Social Innovation Fund Issues Call for Grant Proposals

The Corporation for National and Community Service issued its final notice today on how it plans to spend the Social Innovation Fund, paving the way for organizations to prepare their grant applications. The notice includes several changes to an outline that the agency issued last month on how it would award the $50-million in grants designed to help nonprofit groups expand promising approaches to social problems. Notably, the agency cut the minimum grant award from $5-million to $1-million—responding to concerns that it would be difficult for some applicants to produce the required matching funds for the higher amount.
Full text article by Suzanne Perry is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2/16/10.

2010: Daunting Challenges Face the Nonprofit World

The nonprofit world is about to face the toughest year in its history. By every measure, 2010 could be far more painful for charities and the people they serve than any other they have known.

Full text article by Noelle Barton, Maria Di Mento, Holly Hall, Peter Panepento, Suzanne Perry, Caroline Preston, Christopher Thompson, Nicole Wallace, Ian Wilhelm, and Grant Williams is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/10/09.

Top Philanthropy Events of the Last 10 Years

As we approach 2010, nonprofit blog writers are taking a look back at the previous decade and asking: What were the biggest moment for the nonprofit world?

Full text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/28/09.

Five Trends Help to Create "Nonprofits of the Future," Report Says

The nonprofit field isn’t going to simply bounce back a few years from now to the state it was in before the recession. That’s the message behind a new report by La Piana Consulting, which explores five trends that are hastening the emergence of a new nonprofit landscape.

Full text article by Caroline Prestion is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 11/9/09.

Many Charities Change Investment Mixes

Seventy-one percent of American nonprofit organizations in a new survey say they are making changes in how they allocate their invested assets, in the wake of staggering losses brought on by the recession and market volatility.

Full-text article by Heather Joslyn is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 7.8.09.

News-Media Organizations Meet to Plan Nonprofit Investigative Network

In a column that appeared on PoynterOnline, a former newspaper executive analyzes the prospects for foundation-supported journalism as more than two-dozen news-media organizations meet this week to discuss forming a national nonprofit investigative network.

Full-text article by David Westphal is available via PoynterOnline, 6.29.09.

2 New Surveys Confirm Charity Leaders' Perceptions: Recession's Impact Runs Deep

Two surveys of charity officials released today show that 80 percent to 90 percent of nonprofit groups are under financial stress, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

Capital Campaigns in the Recession

The recession is particularly tough for nonprofit organizations that are conducting capital campaigns. Many donors are holding off on making big gifts. At the same time, access to credit is tight.

Read the transcript from The Chronicle of Philanthropy's online discussion, 6.25.09.

The First Longitudinal Study of Usage by the Largest US Charities

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research recently completed one of the first statistically significant, longitudinal studies on the usage of social media by United States charities.

The new study compares organizational adoption of social media in 2007 and 2008 by the 200 largest charities in the United States as compiled annually by Forbes Magazine. For complete details on Forbes Magazine's list of the largest charities, please visit their website at Forbes.com.

For more information, please visit The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research.

Why Non-Profits Are So Good at Social Media

Online community and social media are hot areas for business these days, as companies recognize the Internet's potential to deepen customer relationships, share knowledge and strengthen teams. In the nonprofit sector, relationships have always been the key currency: the relationships with the members, donors and supporters that NGOs depend on for volunteer labor, financial support and advocacy muscle.

Full-text blog post by Alexandra Samuel is available via HarvardBusiness.org, 6.16.09.

Nonprofits Learn to Stretch a Buck

Many nonprofits scrambling to cover costs has prompted organizations big and small to consider new ideas — from different ways of approaching deep-pocketed donors, to marshalling volunteers, or creating alliances with groups that in some ways may have been rivals.

Full-text article by Kari Huus is available via MSNBC.com, 6.9.09.

Minnesota Nonprofit Leaders Win New Law on Property-Tax Exemptions

Minnesota nonprofit leaders have won the final leg of their campaign to clarify state law governing charitable property-tax exemptions in the wake of what they considered a damaging Minnesota Supreme Court decision.

Full-text article by Suzanne Perry is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 6.3.09.

One Third of Bay Area Nonprofit Groups Fear Closure Within the Year

One-third of San Francisco-area nonprofit groups are worried they may have to shut down in the next year, and 34 percent say they have no more than two months’ worth of operating funds in reserve, according to a survey by the regional United Way.

Full-text article by Maria Stokes is available via Live United, 5.28.09.

