and justifiably) frets about its future, the blogosphere/Tweetdom/listserve conversation typically boils down to this question: How will we save newspapers? (Often, more specifically, it’s How will we save The New York Times?) That’s a myopic and typically self-serving question, but it implies a bigger one: How will we sustain quality [...]
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    Pulling for the Underdog

  • Sign me up as Chief Talent Officer

    19 Nov 2009 | 6:58 am
    The modern economy puts an increasing premium on human talent over physical resources. Well-run companies, organizations, and universities are always on the lookout for talent. I know more than one CEO who argues that if you find someone good, hire them right away, and then figure out how to best deploy them. Talent is scarce, they say, so grab it while you can. Why doesn't the same applies

  • Anatomy of a cash-squeeze bankruptcy

    17 Nov 2009 | 8:59 am
    I recently had a heartbreaking conversation with a small business man who started producing a new type of fruit juice a few years ago. His family business was his "dream come true," he told me. He was thriving. This past month, he had to file for bankruptcy even though he was making money. Here is how it happened. He was doing well, growing his business by getting distribution in large

  • Effective scientists are like wandering ants

    15 Nov 2009 | 6:04 am
    Science is basically a bunch of little steps. Many little experiments that explore cause-effect space. If you find a new example of cause and effect, the payoff is unpredictably large. Scientists don’t like thinking of themselves as wandering ants. But that’s how they are most effective. This goes against human psychology because wandering (Nassim Taleb calls it “tinkering”) is low status and

  • "I found it hard to give away what I had earned"

    13 Nov 2009 | 1:09 pm
    Yesterday I blogged about Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion, an attempt to rally both the interfaith and secular communities around a unifying concept.  Today I want to talk about an extraordinary book that builds on the same concept and  links it to generosity in action.  The book is Being Generous, by Ted Malloch. Malloch, who comes from the Christian faith, describes how generosity

  • Do Unto Others...

    12 Nov 2009 | 3:37 pm
    Today I attended the launch of the Charter for Compassion at the National Press Club.  Sponsored by TED and the Fetzer Institute, the Charter is being spearheaded by Karen Armstrong, a former Catholic nun.  She left the Church, initially to teach English and then went on to write some very well received books on comparative religion, including my favorite The History of God. Armstrong argues
 
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    Inside Philanthropy

  • Real stories critical for giving

    16 Nov 2009 | 7:18 am
    By Todd CohenIn a world ravaged by poverty, hunger, poor health, violence and intolerance, philanthropy can change lives.Just ask Ron Archer.At the 2009 National Philanthropy Day luncheon sponsored by the Triangle chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham region, the motivational speaker and former All-American middle linebacker smashed through the comfort zone that can insulate giving from the people it serves and the problems it addresses.A one-time preacher who now runs an international economic-development network, Archer told a harrowing…

  • Rural giving needs to grow

    9 Nov 2009 | 6:23 am
    By Todd CohenRural America faces huge challenges, yet it seems to be off the radar of much of organized philanthropy.While a 2005 study by the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers reported a “rapid rise in rural philanthropy,” a study two years later by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy concluded grantmaking behavior and trends were “skewed heavily toward support for urban-based or urban-focused programs.”And last summer, at a Council on Foundations conference on rural philanthropy, former President Bill Clinton said “foundation activity in rural American…

  • Volunteers, part 2: Obama targets impact, innovation

    2 Nov 2009 | 3:18 am
    By Todd CohenWith a lot more Americans giving their time and know-how, volunteerism is going through big changes.Government is working to better match federally-funded public service with priority social needs.And nonprofits face the challenge of better equipping themselves to handle more volunteers who want to put their skills to more productive use.A new collaborative effort known as “Reimagining Service,” for example, aims to turn “good intentions into good impact,” says Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, a collaborative member created in 1989 by former President…

  • Volunteers, part 1: Nonprofits face big challenges

    26 Oct 2009 | 5:10 am
    By Todd CohenA surge in service in the U.S. has handed the giving sector the huge job of gearing itself to match its needs with those of volunteers.And as government shifts its investment and role in engaging volunteers, a critical task will be to better match volunteer resources with the urgent social needs facing our communities.That is the perspective of Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute, an organization created by then-President George H.W. Bush to boost volunteerism.Since 1989, when Bush formed what then was known as the Points of Light Foundation, the number of…

  • Corporate givers regroup in recession

    19 Oct 2009 | 3:34 am
    By Todd CohenCharities trying to figure out where corporate citizenship may be headed should look at new study by The Hitachi Foundation and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.The study, “Weathering the Storm: The State of Corporate Citizenship 2009,” says 54 percent of over 750 corporate executives who responded believe corporate citizenship is even more important in a recession.Companies increasingly are trying to build corporate citizenship into their business strategy and to link their actions and investments with principles of corporate citizenship, the study…
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    PhilanTopic

  • 'Career Pathways' and Young Professionals

    Regina Mahone
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pm
    Career Pathways to Philanthropic Leadership, a new "baseline" report from the Council on Foundations, has received a fair amount of attention. Based on a quantitative study of the appointment of 440 CEOs and executive directors over four years (2004-08) and a companion qualitative project, the report was designed to develop new insights into how philanthropic organizations choose their leaders and how individuals make their way into those positions. Specifically, it looked to answer four questions: What are the professional backgrounds and profiles of CEOs and executive directors of…

  • Readings (and Other Stuff) - Nov. 19, 2009

    Regina Mahone
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pm
    Here's what we've been checking out today: Paul Brest: President's Essay: Forms of Philanthropic Support: The Centrality of Alignment (Hewlett Foundation) Podcast: Diversity and Inclusion in the Nonprofit Sector (NonprofitNext) Video: An Interview with Paul Polak: Over 17 Million Poor Customers Served (Unreasonable blog) Video: Scroogenomics - Wharton Professor Makes the Case for Charitable Giving During the Holidays (Charity Navigator) Phil Cubeta: Philanthropedia Q&A (Gift Hub) Dirk Smillie: A Perpetual Recession For Papers (Forbes) Chronicle Review: Academe and the Decline of News…

  • Don't Be Afraid to Share Your Stories

    Mitch Nauffts
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:25 pm
    (Consultant Thaler Pekar helps smart leaders and their organizations find, develop, and share the stories and organizational narratives that can rally critical support. Her previous posts in this series can be found here, here, and here.) Too many foundations are confounded by storytelling. Paralyzed by the need to tell the one perfect story that embodies their brand, acknowledges all their stakeholders, AND helps to advance their goals, foundations often refrain from telling any stories at all. As a result, potentially transformative knowledge fails to reach hungry audiences…

  • Readings (and Other Stuff) - Nov. 17, 2009

    Regina Mahone
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:21 pm
    Here's what we're reading today: Holden Karnofsky: Not Our Last Word on the Kiva Controversy (GiveWell) Elizabeth Clawson: What Is Social Impact? (Nonprofit Periscope) Robert Frank: Does the Gates Foundation Need a $500 Million Complex? (WSJ) Amy Sample Ward: Causes, MySpace & ideablob (Tactical Philanthropy) Allison Fine: Redlining Online Kari Dunn Saratovsky: The Role of Millennials in Reshaping a Sector (Social Citizens) Marc Lacey: Money Trickles North as Mexicans Help Relatives (NYT) Miguel Helft: Everyman Offers New Directions (NYT) What are you reading?

  • VIDEO: Be That Woman

    Mitch Nauffts
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:26 pm
    In time for the holidays, the Washington Area Women's Foundation is out with a new campaign called Be That Woman. The campaign, and the video below, is based on a simple premise: If you invest in a woman or girl, the investment benefits all. The video, which was done pro bono by RP3 Agency in Bethesda, Maryland, isn't as dramatic as the Girl Effect video we wrote about back in February, but it has a sweet, vaguely retro quality that I find appealing. What do you think? Does the video work? Will it inspire you to action? And if not, why not? Be nice... -- Mitch Nauffts
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    Charitable Advisors Blog

  • How could 'Walking for Dreams 2010' benefit your Organization?

