It's Not Always About Money

Global economic woes might impact close to home - keep an eye on those bank accounts! Your nonprofit (and individual) accounts need to be set up appropriately so that the F.D.I.C. maximum of $100,000 insured deposit isn't triggered in the event of a bank failure. [Read More]

I Told You SO! So what if it sounds like a five-year-old ... but months ago, I said that nonprofits that rely heavily on one donor are bound to have problems when that donor faces hard times. Now, with Lehman Brothers' demise, we have several that will be see significant impact to their ability to fulfill their mission.[Read More]

Shake out the ball gowns and dust off the tuxedo, it's Charity Season![Read More]

This fundraiser distills charitable events to the core spirit: drinking for charity. Really ... Drinking for Charity is the name of this organization, with the mission of raising funds. Enough punning ... read on for the details.[Read More]

It's always nice when a new nonprofit organization gets a boost from a corporate donor, even better when there's publicity to boot. And if you're a Dawgs fan (as so many Georgians are!), then you may be giving back to your college community - and with nothing out of your pocket! Athens Area Community Foundation gets a commitment before football season ... and no NCAA violations ...[Read More]

Maybe I volunteer enough during my "regular days" instead of dedicated vacation time to volunteer projects ... but the Ritz-Carton Hotels find that guests want to be involved in community projects while staying at hotels. Dedicated worker by day, pampered guest by night?[Read More]

How is the bench strength at your organization? For funders - are you looking at succession and continuity planning as you review nonprofits? No matter which side of the equation you're on, you should be concerned about this issue.[Read More]

It was bound to happen, unlike those asteroids that are supposedly bound for Earth ... that the idea of micro-lending would migrate into traditional charitable organizations. What are the implications?[Read More]

Just a quick reminder - deadline drawing near to participate in this benchmark survey on Employee Volunteer Programs. You get to see how your program stacks up ... and ideas on where/what improvements you might want to consider.[Read More]

Marketing for Nonprofits sometimes seems to be focused only on the fundraising appeal. Here's something every nonprofit should have - like a mission statement, audited financials, and a good board, a TAG LINE is essential.[Read More]

Love Your Pet? So do I ... and I hope more people will find their home big enough for a Small Dog.[Read More]

Subtitle this one "A Tale of Two Non-Profits"

Did your parents tell you (repeatedly) that there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything? This is a tale of two ways to approach the same problem: embezzlement. Not a pretty thing to have aired in public, and probably more devastating to a nonprofit organization than to a for-profit entity. [Read More]

GE Foundation has a plan. Want to know what it is? Read on ...[Read More]

Gifts In Kind and Men's Wearhouse promote the 5th annual "Capitol PurSuit," gathering donations of gently used business attire to help disadvantaged men and women. The program goes national later this year.[Read More]

What's a few billion a year mean?

Charitable giving grew last year by 3.9% - finally topping the $300 billion mark, according to the Giving USA Foundation.

While that growth rate wasn't as stellar as the prior years, it still speaks volumes. Probably some of the slowdown can be attributed to economic worries that began at the end of 2007 - when consumers are facing higher gas prices, increasing numbers of layoffs, who can blame them for being a bit more cautious with donations?

Some of the highlights of the report, which has to be purchased from Giving USA Foundation, are that:
- more watchdog organizations, such as Charity Navigator, help donors identify effective charities
-potential for more government review of charitable organizations & their operations (the Watch List isn't enough of a hassle?)
-over 75% of all giving is from individuals
-religious organizations received a third of all donations
-international affairs organizations saw the largest percent increase, attributed to celebrity involvement and media attention to foreign disasters.

Does that mean we're in for a stingier 2008? Informal polling by The Wall Street Journal (subscription only)- a very limited sample - would seem to indicate that people plan to give about the same this year as last year.

Where will you be giving this year? Arts, Education, Human-Services, Religious organizations?

Will national economic issues impact your decisions?

Inquiring Minds Want to Know!