Study Finds Glut of Charities in Texas Capital

With more than 6,300 charitable organizations, Austin has Texas’s most crowded nonprofit field, a situation that could be creating inefficiency and duplication of effort.

Full-text article by Andrea Ball is available via The American-Statesman, 5.26.09.

Senate Proposes Change for Nonprofit Hospitals

The two top members of the Senate Finance Committee have released what they call policy options for revamping the nation’s health-care system that include a change in how the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals would be handled under federal law.

Full-text blog posting is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Government and Politics Watch, 5.19.09.

Six Online Fund Raising Campaigns That Work

Nonprofit groups are increasingly looking for effective ways to raise money online. But many groups are still unsure which strategies actually work. Take a look at six recent efforts that are generating significant money for organizations via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, May 2009.

Nonprofits Can Capitalize on Economic Downturn

Since the stock market began its downward spiral last fall, it has attempted to drag endowments, private donations, and government funding down with it. Now is the
time for nonprofits to view the economic slump as a golden opportunity to fortify themselves by building relationships with their donors.

Full-text article by Michelle Bononan and Naree Viner is available via The Pasadena Star-News, 5.2.09.

Young Workers Discuss Their Future in the Nonprofit World

The economic crisis is shaking up the nonprofit world in ways that are making it more difficult for young workers to find jobs but could also present them with new and unusual opportunities to advance, said speakers and participants at a conference in Washington that wrapped up on Saturday.

Full-text article by Caroline Preston is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 4.27.09.

The Nonprofit World's Leadership Gap

Even though waves of business executives are flocking to charities for senior jobs, nonprofit groups are still struggling to recruit talented top managers.

A study finds that at least 24,000 positions are likely to come open in 2009 — and that the widely anticipated leadership deficit is widening faster than first predicted.

Full-text article by Heather Joslyn is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 4.20.09. [Subscription required.]

How Charities Are Coping

If you think that the recession is clobbering for-profit enterprises, just consider the tough times that some not-for-profit enterprises are encountering. If they hope to top last year's records, America's philanthropies don't stand a prayer.

Full-text article by Marshall Loeb is available via MarketWatch, 4.9.09.

Non-Profits Fail to Capture Highest Possible Online Donations

People would be willing to give money to charities, and even give a greater amount of money through online donations if only it was easier for them to find out from the organization's website what its mission and goals were and its plans for spending the money.

Full-text press release is available via BusinessWire, 4.3.09.

Nonprofits Increase 'Gift Tax' On Donors

As charities say, it takes money to raise money -- and a growing number of organizations are tapping donors for those costs through what's known as a "gift tax."

Full-text article by Shelly Banjo and Melissa Korn is available via The Wall Street Journal, 4.6.09.

Charity Dries Up in U.K.

As a rule, charitable giving lags falls in other parts of the economy by about a year. Right on schedule, charities in the U.K. are seeing donations decrease, forcing them to lay off staff, seek new sources of funding or close entirely.

Full-text article by Tara Loader Wilkinson is available via The Wall Street Journal, 4.7.09.

State of Fund Raising

Sixty percent of nonprofit groups are expecting gifts to their organizations to either increase or remain about the same in 2009 when compared with 2008, according to a survey conducted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

That number suggests the recession, while painful, is not going to be a crippling blow to many organizations, said Paulette Maehara, president of the association, in an interview in New Orleans just before the association’s annual meeting opened there.

The fund-raisers group plans to release detailed findings from the survey in May 2008.

Full-text article by Peter Panepento is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.29.09.

Don't Discount the Value or Distress of Nonprofits

The economic downturn has prompted congressional action to shore up the financial sector and get credit flowing. What's been missing is a concerted effort to respond to a quiet crisis in America - the plight of the nonprofit sector that cares for those hurting most from the economic recession.

Full-text article by John M. Bridgeland and Bruce Reed is available via The Detroit Free Press, 3.23.09.

Nonprofit Squeeze: Donations Down, Volunteers Up

One in two nonprofits says its funding has fallen, according to "The Quiet Crisis," a new report by Civic Enterprises, a social-issues think tank. When the economy was this rotten in the early 1970s, charitable giving fell more than 9%, adjusted for inflation. Experts believe something like that will occur in this recession too.

Full-text article by Dan Kadlec is available via Time, 3.19.09.

Obama's Tax Plan Will Hurt Nonprofits

A 28% cap on deductions would reduce giving at a time when charities already are reeling.

Full-text article by Sandy Weill is available via BusinessWeek, 3.12.09.

