In the Media

October 24, 2008

Economy:

Local:

  • Teen Challenge’s Petters Investments: A Wake-Up Call for Nonprofits
    MinnPost: Minnesota Teen Challenge will try to rebuild its finances and credibility after apparently large investment losses in Petters Co., a company now being investigated for fraud. It’s a wake-up call for other nonprofits to review their investment policies and portfolios.
  • Four Big Clients Sue Wells Fargo Over Investment Loss
    Star Tribune: The Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Association, the Minnesota Medical Foundation, the Minneapolis Foundation and the Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Foundation for Children asked a judge to find Wells Fargo in violation of state consumer fraud and unlawful trade practices laws and to pay unspecified damages and return several hundred million dollars in related securities.
  • St. James Receives Town Meeting Grant
    Mankato Free Press: A $15,000 grant from Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation will be used toward the completion of a “community-selected project” about entrepreneurs and experiential career education for students.
  • A Poet Hooked on Rhyme, Reason and Recycling
    MinnPost profile of one of The McKnight Foundations’ writer fellows.

National/international:

  • Charities Urge Next President to Expand Giving Incentives
    Chronicle of Philanthropy: As charities grapple with the economic crisis, their executives would like to see the next president take steps to promote giving and to strengthen the nonprofit work force, according to a report released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies.
  • Nobody Does It Better
    Wall Street Journal: Should the charitable tax deduction be reserved only for those organizations that can show they are directly serving “the poor and disadvantaged”? If the IRS begins micromanaging the charitable tax deduction, it is hard to know where it will stop.
  • Post-Cyclone Aid Divides Myanmar Between the Helped and the Helpless
    New York Times: Outside the delta, the list of those in need of food and medical attention in Myanmar is long and distressing.
  • Wal-Mart Charity Chief: Nonprofits Must Team Up
    Boston Herald: Instead of fighting for survival in an economic downturn, these groups ought to be looking for ways to work together while continuing their mission, Margaret McKenna said.
  • Gates Foundation Searches Out Nontypical Research to Fund
    Wall Street Journal: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will give $100 million in small doses to researchers doing novel medical-research experiments — part of a new way to use the Web to reach medical researchers who might be missed in a traditional grant-selection process.
  • Gifts to Pet Charities Keep Lawmakers Happy
    New York Times: During the first six months of 2008, lobbyists, corporations and interest groups gave approximately $13 million to charities and nonprofit organizations in honor of more than 200 members of the House and Senate.
  • On Capitol Hill: Philanthropy Caucus
    NonProfit Times: With staff turnover expected in the House, Senate and administration after the fall elections, a new Senate caucus will help to educate those on The Hill about the nonprofit sector.

Comments Off | arts, government, in the news | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

What are you doing for Make A Difference Day?

October 23, 2008

Saturday marks USA Weekend Magazine’s annual Make a Difference Day, described as “a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.” The magazine reports that for the 2007 event, 3 million people volunteered on thousands of projects nationwide.

USA Weekend also sponsors an awards program for individuals and groups who register their volunteer efforts. Last year, the magazine recognized Best Buy for its efforts to refurbish a park damaged by Hurricane Rita.

You can use the Idea Generator to create your own volunteer project, or find an existing project in their database; my search today came up with nine projects in the Twin Cities metro. For more projects, Hands On Twin Cities has its own database of hundreds of local opportunities.

- Crystal Colby, MCF’s web communications associate

Comments Off | volunteers | Permalink
Posted by Crystal Colby

Charitable Giving Guide

October 22, 2008

Today’s print edition of the Star Tribune included its yearly Charitable Giving Guide.

The last page of the special section includes a list of “10 interesting facts about donating in Minnesota.” Citing MCF’s Giving in Minnesota research report, they list such facts as:

  • Individuals contributed 80 percent of the state’s charitable dollars in 2005, with an average charitable contribution of $3,693.
  • In 2005, individuals, foundations and corporations in Minnesota contributed more than $5.1 billion to nonprofits.

The Minnesota Twins, whose Community Fund is an MCF member, are featured in the Corporate Profile, which states that the organization donates 10,000 items for auctions as well as other in-kind donations to nearly 5,000 organizations every year. The Twins also give away game tickets, renovate ball fields through the Fields for Kids program, and support education with a Diamonds and Dreams scholarship program.