    18 Nov 2009 | 4:38 pm
    Last year, 17 non profits and 425 walkers raised over $60,000. Over the past 7 years, close to 100 organizations have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, in total. I have been involved since the 2nd or 3rd year walking for several different organizations. I think of 'Walking for Dreams' as the walk-a-thon event for organizations who: 1) aren't big enough to do their own event or 2) don't want to spend valuable volunteer or staff time on event organizing, or 3) want to gather a group of their supporters around fund raising for one particular program.Here's how it works: There is a $250…

  • Are Federal Poverty Guidelines for Income Meaningful?

    5 Nov 2009 | 12:10 pm
    The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Indiana 2009 released by the Indiana Institute for Working Families (Institute), a program of the Indiana Community Action Association (IN-CAA), shows that more Hoosiers are lacking the resources needed to meet their basic needs. The Self-Sufficiency Standard is a more meaningful measure of income adequacy compared to the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG). According to the FPG, families are characterized as "poor" if their income is below the FPG and "not poor" if their incomes are above them.For example, the FPG for a family of three in 2009 is $18,310…

  • Do You Know of a Great Local Program with National Potential?

    30 Oct 2009 | 6:44 am
    Several nationally prominent nonprofit thought leaders have partnered with Duke University and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create the Social Impact Exchange. This will be a concerted effort to identify nonprofits and programs that are having real impact and connect them to resources to expand and replicate that impact. There is no cost to become a member and they will provide on-line resources and forums in addition to an annual conference, regular training/meeting events, and an annual competition to identify and financially support the best ideas. What do you like about this type…

  • IRT Halloween Promotion for Nonprofits

    30 Oct 2009 | 6:43 am
    I’m sure most families have Halloween plans for Saturday, but the IRT has a great family show going on right now - The Giver, based on the popular novel by Lois Lowry. The IRT is offering a special 2-for-1 ticket offer for either the 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. show on Saturday. I know it’s Halloween, but the show is only 80 minutes so families can still go trick-or-treating after the afternoon show or make it to a Halloween party after the evening show. It’s simple to get tickets, just call the ticket office at 317.635.5252 and mention the code “spread the word”. I hope some of…

  • Is Outsourcing or Sharing Back Office Operations the Answer?

    20 Oct 2009 | 11:31 am
    A new study tackles the on-going conversation about whether nonprofits can save money and improve services by combining or outsourcing backoffice operations.Small to mid-sized nonprofits have always struggled to meet their needs for the administrative and professional services that support their core program work. Often referred to as “back‐office” needs, these services have typically included:· Finance and administration (e.g., routine book keeping and accounting, financial planning, budgeting and reporting, vendor management, etc).· Human resources (e.g., benefits administration,…
 
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    One.org

  • #FollowFriday @ONECampaign

    Chris Scott
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:19 pm
    Follow Friday is a chance for people on Twitter to recommend other people, organizations, and movements on Twitter. We at @ONECampaign like to take the opportunity to give shout-outs to other partner organizations and people who are making a difference in the fight against extreme poverty. Here’s today’s round-up: #FF Check out a video from @water [...]

  • Where Do ONE’s T-shirts Come From?

    Aaron Banks
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:30 pm
    We’ve just wrapped up ONE’s Next Top T-shirt Challenge and are very excited about the winning design submitted by ONE member Valerie Strecker. We hope these T-shirts can play a part in spreading the word about ONE and the great work ONE members are doing to fight poverty and disease. A few of you have asked [...]

  • “So many positives” in Cape Verde

    Chris Scott
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:31 pm
    The US Ambassador to Cape Verde, Marianne M. Myles, has a piece in the Providence Journal reporting on the many positives coming out of the country. She attributes this to country’s willingness to “put policies and programs in place that deliver for its people and their prosperity” and practicing “good governance with a stable [...]

  • Sub-Saharan Africa still faces corruption

    Pooja Gupta
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:30 pm
    On Tuesday, Transparency International (TI) released their 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), revealing that many sub-Saharan African countries remain among the most corrupt world-wide. The annually-released index ranks how corrupt governments are perceived to be, according to international institutions such as the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The 2009 CPI [...]

  • World Food Summit Wraps

    Beth Adler
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm
    Wednesday wrapped up the World Summit on Food Security in Rome. Just to recap in case you missed the last post, the Summit was intended to bring together heads of state and food security institutions, like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP), to further the global agenda on [...]
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    BAD RAP Blog

  • Pick me! - Choosing a foster dog

    18 Nov 2009 | 7:43 pm
    Yep, yep - Another bust dog has landed safely in CA.I fear there may be yawns all over the place with more bust dog news, so I won't go into detail about this wonderful fresh arrival just yet. After all, Mikey (below) is just another one of dozens and dozens of dogs coming home from the "biggest-baddest-bust-eva." They're everywhere!While we celebrate an unprecedented number of bust dogs saved from an unprecedented dog fighting sweep in the midwest this summer, the loyal homebodies among us are understandably right to ask: "But what about our own LOCAL dogs-in-need?"GOOD QUESTION! The…

  • It's the economy, stupid

    16 Nov 2009 | 8:09 pm
    Puppies, puppies, PUPPIES.Is it our imagination, or are there more puppies showing up at our Shots Fairs than in previous years? Our autumn outreach event took place in Vallejo this past weekend and attracted some of the town's busiest backyard breeders with their wares in tow, along with a plethora of the newest fad dogs - the American Bullies. At least one backyard breeder admitted to subscribing to the age-old vocation of selling dogs to help make ends meet. With foreclosed houses on nearly every street, it gets hard to blame them.Below: Ye olde days. Not so different from today.Several…

  • History is Made: PARTY Dec 5, Berkeley

    11 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pm
    When BR hit its big 10 year anniversary date back in April (April Fool's Day, natch), I was vaguely annoyed that we had to cancel our party plans in order to get out to Vegas to attend a much-anticipated meeting concerning bust dogs with the HSUS and other invested orgs. But that was a dumb response and only lasted until the fog lifted: "Party later. History is being made, you big dummy." Tipping point, and all that... And so the summer catapulted us into one of the most dizzying but gratifying periods ever of working in partnership with HSUS - yes, in partnership - as well as so many others…

  • the power of language - compassionate words from Missouri

    11 Nov 2009 | 10:52 am
    Rescue efforts are beginning to wrap up in the midwest. We were warmed by this news piece written with so much care and compassion. Thank you Debbie Hill and writer Cheryl Wittenauer. Happy tales for some former fighting dogs (...and again, with video)"They are not a vicious animal. They are the victims of abuse," said Debbie Hill, vice president of operations for the Humane Society of Missouri. "That face and their eyes tell the story. They only want to be in someone's home, on a couch, or sleeping at someone's feet, maybe chew up a rug or two for entertainment. They're learning for the…

  • Barn-A-Go-Go: A new matching challenge!

