Counting Bequest Gifts – Now or Later?

Q.  How should bequests be treated in a campaign setting?

“I recently ran across a statistic showing that an organization is more likely to receive a bequest gift, once it has been put into a will, than it is to receive full completion of a five-year pledge. So bequests, though not irrevocable, are relatively reliable. With that being said, all good fundraising is about building donor relationships, and part of that is getting confirmation of gifts. I suggest using the CASE (Council for the Advance and Support of Education; www.case.org) guidelines, which advocate documenting gifts and valuing bequests at a discounted rate, if you value them at all.”

- Larry Karnoff, Director of Planned Giving, Feeding America (Chicago, IL)
E-mail: lkarnoff@feedingamerica.org

For more information about the CASE reporting standards and management guidelines mentioned above, see the FAQ  found on the CASE website. The full document can be purchased on the website as well.

Upcoming Webinars
Don’t forget to check out our upcoming Webinars for the month of February – each 90-minutes in length. We have some great topics presented by nationally-recognized experts.

Sign up for two or more events and save 15%!

Risk Management and Your Volunteer Program – Thursday, February 2
The more you can do to anticipate and avoid potential problems, the better.
          An important part of a well-run volunteer program includes assessing possible risks and then managing them. This webinar will present specific strategies and steps to help you assess your volunteer program. Learn how to integrate risk management into your volunteer program and how to assess the risk of bringing “outside” volunteers in for special projects.

How Nonprofits are Utilizing Social Media – Wednesday, February 15
Social networks continue to gain in popularity — even among all types of nonprofits and associations. How should nonprofits capitalize on these trends? How do you integrate activity on social networks into your communications and programs? Where do you invest, and how much and how often? Join us as we tie all of this together. We’ll have numerous examples and strategies to help manage what is ever changing and evolving.

Planning a Signature Event  – Tuesday, February 28
Events can be a critical part of your fundraising program and can open doors to new opportunities with prospects, volunteers and donors. Those events however, must be strategic and well planned to ensure success. This presentation will review the top ten questions to ask your team before you start planning any event; and, tips to think about – from “A to Z” – as you organize and execute your event.

Hard Work Can Actually Reduce Stress

No doubt about it: the multi-tasking duties and deadlines and challenging goals that nonprofit professionals face each day are stressful. So what can we do to maintain a positive attitude and keep that stress in check?
          So often we hear of stress being the result of being overworked, but the opposite can be true as well: Reduced activity or postponing tasks leads to more worry and increased anxiety.
          You can actually overcome certain types of stress by picking up the pace of your work. Here’s how:

1.    Avoid postponing jobs. Tackle them head-on. Begin with the most unpleasant tasks first.

2.    Be the master of your day. Rather than react to each day’s circumstances, list and prioritize daily tasks. Then stay focused on their completion.

3.    Challenge yourself. Don’t stop after you have completed several daily tasks; keep going. You’ll be surprised how much more you can accomplish by taking a brief break every now and then followed by returning to whatever is next on your daily agenda.

        While you may still feel a certain level of stress associated with working harder, the resulting reward of accomplishment will turn worry and anxiety into improved self-confidence and self-satisfaction. And that reduces stress.

Personal-pan or Supreme? Finding the Right Size Photo/Video Policy for Your Organization

Different families order different sized pizzas depending on who they are and what they need. The same is true (or should be) of nonprofit agencies and their media policies.
          Does your organization need to address how supporters can share photos and videos of your events? What about how you will share your images of them? Does it offer a mechanism for individuals to opt out of public exposure? How about the way professional photographers and members of the press will be handled? Does your organization even need a formal policy at all?
          Not every organization will give the same answers to these questions because no one photo/video policy will be suitable for every organization. The following policies — categorized by size as personal pan, deep dish, or supreme — give examples of varying levels of complexity and detail.

Personal Pan Policy – Covering Just What’s Needed
Association of Legal Administrators (Lincolnshire, IL) Intellectual Property Retreat

“Registration for the retreat implies consent that pictures, video or audio recording taken during ALA and ALA-related events can be used for retreat coverage and promotional purposes.  ALA is able to use your likeness without remuneration.” 