Raising Money in Hard Times

Fund raisers across the country are trying new approaches to attract and keep donors. The Chronicle offers a 10-step battle plan for making the best of a tough fund-raising climate based on interviews with charity leaders and fund-raising experts.

This special report is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2.26.09.

Raising Money For Nonprofits In Terrible Times

Nonprofits are in trouble just like profit-making businesses. Most are battling not only declining revenue but also rising demand for their services. As a result, their fundraisers are having to come up with novel ways of bringing in cash. Some are working with former donors, now laid off, to see if they can give amounts that won't break their wallets. Others are going after non-traditional groups. Or they're turning to social-networking sites and other modern technology.

Full-text article by Alex Davidson is available via Forbes, 2.12.09.

Battered Nonprofits Seek to Tap Nest Eggs

Universities, museums and other nonprofits battered by investment losses are pushing states to ease legal limits on spending so they can tap their endowments to avoid imminent layoffs and deep cuts to programs.

Full-text article by John Hechinger and Jennifer Levitz is available via the Wall Street Journal, 2.11.09.

Update on Senate Economic-Stimulus Package

The economic-stimulus package passed by the Senate today does not include a number of measures that nonprofit and foundation leaders had proposed to help ease the impact of the recession on the philanthropic world.

Full-text article by Suzanne Perry and Grant Williams is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2.10.09.

Taking a Big Hit

Grant makers have lost about a third of their assets in the stock-market slide, but many nevertheless plan to maintain or increase their level of giving this year, according to a new Chronicle survey.

Full-text article by Noelle Barton and Ian Wilhelm is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2.12.09. [Subscription required.]

Nonprofits Scramble for Funding

With endowments and donations shrinking and demand for some services rising, nonprofits are using all their ingenuity to raise enough money to stay afloat.

Full-text article by Prashant Gopal is available via BusinessWeek, 2.4.09.

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.

Boston May Seek More Money From Nonprofit Institutions

Boston’s mayor is forming a task force to study how the city might increase the payments it receives from nonprofit institutions in lieu of taxes — especially the city’s numerous education and health-care organizations, reports The Boston Globe.

The universities and hospitals, which are exempt from property taxes because of their nonprofit status, pay voluntary fees to the city in varying amounts, the paper reports. If such Boston organizations were required to pay property tax, they would pay a combined $350-million to $400-million each year, city officials tell the paper. Instead, they give the city a combined $32.4-million, the Globe reports.

Full-text article by Donovan Slack is available via the Boston Globe, 12.9.08.

Free Report: Twitter Jump Start - The Twitter Guide for Small Non-Profits

This Twitter Guide includes details on:

* Choosing a user-name and photo that will engage other Twitter users
* How to create a Twitter Profile that will make folks want to learn more about your non-profit
* How to find Twitter users that already support your cause
* How to find new donors who are already sold on your non-profit
* How to turn those supporters into raving fans
* How to automatically post any news regarding your non-profit
* How to make sure that folks visit your website and stay interested
* 10 Twitter tips to increase online donations (plus 1 bonus)
* Survey results on Twitter use from hundreds of non-profits

The report is available via CorporateDollar.org, 11.2008.

10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals To Strengthen U.S. Communities

The Aspen Institute's Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program strives to improve the operation of the nonprofit sector and philanthropy through research, leadership education, and communication initiatives focused on critical nonprofit issues. One of the program's recent publications, Mobilizing Change: 10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals To Strengthen U.S. Communities, is a compilation of proposals of leading thinkers in the field who are working to address social problems and improve the lives of those in need through nonprofit/government policies. The report summarizes each proposal and explains how it would work, who would be affected, and the action required to make it happen. The report is available for free download through the Aspen Institute's website.

Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center

The National Council of Nonprofits developed this ever-evolving resource to help nonprofits and our allies better understand the situation and have ready access to strategies to help you navigate the economy so nonprofits can serve their communities more efficiently.

Access to this resource is available via the National Council of Nonprofits website.

Dubai Charity Gives Millions to U.S. Group

A year-old Dubai philanthropy is investing in a California-based education nonprofit organization, extending the growing reach of new well-funded Arab charities.

Full-text article by Robert A. Guth is available via the Wall Street Journal, 11.11.08.

TC50: Causecast, One Stop Philanthropy Shop

Causecast.com is a philanthropic site that brings a number of major figures in politics and entertainment together to pitch and bring attention to 10 non-profit companies a month.

Full-text article by John Biggs is available via the Wall Street Journal, 9.10.08.

Wealthy Donors Say They Will Support Operating Costs

In deciding which charities to support, many wealthy donors do not judge nonprofit organizations by how much they spend on overhead costs — despite the popularity of that measure among watchdog groups and others according to a recent survey by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy.