    8 Nov 2009 | 4:37 pm
    In between rescue work and conferences, the barn raising has been moving right along. We've been able to get the roof on in preparation for the winter weather that promises to soggy up our work crew. Since our last update, we've raised a big fat $9607! towards the goal of making this project a reality. It was truly a pleasure to raise that bar up once again.And now ...We’ve been blessed once again with a matching grant opportunity, but this one is very special in that it's a DOUBLE matching grant! Our very generous donors wish to remain anonymous with their donation in the name of their…
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    Bob Ottenhoff Blog

  • Lessons from the Alavi Foundation

    Bob Ottenhoff
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:39 am
    You can’t always tell a book by its cover. And you can’t always tell a nonprofit by its 990. When I first saw the headlines Thursday in the Washington Post, I assumed it was another counter-terrorism story. The story reported that "federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper … long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government." But this was not just a typical terrorism story; it included a nonprofit and a foundation. "In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures…

  • The Near Future of Fundraising

    Bob Ottenhoff
    11 Nov 2009 | 11:12 am
    We’re in the midst of the giving season, a time when many nonprofits raise the majority of their contributions for the entire year. Last year individual donations fell for the first time in many years. Soon we’ll know how 2009 turns out, but so far the indicators—things like the unemployment rate and the psychology of the stock market and personal confidence—suggest a tough year. Read about GuideStar’s own economic surveys > There is an important new report out from Giving USA that looks at how long it will take for the nonprofit sector to get back to…

  • On the Defensive Once Again

    Bob Ottenhoff
    26 Oct 2009 | 8:13 am
    Most nonprofits are hard at work, laboring under challenging conditions with funding getting tougher by the month and demand for services continuing to increase. Others are working on important issues to elevate the sector to new heights, such as promoting transparency and accountability and measuring effectiveness and impact. And yet public skepticism about the nonprofit sector (and I would add most public institutions) continues to grow. Why, when our work is so important and so badly needed? All it takes is an occasional bad story to reinforce the public perception that nonprofits are not…

  • A Disappointing Debate

    Bob Ottenhoff
    13 Oct 2009 | 6:33 am
    I’ve been disappointed in the tone of the public debate on health care reform. Rather than have a reasoned discussion about different approaches to this complicated and difficult issue, we seem to be bombing each other with slogans and sound bites. Sunday’s Washington Post has a front-page story that says, "The nation’s political discourse seems sour, angry, even dangerous," and that "‘uglier than it’s ever been’ is a phrase often volunteered" in this debate. The article reminds us that we’ve always had cycles of unruly political…

  • More Questions about Nonprofit Health Care Cooperatives

    Bob Ottenhoff
    25 Sep 2009 | 8:33 am
    I’m still trying to decide how health care cooperatives work and whether they can reach the scope and scale that our health care system needs to introduce some of the reforms that are being discussed. Last week I interviewed Steve Delfin, executive director of the National Credit Union Foundation, who told me about how credit unions work. His blog on this issue is interesting. We learned from him that cooperatives are owned and controlled by their members—the people who use the co-op’s services or buy its goods. Any surplus revenues are reinvested in the business. Steve also…
 
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    the Communications Network blog

  • Are Annual Reports Less Glossy This Year?

    Communications Network
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    Call this eating humble pie. I find myself in the odd position of wanting to point out  -- and applaud -- three examples of how the annual report can be used to help convey important messages and further understanding among key audiences about the vital work foundations do around the nation and world, especially in these trying times.  In the past, I've been among those critical of foundation annual reports, mostly because of the low -- if any -- return on investment they seem to yield.  Either I've been wrong in making such a blanket criticism or -- and hopefully so -- the conversations…

  • Networking Matters

    Communications Network
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:17 am
    Our Fall 2009 conference has come and gone, and while the memories are still fresh, I wanted to share some observations.One, the Communications Network is stronger than ever.  We've been on a rebuilding effort since 2006, and each year both membership in the Network and participation in our conferences have continued to grow.  Our first conference back in 2006 attracted some 130 brave souls -- almost twice the number of registered members at the time.  This year, we had more than 220 people, and probably could have exceeded 250 if there had been enough space for more people.  And as 2009…

  • Conference 2.0 Strategies Capture a Bigger Picture

    Communications Network
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:53 am
    At the recent Communications Network annual conference held at the Ford Foundation in New York City, 20 volunteers known collectively as the Gorilla Engagement Squad, used Flip Cams to conduct video interviews with 120 conference attendees.  In addition to asking participants what resonated from the sessions they attended, Gorillas asked: “What has and hasn’t changed about foundation communications over the past five years?”  What Has Changed About Foundation Communications in the Last Five Years? from Communications Network on Vimeo. As commander-in-chief of the Squad, I…

  • Brand Meet Twitter, Twitter Meet Brand -- Reflections from 2009 ComNet Conference

    Communications Network
    26 Oct 2009 | 8:42 am
    This is the first of several installments in which we couple reflections from the Fall 2009 Communications Network Annual Conference (#comnet09) session presenters with feedback from attendees of those sessions captured by the Gorilla Engagement Squad.  First up:  Eric Henderson, Special Advisor for Living Cities,reflects on his session entitled, "Brand, Meet Twitter. Twitter, Meet Brand." We lead with post-session analysis provided in this clip from Debra Rubino, Director of Strategic Communications at Open Society Institute-Baltimore who relates session content to the OSI-Baltimore blog…

  • ComNetwork Chair Eric Brown on #ComNet09

    Communications Network
    21 Oct 2009 | 11:52 am
    Eric Brown, Communications Director for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, took over as chair of the Communications Network at a board meeting immediately prior to our sold-out conference in NYC.  In this brief clip -- the first of more than 100 interviews captured by conference participants, collectively known as the Gorilla Engagement Squad, Brown describes the extent to which participants wanted to focus on social media and how strategy is superceding tactics.  Communications Network Board Chair Eric Brown on ComNet09 from Communications Network on Vimeo.
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    Confessions of a Non-Profit Executive Director

  • Do me a favor — vote for Perla Ni on the Huffington Post

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    29 Oct 2009 | 9:44 pm
    Huffington Post is looking for readers to vote for the ultimate game changer in Philanthropy. And I think the readers have so far voted Perla Ni, head of greatnonprofits.org, to be the ultimate game changer. I’d like her to keep that lead and to do so, I urge you all to consider throwing in a vote. She’s trying to create a Yelp for Nonprofits which is sorely needed in the nonprofit world. Any time I see someone promoting democratic oversight of nonprofits, I’m all for it.

  • Mobile phones to the rescue in Indonesia, Philippines and Samoa

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    2 Oct 2009 | 10:05 am
    From the UN Dispatch: Over the weekend a deadly tropical storm slammed into the Philippines, causing severe flooding in urban areas and affecting tens of thousands. Tuesday, a powerful underwater earthquake triggered a tsunami with waves 15 to 20 feet high that crashed into the Samoa islands, destroying homes and taking lives. Then yesterday and today two successive and devastating earthquakes struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, leaving thousands buried in rubble and in desperate need of aid. Groups funded by the UN Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership are deployed…

  • Blogging Budget For Nonprofits

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    17 Jul 2009 | 10:42 am
    Lewis Kelley from the National Forest Foundation has asked how much it would cost for their organization to blog. The purpose of this post is to discuss a basic yearly budget that encompasses setup costs, labor costs and online services. Let’s do some of the basic math. Assuming that your site is not going to get more than 40,000 users per month and no more than 20 GB of bandwidth, I suggest you simply go with a shared ISP account. This isn’t going to break the bank at all. I use NEXCESS.NET. They’re very cheap. The mini-me plan is $134.59 a year for site hosting, daily site…

  • Towards a New Kind of Nonprofit Website, Part II

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    24 Jun 2009 | 12:49 pm
    You’ve read about my operational plan and theorems in Part I of this series. Here’s why I chose Drupal to carry out the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress website instead of Wordpress. Drupal is very good at building complex websites that can vault a nonprofit past brochureware or a blog and into the position of being #1 on your subject matter. I’m sure Joomla can do the same but there are certain Drupal practices and modules that can fundamentally alter the balance of power between your nonprofit and the competition. If your nonprofit is interested in being the biggest…

  • Why Your Nonprofit’s Volunteer Base Should Blog for Your Nonprofit

    abenamer@nonprofittechblog.org (Allan Benamer)
    22 Jun 2009 | 1:56 pm
    Updated 10/2/2009 (new graphic and stats!) An alert reader has asked me for a chart on the effect of blog entries on site traffic. I took the time to create a little data table from the Google Analytics reports for APA for Progress. Please be aware that the Jun-09 figures were run on 6/22 so the figures are incomplete for June. These figures run from 1/1/2009 to 9/31/2009. In essence, I’m adding 3 months of extra data. As you can see in the chart above, there’s a high correlation (.883) (previously .945) between the number of blog entries and the level of site traffic.
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    Dan Pallotta