Traditional Deep-Dish Policy – The Basics and a Little More
San Juan Unified School District (Carmichael, CA)  

“Unless notified in writing of an objection by a parent, legal guardian, or student of age 18, photographs and video footage of students and/or names may be posted in district-produced materials including printed publications, television productions, and web sites.  
          If parents do not wish photographs or videos of their student to be used in these materials, they should complete a Photo/Video Opt-Out form available at school offices or via the link below. Please be aware that opt-out requests are valid for the current school year and must be renewed at the start of the next school year.”

Supreme Policy – Look Out! This Thing is Loaded!
South By Southwest Festival (Austin,TX)  

“If you are granted press credentials by the SXSW Publicity Department, the following will be permitted with your credentials: news coverage of event activities, reviews, interviews, snippets of talks and performances.
          However, in order to protect the rights of copyrighted artists and speakers, as well as SXSW, please note the following carefully: Your press credentials and camera tag will NOT allow you to webcast audio or video, broadcast or otherwise transmit, retransmit or copy in any form any artist performance, conference programming or Film Q&A longer than :45 seconds.
          For the SXSW Music Festival, by accepting SXSW credentials you are agreeing that your coverage will be limited to shooting no more than 3 songs of any one artist’s set. You also agree to broadcast no more than 45 seconds of live footage from any one song of any artist’s performance in your final product. No board feeds will be allowed without prior consent from SXSW. If you intend to record the performances of acts performing official SXSW showcases, you must submit in advance for SXSW’s approval a shooting schedule. It will be your sole responsibility to obtain and supply to SXSW written permission from artist management in advance before camera passes will be issued. Flash photography may only take place during the first 3 songs of an artist’s set, after which no flash photography will be allowed.
          For all (Music, Film & Interactive) Conference panels and other talks, by accepting SXSW credentials you are agreeing that your coverage will be limited to shooting the first 5 minutes of any session. You also agree to broadcast no more than 45 continuous seconds of any one session. Audio feeds are not allowed for any Interactive or Film panels/talks and are allowed during Music only with prior consent from SXSW.
          For SXSW Film Festival Q&As and introductions, video recording of any kind is not allowed at the Paramount or State Theatres without prior approval from the SXSW Film Press Office, and a Paramount/State Theatre-specific Camera Tag. The Paramount/State Camera Tag is different than the SXSW Camera Tag and will only be issued on a case-by-case basis directly from the SXSW Film Press Office. Any and all video cameras without the approved Paramount/State Camera Tag will not be permitted in either theater. For all other official SXSW Film venues (ACC Theater, Alamo South Lamar, Alamo Ritz, Rollins Theatre, Regal Arbor and Regal Westgate), filming of Q&As is permitted from your seat, but by accepting SXSW credentials you agree to broadcast no more than 45 continuous seconds of any one Q&A.
          Press credentials and photographer/videographer camera tags are issued at the discretion of SXSW and can be withdrawn at any time if misused. Upon receipt of your camera tag, you will be required to sign a form confirming that you have read and understand this policy.”

You’ve Chosen a Noble Profession

- from Scott C. Stevenson, Publisher

Whether you serve as a professional fundraiser – I prefer the term “dream broker” – or a director of volunteer services or some other title within the administrative side of nonprofit or association careers, you have chosen a noble profession.  You have the pleasure of serving and helping others, and you get paid to do it!  What a blessing!

       Yes, like any profession you have big challenges, ongoing levels of stress and conflict. But think about it: the work you do day in and day out is aimed at making a positive difference in our world.  The gifts you raise are having a positive impact on those served by your charity; the volunteers you manage are helping others in a variety of capacities; the members you serve are being enriched by their affiliation with your organization; and the communications you share with the public ultimately help improve your programs and services, and fulfill your organization’s worthy mission.

       So as you come to work each morning and leave at the end of each day, don’t lose sight of the big picture.  Stay passionate about your work, because your passion will positively impact those around you in big ways – ways that you never dreamed possible.

PHILANTHROPY AND FUNDRAISING

Small and Mid-size Foundations’ Grant Making Rose in 2010
The first available data on 2010 grant making by small and mid-size foundations indicate that the number of grants rose 8.7 percent over 2009, while the value of these grants increased by 17.8 percent.

The significant rise in value was driven by the number of large grants of $1 million or more, which rose by 32.6 percent year over year. Even so, the number of grants under $1 million grew by 8.6 percent.

