The Non-profit Times

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Executives: require youth to perform service.
Barely 1 in 10 nonprofits believe that government policies toward nonprofits have generally improved over the past two years, according to a survey new while the next federal administration should d . . .

Tidings of good cheer: 2008 wasn't really that bad, was it?(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)
An episode of Seinfeld has been running around in my head since the recent arrivals of a couple of pieces of mail. Jerry's skinflint pal George handed out cards telling his co-workers that a gift ha . . .

Getting liquid assets to charities.
Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: I read with great interest "Liquid Assets" Paul Clolery's column (Nov. 1, 2008) about creating a short-term loan program for the nonprofit sector. At FJC, in . . .

Donor-restricted endowments: new FASB 117-1 guidelines take effect this month.(ACCOUNTING)
Nonprofit organizations with donor-restricted endowment funds and board-designated endowment funds are facing changes in financial statement reporting and disclosure requirements in the immediate fu . . .

Membership revenue isn't free: organizations must have a clear idea of their membership model.(STREETSMART NONPROFIT MANAGER)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There are certain management words that have become so broad over time that they either have lost their meaning or carry so many valid meanings that it is difficult to know . . .

Divining a skills set: a volunteer management perspective on boards of directors.(ON VOLUNTEERS)
With few exceptions, nonprofits view board volunteers as distinctly different from direct service volunteers. As a result, boards of directors are separated from the routine volunteer management pro . . .

Economy, presidential race left a mark: charities faced higher costs, more disasters and uncertain funding.(2008 The Non Profit
The year 2008 was ushered in without any doubt that it would be one to remember. The presidential campaign was historic perhaps for its length, as well as the breadth of candidates. But, it was also . . .

The Revised 990: provides opportunity to reconsider expense allocation.(TAXING ISSUES)
By now, you are probably deep into figuring out how the "new" Form 990 will affect you and your organization. It is true that you will have to compile numerous pieces of information to complete the . . .

Giving and the economy: not every financial indicator actually is one.(FUNDRAISING)
Is the wolf at the door, or just passing through the neighborhood? Right now, it's hard to know precisely what the economy's effect on nonprofits and charitable giving will be, but current signs are . . .

Red Cross gets $100 million from Feds.
It might not be the $700 billion that the feds approved to rescue the economy, but the American Red Cross will get $100 million from Congress to help pay off the high costs incurred during disaster . . .

Annual buyers guide.(Table)
ACCOUNTING SERVICES NYSSCPA www.nysscpa.org PFI, Inc. RAFFA, P.C. www.raffa.com AFFINITY MARKETING Ser . . .

Calendar.(Calendar)
JANUARY 2009 25-27 The Association of Healthcare Philanthropy will hold its AHP Trustee Leadership And Philanthropy Forum in Naples, Fla. Info: www.ahp.org 29-30 The DMA Nonprofit Federation wil . . .

Resource Directory.(CONSULTANTS PAGE)(Table)
ACCOUNTING SERVICES--STRATEGIC PLANNING COMPUTER SERVICES JACOBSON CONSULTING APPLICATIONS, INC. www.jcainc.co Problems With Your Fundraising System? We specialize in Business P . . .

Talk can be cheap as well as profitable: a lecture series brings in cash and highlights expertise.(Friends' Health Connection)
Roxanne Black was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease, at age 15. She said it was difficult to find people her own age in a similar situation with whom she could talk--so she decided to star . . .

Nonprofit takes top ECHO Award: international groups continue to dominate.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An international influence pervaded the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) ECHO awards again this year, with eight nonprofit campaigns winning either a gold, silver or bro . . .

States push to encrypt personal data: donor and client information require secure transmission.
Fred Schultz, CEO and founder of the Foundation for Positively Kids (FPK) in Las Vegas, deals with a lot of confidential information in his program for medically-dependent children. The organization . . .

