Indian eye care group wins top world aid prize

An organization in India that provides eye care for the poor has been awarded a $1.5-million prize for humanitarian aid. Aravind Eye Care System, which performs 300,000 free or subsidized eye surgeries a year, is the winner of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, which has been awarded annually since 1996 by the late hotel magnate's foundation. The honor, which was announced on March 5, will be presented April 20 in Redwood City, Calif.

Full text article by Ros Krasny is available via Reuters, 3/5/10.

Getting more back from giving

A new study of Los Angeles County nonprofit groups concludes that spending on advocacy and local organizing can yield significant returns for the people and neighborhoods the organizations aim to serve. Every dollar spent by advocacy groups in the study produced $91 in benefits to local residents, according to the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, in Washington.

Full text article by Alexandra Zavis is available via The Los Angeles Times, 3/2/10.

Fund-Raising Efforts for Chile Off to a Slow Start as Needs Remain Unclear

Donations are starting to trickle in to aid survivors of the massive earthquake in Chile—but at significantly lower levels than after the January 12 earthquake in Haiti. The slow pace of donations is largely because the government of Chile is in a better position to deal with the destruction than the impoverished country of Haiti, said a spokeswoman from Oxfam America.

Full text article by Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3/1/10.

Poor coordination biggest problem for relief work - report

While humanitarian organizations collectively have far more money and employees than a decade ago, coordinating their efforts remains the key challenge in global relief work. The network's State of the Humanitarian System report—compiled from 500 interviews, mostly with staff members at United Nations and nonprofit aid agencies—found that at times of crisis, relief groups often fall short due to poor coordination and a lack of strong leadership. The findings echo criticisms of aid groups' performance in Haiti, where poor communication and other coordination issues have delayed delivery of food and medical supplies.

Full text article by Olesya Dmitracova is available via AlertNet, 2/10/10.

YouTube Pairs Video Artists and Charities in New Volunteer Section

The online video channel YouTube is pairing charities and creative video producers to develop fund-raising and promotional spots keyed to a different issue or cause each month. The site's Video Volunteers page has attracted about 75 new videos a month since it made its debut in October. The best videos on each theme—February's is health—are featured on YouTube's main page, which can mean massive exposure for both the video artist and the spotlighted charity. Many of the clips employ quirky humor or reference famous videos made viral by the site.

Full text article by Doug Gross is available via CNN, 2/11/10.

Charity hospitals get one-year reprieve in state budget proposal

Louisiana's charity-hospital system will get a one-year reprieve from sweeping budget changes designed to shift mental-health money from state institutions to private and neighborhood care options. The charity system, run by Louisiana State University, was facing the prospect of closing several small hospitals due to budget pressure. But the state's Health and Hospitals Secretary, Alan Levine, said Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposed 2010-11 spending plan provides enough money to get the system through the year while a long-term plan for its future is developed.

Full text article by Jan Moller is available via The Times-Picayune, 2/10/10.

Two Charities Start Fund to Help Haitians in New York

Two big New York charities have started a fund to support organizations that help the city's Haitian residents deal with the disaster in their native land. The NYC Haitian Community Hope and Healing Fund, created by the United Way of New York City and the Brooklyn Community Foundation, will make grants to help nonprofit groups that provide immigration help, education and employment training, grief counseling, and other services to local Haitians. Organizers say the effort is driven in part by expectations that needs in New York will grow as Haitians flee the devastated island.

Full text article by Kirk Semple is available via The New York Times, 2/10/10.

Gates Foundation Makes Changes to Improve Its Operations

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is taking several management steps designed to improve its ability to help impoverished people in developing countries and its other beneficiaries. It is now trying to clarify its strategies and decision making both for its employees and grant recipients, Jeff Raikes, the organization’s chief executive, said in an interview at the foundation’s Washington office.

Full text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2/10/10.

Seeing How Far $100 Can Go

The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy, started by a Brooklyn writer to promote unusual acts of small-scale giving, was born when the author Courtney Martin received a six-figure book advance and handed nine friends $100 each to give away in a creative way. Now four years old, the organization is sustained by "agents" who give prospective members $100 with a similar injunction. Members gather annually at dance parties to share how they spent the money, with stories from the past year ranging from Haiti relief donations to "pay-it-forward" acts of kindness.