The analysis was prepared by Foundation Source based on its database of more than 900 private foundations nationwide. The findings were drawn from real-time data—not survey responses—captured as Foundation Source processed more than 33,000 grants for its client foundations during the two year period.

“The 2010 increase came on top of 2009’s 15 percent increase in the number of grants made by the same universe of small and mid-size foundations,” said Page Snow, Chief Philanthropic Officer of Foundation Source. “This points to a dichotomy in foundation grant making as grants by larger institutional foundations are reported to have declined in 2009. In fact, ninety-nine percent of all family foundations have assets under $100 million and represent more than half of all foundations. Based on this new grant making data, these foundations remain focused on their mission and have not been deterred by recent uncertainty in the economy and financial markets.”

The categories that benefited most from increased giving by small and mid-size foundations’ grant-making in 2010 were:

• Arts and culture—Value of grants up 67.6 percent
• Public Affairs/Society Benefit—Value of grants up 33.2 percent
• Religion— Value of grants up 29.3 percent

Only two categories received a decreased amount of grants in 2010: Health (down 0.3 percent) Science & Technology (down 41.6 percent).

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

National Service Agency Requests Applications for Social Innovation Fund Competition
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recently released a Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2011 grant competition of the Social Innovation Fund. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

“In its first year, the Social Innovation Fund has laid a sound foundation for improving the lives of thousands of people in low-income communities throughout the U.S.,” said Patrick Corvington, CEO of CNCS. “The second grant selection competition represents a critical next step toward demonstrating that the federal government – working in partnership with nonprofit organizations, private philanthropies, municipal governments and other key agents of change – can be an innovative and effective catalyst for tackling some of our most persistent social challenges.”

The Social Innovation Fund represents a new way of doing business for the federal government. Through an innovative public-private partnership, the Social Innovation Fund and selected local and national grant makers co-invest in programs that increase the scale of community-based solutions that have evidence of real impact in three priority areas: youth development, economic opportunity or healthy futures. When the first round of grant making is completed in March, the Social Innovation Fund’s eleven 2010 grantees will have awarded nearly $100 million to approximately 150 innovative community-based non-profits organizations.

The release of this NOFO follows a one-month public comment period. The suggestions gathered during this process resulted in numerous revisions that clarified the proposed transparency process, budget instructions, and evidence requirements.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, the Corporation plans to award up to approximately $28 million in grants to up to ten intermediary grant making institutions. Each award will range from $1 – $7 million and will be matched dollar for dollar by the intermediary. Subsequent awards by the intermediaries to their selected sub grantees will also be matched 1:1, yielding up to $3 in private funding for every $1 in federal funding committed to this program.
Successful intermediary applicants will have the following characteristics:

• A strong track record of using rigorous evidence to select, invest in, support, and monitor the replication and expansion of their sub grantees;
• The capacity to conduct an open, competitive process for selecting innovative nonprofit community organizations with effective and potentially transformative approaches;
• Expertise in one or more priority issue areas; and
• Deep and broad relationships with stakeholders in one or more priority issue areas and and/or specific geographic regions.

Please consult the CNCS website to read or download a copy of the NOFO, which provides complete information about this grant competition, including instructions for how to apply. The website also contains information on other resources CNCS will make available to potential applicants, including technical assistance calls, a webinar and access to proposals and application executive summaries from the 2010 competition.

Please note that the initial technical assistance call will be held on March 2, 2011, at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. The call can be accessed at 888-989-7535 (Passcode: 2414449.)

Applicants must apply using the Corporation’s eGrants system. The eGrants Web site is: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT

Encourage Your Members to Get Moving
When planning member events and field trips, consider offering options that emphasize fitness and exercise opportunities, such as group walks, hikes and similar activities.

If your organization is near lakes and campgrounds, consider offering organized hikes, swimming/water activities, bird watching and other outdoor excursions to get your members out of the office and encourage both staff and members to get active.

You can also organize similar activities in colder months such as ski trips, snow shoeing, ice skating and other winter-friendly group activities.

If your members are scattered across the state, country or planet, consider including such health-conscious and friend-building activities at annual meetings or chapter get-togethers to take advantage of the locale’s unique features and encourage networking.

Offering these types of outings for your members can set you apart from other organizations while also giving your members a chance to pursue the sports and activities they enjoy, or perhaps discover a new hobby. In addition, these types of group activities can create a worthwhile team-building experience for your members.