Unfortunately, this giving guide doesn’t appear to be available online, so you’ll need to pick up a print copy to read those articles as well as these others:

  • Choosing a Charity
  • Donating Your Time
  • Donating Money: Plan for Maximum Impact
  • Donating Goods and Services
  • Need By the Numbers
  • “Volunteering Has Helped Me Find Myself”
  • 10 Helpful Things to Donate to a Homeless Shelter
  • Corporate Profile: Mall of America

Comments Off | in the news, individual giving, research, volunteers | Permalink
Posted by Crystal Colby

Knight News Challenge

October 21, 2008

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing up to $25 million over five years in the Knight News Challenge, a worldwide competition that seeks “bold community news and social media experiments.” This is the third year of the contest that has, in the past, funded projects such as a database to allow users to access news via their phones, a social networking tool that will allow reporters to exchange resources and information, and projects that allow radio and TV stations to create and archive audio and video.

Winners will receive up to $5 million in 2009 for ideas that “push the digital edge.” Rules:

Winning entries must have three elements: 1) use of a digital media; 2) delivery of news or information on a shared basis to 3) a geographically defined community. Entries must be open-source and share the software and knowledge created.

Deadline: Nov. 1, 2008.

Comments Off | communication, private foundations, technology | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

New Way for International Funders to Connect

October 20, 2008
Photo by Flickr user noticelj.

Photo by Flickr user noticelj

Minnesota grantmakers of all kinds — corporate, independent, family and community — that are looking beyond the borders of city, state and nation to the world to fulfill their missions have a new resource at the Minnesota Council on Foundations.

The International Funders Network was formed this year to provide MCF members a vehicle for exchanging questions and resources to help them be effective in the complex world of global grantmaking. Grantmaking strategies, requirements and processes are fairly well-understood in the U.S., but the charitable sector is not very formalized and well-defined in many developing parts of the world and it can take a different approach, perspective and expertise to navigate the challenge of making sure grants get to intended recipients and accomplish their purpose.

The IFN held a kickoff session September 10 that drew nearly 30 people and highlighted a panel who shared their foundations’ approaches to global giving. Upcoming topics include a roundtable discussion on where people are giving internationally and who are the beneficiaries, and what you should know about working with intermediary organizations to make international grants.

So far the network includes 44 individuals representing about 30 foundations or corporate giving programs, and it is growing. It seems to be a sign of how technology and global awareness is growing, and how much more people are seeing connections beyond their backyards. All MCF members — staff, board members and trustees — who are interested in learning more about effective international grantmaking are invited to participate (link requires member password) in events, programs and an electronic discussion listserve.

- Melissa Eystad, MCF VP of member services

Comments Off | international | Permalink
Posted by Melissa Eystad, Vice President of Member Services

Cheerio(s) for Full Funding During Bleak Times

October 17, 2008

Three cheers for General Mills.

At the company’s 2008 Report to the Community event this week, Ken Powell, General Mills chair and CEO, reassurred a crowd of nonprofit representatives that the firm will maintain corporate giving levels in 2009, despite the bleak economic outlook.

Powell and Ellen Goldberg Luger, executive director of the General Mills Foundation, reported nearly $87 million in fiscal 2008 contributions. This keeps General Mills in the Minnesota Keystone Program, which recognizes and honors companies that donate at least 2% of their pre-tax earnings to the community.

It also means that General Mills stays near the top of MCF’s rankings of top grantmakers in the state. MCF’s newest list of rankings, based on data from 2007, was published on Wednesday.

The company focuses giving in five areas: international, hunger, youth nutrition and fitness, education, and volunteerism. This last area received lots of play at the event. Although nearly 80 percent of General Mills employees volunteer already, the foundation leaders promised they will focus even more in 2009 on finding volunteers to help nonprofits with critical strategy and planning issues during these tough times.

Join the conversation: Even as assets drop, is your foundation discovering new ways to help nonprofits weather the economic storm? How is your nonprofit adjusting to possible shifts in the funding landscape?

- Wendy Wehr, MCF V.P. of Communications and Information Services

1 Comment | corporate, economy, fundraising, grantseekers, mcf, nonprofits, research, volunteers | Permalink
Posted by Wendy Wehr

In the Media

October 17, 2008

Economy:

Local stories:

National stories:

Comments Off | corporate, economy, in the news, nonprofits | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

Updated Minnesota Grantmaker Rankings

October 16, 2008

MCF has long been a source of research of grantmaking trends in Minnesota. Our research enables MCF and our members to represent Minnesota philanthropy to state and local legislators, the media and our wider community. The information also is useful to grantmakers and nonprofits for planning, research, public presentations and much more.

One piece of our research is the Minnesota Grantmakers Rankings. Each year, MCF compiles financial information, either self-reported by the grantmaker or collected from public documents such IRS forms, to create these lists. These rankings are based on cash contributions and do not include in-kind or other non-cash contributions. Giving is also broken out by grantmaking to organizations located in Minnesota to give a picture of local giving.

I am happy to announce the release of our latest set of rankings, based on 2007 information, the most current information available at this time.

-Anne Graham, MCF’s information services and database assistant

Comments Off | research | Permalink
Posted by Anne Graham

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