In the Media

January 15, 2009

Roundup of news articles in the local and national press.

Economy:

Local:

National:

  • Half a Million Nonprofits Could Lose Their Tax Exemptions
    GuideStar: The IRS estimates that that’s the number of smaller organizations that have failed to file a Form 990-N.
  • Obama Plans to Keep Estate Tax
    Wall Street Journal: The Senate Finance Committee will move within weeks on legislation to reverse the scheduled repeal, and Mr. Obama is expected to detail his estate-tax preservation proposal in his budget next month, congressional tax writers said.

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

ABFE Call for Nominations

January 14, 2009

Application forms are now available at the ABFE website for the 2009 Annual Lecture Series and Awards Program.  The application deadline is February 2, 2009.

Submissions will be accepted for the following categories:

  • The James A. Joseph Lecture on Philanthropy, which recognizes an outstanding individual whose leadership and contributions to philanthropy have helped to advance and strengthen Black communities.
  • The ABFE Emerging Leader in Philanthropy Award, which recognizes an outstanding individual whose innovative leadership promotes philanthropy as a means of social change in Black communities and advances ABFE’s mission.
  • The ABFE Institutional Award for Philanthropic Leadership, which recognizes significant efforts and contributions of grantmaking organizations to promoting philanthropy as a means for social change in Black communities.

Past Minnesota award winners include Emmett Carson, Reatha Clark King and Wenda Weekes Moore.

Comments Off | awards, diversity | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

Know a Nonprofit on the Cutting Edge?

January 13, 2009

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and MAP for Nonprofits invite nominations for their third annual Dot.Org awards for excellent websites. This year, they will also honor nonprofits that are “on the cutting edge of technology and communications” through websites, social media (Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, etc.), interactive campaigns, mapping, online games, and more.

Self-nominations are welcome, and winners receive free admission to the 2009 Nonprofit Technology & Communications Conference. Submit a nomination (or two) now. Deadline is Friday at 5 p.m.

The conference, by the way, is a fantastic opportunity for nonprofit staff in all fields — fundraisers, communicators, IT, leadership — to explore how to use technology tools to be more effective in marketing and communications, with sessions in beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Choose from breakout topics such as “Integrating On- and Off-Line Strategies in Fundraising Campaigns,” “Outcome Evaluation with Limited Technology and Other Resources,” and “Using Compelling Storytelling to Engage and Persuade.” Learn more or register now at www.mncn.org/nptech.

Comments Off | awards, communication, conference, nonprofits, technology | Permalink
Posted by Crystal Colby

New Grantmaker Priorities

January 12, 2009

The Otto Bremer Foundation will focus its 2009 Twin Cities funding on programs and initiatives to relieve poverty, including emergency assistance and longer-term poverty reduction. The foundation is especially interested in supporting efforts to help families and individuals meet immediate basic needs — such as food, warm and stable housing, health care, and reliable transportation — as well as efforts that address the underlying conditions that can help people achieve long-term economic stability. Find more information at www.ottobremer.org.

The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation is expanding its grantmaking guidelines for the Community Opportunity Fund and other unrestricted funds to include one-time general operating support. “This change is a direct reaction to what regional nonprofits are telling us they need most,” said Holly C. Sampson, foundation president. “By providing limited general operating support to organizations that are providing critical services to those most in need, we feel we can alleviate some of the tremendous pressures regional nonprofits are facing right now.” The next deadline is April 1. Find more information at www.dsacommunityfoundation.org.

Comments Off | community foundations, economy, grantseekers, private foundations | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

Economy Roundup

January 9, 2009

Local media coverage of MCF’s 2009 Outlook Report:

Other stories about how the economy is affecting philanthropy and nonprofits:

  • Charities Feel the Pinch During Economic Crisis
    PBS NewsHour: Charitable groups across the country are feeling the pinch as the economic crisis has frozen people’s pocketbooks and slowed rates of charitable giving. Philanthropy executives give an update.
  • Nonprofit Leaders See “Darwinian” Times
    Boston Business Journal:     Panelists at a foundation/nonprofit event acknowledged that some nonprofits are not strong enough to power through the struggling economy and that “tough love” might be what the nonprofit sector needs to weed out organizations that are poorly run or not focused in their strategies.
  • Time To Look Up
    OnPhilanthropy.com: When you teach children to play basketball, they always look at the ball when they are dribbling. And you run up and down the side of the court shouting “Look Up! Look Up!” And, of course, they don’t. They don’t because they are afraid they will lose control. And, as in life, the illusion of control provides comfort in the face of uncertainty. Then sometime around second grade, your point guard starts down court and he or she looks up! And then, and only then, can you begin to play the game. It is time for us all to look up.
  • A Giving Recession?
    Economist.com: Among the more difficult things to forecast for 2009 is what will happen to giving.
  • Recession Hits Arts Groups Especially Hard
    Chronicle of Philanthropy: For some cultural groups, the strain has already reached a crisis point.

Comments Off | economy, in the news, mcf, research | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

In the Media

January 9, 2009

Roundup of media clippings about philanthropy and nonprofits.