RESOURCES FOR NONPROFIT AND ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS

Upcoming Webinars
Forget what you’ve learned about fundraising in the past? Sign up now for the March 28 Webinar, Myths of Fundraising presented by fundraising consultant Jerry Smith. How do you decide and know what to collect when it comes to records management? Sign up for Brian Dowling’s The Science and Art of Data and Records Management (April 13), sure to be worth your while! Also coming up in April, don’t miss David Lamb’s 90-minute Webinar, How to Evaluate Publicly-owned Company Officers and Directors.

Nonprofit and Association Jobs
Looking for a position or want to post a job opening? Check out our Jobs Center! Typical job titles include, but are not limited to: Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Director of Development, Executive Director, Director of Volunteer Services, Director of Membership, Director of Annual Giving, Director of Special Events, Director of Planned Giving, Director of Communications, Director of Media Relations, Director of Alumni Relations and the list goes on…

PHILANTHROPY AND FUNDRAISING

Four Tips to Simplify Appeal-writing Process
To make the process of drafting an appeal letter easier:

1. Think about your audience. What would you tell the recipient if you had to deliver your message face to face?
2. Organize your thoughts before writing. What are the key messages you want to deliver? What do you want your message to accomplish?
3. Use conversational language. Write the way you talk. Be direct.
4. Don’t worry about getting it right the first time. Write now; edit later.

Donor-friendly websites
Blackbaud, Inc. recently announced the launch of BlackbaudTV, a new resource for the nonprofit community, with videos featuring nonprofit news, technology tools and tips, philanthropy in action, Blackbaud customers, partners, and events.

GoodShop.com donates a percentage of every purchase to your organization
Increase your nonprofit’s gift revenue this holiday season by ensuring that a percentage of every purchase people make is going back to your cause.
               How? By encouraging your donors, volunteers, alumni and others to use www.GoodShop.com.
               GoodShop.com works with more than 1,500 top online retailers including Amazon.com, Target, Best Buy, Apple, Sephora, Macy’s, 1-800 Flowers, PetSmart, and Expedia among others. The shopping experience and prices are the same as going to the retailer directly, but each time you shop at one of these stores via GoodShop, a percentage of what you spend goes back to your favorite charity or school. And, even more exciting, GoodShop.com offers thousands of money saving coupons and free shipping offers so not only are donors helping your cause, but they can save money as well.
               Similarly, with every search conducted on Yahoo!-powered GoodSearch.com, approximately one penny is donated to your charity. It’s used exactly like any other search engine and the pennies add up quickly.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

New Online Community Connects Nonprofit Leaders, Volunteers and Organizations
EdBoard.com provides nonprofits with a dedicated social collaboration website
Recognizing a need to connect nonprofit leaders and provide opportunities to collaborate and share best practices and other information, an online community called EdBoard.com was launched earlier this month.
              “Most nonprofits are trying to make the world a better place. Yet, after working in the nonprofit sector for many years, it was clear that nonprofit leaders face significant challenges to achieving their goals,” said Ken Krueger, founder and CEO of EdBoard.com. “Despite these challenges, there are some brilliant people doing some amazing things. What the entire sector needed was a more efficient means of sharing these innovations and best practices.”
               EdBoard.com members, referred to as “Edvocates,” are able to create personal profiles similar to other social sites. Members then can connect with other nonprofit leaders through shared interests, background similarities or mutual connections. EdBoard.com, however, goes beyond the capabilities of other sites by also enabling members to upload and download documents and files to share substantive, value-added content.
               Being an Edvocate is free for nonprofit professionals and volunteer leaders. Organizations have the option to use EdBoard.com as a means to connect and exchange information between their staff through the formation of branded public communities at EdBoard.com. Through a licensing agreement, organizations also can establish branded private communities that are linked to EdBoard.com.
               “Such an arrangement enables an organization’s leaders to connect with each other internally in order to share strategic or proprietary information, but also remain connected to the ideas and lessons from others outside their own organization,” said Krueger. “We already are working with one large nonprofit organization to build an EdBoard.com-linked private community in order to connect and exchange information between its national staff, chapter executive directors and chapter board chairs.”