  • Social Innovation: What Only the White House Can Do

    Dan Pallotta
    13 Nov 2009 | 5:27 am
    Last I heard, the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation is focused on granting some $50 million to organizations that have proven to be successful and innovative. Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't giving money to innovative organizations what hundreds of foundations try to do every year? Using the power of the White House for this purpose is like using Steve Jobs to write code. Rather than focus so narrowly on funding innovation in nonprofits, the White House office needs a different litmus test for how best to use its limited resources, one that asks: Will this…

  • A Change-the-World Conference, And You're Invited

    Dan Pallotta
    28 Oct 2009 | 11:57 am
    The more conferences I speak at, the more I realize how profoundly segregated the people trying to change the world are from one another. In no particular order, we've got the academics, the medical researchers, the professional fundraisers, the family foundation community, the institutional investors, the social investors, the nonprofit executives, the celebrity do-gooders, and the government — to name just a few. At the annual conference for the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action, you will find hundreds of academicians participating in colloquia…

  • The "Psychic Benefits" of Nonprofit Work Are Overrated

    Dan Pallotta
    13 Oct 2009 | 11:49 am
    People often tell me that those who work for nonprofits should work for less because of the psychic benefits of being able to make a difference, work with the poor, and so on. The notion is a red herring. And that's putting it kindly. Do these people really believe that no one makes a difference in the for-profit sector, and that there is no psychic benefit associated with careers there? What about the people at drug companies working on cures for disease or the people who build the Toyota Prius and the Smart Car? What about the people who publish The Grapes of Wrath, distribute the cell…

  • What Nonprofits Can Learn from the Apollo Program

    Dan Pallotta
    1 Oct 2009 | 11:43 am
    "Scale" is the new buzzword on the frontier of social sector thinking. Everyone wants to "take organizations to scale." What does this mean? Getting an organization to the point where it can sustain itself? This isn't what scale means to me. Something like 400,000 Americans are chronically homeless. Some 800 million people are malnourished in the world. More than 2 million adults and children die of AIDS each year. Until we've created responses as large as that need, we haven't reached scale. What good is it to have a bunch of nonprofits that are able to sustain themselves, if they are only…

  • Letting Non-Profits Act Like Businesses: One Foundation's Brave Act of Leadership

    Dan Pallotta
    18 Sep 2009 | 12:10 pm
    Yesterday the Boston Foundation unveiled major changes in its grantmaking strategy and announced that "the most dramatic change is a shift of emphasis to unrestricted operating support." You're not hallucinating, and it's not a typo. As if the emphasis on operating support were not jaw-dropping enough, it's going to be unrestricted. This is not a narrow experiment. It involves the "majority of the Boston Foundation's competitive grants." And this is not a bunch of well-intentioned, innovative MBAs starting a little experimental social venture fund. It's a major institutional funder with a…
 
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    Nonprofit Blog Exchange

  • Nonprofit Blog Exchange Roundup #30

    7 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm
    10 Elements of an Effective Nonprofit or Do-Good Blog (Have Fun • Do Good)The TwitterKids of Tanzania (Epic Change Blog)Why Every Nonprofit Should Be On YouTube (See What's Out There)Boost your Cause Through Seasonal Fundraising (The Biddery Blog)The Transparency Litmus Test (eJewish Philanthropy)How a Facebook Event Transformed an Organization (Community Organizer 2.0)Email is Dead? Long Live Email (frogloop)New Study Reveals Nonprofits Still Need to Adapt Online Communications Best Practices (frogloop)Twitter Lists for Nonprofits (Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech)International Day of…

  • Nonprofit Blog Exchange Roundup #29

    4 Oct 2009 | 11:50 am
    BloggingReasons Your Organization Should Blog (A Small Change)Benefits of blogging for nonprofits (Get Fully Funded Blog)8 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Blogs (Have Fun • Do Good)Social MediaA 5-step quide to social media strategy for nonprofits (IMPACTMAX)5 Steps to a Successful Social Media Strategy (Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech)Seven High-Impact Social Media Trends for Neighborhoods and Local Nonprofits (NeighborWorks News)CASE: 10 Ways Universities Use Social Media (The Accidental Marketer)Twitter90 Foundations That Tweet (Philanthropy411 Blog)20 Funder Networks That Tweet…

  • Nonprofit Blog Exchange Roundup #28

    14 Jul 2009 | 11:45 am
    Five Tips to Engaging New Online Activists(frogloop) Traffic Report: Compete.com Explores Rise in Volunteer Traffic Online(Engaging Volunteers)Facebook and Myspace Causes App passes $10m in donations(Giving in a digital world)Taking Action on YouTube (Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech)4 Reasons Facebook Might Not be Right for Your Nonprofit(Marketing for Nonprofits)Online Giving – Updating Your Method and Message–Part 1(Talisman Thinking Out Loud)Online Giving – Updating Your Method and Message–Part 2(Talisman Thinking Out Loud)Ten Keys to Successful Tweeting for Non-Profit…

  • Nonprofit Blog Exchange Roundup #27

    27 Apr 2009 | 11:33 am
    How to increase traffic on your blog(Internet & Media Strategies)Getting Started Ways to Use Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr – It’s All About Building Relationships(Marion Conway - Consultant to Nonprofits)Twitter, Facebook, & social media for healthcare fundraisers(FundraisingCoach.com) Techniques to improve fundraising in your walkathons, athons and other pledge events(Blue Sky Collaborative's Fundraising Blog)Is Online Giving Dead or Alive?(Everyday Giving Blog)YouTube launches free in-video clickable ads for UK and US non-profit partners(Giving in a digital world)Write, write,…

  • Nonprofit Blog Exchange Roundup #26

    21 Mar 2009 | 5:35 pm
    8 Benefits of Having a Nonprofit Blog (Have Fun Do Good)For Twitter Success, Just Add Meaning (SocialButterfly)Twitter Best Practices (Robert L. Weiner Consulting)Twitter Trumps Online Conference - Six Steps For Using Twitter For Your Conference Or Event (NetCentric Advocacy)To Tweet or Not to Tweet (A Small Change)Translating Tweets to Dollars (A Small Change)Why Every Nonprofit Should Embrace the Web 2.0 World (frogloop)Facebook & Nonprofits: Use Pages and Groups (Betsy's Blog)What Are Social Media Metrics for the Arts? (smArts & Culture)How nonprofits can succeed in the new…
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    The Nonprofit Consultant Blog

  • Getting Nonprofit Job Classifications Right

    12 Nov 2009 | 10:39 am
    I've spent some time this morning and earlier this week in phone consultation with a for-profit company, and it's been great. No, I haven't turned away from the nonprofit sector. I'm still fully busy serving as an Interim Executive Director for one agency, and squeezing in some retreat facilitation and training when I can.But this for-profit came to me with a problem that has bugged me for many years, and I'll bet you've had the same frustration. When you've gone to the major, general interest job sites (Monster, Career Builder, etc.) have you ever looked at the classifications for nonprofit…

  • Loose Ends: Honors for me and you

    21 Sep 2009 | 2:42 pm
    While I've been off on my latest Interim Executive Director assignment - and virtually ignoring this blog - it seems I've accumulated two more honors for the blog:TOP NONPROFIT BLOGSThe first is a listing from The Daily Reviewer on the Top 100 Nonprofit Blogs (click the ribbon above), and the other is a listing on "Alltop" as a Top Nonprofit News source. A big Thank You to each of those web sites for the inclusion!Now, on to the honors for your organizations and your peers...My friend, Nancy Schwartz, of the Getting Attention blog, would like me to remind you that the Nonprofit Tagline Awards…

  • Fundraising Success You Can't Buy

    3 Sep 2009 | 7:01 am
    These days more and more nonprofit agencies are looking to online social networking tools and sites, such as Facebook, to see how they can use them to increase donations (and if you're not on Facebook, why aren't you?). Well, here's a great Facebook fundraising success story:The story began Aug. 11, when Jenni Ware of Redwood City lost her wallet at Trader Joe's, and a woman standing behind her in line — Carolee Hazard of Menlo Park — offered to pay the stranger's $207 grocery bill. The two exchanged addresses. Ware found her wallet later that day and repaid her grocery "angel" $300 -…

  • 100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs

    19 Aug 2009 | 3:46 pm
    No, I'm not going to give you the list of 100 incredible philanthropy blogs, I'm going to tell you where you can find it, and brag that this very blog is part of it!The list of "100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs" is posted at Bible College Reviews, and breaks the 100 down into the categories of General Philanthropy, Individual Ways to Make a Difference, Group-Based Philanthropy, News and Commentary, Fundraising, Charitable Organizations, Nonprofits, Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Faith-Based Philanthropy.I was pleased with the comprehensiveness of the list, and have found some…

  • One Week Left to Tagline Victory!