Ivan Scheier dies: was a pioneer in volunteer management.(MEMORIAL)
Ivan H. Scheier, Ph. D., who forged the path in volunteer management and was constantly looking toward the future, died recently at age 82. Scheier entered the nonprofit sector by coordinating volun . . .

Credit risk: a few good methods for payment processing.(TECHNOLOGY)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Perhaps you're hoping to process credit card donations based on telephone calls from donors, or to allow on-site registration at your next conference. Perhaps you want to ta . . .

Don't wait: making that second contact vital to a relationship.(ONLINE)
If you wait four weeks to call someone for a second date, you should rethink your strategy. And if you have the same philosophy for contacting email subscribers--you might not have a second chance t . . .

Leaders fellows initiative launched.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
The National Human Services Assembly in Washington, D.C., and the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., launched the "Civic Sector Leadership Fellows" prog . . .

Forbes picks Blackbaud for small firms list.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
Technology supplier Blackbaud in Charleston, S.C. was recently ranked No. 73 in Forbes magazine's special report on America's 200 Best Small Companies. According to Forbes, to qualify, companies h . . .

United Way, Ad Council join forces.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
The Ad Council and United Way of America have partnered to promote United Way's new LIVE UNITED campaign through Microsoft Advertising. The campaign is designed to inspire individuals across the cou . . .

Will you survive? What does the latest news means for fundraising.(COMMENTARY)
This fall was already shaping up to be one of the most challenging fundraising environments in recent memory. Most organizations had spent months finalizing strategies to combat the economic uncerta . . .

Asking and answering questions: the real lesson from nonprofit of the year winner.(OPINION)
There we were in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf=Astoria. The Direct Marketing Association's Nonprofit Federation was about to announce its 2008 Nonprofit Organization of the Year. Brilliant mar . . .

Conflicting interests: practical tips on what to do and how to do it.(LEGAL)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Charities are facing heightened scrutiny today from both regulators and the general public in situations where their directors, officers, and other insiders derive (or appea . . .

North Carolina picks Prudential for 401(k).(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
State of North Carolina has renewed its contract with Prudential Retirement to service the NC 401(k) Plan and has chosen Prudential as the new third party service provider for the NC Public Employee . . .

Cougar Mt releases CMS Professional 2009.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
Cougar Mountain Software released CMS Professional 2009 for its Accounting, FUND and Point-of-Sale lineup. This latest update includes a new features and specialized tools designed to give more in-d . . .

Calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
JANUARY 2009 25-27 The Association of Healthcare Philanthropy will hold its AHP Trustee Leadership And Philanthropy Forum in Naples, Fla. Info: www.ahp.org 29-30 The DMA Nonprofit Federation wil . . .

Resource directory.(CONSULTANTS PAGE)(Table)
COMPUTER SERVICES JACOBSON CONSULTING APPLICATIONS, INC. www.jcainc.com Problems With Your Fundraising System? We specialize in Business Process Improvement, System Selection, Tick . . .

Community investment loans: an option in tight times.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It took a Nobel Peace Prize to get microfinance on the map--at least in the mainstream--even though the idea had been around for decades. Community investment notes were sta . . .

Reach out: smaller online communities are doing the job for charities.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Daphne Dixon wanted to get the word out that Conscious Decisions, an environmental nonprofit in Farfield, Conn., was hosting its Green Faire. Instead of calling and hassling . . .

Agencies aim for back office savings.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Stephen Cole saw a way for eight Chicago-based nonprofits to save $6 million in the first full year after a few changes. "It's just intuitive," he said. "I did it before as . . .

Marathon reader goes on display.(page 4)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Call him David Blaine with a purpose. While Blaine might be famous for being perched atop or just hanging upside down in New York's Central Park, David Farrow just curled up . . .

Actress 'tapes' awareness message.(page 4)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Put actress Jessica Alba and bondage together and you might have the next box-office hit--or maybe just a public service announcement campaign. Declare Yourself, a nonpart . . .