NONPROFIT COMMUNICATION

Three Branding Blunders to Avoid
Here are three branding blunders nonprofits should avoid:

1. Brands within brands. Some agencies have specific programs or services that are better known than the organization’s name. By branding these programs as stand-alone groups, you are compromising your overall brand and reputation. When promoting these programs, reflect your overall brand by including your logo and program name.
2. Clip art and bubble letters. Avoid creating fliers and PowerPoint presentations that feature clip art and unusual fonts.
3. Using up old materials. Because all nonprofits are budget conscious, they try to avoid wasting old materials by distributing them even with a new brand in place. This only confuses your audience. Take the hit and recycle old materials once a new brand is implemented.

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT

Winning Ideas
Membership Booster Idea - Here’s an idea a museum used to increase annual membership by 11 percent as it approached fiscal year end: Officials mailed nonmembers a postcard stating: “Get two years for the price of one by becoming a member now.”

Fee-setting Tip – Just starting a new membership program? Where should you set your minimum fee? To decide, ask yourself what kind of people you want as members. Then determine what those people can afford as a general minimum. Make that amount the base membership fee.

RESOURCES FOR NONPROFIT AND ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS

Upcoming Webinars
If you want to learn more about issues surrounding tracking prospects through the entire development cycle, don’t miss out on the two-part Webinar, Key Elements of a Prospect Relationship Management Sytem (2 Day Event), to be held January 26 and 27. Also, if any part of your job includes supervising employees or volunteers, sign up now for the February 7 Webinar, Supervising Nonprofit Employees, led by Kathleen McCleskey. And if you’re out to improve your success rate with foundation grants, you won’t want to miss the 90-minute Webinar, Foundation Relationships That Last, scheduled for February 16.

On-Demand Webinars
You can now purchase on demand access to several of our past webinars. All you need to view a webinar on demand is internet access and speakers. Check out the on-demand webinar topics! (http://www.stevensoninc.com/webod.php)

Nonprofit and Association Jobs
Looking for a position or want to post a job opening? Check out our Jobs Center! Typical job titles include, but are not limited to: Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Director of Development, Executive Director, Director of Volunteer Services, Director of Membership, Director of Annual Giving, Director of Special Events, Director of Planned Giving, Director of Communications, Director of Media Relations, Director of Alumni Relations and the list goes on…

MAJOR GIFTS -

Endowment Gift Policies – Many organizations adopt an endowment policy that describes minimum gift requirements to establish an individual or named endowment fund. Minimum amounts vary depending on history of endowment giving, size of constituency and so forth. In addition to a minimum dollar amount, you may choose to include a payout period. For example: “Endowed funds are gifts of $50,000 or more given during a three- to five-year period that are retained and invested to produce income.”

FUND DEVELOPMENT -

Identify Non-budgeted Projects for Special Circumstances – Asking for annual gifts that underwrite current operations is a top priority for most nonprofit organizations. And that makes sense. But what about non-budgeted needs that arise — equipment, programming, renovation and repairs, etc.?
       It makes sense to continually identify and prioritize those needs that arise and to selectively share them with individuals and businesses that  might have an interest in underwriting their costs.
      Consider sharing a wish list of non-budgeted needs (that have been prioritized and approved) with:

• Current year contributors who might be interested in making an additional gift (beyond the one that underwrites current-year operations.
• Non-donors who may not be motivated to give to anything except a particular project.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT -

Should You Form a Recruitment Committee?
Never seem to have enough volunteers? Assign recruitment tasks to a handful of volunteers whose sole purpose is to promote volunteer opportunities and enlist new volunteers. Here’s one scenario on how to accomplish this:

A. Hand pick a handful of existing volunteers to serve as ambassadors on behalf of your organization’s volunteer efforts.

B. Give the group a name — Esprit ’de Corps, The [name of organization] Ambassadors, Volunteers-R-Us, etc. — and have members meet monthly.

C. Develop a committee description that defines the group’s responsibilities. Allow members a hand in its development. Examples of ongoing responsibilities may include:

• Setting recruitment goals for the month, quarter and/or year.
• Inviting individuals to volunteer.
• Reviewing, approving and placing recruitment ads and literature.
• Speaking to groups about volunteer opportunities.
• Participating in and being present at volunteer job fairs.
• Coordinating “volunteer recruiting volunteer” campaigns.

With the assistance of this special committee, you should find recruitment efforts to be more focused and effective.