    23 Jul 2009 | 7:26 am
    Yes, you have one more week to enter your nonprofit organization's tagline into the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards. Yes, the tagline awards! Nancy Schwartz of the Getting Attention blog hosts these online awards each year to recognize the best taglines as means of motivating nonprofits to focus on the basics (e.g. powerful, distinctive, succinct messaging) in their marketing efforts. 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…
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    Tall Skinny Kiwi

  • Rockin' Western Europe's Poorest City

    Andrew Jones
    21 Nov 2009 | 4:54 am
    Only 2 weeks until our Rock on Christmas Festival happens down in Olhão , Portugal. They say it is the poorest city in Western Europe. Olhão has been a city based on the fishing industry. There was, until recently, 97 fishing businesses in Olhão, that sustained its economy. But that number has been reduced down to 2. Thats 2 instead of 97. Can you imagine? Needless to say, unemployment is everywhere and the problems that come with it. But we are going to ROCK the city of Olhão this Christmas. 9 bands have donated their time and resources to come down for this for-benefit concert, making…

  • Another Six-Pack of House Churches

    Andrew Jones
    21 Nov 2009 | 12:50 am
    The last post on why you can no longer ignore the emerging house church movement generated a few comments regarding the actual size of the movement and how it is estimated. Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I realize the movement is difficult to see, as I have written about before. The article was written by Wolfgang Simson who was one of the key people at last weeks Global House Church Summit in Delhi, attended by 200 participants from 40 countries. What about those numbers? Is it really that big? Who did the research? Wolfgang and I have chatted on email and he yesterday he wrote down some…

  • Why you can no longer ignore the emerging house church movement

    Andrew Jones
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:31 am
    Don't look for the elephant in the room. Look instead at the colonies of mice that have burrowed inside the furniture and are now taking over the house. "The latest research indicates that the number of house churches in Europe have already reached or surpassed 10,000, Australia could have up to 10,000, and New Zealand up to 6,000 house churches. Research in the US shows that between 6 and 12 million are already attending house churches, making house churches one of the three largest Christian groups in the country. In the case of Bangladesh or India, with many hundreds of thousands of house…

  • Good morning everyone!

    Andrew Jones
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:15 am
    Good morning everyone. Its a beautiful day, just as David predicted and Bono confirmed. This is the day that the Lord has made. Good morning family of mine. Good morning sexy wife and good morning kids who had to explain the idea of 'fertilizer' in Farmville to me this morning. I must be getting old. Good morning Matos family who are letting us park on their land. Paulo Matos is the original tattoo artist in Portugal and also the best. And a wonderful host. He is proud of his latest edition which you read upside down for the full effect. Good morning to my friends gathering at Mission 21, the…

  • Antioch Papers

    Andrew Jones
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:45 am
    I told you about the Antioch Gathering a few weeks ago in Turkey. Guy Muse has compiled a number of papers and reports from the meeting. Happy reading.
 
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    Jewish Donor Blog

  • The Push-And-Pull Within Jewish Philanthropy

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:17 am
    by Gary Rosenblatt Editor and Publisher at The Jewish Week One of the fascinating dynamics in American Jewish life today involves the complex and evolving relationship among three key groups: the... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • Startup Nation

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    8 Nov 2009 | 5:12 am
    That headline, believe it or not, refers to Israel, and also serves as the title of a new book by Dan Senor and Saul Singer. Start Up Nation address the trillion dollar question: How is it that... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • New York Jewish Federation raises $43m.

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:13 am
    By JAMIE ROMM JerusalemPost.com11.3.09 "The UJA-Federation of New York raised $43 million at its annual campaign kickoff last week, funding that will go toward Jewish families in need throughout the... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • A Walk in the Woods can Make you a Better...

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    29 Oct 2009 | 8:14 am
    What would inspire someone to be a better fundraiser/CEO/Salesperson, etc.? How about a walk in the woods? If you need to re-charge the old battery and get the creative & inspirational juices... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • Congratulations to.... us!

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:42 am
    A hearty congrats and a big mazal tov to the Jewish Donor blog and all its contributors for reaching the 300 post mark!With well over 10,000 page views and 15,000 clicks, the Jewish Donor Blog has... 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

  • High School Mentors In Brief: Findings from the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. This issue of P/PV In Brief is based on High School Students as Mentors, a report that examined the efficacy of high school mentors using data from P/PV's large-scale random assignment impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring programs. The brief presents an overview of the findings, which suggest that high school volunteers bring inherent strengths to their role as mentors but also present notable challenges for... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative Executive Summary

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. <p>This executive summary draws on findings from P/PV's evaluation of Fathers at Work, a national demonstration funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The demonstration was designed to help low-income noncustodial fathers increase their employment and earnings, become more involved in their children's lives, and provide them with more consistent financial support.<br /><br />The Fathers at Work programs... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Mentoring Former Prisoners: A Guide for Reentry Programs

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. <p>Few social programs have attempted to provide high-risk adults -- and, particularly, former prisoners -- with mentors. And thus there are few resources that offer practical advice and recommendations for mentoring this population, given its distinct needs, assets and challenges. While much remains to be tested and learned, this manual draws on the experience of the 11 sites involved in P/PV'sReady4Work prisoner reentry... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Public/Private Ventures. <p>Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play -- both financially and emotionally -- in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the US, two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work experience, and criminal records, which impede their success in the labor market as well... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…

  • Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: The Role of Practice-Based Teacher Preparation Programs in Massachusetts

    18 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Contributing organization(s): Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. Over the past decade, alternative teacher preparation programs have proliferated across the nation -- and in Massachusetts -- in response to projected teacher shortages and in an effort to better prepare teachers for the challenges of today's classrooms. While the vast majority of Massachusetts teachers are trained through traditional teacher preparation programs, both the number of alternative route programs... IssueLab is an online publishing forum for nonprofit research. Locate, access, and engage at…
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    pubTalk

  • Give MN: A gift for Minnesota's nonprofits

    Kim Borton
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am
    This week marked the launch of Minnesota's largest online giving surge, bar none: this created all the buzz. Googling "Give MN max" provided 631,000 results, and raised $14 million for 3,434 Minnesota nonprofits in one - ONE- day. If you were under a rock this week, here's additional information. Facebook updates continually zinged throughout my network - "I gave to the max, did you?" or "Get your donation matched by supporting our cause." The flurry in my email box was no different. Messages from 38 of my favorite nonprofits (read: 38 nonprofits to whom I subscribe by email). And of course…

  • Close-Up on a Local Non-Profit: CAPI

    Rachel Carr
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:21 am
    Earlier this week I attended an information session given by Pham Thi Hoa, Executive Director of CAPI. Founded in 1982, CAPI has historically been a social service organization working with 3,000 immigrants and refugees from the Asia-Pacific region and East Africa every year. Some of the services provided include housing and food assistance, youth violence prevention, workforce development and training, and health education to communities in transition. Within the last year, CAPI has adopted a new strategic plan and is using the framework of "gender and health equality" to advance both the…