Full text article by Susan Dominus is available via The New York Times, 2/8/10.

St. Vincent’s Gets Loans for a Four-Week Reprieve

A combination of state loans and assistance from creditors will help New York's St. Vincent's Hospital stay afloat for another four weeks while officials seek a long-term solution to the facility's financial woes. St. Vincent's, the city's last Catholic general hospital, is $700-million in debt and seeking a partner to avoid a second bankruptcy in five years. Continuum Health Partners, one of New York's largest hospital systems, has offered to step in but wants to make St. Vincent's an outpatient center.

Full text article by Anemona Hartocollis is available via The New York Times, 2/3/10.

Many Nonprofit Programs Hold Even or See Gains in Obama’s Proposed 2011 Budget

The $3.8-trillion federal budget that President Obama has proposed for 2011 seems to avoid major cuts in many social-service programs and adds money to some. For example, the president would increase spending on Head Start and Early Head Start, which help children. Mr. Obama wants an additional $989-million for the programs in fiscal 2011, an increase of more than 13 percent, in order to continue to serve 64,000 additional children and families that are covered by the economic-stimulus law that was enacted last year.

Full text article by Grant Williams is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2/1/10.

SE hospital believes nonprofit status could help finances

Washington's United Medical Center is seeking charitable status to stave off a worsening financial crisis and continue serving the city's poorest neighborhoods. Frank G. DeLisi, the hospital's chief executive, said the conversion would save the center hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax bills, lift fund raising, and qualify it for higher Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements.

Full text article by Tim Craig is available via The Washington Post, 1/24/10.

More Older Americans Volunteer Casually, Survey Finds

The share of older Americans who are volunteering has held steady since 2003, but they are giving fewer hours per month, and are increasingly likely to volunteer on their own rather than solely through an organization, according to a new survey by AARP, the national membership organization for Americans age 50 and older.

Full text article by Heather Joslyn is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/19/10.

A New York Volunteer Effort Will Soon Spread to 10 Cities

A New York effort that has enlisted 18,000 volunteers since starting last spring will spread to 10 more cities. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined his Chicago counterpart, Richard M. Daley, and Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, to announce grants of $200,000 each to Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, Newark, N.J., Omaha, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Seattle, and Savannah, Ga., through the new Cities of Service Coalition. The funds will pay for a “chief service officer” to develop and run volunteer programs in the 10 cities, which were chosen from among 50 applicants.

Full text article by Diane Cardwell is available via The New York Times, 1/17/10.

The Future Starts Now

Some nonprofit leaders and futurists are looking beyond the immediate concerns of the bad economy to ponder what the charity world will look like in the next 10 years. The Chronicle’s special report looks at key changes in technology, demographics, and other issues that will affect philanthropy.
Full text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/14/10.

Using Twitter to Keep Connected With Supporters

Allison Fine, the host of Social Good, talks to Jake Brewer, engagement director of the Sunlight Foundation, to discuss how Twitter can help organizations expand their influence as well as stay in touch with supporters.
Full text article is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1/8/10.

Does Service Learning Really Help?

College courses that incorporate volunteerism are now part of the curriculum at most colleges and universities. The article cites the positive and negative experiences of several community groups in college towns. Well-coordinated programs can provide needed aid for nonprofit organizations, but supervising the volunteers can be a financial and administrative burden for smaller charities.

Full text article by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 12/29/09.

Two Very Different Groups, One Fund-Raising Event

A desire for cross pollination and cost savings drove the decision by two New York charities to combine their year-end young professionals events into a joint fund raiser. This year the Alliance for the Arts invited New York Lawyers for the Public Interest to incorporate its year-end event into the party.

Full text article by Nicole Wallace is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/10/09.

In recognition of the recession’s severe impact on charities, the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance announced today that it will allow organizations more leeway in meeting its standards for how much they spend on fund-raising and program activities. But for the fiscal years ending in 2008 through June 2010, the agency announced, charities that spend up to 45 percent of contributions on fund raising and as little as 55 percent on programs will still receive the Wise Giving Alliance stamp of approval, so long as they comply with the other 18 standards.

Full text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/3/09.

New Exchange Seeks to Help Charities Expand

Many nonprofit groups with demonstrated results still struggle to raise money to spread their programs, despite plenty of talk in the philanthropic world over the past decade about focusing dollars on what works. That mixed record has prompted interest in a capital marketplace, not unlike the stock market, where money would flow naturally to charities offering the best programs.