RESOURCES FOR NONPROFIT AND ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS -

UPCOMING WEBINARS
Major gifts result from building solid and lasting relationships. Discover new and improved ways of building donor relationships through this insightful 90-minute Webinar, Five I’s of Donor Cultivation, scheduled for Monday, November 15. One registration fee covers as many Webinar participants as you wish at your location.

NEWLY-PUBLISHED MANUALS
93 Ways to Make Your Website More Member Friendly – 48-page manual offers new and creative ways to connect with more members through your website, proven strategies to help you attract more would-be members, and great examples of member-related website features from a variety of organizations.
Gift Clubs & Societies: 71 Ideas on Evaluating Your Gift Clubs, Making Them More Inviting – 46-page manual shares how to use gift clubs to improve fundraising results, procedures for creating or fine tuning your gift clubs/levels, and great examples of donor clubs and accompanying benefits.

POST JOB OPENINGS WITH US
If your nonprofit has a job opening, be sure to post it on our Jobs Center. Any subscriber (to any of our newsletters) who posts a job opening will receive an extra month tacked onto their subscription!

RECOMMENDED READING

Order a copy of ASKING by Jerold Panas. In fact, order copies for your volunteers as well. There’s no author in the field more prolific or better read than Jerold Panas. His eleven books are highly acclaimed and at least several are on virtually every fundraiser’s bookshelf.

FUND DEVELOPMENT

            Any development shop worth its salt has a well documented operational plan that articulates fundraising goals, quantifiable objectives, action plans and a time table for the entire fiscal year.
             Unfortunately that’s where it stops for some shops. They put plenty of time and thought into creating their plan, but then it sits on a shelf until it’s time to go through the planning process once again the following year.
              Don’t let that happen to you. Whenever you hold a staff or volunteer meeting, make time to refer to your operational plan. Are you on track with where you said you wanted to be at this point in time? What adjustments need to take place to get back on track or even ahead of schedule?
              Recognize that your operational plan is critical throughout the entire year. Study it. Make notes in it. Rely on it as a valuable guide.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

             Work to identify your knowledge deficits. Do you ever think about those aspects of your volunteer responsibilities that may be holding you back, preventing you from being all that you can be?
              Perhaps you could take an even more proactive role in promoting this organization if you felt you had a better understanding of what it does or how it works. Maybe you could improve the volunteer job you’re currently doing if you knew more about its impact on the agency or institution.
              Identifying “knowledge deficits” –– aspects of the organization with which you are less familiar –– is an important first step in building your level of understanding about volunteer roles and ways in which you can become an even more effective leader.
              Your initiative in eliminating knowledge deficits will make your position more rewarding and will serve to encourage others to strengthen their understanding of key areas as well.

RESOURCES FOR NONPROFIT AND ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS

UPCOMING WEBINARS
If you’re interested in landing more major gifts for your nonprofit, don’t miss Warming the Cold Call: Major Gift Identification and Qualification Strategies scheduled for Wednesday, September 22! And for those of you who plan special events, Successfully Aligning an Online Charity Auction with a Live Event (October 6), is sure to provide you with great hands-on tips and techniques. David Lamb is scheduled to give a 90-minute Webinar on October 8, Social Networks and Fundraising, that will introduce the participants to some of the most popular networking sites, explain the differences between them, and explore the opportunities and challenges they present to fundraising. And remember, one registration fee covers as many participants as you would like at your location. So sign up today!

POST JOB OPENINGS WITH US
If your nonprofit has a job opening, be sure to post it on our Jobs Center. Any subscriber (to any of our newsletters) who posts a job opening will receive an extra month tacked onto their subscription!

PHILANTHROPY AND FUNDRAISING

Will People Increase Charitable Giving To Offset Predicted Tax Hikes?

A report from the Fidelity Charitable Fund suggests that donors may increase their giving in an effort to offset anticipated tax hikes.

Donor-friendly websites

Blackbaud, Inc just announced the launch of BlackbaudTV, a new resource for the nonprofit community, with videos featuring nonprofit news, technology tools and tips, philanthropy in action, Blackbaud customers, partners, and events.

