The Non-profit Times

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

New for 2008: understanding the final draft of Form 990.(TAXING ISSUES)(Internal Revenue Service)(Column)
The first draft of the revised Form 990 issued by the Internal Revenue Service in June 2007 was discussed in this column a few months back. At that time, the IRS had received many comments in respon . . .

Rebooting at gates: Patty Stonesifer to step down as CEO in 2009.(FOUNDATIONS)(Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
Credited with guiding the world's largest foundation during its infancy and being a someone not averse to taking risk, Patty Stonesifer announced she will be stepping down by 2009 as chief executive . . .

Mail drove donors to give online: exclusive NPT research: 19% of national survey said they gave online during the holidays.(SPEC
Donors logged on to their computers to give online during the holidays and, for the most part, they were driven there by direct mail from the charities they eventually supported. That is, the majori . . .

The power of the founder: fear and loathing in the executive suite.(STREETSMART NONPROFIT MANAGER)
The term "Founder's Syndrome" rolls off the tongue for many people, a casual phrase used to describe all kinds of negative situations involving the person who started a nonprofit. The term is a pejo . . .

Technology innovation: adapting donor management software to do more.(SOFTWARE)
When teachers at the 18 schools supported by the Lawrence Township School Foundation need extra supplies, they can post their wish lists on a part of the foundation's Web site that works much like a . . .

Calendar.(Calendar)
MARCH 5-6 The National Investment Center For The Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC) will hold is Western Regional Symposium at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Info: www.NIC.org 8-11 The Nat . . .

Making the pitch: involving your board in planned giving.
Involving board members in planned giving is an ongoing challenge for many nonprofit organizations. This entails struggling to make the board understand the importance of gift planning to the charit . . .

Raising $1 billion: bear market doesn't scare higher-ed fundraisers.
"Subprime crisis" and "liquidity crunch" are a few phrases that were missing from the general lexicon of early 2006 when the University of Maryland System launched a $1.7-billion fundraising campaig . . .

Rebranding a tradition: March of Dimes updates its premiere event and image.
AS he sat in the lobby of his largest corporate sponsor in mid-2007, the March of Dimes' Doug Staples braced himself for a rough ride. In previous months, he had mentioned to community relations m . . .

Message matters: succeeding at the crossroads of mission and market.(ADVOCACY)
There is one matter on which every presidential candidate agrees. Hillary Clinton to John McCain, Mitt Ronmey to Barack Obama--they all believe that it is their message that is critical to their suc . . .

Consolidation continues: may development included in deal for DMI, ALC gets MKTG.(LISTS)
Another day, another list company gets acquired. Consolidation of list management and brokerages continued last month, with the purchase of former king of the hill Direct Media International (DMI) b . . .

Coordinating your message: getting chapters on the same marketing page as national.(MARKETING)(Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
When messages suddenly appeared on buses in June that showed the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America's campaign to help children, the event came as part of the first national effort by the Phoenix, Ar . . .

National effort gains national sponsors.(MARKETING)(corporate sponsors like Frito-Lay, 3M, and Amtrak)
National organizations pull in big-name corporate sponsors like Frito-Lay, 3M, and Amtrak. That's a lesson the Make-A-Wish Foundation relied on when the organization's first national effort started . . .

All about the money: insider tips for writing a strong proposal.(GRANTS)
It's amazing how some organizations always nab those grants and others are left empty-handed. There are reasons for winners and losers and it has everything to do with the strength of a proposal. . . .

Ho-ho-hoping at Christmas: change of direction helped to save some of the holiday revenue.(FUNDRAISING)
As clouds that began gathering over the economy during this past summer and appeared to darken toward the end of the year, nonprofit year-end fundraising drives produced mixed results, based on prel . . .

Calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
FEBRUARY 27-28 The Cause Marketing Forum will hold its RunWalk Ride Fundraising Conference in Atlanta at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel. Info: www.rtmwalkride.com MARCH 5-6 The National Investm . . .