Full-text article by Holly Hall is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 9.11.08.

How the Struggling Economy Is Hurting Donations

The latest victims of the sagging economy: charities. Philanthropy is tethered directly to the health of the overall economy, and in particular to the health of the upper-middle-class consumer. If the past is any guide, it's likely to be a lean year for nonprofits.

Full-text article by Daniel Gross is available via Newsweek, 6.12.08.

Other article of interest:
"Philanthropy Has Seen Better Days," by Tatyana Gershkovich via BusinessWeek, 6.13.08.

eNonprofit Benchmarks Study

M+R Strategic Services and NTEN have announced the release of an updated eNonprofit Benchmarks Study for 2008.

The study analyzes online messaging, fundraising, and advocacy data from 21 leading nonprofit organizations in order to provide readers with reliable current information.

Questions answered by the study include: How does your email list stack up against other nonprofits? Is it just your open rate that’s declining, or are all nonprofits seeing the same results? And just what is a good online fundraising response rate?

Download the study via eNonprofits Benchmarks Study.

Nonprofit Sector Grows

U.S. nonprofits are a critical part of the U.S. economy, employing almost 13 million people, paying nearly $490 billion in wages, and making up 5 percent of gross national product, a new report says.

Over the past 10 years, the sector has expanded in almost every dimension, says the 2008 Nonprofit Almanac, published by the Urban Institute Press.

The report, with over 200 pages of statistics and analysis, details the size and scope of the nonprofit sector and compares trends among nonprofits to other sectors of the U.S. economy in the areas of wages and employment, giving and volunteering and finances.

Full-text article is available via the Philanthropy Journal, 5.19.08.

Complete report: The Nonprofit Almanac 2008, by Kennard T. Wing, Thomas H. Pollak, and Amy Blackwood, is available from the Urban Institute Press (paper, 9" x 11", 270 pages, ISBN 978-0-87766-736-0, $39.50).

The Nonprofit World: Its Size and Scope

Nonprofit groups are growing faster than the rest of the economy, according to figures released this month by the Urban Institute in Washington.

While the U.S. gross domestic product increased by approximately 35 percent from 1995to 2005, after adjusting for inflation, the revenue of nonprofit groups rose by nearly 55 percent and their total assets grew by 77 percent.

Full-text article available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 5.15.08. [Subscription required.]

The Nonprofit Almanac 2008 is available from the Urban Institute Press for $39.50.

Social Networks: A Tool for Fundraising

Last winter, the Case Foundation launched an experiment in online giving, partnering with two media outlets, Parade Magazine and Facebook, to promote grassroots fundraising through Web 2.0 tools like social networks and charity badges.

Together, the giving challenges pulled in some 80,000 donors and raised more than $1.7 million for thousands of causes, not counting the extra $750,000 put up by Case and partners as prize money for causes with the largest number of unique donors.

The challenges brought some insightful revelations about the benefits of Web 2.0 fundraising.

Full-text article by Elizabeth Floyd is available via The Philanthropy Journal, 5.6.08.

Minnesota fundraising report finds nonprofits seeking $1.5 billion

For the first time since 1997, the Minnesota Council on Foundations has published a report on capital and endowment fundraising campaigns among the state's nonprofits.

The total for current campaigns: a hefty $1.5 billion, but more than half of the amount comes from two college campaigns.

Full-text report "Capital and Endowment Campaigns in Minnesota: 2007 - 2008" is available via The Minnesota Council of Foundations.

Some Nonprofit Hospitals Demand Payments Before Treating Patients

In an effort to reduce debt and costs associated with treating uninsured or poor people, some nonprofit hospitals are asking patients to make payments before they receive treatment.

Full-text article by Barbara Martinez is available via The Wall Street Journal, 4.28.08. [Subscription required.]

Back to Basics

More charities are seeking — and getting — operating support. Article includes a table outlining grant makers that provide the most money in operating support grants.

Full-text article by Elizabeth Schwinn is available via The Chronicle of Philantropy, 5.1.08. [Subscription required.]

Fund-Raising Appeals

Lawmakers who want to discourage charities from spending too much money on fund raising are considering introducing legislation to require nonprofit groups to post information for donors to a Postal Service Web site, including the ratio of their fund-raising costs to program spending.

Full-text article by Elizabeth Schwinn is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 4.25.08. [Subscription required.]

Nonprofits could find donations dwindling as economy limps along

Although most nonprofit organizations appear to be weathering the latest economic downturn, uncertainty remains, reports The Boston Globe.