Local angle:

  • Anonymous $500K Donation Helping Twin Cities Food Shelves
    Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal: The December donation to the Greater Twin Cities United Way came on top of $100,000 given by General Mills in the same month to support food-relief efforts.
  • Kids Not Ready for Kindergarten Cost Minnesota Schools $113 Million a Year
    Star Tribune: A Wilder Research study, commissioned by the Bush Foundation, adds to the argument for more early childhood education. Also see the paper’s related editorial.
  • Bush Grant Brings Boost to Ordway
    Star Tribune: The Ordway received $670,000 to broaden its world music and dance programming.
  • Penny Among Group Brainstorming Budget Solutions
    Rochester Post-Bulletin: Former 1st District Rep. Tim Penny, now president of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, joined 36 other invitees from around the state chosen by Gov. Tim Pawlenty for being creative thinkers.
  • South Metro Briefs
    Star Tribune: News about foundation donations to the Minnesota Zoo, a free educational video game, and Lakeville’s Miracle League Field.
  • Executive Decision: General Mills CEO Kendall Powell
    CNBC: General Mills is hoping its advertising deal with NBC’s The Biggest Loser will be a big winner. Participants in the Pound for Pound Challenge pledge to lose weight, and for every pound lost General Mills donates 10 cents to Feeding America, the largest U.S. food bank. Powell said the initiative could help Feeding America deliver as much as 5 million pounds of food.
  • Charity Gets Last-Minute Salvation of its Own
    Star Tribune: The Salvation Army made a surprise comeback, surpassing its fundraising target as large donations rolled in from Cargill and others.
  • For Schools, Small Office Has Big Reach
    Star Tribune: The new Office of Resource Development and Innovation pursues funding and partnerships for programs and works to boost academic achievement throughout the Minneapolis district.

National:

Comments Off | arts, economy, education, in the news, individual giving | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

Minnesota Foundations and Corporations Anticipate Drop in Grantmaking in 2009

January 8, 2009

After several years of increased giving, Minnesota foundations and corporate giving programs expect a decline in grantmaking to nonprofit organizations in 2009 versus 2008. According to the 2009 Outlook Report released today by the Minnesota Council on Foundations, 40 percent of grantmakers anticipate a decrease in giving, 41 percent expect their giving to remain the same, and 15 percent hope to increase their grantmaking in 2009.

“Overall, the report data show that grantmaking is expected to decrease about 4 percent in 2009,” says Bill King, MCF president. “This is, of course, a snapshot in time. The giving picture may change with the economy throughout the year.”

Grantmaking this year will decrease at a somewhat lower rate than that of asset declines because payouts are typically based on one- to three-year rolling averages, explains King. “Unfortunately, this same factor may negatively affect grant levels in 2010 and beyond.”

In response, survey respondents plan such changes as include awarding fewer grants, adjusting priorities to meet shifting community needs, and offering more nonmonetary and in-kind support to assist nonprofits that face economic challenges.

MCF also released its annual Giving in Minnesota, 2008 Edition report. This analysis of charitable giving in Minnesota in 2006, the most recent year for which comprehensive data are available, shows that individuals and grantmakers gave $5.2 billion in charitable contributions that year, an increase of 1.8 percent from 2005.

While individual giving in Minnesota decreased 1.2 percent in 2006, foundation and corporate giving showed a notable increase: 13.8 percent.

Comments Off | economy, mcf, research | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

Around the Philanthropy Web

January 7, 2009

Roundup of what other bloggers are saying about philanthropy and nonprofits. Join the conversations!

  • A Proposal To Reward Failure
    GiveWell blog: I believe enormous good could be done by offering grants to charities that can prove their programs don’t work.
  • Should Donors Aid Nonprofit Victims of Ponzi Scheme?
    Give & Take: A new website, titled They Need Us Now, has been set up to raise money for charities that have been hurt financially because donors who supported them lost major investments with Mr. Madoff. Lucy Bernholz, a philanthropy consultant, praises the effort. She also posted a follow-up that MoveOn.org is also raising funds for those affected.
  • How Small Foundations Can Protect Themselves from a Madoff-Style Scandal
    Give & Take: Is it too expensive for small foundations to undertake the due diligence necessary that would have protected them from falling prey to a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme? Jack Siegel, writing at Charity Governance, doesn’t think so.
  • How Can We Make Charitable Giving a Year-Round Habit?
    Beth Kanter lists ways individuals can contribute to charity each month of the new year.
  • Debate About Need for Better Nonprofit Salaries
    Give & Take: Several charity experts are discussing the need for nonprofit workers to be better paid and for donors to support management training, technology upgrades, and related administrative costs.
  • Bill Clinton Urged to Stop Raising Money for Charity Work
    Give & Take: Last month, a Washington Post editorial argued that the William J. Clinton Foundation does “valuable work” but the fact that the former president raises money from foreign governments and others “presents an unavoidable conflict” if his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the nation’s top diplomat.
  • Something’s Wrong With Fundraising
    Donor Power Blog: That’s one conclusion you could draw from a study reported in the Wall Street Journal Wealth Report blog at Why the Rich Give to Charity. Less than 20% believed their giving has a major impact on the organizations they support, and only 6% feel that they’re making significant impact on society. Are you doing your part to persuade your donors that their giving does have a major impact on your organization and that they do significantly impact society?

Comments Off | fundraising, individual giving, leadership, philanthropy blogs | Permalink
Posted by MCF Webmaster

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