Full text article by Ben Gose is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 11/12/09.

Philanthropy Sponsors Interfaith Thanksgiving Breakfast at DC Soup Kitchen

On Thanksgiving morning, Miriam’s Kitchen will host approximately 150 homeless guests with the support of ML Resources Social Vision. The soup kitchen, located in Foggy Bottom, was founded in 1983 when The George Washington University Hillel Student Association, Western Presbyterian Church and United Church responded to an urgent need for services to the homeless. Miriam’s Kitchen serves daily nutritious meals to the homeless, and also runs an after breakfast program, providing a range of case management services for its guests.

Full text article is available via ML Resources, 11/23/09.

Most Charities Are Trying Social Media, But Few Can Measure Its Impact

Nearly all charities are experimenting with social-media tools like Facebook and Twitter to get attention for their groups, but few have found ways to measure the tools’ usefulness, according to a new survey. The survey of 200 charity and foundation professionals, conducted by the public-relations firm Weber Shandwick, found that 88 percent of groups have tested the tools, but only 51 percent are using them regularly.

Full text article by Caroline Preston is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 11/12/09.

Nonprofit consortium to raise funds lost from United Way

Seven major charities in and around Philadelphia have started a collective marketing and fund-raising effort in response to their loss last year of United Way support. Members of the GivePhilly consortium, which includes local chapters of the YMCA, the Salvation Army, and the Boys and Girls Clubs, are among 44 organizations to which the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania reduced or eliminated support due to a shift in its spending philosophy. The United Way is now focusing on solving specific problems and supporting programs that show results in those areas rather than underwriting charities’ operating budgets.

Full text article by Christopher K. Hepp is available via The Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/12/09.

Senate Committee Passes Health-Care Bill with Charity Provisions

The Senate Finance Committee Tuesday passed health-care legislation that would allow small charities to receive a tax credit to help them provide health insurance to their employees.
The bill, approved by a 14-9 vote, would also require nonprofit hospitals to conduct “a community health needs assessment” at least once every three years and take other steps.

Full-text post by Suzanne Perry and Grant Williams is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 10/13/09.

Red Cross to Auction Off Little Pieces of Its History

The American Red Cross will sell off dozens of the historic and art treasures it has kept stored near Washington as part of its effort to close a $50-million budget deficit. The auction, including a Cartier clock lamp, original Christmas Seals, and a wax doll raffled off in 1864 to raise money for the care of Union soldiers, will begin next month and aims to raise $200,000. The charity will also save $3-million by shuttering its warehouse in Lorton, Va., and contracting out storage and archival operations.

Full-text post by Stephanie Strom is available via The New York Times, 10/2/09.

A Home Run for Harlem

Harlem RBI, a community-based nonprofit created to support youth development through sports activity and team participation, and its valuable summer program has just broken its all-time fundraising record. The organization hosted its annual Bids for Kids, honoring the Executive Vice President for Business of Major League Baseball Tim Brosnan, where the combined take from ticket sales and an auction exceeded $1.5 million, the greatest amount raised in its 18-year history.
Full-text post by Susan Carey Dempsey is available via onPhilanthropy, 9/15/09.

Charities Feel the Credit Crunch

Nonprofit organizations are in for a tough year of tightening credit markets and a deepening recession, according to two new reports from a credit-rating service.

Full-text article by Debra E. Blum is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1.27.09.

Food Pantries Adopt New Approaches as Demand Grows

As demand for their services continues to rise, food pantries are taking new approaches to provide more people with food and other resources, reports The New York Times.

Full-text article available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12.10.08.

Minnesota Adopts Model Charitable Endowment and Investment Law

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) into law on April 10, allowing more flexibility in endowment spending policies for charitable organizations. The law will take effect on August 1 and replaces Minnesota's Uniform Management of Institutional Funds Act that has been in place since 1973.

Full-text article available via Faegre & Benson, LLP., 4.2008.

As wealthy institutions report record fund-raising gains, social-service groups struggle to stay afloat

Signs of a growing fund-raising divide between wealthy organizations and other charities are growing starker.

Full-text article by Holly Hall is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1.10.08. [Subscription required.]