  • Public Leadership Course Offerings

    Gary DeCramer
    13 Nov 2009 | 10:42 am
    Some might think this PubTalk posting belongs on the Humphrey's Smart Politics Blog. This entry has to do with honoring the public leadership side of our Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center here at Humphrey. Mike Freeman and I were elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1982. When I met Mike, I recalled conversations I heard at our farm house kitchen table. In our house, Orville Freeman was considered a public hero - someone who understood farmers and ordinary people. When he lost his re-election bid for governor, our house was sad. When JFK picked him a few months later to be Agriculture…

  • Global Local Nonprofit Organizations

    Sarah Berke
    11 Nov 2009 | 9:23 pm
    The dominant story about international nonprofit organizations is of large, transnational NGOs, and of organizations working from richer countries to improve poorer countries. Less widely known is the story of how so-called domestic nonprofit organizations, including relatively small organizations focused on serving their local communities, are becoming global actors. I am particularly interested in the opportunities for comparative learning that can come from peer connections between these local organizations across borders. This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Japan (under the…

  • "Hyperlocal" Blogs - a new tool for nonprofits?

    Becky Burand
    10 Nov 2009 | 5:42 am
    I recently read an article in Newsweek by Johnnie L. Roberts titled "PeytonPlace.com." The article examined the recent surge of blogs covering small town news. Blogs like Patch.com and TheLocal, funded by the likes of AOL and the New York Times respectively, are focusing on what's news in towns the size of Maplewood, New Jersey, population 24,000. These "hyperlocal" blogs are largely run by unpaid student and citizen journalists. The potential relationship to community organizing goes without saying, but what came to mind as I read the article is how hyperlocal blogs could be used to benefit…
 
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    Foundation Group Blog

  • Strategic Thinking For Your Nonprofit’s Year-End

    Greg McRay, EA
    10 Nov 2009 | 1:33 pm
    2009 is rapidly coming to a close.  And once again, we find ourselves amazed at how fast the year has gone by.  Funny how we have this conversation every year, but we act like it’s the first time it went by this fast. Just as December 31 rolls around every year, so does the need to plan for your nonprofit’s year end.  With only a few weeks left in the year, don’t put off until later some of the most important things you need to be doing right now.  Let’s take a look at some key, year-end necessities. Strategic planning. The economic uncertainty of the past year has…

  • Six Ways to Really Scare Away Your Donors

    Greg McRay, EA
    29 Oct 2009 | 12:41 pm
    Boo! Halloween is upon us…and there is no more appropriate topic that we could cover than how to effectively scare away donors.  In the, um, spirit of the season, let’s look at six ways to guarantee donors will want nothing to do with you! Be undefinable. Keep ‘em guessing, we say.  Why box yourself into a specific purpose when you can be fluid and flexible…you know, all things to all people.  You need the freedom to pounce on whatever new cause-de-jour comes along.  Let those other nonprofits label themselves.  Not you, though…you be a chameleon.  Keep…

  • Conflict Within Your Nonprofit – Handle With Care

    Greg McRay, EA
    21 Oct 2009 | 8:22 am
    The honeymoon is over.  It seems like yesterday that everyone was full of passion, vision and warm fuzzies.  You were going to save the world and nothing could stand in your way.  Now, passions have cooled, visions have diverged and the warm fuzzies have been replace with contempt and backbiting.  How did things go south so quickly? Operating a business, especially a nonprofit, is a lot like a marriage…minus the romance.  What starts out with mutual respect and unity of purpose can descend into open hostility.  And, it can threaten your organization’s…

  • Surviving an IRS 501(c)(3) Audit – Five Rules

    Greg McRay, EA
    13 Oct 2009 | 9:31 am
    IRS Audit Division In our last post, we took a look at five of the most common sources that could spark an IRS examination or audit of your 501(c)(3) organization (or other nonprofit).  In this article, we’re going to equip you with five rules you need to know should you get the dreaded notification that your organization is going to be examined. If you haven’t read the prior article, go here to read it first. Rule #1:  Don’t panic. Breathe.  Yours is not the first nonprofit to ever be audited.  You can survive this.  I’m not going to lie and say it will be a…

  • IRS 501(c)(3) Audits – 5 Potential Sources

    Greg McRay, EA
    30 Sep 2009 | 3:05 pm
    Free t-shirts for all audit targets! (no, not really) There is one phrase in the English language that generates more fear and trepidation than any other out there:  IRS AUDIT.  Just hearing the words is enough to cause many a fearless person to break out in a cold sweat and to shrink in terror.  It is bad enough when an individual has to deal with IRS questions.  But when it happens to a nonprofit organization, there is plenty of pain to go around.  Directors, employees, members, donors…all can be affected.  Plus, just the potential bad publicity is enough to cause nonprofit…
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    PhilanthroPost

  • Not my Problem (?)

    socialenterprisegal
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:04 pm
    by Anis Salvesen Recently my husband and I attended a friend’s wedding in India – in Chennai (formerly Madras).   The foreign guests, like us, had met the groom in graduate school.   Our little group consisted of the following:  a Finnish girl who spent most of her life in Germany but was now living in Switzerland with her German boyfriend (also in attendance), a Japanese girl, a fellow whose parents were German but had been born in South Africa and had been living in Italy since the early ‘90s, a Hispanic-American (me) and my Norwegian husband. As you may know, Indian weddings…

  • All Together for Good

    CherylMahoney
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:03 am
    By Cheryl Mahoney Lately I’ve had a lot to say about ways to volunteer from home.  And we all know that if you want to cross borders and travel to exciting places to do your volunteering, UniversalGiving is your best destination.  So how about if you want something in between?  You’re happy to go outside, but can’t commit to a trip to Kenya right now–where do you go for that?  Well, UniversalGiving actually does have some national opportunities…and I also want to share with you about one of our latest partner organizations that can help you find the perfect…

  • How to Teach a Computer

    CherylMahoney
    11 Nov 2009 | 10:19 am
    By Cheryl Mahoney Sometimes I wish that my computer could be just a little bit smarter.  You know, when a search engine returns something completely random, like a picture of a llama after I put in a celebrity’s name (that really happened to me once!)  I can’t explain why that sort of thing happens, but apparently computers have a lot they still need to learn.  We don’t want them to be TOO smart of course–think of Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey–but if you’re willing to take that chance and help computers learn more about solving problems, now there’s…

  • Change the World–without getting dressed

    CherylMahoney
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:41 am
    By Cheryl Mahoney Do you want to change the world, but feel like you don’t have a lot of time or resources?  Would you really love something quick and easy that you can do in just a few minutes?  Something you don’t have to leave the house for, or even get dressed to do?  So you’re sitting in front of your computer in your pajamas and thinking you want to change the world…where do you go next from there?  Well, this blog is one great place to come, of course, and I recently learned about another. Help From Home is designed to bring together many different…

  • Happy 4th Birthday Kiva!

    socialenterprisegal
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:49 pm
    by Anis Salvesen Kiva’s 4th birthday was really, really fun! So what was so great about this party?   I mean besides the fact that it was for Kiva, of course.  If you’ve read previous blog posts, you know that attending Kiva events and meeting Kiva’s president, Premal, is like a tween going to Disneyland and meeting Miley Cyrus.  I wonder if Premal’s ever been compared to Miley before. Anyway, the party was great for two reasons. One was the guest list. To paraphrase a fellow attendee, you know it’s going to be a good party when you gather this great group of like-minded…
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    Living and Giving