Best practices: information security is threatened every day.(DATABASE)
With the recent outbreaks of security breaches in the news, it's more important than ever to ensure that your data is safe. While no system is ever 100 percent secure, there are many steps and indus . . .

It's a new year: it's time to get in compliance with state rules.(REGULATION)
If you're one of those who thought Congressional scrutiny of the nonprofit sector was going to end just because Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is no longer chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, . . .

Taking things one paycheck at a time: grassroots group aims to influence homeless-serving organizations.
As the nation's sluggish economy worsens in some areas, group of formerly homeless men in Indianapolis is working to draw attention to the plight of people like them. The effort, dubbed One Paycheck . . .

One third of donors skip giving in some years.
Roughly six in 10 U.S. households contribute to charity routinely, according to new findings from the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study (COPPS) at Indiana University. But, nearly one-third of donor . . .

Using technology to boost visibility: charities get to the top of consumer Web sites.
With everybody and their uncle creating videos and posting them onto the wildly popular social media site YouTube, it stands to reason that the majority of the videos simply get lost in the clutter. . . .

That's Hot! Foundation getting most of Paris' inheritance.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
Paris Hilton might someday actually have to get a job. Well, probably not. The woman who made being famous for being famous a fulltime occupation likely won't be seeing as many zeroes in her inher . . .

The Power of ONEsie.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Just hours after a group of Oregon mothers stood outside the state legislature pushing for the passage of paid family leave, the lawmakers inside scheduled a work session on . . .

China appeal tries to clear air.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Green is the new black. Taking that slogan rather literally, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) China last year launched an awareness campaign using the "so-hot-right-now" green move . . .

Reversal of real fortune.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
Nonprofits normally benefit from donations of stock because a donor is aiming to reduce the tax liability on the capital gains of a Wall Street rally or a bull market. For the Boys and Girls Club of . . .

Execs and staff going online for continuing ed: flexibility filling up cyber classrooms.(PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
Responding to the marketplace--longer work days, longer commutes, less time in general--more universities are offering increased flexibility in the way working adults can continue their professional . . .

Culling the herd: Red Cross responds late to its own disaster.(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)
"You're one of those environmental lawyers? ... They're evildoers. Yesterday, it's a tree. Today, it's a salmon. Tomorrow it's, 'Let's not dig up Alaska for oil because it's too pretty." Let me tell . . .

Foreclosed, but not forewarned: subprime mess will put pressure on charities.(OPINION)
Subprime mortgage interest rates have been frozen, hurray! Problem solved. Crisis over. Right? Fat chance. And the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis is going to--no, already has--landed squarely in . . .

Managing risk: using ERM is a new way of thinking.(STREETSMART NONPROFIT MANAGER)
We live in a risky world. The litany of risks that nonprofit organizations face is long and complex. The list of organizations that have been damaged by an unexpected event or unrecognized trend is . . .

Fundraisers expected to get biggest pay bump: NPT survey shows bringing in the money pays off.(SPECIAL REPORT: 2008 NPT SALARY S
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fundraisers should watch their backs and prepare to be envied by others at their organizations. According to the latest national study of salary and benefits by The NonProfi . . .

One CEO set a ceiling on his own compensation.
How much is enough? Philadelphia-based Resources for Human Development (RHD) hopes to answer that question, at least at their own nonprofit, by limiting executive compensation to no more than 14 tim . . .

Who's next? Nonprofits are starting to get the idea.
If all the studies are to be believed about an impending leadership vacuum within the nonprofit sector as a result of Baby Boomer executives and founders retiring, then locusts should be flying in a . . .

Tax-exempt bonds: IRS proposes changes to rules.(TAXING ISSUES)
If your organization has issued, or is thinking of issuing, tax-exempt bonds, you need to be aware of some actions taken recently by the Internal Revenue Service ORS). The IRS and the U.S. Departm . . .

