The Non-profit Times

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

You do what? Americans are clueless about foundations.(FOUNDATIONS)
The work of nonprofit organizations, and especially that of foundations, is often unknown, misunderstood or ignored by the general public. But if the results of a new survey are any indication, igno . . .

Donordigital goes home to MWA.(FOUNDATIONS)
Mal Warwick Associates announced that it intends to reacquire Donordigital, a full-service online fundraising, advocacy, and advertising company. As part of the Mal Warwick Associates family of comp . . .

Calendar.(Calendar)
SEPTEMBER 7-9 The Nonprofit Risk Management Center, in conjunction with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, will hold a three-day Risk Management and Finance Summit For Nonprofits in Minneapolis. . . .

History as a teacher: what Obama can learn from the Bush faith-based program.(OPINION)
Barack Obama's proposal for a revised White House faith-based initiative has engendered lots of commentary pro and con, some of which seems to miss some important practical lessons that can be glean . . .

Holiday jeer: mailers preparing now to battle holiday season.
Santa Claus might be the only jolly person this holiday season. Those involved with direct mail fundraising campaigns are feeling the heat this July as they gear up for the holiday mailing season. W . . .

The world's best fundraisers: seeing the big picture generates dollars today and tomorrow.
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 . . .

'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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

Fuel costs eating up food banks: cost of supplies also pumped up by high price of energy.
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 costs coupled with risin . . .

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 . . .

Nonprofit styles aren't out of fashion: ties, bracelets still bringing in cash with updated looks.
Livestrong bracelets will go down as a fundraising phenomenon, generating millions of dollars for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), but also for nonprofits around the nation. Four years ago la . . .

Limited 'face' time: most donors on Facebook go unthanked by charities.
Technology is fast. At any second a GPS unit can track your location and text messages can be sent between continents. Emails packed with data can be received within minutes, if not seconds. So wh . . .

Let your group's friends fundraise for you.
Causes celebrated its first year of operation in late May, crossing the $2.5-million mark in online donations, benefiting almost 20,000 organizations and getting more than 12 million users of Facebo . . .

No direct response.(Statistical table)
The NonProfit Times made $25 donations to the top five organizations on the Causes section of Facebook and to five other groups on the site. None responded directly to the gifts. Here are the organi . . .

Consultants page: resource directory.(Directory)
ACCOUNTING SERVICES--STRATEGIC PLANNING ACCOUNTING SERVICES JMT CONSULTING GROUP 888-368-2463 Supporting nonprofit organizations with Fund Accounting and Fundr . . .

Demonstration permits frustrate groups: political parties keeping advocates far away from conventions.
For those old enough to remember the turbulent 1968 political conventions and riots that played out in black and white on live television, the events the major political parties hold every four year . . .

Green universities helping to produce greener pastures: projects saving money and the environment.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill adds up the yearly savings on green projects, the amount exceeds $365,000. The projects include re-commissioned bu . . .

Mr. Bill doesn't say 'noooo' to awareness campaign: commercial revenue goes to advocacy.
Mr. Bill is getting another day in the sun. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The clay figure who endeared himself to millions by being clobbered in every possible way on the television show Saturday Night . . .

Tempel leaving Center on Philanthropy to head IU Foundation.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Eugene R. "Gene" Tempel, executive director of the prestigious Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (IU), is leaving that post to head the university's fundraising a . . .

Web scam entwines charities.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
Maybe it isn't texting that's driving up your phone bill. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Several Web site service companies scammed hundreds of thousands of nonprofits and small businesses--with one def . . .

Fundraising to become reality TV.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
Taking different parts of some of the most popular reality television shows today, Scott Talbot wants to save the world "one fabulous party at a time." The founder of New York-based The Charity Grou . . .

Moving mission through the movies.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It might not have the mainstream stature of a red carpet debut but Prison Fellowship Ministries did its part to promote its mission through a film that opened last month. . . .

On dangerous ground: here's to losing donors and customers.(GENERAL RAMBLINGS)
There were two troubling news items during the past 30 days. The first was somewhat expected, while managers should have seen the second one coming. Target Analysis Group reported that both the nu . . .

Association management: there is always room for honest leadership to speak out.(OPINION)
Much of the sniping between the presumptive presidential nominees on the campaign trail in recent weeks illustrates a perception problem in America today when it comes to lobbying--that most ignoble . . .

Travel nightmare: investigation continuing as PoL shuts down travel section of eBay store.(AT DEADLINE)
Jacques Raphael was among more than 1,000 customers who thought they were getting a good deal on travel vouchers through the Points of Light Institute's eBay store. The California man coughed up mor . . .

The 2008 NPT Power & Influence Top 50.
There's nothing quite like an economic downturn to get the sector moving. During the past year retail outlets started limiting food quantities available for purchase and the price of gasoline is hea . . .

Leaderless: what to do when the CEO goes poof.(STREETSMART NONPROFIT MANAGER)
One minute she's there, the next minute she's ... not there. What do you do when the CEO goes poof? Back up for a moment. Who is the "you" in the previous sentence? By convention, it is usually the . . .