  • The Immediate Philanthropist

    Pamela Hawley
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pm
    That beautiful time of the year is coming again: The time of giving. It seems to start with the gratitude and time spent with family during Thanksgiving, following through to the December Holiday season. However, for some reason our society has distilled the meaning of philanthropy into “money.” It now seems to mean that in order to give, we need to write a check. Being from Silicon Valley, sometimes I’ve even heard people say, “I can’t wait to make it big from my next venture. Then I’ll start giving back to our communities in a major way.” Donating money is certainly not the…

  • Youth and Philanthropy

    Pamela Hawley
    13 Nov 2009 | 11:12 am
    I recently answered some questions for TILE Financial’s Spend Grow Give program about giving and volunteering. Tile Financial  is a bank which works with wealthy families and their children, and the Spend Grow Give program “is an online financial environment designed to engage and educate the next generation of high net worth individuals on the benefits and responsibilities of wealth.”  Here is an excerpt on Expert Guidance where they asked my advice on volunteering for their teens.   These are the questions some of the teens asked:   1. TILE members are often…

  • The Future for Social Media

    Pamela Hawley
    10 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pm
    Predicting the next big trend in social media is a widespread goal.  I recently read an article  by David Armano which offered some good insights.  “Six Social Media Trends for 2010” looks at where we are, and suggests where we might be going.  David also asked for our own predictions.  Here are the three I can see: 1- Global Phone Pals. We’ll see increased world peace and  understanding due to more people communicating so easily through global phone networks, begin ‘phone pals’ rather then penpals. We’ll see this most with the generation starting at…

  • Aid: We Need It All

    Pamela Hawley
    27 Oct 2009 | 1:37 pm
    I recently read a post on the Philanthrocapitalism blog, When Aid Shrinks, which inspired some interesting thoughts about what kinds of Aid the world needs.  I wrote to the author, and wanted to share with you as well: Thank you for this clear piece on our current situation of Aid, and the need for more investments, and socially conscious investments.  The developing nations’ middle class has jumped to 50% of the world population over the past 10 years, as opposed to 24%.  This is an amazing testament to numerous factors which are all part of the process.  Some populations of…

  • Ask Pamela: How do I Manage Interns?

    Tricia Collins
    20 Oct 2009 | 1:15 pm
    “Ask Pamela” is a collection of real life conversations between Pamela Hawley, an established social entrepreneur, and Mike Del Ponte, an up-and-coming social entrepreneur. Pamela was a co-founder of VolunteerMatch and is the founder and CEO of UniversalGiving. Mike Del Ponte is founder and CEO of Sparkseed. Great news! Thanks to your advice, we found office space in San Francisco and the whole team is here.  I’m now finding that the learning curve is steep for new managers. What advice can you give me about managing interns? I want to make it a valuable experience for them…
 
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    Kiva Loans

  • Afi Akakpo : Togo

    21 Nov 2009 | 5:10 am
    $550 of $925 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009 Ms. Afi Akakpo, a very dynamic and courageous farmer, was born in 1982. Married with one child, she grows maize, a business through which she makes the income necessary to take care of her household's expenses. Currently, her yield is decreasing due to the impoverishment of her soil, which is intensively used. She is seeking a loan to buy fertilizer for the soil in order to increase her yield and her income.Translated from French by Vilas Menon, Kiva Volunteer

  • Florence Adjatan : Benin

    21 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    $150 of $425 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009 Florence Adjatan was born on 16 March, 1967, in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. Florence is married to Elie Mebounou, a shopkeeper. The couple have four children, all in school. Florence has lived together with her children and her husband in Cococodji, not far from Cotonou, for four years. The couple meet the household expenses together. For four years, Florence has sold bunches of bananas as well as maize at her home and also at the Cococodji market. Florence gets her supplies in northern Benin. Florence has never obtained…

  • Febronia Mtalikwa : Tanzania

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:40 am
    $100 of $250 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009 Mambo from Tanzania! This is 26 year old Febronia A. Mtalikwa from Costal Region. She is married with two children aged of 3 and 8. Febronia has been running a genge business since 2002. A genge (grocery store) is usually a very basic structure made of wood with a tin roof which sells general items such as onions, tomatoes, chilli, oil, rice, and dried fish. It is the kind of place local people send their children running to fetch something when they are in the middle of cooking the evening meal and don’t have time to go all the way…

  • Lorna Dubria : Philippines

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:20 am
    $275 of $325 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009 Lorna Dubria is so disappointed about her two elder children’s (22 and 18 years old) achievements in life. They were not able reach college and now they are having the kind of life they were born to have. Being a mother, she wouldn’t want her children to remain poor for the rest of their lives. However, she can’t blame her children because, as parents, she and her husband should have supported the financial needs of their children, especially in school. But because both of them have a very small income, it is impossible to…

  • Ekrema : Palestine

    21 Nov 2009 | 3:10 am
    $475 of $2,500 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 21, 2009 Ekrema is a 24-year-old, single young man living with his parents in Ramallah city of Palestine. He has a small computer repair shop. Ekrema is requesting a loan of $2,500 to buy computer parts in order to develop his work and, therefore, his income. He thanks you.
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    La Vida Idealist

  • Nonprofit Network Launches Website

    Lisa Hetzel
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    A network of nonprofit organizations in Guatemala, known as La Antigua Guatemala Network, launched a website this week that promises to improve communication and collaboration between nongovernmental organizations in the country. Impressively, the new website has been introduced in both English and Spanish, and includes many unique features that can’t be found on other locally-based websites, such as: • A database of nonprofits in Guatemala, searchable by name, region of operation and type of work (focused on education, environmental issues, health care, etc.). Each nonprofit lists…

  • ATRAVES: Finding your “Perfect Match” in Nicaragua

    emily337
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am
    Want to volunteer in Nicaragua but not sure where to start? Are you looking for a small organization that works directly with the local population but that also fits your own personal interests? Let me guess… you can’t seem to find your perfect match on the internet. A lot of times these small organizations don’t have websites and the only way to find them is to walk through town looking. But many of us don’t want to take the chance of coming all the way down here without a concrete plan. If this sounds like you, here is one option: Through my own work here at Hogar Luceros del…

  • Write for Us!

    cellyham
    17 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am
    Are you about to embark on an altruistic adventure in Latin America? Or currently in the region and involved in your community? If the answer to either of these questions is “yes,” join us and share your experiences! If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, then you know that La Vida Idealist strives to explore all themes related the world of international community service – the good and the bad, the challenging and the rewarding. From confronting gender norms to how to get the most of your tax dollars from afar, mistakes volunteers make to tips on helping locals…

  • An Intimate Look at Villa 31 in Buenos Aires

    cellyham
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:36 pm
    Emily Anne Epstein is a photographer and writer who, after spending a year working in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is currently based in NYC. Her interest in the lives of those around her has led her to seek out work with Habitat for Humanity, Americorps, and other non-governmental organizations to support humanitarian efforts. Recently, Emily was nominated for the UNICEF photo of the year competition. A couple of weeks ago, we posted one of Emily’s audio slideshows that highlights the work of Habitat for Humanity in Argentina. Today, Emily gives us an intimate look at Villa 31, one of the…

  • Graduation Season

    Lisa Hetzel
    13 Nov 2009 | 11:11 am
    It’s technically verano in Guatemala, the opposite of rainy season, but the air has started growing cooler and crisper. (Luckily for us in the land of eternal spring, cooler and crisper only means lows of 65°F instead of the usual 75°F we enjoy for most of the year.) Each year with the cooler weather we enter into a season of celebrations, which will culminate with the December holidays. But for us at Common Hope, the major celebration of the season takes place in November: high school graduations! Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the graduation ceremony for 142 of our…
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    Trina's Nonprofit Blog

  • Social impact and mission myopia

    Trina Isakson
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:35 pm
    Image Credit: Sam Catchesides The origin of this post first came out of reading Marketing Myopia, a Harvard Business Review classic from 1960, for my MBA Venture Analysis course. But the theme comes up over and over again for me. Good drill bit companies don’t sell drill bits, they sell holes. Focus on the purpose, not the product. An aside: Yesterday was the final day of the third core course in the Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement program I’m taking. The course, Citizens Engaging Citizens: Issues and Practices, was facilitated by Charles Dobson, author of The…