Smaller social-service agencies are already feeling the pinch, and even large educational and cultural institutions that typically have a hefty endowment cushion are worried about how changing financial conditions might affect their higher-end donors. In response, some groups are now seeking new ways to structure gifts.

Full-text article by Sascha Pfeiffer via The Boston Globe, 3.26.08.

Google for Nonproft Groups

The Internet search company Google has opened a “new portal” for nonprofit groups that explains how to adopt various Google applications for charitable work.

Full-text article by Sam Kean is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 3.19.08. [Subscription required.]

The Problem With Nonprofits

Q&A with Billy Shore, founder and executive director of nonprofit Share Our Strength.

Full-text article by Justin Ewers is available via U.S. News & World Report, 3.4.08.

Nonprofit turnover lower than for-profit

The average job turnover rate among nonprofit employers is 21 percent, less than half the average for private industry, a new study says.

The share of employees leaving private firms was nearly 45 percent in 2006, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, more than twice the 21 percent nonprofit turnover rate measured by online job site Opportunity Knocks in 2007.

Full-text article via Philanthropy Journal, 3.5.08.

Nonprofits Escape Economic Slowdown

One sector of the economy that seems to be thriving is the philanthropic sector. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, "Twenty donors made gifts of $100 million or more last year, just shy of the record of 21 such gifts made in 2006, according to The Chronicle's annual ranking of the 50 most-generous Americans. And despite a turbulent economy, fundraisers seeking donations of $10 million or more predict another strong year of big gifts in 2008."

Full-text article by Bonnie Erbe is available via U.S. News & World Report, 1.28.08.

Hospitals' charity work hard to assess

The California state auditor's office recently recommended that lawmakers give nonprofit hospitals more specific instructions on how to determine the value of services they provide to the cities and towns they serve, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Full-text article by Mary Engel is available via the Los Angeles Times, 12.14.07.

Nonprofit Governance Index

The results of the Nonprofit Governance Index 2007 survey, which BoardSource conducted in June 2007,show that while many nonprofits have put the critical components of good governance in place, much room for improvement remains.

Full-report is available via BoardSource.

Minnesota Residents Show High Trust in Charities

Minnesotans have a higher level of trust for nonprofit organizations than the rest of the country according to a study conducted by the Charities Review Council.

The study compiled responses from more than 600 Minnesotans to determine their trust of nonprofit and for-profit institutions.

Ninety-four percent of respondents said they give time or money to charity. Eighty-three percent of respondents said they trust the organizations to which they donate.

Charities Review Council, 10.2007.

Fantasy Philanthropy League

In an effort to improve the nonprofit capital market, instituting a fantasy philanthropy league might be just the ticket to establish metrics,raise more money...and doesn't have to be a fantasy.

Full-text article by Douglas K. Smith via Slate, 10.19.07.

Achieving Diversity at Nonprofit Organizations

The Chronicle of Philanthropy issued a special report on diversity at nonprofit organizations. The following articles are included in the report:

Image vs. Reality: The nonprofit world's ideal of inclusion is still a dream for many organizations by Heather Joslyn;

Inching to the Top: Nonprofit managers who are minorities search for a quicker way up the ladder by Michael Anft;

Grants for Growth: Foundations are undertaking efforts to make the nonprofit world's leadership more diverse by Caroline Preston;

Leading the Way: Diversity officers seek to move their organizations toward an inclusive featureby Sandy Asirvatham.

For more information, please visit The Chronicle of Philanthropy. [Subscription required].

Forces for Good

Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant have spent three years the practices that characterize high-performing nonprofit organizations.

The authors lay out their findings in Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits (John Wiley & Sons), which goes on sale in October.

Ms. Crutchfield is a managing director at Ashoka, a nonprofit organization that supports social entrepreneurship, and a consultant to foundations and charities. Ms. Grant is a consultant to nonprofit groups and a senior adviser to Stanford University's Center for Social Innovation.

Full-text article by Ben Gose available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 10.4.07. [Subscription required.]

Managing nonprofits: Doing good takes some doing

Only six percent of MBA students plan to enter the nonprofit world after graduation. Nonprofits need talented leaders who can manage donor dollars as well as if they were shareholder investments in the profit world.

The nonprofit sector will need 640,000 new senior managers in the next decade to fill positions created by the sector's growth, as well as vacancies left by retiring baby boomers, according to the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consultancy.

Full-text article by Michael D. Kerlin available via Newsday.com, 10.1.07.