Unusual special events: the wackier, the better, so long as it relates to mission.(SPECIAL EVENTS)
Donors to the Wonderscope Children's Museum in Shawnee, Kan., will enjoy a Gala in October where they might feel like airline passengers. They'll approach an old hangar section of the Airline Histor . . .

On the move: volunteers travel and pay for the experience.(TRAVEL)
When Harvey Lowe signed up for an Earthwatch Institute archeological dig in Spain's Murcia province in 1991, he thought it would be a learning experience about early humans. After more than 10 exped . . .

Lost: the donors: satellite phone needed to find ecotourists.(TRAVEL)
The catastrophic earthquake that hit China in early May proved to be of compelling interest to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for many reasons. First, of course, was the fact that thousands of peop . . .

Consistent messaging: cyberspace has many tracks you can take.(ONLINE)
Studies show that online donors give more and donate more frequently. But organizations need one important thing before tapping into those donors--the email address. According to Tim Oleary, vice . . .

New UK standards: fundraisers must meet minimum levels of competency.(INTERNATIONAL)
The United Kingdom (UK) has approved national standards on fundraising, donor recruitment, working with colleagues and more to outline skill levels fundraisers should obtain during their careers. . . .

Blackbaud completes Kintera acquisition.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
Software vendor Blackbaud completed the acquisition of Kintera, Inc., the San Diego-based Software as a Service (SaaS) firm, the company announced. Upon the closing of the acquisition, all remaining . . .

Komen standardizes technology at all 125 affiliates.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
Susan G. Komen for the Cure[R] announced that it is standardizing its fundraising operations at headquarters and all 125 affiliates on Convio's integrated suite of online software products for fundr . . .

New president & CEO At USO.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
Sloan D. Gibson, IV, has been elected by the USO World Board of Governors to succeed Edward A. Powell as president and chief executive officer. Powell, who has been the CEO since 2002, the longest . . .

Credit card deal for canine companions for blind.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
Guide Dogs for the Blind and CardPartner, Inc., announced availability of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Platinum Visa credit card at www.guidedogs.com/cardpartner. For every card activated, Guide Dog . . .

National movement: summit for national service set for New York City.(VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT)(Conference news)
More than 100 nonprofit organizations, both national in scope and local groups, have pledged to take part in a ServiceNation Summit, a non-partisan political campaign trying to push the issue of nat . . .

eTapestry releases Spanish language version.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief article)
eTapestry has released an on-demand fundraising software in a Spanish language version, called eTapestry Espanol. According to John Moore, eTapestry's CTO and vice president of development, eTapes . . .

Calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
AUGUST 14-15 The Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation will hold its 2008 NY Nonprofit Conference at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City. Info: www.federationofnonprofits.org . . .

Consultants page: resource directory.(Directory)
ACCOUNTING SERVICES--STRATEGIC PLANNING ACCOUNTING SERVICES JMT CONSULTING GROUP 888-368-2463 Supporting nonprofit organizations with Fund Accounting and Fundr . . .

Resource directory.(Directory)(Table)
AUCTION SERVICES--COMPUTERIZED FUNDRAISING SYSTEMS AUCTION SERVICES cMARKET online auctions help organizations Get More Bids, Get More Items, and Raise More Money www.cmarke . . .

Web triggers direct mail response: benchmarking data show huge increases from three years ago.(EXCLUSIVE NPT Research)
Across virtually every demographics--age, gender, race, income, education and household size--more people are heading for the Internet before they make a charitable donation. And if you still think . . .

Limited 'face' time: most donors on Facebook go unthanked by charities.(EXCLUSIVE NPT Research)
Technology is fast. At any second a GPS unit can track your location and text messages can be sent between continents. Emails packed with data can be received within minutes, if not seconds. So wh . . .

Building vs. blowing up: games aimed to change kids' idea of nonprofits.(EXCLUSIVE NPT Research)
Choose whether your child goes to school to learn or works in a rum distillery to make money. Decide whether a bicycle or medicine is more important to spend precious resources on. These are decisio . . .

'Mark'ed man: Fitzgibbons gives regulators a rough time.(REGULATION)
When a state charity regulator meets Mark Fitzgibbons in person, Fitzgibbons admits the typical response is usually something to the effect of, "You don't have horns and a pointed tail." State cha . . .

Who are they? What you should know about profiling your donors.(DEMOGRAPHICS)
At some point, most nonprofits ask the question, "Who are my donors?" It seems intuitive that if you know the characteristics of your donors you can market to them more successfully. Answering thi . . .

Making the case: times are tough. You should be tougher.(BURNT OFFERINGS)
By now every nonprofit organization in the civilized world knows a brutal truth: As the cost of a gallon of gasoline and milk spiral above four dollars, donations drop off the bottom. It's true of . . .

Predictive modeling: reducing print costs via better prospects.(PRINTING)
When a nonprofit is trying to negotiate the best savings on printing, they usually aren't discussing this with their list broker. Yet, your list broker can be a direct conduit to the strategies, tec . . .