The Non-profit Times

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Get an email address, generate income: benchmarking study shows what's working and not working online.
Each email that sits on your database generated roughly $7.86 from donations and eCommerce between July 2006 and June 2007. If you're a disease and health services or disaster and international reli . . .

Unique items drive fundraising auctions: travel and celebrities do well with donors and bidders.
An autographed copy of the speech by Barack Obama after his victory in the Iowa caucuses; two torn, plastic Wal-Mart bags; Stephen Hawking in zero gravity. Even "Carnac The Magnificent" might have b . . .

Video a key element in healthcare fundraising.
Fundraising prospects of the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, Houston, can view a DVD that shows the center's success stories. "We track the success of our proposal to the . . .

NPT launches free corporate grants research portal: www.nptgrantsearch.com.
Grant writers seeking connections to corporate foundations and funding can tap into a free Web portal launched this month by The NonProfit Times. The portal gives nonprofits and other researchers fr . . .

Packaging the appeal: testing everything will save cash, boost results.(BURNT OFFERINGS)(Column)
The key to every suggestion in this month's column is one you already know but might not always decide to turn, opening the response-lock the way every one of us should: Test it. What brings this . . .

Nonprofit job seekers want for-profit deals.(JOB MARKET)
The job market might be tightening, but jobseekers still have high expectations before they sign up with the social sector. In a recent survey by Commongood Careers, job candidates wanted to find . . .

Sustaining revenue: upgrading donors who show financial loyalty.(MONTHLY GIVING)
So your organization has a monthly sustainer program. Now what? Well, it could be time to upgrade those donors, or expand your pool of monthly contributors with a little investment. Sustainer prog . . .

Who's listening? 10 questions leaders ask most about message.(COMMUNICATIONS)
When you are talking about such important issues, why aren't more people listening? That lament might reside in the top five questions most often asked by nonprofit leaders. The pain and frustration . . .

New stuff, free stuff and old stuff in a spiffy new box.(FUNDRAISING PRODUCTS)
What would a trade show be without product launches and vendors hawking new flavors of just about every fundraising tool on the face of the Earth? It was no different in San Diego earlier this month . . .

Calendar.(Calendar)
APRIL 24-26 The International Association for Advisors in Philanthropy will hold its Conference on Philanthropy 2008 at the Embassy Suites in Rosemont (Chicago), Ill. Info: www.advisorsinphilanthr . . .

Mortgage backed investments threaten nonprofits.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When the Indianapolis-based Children's Wish Fund (CWF) received an undisclosed settlement last December from the Morgan Keegan brokerage firm in Memphis, the issue centered . . .

Atlanta luring major charities: international airport, educated workforce, comparative costs are cited.
some are dubbing it the new nonprofit Mecca, and Atlanta's civic leaders are just fine with that label. Atlanta has always been a draw for nonprofits. There are 7,500 nonprofits in the metro Atlan . . .

'Donate now' processing can get expensive.
Despite the piles of studies and consultants' programs designed to bolster the effectiveness of fundraising, Devon Batley has boiled her strategy down to two words: go online. "I hope some day nob . . .

Actress filling cups for the hungry.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If $50 can "fill a cup" for a year, Drew Barrymore can say she's filled up 20,000 on her own. The 33-year-old Charlie's Angels actress, who gained prominence in the 1982 fil . . .

Schwarzenegger pumps up volunteering.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
California, always near the forefront when it comes all things nonprofit, now has a cabinet-level position in the governor's office for volunteerism. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In an effort to encou . . .

Donor intent a 'grave' issue.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)(Children's Friend and Service )(Rhode Island Hospital in
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Rhode Island woman leaves money in her will to fund a bed at a local hospital, in her father's name, for needy people. No big deal, right? Until a charity sues believing t . . .

Vets' charities hammered again.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After taking it on the chin from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during a January hearing, Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) and Coalition to Salute Am . . .

World Wildlife Fund a 'green' organization.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
Who said it wasn't easy being green? Well, maybe Kermit the Frog was the first to say it, but now World Wildlife Fund (WWF) can also join the chorus. And, you'd think it would be a no-brainer. Com . . .

Bulk text messaging is available.(Business Briefs)
thedatabank, inc., a database, fundraising and marketing technology provider for nonprofits, released a new bulk text messaging feature for nonprofit, advocacy and political organizations. It is p . . .

Ketchum appoints new president, alliances.(Business Briefs)(Kristina Carlson)(Brief article)
Ketchum Inc., appointed Kristina Carlson, founder and president of FundraisingINFO.com, as its new president. She replaces Robert Carter, who retired last year after 26 years with the company. Car . . .

CRM provider goes open sourse.(Business Briefs)
MPower Systems, a Dallas-based provider of constituent relationship management (CRM) and fundraising software--is moving to an open source software model, making its solution available to all nonpro . . .

White House offers its view of faith-based initiative.(FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE)
In its final year in power, the Bush administration has begun the process of writing its version of history, outlining the efforts of its often controversial Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FB . . .

Skeletal remains: official failings mean charities should stand firm.(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)
"We take our horrible mutilations seriously around these parts." Ranger Brad--The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra 1991 It would be easy to pile on poor Eliot Spitzer. But, let's do it anyway. Let's thr . . .

Calendar.(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)(Calendar)
APRIL 9 The Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation will hold its 2008 Critical Issues Conference at the Venable Conference Center in Washington, D.C. Info: www.nonprofitfederation.org . . .

Cyber-voyeurs: here's how to watch the charity watchers.(STREETSMART NONPROFIT MANAGER)
They're out there and they're watching you. They have earnest names and they have figured out a way to measure you based on one or more criteria for success. They appear in the popular press wheneve . . .