GoodShop.com donates a percentage of every purchase to your organization

Increase your nonprofit’s gift revenue this holiday season by ensuring that a percentage of every purchase people make is going back to your cause. 
            How? By encouraging your donors, volunteers, alumni and others to use www.GoodShop.com.  
            GoodShop.com works with more than 1,500 top online retailers including Amazon.com, Target, Best Buy, Apple, Sephora, Macy’s, 1-800 Flowers, PetSmart, and Expedia among others. The shopping experience and prices are the same as going to the retailer directly, but each time you shop at one of these stores via GoodShop, a percentage of what you spend goes back to your favorite charity or school. And, even more exciting, GoodShop.com offers thousands of money saving coupons and free shipping offers so not only are donors helping your cause, but they can save money as well.
            Similarly, with every search conducted on Yahoo!-powered GoodSearch.com, approximately one penny is donated to your charity. It’s used exactly like any other search engine and the pennies add up quickly.

News of philanthropy

Check out Scott Walter’s latest column on Philanthropy Daily.   Philanthropy Daily provides authentic diversity of opinion and perspectives on the most important issues, persons, and ideas in the world of philanthropy. Published by American Philanthropic, LLC.

It’s Official

President Obama has signed into law the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which includes important language that will exempt all “activities relating to charitable contributions” from the jurisdiction of the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

Give High Schoolers an Opportunity to Serve

There’s a compelling article in the August 2nd issue of USA Today, written by Molly Jasinski, an intern with USA TODAY’s Network desk A College Grad’s Thoughts on Volunteering. Molly makes a sound argument for inviting high school students to volunteer.

Good Reading
 
There’s a new book out by Shirley Sagawa, a leading national figure in volunteering and service The American Way to Change spells out how service transforms the lives of those who serve and illuminates creative new approaches to engaging volunteers in addressing the challenges we face.

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT

Develop and Document Your Membership Growth Plans

To grow your membership and know where you’re headed, it’s critical that you have a strategic plan in place according to Dana Hines, president and CEO of Membership Consultants (St. Louis, MO). To get Hines’ perspective on how that’s done, read Craft a Formal Strategic Membership Plan from a past issue of The Membership Management Report.

RESOURCES FOR NONPROFIT AND ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONALS

Upcoming Webinars

Want to learn more about the science and art of fundraising? Sign up the August 16 Webinar, 50 Things Learned in 10,000 Days in Fundraising presented by fundraising consultant Jerry Smith. How about “project management” for nonprofits? Learn more about the August 27 Webinar entitled A Project Management Approach to Nonprofit Management led by author and strategic planner Kathleen McCleskey.

Nonprofit and association jobs

Looking for a position or want to post a job opening? Check out our Jobs Center! Typical job titles include, but are not limited to: Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Director of Development, Executive Director, Director of Volunteer Services, Director of Membership, Director of Annual Giving, Director of Special Events, Director of Planned Giving, Director of Communications, Director of Media Relations, Director of Alumni Relations and the list goes on…

Pass It On

News of philanthropy

Check out Scott Walter’s latest column on Philanthropy Daily.   Philanthropy Daily provides authentic diversity of opinion and perspectives on the most important issues, persons, and ideas in the world of philanthropy. Published by American Philanthropic, LLC.

New Online Community for Prospect Researchers

Target Analytics, a Blackbaud company, just announced the launch of ProspectResearch.com, a site designed specifically for prospect researchers and fundraising professionals. The site will focus on fostering new ideas for research practices and promoting the benefits of prospect research in fundraising. The company is also announcing its involvement with the Association of Prospect Researchers for Advancement (APRA) at the 23rd Annual International Conference being held in Anaheim, California on July 21 to 24.

Discover the magic of storytelling…

It’s amazing how you can use storytelling to achieve certain goals.
            Whether you want to make a compelling case for financial support, attract volunteers, make the public more aware of your organization’s vital programs and services or whatever…storytelling is a valuable tool.
            Join us Wednesday, July 28, for the 90-minute Webinar, Nonprofit Storytelling: Using Stories to Attract and Engage Supporters, presented by Elizabeth Turnbull, founder of Turnbull Marketing Group.

Let your constituents know they’re associated with a winner!

Everyone likes knowing their connected with a winning organization: customers, former customers, donors, volunteers, board members, community leaders and more.
            So whenever you realize an achievement – big or small – be prepared to share it with anyone and everyone!
            For more on how to recognize and tout your organization’s accomplishments check out this article from a recent issue of Nonprofit Communications Report.

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