IRS compliance checks and audits continue.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is continuing its compliance checks of organizations with tax-exempt bonds. It has been reported that qualified hedges were one of the spotlighted concerns. The . . .

On the road: auctions, events making donors want to travel.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocate (SF-CASA) needed a quick infusion of cash. The young nonprofit targeted donors who had given more than $500 with a mailing . . .

The world's best fundraises: seeing the big picture generates dollars today and tomorrow.(Up Front)
Fundraisers raise funds. It's in the title. But great fundraisers are more than human automated teller machines. Raising the most money really isn't the only measure of a great fundraiser. Overcom . . .

Sarah Tanner: getting cash free and clear.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: YOUNGER THAN 40)
In some smaller communities, the local United Way functions as the community chest--the fundraising arm of that town. But for United Way of Pioneer Valley, located in urban Springfield, Mass., being . . .

Brian Cowart: a million new donors, sometimes one at a time.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: YOUNGER THAN 40)
When St. Jude Children's Research Hospital gets a new donor, Brian Cowart can claim that the person is one in a million. That's because that's how many new donors the hospital is now getting. The . . .

Election cycles: making your house file attractive in a political season.(LISTS)
As federal funding and giving by corporations continues to comprise less and less of a nonprofit's revenue stream, the onus is falling on the individual donor to come up with the money. Now throw . . .

High gift versus recent gift: is your "ask" an appropriate amount for the donor?(DONORS)
Have you ever had this experience? A friend asks you why a charity he donates to always asks him for a much larger contribution than he has been giving. He says that he gives about $25 annually to t . . .

Thank you, please: familiarity doesn't breed contempt in this case.(BURNT OFFERINGS)
Twelve days after a substantial check was sent to the local headquarters of The Salvation Army, in came a letter from that worthy organization. What was expected was a "Thank you, please" communic . . .

One big family: that's what tomorrow will look like.(FUNDRAISING)
There are three questions that haunt fundraisers. First, where is our charity going to get younger donors? Second, if email is so inexpensive, why can't we just send that and nothing else? And third . . .

Susan Loth: mailing less and making more.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: DIRECT MAIL)
Susan Loth has seen the direct mail program at Disabled American Veterans (DAV) more than double in revenue during the past 16 years. Its database of active donors has grown to more than seven milli . . .

Dana Farber Cancer Institute: getting sponsors to go to bat for kids.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: CAUSE MARKETING)
When you have 96 percent name recognition, you must be doing something right. "In New England, we're such a household name. We've been able to capitalize on the strength of that," said David Giagr . . .

Greenpeace International: eight countries, six languages.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: ONLINE)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you market a campaign as global, you better show people it's global. That was the motto brandished by Greenpeace International during the planning stages of the nonprof . . .

Finca: making microfinance cool.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: ONLINE)(The Foundation for International Community Assistance)
Most people probably didn't know or hear about microfinancing much just a few years ago. That changed when Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. While many might know o . . .

Jewish national fund: reversing the donor aging process.(The World's Best FUNDRAISERS: TRENDSETTER)
Ah, Spring Break. The sun, the beach, the "What happens in BLANK stays in BLANK" memories. Enter Alternative Spring Break (ASB), where the days of a wasted youth are no more, and where memories ar . . .

Larry Jones: DRTV, mail feed kids around the world.(THE WORLD'S BEST FUNDRAISERS: LIVING LEGEND)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If they made a movie about Larry Jones' life, it might be a little like the film Forrest Gump. That's not to say Jones is dim-witted or spends his time at bus stops holding . . .

Insuring donors' goodwill: going beyond the data back-up.
When a steam pipe burst in midtown Manhattan this past summer, area nonprofit Seeds of Peace lost access to email and all Internet applications. Because the organization had its back-up data stored . . .

Expenses continue to put stress on nonprofit budgets.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nonprofits were hit with increases in expenses last year that were two and three times the rate of inflation, driven by a hike in the federal minimum wage and the ever incre . . .