Maximizing capabilities: managers hold the key to organizational diversity.(MANAGEMENT)
Most managers have learned how to deal with obvious diversity issues in today's workplace like race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual preference, and physical ability. However, smart managers explor . . .

Great Web sites: you don't need 1 million visits to be successful.(SPECIAL REPORT)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If direct mail isn't working for you, then you'd better get online. If you're online, you'd better be driving traffic to your site. If you're driving traffic to your site, y . . .

Give or get: survey shows board members must provide cash.(BOARDS)
More than half of nonprofits require their directors to make an annual contribution, with a major share of large ones setting a minimum of $5,000. That finding, in the National Board Governance Su . . .

Study shows drivers of foundation costs, staffing.(Etc.)(Report)
Foundation type, size, staffing patterns, and operating activities are the key factors that consistently drive foundation expense and compensation patterns, according to a new report issued jointly . . .

Going flat raises ROI: knowing new postal rules will save dollars.
If you had to pay two or three times as much for something next year as you did this year, you'd probably make some changes or try something different. When a nonprofit mails well more than 2 millio . . .

Online communities: building an audience before you really need it.
The Internet has evolved into a vastly different place since the days M Gore claims to have invented it. Just in the past decade, email has gone from being hip and cool to something only for parents . . .

Online malls go beyond retail stores.
Nonprofits regularly contact supporters, and those supporters usually go shopping. Online retailers for the past decade have been trying, with varying degrees of success, to marry those ideas. It' . . .

On the line: 4 ways to ensure your telefundraising campaign works.(TELEFUNDRAISING)
At its best, telefundraising is a priceless tool that brings in more than donations; it brings loyal donors with immeasurable lifetime value. On the other hand, telefundraising at its worst can be a . . .

Worldwide recognition: international and comparative philanthropy is catching on.(FUNDRAISING)
International understanding of philanthropy--identifying, appreciating and sharing varying cultural views, traditions, practices and innovations--has never been more timely or more important than it . . .

Email append: is it a hot online marketing strategy or too hot to handle?(LISTS)
Many nonprofits are taking advantage of the cost efficiencies, immediacy and flexibility that email communication with their donors provides. Whether it's for straightforward appeals, event-driven i . . .

5 renewal ideas: bringing stray mail donors back to your fold.(DONORS)(methods of fund raising)
In every nonprofit's donor file, there is a set of past supporters who have not made a gift in what seems like a long time--a year, three years, even five or more. These donors might be people who w . . .

Big brother is watching: resolve to promote accountability, transparency, and compliance.(REGULATION)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was suggested in the last column that, because of significantly heightened Congressional and media scrutiny of the sector, perhaps the most important thing an organizatio . . .

Message matters: 5 steps to message development.(COMMUNICATIONS)
A Washington, D.C., think tank wanted to go public in 2003 with a radical new strategy for preventing child abuse and neglect, but it faced two major obstacles: the strategy was difficult to explain . . .

Calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
MARCH 19-21 NTEN will hold its 2008 NTC (Nonprofit Technology Conference) in New Orleans at the Sheraton New Orleans. Info: www.nten.org 30-April 1 The Association of Fundraising Professionals w . . .

California legislation pushing foundation funding diversity: data on staff, board, vendors mandated.
Foundations are lining up against mandated diversity transparency legislation in California that could have ramifications beyond the Golden State. The Democrat-led California Assembly, by a 45-29 . . .

Fuel costs eating up food banks: cost of supplies also pumped up by high price of energy.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The highest inflation rate in 17 years means higher prices for everyone, but food banks across the country in particular are facing tough choices as a result of skyrocketing . . .

Estate tax won't die: compromise sought for establishing government's cut.
If you're planning on a couple of rich donors dying in the next few years, you might want to pencil in 2010 for keeping them alive if the goal is for them to avoid estate taxes. There will be no e . . .

Browning receives Hart award for achievement.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kelly B. Browning, executive vice president & chief operating officer of the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., and chief financial officer of the W . . .

*&%$#@* your email got trashed.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
With a little imagination and a bit of potty mouth, it shouldn't be too hard to think of what the "Seven Dirty Words" might be in George Carlin's infamous 1970s stand-up comedy routine. [ILLUSTRAT . . .

'Super' ad scores for United Way.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
United Way of America CEO Brian Gallagher will never be mistaken for Justin Timberlake or Danica Patrick, but they all had some connection to Super Bowl Sunday. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While view . . .

Make-A-Wish cries from Onion.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A spoof television show prompted the Make-A-Wish Foundation to set the record straight about its wish policy and even spawned an entry on the urban legends Web site: www.sno . . .

Red Cross cuts jobs, regional support in $200-million deficit.(NEWS)
Efforts to bridge a $200-million operating deficit at the American Red Cross (ARC) will substantially reduce regional program service areas created five years ago, ultimately affecting 1,000 jobs at . . .

Points of light moving key operations to Atlanta.(Points of Light & Hands On Network)(Brief article)
Six months after merging into the largest volunteer network in the nation, Points of Light & Hands On Network plans to make its headquarters and move major operational functions to Atlanta. The orga . . .

Record giving at colleges and universities.
Charitable contributions to colleges and universities in the United States grew by 6.3 percent in 2007, reaching a record $29.75 billion, according to results of the annual Voluntary Support of Educ . . .

What the ...? Who's on your list and who's checking it twice?(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)
"I've seen enough to know I've seen too much."--Radio Announcer in "A League of Their Own" (1992) When you're in and around the direct response world long enough, you see just about everything. Th . . .