  • Tongue tied and the Next Leaders Network

    Trina Isakson
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:19 pm
    Image credit: Tim Ellis I was interviewed recently for Charity Village article on an initiative of Vantage Point (formerly Volunteer Vancouver) for the next generation of nonprofit leadership in Vancouver, for which I am a steering committee member. The Next Leaders Network. You know there are some days when the words you want to say roll off your tongue exactly as you intend, and others when you can’t believe how or what you’re saying? This interview was on one of the latter days. When I hung up the phone with Karl, and even throughout the conversation, in my head I was thinking,…

  • $50,000 in creative services on offer for Vancouver/Calgary nonprofits

    Trina Isakson
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:37 am
    Near the end of my time at YWCA Vancouver, the organization was undergoing rebranding. A very expensive and time intensive endeavour. YW had most of the services donated, but it was still not cheap. And it was a bit of a pain (and I wasn’t even in the thick of it), but the results seemed pretty nice in the end. One of the things I learned from the process is that it is VERY important for your creative company to “get” you. While they have experience and knowledge with marketing/branding, etc., your organization has experience with and knowledge of your organization, its…

  • Volunteer intersectionality – grassroots vs. big image

    Trina Isakson
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:05 pm
    Image Credit: wili_hybrid Well, I’ve been a bit AWOL for the past few weeks – busy @work, crazy sick with lots of vomiting, final MBA papers due, and a recent death in the family. Let’s just say I’m glad to be moving forward from here. So a few weeks ago a young woman set up an interview with me to help her with a paper she was writing about volunteers and why they volunteer where they volunteer. She wondered what made some people work with small organizations, and others work with large organizations, like for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in…

  • Extroverts vs. introverts in the workplace

    Trina Isakson
    24 Oct 2009 | 6:45 am
    The first time I took the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), the results gave me some comfort and understanding. I had been fairly extroverted in my youth, but some long term experiences travelling and living alone helped me to realize the enjoyment I find when I have time to myself. For those of you familiar with the MBTI, you’ll understand that I’m an ‘I’ on the E-I spectrum. This means that I’m an introvert. It doesn’t mean that I’m shy, but it means that I get my energy from focusing on my “inner world”. I often get asked, to my…
 
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    Live United Blog

  • A Fond Farewell to Lauren Segal

    Liz
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:09 am
    Lauren Segal, president and CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way, is leaving us at the end of this month for greener pastures. She kindly agreed to answer a few questions as she’s wrapping things up: What are you most proud of having accomplished while you were at United Way? Lauren: There are two things that come to mind. The first is the combination of the Minneapolis and St. Paul United Ways in 2001.  No one expected it, no one thought it would happen or could happen—and we did it!  It was great fun to build a whole new organization. The second accomplishment, without a doubt,…

  • Bumpy Ride Ahead

    Liz
    11 Nov 2009 | 11:40 am
    The new unemployment numbers took a lot of people, including me, by surprise: Unemployment rose from 9.8% in September to 10.2% in October. Is isn’t the increase that surprised me—all the economists have been saying the unemployment rate is going to continue its climb, even though the recession itself is likely over. Rather, it was the size of the increase. I had just finished my October State of the Economy the previous week, which included unemployment projections of 10% by December and a peak of 10.2% in February. So I wonder if it’s peaking early, or if it’s going to peak a lot…

  • Community Window: Conversations with the Homeless

    Liz
    2 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pm
    Andrea Ferstan, our intrepid reporter impact manager in the area of homeless prevention, recently helped out with the Wilder Homeless Study count—interviewing people about the unfortunate circumstance they have found themselves in. (Every three years Wilder Research issues a report on homelessness in Minnesota, based on headcounts and interviews. This invaluable report gives us information about the causes, effects and circumstances surrounding homelessness, including specific subgroups such as youth, veterans, and older adults.)  She was kind enough to answer a few questions about her…

  • Hear Us Roar

    Liz
    23 Oct 2009 | 11:48 am
    Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo at World Economic Forum 2008 A couple of days ago I picked up the new Time magazine at Lunds (an impulse purchase I usually resist since I don’t even keep up with the magazines I subscribe to) because the cover story caught my eye—The State of the American Woman. It’s a fun article—lots of charts and graphs, lots of data, with comparisons to 1972 (when Time had a forerunner cover story—the New Woman). It was heartening in many ways. It is so easy to be focused on the glass is half empty (women still make only 77¢ for every $1 that a man…

  • An Earthquake in St. Paul

    Liz
    15 Oct 2009 | 9:39 am
    The Wilder Foundation announced some serious cuts yesterday—nearly a third of their staff and 35% of their budget. Gone. I first heard news of it yesterday morning. Vague, but specific enough to have the ring of truth. I felt stunned through most of the day. I know these people. I work with these people. The Wilder Foundation is a community institution with vital programming. They help thousands and thousands of people every year. It’s like hearing about an earthquake in another country where you have relatives but you can’t get through on the phone. And today it’s in the news and I…
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    Nonprofit Wake Up Call

  • Websites That Work Seminar at United Way of Westchester

    Howard Adam Levy
    13 Nov 2009 | 9:34 am
    Nonprofits seek to improve their websites for many reasons: Raising Money Building a Community of Supporters Improving Membership Rates Increasing Participation in Programs Promoting Events Educating People About an Issue Inspiring Action Increasing Visibility and Clout Demonstrating Viability to Funders These were the key points I made at our Websites That Work seminar at the United Way of Westchester yesterday. The 3-hour session helped nonprofits to understand the essential steps in the website process which include: Determine your objectives. Assess your site. Identify your audience.

  • Handling the Big Questions

    Howard Adam Levy
    9 Nov 2009 | 2:02 pm
    Red Rooster Group has been handling some big-picture questions recently: Should a huge, 100 year-old Jewish organization with an older donor base retrench its strategy to attract the younger generation of donors, and if so, how? How can a Jewish federation serving a population with divergent interests build a cohesive community that boosts the fundraising of all Jewish organizations in the county? How can a Jewish social service agency serving an Orthodox community unify its six operating divisions and address taboo social concerns, while instilling an obligation to support the…

  • A Nonprofit Sector-Wide Conference Can Bring Needed Clout

    Howard Adam Levy
    29 Oct 2009 | 4:41 pm
    Dan Pallotta calls for TED-like, sector-wide conference for the nonprofit and philanthropic worlds asserting that it will be a perfect vehicle for massive change. I couldn’t agree more. And understanding the reticence of nonprofits to see themselves as a sector, I want to add that another benefit of bringing together the various appendages of the philanthropic world is to generate much needed clout for the nonprofit sector in gaining the goodwill of Congress and the various oversight agencies. For a sector that has been picking up the government’s slack in caring for the public…

  • Red Rooster Group Wins MARK Award

    Howard Adam Levy
    27 Oct 2009 | 9:59 am
    Red Rooster Group, in a joint project with Moss Appeal, won a Silver MARK Award of Excellence for developing a “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 the…

  • Top Jewish Charities

    Howard Adam Levy
    27 Oct 2009 | 9:32 am
    The Chronicle of Philanthropy is out with its annual list of the largest 400 nonprofits. Here’s a quick look at how the Jewish ones on the list fared in 2008 — by rank, level of private support and performance compared to 2007 (thanks to Gil Shefler): Source: By Jacob Berkman, The Fundermentalist. ▪ 40. Jewish Federations of North America: $398,400,000 (-25.3 percent) ▪ 55. Jewish Communal Funds (New York): $299,300,000 (-26.9 percent) ▪ 71. American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee: $244,700,000  (+1.3 percent) ▪ 108. Yeshiva University: $182,880,000 (+23.8 percent)…
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