A different kind of canvas.(page 4)(Art of Peace Charitable Trust)(Brief article)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some artists use clay, some use paint, and some apparently even use weapons. The Art of Peace Charitable Trust (AOPCT), created by artist Lin Evola-Smidt, is dedicated to . . .

Satellite Radio channel goes Pink.(page 4)
Cable television and satellite radio seem to have a channel for everything and everyone. Now women fighting cancer can tune into to their own station on XM Satellite Radio. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] . . .

Liquid assets: it's time for foundations and endowments to get in the pool.(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)
The old joke is "a billion here and a billion there, before you know it you're talking about real money." There's nobody laughing at the U.S. and world economies these days. Putting aside the disast . . .

Charity accounts foretold economic meltdown: nonprofits plugged along in 2007 as donations lagged.(The Non Profit Times 2008: to
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It would have been a little far fetched for anyone to predict an economic meltdown on the scale seen this past summer, but a look at last year's financial picture of the non . . .

Groups shaving expenses with an eye toward ROI.(THE 2008 NPT TOP 100)
Fundraising expenses, while up for most nonprofits in this year's NPT 100, were generally not setting off alarms or calls for a freeze on spending. Expenses increased for a majority of organizatio . . .

Green is good: environmental groups buck flagging economy to post gains.(THE 2008 NPT TOP 100)
A slowing national economy, the subprime mortgage crisis, and an increase in home foreclosures started to raise their ugly heads during fiscal year ending 2007. As the public's belt-tightening began . . .

Governance becoming institutionalized: nonprofits getting ahead of the IRS Form 990 curve.(THE 2008 NPT TOP 100)
With few exceptions, the vast majority of NPT 100 organizations have adopted governance policies that will be included in the next generation of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Form 990. In a . . .

National September 11 Memorial & Museum finds its footing.(THE 2008 NPT TOP 100)
The families of those who died during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City have been waiting for some time for a memorial that properly commemorates th . . .

NPT 100 groups turning real estate into cash.(THE 2008 NPT TOP 100)
Just as man cannot live on bread alone, nonprofits cannot simply live on donations. There are more than a few organizations in the annual NPT 100 that boast a vast majority of their revenue from pub . . .

NPT 100 investments beat broader market.(THE 2008 NPT TOP 100)
This time next year nonprofits might be yearning for the days of investment income gains that even sniff positive territory. But for fiscal year ending 2007, at least organizations with large endowm . . .

Leaders shine at NPT Power & Influence Gala.(The NPT 2008 Power & Influence TOP 50 Gala)(The NonProfit Times)(Brief article)
Nonprofit sector leaders, event sponsors and The NonProfit Times staff gathered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. recently to salute the 2008 NPT Power & Influence Top 50 honorees. The . . .

Calendar.(Calendar)
NOVEMBER 4-7 Business for Social Responsibility will hold its annual conference in New York City at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Info: www.bsr.org 6 The New Jersey chapter of the Association of Fundra . . .

Resource directory.(CONSULTANTS PAGE)(Table)
ACCOUNTING SERVICES--STRATEGIC PLANNING ACCOUNTING SERVICES JMT CONSULTING GROUP 888-368-2463 Supporting nonprofit organizations with Fund Accounting and Fundr . . .

Charities hope to rev giving engines of NASCAR fans.
With the popularity and exposure of auto racing soaring the past decade, everyone's trying to reach the key demographics within the NASCAR fan base. Auto racing is no stranger to sponsorships, with . . .

When to say 'thanks': is it good 'cents' or 'sense' when deciding who gets acknowledged?
When Greg Wilson, director of development of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great in Jenkintown, Pa., found a bulk mail container in his office he knew there was a problem. The organiza . . .

Wall Street meltdown will hit charities when cash is most needed.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nonprofits can expect to get hit from all sides when it comes to the most recent meltdown in the financial sector. Douglas Bauer, senior vice president at Rockefeller Phil . . .